Clarington Craft Beer Fest: guaranteed Hip-roaring good time

When the lovely Tasha asked me to help spread the good word about the Clarington Craft Beer Fest - August 20 at Manantler Brewing's back lot (which is actually a helluva lot more scenic than it sounds) - I was only too happy to oblige.

Great people, great beer and a great location in the historic Bowmanville Foundry brownfield site in downtown Bowmanville. What can I say? I'm in.

Tasha, who is serving as Event Co-Ordinator for this event, said there will likely be seven breweries on hand (including Manantler), along with a special guest from the spirits industry. One food truck - Jam"Eh'Can Eats - has been confirmed, with a couple more still ironing out scheduling issues.

There will be several bands playing (on a flat bed truck!), which makes sense since Brewmaster James plays in about 173 bands (rough estimate) himself. West Hammock, described by Tasha as the "Bowmanville/Oshawa heartthrobs that everyone wants to see," has been confirmed for the event.

"We don't have anything like this in Bowmanville," Tasha said in explaining the genesis for the beer fest. "We have Ribfest, but no beer festival. We have a great craft brewery here so we thought it was time."

"It's exciting."

I reminded Tasha and Trevor, Everyone's Favourite Cellarman, when we spoke last week that August 20 is also the date that will be forever known in this country as Tragically Hip Day, as the legendary Canadian rockers will play their final ever show on that day in their hometown of Kingston.

Way ahead of you, Tasha said.

The beer fest runs from 2 pm to 10 pm and the Hip show has been moved to 8:30, so the plan is to show the concert, which is being broadcast on the CBC, in the brewery's subterranean bar/tasting room on some sort of big screen TV.

"People can stay outside for the last couple of hours of the beer fest or they can come in and watch the concert. The Hip will be here one way or another."

Anyone lucky enough to have tickets to that show are welcome to get the party started that day in Bowmanville, she added.

There will be also be a special beer being brewed for the event, Trevor said, hinting it will likely be a German White Ale to commemorate Camp 30, the secret POW camp located nearby during the Second World War.

"We have so many beers on the wall and they're all tasty but this one will be truly Bowmanville," he said "Camp 30 is a part of Bowmanville's history and there's a lot of great stories there. So this will be a special beer."

So far Old Flame, Beau's All Natural, Church Key and Manantler are confirmed for August 20. William Street (Cobourg), Brock Street and Big Rig may be there as well.

"It will be hectic, but I know the day will be beautiful," Tasha said.

Tickets are available for $25 at Ticketfly and ccbf.ca and at the brewery. The price, which goes up to $35 at the door, includes a sample glass and five tokens.

See you there!

Durham Craft Beer Festival, 2016 version: Wasn't that a party?

I sat on a bar stool in a darkened bar, a pint of Karma Citra IPA in a red plastic toothbrush glass in my hand, and contemplated life.

This is pretty good, I thought, as the sounds of the Third Annual Durham Craft Beer Festival in full swing filtered in from outside. Life, I mean. It's pretty much a given that the Karma Citra would be great.

But life, that's not too bad either.

The Karma Citra, a seasonal India Pale Ale that had been released by Great Lakes Brewery eleven days before this event, was the reason I was inside Buster Rhino's, the host venue for the festival, and not outside enjoying myself in the sunshine.

See, I had been told that Great Lakes, which ran out of Karma Citra at the brewery's retail store less than two days after its release, was not going to be pouring the beer at the festival. Buster Rhino's, however, had somehow acquired three kegs of this magic elixir, so if I wanted Karma Citra (and I most certainly did), the bar was always going to be my first stop when I arrived  in downtown Oshawa for the festival.

I devoted two recent blogs to my failed attempts at getting my hands on the beer at the brewery (although I did enjoy a pint on tap while I was there), and the first of those three kegs had been promised to me - all 53 pints - by Darryl, my favourite publican and the host for the festival - so I wasn't about to deviate from my destination for the sake of a few drops of sunshine.

Not when there was sunshine in a glass waiting inside.

James and Maddie from Great Lakes Brewery

Not even when Darryl stopped me on the way in and said there had been a slight change in plans. "Great Lakes WILL be pouring Karma Citra after all," he said. "Cool," I responded, "but I'm still going inside for a pint. I've got 53 to go."

Three tokens for a pint in a plastic glass (safety first!), which explained the red toothbrush cup. Okay by me.

And then I was outside with the rest of the common folk and my first stop was ... the Great Lakes booth.

"Karma Citra, please,"  I say to James and Maddie, who were already doing brisk business with this IPA and four other GLB offerings on tap. They politely declined my request to remove signs promoting  Karma Citra - this is supposed to be on the down low, people! - and we all laughed at my hilarity.

But it was now time to see some other breweries.

My next stop was familiar territory - my pals at Manantler Brewery of Bowmanville. Everyone's Favourite Cellarman Trevor and the lovely Tasha brought a couple of beers to the festival and on this stop I tried Root of All Evil, a 5.7 per cent porter that I tried once before in an un-carbonated state.

Smelled like root beer. Tasted like root beer. Go figure.

The lovely Tasha and Everyone's Favourite Cellarman
Trevor from Manantler Brewing

I ventured to the booth next door to visit with Jan Card and Wild Card Brewery of Trenton. Her son Nate purchased Gateway Brewery last fall and re-opened it as Wild Card Brewing last month.

(Nate Card=Wild Card. There could be no other name.)

As it was barely lunchtime I enjoyed Blonde Barista, an espresso-infused blonde stout called a "perfect breakfast beer" by proud Mom Jan. "It's a great way to start your day."

Indeed, Jan.

I had just one more stop to make before heading home for a bite to eat (I had bought a  ticket for my pal Steve and he had commitments until 2:30), so I walked over to the Muddy York booth to sample their Muddy Beagle ESB, the only cask ale I would enjoy on this day.

These guys have been making some great beer from their East York brewery for more than a year now and I love me some ESBs, so this was a no-brainer. The beer was delicious, and with an impressive lineup (and an even more impressive beard on Brewmaster Jeff) that includes some promising IPAs and IIPAs (which they left at home!) I am going to have to pay them a visit real soon.

I paced myself for this first round as I was still driving, but after returning to Buster Rhino's around three with Steve (who I introduced to craft beer at last year's festival), I was ready to get my drink on.

Paul The Beer Guy, Manantler's Trevor and me

Remembering an after work visit to Brock Street Brewing in Whitby the previous week, I made sure that was our first stop so my friend could get his hands on a Blonde, their flagship 4.3 per cent ale.

We hit up Great Lakes next, where I passed on Karma Citra (gasp!) and enjoyed a Sunnyside, their excellent Session IPA, while Steve enjoyed a Pompous Ass, their English-style Pale Ale.

Big Rig was next and Steve found Salute Lager to his liking - he made a couple more return visits and called it "the best beer I've had yet"- before we crossed to the other side so I could introduce him to my pals at Manantler and their Root of All Evil Porter.

Uh huh. Tasted like root beer.

We visited Second Wedge, where co-owner Joanne was holding court and we both tried Smoked Wheat on Rye, a 4.9 per cent wheat beer that started tart and citrusy before the oak flavour kicked in at the finish.

 Joanne and James from Second Wedge

Steve, however, admitted he was distracted when I asked him if he liked it.

"I was thinking I had an idea of what it tasted like and then a pretty girl walked by and gave me a smile and I lost my  train of thought. But I didn't mind it."

I wasn't sure if he meant the beer or the smile, but either way it made perfect sense to me.

Speaking of pretty girls - okay, pretty people in general - the Durham Craft Beer Festival was jam-packed with them. As usual the demographics skewed towards late-20s and early 30s, but there were beautiful people of all ages.

If I haven't said it before I'll say it now: I love beer festivals.

Muskoka Brewery was up next and with Steve indulging his fondness for wheat beers with their Summerweiss, I was salivating over Your Brewhouse or Mine, a collaboration with BarrelHouse Brewing of California. This is a seven per cent Clementine Cranberry IPA that was tart and tasty with a real nice bitterness.

Steve, with an empty glass

Steve, after learning he could get more

At the Sawdust City booth we both enjoyed the Golden Beach Pale Ale and I returned a few minutes later to try Bitter Beauty, a nine per  cent IIPA that was billed as being "less juicy" than their signature Twin Pines IIPA, though I thought it was juicy enough for me.  Chewy and resiny, with the bitterness not unlike a big pine slap to the face. Very tasty.

Old Flame was one booth over and I enjoyed Perry Loved Dirty Mary (and not for the first time) and then we found ourselves at Big Rig again, where Steve drank his Salute Lager one more time and I tried their Alpha Bomb IPA. Not bad at all.

We visited Second Wedge again - 3 Rocks IPA for me - and I said hello to my favourite bartenders at Buster Rhino's as they were pouring Rainhard and Bellwoods beers - a Nosbeeratu Black IPA from Rainhard for this guy - and then we were at Cameron's Brewing, where we both tried the 12 Mile India Pale Lager.

Both of us gave it the thumbs up.

At this point my legs were getting a bit wobbly  - Steve pointed out that he favoured the lighter beers while I tended to gravitate to the IPAs and Double IPAs - so I was  ready for my nightcap and the long walk home.

Back to Muskoka for me and their classic Mad Tom IPA, with Steve settling on another Blonde from Brock Street.

Freddy, Brock Street Brewing's new sales car.
I could have used this for a ride home, people!

And when I saw Trevor on the way out and he found out I hadn't yet tried their Dusseldork German Altbier, I found out I had  room for one more after all.

It was a half-hour walk home and I was in bed and snoring in the Third Floor Loft by eight or so, where I slept until 4:30 in the morning, rising only to walk back into the downtown to retrieve my car.

Wasn't that a party? Yes, yes it was.

Festival winners (and a Karma Citra Update)

Port Perry's Old Flame reaffirmed their popularity in these parts with the Gold medal for best brewer, as voted on by the patrons.

My pals at Manantler of Bowmanville finished second in the voting with newcomers Second Wedge - the pride of Uxbridge - taking the bronze.

I threw my tickets in for Manantler and Great Lakes, though I could have added Muskoka and Sawdust City as well, as my three favourite beers on the day were Karma Citra from Great Lakes (quelle surprise), Your Brewhouse or Mine (Muskoka/BarrelHouse) and Bitter Beauty (Sawdust City).

As for Steve, judging by his return visits, Salute from Big Rig and Brock Street Blonde would be his winners.

And you remember I was promised all 53 pints from the first (of three) kegs of Karma Citra from the staff at Buster Rhino's?

I had two. Just two. And the keg was drained. It just shows you can't trust a publican when it comes to kegs of beer. Or you snooze, you lose. One of the two.

Anyway, I happily drank My Bitter Wife, another world class IPA from Great Lakes, for a couple of days until they tapped the second keg of Karma Citra. And then all was right with the world.

You're forgiven Darryl.

Cheers!

Craft Beer Festivals and Karma Citra are beautiful together

On the one hand, I'm glad my blog about my love/hate relationship with Great Lakes Brewery Brewmaster Mike Lackey got some action.

Talk about the power of the press, or more accurately, the brawn of the blog. Or, more accurately still, all part of GLB's master plan from the start that I had nothing to do with.

But I think the Brawn of the Blog is a better narrative.

Two days after I wrote about the lack of Karma Citra in the GLB retail store (just two days after the beer had been released) GLB was tweeting about growler fills of the stuff.

"Nicole is filling growlers today. Nicole is filling them with Karma Citra IPA. Nicole is putting them in the fridge," GLB's social media maven tweeted Tuesday, clearly inspired by my Dr. Seuss Green-Eggs-And-Ham reference in my blog.

Not that this development helped me get any closer to Karma  Citra, as I would find out. I tweeted GLB back, asking if there would be any left by the weekend, the earliest I could get down to southwestern Toronto.

Buster Rhino's Darryl Koster

The response, to GLB's credit, was swift, though not overly helpful.

"Hey Glenn, really hard to say. Not filling a whole lot."

I told them I'd send an emissary to pick some up.

I have no emissary, though I did ask the famed Drunk Polkeroo to pick me up a growler if he happened to be in the neighbourhood. Sadly, he hadn't planned on being in the neighbourhood.

Considering the emotional roller coaster I was on in the previous blog - I hated Mike Lackey, I loved Mike Lackey, et cetera - I decided I would not let this development spoil my mood. With all the hate in the world right now I thought it best to spread the love instead.

Those good vibrations paid immediate dividends. Later that day I checked the Durham Craft Beer Festival Facebook page and I read that GLB would be bringing Karma Citra to the festival, which just happens to be tomorrow.

Oh Happy Day!

So today I pop in to Buster Rhino's in downtown Oshawa - the host site for the third annual beer festival - to get this juicy tidbit of news confirmed.

The lovely Jessica was working the bar and said the beer would indeed be on hand - "we have two or three kegs in the back" - though she wasn't sure if GLB would be pouring this most delicious IPA or if would be only available inside the bar on tap.

Darryl, our host for the festival, then wandered in to set the record straight.

Karma-freakin'-Citra

"Great Lakes won't be pouring Karma Citra at the festival, but if customers want a taster they can try it in here," he explained. I asked Darryl if I could get a pint if I so desired (and you know I so desired) and he said yes, "but you can't have it all."

With approximately 53 pints in a keg, I told him that one keg would be enough for me and I would need a week to get through it. But to be on the safe side, I asked that he keep this little bit of information about Karma Citra's availability to ourselves.

We don't want everybody to know, now do we?

And as I was at the bar a few minutes later squaring up my bill, Darryl came back in and told his bar staff - in all seriousness - that the first keg of Karma Citra was all for me.

Jessica said she'd put my name on it. I'm good with that.

So if you pop into Buster Rhino's during tomorrow's festival and find the Karma Citra tap is dry, don't worry. There's a couple more kegs in the back.

I am many things, including being a generous man.

Dirty Mary and Old Flames

My time inside Buster Rhino's bar in downtown Oshawa today turned out to be time well spent.

Not only did I have it confirmed that Karma Citra would be available at tomorrow's beer festival, I also enjoyed a fantastic hamburger (a chuck/brisket mix that is to die for) and tried a Dirty Mary, which is an unfiltered, unpasteurized version of the popular Perry Loved Mary IPA that has helped put Port Perry's Old Flame Brewery on the map.

This was a very interesting brew. It smelled floral, with lemony hops and grapefruit also prominent. On the tongue there was more lemony hops, along with a creamy texture and a pronounced sourness.

I wouldn't have thought that would be a combination I would like, but there you go.

It was delicious.

See you at the festival!

Beers for Breakfast 

Lunch at Brock Street

My attempts at reviving the popular Beers for Breakfast workplace enrichment program I had initiated earlier this year with work pals Steve and Scott ended abruptly for a couple of reasons.

Spring came for one thing and we started working past breakfast time. You know, like regular people. Also, Scott left for greener pastures and Steve was the less enthusiastic of the two when it came to beer.

But when Marc, our boss, handed me a few free flight coupons from Brock Street Brewery (leftovers from the Brooklin Fair), I decided it was time to stop in after work, with Steve riding shotgun.

I had been to Brock Street around the time of their opening just over a year ago and not since, having decided to wait until they expanded their offerings beyond blondes, reds and browns and into hoppier stuff. Free beer, however, was enough of an enticement to return.

So with the lovely Taylor handling the bar duties, we got started.

She set Steve up with their Extra Light Blond (3%), the award-winning Blonde (4.3%) and Big V's Pale Ale (5.5%). I chose the Blonde, Big V's, and because I was wearing my big boy pants, the 7.5 per cent Double Vision IIPA.

Free flights at Brock Street!
(With coupon, of course)

Steve, who is a man of few words when it came to beer, declared the Extra Light "good" and the Blonde "even better." He wasn't a fan of Big V's (he made a face) but when Taylor gave him a bonus taster, the 4.8 per cent Amber, he was pretty vocal about his feelings. "We have a winner!"

I didn't find the Blonde had much to offer, though it was pleasant, but I liked Big V's, with its citrus and caramel flavours. Double Vision was pretty good as well and I declared it piney and bitter.

Which is the way I like my Double IPAs.

Taylor handed us a few more free flight coupons on the way out, so for sure we'll be back.

While on the subject of local breweries I hadn't visited in a while, I stopped in at 5 Paddles recently (on the way back from a border crossing/Donnie's Bar & Grill adventure) and picked up a bottle of their In Your Face IPA.

I had tried this beer a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed. Either they have tweaked their recipe since then or my palate has been tweaked (or I'm an idiot), but this was a pretty good IPA. Not a hop bomb, with the citrus, tropical fruit and straw aromas a bit muted, but very tasty. Lemony hops, with some sweetness and more tropical fruit definitely shone through. Moderately bitter, clean, fresh and good.

I'll see both breweries at the Durham Craft Beer Festival this Saturday. Looking forward to it.

Rainhard and Durham's own breweries shine

I popped in to Toronto's Rainhard Brewing a little while back to help Jordan Rainhard celebrate one year brewing great beer.

I had a glass of his excellent Daywalker Session IPA and brought a bottle of that and the most excellent Kapow! IPA back to the third floor loft in the Shwa. But it was his Lazy Bones IPA and big brother Hop Cone Syndrome that stole the spotlight at the Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA), held in Vancouver at the end of May.

Lazy Bones outpointed Nickel Brook's Headstock - a long time love of mine - for the gold medal in my favourite category - India Pale Ale. Hop Cone Syndrome (a new IIPA I haven't tried yet) earned a silver in the Imperial IPA category, behind Innocente Brewery's Two Night Stand and ahead of Nickel Brook's wonderful Immodest.

In Your Face IPA - good beer, bad-ass label

The CBAs also featured a local medalist, as 5 Paddles of neighbouring Whitby took home a silver in the Belgian Style Dubbel category for Brother Ian's Belgian 6.

But Durham Region brewers knocked it out of the park at the Ontario Brewing Awards (though my pals at Manantler were shut out), held in Toronto one month before the nationals. A total of ten medals were handed out to local beer makers, with 5 Paddles picking up three seconds and three thirds and Brock Street (Whitby) winning the only gold as well as Newcomer of the Year.

Old Flame (Port Perry) had the other three medals, with three seconds.

Old Flame earned silvers for Red (Amber Lager), Brunette (Dark Lager) and All 'Ale' the Ginger (Herb/Spice). Brock Street took the top spot for its Irish Red (Dark Ale), while 5 Paddles came home with a silver for its In Your Face IPA, though it was in the American Pale Ale category. There were also silvers for Midnight Paddler (Imperial Stout) and Sunset Paddler (Barrel Aged Red Wine). Home Sweet Home (Honey Beer) and Kingdom Sweet Kingdom (Belgian Style Tripel) earned bronze medals.

Pilsner Urquell still shines after 174 years

The legendary Pilsner Urquell

Every once in a while I have to remind myself there is more to good beer than IPAs and their friends.

This was one of those times.

I picked up a bottle of Pilsner Urquell the other day, mostly because I felt the need for this IPA lover to broaden his tastes a bit.

There was another  factor in my decision as well. I found it at the back of my Mom's fridge; it belonged to my older brother; and he wasn't there.

Also, International Beer Writing Icon Neil Miller (a former New Zealand Beer Writer of the Year), suggested I do so, having raved about the beer after a trip to the brewery, now owned by ABInBev, in the Czech Republic in 2014.

(The brewery is for sale, if you're interested. ABInBev just purchased rival SABMiller - apparently no relation to Neil - a move that will give the world's largest beer maker one-third of all beer sales and half the global profit. The deal is expected to close later this year, pending regulatory approvals, which include the forced sale of ABInBev's Eastern European portfolio, with the jewel in that collection just happening to be Pilsner Urquell. Neil might have a second cousin or somesuch involved in the proceedings and therefore could be of benefit to would-be buyers. I'll let you know.)

Beer Writer,True Beleafer Neil Miller
also loves Pilsner Urquell

Pilsner Urquell, first brewed in 1842, is the world's first Pilsner as well as being the first blonde lager, making it quite an influential beer. Nine out of ten beers consumed in the world today are derived from the original Pilsner (according to Wikipedia, which is never wrong) so, yeah, it's pretty important in the grand pantheon of world beers.

Neil was quite emphatic at the time of his visit in espousing its virtues. In fact, he said drinking Pilsner Urquell unfiltered and unpasteurized straight from the barrel was "almost a spiritual experience."

I didn't feel the need the wax quite so eloquently after drinking it from a bottle I appropriated from the back of my Mom's fridge, but I liked it just the same.

Very smooth and gentle to the tongue, like a good pilsner should taste. As lagers go, this was a very good one. A classic, in fact, and my father (who shared my contraband beer) agreed.


It wasn't my favourite Pilsner - Long Dong Pilsner from Great Lakes gets that vote - but as far as Pilsners that haven't been tweaked or modified to meet the changing tastes of beer drinkers, it takes top honours.

Cheers!

Is it love? Or is it bitter Karma?

My love/hate relationship with GLB's Mike Lackey 

Mike Lackey can be a really cruel man.

I've never met him and I'm sure he's a sweet guy, but anyone who can make a beer as spectacular as Octopus Wants to Fight and then just stop making it - like it was NO BIG DEAL - has definitely got a bit of a mean streak.

Octopus has been a smash hit with hopheads since it was first unleashed on the craft beer world last year by Mike and his team of brewers at Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery. It's part of their Tank Ten series of IPAs, which means it gets only a limited run of about three months before the recipe is put back in the vault for the next year.

That's the cruel part.

Octopus Wants to Fight is as close to a Perfect IPA as I've ever had. It smells divine - mango, pineapple and pine tickle the nostrils, with plenty of juicy citrus and delicious bitterness to excite the tongue. Maybe the best smelling beer ever. 

Octopus Wants to Fight IPA

I bought it whenever I saw it in the LCBO or in local bars and I drank it whenever I saw it in front of me, even if it wasn't mine. I drank it here and there and I drank it anywhere. I even drank it with green eggs and ham. And if I ever met a Sam-I-Am, I would drink it with him, too.

And now it's gone.

You are a cruel, cruel man Mike Lackey.

I know Mike tried to make it up to me by releasing My Bitter Wife to take its place in Tank Ten and that was more than a token gesture. One of my favourite releases of the last two years - it was my Mid-Summer Beer of the Year in 2014 - and a beer I had been pining for since Mike unceremoniously yanked it off the canning line last year, though it was more of a grapefruit/mango heaven-type beer than an evergreen experience. It was - and is (I'm drinking one as I write this) bright and bitter at the same time. Fantastic.


But Mike wasn't going to make it easy to love him. "No LCBO release for you Spunk Monkey," he probably said, forcing me to make the long trek from Oshawa to south Etobicoke and the brewery's retail store to get my Wife.

I was ready for his tricks though. I've been a good son lately and I've been driving in to Toronto every weekend to cut my folk's grass and do other projects around the house. They're in the north end, but it's five minutes to the top of Royal York Road from there and then a clear run south to the brewery, so every Saturday night I'm back at the third floor loft in the Shwa with some delicious My Bitter Wife IPA.

GLB Brewmaster Mike Lackey

Meanwhile Great Lakes had been teasing the return of Karma Citra, a truly awesome IPA  that received a limited release last year.

This was the chief drawing card (for me) at the Great Lakes Tap Takeover at Buster Rhino’s in Oshawa in early 2015 and this Citra-hopped (naturally) IPA was all grapefruit and tropical fruit with lots of lingering bitterness.

And when fellow beer writer and Facebook pal Robert (Drunk Polkaroo) raved about it only a few short days ago I decided I wasn't going to be mad any longer. It's called Karma Citra for a reason: it's all about the love.

Yesterday I was back on my hands and knees in Mom and Dad's basement, bonding with Pops while I scraped old tile away in preparation for a new floor he's putting down and thinking about Karma Citra, love and Mike Lackey.

It could have been all the asbestos I was inhaling but my inner self said just go with it.

So when the job was finished me and the J Man (my helper on this day) headed down the familiar route to the brewery.

Karma Citra - sold out in two days

I walked in, said hi to the two lovely young ladies at the check-out counter (I think I did; I  was kind of focused at the time) and headed straight to the fridge where I saw ...  NO Karma Citras. "We're sold out," said one of the ladies, seeing the look on my face. "No, seriously," I countered, not quite believing what I was hearing. "You're making more, right? Tell Mike to make more!"

It was announced on a Tuesday, released on a Thursday and sold out on Saturday, probably five minutes before I got there, knowing my luck. An entire year's supply gone. In two days.

I think I hate you Mike Lackey.

"Would you like a pint? We still have it on tap."

So I stood at the bar, my ten My Bitter Wife and two Sunnyside Session IPAs at my feet (I'm drinking a Sunnyside as I finish this blog - it is morning after all), and nursed a (free) pint of Karma Citra while Jake waited in the truck, wondering what the hell dear ol' Dad was up to.

So delicious and so bitter, just like my mood as I contemplated my feelings towards GLB's brewmaster, Mike Lackey.

What the hell. I love you man. But make more.

Beer Fest season hits Durham Region

It's summer, so that means beer festival season is upon us.

This year, my finances being what they are, I'm limiting myself to just two and they're both local.

The third annual Durham Craft Beer Festival is this Saturday on Ontario Street and at Buster Rhino's in downtown Oshawa and the lineup is stellar, to say the least. Great Lakes will be there (Will they bring a stashed keg of Karma Citra? I'm not betting the farm on it, but My Bitter Wife will do nicely) and Muskoka, another legendary Ontario brewer, will be there as well.

Local brewers will be well represented, with Manantler (much love to these guys) making an appearance after a one year absence. Former People's Choice winners Old Flame and 5 Paddles will be pouring, as will Brock Street, named Newcomer of the Year at this year's Ontario Brewing Awards.

Second Wedge, a newcomer from Uxbridge who I have been hearing great things about, will be there for the first time and will definitely get a token or two from me.

Fifteen breweries in all will be in Oshawa, with VIPs getting in early at 11 am and the rest of us regular folks arriving at 12:30.

One month or so later I'll be at another local beer festival when the Clarington Beer Fest kicks off August 20 with what I hope becomes a long standing tradition.

Hosted by Manantler, this festival will have great music, good food and most excellent beer. See you there!

In praise of my mentor (the man who puts the 'D' in D B &G) 

I was asked more than once about my recent weekend plans and my answer was always the same: I was heading for the border to do a beer run.

I wasn't lying - I brought my passport, crossed the border and bought U.S. craft beer at the Consumer's Beverages outlet in Niagara Falls - but I was being a little disingenuous as well.

The real truth is the border crossing was just a little extra bonus on the day; something I did because I am genetically incapable of pulling off the highway if I am within an hour of the American border.

My ultimate destination was the sprawling ground floor estate in Burlington (40 minutes from the border), better known in this space as Donny's Bar & Grill, home of Don (natch), my pal, my Beer Bro and my mentor.

That mentor thing might alarm some people, but it's the gosh-honest truth. Don was the man who guided me into the world of craft beer less than three years ago (thanks man!), but really, I have been following his lead for much longer than that.

Our first broadcast journalism assignment at Humber College in the early 80s was to produce an interview and present it to class. I was pretty shy back then (not to mention clueless around television equipment) so Don took me by the hand  (metaphorically) and we went into the nearest washroom to interview ... a urinal. Jim Bard, our instructor and the only man at Humber funnier than Don (his Kraft Dinner humour column for the Coven newspaper was a classic) didn't specifically say interview a person, Don argued. So I would ask a question, Don would pull the flush lever and...well, you get the idea.

Don in his element: beer in hand

When the 'interview' was played  in class Jim did not even glance my way. Instead, he looked straight at Don. "You put him up to this, didn't you?!"

Our college days were full of such touching 'mentoring' stories, but most would get at least one of us in trouble and I can't remember them too well anyway. It was the eighties, we were in college, there was alcohol ...

There was that time we talked our way into a Miller beer marketing event, ate steak, drank free beer all night while watching Don 'sing' on stage with Louise Mandrell, and stole a six-foot beer sign on wheels and took it home on the subway. But that tale has been told before and I re-tell it only to show the depths Don will plumb to show me the right way to growth and maturity.

I followed Don after college too, all the way to Kenora in the wilds of northwestern Ontario, where he showed me how to properly trash a hotel room (Sorry Kenricia Hotel) and how not to charm the local girls (Don: it's not your fault she wasn't a fan of Bob & Doug Mackenzie!). He also introduced me to sports writing and when Don went home - he discovered Kenora and its minus 40 winters were not to his liking - I took over his Sports Editor position.

And when I came home to Toronto a year or so later (having left my leased car in a ditch up there) it was my pal who offered freelance writing opportunities at the Bloor West Villager newspaper to keep me busy until another full-time gig presented itself.

(I should explain that these freelance stories were not paid in cash, as his boss, the late, great - colourful, anyway - Verner Kure, loved smoked fish, Molson Stock Ale and not paying his freelancers. Instead, Don would take me next door to Shakey's, a bar owned by former Toronto Maple Leaf Mike 'Shakey' Walton, and square up our account with beer.)

Pineapple Sculpin from Ballast Point

Ghettoblaster - a Detroit-style
Mild Ale from Motor City

By the time the 90s rolled around I fell out of Don's sphere of influence as marriages (two each), kids and distance got in the way. But we kept in touch - especially when Facebook came around - and when he discovered craft beer in 2013 I quickly jumped ship from Brava to Smashbomb Atomic IPA and followed him into this brave new world.

Now I make the trip from Oshawa to Burlington five or six times a year to see my pal. Usually these visits are planned around border crossings, but this one was different: he messaged me and said he was free the following Saturday and would I care to come down and drink beer?

Why yes, Don. Don't mind if I do.

So I did the border crossing, picking up some Pineapple Sculpin (Ballast Point), a few Enjoy By and Ruination from Stone Brewery - the Brewery That Can Do No Wrong - six Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA (Uinta), six Rampant (New Belgium) and a bottle of Space Cake IIPA (Clown Shoes) before heading back to Burlington and DB&G's.

We drank a few of my beers before deciding it best we emptied Don's fridge first.

We started with Ghettoblaster, a 3.8 per cent Detroit-style Mild Pale Ale that was part of a gift from Don's pal Cheesy. This beer smelled like it wasn't going to be any better than just okay, with sweet malts and a little spice., but it was a lot better than I expected. Very sweet tasting for sure (like drinking caramel) with a pleasing bitterness. And I went home with a Detroit Beer Company glass, so win-win.

With the City of Detroit top of mind, we talked about the passing of a mutual hero, the legendary Gordie Howe. We both had Gordie stories, though his came with a picture as proof. I only got to stand in Mr. Hockey's shadow for a few minutes, too afraid to interrupt the talkative uber fan who had his undivided attention.

First Ali, then Howe. It was a tough month for my sporting heroes.

Donnie with one of his mentors, the
legendary Gordie Howe, who we lost last month

We also talked about Tragically Hip front man Gord Downie, who was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and is taking the band on a final tour this summer. After two days of trying I managed to outwit the scalpers and score a single ticket to one of the Toronto shows next month and I think most of Canada will be tuned in to the CBC August 20 for the band's final performance from Kingston.

And how Canadian is that?

We eventually got back to talking about beer and the brews I brought, with Pineapple Sculpin from Ballast Point next on the agenda. I love my Sculpins, having now enjoyed three of the variations of this seven per cent San Diego hop bomb, and this one was damn good, though it didn't really deliver on its pineapple promises. It smelled and tasted fruity, but I just didn't get the pineapple. Still delicious.

Space Cake, a  Double IPA from Clown Shoes (Ipswich, Massachusetts) was our transition to the big beers, as this brew clocked in at nine per cent ABV. It was all pine and tropical fruit on the nose, with more of the same - along with some mango - on the tongue. Very good.

Rampant was up next, an 8.5 per cent Double IPA from New Belgium of Colorado, one of America's best breweries. This was very good, with stone fruit and tropical citrus on the nose. It tasted like fresh grapefruit in a pine forest, with a little caramel malt on the side. Smooth but with a big bite. Balanced and bitter.

We tried the Hop Nosh IPA and this smelled delicious, with lots of bitter citrus like orange zest and tangerine. That and a little sweetness on the tongue, especially mandarin orange. My first tangerine IPA - I’m a fan.

We also found time to polish off a growler of Headstock - one of my all-time favourite IPAs - from Don's local brewery, Nickel Brook.

So it turned out we drank a fair bit, even though I was trying to pace myself, as a recent visit to DB&G's found me passed out early and at the mercy of a few of Don's friends. Not that I'm naming any names (*cough Marie and Cat *) nor that my good friend Don would be interested in those kinds of shenanigans (*cough yes he would*).

I worried for nothing. Around nine o'clock I heard something that sounded like snoring and there was Don, passed out on the chair. It's a rare day when I outlast him, so I basked in the glory for about 30 minutes before my eyes grew heavy and my chair became oh, so comfortable.

Coast to Coasters - a  collaborative Imperial
ESB from Flying Monkeys and friends

Space Cake IIPA from
Clown Shoes

Around two a.m. we both stirred and settled back on the patio for a nightcap: an Uber Berliner Raspberry Weisse from Nickel Brook. This was a sour beer, and the first sour  that met Don's approval. Me? Not so much. It had a powerful raspberry aroma and it tasted like punched up Raspberry Kool-Aid, with the sourness kicking in at the end. It delivered what it promised but I’m not a convert.

The too bright sunshine of the morning was welcomed with a big breakfast beer: Coast to Coasters, a Flying Monkeys collaboration with Phillips (B.C.), Garrison (Nova Scotia) and Trou du Diable (Quebec). My first Imperial ESB, this poured an impressive dark red with a thick and creamy head. There was lots of semi-sweet malts on the nose with a little plum, some caramel and a little bit of sweetness on the tongue. Hoppy as well. Very nice.

.All in all a great weekend - Don received the traditional U.S. mixed-six as a parting gift - and if you judge a good beer adventure by the number of new beers you discover along the way I had a hella good time at Donny's Bar & Grill. Nine brand new beers - nine! - were consumed on the Saturday while lounging on DB&G's sumptuous patio and through the week at the third floor loft back in Oshawa.

Add in all that mentoring from an old friend? Priceless.

All or Nothing goes all in at Trafalgar

Oshawa's All or Nothing Brewhouse is a contract brewer no longer.

All or Nothing Hopfenweisse

Founded two years ago by brothers Jeff and Eric Dornan and the makers of just one beer - the most excellent All or Nothing Hopfenweisse - the company just completed a purchase of Trafalgar Ales & Meads of Oakville and its sister companies Black Creek Historic Brewery and Trafalgar Distillery.

Jeff said the company will be making a "significant investment" in Trafalgar's 12,000 square-foot facility through the installation of a canning line and new fermentation tanks to enable them to produce craft beer, cider, mead and spirits under one roof.

The long term goal, he told the Oshawa Express newspaper, is to move the operation to Oshawa when the right facility (McLaughlin Armoury?) comes available.

Trafalgar, which has a 23 year history in Oakville, won seven awards at last year's Ontario Brewing Awards.