Beer of the Week - Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA

B.C. does not seem to sell beer in small vessels.

When Teena came home from B.C. on Monday, she had 6 beers for me in her suitcase but it was so heavy she had to remove some clothes. I always appreciate that she does these things for me.

Five of the bottles were 650ml but I had to laugh when she pulled out the Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA as it came in a full litre bottle!

Howe Sound Brewing is also an Inn located in Squamish, B.C. It looks very scenic!

The brewery does come with a pedigree too. In 1980, John Mitchell and Frank Appleton fought the provincial regulators and finally managed to open up North America's very first craft brewery on Horseshoe Bay on Howe Sound. As a side note, Howe Sound is North America's southernmost fjord. I didn't know we had fjords in Canada!

But back to the story ...

John Mitchell helped design the Howe Sound Brewery when it opened in 1996 and was their first brewer who developed many of their original recipes. He keeps an ongoing relationship with the brewery to this day.

And the beer?

It is named after the Devils Elbow rapids (pictured down to the left) which is a grade 4 rapid on the Elaho River, just north of Squamish, B.C.

It pours with a big head, that takes a long while to disappear, leaving behind a large amount of lacings. It is brown in colour and I can sense a hop note in the aroma.

Much like other IPAs I have tried, the better ones, the flavours change during the process of a sip. It starts with a nice bitterness and then morphs into something else, sweetness maybe, before the hops take over in a very long enjoyable finish.

I really liked this beer and would not hesitate to try others that come from Howe Sound. With 1 litre bottles, though, it would be difficult to down a 6 pack in a day!

Bloor West Walkabout

Today Teena and I went on walkabout to explore Bloor West on the west side of High Park. Well, it was exploring for me. Teena lived in the area for 5 years. Read Teena's blog of the walk here.

We started off at Runnymede Subway and finish 4 KM later at the Islington subway and saw a few places in between. Teena said that she did not have to go grocery shopping often when she lived here as everything was available in small markets right there. It was something that jumped to my mind too. All the small fresh fruit markets, bakeries and butcher shops. It made for a great atmosphere.

The first place we went to was a Chapters. Not just any Chapters. This one was located in an old movie house built in 1927. Teena said there was quite a controversy when Chapters first took it over by the area residents who thought the theater should be saved. I must say Chapters did an excellent job of preserving the character of the old theater within the world of selling books. Most of the interior was well-restored and preserved and for me it is a place to return to.

Our next stop was an excellent looking patio at a pub called A Dark Horse. The inside was very plain but the tree-covered patio was a great place to watch the passersby. Too bad the service sucked. After a couple of minute wait, we went inside to get our own beers and later when the server came for our next round, she was not very pleasant. Too bad as the patio potential is huge.


We then walked along to a place I have always wanted to visit ... Bryden's. It a place well-revered by the beer geeks. They have a small friendly patio. We met a few nice people while there. The beer menu is excellent. I started with an "Angry Beaver" (love that name) which is an IPA from Beau's All Natural Brewing. It was fabulous. We decided we were hungry and Teena got the Chicken Parm sandwich, which was huge, and I had the half pound burger which was excellent. I could have spent the rest of the afternoon there. The inside is quite nice two with tables, couches, lounge chairs and a small busy bar.

Brydens is on Bloor at the bottom of Jane Street. Across the road is an very neat fountain dedicated to an area volunteer Alex Ling for 30 years of dedication. Excellent thing to do! It also contains a time capsule which is to be opened in 2020 I enjoyed the cascade effect of the water coming down.

After sadly pulling ourselves away from Bryden's, we traveled along Bloor down into the valley across the Humber River and back up the other side. We were thirsty so went into a place called The Old Sod, which called itself a "Etobicoke's oldest and friendliest pub". It was evening and only one other person was in the place. It was a tired looking place so we left after one. Not really worth the space a picture would take up for it.

A ways along we came to the Henry VIII Ale house. Now this was a place with atmosphere. It was crowded and happening. We were lucky to get a couple of seats by the bar. It was funny too that while standing in front Teena's friend, Yvette, saw us taking pictures as she drove by and with some difficulty found a place to park, and came in to say hi. That was so nice of her. She is a personal trainer, which is how Teena met her, and also gives classes on meditation. Teena took the last series and enjoyed it. I am joining her for the next series.

Strangely this is the only picture we had taken together all day. Teena and I at the Henry VIII bar.

I like Yvette. She always is up and has a smile.

We finished up by the Islington subway at Orwell's. It was very much a local pub. I enjoyed it there but if I was back in the neighbourhood, I would hit the Henry VIII instead of here.

It was another enjoyable walkabout. We saw lots and met some nice people. I just love Saturday walkabouts with Teena!

Wvrst, Toronto

On Friday nights on my way home from work I enjoy stopping off somewhere to read, have a couple of pints and unwind from my work week.

Tonight on my way home I was happy to see that a new place had opened up called Wvrst. Yes, it is spelled correctly.

It is not a pub, bar or restaurant but designed as a beer hall. It is very open and airy. Last night was the first night they were opened and were still working out some of the kinks. They open for lunch until 2:30pm, then close and open the doors for drinks at 4:30pm and food at 5pm. I lucked out as I was passing right around 4:30pm and found them open.

I was the first one in and had the place to myself for awhile. As usual, I sat down at the bar. Leslie, the bartender, was great, very friendly and looked after me well. She introduced me to Joe, the manager ... I hope I got his name right ... who also was quite friendly. I found the place very welcoming.

The beer selection is excellent, both for draft and bottles and the prices were reasonable too! 16 beers are on tap. I had a Grand River Galt Knife Lager to start and finished with a Flying Monkeys Netherworld Black IPA.

Leslie described the food as German fusion. As the name implies, there are lots of sausage on the menu. I am looking forward to trying their traditional Boerewors (beef/coriander) the Bratwurst and Kransjska (pork/Marjoram) Only $6 too.

There are some game sausage too. The wild boar and mushroom sausage sounds interesting as the the duck foie gras/maple. They even have a couple of vegetarian choices which I will pass on.

Wvrst is on King Street W and on my way home. Needless to say, this place will become a regular stop for me.

Mt Begbie Nasty Habit IPA

"Allow yourself to be seduced by our nasty habit. A generously hopped IPA balanced by a diabolical blend of rich specialty malts and pure mountain water. A wicked ale that leaves you lusting for more."

I like the sound of that! It's what they have on the side of the label.

Back in March of this year, Teena was out west on business and brought me back a Mt. Begbie Tall Timber Ale which I featured as a Beer of the Week. I finished the article with "This is a nice, enjoyable beer. Makes me hope one day to be able to try more from this brewery."

Well, Teena was out west again, this time on vacation with her sister Sarah and brought me back a delicious sounding beer from Mt Begbie, Nasty Habit IPA. She knows I love hops and I love IPAs. I love her too and for more reasons than hauling beer back for me when she is away.

I hope this stands up to the bragging on the label.

When I cracked the top and took a whiff, lots of floral hops came to the nose. I asked Teena to sample the aroma. Let's just say she does not appreciate hops the same way I do. It pours a coppery colour, which I expect for an IPA with a good head, which leaves behind lots of lacings along the sides of the glass.

And the taste?

It is not as hoppy and bitter as I expected from the aroma, which I know comes from dry hopping but did expect a hoppier, more bitter beer. This I would consider maybe a pale ale instead of an India Pale Ale.

That's not to say it is a bad beer. It's an OK beer. I was surprised that with a 6% APV, it had a very watery mouthfeel. Not much taste to start but builds to a decent bitterness in the finish.

This is a disappointing IPA, not one I would get again.

Digging Toronto's Past, First Update

On Sunday, I wrote about how a construction site at 621 King Street West at Bathurst had uncovered some old foundations.

As I walk by it each night, I get to see how things were going. This week, despite the rain, I found some interesting things happening.

The gate was unlocked Monday night and I walked in and got some shots from a different angle. I also noticed they had flagged some areas for further investigation. There were no workers around to ask what was going on. The shot below is taken looking west towards Bathurst and gives an idea of the size of the dig.

Notice the flagged out area for future digging

Then Wednesday night I found they were putting up a green covering to shield the site. Not only were were doing it streetside but also on the fencing which was already enclosed by the outer fencing.

The fencing is somewhat see though but as you notice by the magic of Microsoft Picture It, the fencing can be removed. Below is from the same shot. These people are not going to stop me from monitoring the goings on here.

I found this shot on the Toronto Archives website from 1927. It is where the current dig is going on.

Phillips Hoperation Tripel Cross Belgian IPA

You can almost hear the sirens as you pop the cap on this bomber. This IPA slams hop first into a classic Belgian yeast to create a superfortress of flavour.

This is what it says on the side of the label. I also like how the bomber on the label is dropping hops from the bomber.

I was quite excited when Teena unpacked this brew from her suitcase when she returned from her trip to B.C. with her sister, Sarah. I have had a 2 brews for Phillips before, the Phillips Amnesiac Double IPA and their Hop Circle IPA. I loved them both. Now I have one more to try!

It pours cloudy so it's definitely is unfiltered. It is amber in colour, a nice white head which dissipates slowly leaving behind lots of beautiful lacings. The aroma has nice floral hop notes.

OK, now I need to have a sip.

I have not been able to really determine what a Belgium IPA is. My only experience so far was with a Belgium beer, Urthel Hop-it. Sipping this one I have a better understanding. IPAs are bold with in-your-face hops. Belgium IPAs sneak up on you.

It starts with a nice hop bitterness, not overpowering. Then comes a bit of a yeasty taste before the hops again take over in the finish leaving a long pleasant bitter finish. The Hop-It was very much the same.

This is a very, very enjoyable beer. I would love to have more.

Another, what I perceive to a definition of a Belgium IPA, is it seems to be an excellent session beer, one you feel you could sit down and have 3 or 4 ... maybe 5. I found this with the Hop-it too. Problem is that it weighs in with a hefty 8% APV so really only one or two would do.

I have not yet had a beer from Phillips Brewing in B.C. that I have not loved.

And Teena brought home one more for me too. Can't wait!

A Suitcase Full of Beer!

Each year Teena and her sister Sarah go away somewhere together for the May 24 weekend. Sarah lives in Halifax and Teena is in Toronto so they don't get too many chances to get together.

This year they went to Whistler and Vancouver in BC. When Teena came back, in her suitcase for me she had a teeshirt a shot glass ... and beer!

New beer from breweries I have had beer from before and beer from previously unexplored breweries. The suitcase was full and heavy and Teena needed to remove a jacket and a bag to stay under the weight restrictions for the flight home or it would have cost her an extr $75!

Six bottles in all and all are large 650ml bottles except for the Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA which is a big ole litre!

And I'll write about all of them.

You may wonder what is on each end of row of beer. Rum!

Well traveled rum too. You see, Sarah knows that Teena and I love Smugglers Cove rum from Nova Scotia and only available in Nova Scotia. So the two mickeys (or "pints" as this size is known there, something that is constantly under discussion between Teena and I) traveled from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, took a drive to Whistler, back to Vancouver, and flew back to Toronto, where it is currently being enjoyed.

Thanks, Teena! Thanks. Sarah!

Updates on the beer to come ...

Book - "Drifting Home" by Pierre Berton

In the 1970s, Pierre Berton and his family recreated the trip down the Yukon made by his father, Francis George Berton, in 1898. This compelling story of the later journey is a valentine from son to father, a magical tale of a family adrift, and a poetic exploration of the region's rich history. In experiencing this great wilderness, Berton and his family discover their deep connection to nature -- and each other.

I have long been a fan of Pierre Berton's books and have read a great number of them. After his passing, I have been meaning to go back and read some of his older works, as I started reading the books he wrote starting with The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813, which he published in 1980. This gave me two hooks. One to find out more of the War of 1812 which has become a favorite topic for me to research and, of course, to read Pierre Berton books.

When I saw that the library had this for my Kobo, I had to give it a read.

Much of the book would be interesting only to his family. It is his remembrances of looking back at what the area was like when he was growing up there, and back further to when his mom and dad came to Dawson, and comparing it to what he is seeing on the trip, that this a very worthwhile read.

Beer of the Week - Stubblejumper Pilsener

Teena's co-worker, Dorothy who lives in Vancouver, was heading to Saskatchewan on business recently. She had heard from Teena that I have yet to have tried a beer from that province and to my delight brought me back a couple from 2 different breweries.

The first one I tried was a Stubblejumper Pilsener from Bushwakker Brewpub. Yes, it is spelled correctly!

I always hope to be able to find a little of the history of the brewery that made the beer which I am tasting. Sometimes this is hard to do. Not this week. On the Bushwakker website is a history of the brewery, a history of the building (Strathee Building), a history of the person the building was named after, and a short history of the Regina Rifles in World War 2. There is also a 5 chapter history of the company.

Bushwakker Brewpub opened in 1991 and the owner, Bev Robertson, was a pioneer in pushing the province since the mid 1980s to allow for brewpubs or "tied houses" to be opened in Saskatchewan.

Originally a professor at the University of Regina, he was on sabbatical in Germany in 1977 and learned to love the beer there. When he returned to Canada, he could not believe the poor quality of the big brewery beer here. So he decided to learn to brew his own.

After successfully brewing small batches, he thought it would be a good idea to help to form a home brewing club to bring together other small home brewers. The group called themselves ALES (Ale and Lager Enthusiasts of Saskatchewan amateur brewing club). Bev had two friends join him for his Monday night brewing sessions. They brewed 15 different beers during the winter, all in 70 litre batches, and all on a Monday night from the Robertson kitchen. As they were also cross country skiers, they called themselves Bushwacker Brewing. Bushwacker is a term for skiers who blaze their own trails.

In 1986, their Palliser Porter took Best in Show in Toronto at the Canadian Amateur Brewing Association (CABA) competition. The cup hangs proudly over the bar today and it is a regular on the taps.

In 1988 as chairman of the Saskatchewan Health Research Board, reporting directly to the Minister of Health, he made a suggestion to the government that Saskatchewan should not be the last province in the country to allow brewpubs. The government listened and legislation was passed in 1989.

Bev did not win one of the first 4 licenses issued and instead attended meetings of the Craft Brewers Association and sought advice from local business consultants. In 1991, he found the money to open his own brewpub called Bushwakkers. The name was spelled this way to avoid any trademark issues and it does stand out.

Being open for 20 years, needless to say, they have been successful. Bev`s son Scott was hired away from Bushwakkers by a Singapore group to set up breweries and train brewers for craft breweries in Japan. Not bad for a kid from a brewpub in the prairies!

The history on the website is more detailed about the fight to allow brewpubs to exist in Saskatchewan and is definitely worth the read.

And the beer?

Stubblejumper, which is slang for a prairie grain farmer, pours a very light golden colour with a nice white head. It takes a little while for the head to dissipate and leaves behind nice white lacings. The first taste is interesting. It starts with a slight bitter note, then comes a little sweetness for a moment before the hops take over and do their job with a long bitter finish. It is never an overpowering bitterness but one which is just right for a pilsner.

I love pilsners and this is a very excellent pilsner. I would never hesitate to have another of these again. If in Regina, I know the first place I would be hitting!

Thanks, Dorothy! Can't wait to try the next one!

Historic Plaques of Toronto - May 15, 2006, Queen St West

I was walking home today along Queen and just a few stores east of Bathurst I saw this plaque. I can't really say this is a historical plaque and have no idea why it was paced here. I did a search and came up with nothing. As I walked home I looked for more plaques but never noticed any more.

It says:

May 15, 2006
00:20 – 00:26 / 00:34
He held a small Canadian flag over his head and loudly sang “Oh say can you see, by the dawns early light..” His voice faltered and his friend carried on down the street.
Queen Street Toronto Tobacco Shop Downtown

Sounds to me like alcohol or drugs may have been involved.

Look at the bottom left of the Falafel Shop. That's where the plaque is. It couldn't be in a much more awkward spot.

A Gord's Eye View of Toronto - Digging Toronto's Past

I walk to work everyday, except when it rains, and pass what used to be the Travelodge Hotel at 621 King Street West at Bathurst.

They tore the hotel down last year, built a fancy sales office, then tore it down and started digging. It seems they have found some foundations to an old building so in the past week have been very carefully digging around exposing them.

I took a couple of pictures yesterday when Ken and I passed it on the way to the Jays game. I decided to return today to take some more shots. Before I left, I searched the 'Net to see if I could find anything about this but could not.

After taking a few shots, I wandered around looking for a way in. I found a place off Stewart Street where I could clamber over the fence. Then I saw a couple of cop cars pass along King. I wondered what the trespassing fine would be, could I be also charge under the Occupational Health and Safety act as it is a safety shoe and hard hat area, and decided that I already had some great shots.

Hard to say how old this could be as this is a very old part of Toronto and just a 5 minute walk from Fort York. I plan to continue to research this. I find it very interesting.

A close-up of what appears to be a well

The well appeared to be in a room. Notice the foundations that have been unearthed around the perimeter of this room.

The wall extends west from the room with the well. Looks like they haven't finished their dig yet.

They are protecting this. The area of the dig is fenced off inside the already fenced off construction site.

The closed Travelodge. The dig is taking place in the area just behind the white car on the right, very close to the sidewalk.

At The Jays Game With Ken

Today Ken came in from Hamilton and we hit the Jays game together.

It was his first game of the year and my third. The seats were in the 500 level but very good ... just to the first base side of home plate in the third row. I enjoyed being in those seats as the row right behind was where I shared season tickets for the first the first 6 years of the Dome's opening.

Things did not start off well as the Jays went quickly down 2-0 before they came to bat. After the 5th, they were down 4-0. Then in the bottom of the 6th, current home run leader Jose Bautista came to the plate with 2 men on base and slammed a drive into the left field seats. The Jays were back in it.

In the 7th, the Jays tied the score and then Escobar came up with a 2 run homer to put the Jays into the lead. In the 8th, to every Jays fans delight, Bautista did it one more time, burying another shot into the left field stands.

With a 3 run lead in the 9th, the inning was more interesting and nervous than we would have like but in the end the Jays had a 7-5 victory.

It was a great day for a game, with the sun shining and the temperature hitting 25C but felling like 29C.

Ken and I both came home with colour on our arms and faces, taking away some of that winter whiteness.

Then we BBQed sirloin burgers before Ken headed home. We had a great visit and a great day at the ball yard. With a Jays' victory and Jays' hero Bautista cranking 2 home runs, it had to be an enjoyable day at the old ball game!

Bautista in action in the 1rst. This was an infield single.

So why did I take this picture of Carlos Lee from the Houston Astros? He is on my fantasy team the Rumrunners and in my line-up this week to to an injury to my first baseman Ike Davis. I think he was showing off for me as he had a single, a double (shown here) a stolen base and scored 2 runs.

It seems that every Jays fan loves part time player John MacDonald AKA Johnny Mac. Here he slammed a long loud out with the ball being caught on the warning track.

Book - Pirates of the Levant

Hop on board and enjoy the sixth and final adventure of Captain Diego Alatriste and his foster son Íñigo. This time around, the swashbuckling duo set sail aboard a seventeenth-century Spanish galleon. As a seasoned sword-for-hire, Alatriste always expects action, but nothing can quite prepare him for the viciousness of his last battle. Of course the author wouldn’t be true to the series if he didn’t provide at least a dollop of romantic intrigue. As Íñigo begins experiencing growing pains, he forms an ill-advised attachment to the niece of Alatriste’s sworn enemy. Like his charismatic anti-hero, Pérez-Reverte never holds, pulling out all the stops as he skillfully crafts a shocking, fight-to-the-death bloodbath on the high seas. 

This is the 6th book in the Captain Alatriste series written by Spanish Author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. He wrote the first one back in 1996. This was written in 2006 but just recently translated. The story is always told by Inigo Blaboa who is the young son of Alatriste's best friend who was killed in battle. Pérez-Reverte has a wandering style of writing through each novel and spend much of the first half of the book flashing back through time or hinting at what is coming in thiet futures after this particular story is told. 

The second half of each novel always settles down to a good story. This story is the weakest of the series as Captain Alatriste is usually a sword for hire or a soldier and the story has a purpose. This is a rambling tale of Alatriste and Inigo adventures aboard a Spanish galleon wandering the Mediterranean. The author has always done an excellent job in describing battle or sword fights and the battle at the end of this story is excellent. It's worth a read if you are a fan of the series. If not, you may wish to start with the first one Captain Alatriste.

Beer of the Week- Czechvar Pilsner

Every time I do a BOTW that features a new brewery, I hope the beer is enjoyable and the brewery has an interesting story to tell. This week when I bought 2 cans of Czechvar Pilsner, I found an interesting story.

Czechvar is brewed by Budweiser. No, not the US one but the Czech one and no they are not associated it any way.

In 1895, Czech Share Brewery in České Budějovice in the Czech Republic was opened as a Nationalized company. One of the beers they sold and exported to the US was Budweiser which in German is an adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice. Makes sense. Budweiser was a registered trademark name for the Czech Share Brewery.

Problem was that earlier in 1795, in the same town, Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu was founded. In 1875, this company started exporting to the US it's Budweiser Bier.

Meanwhile back in the US, in 1876 Adolphus Busch came up with their own Bohemian-style" lager for Anheuser-Busch which they called, what else? Budweiser!

Three companies all with their own version of Budweiser. Things were ripe for lawsuits. In 1907 the US and Czech brewers made an agreement that Anheuser-Busch could market its beer as Budweiser but only in North America.

In the 1930 the name Budvar was registered by Czech Share Brewery and in 1936, the company changed it's name to Budvar. During World War 2, the company was taken over and ran by the Nazi's and after the war once again became a nationalized Czech company.

In 1967 Budvar became an independent company called Budweiser Budvar Brewery which still sold, yes, Budweiser.

Finally in 2007 Budweiser Budvar Brewery became nationalized once again. The same year Budweiser Budvar made an agreement with Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser-Busch still cannot sell Budweiser in the European Union. Budvar cannot sell Budweiser in the US. Anheuser-Busch would market Budvar's Budweiser, but under the name of Czechvar.

The name Czechvar is a combination of two words – "Czech“ for the country it is brewed in and "pivovar“ which in English means brewery.

So today I am tasting a Czechvar which really is a Budweiser. Hopefully it is far superior to the Anheuser-Busch version which is very close to water.

It pours with a very white head which dissipates quickly leaving behind no lacings at all. The beer is a light golden colour which you can see right through.

There is a slight hop note when I first sip it but the bitterness increases in the finish. This is an OK decent beer. If I was at a pub with no decent craft beer on tap, I would not hesitate to order a pint. I don't think, though, it would be one I would purchase to bring home.