Beer of the Week - Svyturys Ekstra

I thought it was interesting back in back in August of last year that the LCBO had a Lithuanian beer in stock. Of course, it became my Beer of the Week that week. So I was quite surprised this week to find that they also stock a second Lithuanian beer, Svyturys Ekstra.

It turns out that this brewery has been around a long time. Up until 1784, the town of Klaipeda, Lithuania, did not have its own brewery and instead imported German beer. Then J.W.Reincke opened up the first and very successful brewery. In 1883, the brewery won its first gold medal for one of their beers.

The brewery was taken over by the Nazis in World War II and was destroyed in 1945. In 1946, the brewery was rebuilt and now that Lithuania had independence the company issued shares, most of which were bought by there own employees. In 1999, Carlsberg bought a controlling interest in the company and in 2008 took 100% ownership of the Svyturys.

Now 49% of all beer sold in Lithuania is Svyturys.

It is in 1995 that Svyturys (which means "lighthouse" in Lithuanian) came out with Ekstra. The beer has won gold and silver at the World Beer Cup and World Beer Championships back in 2000 and 2001.

And the taste?

The beer pours yellow in colour with a good white frothy head. As you can tell from the picture, it is very light and clear in colour. Even though I was outside, I could smell the floral hops jump off the beer as I poured it. It was surprising. There are a few lacings left on the inside of the glass as I sip. My first sip was seemed a little sweet which I wasn't expecting due to the aroma but I must have been mistaken as the second and third sips had a nice European style bitter lager finish.

It's not a bad beer at all! This is a much better beer than the Kalnapilis beer I had from Lithuania before! At $2.30 for a 500 ml bottle at the LCBO, it is a good deal too.

Beer of the Week

Stats Beers Profiled 193
Breweries 177
Countries 37

A Trip to the Junction Brewery

Teena and I are members of the Toronto Beer Lovers group. We have done a couple of events with them in the past and they were fun.

We have been wanting to get out to Junction Craft Brewing since it opened a month ago, and since the group had an event planned for there, we decided to go.

The place is very unassuming from the outside but great on the inside.

As the location is in the Junction, hence the name, the place is decorated with a railroad theme.

The Junction Triangle is a neighbourhood located in West Toronto, Ontario, Canada, roughly in the area of Bloor St., Dupont St., Lansdowne Ave, and Dundas St. West. The "triangle" shape of the neighbourhood is formed by the three sets of railroad tracks on the north, west, and east sides.

The staff there was friendly, easy to talk to and looked after us well. As it is a brewery and not a pub, you can buy 2 oz or 10 oz glasses of beer, plus beer to go. I was in a hoppy mood so stuck with the pale ales.  

We didn't get a chance to meet and talk to everyone but had a great time. Michael was the organizer tonight and we spent a long while talking to him. Mike is into beer and coffee, both topics that I have written about today, and has his own blog, Chaos in Moderation. I love the name! 

We also met Doug Pengelly, the head brewmaster , he recommended the Extra Pale Ale for Teena after she explained to him the type of beer she enjoys, and she really enjoyed it. Then we had a long conversation with Jason who is a brewer there and created my favorite of the night Shacklands Pale Ale, a nicely hopped pale ale. The brewery has a small brewhouse for the variety of beers they offer and Jason explained the efficiency of their process.

It was a fun time. Unfortunately we took transit to get there and had a walk ahead of us so I didn't bring any beer home with me.

I do see a drive to the Junction to pick up some beer though in my future.

My Top 5 Favorite Dark Rums

Although I have not written about it very much, rum is one of my favorite drinks, especially dark rum. There are many excellent amber rums out there, but dark rum is definitely my favorite.

White rum is best used in cocktails like a mojito where you do not want colour to affect the appearance of the drink. In a rum and Coke or straight up, I find it lacking.

So I thought it was time to start writing and reviewing rums, and what better way to start than to list my current top five favorite dark rums.

As I live in Ontario, a province that seems to enjoy whiskey over rum, my choices become very limited. In some LCBO stores, there are rum sections. Other stores have rum shelves. The LCBO in Liberty Village has a huge store and a very small selection of rum. Visiting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland was fabulous. They love their rum and I would walk into the liquor store there to find rum walls! A wall of white, a long aisle of amber and a wall of dark. Huge varieties of rum! Sadly, not so much in Ontario where the demand is lower. I'm sure if I had access to the selection that they have, this list would be quite different.

So here is my top five regular priced dark rums (to date):

#1 Smugglers Cove

This rum originally was brewed by Glenora Distillery when the distillery first opened to bring in revenue while their single malt whiskey aged. Now they have farmed out their rum operation to Newfoundland. Only available in the Maritimes, it is definitely number one on my list. I always look forward to Teena bringing some home when she is out east and when Teena's sister, Sarah, sends some to us a Christmas and birthdays.

#2 Goslings Black Seal

Goslings Brothers is located in Hamilton, Bermuda. One thing I missed seeing when we were there last year was that the store was closed for the first week of the year and I never had a chance to go in and buy some of their more premium brands. Black Seal is thankfully available in Ontario and has a wonderful smoothness to it.

#3 Newfoundland Screech

Newfoundland Screech is available in Ontario and I love it. The rum has a bit of a bad reputation as the term Screech once was used in Newfoundland to describe cheap horrible rum. Now brewed by the Newfoundland Liquor Commission, this is an excellent smooth rum. 

#4 Captain Morgan Dark

Originally Captain Morgan was made by Seagram's, a Canadian company and first hit store shelves in  1944, the company has since been sold to the huge international British conglomerate Diageo. The Captain has long been a favorite of mine.

#5 Havana Club

Havana Club 7 year old dark is a little more pricey at $32.45 per bottle. When Teena and I were in Cuba many many years ago, we bought a bottle of this there for $8! It's a great rum that I buy every once in awhile as I mostly prefer to stay in the $25 range. Hmm, maybe it's time for me to splurge a little and get a bottle. It's been awhile!

So there's my current top five. This year I plan to try different rums and, of course, write about them. There's another Newfoundland rum available now in Ontario, Old Sam Rum. I think maybe I know which one will be first!

Keurig versus Tassimo

Before Christmas our caffeine-fueled team at work, a little disgruntled as the floor's coffee maker kept on breaking, decided to pitch in and buy our own Tassimo, the T20 (model pictured on the right).

We are quite enjoying it!

I then wanted one for home but my colleague at work, Bryan, who was looking for a new coffee system at home for himself too, explained his thinking.

Why by the same system for home and drink the same coffee we drink during the week? Why not get a Keurig instead and drink different brands of coffee?

I thought it was a good idea so I went out and bought myself the Keurig Elite.

Now that I have been using both for over a month, it's time to compare.

The Tassimo advertises its barcode technology, which is an excellent feature of the system. The barcode is on each coffee disk and tells the brewer how much water to use, the temperature to bring the water to and the length of time for the brew. It turns out a great coffee. I always have a supply of Tim Horton's coffee disks in my desk, among other brands, and people asks me how it compares to the store brewed coffee. It is quite close but just a touch weaker.

Keurig does not have this feature and instead has buttons to choose a small, medium or large coffee. The more expensive machines also allow you to set the temperature of the water, a feature by manager, Lee enjoys, (he has a Keurig system at home too) as he likes his coffee extra hot but can turn down the temperature when making hot chocolate for the kids.

To me, the Tassimo leads here as a brewing system.

Bryan, Lee and I all agree that it is the coffee selection which puts Keurig ahead of the Tassimo. Green Mountain Coffee's K-cup patent expired in the fall allowing coffee companies to offer their own versions. This plus Green Mountain has been actively licensing as many coffee companies as they can.

Tassimo does have a great selection of coffees and teas but the Keurig choices seems about endless.

Currently I have eight different kinds of coffee at home for my Keurig and have tried a few more. The selection seems endless. My favorites so far are the Starbucks Blonde, Donut House and the President's Choice Medium Roast Gourmet. My favorite Tassimo brands are the Tim Horton's (I am a huge Timmy's fan), Second Cup Paradiso and the Great Canadian Coffee from President's Choice.

Tassimo has a better brewing system. Keurig has better selection.I guess it depends on what you are looking for when you go out to buy one of these systems;

Note: A couple of weeks later Bryan said his was done with the Tassimo. He says the taste and variety of the Keurig is superior. I am still enjoying the variety of having the Tassimo at work and the Kuerig at home but really loves the variety of coffee available for the Keurig, especially the Jamaican Blue Mountain, Donut Shop, and Starbucks Blonde

Comeback Win for the Rock!

Tonight Teena and I were at the second home game of the year for the Toronto Rock. The Rock won their first two games of the year, both by one goal and last week lost by just one goal. Seems to be a trend happening here! Tonight the were taking on the Minnesota Swarm, who lost their first game of the year.

Scotty Newlands sang both National Anthems. He has a fantastic voice!

There was a great enthusiastic crowd of 10,504 out on a stormy night to cheer on the Rock.

Minnesota scored the first goal but Toronto took the lead and by the end of the first quarter were leading 4-2 and outplaying the swarm. In the second quarter, the Swarm took a couple of two goal leads before the Rock ended the half down 7-6.

The game was rough throughout and there were almost a couple of fights.

The roof caved in on the Rock in the third quarter as they kept getting three goals behind. Every time they scored, to bring the game to just a two goal deficit, the Swarm quickly would get back that three goal lead.

It then got worse as Minnesota scored their 12th goal to take a four goal lead, and the Rock pulled net minder Nick Rose and put in Zak Boychuk who shut out the Swarm for the rest of the quarter. The Swarm then took 2 penalties near the end of the quarter and Toronto popped in a goal to finish the quarter down 12-9. I didn't realize it but Nick Rose came back for the fourth quarter.

Even being down by 3 goals the crowd and Toronto Rock Cheerleaders never gave up on the game.

And what a quarter it was. Rose came up with great saves and stopped everything that was thrown at him while the Rock chipped away at the Swarms lead. The crowd came alive and with each goal there were high fives all around and fun antics.

There was a girl in front of us who was not enjoying the game or comeback and decided to draw. She actually was quite good!

Last week the Rock took a three goal lead into the final quarter and lost by a goal. Tonight their fortunes were reversed as they came back from a three goal deficit to win 13-12! The first home game win for the Rock, plus we saw Garret Billings score his 100th goal of his career!

After the final buzzer, they took a victory lap around the arena to thank the fans.

It was a fabulous game. Teena and I really enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next home game on February 15th against the Calgary Roughnecks!

The Bellwoods Brewery Retail Store

When I heard there was a brewery opening up on Ossington Ave, in our neighborhood, I was ecstatic.

Fresh craft beer just a short walk away from where we live!

Once Bellwoods Brewery opened in the spring and we stopped by for our first visit, I discovered just how lucky I really am.  The beer was fabulous and we were treated well by the staff and the co-owners Mike Clark and Luke Pestl.

I have a terrible time with names and I am always impressed that each time I go, they both remember my name. Not only that, they always ask about Teena whom they have only met twice.

Since their opening, Bellwoods has been working on putting in extra tanks next door and building a retail store. Over the summer, they have had "pop-up" sales of their stock for a few hours at a time. I have made a couple trips but many times the timing was that I was away when they were on.

This will no longer be a problem for yesterday the store opened up full time seven days a week. Tomorrow night they will be opened from 5pm 'til 11pm but as of Saturday, they will click into their regular hours of noon to 11pm and Sunday the more LCBO friendly noon to 6pm (note: bring your own bag or box).

I have a small beer fridge and headed over tonight to pick up a half dozen beer but came away with a dozen. My box was filled with:

4 Common (Dry Hopped Session Ale, 4.1% ABV) - when first brewed in the spring it was 5% ... looking forward to this as a great Sunday beer

3 Roman Candle (IPA, 6.8% ABV) - I had to bring home some IPA!

2 Monogamy (Nelson Sauvin, Single Hope Pale Ale Series, 6.4% ABV) - this uses a hop that is no longer available to them

2 Petal Head (Dry Hopped Saison, 6.1% ABV)

1 Blitzen (BOTTLE CONDITIONED Spiced Saison, 10.7% ABV) - a strong Belgian saison spiced with cloves, tangerines and kaffir lime leaves

Now that it is opened full-time, I will be making more frequent stops. In the meantime, I have a dozen 650 oz bottles to try.

Luke took me to the back to show the new tanks. They have knocked a wall out between the old brewery and the new tanks for better access. They are also working at installing another washroom to be ready for the summer when the patio opens. 

Teena:  Luke remembered that you had the common in the spring and liked it. He feels it may be too hoppy for you now. He also says to say hello!

Book Review - Northwoods Nightmare (The Trailsman #331)

I have long been a fan of The Trailsman series. It is my fast food for the brain.

I used to buy these books from the bargain book stores but now Kobo has them listed for a very decent price. The series features the adventures of Sky Fargo, who travels throughout the West picking, answering to no one, picking up a few jobs, mostly as a guide or scout and, of course, rescuing those in distress.

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.

I wondered if there was a book in the series that took place in Canada and low and behold I found it, Northwoods Nightmare, book 331 in the series.

The trailsman deals out hot lead in cold country Skye Fargo is guiding a well-to-do Harvard family through the chilly wilderness of British Columbia with the hope of finding their gold-prospecting son, who hasn't contacted them for months. Before the job's done, Fargo will find himself battling enemies within the camp, killers without, and a rich girl who likes her men hard and dirty-like the Trailsman.

This book was a fun read. As usual, every chapter has action in it and, yes, woman do want Sky Fargo. The storyline was interesting as was the ending. I am unsure that the author has been to British Columbia but they sure love it and spoke highly of its rugged beauty. As he rode, Skye could even picture settling there once his wandering days were over.

It was a fun read, especially for a fan of the series.

Movie Review - The Last Stand

When I saw the first preview for The Last Stand with Arnold Schwarzenegger, I knew I would be seeing it the first week it opened.

The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.

This is not just Arnold coming back to movies, but coming back in a big way! (Yes, I'm avoiding the obvious line!) In many ways, this is a typical Arnold movie, fast paced, funny, violent and a whole lot of fun!


Yes, and Arnold does have his usual great lines,throughout the movie and the audience ate them all up. Johnny Knoxville was terrific too as a bit of a nut helping out the sheriff  and I enjoyed Luis Guzman as the reluctant deputy. No movie like this can be any good without a decent villain and Eduardo Noriega as fugitive on the fly Gabriel, was delightfully cool and evil.

One thing I enjoyed about the movie is that Arnold does acknowledge his age, but can still pack a punch!

Saying any more may give away the plot. I can only say that I give this an 8/10 and would place it in my favorite top 5 Arnold movies.

Welcome back Arnie!

The Toronto Rock Home Opener!

Tonight was the home opener for the Toronto Rock and yes, Teena and I were there.

Toronto was on a western road trip last weekend and won both games against Calgary and Edmonton and were opening up tonight undefeated. The Philadelphia Wings, known for their defence, had won their first game of the season 13-8 over the Buffalo Bandits. One team would leave the ACC tonight undefeated.

Here are a couple of pictures of the opening ceremonies and face-off.

The Rock took a 2-0 lead into the second period. Look in the back of the net. This is the Rock's second goal.

OK, this part is about taking sport pictures. I started by using the "P" setting on my camera. Too blurry, so I said to heck with it and went to AUTO. Again blurry. Then I started playing with the shutter speed. 1/50 worked the best. By chance I took similar pictures on each setting. The first is AUTO and the second is 1/50. A little darker but better ... at least, I think. Oh and both were saves by Rock goalie Rose. When he makes a save, the crowd yells ROSE-EE!

The crowd was great and loud all game long. These kids took off their shirts and danced after every Rock goal!

Look at this concoction. Ice cream on French fries with chocolate swirls. Not for me!

The Toronto Rock Cheerleaders kept the fans going!

We noticed this fan last year. The Rock always jog by and wave hello to her. I didn't take the best shot of her, though. She is well-loved by the players and the other regulars in her section!

Toronto Rock Goalie Nick Rose was great. He stopped 51 shots tonight. National Lacrosse League goalis are huge. Look at how much of the net he takes up!

Now for the bad stuff. The Rock took a 7-5 lead into the final six minutes of the game and then the roof fell in. The Wings tied it up with two goals in the the last 6 minutes of the game and with just 10 seconds left, netted the winner. The Rock was never behind all night until the final 10 seconds. The fans were stunned!

That put a bit of a damper on the night. I still bought a new replica jersey on the way out and, yes, Teena and I will be there again next Friday night to watch the Rock take on the Minnesota Swarm!