Mont Tremblant Walkabout

Mont Tremblant is a beautiful place. Teena and I were here back in the summer of 2006, so seeing it in winter sure was different. The vibe in winter was more fun and people were everywhere. It has been a very long time since I skied and was in a winter ski village.

Here is Teena by the fire in the main square at the top of the village.

Here we are having a hot mulled wine by the fire. The two women behind us had driven up from New York.

After supper at the La Diable Brewpub, more on the beer from there later, we walked up to the top of the hill to watch the fireworks.

It was a great way to start our trip. next up tonight is New Years at a club a few doors away.

Mont Tremblant International Airport

This is outside of Mount Tremblant International Airport at the shuttle pickup area.

Not your normal airport for sure! This airport is unique as they have a single airstrip plus a man-made lake to land pontoon planes.  Very cool. It definitely was not what we were expecting. Very quaint, for sure.

Here we are coming in from the plane.

When they bring in your bags, the bags never see the the inside of the airport. Instead the truck pulls up with the carts full of our luggage and parks so they are protected under this cover.

The inside of the airport.

Here is our plane. It looks like we are in the Arctic!

Finally, this is the view when you step out the doors of the airport. Certainly different from Pearson International.

Book Review - Cheers! A History Of Beer In Canada

A couple of years ago I read a book by Nicholas Pashley called Notes on a Beer Mat and quite enjoyed it, so when he came out with his next book this year, Cheers, A History of Beer in Canada, I had to read it.

We like beer in Canada. We really, really like it. And it’s not just a fly-by-night, sordid little affair. We’re in it long term. We spend something like $8 billion a year on beer. From barley growers to label designers, more than 170,000 Canadians owe their full-time jobs directly or indirectly to beer. The rest of us just do what we can to help. 

In the long-awaited follow up to Notes on a Beermat, Pashley explores beer in Canada, covering many salient points, including chapters on 

Frere Ambroise, Who Started It All (Unless He Didn’ t) 
Us Against Them: Canadians and Our Neighbours to the South 
When Canadians Knew Squat: The Stubby in Our Lives Beer: 
Isn’t It Bad for You and Bad for the Planet? 
Ale or Lager? East Is East and West Isn’t 
Barkeep! Gimme Another Light Dry Low-Carb Ice Beer with No Aftertaste 
Are You a Beer Geek? (There’ s No Right Answer) 
The Future of Beer: Can I Afford to Drink Beer? (Can You Afford Not To?)

This is a fun humorous look at the history of beer in Canada and a look at the craft beer industry today. There are times that I felt Mr. Pashley tried too hard at his humour and missed the mark, plus I found the book as a whole a little long, but overall it was a fun read.

The last few chapters are about traveling across Canada to find out what the beer culture was in our major cities and a few smaller places. This was not as much fun as I thought it would be but I did like how in each city he would pick out the one bar or pub that he felt most at home in and would likely be his home pub if he lived there.

I learned a little from this book, plus it was fun. What more can a reader ask for?

Beer of the Week - Historic Ales of Scotland Gift Pack

This Christmas my nephew, Kyle, and his wife, Kerri, gave me the Historic Ales of Scotland gift pack from Williams Bros. Brewing.

The pack contains four different ales brewed using ancient recipes used in old Scotland before hops could be commercially brought into the country. Each pack contains four out of the five beers which the company brews. Mine has a Fraoch Heather Ale, a Grozet Gooseberry Ale, an Alba pine flavoured ale and an Ebulum Elderberry Ale, which I have written about before.

Williams Bros. started not as a brewery but as home brew shop in Glasgow. In 1988, a woman of Gaelic descent came into the store armed with a family recipe for Heather Ale, which she wanted to re-create for her family. She said she would share the recipe if they would teach her how to make the ale.

After some experimenting, the recipe was created and the brothers, Bruce and Scott, decided to open a brewery in Craigmill, Strathaven. In 2004, they needed a larger brewery so they bought the Fourth Brewery in Alloa and moved in, where they have brewed ever since.

Alloa was once considered the brewing centre of Scotland due to the huge supply of grain and the fact that it sat on a harbour. The harbour was important as most brewers in Alloa shipped IPA to India and the town was regarded as second in only to Burton on the Trent fro brewing in the British Isles. Today Williams Bros. is the only brewery in the city.

Now to the beer.

As I have written about the Ebulum Elderberry Ale before, I will only say that I enjoyed it the first time I had it and again when I had from this pack.

Fraoch Heather Ale: The name is a little redundant as Fraoch is Gaelic for Heather. Heather Ale, made from the Heather flowers from a plant abundant in Scotland, is considered one of the oldest style ales in the world as it has been brewed since about 2000 BC. Heather Ale's name comes up throughout history and even in a Robert Louis Stevenson poem Heather Ale:

From the bonny bells of heather
They brewed a drink long-syne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
They brewed it and they drank it,
And lay in a blessed swound.

The beer pours golden in colour with a white head which dissipates quickly. There is an earthy quality to the aroma. There is very little carbonation in this. On my first sip the beer starts a little weak and then along comes a sweetness. I don't usually enjoy a sweet beer, but I am liking this one. It's not overly sweet and has a nice finish which is impossible for me to identify, but likely is the Heather. A very nice ale!

Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale: I am starting to get it now. Grozet is Gaelic for gooseberry. Where above when I claimed the name is a little redundant, now I see the charm. Sometimes it takes awhile for me to catch on!

This beer pours a cloudy yellow in colour, with a white head. Lot's of lacings are left behind on the glass as I sip. The aroma is lively and speaks of the gooseberry in the beer. The taste is a little complicated. It starts a little sweet and full of gooseberry, which disappears and becomes a little sour, then the gooseberry returns again for the finish. An excellent beer, especially for a hot day!

Alba Scots Pine Ale: Spruce and pine ales were popular in Scotland until the end of the 19th century. In the spring, the green shoots at the tips of the evergreen trees are picked. They are much milder and less resinous than older, more mature twigs and needles.  I have had a spruce beer once before, which I liked, so this should be an interesting comparison.

According to the description on the bottle, this 7.5% "tripel" style beer is brewed to a traditional Highland recipe.

The beer pours a coppery, reddish colour with very little head. The aroma is quite malty with a hint of caramel. There is very little carbonation in this. It is a heavier tasting beer with just a slight hint of pine or spruce and some caramel that I noted in the aroma. This is not a bad beer but one not really to my taste. 

All in all, a great present. I just loved three out the four beers in the pack. Thanks, Kyle! Thanks, Kerri! It was fun trying them all.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 189 
Breweries 163 
Countries 37

Boxing Day Walkabout

Teena and I have not been out of the house for a few days so decided to do a walkabout downtown. It was -4C with a windchill of -14C so we bundled up and strolled along Queen Street W towards City Hall and the Eaton Centre.

Where many people would stop and shop at many places along the way, we are not shoppers and only stopped once, at Goorin Bros Hat Makers. For me it was a stop and dream. There were no decent winter hats but there were a few I need to try on when the spring weather comes. We may need another hat hook by the front door.

We stopped and watched the skaters at City Hall. There were quite a few enjoying themselves. We also stopped at the City Hall Christmas Tree.

Next it was off to the Eaton Centre to see the crazy Boxing Day shopping crowds. This morning was likely more jammed than when we were there but still the place was jammed.

We were looking forward to seeing the Swarovski Christmas tree at the Eaton Centre which has been a highlight of mall for years. Usually it's a huge tree with a million dollars worth of crystal decorations. This year there was no sponsor and it showed. It was a disappointment.

We ended up our walk with supper at Earl's Kitchen and Bar. Avril was our server and was great. We both had an Albino Rhino to start. Teena had the lager and I had the pale ale. Both were decent but not extraordinary. I would order it again there but if the sold it to take home would pass.

Teena had the Buttermilk Chicken which she quite enjoyed. I had the Chicken and Field Mushroom Fettuccini. I must say that it was great. The only problem I could see in having this is that from now on I can not see myself ordering anything else when I go back. It is definitely one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had.

It was a fabulous day. Nice to get out, get some fresh air and see people. We were getting a little too comfortable staying in!

Recipe - Cornish Hens with Grand Marnier Glaze

Teena and I do not have very many Christmas traditions but one is Cornish Hens for Christmas Dinner.

We have done it a few different ways in the past and tonight I tried baking them with a Grand Marnier glaze. I went through dozens of recipes and combined a few of them together and here is what I ended up with.

Ingredients

½ lb butter cut into about 5 cubes
1 cup orange juice
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Combine orange juice, honey, and 1/4 cup of the Grand Marnier in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about a third of what you started with.

Turn off the heat and whisk in each cube of butter separately, only adding another cube when the first is completely melted in. Once this is completed, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier. Season the inside of each bird with some salt and pepper and put a bay leaf inside of each. Then spoon over some of the sauce.

I used separate aluminum trays so cleanup would be easier. I covered them with tin foil and used the toothpicks to tent the aluminum foil over the birds.

The oven was preheated to 400F when the birds were placed in. I basted the birds every 10 minutes throughout. After 40 minutes, I removed the foil, reduced the oven to 350F and let the birds cook uncovered, still basting every ten minutes.

Thirty minutes later, the Cornish Hens were done. I had cooked up some prepackaged rice ( Uncle Ben's Fast and Fancy Fine Herb Wild).

I was very pleased with how tender the meat was throughout. The skin did not crisp up how I would like it to but the Grand Marnier glaze did penetrate the flavour of the meat and was delicious.

How can you tell that a meal is a great success?  No leftovers! Yes, this is a recipe which I would do again.

Beer of the Week - Allagash Tripel Reserve

Dorothy, one of Teena's colleagues. gave Teena a present to pass on to me, in appreciation of a favor that Teena did for her. Yes, I know thank-you's don't usually work that way but I sure am not complaining. Allagash Tripel Reserve is a beer that we can't get in Ontario so I really do appreciate this.

Allagash Brewing Company was started back in 1995 outside of Portland, Maine, by Rod Tod. It seems that Rod is a big fan of Belgium beers and realized that there were no American breweries focusing on the Belgium brewing style so he decided to open up his own brewery to change that.The first beer he brewed was a Belgium Wit (white), Allagash White, which today is still their flagship brand. It sounds like the kind of wit beer I enjoy, one with orange peel and coriander.

Now Allagash has six year 'round beers and have also started to experiment with Lambic beers, beers made and sat in a covered area for a day or two to to capture the wild airborne yeasts. I read an article about how Rod is experimenting, with some success, with what he calls the Coolship series. It is a very interesting article.

The Allagash Tripel is part of their year round beer and won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2006.

So what is a Tripel? According to the  BeerAdvocate ...

the name "Tripel" actually stems from part of the brewing process, in which brewers use up to three times the amount of malt than a standard Trappist "Simple." Sweetness comes from both the pale malts and the higher alcohol. Bitterness is up there for a beer with such a light body for its strength, but at times is barely perceived amongst the even balance of malts and hops. The lighter body comes from the use of Belgian candy sugar (up to 25% sucrose), which not only lightens the body, but also adds complex alcoholic aromas and flavors. Tripels are actually notoriously alcoholic, yet the best crafted ones hide this character quite evil-like and deceivingly, making them sipping beers.

And the taste?

The beer pours a light golden colour with an orange tinge and is a little cloudy. The head is quite lively, ending up white, fluffy and meringue like. It took some careful pouring. This beer definitely has some spices in it judging by the aroma.

Like the description above, this beer has a surprising light body for a 9% APV beer with no hint of alcohol burn. The beer starts with a nice, light spiciness, maybe coriander, and finishes with a pleasing little hint of bitterness. It also has what I can only call that Belgium distinctive taste which comes from the yeast strain. It kind of reminds me of a lighter saison.

It is a very nice, enjoyable beer, one that you I have to keep reminding myself that this is a beer for sipping and not a session ale.

Hopefully Teena does more favours for Dorothy in the future!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 188 
Breweries 163 
Countries 37

New Beer Fridge

For years I have been trying to jam my beer into a full kitchen fridge.

Teena, on the other hand, has been trying to jam food in around my beer.

There have been a few occasions where the milk or ketchup almost had to be sacrificed to fit in a brand new untried beer.

I was in Walmart very early this morning to buy myself a Keurig coffee machine and found these fridges marked down from $198 to $148. So one came home with me. It would not fit in my car, though, so I hired a cab with a big trunk to follow me home. It was worth the $15.

Now there is peace in the kitchen fridge!

My 2012 Christmas Fridge

Every year at Christmas I head to the liquor store, beer store, plus receive beer as presents, all which gives me a great variety of beer for the Christmas holidays.

This year was no different.

Although a few more may be added to this collection over the weekend, this is what I have so far for the end of this year. Some are singles, others are in six packs. I did not include the Fullers Vintage Ale that I have in a cool dark place aging.

Three of the beers are from Church-Key Brewing ... the Northumberland Cream Ale, which I received from my sister, Judy and her husband Doug, the West Coast Pale Ale and a single bottle of Zwei Welten Dunkelweizen Bock which I bought from the brewery.

There also is a bottle of Skull Splitter Ocardian Ale  from Scotland, plus from England, a few Wychwood Brewery Bah Humbug Ales which I enjoy on Christmas eve. Also from England is good size bottle of the 6.5% Meantimetime London Porter.

My nephew Kyle and his wife, Kerri, gave me some Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale which is a Kolsch from Vankleek Hill, Ontario, about half way between Ottawa and Montreal. The Hops and Robbers from Double Trouble Brewing is also from Ontario.

I am so looking forward to exploring the Historic Ales of Scotland from Williams Brothers Brewing featuring a Gooseberry Ale, a Scots Pine Ale, an Elderberry Ale which I have written about before, plus a Heather Ale brewed in Scotland since sometime in history known as B.C.

Teena works with Dorothy from Vancouver and she gave Teena a bottle of Allagash Tripel from Portland, Maine. when they were in Montreal for their Christmas party last week. Another new brewery to try! From the same province where Dorothy lives is the Hop Head  from Tree Brewing.

Finally is Le Terrible from Unibroue Brewing in Quebec.

I will be writing about many of them but trying them all!

Happy holidays!

Book Review - Trailsman #242, Wyoming Whirlwind

I read a lot of non-fiction books and do enjoy them but every once in awhile I desire something lighter, a little mindless but entertaining. I crave something that could only be described as the fast food of reading. When I have this craving, The Trailsman comes to mind.

The Trailsman Series, started in 1980, are all written under the name of Jon Sharpe, who was the original author of the series but now are written by a series of ghost writers and features the hero, Sky Fargo.

Beginnings ... they bend the tree and they mark the man. The Trailsman is what they began to call him all across the West: searcher, scout, hunter, the man who could see where others only looked. Skye Fargo, the Trailsman, and the seeker who could take the wildness of a land and the wanting of a woman and make them his own.

Yes, this series is considered an "adult western"!

Wyoming Whirlwind, which is book #242 in the series, is what satisfied my craving on this go round.

In the vast prairies of eastern Wyoming, Skye Fargo is hoping to find some buffalo when he comes across a party of greenhorns who have more money than sense. They came to experience the "real" west, but they're about to experience something much more real and deadly than they ever imagined. With perils of the prairie at every turn, the only chance for survival rests in the lightning hands and thundering fists of the Trailsman.

As usual, this Skye Fargo adventure was a fast paced, entertaining read. Some parts need a little stretch of the imagination to accept.

In this book, Skye and his trusty horse, always known only as the Ovaro, rescues a man from a praire fire and comes to realize he has no business being in this wild part of the country. Then he discovers he and his sister were actually hired as guides by a rich adventure craving to experience the west. Skye could do nothing except to lend a hand to ensure they didn't all get themselves killed and that keeps him real busy ... the sister keeps him a little busy too!

A fun read. MacDonalds or Taco Bell for the mind!

Toronto Architecture - The Concourse Building

I was walking to work along Adelaide West, looked up and saw these Thunderbirds built into the top 16th floor of the building. I have seen this building before and thought it was cool. Then looking around the top of the building, I saw more beautiful colourful designs built in.

I just had to come back at lunch to take some pictures.

The Concourse Building stands at 100 Adelaide St W and was built back in 1928. It stands on a corner lot and 2 sides have great colourful designs and the west side has the Thunderbirds. Here is the view from Bay and Adelaide looking to the top east side of the building.

Here is the south side

 

Now, I don't know architecture but this is supposed to be an excellent example of Art deco and one of the few left in the city.

The doorway is quite colourful too.

 

In researching this building I found out there were plans to tear it down, plans that were approved by City Hall. What the hell were the dopes on council thinking. Now according to an article on Blog TO there are plans to just save the east and south facade and build an ugly building around it, and yes, it is ugly.

If your in the neighborhood of First Canadian Place, the building is across the street from it on the north side. Stop by, have a look and see why this would be such a shame.

Torontoist also has an article on this very bad idea.

Here is a look at the building the way it used to look and the way Oxford envisions it! Good God! What an ugly mess they want to make of such a good looking building. Bastards!

Beer of the Week - Skull Splitter Orcadian Ale

This week's Beer of the Week comes from about as far north as you can go in Scotland, the Orkney Islands, a group of about 70 islands off Scotlands north coast. Skull Splitter Ocardian Ale comes from a brewery on those islands from a brewery fittingly called the Orkney Brewery.

The brewery is located in a beautiful old schoolhouse in Quoyloo. Pictures of it and the Orkney Islands make me want to head over for a vacation!

The brewery was founded in 1988 by Roger White in the same old school house it still occupies. In 2004 when White retired, he sold the brewery to Atlas Breweries.

Norman Sinclair was a very enterprising gentleman. He graduated from business school in 1981, specializing in hotel management and took over his families hotel business and ended up one year winning the AA Inspector Hotel of The Year. He went on to by a country pub outside of Inverness and subsequently won 2 awards for catering. In 2006, it was time for Sinclair to try something else so he created Sinclair Breweries and bought Orkney Brewery from Atlas Breweries.

This beer, the brewery's strongest ale weighing in at 8.5%, is named after Thorfinn Einarsson who was the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney, and for some reason known as Skull Splitter. There were many wars in those days so I can imagine where the name came from.

And the taste?

The beer pours dark brown with a reddish tinge. The head is off white and does leave nice lacings on the glass. There is a strong malt forward aroma with something else in it, maybe caramel? The picture I took of this beer, which is at the top of this article, I shot outside with no gloves and a cold wind blowing. I am grateful that this is a very warming beer. The beer starts a malty taste, which seems to quickly fall off. despite being a high alcohol beer, there thankfully is no alcohol taste to it, which I  detest.

This is a pretty good beer, but not one really to my taste.

Now I have Orkney and it's brewery added to my long list of places I would like to visit. Someday...someday!


Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 187 
Breweries 162 
Countries 37