Labyrinth Black Ale

High in ABV, high in flavour

Beer : Labyrinth Black Ale

Brewery : Uinta Brewing Company

Brewed In : Utah, United States

Style : Imperial Stout

ABV : 13.2%

Price : I couldn’t find my receipt for this beer.

Notes : Flabbergasted it is available year round.

Story : Honestly unsure if George told me to grab this when we were in Minneapolis or not. If he did, then thanks. If not, I lucked out with this beer being so good.

Appearance : Staring into this beer you’d get lost, like a Labyrinth, as it is as black as you can get. The head is thick and slightly tan.  Even when I held this up to the sun I couldn't see any light coming through.

Smell : Labyrinth has a very complex nose, filled with coffee, chocolate, molasses, and a hint of dark fruit.  Was shocked I didn't get heat from the alcohol in the nose since this beer clocks in at 13%. .

Taste : Just as complex as the nose, the taste is heavy on the caramel and chocolate. The heat from the alcohol finally rears its head, it is kind of expected at 13%, but it is still just a background flavour until it lingers on the palette in the finish. As if I was just sipping bourbon.

Mouthfeel : This is another beer that was not as thick as expected.  Definitely full bodied but the pour was deceiving.  It was nice and silky as it rolled around your tongue.

Drinkability : I'd be safe to say this is one of the better beers I've reviewed on here. Look out for it.

Pub Chat: One Year Anniversary Special - Tactical Nuclear Penguin

And our one year anniversary!

Wow.  We have been doing this for a year.  Exactly one year to the day we uploaded the first episode of Pub Chat.  So we decided to celebrate with Brewdog's 32% ABV Tactical Nuclear Penguin.  We talked about the year Pub Chat had and future plans, while trying, and failing, to stay sober.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

Show Notes

00:00 – Introduction
00:10 – We’re waxing poetic about the beer already
01:30 – Brewdog, the brewery
02:20 – We talked about their other beers
05:00 – The packaging is delightful and we’re taking it all off
10:00 – Ten minutes. That’s how long it took us to finally pour this thing! After this, we talked about the beer and the awesome year we had.
43:40 – Thanks to all our listeners!

A year of Pub Chat

Didn't expect this

It took me a few years to get a podcast off the ground.  Tried to organize a few with friends and Twitter friends before but they always fell apart.  I think the best attempt, even though it went only one very exclusive episode was an attempt with Daniel Emmons and Chris Rohling (who has been a guest on Pub Chat).

Last February though Adrian Trimble and I launched Pub Chat.  Or as we hideously called it for the first few episodes.... Beers and Cheers.  We weren't really sure what we were doing or what our format was.

Today though, we do.  Our format is still a bit open but we do have a format.  The microphone we use (thanks to Brett Enquist (our regular guest)) improved our sound quality and we will be testing out a new program for guests who we Skype in, hoping to get a better sound quality.

We have released 30 episodes, in a year.  We have had a vast array of guests.  From beer drinkers to non-beer drinkers.  Take a gander at this list.  I would like to thank them all for coming on the show and talking (and drinking beer) with us.

Brett Enquist
Daniella Ponticelli
Sara Shyiak
Nolan Bicknell
Taylor Cole
George Cavelenes
Rich Johansson
Chris Rohling
Hannah Palamer
Ryan Closs
Kenton Larsen
Abstract Artform
Leah Garr
Ella Trimble
Kevin Lawrence
Mitch Meilleur
Travis Linski

We have some new guests, and some that have been on the show coming up for you this year!  (if you want to be on the show send me an email!)

Pub Chat 29 - Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Finish

Plus we talk Superbowl ads and British television

This episode we are joined by Kenton Larsen .  We drank some Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Finish while discussing Super Bowl advertising, beer advertising, and eventually British television.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

Show Notes

00:00 – Introductions
01:20 – My theory on Innis & Gunn naming scheme
01:50 – Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Finish
05:40 – Somehow, we got on the topic of Westvleteren 12
09:02 – We’re talking advertising!
09:27 – Superbowl ads, starting with Anheuser Busch InBev
35:00 – Kenton somehow got us talking about the British sense of humour
38:29 – This is when we started talking about British TV shows.
1:01:10 – Find us online! Us , Me , Colin & Kenton

A Thousand Farewells

The memoir of the Middle East

Nahlah Ayed’s memoir, A Thousand Farewells , focuses on her time in the Middle East more than anything else about her life.  It skirts around her early life in Winnipeg, before transporting her to the Middle East as a child, where she spends a good portion of her childhood.  After that though, it is just a brief mention of her University years and early on in her career before delving into the many years she spent covering the Middle East for CBC.

Her non-work life is an afterthought in A Thousand Farewells as well, because as much as it is her life story, it is a piece of educational literature mapping the recollections of a journalist’s perspective on the troubling times over in the Middle East.  Ayed does touch on how it affected her being in Egypt, Lebanon, and other locations in the Middle East but as much as the novel is about her it is about the key moments she witnessed.  In a way it is a memoir of the Middle East too.

She even stated how much her time in the Middle East meant to her, although you could sense a hint of regret in her words.

Ayed has written a very descriptive and immersive narrative, putting you beside her, as if you were her cameraman/woman.

She paints an awful picture of Lebanon:

“Brittle buildings and once elegant estates waited for them, some of their gates still dutifully locked, gardens overgrown, balconies still decorated with potted plants, long ago desiccated and dead.  Such buildings, will wearing the war’s graffiti, were now home to bold bats and monstrous mosquitoes.”

At the same time though, she admires its beauty:

“And yet Lebanon is a sublimely beautiful place, blessed with fertile valleys, soaring, snow-capped mountains, and a sinuous coastline hugged by the sea.  It is a ski resort, beach hideaway, shopping mall, dance club, and casino rolled into a place about one-tenth the size of Newfoundland.”

Honestly, this really made me feel like this is a place I need to travel to one day.

Ayed’s descriptive words do tend to bog down portions of A Thousand Farewells .  The heavy use of unfamiliar names (of people and places) also doesn’t help but I feel someone with a familiarity of them would not have this issue.

When I entered Creative Communications I had the intention of majoring in journalism.  Now I am not, instead I chose advertising. A Thousand Farewells made me see what I was possibly stepping away from.  Hopefully a couple decades from now I won’t have the hint of regret that Ayed seemed to have from working in the Middle East for such a long time.

The Great Burger Hunt - The Green Tree Café

A little café in Steinbach

Venturing out to Steinbach to visit my pal Adrian we stopped for lunch at The Green Tree Café .  Not really a burger joint, more of a coffee shop with a good selection of sandwiches, and also a good looking breakfast menu.  I don’t know how popular this place is in Steinbach but I could see it being a nice place for breakfast or lunch, and possibly a good location to sit and do some writing, if I am ever stuck in Steinbach.

Their menu is fairly vast with an array of different types of sandwiches, wraps, and salads.  It is not too pricey either as there was only one item on the menu that was above $8.99.  The price of my burger and fries was $7.49 before tax.

Adrian and I chatted for about ten minutes before our food was brought to us.  They were rather busy too and it looked like there were only 2 people working the kitchen so I was impressed by the speed of service.

The cheeseburger was topped with lettuce, tomato, and onions on a whole-wheat bun.  This burger was simple and bland, for once the fries made up for the mediocre burger, sadly that doesn’t happen often enough.

Hot and greasy is how I would describe the fries initially.  Once I let them cool down a bit they were wonderful and didn’t burn me anymore, probably my fault that they burned me though.  They were cooked the right amount leaving them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.   These fries really hit the spot today.

The Green Tree Café was worth checking out once but I may try and find some other place next time for a burger in Steinbach.  But I am putting this place on my to-try list for breakfast places in Steinbach.

What I Got : Cheeseburger and fries - $7.49 before tax

Burger Taste : 2/5

Fries Taste : 4/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Price Value : 4/5

Overall : 3.5/5

The Green Tree Café

323 Main St

Steinbach, MB R5G 1Z2

204-326-3368

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Southern Pecan

First N'awlins beer I've had

Beer : Southern Pecan

Brewery : Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company

Brewed In : Mississippi, USA

Style : English Brown Ale

ABV : 4.39%%
Price : not a clue!

Notes : Year-round availability

Story : This brew traveled all the way from New Orleans and made its way into my hands because Kevin is a very generous person.  I had never heard of the brewery or the beer before.  Thanks Kevin for letting me try this beer!  Figured I would post this on the first day of Mardi Gras!

Appearance : Southern Pecan pours a dark mahogany with a small slightly tan head.  It actually looks gorgeous, it is crisp, clear and clean.

Smell : I get caramel right off the top.  It has a bit of nuttiness to it as well.  Mostly a one note nose though.

Taste : The beer actually has a very complex taste, which surprised me for a Brown Ale (as I haven’t had too many that have been complex).  Caramel, nuttiness (pecan for sure but almond too), a bit malty, and a little maple maybe in the beer.  I’m not sure, I feel like I am missing some flavour here, it could be banana or maybe vanilla?  Whatever it is, is very feint.   It finishes a bit buttery too with a tinge of metallic to it as well.

Mouthfeel : Medium bodied.  No carbonation noticeable either.

Drinkability : If you ever see this buy one.  Maybe two.  I will definitely pick this up if I ever come across it.  Thanks for sharing this beer with me Kevin!

Pub Chat: Episode 28 - Van Honsebrouck St Louis Kriek & Bacchus

Beers to pair with the circus?

This weeks episode we bring in circus expert Sara to talk about, well, the circus. We also drank two Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V. beers (St Louis Kriek and Bacchus). This cherry lambic and wild ale surprised us - or at least me.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

Show Notes

00:00 – Well hello there… And we’re diving straight into the beer.
00:38 – St Louis Kriek. We don’t know what the ABV is
01:28 – It’s Twenty Five Percent Cherry
03:05 – Colin segway’s badly to our topic tonight – the Circus
03:40 – Sara explains what it is we’re talking about.
09:40 – We all decided this beer is like juice.
13:28 – It’s Bacchus time!
13:54 - Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V. run-down
16:10 – Bacchus tastes like raspberries, surprise surprise.
18:25 – We’re back at the circus.
23:55 – Somehow we got to P90X!
25:45 – “I hate it. But I love it.”
30:42 – We’re back on the Bacchus.
31:24 – Wrap-up and goodbye. Sara’s twitter , my twitter & Adrian's twitter

A Taste of Mardi Gras

Without having to go to New Orleans!

Masks

I, and the Manitoba Food Bloggers group, were invited to tag along with the media for a night of Mardi Gras, to test out the food and tasty beverages that will be served at this year's Winnipeg Mardi Gras.

Walking into the room, it was filled with Mardi Gras masks, a Fireball shots bar, a cocktail and wine bar, and five tables with amazing looking N'awlins style food.  The aroma was overpowering.  It smelled so good.  I was also now adorned with beads.

Cajun Carbonarra

After hanging up my coat, introducing myself to a few people and getting reaquainted with a few food bloggers I tried a Fireball shot at the shots bar.

Within a few minutes I had my first plate of food in front of me.  Cajun Carbonarra with spice sausage and chicken.  It had smoked bacon, sautéed mushrooms, onions, crushed red peppers, penne pasta and parmesan cream sauce with cajun rubbed chicken breast.  It was served with a cajun crostini.  The dish was more creamy and garlic than spicy but the hint of cajun rub stood out enough to make the dish reminiscent of New Orleans food.

Shrimp Creole

Now I have never been to New Orleans but this dish is not the type of food I would expect.  But again I've never been there so I really have no idea what I should expect.

The rest of the dishes on the other hand....

Chef

The table beside the carbonarra was Shrimp Creole.  Now that sounds like New Orleans to me.  Shrimp Creole is shrimp (obviously) simmered in a Louisiana style creole sauce on a bed of rice pilaf.  I put tabasco on mine for more of a kick.

After this dish I made my way to the other bar for an actual drink, not another shot.  The beverage had Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort in it.  Yet it tasted like orange juice.  Deadly.  At the bar I also ran into Brody Jackson and Colin Lougheed too.

My drink went down rather quickly as Deborah Son and I waited for Deep Fried Oyster Po' Boy's.

Beginning of the Étouffée

This dish kind of blew my mind.  Put deep fried oysters on a fresh baguette with tomato, dill pickle, provolone, and a bit of shredded lettuce, with mayo and cajun sauce and you have this dish.  It doesn't sound all that special, yet it was a magical combination of food.  Later I talked up the chef about the process of making it - so that may happen soon.

Po' Boy Chef!

Next was Crawfish Étouffée, which I've never had before but have always been curious about it since it was mentioned a few times on the HBO show Treme.  That show has probably molded my perceptions on what New Orleans music, life, food, and parties are like.  This cajun classic is made with roasted crawfish veloute, bell peppers, carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, corn, baby shrimp and crawfish tails.  It is also served with a cajun crostini.  The dish doesn't look like much either.  I'd imagine it is a tough dish to make look fancy.  It sure packs a ton of flavour though into such a little dish.

Starting to get full I waited a bit before tackling the last two dishes.  That meant it was time for another drink - this time a Hurricane.  This rum based beverage goes down smooth and is just as tasty as the first beverage (which I cannot recall the name of it for the life of me - even though I asked the bar tender three times) but it is a bit similar.  I want to know where the sazerac (the N'awlins old-fashioned) was at?  Hopefully that is available Feb 15 & 16 (at Winnipeg Convention Centre) as it is delicious and very New Orleans.

Crab cakes

As there was no way I could eat both the Lousiana Crab Cakes and Deep Fried Pickles/Yam Fries basket I conceded - by splitting both dishes with Deborah.  The fries and pickles were excellent but the crab cakes, once we let them cool down a bit were almost as good as the po' boy.  When Deborah cracked her cake in half so much steam came out of that little thing I was shocked.  Probably a good thing I didn't just shove the whole thing in my mouth in one bite.

This media event for Winnipeg Mardi Gras  made me realize I need more New Orleans style food in my life.  I'd like to thank them for their generosity and the invitation to try all the delicious food.  I'll definitely be going at least one night for the shows, if not more po' boys!

I also have 4 tickets for Winnipeg Mardi Gras to give away!!  All you have to do to enter is comment on the blog, share on Facebook, or retweet the link on Twitter.  It is that easy.  Tickets are for Friday night.

Photo below by Deborah Son as all my po' boy shots were blurry.

Po' Boy!