Pub Chat: Episode 3 - Flying Monkey's Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale

Now in iTunes!

In this episode we discuss the Flying Monkey's brewery and their dark IPA - Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale, before we discuss one of our favourite TV shows, Breaking Bad, with our guest Brett Enquist.

UPDATED: Download or listen to the podcast here or subscribe to it through iTunes .

The Great Burger Hunt - Lovey's BBQ & Smokehouse

They make great ribs - how about the burger?

Now I have been to Lovey’s BBQ & Smokehouse on many occasions since Kevin introduced me to it last summer.  We went for the wings the first time – they were delicious – probably the best in the city.  The next time Kevin made me try the pulled pork, which was also good.  Then I eventually ventured to Lovey’s without Kevin to try the ribs and they were amazing.

When I was searching for places to go for this months burger hunt I knew I would be in the area of St Mary’s/St Anne’s Rd for a bit one day to run errands.  It came down to Red Top and Lovey’s.  Red Top will happen, but I wasn’t in the mood to eat a 6-patty burger, and Daniella had never been to Lovey’s, so the choice was pretty easy.

Not really known for burgers, but known for other scrumptious meat dishes, cooked in a fire pit, like ribs and wings, and their damn delicious beans.   I refrained from changing my mind and just having ribs but I knew I needed to do a burger hunt.

Daniella treated me to this meal of deep fried pickles, Angus beef burger with cheese, fries, and I took a bit of her ribs, pulled pork, and cornbread.  Not to mention the Knob Creek bourbon from Lovey’s self proclaimed, and probably true, best bourbon selection in the city.

First out were the deep fried pickles.  Hot and delicious.  I am beginning to think it is hard to screw up deep fried pickles, or I just love them regardless of the flavour.

Our food came out really quick too.  My plate was heaping with fries, which was a ton for two bucks.  They were hot and salted just the right amount.  The fries had a nice texture but more on the chewy side, and were a very dark golden brown.

The angus beef burger tasted like a homemade burger.  Seriously, was my mom in the kitchen?  It was good, but it was missing something for Lovey’s to make it its own special burger.  The cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickles were all fresh, making me think that this was made from fresh homegrown ingredients.  If you want a burger that tastes like home this is it.  If you are looking for something more unique – order a side of pulled pork and throw it on top.

Without the special touch to the burger I can only say it was good, not really good.  I would recommend eating at Lovey’s but I would suggest almost everything on the menu over the burger.  Not that it was bad, just that everything else was far superior.

What I go t: Angus beef burger with fries - $10.45 plus taxes

Burger Taste : 3/5

Fries Taste : 4/5

Price Value : 3/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Overall : 3.5/5

Lovey’s BBQ & Smokehouse

208 Marion St.

Winnipeg, MB

(204) 233-7427

Current Status

Updated!

Or at least in the process of being updated.  Soon stacksofwords.com will be dead, or it already is, but I just need to switch all the links to cenquist.com!  Shouldn't take too long.  Probably be finished by the end of the week.  Thanks for being patient!

The Search for Valhalla

A short film!

The Search for Valhalla is a short film made by B Yourself Productions.  This is for my filmmaking class and was a group project.  Most youtube views gets a better grade!  Help a brother out!!!

"Scott a grizzled, bearded, student, and part time Viking is looking to find Valhalla. His reluctant sidekick, Tom, joins him on his quest through the University of Winnipeg searching for what he desires most. Along the way, Scott must save a damsel in distress from the clutches of a menacing giant. Only when Scott finds Valhalla does he realize, it is not what he expected."

Brasseurs R.J. Loch Ness

All the way from the Scottish Highlands.... or maybe Quebec....

Beer : Loch Ness

Brewery : Brasseurs R.J.

Brewed In : Quebec, Canada

Style : Scotch Ale

ABV : 6%

Price : unknown to me it was a gift

Notes : Year-round availability

Story : This beer was brought back to me from a buddy who went to visit Montreal for the weekend!  I probably would have bought this on the name alone if I saw it.

Appearance : The pour left a 3 finger head that was light brown and the beer itself was dark amber.

Smell : The nose was not very strong but you could notice the alcohol and a bit of smoke.  Not the most appealing mixture.

Taste : Overall it was not what I was expecting - burnt brown sugar, a bit of caramel and a little spiciness at the finish.  The taste was much better than the smell.

Mouthfeel : A medium body but it was much more thin then I expected a scotch ale to be.

Drinkability : This was not a spectacular beer but it is worth trying if you can get your hands on it.  The aroma is a bit atrocious but the flavour was spot on.  Sure the beer could be improved but it was not bad.

Pub Chat: Episode 2 - Muskoka Cranberry Chocolate Stout

Email me if you want it! Or check our website!

So the second episode is in Dropbox (and now on our website!!).  We are working on getting it into iTunes.  It'll happen soon people!!!

In this episode we talk about Muskoka Cranberry Chocolate Stout, cooking with beer, and our favourite beers from last year.

Download episode here.

JC's Tacos

I think Taco Time might be better....

When someone tweeted that a taco joint was opening up in St James I pretty much jumped for joy on the spot.  I love tacos.  And in this city it is tough to find a good place for tacos.

The best tacos I’ve had in recent memory are the fish tacos from Original Joes.  But a place devoted just to tacos should be able to blow those out of the water right?

Wrong.

First off – JC's Tacos just opened, so they may be working all the kinks out but the menu is terrible.  I had to ask what was on a few of the tacos because there are no descriptions.  And two of us at the table thought the taco trio was actually your choice of 3 tacos, when in fact it was 3 of the same type of tacos.  Clarity on the menu would help (more on that later).  Seriously – why is the Senior Burrito $28?!  What is in it?!

Anyway, I ended up ordering the Al Pastor (or something like that - I didn't even bother to write the name down) taco trio platter, which meant I got beans and rice for an extra dollar.  That was a wasted dollar.  The rice was cold, the beans were hot on the outside and cold on the inside, and both were bland as could be.

The tacos themselves, which the waiter told me was beef with pineapple, came as chorizo with pineapple.  Apparently the opening weekend they served it with beef because they had run out of chorizo.  So the waiter assumed that’s what it was.  Guess some clarity on the menu would have helped.

Al Pastor tacos were very…. meh.  It was edible but not very good.  Like the rice and beans it was bland, bland, bland.  The shells were also very flowery and dry, unsure if they were supposed to be like that, but I am guessing the food was supposed to taste better in general.

For a place that just opened up, and is currently one of the few places specializing in tacos in the city, I would expect much more from JC's Tacos.  To sum up my experience – sheer disappointment.  I wouldn’t recommend you eat here.

Pub Chat: Episode 1 Big Rock Dunkelweizen

A new podcast!!

So I have attempted another podcast - this time with fellow beer drinker Adrian Trimble .  We are working on a podcast we are calling Pub Chat.  Pub Chat will review a beer, talk about the brewery, and beer we have tried since the previous episode, and then we will discuss a topic of our choosing with a guest host that will change from episode to episode.  Sometimes the topics will be beer related and other times they will not.

At first it will be available through Dropbox only because we want to work out all the kinks before making it available in iTunes.  So if you want your podcast fix please email colinenquist@cenquist.com or adriantr@cenquist.com with the subject line “Pub Chat” and we will invite you to the Dropbox to listen to the podcast.

UPDATED: Download the episode on our website here !

Binding-Brauereu Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen

A mix of beer and grapefruit juice can't be good right?

Beer : Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen

Brewery : Binding-Brauerei AG

Brewed In : Germany

Style : Hefeweizen (a mix of 50% Schofferhofer Hefeweizen and 50% grapefruit juice)

ABV : 2.5%

Price : $2.09

Notes : Year-round availability

Story : This beer is one that ladies love.  I don’t mean to sound offensive.  I am not talking about women who drink craft beer on a regular basis but rather women who you want to get into craft beer and have no knowledge of it.  It is a great starter beer to get their foot into the door.  At least it has been useful that way for me.  Next step would be a Unibroue Ephemere.

Appearance :  It looks like grapefruit juice.  Really.  Maybe the beer is a little more orange in colour than grapefruit juice.  It is a cloudy pinkish orange with a bit of head that quickly dissipates.  Noticeable carbonation like pop (that’s right @gobo – pop).

Smell : Aroma is a sour grapefruit.

Taste : Taste is more orange crush than grapefruit but the grapefruit is still there – just mild.  You can also pick out the wheat from the hefeweizen and a bit of banana in the finish.

Mouthfeel : Has a nice mouthfeel with a bit of carbonation on the tip of the tongue that adds a little bite.

Drinkability : It is quite refreshing.  Think of it as a nice fruity hefeweizen to drink on hot summer days.  You can argue this is more of a fruity cooler than a beer but I don’t want to get into that right now.