Beer of the Week - Hitachino Nest White Ale

Until today I have only profiled one Japanese beer but in this month's Canada Craft package was a bottle of Hitachino Nest White Ale from Kiuchi Brewery.

Kiuchi has an interesting history. They were established in 1823 by Kiuchi Gihei who was the headman of Kounosu village. His family was charged with land taxes from farmers who paid, not in money, but in rice. There seemed to be always extra so he started a brewery, not for brewing beer but for making sake.

It wasn't until 1996 that the brewery decided to turn it's attention to beer and came up with this beer, the Hitachino Nest White ale.

So, how dies it taste?

This ale pours a very light yellow, you could almost say white, and as it is unfiltered is quite cloudy. Lots of citrus comes to the nose and I can sense some orange in there too. The head is white with very large bubbles which dissipates quickly.

Hitachino has a very different taste than I have experienced before but in a good way. It is quite citrusy with sour orange coming through. When I smelled the orange in the aroma, I thought this might be tart but instead, has a fabulous sourness.

This is a delicious beer that I would love to have again!

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 326
Breweries 297
Countries 48

Lost Breweries of Toronto Walking Tour

Today Teena and I went on a walk put on by Heritage Toronto on the Lost Breweries of Toronto. The walk was led by Jordan St John, in the blue shirt above, a beer expert who literally wrote the book on the subject, Lost Breweries of Toronto.

We started outside the Moss Park Community Centre, where we were given a short history of beer. Then it was off to the site of Toronto's first brewery, Henderson's Brewery.

Here it is then.

And now.

A historic walk on beer and an ad for Moosehead beer which has been around since 1867.

This was not part of the tour but is a building I just love. It was Paul Bishop's house built in 1848, upon the stone foundations of the original house built in 1798 for William Jarvis.

At the corner of Front and Parliament was W. Copeland's East Brewery. Once again, then and now.

Jordan also talked about brewers whose breweries were not on the tour. Bloor Street is named after brewery Joseph Bloor, who Jordan suggested that we Google a picture of. Yes, he is a frightening looking fellow.

We stopped in a park (and shade) beside Enoch Turner's schoolhouse. Jordan explained how Enoch had a brilliant business plan. People liked to drink and he wanted them to drink his beer. People needed money in order to buy his beer, so needed good jobs. To get a good job, one needed an education. So he built a school to educate them!

Then it was over to Old Brewery Lane behind the Toronto Humane Society where the Don Brewery once operated. It is one of the few remaining brewery buildings from the original period and is now condos called the Malt House.

Thomas Davies, who owned the brewery and was also a Toronto Alderman, was so influential that he actually had the city pay to have the Don River straightened so it no longer ran beside the brewery so he could make a railway siding to ship his beer.

Our final stop was the Dominion Breweries building, that is still standing and was run by Thomas Davies' brother Robert. The brewery won world beer awards and seemed to be a decent place to work in that across the road at Davies Terrace, Robert built places for his workers to live.

Jordan's book was excellent and he is a great tour guide. He has funny, interesting and extremely knowledgeable. He really knows his stuff and there wasn't a question asked that he couldn't answer.

We stopped at a few more places than was shown here. It was a really enjoyable tour.

Jays Lose to Angels. Still Tied for First

Tonight Teena and I managed to score a couple of 500 level tickets for the Blue Jays/ Angels game at the Rogers Centre. Toronto came into the game tied for first with Boston and a game up on Baltimore. J.A. Happ was on the mound for the Jays coming in with an amazing 17-3 win loss record.

The stadium was full and it was raining so the roof was closed. So many people criticise the Rogers Centre. I like it. We came up with the retractable roof idea which means we can play on a rainy night like this.

Her come a pitch to Kevin Pillar.

Jose Batista connect for a long fly out to bring in a run to put the Jays up 1-0

The Jays were up 2-0 at the end of the 5th inning, but then the sky fell. Here are a couple of swing and misses by Donaldson and Martin.

The Angles scored 4 runs in the sixth and another 2 in the seventh inning to take a 6-2 lead that the Jays never recovered from.

Pennants from past glory. Looking to add another at the end of this year ... a World Series Pennant!

Happ took a line drive off his leg. Everybody was concerned.

Another full house!

The 50/50 draw was a good size. Alas, it didn't come home with us.

In the end we lost 6-3 with Happ taking the loss. Fortunately Boston and Baltimore also lost, so we are still in a tie for first with Boston and a game up on Baltimore. It's going to be a fun pennant race in September!

The "How to Get Published" Writers Conference

Today I attended the How to Get Published writers conference, which was put on by Writing Day Workshops at the Marriott Hotel in Toronto.

It was a full house as over 100 people were in attendance.

This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop at the Marriott Toronto Airport. In other words, it’s one day full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction.

The event is designed to squeeze as much into one day of learning as possible. You can ask any questions you like during the classes, and get your specific concerns addressed. We will have literary agents onsite to give feedback and take pitches from writers, as well.

By the end of the day, you will have all the tools you need to move forward on your writing journey.

There were 11 agents and editors on hand for writers to pitch too. I did not have anything ready to pitch so passed on this. The agents were:

• Veronica Park (Corvisiero Literary) literary agent
• Ali McDonald (The Rights Factory) literary agent
• Marisa Corvisiero (Corvisiero Literary) literary agent
• Stacey Donaghy (Donaghy Literary) literary agent
• Ellie Sipila (Common Deer Press) acquiring editor
• Moe Ferrara (BookEnds, Inc.) literary agent
• Rachel Letofsky (The Cooke Agency) literary agent
• Olga Filina (The Rights Factory) literary agent
• Sue Miller (Donaghy Literary) literary agent
• Chris Bucci (The McDermid Agency) literary agent
• Cassandra Rodgers (The Rights Factory) literary agent

It was a full day with very few, short breaks except one for lunch.

The schedule was as follows:

• 9:30 – 10:30: “Your Publishing Options Today”
  Traditional vs Self Publishing. Pros and Cons of both,
• 10:30 – 11:45: “Everything You Need to Know About Agents, Queries & Pitching”
  What an agent does. How to find one and how to pitch one,
• 11:45 – 1:15: Lunch
• 1:15 – 2:30: “Writers’ Got Talent: A Chapter One Critique-Fest”
  This was fun. Writers submitted their first page of a piece they are writing (anonymously).  It was read out loud to the room until six of the agents raises their hand and the reading was stopped and the piece critiqued. I learned a lot from this, which complimented what I previously was taught about the importance of an authors first page during the Canadian Writers Summit earlier this summer.
• 2:30 – 3:45: “How to Market Yourself and Your Books: Author Platform & Social Media Explained”
  How to approach and set up a platform to help promote your book.
• 3:45 – 5:00: “How to Get Published: 10 Professional Writing Practices That You Need to Know NOW to Find Success as a Writer”
  It is what it says. The top 10 best tips for being a writer.

Chuck Sambuchino was the speaker for the entire day and was terrific. He not only really knows his stuff, he is entertaining and funny while doing it. I was never bored. Chuck  also readily answered any questions from the floor.  If there was one he could not answer, he was honest about it rather than talking his way around it.

I was quite impressed, learned a lot and bought his book Create Your Writer Platform. It was a good day and I would recommend that if you are a writer and have the chance, go and see one Chuck's seminars.

My August 2016 Canada Craft Club Delivery

Today I went to the post office and picked up my favourite kind of mail ... beer! Yes, my Canada Craft Club package had arrived.

We did all the work so you don't have to. We've scoured the planet and found true gems especially for our members — delivered direct to your home or office every month.

Our packs are delivered in discreet packaging (so no one swipes your brews) and prices include shipping. You can trust that every single beer has been hand-selected for your pack by Canada Craft Club’s experienced tasters and experts, some of whom sit on tasting panels in prestigious worldwide brewing competitions. What this really means is that we tasted, tested and rated every single beer before giving them our stingy stamp of approval for our treasured members. We try to shake it up for you, and fill your pack with beers you might not have had or can’t get anywhere else.

Every month I receive two 650 ml bottles of beer from two different brewers. So far the variety and quality has been excellent and this month is no different.

Inside this box was a bottle of Hitachino Nest White Ale from Kiuchi Brewery and a Les Quebecoises from Brasserie Thiriez.

Sounds like I have some great tastings ahead of me this month.

Book Review - "Saint's Blood"

I am a huge fan of Sebastien de Castell's Greatcoat series. I have read and reviewed the first two books in the series, Traitors Blade (2014) and Knight's Shadow (2015). I was so happy to see Saint's Blood, the third book in the series come out in April.

How do you kill a Saint? 

Falcio, Kest, and Brasti are about to find out, because someone has figured out a way to do it and they've started with a friend.

The Dukes were already looking for ways out of their agreement to put Aline on the throne, but with the Saints turning up dead, rumours are spreading that the Gods themselves oppose her ascension. Now churches are looking to protect themselves by bringing back the military orders of religious soldiers, assassins, and (especially) Inquisitors - a move that could turn the country into a theocracy. The only way Falcio can put a stop to it is by finding the murderer. He has only one clue: a terrifying iron mask which makes the Saints vulnerable by driving them mad. But even if he can find the killer, he'll still have to face him in battle. 

And that may be a duel that no swordsman, no matter how skilled, can hope to win.

The story is told in first person by a very exhausted and weary Falcio Val Mond, who with his closest Greatcoat friends, swordsman Kest and archer Brasti, who again, or perhaps more properly, still, are trying to save the nation of Trista and install the dead king's young daughter, Aline, onto the throne.

I'm not one who likes or reads much fantasy, but I have been very caught up in each book of the Greatcoat series, this one included. The pace of Saints Blood is frantic and exhausting. There are heroes of the highest order, villains who are most evil and blood thirsty, and the people of the land who do not know which to follow..

I don't want to say much about this book as it might spoil some stories in the first two. When I picked up my first Greatcoat book, I had hoped for an excellent swashbuckling story. This entire series has given me more.

Saint's blood is 576 pages long and not one dull moment.

The 2016 Roundhouse Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival

Today Teena and I were at the 4th annual Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival. We have been to all four summer festivals plus two winter festivals they have held. The beer is always good, the people who attend all friendly, but today it was also a battle against the elements, extreme heat and rain.

It was hot just standing in line to get in. Right away I went and had a delicious pale ale from Maclean's Ales.

Next up was a Sunlight Park Saison from Left Field Brewery.

Chainsaw sculptures done by Robbin from Robbin's Amazing Art. Every cut is done with a chainsaw. It was very interesting to watch

I made a new friend from Barnstormer Brewery. They make a great Flight Delay IPA.

A nice Waterfront Wit from Walkerville Brewery.

I went back later for Geronimo IPA.

Here comes the rain.

10 minutes later, bright sunshine!

The Hibiscus Saison  from Royal City Brewing was delicious.

I had never heard of Stouffville Brewing Company and enjoyed their Red Falcon Ale.

I made two visits to Black Oak Brewing. The first for their Beat the Heat wheat beer. I returned later for their ultra delicious Ten Bitter Years.

Ominous clouds came rolling in bringing some more rain with them. Then 10 minutes later, blue skies.

An IPA from Stack Brewery, who came down all the way from Sudbury.

More rain. Finally Teena and I said to heck with it and just sat at a picnic table and let it rain on us.

Teena and I.

A beer from Lost Craft Brewery.

I really enjoyed the ESB from Hendersons Brewing.

Some people took advantage of the shelter provided by the caboose from the Railway Museum during the rain.

Some crowd shots.

This is the only craft beer festival that I know of that has a railway crossing

I really like Monty's Ryed Pale Ale from Old Tomorrow.

We both had a Stax from Chimney Stax Baking. It is a rolled cheese bread. I had mine with bacon and it was fabulous.

I love Brimstone's Brewery's Sinister Minister IPA.

We were still hungry and I was happy to see Teena return to our table with meat pies from The Pie Commission. It was filling and really good.

My last beer of the day was pour by a shy lady from Lake of the Woods.

Teena and I had another fun day at this festival. It's not one to miss.