Fewer models but more 

Mad Tom at Auto Show

The days are long past when I would attend the Canadian International Auto Show to write a General Motors-specific story and perhaps a sidebar of my choosing and actually get paid for it.

The full-time newspaper gigs are history, as all my former employers were squeezed out by the mega corps, and the freelance business - at least in my neck of the woods east of Toronto - has dried up as well, with the remaining newspapers looking inward and taking all those choice assignments in-house.

But I still get my media pass for the auto show each year and I still use it, if only to pretend for a day that I am still a working journalist. Hey - I'm blogging about it, so they are getting a return on their investment.

They treat you right at the show, with free parking right under the convention centre, a free lunch, a media lounge and a refreshment cart that follows you around all day. Pretty good swag, too, if you consider reporter-sized notebooks and data sticks swag. I do.

Yours truly with Jaguar chief designer Wayne
Burgess, who moonlights with Brit metal band
Scattering Ashes

There would also be craft beer at this event, with Muskoka Brewery serving their excellent beers at the convention centre's upscale restaurant. 

Automotive journalists (not me: the real ones) wield enormous power in the business. They can make or break sales with their reviews and car makers actually do a great deal of business at the show, so we are appropriately feted. I help by telling everyone I know the Jaguar XF and other cars I can't afford are absolutely awesome.

(It would have been nice to hear some good news about General Motors jobs in Oshawa at GM's press conference, what with no employment guarantees beyond 2016, but that's a story for another day.)

Anyway, the new models were great, though there was a severe lack of the other models that are usually ubiquitous at auto shows. Perhaps cutbacks in the industry have filtered down to modelling agencies as well. Pity.

Jake guarding my Mad Tom IPA
from beer thieves

I also couldn't get into the Auto Exotica room, which houses supercars like the $1.9 million Pagani Huayra, a Bentley and Masarati or three; Lamborghinis and Ferraris and Rolls Royces. I had to get back to Oshawa so the 4 pm grand opening was too late for me.

A final downer happened when I went looking for the Muskoka  Brewery restaurant and discovered it wouldn't be open until the show's official opening the following day.

Damn. But my pass was good for the entire week so when I learned Jake was game to see all the shiny models we headed downtown on Family Day. I was going to see supercars, and by God I was going to have a Mad Tom IPA.

So we toured the show - including the Auto Exotica room, where I climbed into the cockpit of a Maserati - and the J Man spent more than a few minutes in the X Box One exhibit, which was clearly his favourite spot at the show. We also made it to the Muskoka Brewery restaurant.

I did say it was an posh restaurant, and the menu prices reflected that. Twelve bucks for an appetizer Naan Mini-Pizza? I think we're sharing this, I tell Jake. "What's Naan," he asks. "Will I like it?" I assured him he would. "Trust me. You'll like it." He liked it.

I also got my Mad Tom, and then it time for us to go. After retrieving my car from the underground parking lot (free on media day; $25 this day) we headed home, after stops at the Indie Alehouse (a couple of bombers of Instigator IPA and one bottle of Barnyard Belgian IPA) and finally at my folks house in the city's north-west end for dinner.

A few more models would have been nice and a break on the parking rates would have been cool, too. Some positive news on Oshawa's economic future would have been even better. But in the whole, a few good days playing reporter again was pretty damn good.

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Beer Headquarters. Wait...what?

The Beer Store has been getting its share of negative press lately but the LCBO hasn't come away squeaky clean either. Seems like a golden opportunity to show Ontarians how viable an option the liquor store can be is wasted if the employees don't give craft beer respect.

Case in point is found in this picture, which shows a few cases of wine plunked down right in the middle of the craft beer section under the 'Beer Headquarters' sign.

So you had extra wine and you didn't know where to put it. Fine. Just don't fucking put it there. 

On the bright side, I was in the same store the other day in a very long line-up with just one teller open. Within seconds that single checkout mushroomed to four. That's how you do customer service. Now if only they could figure out how to treat craft beer customers properly.

Rant over.

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Finally, a few beer reviews:

Mikkeller Green and Gold IPA - A hazy mahogany on the pour with a creamy head, this has plenty of delicious citrus on the nose with some pine as well. There is some sweet caramel and biscuit at the start, then lots of grapefruit and pine with some tropical fruit to give it a sticky bitter finish. Another fine IPA from Northern Europe.

Mikkeller Green and Gold IPA

Spearhead Belgian Stout - Black as a Monks scapular with a thick, frothy head that dissipates quickly. Smoky banana, espresso, dark fruits, Belgian spices and a bit of chocolate. Smooth but also quite light. Could use a bit more oomph but likeable.

Black Oak Pale Ale - Golden with a nice head. Subtle hops and biscuity malts on the nose. A little pine, a touch of citrus and light caramel sweetness. Clean. Very drinkable.

Chimay Blue Trappist Ale - Scored 100 on Rate Beer. Pours very dark with a creamy, almost stout-like head which dissipates quickly. The aroma of Belgian yeast is strong. Tastes of caramel, raisin and more Belgian spices. Very smooth with a slight boozy kick at the finish. Well carbonated. Very nice.

Cheers!

Birthdays, basketball and better beer with the J Man

I knew it was going to be a good day when the ice-cold darkness of a Pickering shopping mall parking lot served up a pair of fifty dollar bills for me to discover.

But I already knew the day was going to be great because I had big plans in downtown Toronto with my youngest son and a day with the J Man is always an awesome day. Now, with the day essentially paid for, the day was going to be even better.

There was going to be some beer involved - there always is with me, even if I'm dragging Jake around - and there was going to be a couple of birthdays to celebrate, but that was going to come later. First on the agenda was a bit of sports history: Jake's first trip to Maple Leaf Gardens.

Home to 11 Stanley Cup championships - yes kids, the Leafs used to be really good - the Gardens made way for the Air Canada Centre in 1999 and was saved from possible demolition a few years back by Ryerson University and turned into a multi-purpose facility, with a rink, a basketball court, a fitness centre and a mega Loblaws grocery store.

The former Maple Leaf Gardens, now known
as the Mattamy Athletic Centre

We were there for the basketball. Jake has become a bit of a roundball buff of late - the success of the Toronto Raptors might have something to do with that - and he and I sat in the cozy court seats to watch Ryerson, the third ranked team in the nation, outgun the McMaster Marauders of Hamilton, the number four team in Canada, by twenty points.

After a trip back to the car - parked in the heart of the city's Gay Village - to get a few packages (beer and beer-related stuff) we hopped on the subway to Union Station and Toronto's entertainment district for our next stop: dinner.

I hadn't been to The Old Spaghetti Factory since Wendel Clark was still playing defence in Saskatoon but the place was as cool and as kitschy as ever and more importantly, Jake loved it, even though he wasn't keen on the funky spice in the meatballs in his spaghetti and meatballs dinner. My Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine was awesome, however, as was the Boneshaker IPA on the bar list, and a little Italian ice cream was enough to ensure Jake and I both left happy.

Jake and I about to be crushed by carousel
horse at the Old Spaghetti Factory

Sufficiently stuffed, we headed out into the night, past the homeless dudes struggling to stay warm
and alive in the midst of a nasty cold snap - adventures in downtown Toronto can be great teaching moments - and found the Real Sports Bar & Grill, conveniently located metres from the main doors of the Air Canada Centre, which was hosting a Raptors game that night.

Inside were friends Cat and Blair, both of whom were celebrating birthdays that week, their pals Andrew and Randolph, and about a million television screens, including one that was 39 feet wide.

That got Jake's attention.

We didn't stay too long; Jacob being 12 and in a bar and all. But we stayed long enough to watch the Raptors win on the big screen and Leicester beat somebody in English rugby on our personal booth television.

We also stayed long enough to have a couple of drinks - cokes for the J Man, a Hops and Bolts India Pale Lager and a Mad Tom IPA from Muskoka for me - and to give out some presents for the birthday kids: a smuggled Beer Camp Double IPA from Sierra Nevada for Cat and an assortment of brews (Old Tomorrow Canadian Pale Ale and a 5 Paddles Baby Belge) for Blair, plus a few other items.

Beer Camp!

Just before we got up to leave the latecomers - Don and his lovely date Jessica - showed up. As a reward for getting there before I had to go, I got Don a beer gift too (though I can't remember what the hell it was) and I even got him a free beer, compliments of the Real Sports staff who brought me the another Hops and Bolts instead of the Mad Tom I asked for.

So generous I am.

Jessica and I chatted about how awesome our kids are, Jake and I said our goodbyes and we were off once again into the winter night, catching the train back up to College Station to find our car parked a few blocks north on Church Street.

Then it was home to Oshawa.

It's always a good time when I have good friends, good beer and the J Man.

Cheers!

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In honour of international beer writing icon Stephen Beaumont, who spoke at length recently of his love of lists on social media (I may have misinterpreted this so don't quote me), I have a list I want to share: My Top 10 beers I have enjoyed only once.

I miss these beers very much.

The trouble with the list is that since I first jotted these notes down, I've had number one (Moralite from Dieu du Ciel/The Alchemist; a near-perfect beer); number two (Immodest IIPA from Nickel Brook; happiness in a glass) and number four (Instigator from Indie Ale House; amazing deliciousness) a second time.

So rather than expanding the list, I just moved everything up. It's a list of seven now and at the top of the list is Super Guy Imperial Rye Pale Ale from Ottawa's Beyond the Pale Brewery, an awesome, fantastic beer that I had on tap at Buster Rhino's last spring and have searched for ever since. One day.

Truly an Epic Pale Ale

Number two on my list is Epic Pale Ale,  a New Zealand beer I found at Beers of the World in Rochester, N.Y. Fifteen different hops were used during the brewing process and the result is a beer with plenty of 'wow' factor. There's citrus and tropical fruit, along with some pine and floral notes. There's a peppery spiciness as well, making this beer quite different from anything I've had before, and quite tasty. A world class pale ale.

Coming in at number three is Amsterdam's Spring Bock, which considering it's a style that is far from my wheelhouse, knocked my socks off when I tried it. Spring is coming, so I hope to see it again soon.


Black Oak's Break of Dawn is next, and this session beer is  hopped up so much it tasted juicy. Big grapefruit flavours along with some pine and citrus give it a wonderful bitter finish and at just 4.5 per cent it is one of the best session beers out there.

Nebuchadnezzar, a IIPA from Sweden's Omnipollo Brewery, clocks in to the five spot, and as this makes an occasional appearance at the LCBO I may have to take this off the list too. Orange and pine and malt with lingering bitterness. Another great Scandinavian IPA.


The first and only saison I have enjoyed was Brooklin's Sorachi Ace. As this is a semi-regular at my local LCBO it's the nearly $10 price tag that is all that's keeping me from removing this from the one-and-done list. Fantastic beer.

The final beer is Rochefort Trappiste 10, considered one of the world's great beers. It smelled of dark fruit of various vintages - plum, raisin - and tasted of more ripe fruit with  hint of licorice. Sweet and bitter at the same time.

Here's to knocking more of these off the list.

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I have a long list of new beers I haven't reviewed in this space (due mainly to the fact I haven't blogged much in recent weeks) so I will get to three here:

Great Lakes Pompous Ass English (session) Pale Ale - Dark orange pour with a frothy head. Lots of hops on the nose. Hints of pineapple and bready malts with very little bitterness. Mild finish. Very drinkable.

Sawdust City Blood of Cthulu Imperial Stout - On tap at Buster Rhinos in Oshawa. The ’t’ is silent but this 9.5 per cent imperial stout wasn’t. There was plenty of licorice and something I couldn't quite identify. Sour cherries I think. There`s definitely plenty going on here.

Hop City HopBot IPA - Not a hop monster, but I got tropical fruits - guava, maybe - and some grapefruit. Pine and more tropical fruit on the finish. Nice bitterness, though it doesn’t linger. A good IPA that gets a little better each time I drink it.

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And finally, congratulations to legendary Montreal brewery Dieu du Ciel for their Aphrodisiaque Stout, which was ranked number one in the world for 2014 by Rate Beer reviewers. Considering Rate Beer's fans are overwhelmingly American, that is quite the accomplishment.

Fresh Headstock and Hot Buttered Beer highlight Winter Beer Festival

I got my first lesson in beer freshness at my pal Don's place, in the hours before we trudged through the tundra to attend the Burlington Winter Beer Festival.

I've had Headstock, Nickel Brook's fantastic IPA, many, many times but I've never been able to drink it straight from the growler, or visited the Burlington brewery for that matter. Don calls those happy things Monday. And Tuesday. And sometimes all the other days in the week.

So while we were waiting for the steaks to finish sizzling on the BBQ (you just lay a towel down in the snow and step out in your flip-flops to cook, in case you were wondering how we Moose-Kissers do it up here) I was instructed to help myself from the fridge. I grabbed a growler of Headstock - Don had picked it up a couple of hours before and it was still unopened - and poured myself a glass, choosing Captain America from Don's super hero stemware collection.

Mind. Blown.

Mmmm Headstock IPA

It had all the hoppy, bitter awesomeness of regular Headstock, but with a healthy dollop of fresh adrenaline added to the mix. It was simply amazing.

I remember having more than one. More than a couple, more like. Okay, we finished the growler. Stop judging.

We also dipped into my own beer stash from Consumers Beverages in Niagara Falls, N.Y. while we waited to hear if our other friends - and my date - were going to make the fest on this stormy, wintry day. I wasn't going to let the threat of a major winter storm stop me from a border crossing to grab some American IPAs from Stone Brewing and others, but I realized not everyone has my dedication/total lack of wisdom.

So we cracked open a bottle of Double Jack from California's legendary Firestone Walker brewery, just because one growler of delicious IPA is never enough. This is a 9.5 per cent powerhouse that is heavy on the malt and the boozy goodness, with some citrus and pine bitterness lingering in the background.

I think we were off to a good start. Unfortunately, the texts started coming in from our friends that the snow was going to keep them home bound, so Don and I grabbed our coats and headed downtown to the Waterfront Hotel, hosts of the festival.

How we do winter BBQs
(in flip flops) in the frozen north

Most of the big players were there, such as Flying Monkeys, Muskoka, Mill Street, Cameron's, Amsterdam and Beau's, along with some brewers I hadn't tried before. All of them - and us - were jammed into what looked like a medium-sized conference room in the hotel and the only nod to 'winter' in the name of the festival was the adjoining tent, which served up chili and baked potatoes and provided an opening for the die-hard smokers - I'm looking at you, Don - to get their fix on.

We entered and turned left - finely tuned clocks turn clockwise for a reason, I guess - and I hit up the Amsterdam booth first off to try their brand-new Cruiser All Day Pale Ale, a 4.9 per cent session ale that has been the talk of a few of my friends lately. Chief among the people singing its praise was Amsterdam regular Cat, who was supposed to attend this event but was scared away by the weather. No worries, Cat. I drank it and loved it. Full-on citrus aroma and delightfully smooth, this light-bodied ale is packed with Citra and Sorachi hops: two of my favourites.

(Amsterdam should be happy to note that my review on Rate Beer pushed its score from 83 to 85. I did my part.)

After that it was a bit of a blur, but I remember having Headstock (of course) and Maple Porter from Nickel Brook, watching Don have a beergasm ("Here's two tickets. Fill my glass, please") over Flying Monkeys awesome Division By Zero (an 11.5 per cent Imperial Nut Brown Ale), and enjoying a new IPA from Beau's All Natural called Mission Accomplished. This was a 6.7 per cent ale made with the classic west coast hops (Citra, Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe) plus a dose of Rakau from New Zealand. Not overpowering but real tasty.

I had Mad Tom from Muskoka and Cameron's Rye Pale Ale - both old favourites - and I even tried a Singha Lager, which isn't exactly craft beer. Meh. I've had worse.

Don with Trish Watson of Turtle Island

The highlight turned out to be found at Turtle Island, one of those newbies (for me, anyway) on the beer fest circuit, and their Hot Buttered Beer. This is their Ixcacao Triple Chocolate Stout, mixed and warmed with crockpot melted butter. More like a special dessert treat than any beer I've had before, this stuff was delicious.

It was about that time when  Don wandered over in full voice, having just experienced his double Division By Zero (is that even mathematically possible?), and a nice gentleman named Wayne - who turned out to be one of the co-founders of the festival - politely asked us if, perhaps, we've had enough beer for the evening?

It's like he was psychic or something.

So we bundled outside in the cold to hail a cab (and for me to drop my awesome commemorative glass onto the sidewalk) and headed back to Donnie's Bar and Grill, where I quickly passed out in the easy chair, beer in hand.

Let's do this again soon.

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I took a different approach to my border crossing this time. Instead of trying to smuggle a few bottles whilst declaring a six-pack or so, I went for the honest angle. I put all my buys - seven bombers and a six-pack of regular bottles - right up front with me. Canada Customs still rifled through my trunk and the un-amused fellow implied I was an idiot for going all that way just for a few beers. Clearly a Coors Light drinker, he nonetheless waved me through, duty free. Honesty worked!

My haul included the aforementioned Double Jack from Firestone Walker, a few Ruination (I had forgotten how bodaciously bitter this beer was) and a trio of Enjoy By (02-14-15) IIPAs from Stone Brewing. I also picked up a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for Don's co-worker Marie (she wanted it for a recipe) and a six-pack of West Coast Double IPA from San Diego's Green Flash Brewery.

I also went home with six tall boys of Immodest, the Imperial IPA from Nickel Brook that I had been seeking for weeks - I had it once before, nearly a year ago - so all in all a pretty damn good haul.

I'll do that again soon, too.

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Stone Brewing wanted to ensure their Enjoy By IPA series of beers were enjoyed fresh; so much that they put the best-before date right in the beer's name. This one was 02-14-15, which also happened to be Don's birthday, and it did not disappoint. Citrus aroma with grapefruit and orange, giving way to a little stickiness and some floral notes. This beer is fairly bursting with flavour and if not for the small boozy kick at the end I'd never have known it was a 9.4 per cent double IPA. Terrific beer.

Still fresh and delicious on 02/07/15

The West Coast Double IPA was another winner, though there was no subtlety with this 95 IBU brew. It looks like an ale in beast mode with that rich copper colour and sure smelled like it, with a heavy dose of pine making no secret of the rock solid malt backbone. Really smooth and sticky at the same time. Powerful beer.

I should mention another beer that was still in my fridge when I returned home Sunday morning (after first stopping at my workplace for a seven-hour shift to fight the storm, hangover and all): Love Triangle IPA from Indie Ale House. I bought a growler of this and was impressed. It was so chock-full of Calypso hops I could hear the steel drums banging in my head and it tasted like pine and citrus-scented grass with a slightly floral/citrus aroma, with a touch of vanilla. Very nice.

Immodestly fantastic

The winner on this weekend, however, was the Immodest IIPA Don had snared for me at one of his daily brewery visits to nearby Nickel Brook. I wanted this beer so bad I put three of my best men on the job: Don; fellow beer writer Chris, who promised to mail me some if he could find it; and Darryl,  my friendly neighbourhood publican, who said he'd try to grab a keg before it was gone. Both of the latter gentlemen, fine men that they are, failed in their quest, leaving Don, who said he nearly OD'd on the stuff before grabbing one of the last six-packs for me, to come through.

Thanks bro. This was a truly extraordinary beer. They used an "obscene" amount of Citra and Simcoe hops to give it strong aromas of grapefruit and pineapple with creamy pine notes and a solid caramel malt base on the way down. My highest rated beer so far.

Cheers!