Back in Black

Maybe pair this with an AC/DC album?

Beer : Back in Black

Brewery : 21 ^st Amendment Brewery

Brewed In : California, United States

Style : Black IPA

ABV : 6.8%

Price : Bought in Minneapolis for about $12 a 6-pack I think.

Notes : Rotating availability – on tap, in cans, bottles, and growlers.

Story : One of the beers George told me I must try while we were in Minneapolis.  I picked up a 6-pack and drank it at the hotel.  Then grabbed another 6 to take home.  But I drank 5 at the hotel.  So this was the only 1 to make it home.

Appearance : Back in Black pours a thick beige head on this black IPA that lives up to its name by being all black, even when held to the light.  The head leaves lots of lacing.  Oh, and the can design is awesome.

Smell : A nice balance between the caramel, roasted malt, and fresh pine notes make the aroma of this beer quite wonderful.

Taste : The initial flavour is sweet caramel and malty, before it ends with a pine and grapefruit finish.  It tingles off the tongue like a freshly eaten grapefruit.

Mouthfeel : Medium bodied with slightly noticeable carbonation.

Drinkability : Really wish I could try more beers from 21 ^st Amendment, and really wish I could get this beer in Winnipeg.  The design on the can is real nice, as I mention earlier, sorry I couldn't get it all in the picture.

Pub Chat: Episode 33 - Rochefort 10

Beer talk and beer drinking

Pub Chat goes back to talking about craft beer the entire episode.  This time with Jym Doolan, aka The Brew Thusiast .  We drink one of the worlds best beers, the Trappist brew Rochefort 10.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

Show Notes

00:00 – It’s us! And Jym Doolan!
00:32 – We debat the pronunciation of Rochefort
Sorry about the audio quality, we promise we’ll try to do a better job on the next transcontinental episode of Pub Chat. 01:43 – Beer cracking time!
02:40 – Glassware snobbery
03:00 – Digging into the beer
07:00 - Seasonal’s and our beer buying habits
08:17 – Pumpkin beer
10:30 – Home brewing
12:00 – Waxing poetic about Unibroue
14:50 – Trader Joes… It’s an American thing
16:55 – Back on my theory of Belgian beer being cheap in MB
18:05 – Now we’re complaining about beer prices… again
20:50 – This lead to us talking about Sam Adams Utopia
24:50 – Cans?
27:20 – After 20 minutes of sipping, we’re back to the beer
32:00 – The history of The Brewthusiast
38:00 – East Coast beers in Manitoba
43:10 – “It tastes like cream corn, it’s horrible”
45:00 – Barrel aging.
47:45 – Southern Tier Creme Brûlée stout!
49:20 – Dogfish Head 120 min IPA
57:00 – I’m not cool because I like IPAs
58:30 – The strongest beers we’ve ever had
1:05:30 – It’s wrap up time!
1:07:05 – Check out Jym at www.thebrewthusiast.com and on twitter
1 :08:13 – Thanks for listening

Bitter Brewer

After having it I was a little bitter...

Beer : Bitter Brewer

Brewery : Surly Brewing

Brewed In : Minnesota, United States

Style : English Bitter

ABV : 4%

Price : Another Minnesota gem where I can’t find the receipt.

Notes : Spring time brew.

Story : I was lucky enough to tour the Surly brewery last summer.  I was unlucky that I didn’t get to try this on the tour.  Or was I?

Appearance : Bitter Brewer pours a light orange with a good amount of white head that didn’t stick around for too long but left some big bubbles in the lacing.

Smell : A lot of citrus and floral hops.  Really about it.

Taste : The citrus hops are really the main character.  I get some yeast and spices but not much.  No malt is noticeable here at all.  I don’t get the marmalade or toast the can promises.

Mouthfeel : A bit cloying and low on the medium body scale with tons of carbonation.

Drinkability : Definitely not one of Surly’s best brews.  I really enjoyed all of their other beers when I was in Minneapolis.  Kind of sad that I never tried this there, so I could have brought home cans of the other beers.  Kind of miffed by the Beer Advocate score for this one.

Bacchus

If you like raspberries try this

Beer : Bacchus

Brewery : Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

Brewed In : Belgium

Style : Flanders Oud Bruin

ABV : 5%

Price : My memory fails me on this one.

Notes : Available year-round.

Story : The beer is packaged in a silk paper that stood out on the shelves.  I grabbed it and bought it based on the fact that it was from Belgium.  They do beer right over there.  So it is always worth it to try new Belgian beers.

Appearance : Bacchus pours a thick tan head, but the head has a touch of red to it.  The beer itself is a dark mahogany.

Smell : Raspberries are very prominent with a hint of cherries.

Taste : Tart and wine like, the raspberries are the main flavour but grapes and cherries are noticeable.  The cherries linger on the finish.  It is a bit acidic and vinegary too.

Mouthfeel : Surprising light with a bunch of carbonation.

Drinkability : Not a bad brew.  I would purchase it again.  I was confused by the ABV of the beer at first as the package says 5% but then further down it says 12.5% raspberries.  I am assuming this beer is made with a certain percentage of raspberries.  But really I have no idea.

Pub Chat: Episode 32 - Goose Island Lolita

With no guest!

In this episode Adrian and I decided not to have a guest, although it was probably because nobody wanted to record so early in the morning.  We drank Goose Island's Lolita, a Belgian style ale brewed with raspberries, while discuss how big of a deal we thought Goose Island is and beer culture in general too.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

Show Notes

00:00 – Good morning…
00:44 – We’re talking about Goose Island today
04:00 – Tasting time!
06:45 – Verdict: It’s decent. It’s tart, really tart.
07:20 – Let’s talk about Goose Island and what we think it means for craft beer

The Great Burger Hunt - Bailey’s Restaurant and Lounge

A dressed down burger in a dress up joint

Most of the burger joints I hit up require no dress code.  I guess this one is no exception but I don’t know if I have ever been in Bailey’s Restaurant and Lounge and not been in some sort of formal attire.  You just feel more formal when you walk in and see the bartender dressed in a spiffy bow tie.

All the times I have been in Bailey’s were just for a beverage or two.  Okay, okay, maybe three, or four.  This time I thought I would eat something before we took off into the Exchange District and drink the night away.  Bailey’s has a pretty big menu, with some cheaper lunch items, and much more expensive dinner items.

I ordered the Bailey’s Gourmet Burger, which was a plain burger available on their lunch and dinner menu, with a few veggies tossed on top.  This is kind of a test for a place when they offer something so plain.  It didn’t take long for the burger and fries to make it to our table.

With the burger in front of me my expectations for it went much higher because the burger came on a bun that didn’t look like it was bought from Safeway.  Topped with tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, the 8 oz beef burger was full of flavor.  It wasn’t very juicy but the spices in the burger and the fresh bun made up for it.

The fries were very seasoned; I think with the same seasoning used in the burger, and very salty.  At first I quite enjoyed them but after getting halfway through the fries the salt was starting to become overpowering, so I let the rest of the table finish my fries.

You may find yourself at Bailey’s one day, probably drinking an old fashioned, or whisky sour, and your stomach may rumble.  The Gourmet Burger is something I would suggest if you don’t want to pull the trigger on one of the more expensive menu items.  It may not be spectacular but the price of the burger was actually not too bad for the quality they put on the plate.

What I got : Bailey’s Gourmet Burger and fries – $9.50 (before taxes)

Burger Taste : 3/5

Fries Taste : 3/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Price Value : 3/5

Overall : 3.25/5

Bailey’s Restaurant and Lounge

185 Lombard Avenue

Winnipeg, MB R3B 0W4

204-944-1180