Pub Chat: Episode 36 - The Dude

Yes he abides...

In this episode Adrian and I are joined by our regular guest Brett Enquist to talk about The Big Lebowski.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

No show notes this episode - sorry!

Granville Island Saison

Tis the Saison.....

Beer : Granville Island Saison

Brewery : Granville Island Brewery

Brewed In : Vancouver, Canada

Style : Saison

ABV : 6.5%

Price : $6 a bottle

Notes : Rotating.

Story : I find Granville Island beers are hit or miss.  I try most of their beers when they come through the MLCC but not all.  We don’t get many Saison style beers on a regular basis so I thought I would try this one.

Appearance : The beer pours a cloudy gold with a fluffy white head.  It left a good amount of lacing.

Smell : Smelled like a spiced hefeweizen to me.  Lots of cloves, yeast and banana.

Taste : Banana, cloves, and yeast were all present in the flavour but mostly this saison was grassy and citrusy.  It had a small bite in the finish.

Mouthfeel : Medium bodied with noticeable carbonation.

Drinkability : I could see myself drinking this again but like most of the Granville Island beers I have had I won’t rush out to buy more anytime soon.

The Great Burger Hunt - Billabong Bar Bistro

Australian burgers anyone?

I have been to Billabong Bar Bistro a few times, it seems every time I go there they have changed the menu considerably.  This time was no exception, although it does seem that there was more Australian cuisine than before.

James and I walked in a few minutes after they opened so it was not busy at all.  Within moments we got our drink orders taken and menus given to us.  Both of us decided on a burger, and different burgers.  I got the Aussie burger while James got the Kiwi burger.

The Aussie

It didn't take long for the food to come out.  We had an option of chips or fries as a side.  We split the difference and each got a different one.  There was an option for soup too but I passed even though it sounded delicious.

The Aussie burger, $14, came topped with pineapple, tomato, beets, an egg, lettuce, and aioli sauce. The yolk on the egg broke right away, making it a bit messy.  The 8oz angus burger itself had a great spice and was slightly charred on the outside.  Sadly a typical bun makes it from being a great burger.  It was really well balanced with the spice in the burger and the pineapple and beets on the burger giving it a sweetness.

Now the debate - chips or fries?

The Kiwi

The chips were very crispy.  Topped with a bit of tomato and onions.  At first I didn't notice how salty they were but they were actually salty I definitely kept going to my beer to quench my thirst.  The waitress gave me an option of three dips too.  She recommended the aioli so I went with that. It was a bit garlic(y)?

Thin cut fries is the way to go.  Crispy but not too salty.  Much less salt than the chips.  Overall I preferred them to the chips.

I would definitely return here for the burger.  I want to try the Kiwi burger next time too.

What I got : The Aussie Burger and chips – $14 (before taxes)

Burger Taste : 4/5

Fries Taste : 3/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Price Value : 3/5

Overall : 3.5/5

Billabong Bar Bistro

121 Osborn St

Winnipeg, MB R3L 1Y4

204-452-1019

Pub Chat: Episode 35 - Grand Forks Special

With 3 beers!

In this episode Adrian and I are joined by Kevin in the hotel room. We drank three beers - Delirium Nocturnum by Brouwerij Huyghe, Southern Tier’s Pumking and Samuel Adams Merry Mischief Gingerbread Stout.  Not much was talked about other than the beers and Kevin's grey hair.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

No show notes this week!

The Great Gatsby Soundtrack Review

1920s style and modern music all in one

The soundtrack for Baz Lurhmann’ s new film The Great Gatsby has received quite the attention. And it should. A soundtrack produced by Jay-Z , with tracks by Jack White , Florence + Machine , Fergie , Andre 3000 , Lana Del Rey , and Beyonce , the album is full of top quality stars from a vast array of genres. Of course the album itself leans to a 1920s style, especially the horns, combined with dance synths and hi-hats, plus there's the obvious hip-hop feel coming from Jay-Z’s input no doubt.

Hip-hop has a history of sampling older music, from Run DMC to A Tribe Called Quest to Jay-Z himself; this soundtrack is a sample of today's musical era transplanted in the 1920s. Some of it works, some not so much. Even if it doesn't work as an album I think some of the songs I don't enjoy much will translate well on screen. My example for this will be will.i.am's “Bang Bang.” It's super catchy and his voice matches the tone of the song really well for part of the track. A snippet of this track would work wonders to support the era... then the dance music drops in and destroys the song and the feel in an instant.

The women of the album nail every track though. Lana Del Rey and Florence have particularly excellent songs. Rey's “Young and Beautiful” is one of those haunting love ballads that sticks with you – her voice was made to be on this soundtrack. Florence’s track, “Over The Love,” once again shows she has one of the best voices out there. On top of that, Sia , who I've always had a soft spot for since hearing “Breathe Me,” has the least era specific track, I read on NME.com "it sounds more like a James Bond theme" and I agree, but it is a fantastic track, one that ends the album really well too.

The one that surprised me was “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)” by Fergie, featuring Q-Tip , GoonRock . Fergie’s voice fits so wonderfully into the era, yet still feels like she's in the new millennium. This is a party song that samples Duke Ellington with dubstep and high-hats, an odd combination that works wonders - at least to my ears. The revamped “Crazy in Love” by Emeli Sande , in a foxtrot style, failed for me, but is still good, it is just trying too hard to stay within the 1920s confines and does not embrace the new era like the rest of the album. They may have chosen to do this as it is the most direct recreation and probably used almost in its entirety in the film (my assumption).

Jack White is also superb, but then again when is he not?

On my first listen I didn't enjoy the Jay-Z track "$100 Bill" with his chopped and screwed take on getting rich, which is prefaced by some "great" Gatsby dialogue to start the album and explain the era yet comparing it to ours.

Of course some of the tracks are clunkers.  Cough… cough… Gotye .

Overall I did enjoy the album. But it did take me a couple of listens before I really got into it. Check out some of the songs on YouTube before buying it would be my suggestion, as the Gatsby soundtrack may not be for everyone.

Thumb Print IIPA

An imperial thumbprint

Beer : New Glarus Thumb Print IIPA

Brewery : New Glarus Brewing Company

Brewed In : Wisconsin, United States

Style : Imperial IPA

ABV : 9.75%

Price : $4

Notes : Rotating.

Story : I had never had any New Glarus before this beer and I bought Thumb Print IIPA on the reputation that they have great beers.  This one did not disappoint at all.

Appearance : Thumb Print IIPA poured a hazy straw gold with a fluffy white head.

Smell : Covering a lot of the hoppy aromas – citrus, pine, floral.  It also has a sweetness to it.

Taste : Sweet and piney to start but finishes with a very strong citrus and grapefruit flavour.  Doesn’t have a strong lasting finish but it does linger for a while.  I think I get a hint of toffee in here as well.

Mouthfeel : Medium bodied and the carbonation bites the tongue before it fades.

Drinkability : Love to get my hands on more of this beer and other New Glarus beers.

Pub Chat: Episode 34 - Downtown Brown

Plus Danny Boyle

Well a Danny Boyle film, which is a favourite of mine. It is a short one where Adrian and I discuss the film and drink Lost Coast Brewery's Downtown Brown.

Download here . Or subscribe in iTunes here .

Show Notes

00:00 – Intro
00:21 – Dishevelled
01:00 – Beer cracking time
01:45 – Colin gives us the lowdown on Lost Coast Brewery
02:00 – Tasting time
05:30 – Beer went up his nose
06:51 – We’re talking about the movie Sunshine.
07:40 – Spoiler alert!
11:00 – Colin tells us why it’s awesome
14:05 – WASA
17:55 – Colin makes excuses for the films flaws
22:00 – The films lack of romance
23:30 – Wrap up! Thanks for listening.