Beer Class - Hops' Rubbin & Lovin: IPAs & Pale Ales

Tonight I was at Tequila Bookworm attending a beer class called Hops' Rubbin and Lovin: IPAs & Pale Ales put on by Toronto-based beer writer, editor, Certified Cicerone and a Prud'homme Beer Sommelier, Crystal Luxmore.

Discover the terroir of hops by rubbing and sniffing different varieties along with hoppy ales and IPAs. Smell hops from wet-leafy English flavours, to zingy white wine-like hops from New Zealand, alongside a guided tasting of beers containing those varietals. Learn about the mighty hop and why it remains the favourite bittering ingredient in beer.

It's hard to know where to start. The hour and a half class went quickly and was fun and tasty. There were 19 in attendance. Nine were women.

For each tasting, the first item placed on the table was a glass of hops. First up was a Saaz hop which is used in Steam Whistle Pilsner. It is in the top picture and below. It is a mild hop, with a delicate aroma and flavour used in Pilsners so as not to overpower the beer with bitterness. It is one of the four noble hops which also include Tettnanger, Hallertauer and Mittelfrueh. They are low in bitterness and higher in aroma.

There are 200 to 300 variety of hops in the world and more are being developed on the vine.

Of course, the next thing that came out was the beer. We rubbed the hops, took a sniff and them compared ito the aroma and taste of the beer.  It was an excellent way to showcase the hops used in each beer.

Hops are flowers but look like cones. I was surprised to find that only female hops are used for brewing as they are the ones with the lupulin glands that contain the essential oils that contain the flavour and bitterness qualities that are released into a beer.

See, I was paying attention.

Most brewers use hops that have been dried and compressed into pellets. These have more concentrated aromas and flavours and when crushed, turn into more of a dust. Below is the Wakatu hop pellet, which is a new style of hop that has been developed in New Zealand. New Zealand has such a isolated culture in which to grow hops no spraying is needed, so they are considered organic hops. The are woody, earthy, spicy and citrusy. I really enjoyed them and the Wakatu NZ Pale Ale from Junction Brewery, who uses this hop exclusively in their ale.

 

We had a cheese pairing with the Rhyme & Reason Pale Ale, which is more of an American style pale ale using Centennial, Chinook, and one of my favorite hops, the Citra hop, which has all kinds of citrus notes running through it. Crystal said this ale is finished with Simcoe hops that gives this a piny aroma and flavour. The Avonlea Cheddar match well with this beer but the Roche-fort Blue Cheese overpowered it. We were supposed to save it for another ale but I ate all mine. Oops!

 

The blue cheese was supposed to be paired with a much stronger flavoured beer, St Ambroise IPA by Mcauslan Brewing in Quebec. We smelled Cascade and Centennial hops before having this. This IPA is coming to the LCBO in a couple of weeks and is an excellent example of a true English IPA. I really enjoyed it and will be getting some for my fridge.

Our last beer of the night was a half pint of Amsterdam Brewing Boneshaker IPA, a favorite of mine. With it came a bowl of Amarillo hops. They had a floral aroma which was slightly spicy, and citrusy. As this was a single hop beer, after smelling the hops, it was easy to pick up the notes in the aroma and flavour.

Surprisingly they were matched with a carrot cake muffing with a cream cheese icing. Apparently this is known as an excellent match and is one of Crystal's favorites. I was skeptical but she was right. They were homemade and very light in texture and yes, matched with the hop forward Boneshaker.

 

It was a great night. We crushed and smelled many different hops and tasted six great beers. This is the second time I have taken one of Crystal's beer courses and both have been great. I would not hesitate to do another again. She has three more coming up this fall. They are worth attending.

Back in 2010, Teena and I visited a hop farm in Stouffville. Here I am among the vines. I love hops!

‘Tis the saison! Luxy's Beer School

Tonight I was at Tequila Bookworm for a beer class put on by Crystal Luxmore who is a Certified Cicerone and a Prud'homme Beer Sommelier. The class was on one of my favorite styles of beer, especially in the summer, the Saison. There were about 20 or so in the class.

According to the late Michael Jackson, known as "The Beer Hunter" (not the weird singer guy of questionable morals), this Belgium ale are nominally seasonal beers for the summer, but available all year round. Only in a country with so many strong beers would brews of at 5.0 to 6.5 per cent be regarded as "light" summer specialities. Despite their typical strengths, Saisons usually have a citric, peppery, quenching, quality, due variously to hard water, heavy hopping, spicing or deliberate souring. They are usually amber to orange in colour, and often very quite dry. Saisons are largely local to the French-speaking part of the country, especially the western part of the province of Hainaut, in old, small, farm-like, breweries close to the Borinage coalfield.

Crystal was full of knowledge and explained how Mr. Jackson feared that the saison would one day become an extinct style of beer. The style, though, was rescued by the exploding American craft beer industry. Now Ontario has quite a few of these ales, which are a delight to try.

We were given tasting sheets and a selection of meats, cheeses and bread to pair with our samples. We started with a Nickel Brook Le Paysan Saison which was not on our list to try. I didn't take any notes on it but really enjoyed it and would have another again.

As we sipped the Paysan, Crystal gave us the history behind the saison.

Back in the 1800s, water was fairly bad, so in the winter to ensure their workers would not become ill, farmers would brew huge batches of saison, which was not only tasty but a purified drink. To ensure their workers didn't just get drunk during working hours, the beer was brewed at only 3% to 5% APV.

They used barley, oats, wheat and anything else they grew in the brew, along with local spices and hops. They found if they added lactic acid it acted as a preservative and killed bacteria. The hops they added also were a preservative and killed other forms of bacteria. This added a unique sourness to the ale. They also used a different strain of yeast which in the original brews would mix with airborne yeasts so every brew was a little different. I was surprised to learn that the saison yeast gives off a natural pepper and spice taste in an ale. I always thought it was was always added

I was at a table of home brewers which included a beer sommelier, Doug, and a beer educator, Mick, and Martha, who had an excellent palate. They were really nice and it was fun to hear how they described each beer. There was a wealth of knowledge around my table.

I have many notes and plan to boil them down to just a paragraph for each beer.

First up was the historic benchmark for saisons, Saison Dupont. It's a benchmark for the style as it has been brewed by the same family since 1844. It had a slightly citrus aroma and started off lightly on the tongue. I then felt some citrus come through, followed by a bitter but dry finish. Very enjoyable!

Next up was St Feullion Saison. There was very little aroma to this. I am coming off a cold but others at the table said the same thing. There is a slight bitterness to this, no spice and a little bitterness in the end. I was disappointed, yet when I tried this earlier in the year, I loved it. Maybe it is the cold.

Crystal then broke up the saison tasting with a Biere de Guarde from Oast House Brewers, which could be interpreted as "beer for keeping" or "beer to store". It is a French style, farmhouse ale, which almost disappeared after the first World War but whose style was revived back in the seventies. It was very malty and sweet, with caramel tones and something I noticed after it was mentioned, a bit of cherry. There was no bitterness to this at all and, as much as I enjoyed it as a way of breaking up the evening, I would not rush out to have one. Oast House does make a saison, though. We'll have to stop in next time we're in the Niagara area.

Beau's All Natural Brewery was up next with their Patio Saison. There was a little funk to the aroma. Although this sounds bad, it is a very good thing. Martha mentioned that the aroma reminded her of a horse blanket and Doug said more of a barnyard. Again, all good things and not gross in an aroma or taste. I think for the first time now, I truly understand the meaning of funk. This starts sour with some funk (ha!) and has a very nice bitter finish. This one is flavoured with orange peel witch was noticeable and elderberry. I would have this one again!.

The last of the night was Sofie from Goose Island Brewery, named after the head brewers 10 year old daughter. Teena and I have had this before and it was my favorite of the night. The aroma is citrusy  with a little spice and pepper (I got better at this as the night went on). As for the taste, this could be mistaken for a wine and I feel it is almost closer to a a champagne. It reminds me that I should go pick up some more.

The class was an hour and a half long and cost just $30. I feel it was very well worth it. Crystal really knows her stuff and was fun and entertaining. I would go to another one of her classes again in a second. If you are interested in beer, I would definitely recommend her classes!

Pairing Craft Beer with Food

I took a beer course a year ago and one of the classes focused on food pairing.

I discovered during the class not only how food can enhance a beer and vice-versa but also how selecting the wrong beer to have with a dish can kill the taste of the beer.

Today I was going to have some Thai food for lunch and for fun searched for a beer/food pairing chart and found a pretty good one here.

If you enjoy having a beer with a meal, this is worth having a look at.

Craft beer food pairing chart

From Beer to There - Glassware & Belgium Beer

Tonight was my final class in the "From Beer to There" course put on by Harbourfront Centre and taught by Mirella Amato from Beerology.

This week was a session on glassware and Belgium-style beers, and was held at on of my favorite places in Toronto, C'est What.

The session on glassware was quite interesting and why certain shaped glasses help to compliment a style of beer. For instance, the size of the glass and the size of the rim both come into play. A tall narrow glass with a small rim opening would be used for lagers and pilsners to help concentrate the head to capture the lighter flavour, plus show off the golden colour of the beer.

A large glass with a wide opening would be used for an English ale, as the head is not that important here. Plus when you drink, you want a bigger volume to cover the mouth so it can enjoy all the complex flavours.

I have to go beer glass shopping and know which 3 glasses I want to buy ... well, maybe 4.

Then it was on to sampling. We started with a Belgium Wit from Mill Street Brewery. I could smell and taste the coriander and orange peel in the beer and taste some of the yeast character. It is a great beer, one which find itself in my fridge this summer.

Next up was another wheat beer, this time from Unibroue, an Ephemere, which too was fabulous. I am fast becoming a big fan of wheat beers, thanks to Mirella.

Next was a authentic Trappist beer, a Dubble from Chimay. Only 7 breweries have the Trappist Designation. It was 7% alcohol, cloudy, dark brown in colour and I could taste toffee in it as I sipped. Someone suggested they sensed bread in the taste but I did not get it. I do know I enjoyed this beer.

For the final beer of the night, and sadly of the course, was a Belgium-style trippel again from Unibroue called La Fin du Monde. It was loaded with flavour, I found it a little peppery, sour, carbonated and at 9%, could taste the alcohol. A fabulous beer to have on a cold night.

I had a fabulous time in this class. My classmates were great, the course was well organized and Mirella was a fabulous, fun, enthusiastic, and interesting teacher. If you see a course she is presenting, I would recommend that you take it.

For me now, my beer geek factor has gone up. Time to put into practice what I have learned.

From Beer to There - American Style Beer

Tonight was week 5 of our From Beer to There beer course.

This week we met at The Rhino for a session on American-style beers, put on Harbourfront Centre and taught by Mirella Amato from Beerology

We learned about the large American breweries and their takeover of the marketplace with mainstream lagers, but the main focus was the American craft beer industry. The first North American craft brewery opened in B.C. in 1982. Many soon followed. In the U.S., there are now more than 1500 craft brewers and I have become a fan.

I never knew what a cream ale was but Mirella explained the beer and the concept of it to us as we sampled one made by an Ontario brewer. Lagers take longer to make so more storage is required and more time needed before it goes to market. So small breweries will make an ale and tweak the process so it ends up close to a mainstream lager. I forgot to write down the name of the beer we tried. I have to start taking better notes but as I found this beer bland which a touch of sourness and really didn't like it, it is probably for the better.

We also had a post prohibition style lager, Mill Street Organic, which is Ontario's first certified organic beer. I love many Mill Street products. Not this one though.

Then came the three incredible beers. The first was a Rouge Brutal Bitter which I have written about before. With a name like that, you would expect a brutal smack of hops in the taste and finish but the hops are very well balanced with the malt, with a rather carmel-like taste coming from the style malt they use and ends up to be a very nicely balanced brew.

Next up was an Imperial Barley Wine called Back Burner from one of my favorite U.S. brewers, Southern Tier. This was a big and bold complex beer. I could smell and taste chocolate, then carmel and where some in the class did not like it, the taste of alcohol. This would be one to sip on a cold winter night by the fire.

Finally came a new release from Brooklyn Brewery called Brooklyn Local 1, which they class as an unfiltered golden ale. They use regular yeast and finish with champagne yeast so the beer is very carbonated. It was light, champagne-like in taste with an earthiness to it. It was an excellent and very different style beer. I like it so much that the next night I took Teena back to the Rhino, which is not far away for us, to have a bottle ourselves.

It was another very enjoyable class. Only one more to go. I'll be sad when this class is over but we are discussing having a "homework" week.

Extra Curricular Activities

Teena, the next day on the Rhino patio showing off the Local 1

From Beer to There - English Ales

Last night was a great class, perhaps my favorite yet, and they have all been great.

Mirella from Beerology took us to the Granite Brewery for a class on English ales, as this is the style that is brewed at this brewpub.

After learning about the different style of beers brewed in the U.K., we were taken on a tour of the brewery section by the owner and brewer, Ron Keefe. Originally from Halifax, he and his brother specifically studied English-style ales before opening their pubs, one in Halifax and the other in Toronto.

The brewery uses two open top fermentors, with the yeast working on top of the batch, producing the alcohol and protecting the beer. Ron drained off some of the one day old "Hopping Mad Ale", which is one of my favorites, for us to taste. He said it would taste bad and was likely around 2% alcohol but, although it still needed work, was not bad. Shows how much I love this beer!

After the tour, it was back to the restaurant area for the tasting.

First up was an interesting comparison. Granite Best Bitter from the cask was poured along side the cask version of the same beer. Cask conditioned ale is beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients and matured in the cask from which it is served. This means that it is fresh and unfiltered and therefore has a unique flavour.

The class was divided as to which they liked better. I liked the cask better. First I tasted the keg version, which I enjoyed, then the cask, which seemed tastier, then back to the keg version which now seemed to have a lot less flavour. Some in the class missed the carbonation in the cask version and preferred the keg.

Then came out the Old Peculiar, a wonderful, tasty but less hoppy ale. We were to finish with a Gin Lane Ale, which is a barley wine with a 9% APV. This is allowed to age longer so the yeast works more to create not only more alcohol but a wonderful fruity aroma and flavour. Only brewed in the winter, Ron had set aside a growler just for our class. Thanks, Ron! It was fabulous!

Mirella decided that we weren't finished and that the IPA on cask was not to be missed. It was lighter in colour than I expected but had a nice floral hoppy aroma and a wonderful hoppy bitterness throughout. I love IPAs and this one's near the top of my list. Great idea, Mirella.

Sadly it was time to go home, but I did not go home empty. A growler of Hopping Mad came home with me.

Ron Keefe showing and explaining the open top fermentor.

Fermenting wort after one day.

Fermenting wort after 3 days. The yeast sure looks different!

Homework!

From Beer to There - Eastern European Beers

Last night our "From Beer to There" class met at one of my favourite pubs in the city, The Victory Café, for the night's session on Eastern European Beers.

Originally the session was called German Beers but as Mirella explained, the beer style is not just specific to Germany but more a style of the region, taking in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Austria.

We covered the Reinheitsgebot, also known as The German Purity Law, which I have written about before, and the creation in 1842 of what we now call Pilsner. The citizens of Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, were revolting and dumping kegs of beer on the doorstep of the mayor of Pilsen. The mayor then took charge of the issue and brought in a German brewer, Josef Groll, to create a better beer. Kroll had learned about lagering, storing beer in a cool area for an extra long time and using a different strain of yeast, known now as lager yeast which works much longer and more efficiently and creates a clearer beer.

He also had studied about English beer and how the British had come up with a way to produce a golden coloured beer. Combined with Pilsen's soft water and local Saaz noble hops, he created a fabulous beer which took Eastern Europe by storm, the Pilsner. Other breweries caught on to this process and started making their own versions, much to the displeasure of the town. So the local brewery started to call their pilsner Pilsner Urquell, which interpreted means "source of the Pilsner". Lagers and Pilsners swept the region and still dominate the beer scene there today.

Then came my favourite part of the class, beer sampling. First one up was King's Pilsner, which is my favourite Pilsner out there. It is a Czech-styled lager with a nice hoppy bite. Note to self, pick some up for the weekend.

Next came Beau's Lug Tread a lagered ale. This is an ale which was stored for an extra long period to refine the taste. I find it more sour than hoppy.

We then changed pace to Kostritzer which is a Schwarzbier, or black beer. It was much sweeter than I expected, with a slight coffee taste from the roasted malts and after someone pointed this out, also noticed a slight liquorice taste. It was a very nice beer.

Denison’s Weissbier was up next. Ontario should be proud as this is ranked as one of the world's best weissbiers. It pours cloudy with the aroma and taste of spice (clove) with a slight hint banana and lemon. Apparently these flavours come from the yeast. Another enjoyable beer. I am starting to really enjoy wheat beers.

Our last sample of the night was a Meibock from Holstein. A Meibock is a lager which is brewed to drink in May. It was copper in colour with an apple sweetness. Mirella asked if any of us noticed a slight "cardboard" taste. With my unrefined nose and taste buds, I could not but others in the class did. Oxygen is an enemy of beer and this taste came from the cans containing some oxygen and being slightly off. Good to learn about the bad with the good.

All in all another fabulous class put on by Mirella. Next week it is English-style beers.

I'm loving Thursday nights.

From Beer to There - Food Pairing

Thursday night was the second session of the "From Beer to There" course put on by Harbourfront Centre and taught by Mirella Amato of Beerology.

It was held at The Twisted Kilt on Yonge Street by Davisville. The subject? Food Pairing.

I enjoy food. I enjoy beer. No brainer that I should enjoy this class.

Many people at work thought it odd to pair food with beer. After all it's something done with wine. "What's the big deal?" said one co-worker, "You order a beer, then you order food, drink the beer and eat the food. What's so hard about that?"

If done wrong, certain foods can kill the taste of certain beers.

Here are the 2 basic rules:

1- Use a lager where you would serve white wine and use an ale where you would serve a red wine.

2- Match the alcohol percentage to the weight of the dish. Heaver dishes should be paired with bolder beers and delicate dishes with lighter beers.

We also dealt with some helpful hints such as how hops stand up well to spice. There was much more but you would need to take the class.

Then came the actual tastings. My favorite part!

First were Fish Cakes paired with Paulaner Lager. So far the theories we learned were right as the the fish cakes tasted great and the beer held its taste.

Next was an excellent spinach salad with Blanche de Chambly. I never was a fan of wheat beers but am starting to change. This beer was filled with flavours of spice and citrus, a subtle sourness and a clean finish. Again it worked very well with the salad.

Mirella then played a bit of a game. Out came a fully dressed plate of nachos and a ploughman's lunch of cheese, pickles, bread and apples. With them came a Wellington Dark Ale and a Black Oak Pale Ale. Which goes with which the best?

To test a theory, I had saved some of my Blanche de Chambly which I tried after a taste of the nachos. The heaviness of the seasoned meat just killed the flavour in that wonderful wheat beer. Might as well have had water. Point proven.

I thought the Wellington matched with the nachos and the Black Oak did not. Surprising as I love Black Oak Pale Ale and thought it would go with anything. I did like the Black Oak with the ploughman's. Most of the class thought the same. voting 8-3 for the Welly and nachos and 9-1-1 for the Black Oak and ploughman's.

Finally it was a Fruli Strawberry beer and a brownie. Excellent way to end a meal!

Class was over and I think we all came away with a good knowledge of food pairings, something I will put to use in the future.

I would recommend the Twisted Kilt to anyone looking for a place with a great selection of beer and excellent food. According to Mirella, they have the best curry in the city. I'm not a curry fan but Teena is so we'll be up there again to check it out.

Thursday nights are something I look forward to as this is a fabulous course. Mirella is an excellent teacher.

Next week ... German Style Beers. Prost!

From Beer to There - Beer Tasting & Appreciation Course

In January I found this beer course offered by Harbourfront on beer appreciation called "From Beer to There".

It was put on by Mirella Amato who teaches about beer full time. Nice job!.

You can find more about her and other beer courses and tastings she puts at Beerology.ca.

Each class takes place at a different pub or brewpub. Tonight's first class was held at Duggan's Brewery on Victoria just south of Queen. I was looking forward to this course for months and was not disappointed. Ten of us were in class, each anxious to learn about beer, some who knew little and some who knew a lot. There was much to learn and Mirella is an excellent teacher.

Tonight's first class was Beer Basics, what's in beer and how it is made. The first hour is class time where we went over exactly what beer is. On my own in the past few years, I have been learning quite a bit about beer and tonight continued to learn. Sampling came in the second hour but, as we were in a brewpub, could order a beer to quench our thirst through that first hour. I had the Duggan's Czech Pilsner.

The session was excellent as we not only sat and listened but the class was totally interactive as we smelled hop pellets, felt hop flowers and tasted a variety of barley some plain, some roasted. Very informative.

Then came the second hour and the sampling. Mirella had supplied us all with booklets, which contained a helpful beer evaluation sheet, complete with a colour chart and different words to describe aroma, mouthfeel, finish and flavour. Over the hour, we had samples of 5 different beers. The first 2 were lagers, the next a Bock, which is a strong lager, then onto an ale and finished with a stout.

I didn't mind the Asian Lager we started with. A little different as it was made with rice and Japanese hops. The next was a German Pilsner, which was right up my ally as I enjoy a nice refreshing pilsner and this one fit the bill. Then we had the bock, full of flavour, sweetness, and finished with a Carmel taste before disappearing quickly, a characteristic of a well-brew Bock.

The #9 IPA came up next, named as such as it uses 9 different malts along with a good dose of hops. This is a great complex ale, which I not only enjoyed but hauled a half dozen home afterward from Duggan's store.

We finished with the stout which I too enjoyed. Coffee was in the aroma and taste with a good bitterness which came not from hops but from the dark roasted malt.

Overall it was an extremely enjoyable evening. The discussion was good, everyone was eager to learn and the beer, well, was excellent. If interested, contact Harbourfront as I believe there may be room left for the remaining 5 classes.

I can hardly wait 'til Beer Styles next week.

Owner/brewmaster, Michael Duggan, in the Millstreet teeshirt (he once was head brewer there)