What did you drink this Christmas

Every year around Christmas I love to go to the local liquor store and have a look what is being released for the season. This year there was an abundance of Craft mixed packs from breweries large and small with some real interesting ones like a Traditional ales of Scotland pack bittered with everything from pine to meadow sweet and heather (very cool). The annual focus on bubbly was there as well with many fun offerings and what would the holidays be without lots of sweet liqueurs around for coffees. So what did I wait to unwrap until Christmas eve. 3 great Abbey ales all very different and very tasty.

We started with the 3 Monts which was a French beer in the Belgium style straw colored and effervescent with a crisp finish I liked this with the cheese tray. The next was Abbaye des Rocs Speciale de Noel, wow this is serious beer dark and rich like fruitcake drizzled with molasses I should have bought 2 bottles of this and let one age for a couple years I think this will even get better with age.The grand finale was Val- Dieu grand cru another age worthy monster, this one was more refined with all kinds of subtle flavors and yeasty goodness. Now I know that everyone must be thinking geez this guys a drunk, 3 ales all over 8% but I had a lot of help from the family tasting panel and 5 or more on a bottle didn't leave near enough for yours truly so I need to go out and try to find some more of these. While I was imbibing in these truly special ales I had a recurring thought I paid $13 for the most expensive of these world class beers what would I have to pay to experience the best Bordeau or single malt.

Bourbon for Fall

I know it is winter in a large part of the country but here in the Okanagan it is really just fall, the leaves are dropping and the temperature is hovering around zero so time to start looking for a warming tipple.So Bourbon fits the bill with notes of spice and vanilla it makes you feel warm just to smell it. I think the aromas that come off of a well crafted bourbon are probably my favorite drink to just get lost in the scent of. Most bourbons have a higher than average alcohol percentage usually around 50% so they sneek up on you quickly and warm your insides in a hurry.

This weekend our whiskey club had a chance to try a number of really nice bourbons the hit of the night for me was the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon huge vanilla and orange in the nose smooth and rich tasting a real winner Honorable mentions go to Pogue, Hancocks Single Barrel, and Russels 10 year Old.

We also tasted a Whiskey from Oregon, Edgefield Hogshead Whiskey . It had the strangest botannical nose on it and an interesting herbaceous flavor my guess is they are adding a small quantity of hopped whiskey to the mix for interest very different than anything I have ever Tasted 

PUMPKIN???

I used to think that Pumpkin was just an excuse to throw a whack of spices at some marginal ale and sell it around Halloween. Well my opinion is starting to change, this is fast becoming a legitimate style of ale that delivers a range of unique taste experiences. I think the thing that hits me most is when the beer delivers a silky mouth-feel at the back of the pallet and a subtle hint of spice that is neither cloying or acrid. There are still some underwhelming Pumpkin brews out there but this year there are many more good ones than bad ones. I actually got to help with the pumpkin portion for Cannery Brewing's Knucklehead Pumpkin ale which ended up with 250lbs of Pumpkin in a 20hl batch of brew( that is a lot by the way). I still have this beer on tap at the pub and it is great. Also Check out Tree's , Howe Sound and Fernie's Pumpkins as well, all are good.

                                                  

Whats up With Off The Wall Flavors

Everywhere you turn our taste buds are being bombarded with flavors and smells that should make us gag, wrinkle our noses or just run for the hills. This trend is cutting across all categories of beverage from Cough Syrup flavored JagerMeister to Brettamyeces fermented beers and petrol notes in our Riesling. you would think that these are bad things but we actually seek them out as the latest trends there was a time not so long ago when Laphroig was the edgiest malt on the market now they are a lightweight compared to Ardbeg Supernova or Peat monster. I wonder if we are driven to try these flavors as a way of conquering our environment, most of us learn early on if it smells or tastes bad it is bad for us. now it seems it is a badge of honor to imbibe in the 100 IBU IPA or a Belgian Iambic who knows what will be next. 

I have to admit I like life at this edge of flavor where I am forced to contemplate a new level of sensory assault. Funnily enough I like the Banana and Clove notes in my Weisen but find Bubblegum flavored vodka terrible. I guess  I am attracted to flavors that are a byproduct of the process but not added artificially with the exception of herbal liqueurs and the occasional spiced ale.

My recent out there consumptions include Green Flashes Belgium style Pale Ale
, 
Sweet Grass APA 
and the last of my Supernova.
 What are they going to do to top this.

Finding a Dogfish Head

Yesterday I got down to Washington State for a little family picnic and was able to pick up a couple packs of American Craft Beer. I got the Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat and the Dogfish Head 90 minute Imperial Ipa the Wheat has some clover honey and orange peel in it.The beer poured with a snow white head and a unique orange tint, I was a bit surprised that it was as clear as it was being a wheat beer and I found the body a bit lacking but the flavor was good. All in all a great brew for our little picnic

Now onto the Dogfish Head this beer is 9% ABV it pours with a rich cream colored head that lasted about 4 minutes color is a deep amber with good hop aroma and somewhat spicy nose. Ahh the palate talk about rich the big alcohol gives the brew a nice weight and mouth-feel The taste is such a great balance of malt and hop I wish I could buy this beer here in B.C.

I have to admit there is a lot of fun to be had chasing down the brews that just beg to be tasted and I look forward to that new brew every time I find one.

Kettle Valley Station Pub Brew News

We will have our new taps online at the pub this week and will be featuring the Ember ale from the Firehall Brewery in Oliver as well as Red Roof cider and Earning a spot on line is Crannog's Back Hand of God Stout. The other Big news is my Growlers shipped today and the Growler club is up and running so you can take all of these great Drafts home with you.

Defining Who we Are

As a Canadian and a Resident of the Western-most province in the country we have always struggled with our identity when it comes to what we drink. We are not the Rye Coke Press of Alberta, the Export Ale of Quebec, or even the Moosehead of the Maritimes. But just as our Grape Vines struggle to make that elusive connection with the soil that defines our terroir we are starting to enjoy an awakening of all categories of beverages from local micro distilleries to world class wines and a growing craft brew industry. Our consumers are waking up to the realization that our strength is our diversity. Young and old, male and female the demand for unique, local and premium is on the rise. I find myself having more and more conversations about specific products or styles of all types of beverage there is a hunger for knowledge that is both refreshing and challenging. 

What does this all mean moving forward.

 If you are in the business; challenge your customers bring in some new products, keep up on the trends, take the road less travelled and champion your local manufacturers it will pay off in the long run. 

If you are a consumer; ask for local, try something new every time you go out, tell your visitors about the great things happening here in B.C. and who knows maybe 1 day this will be the province that everybody talks about when they think Beer ,Wine or Spirits.

If you are in Government: it is time to champion change, bring our laws in line with our new social conscience, take down the barriers to the success of our growing beverage industry, and lastly take away punitive taxation and don't just level the playing field but help put the best team on the field.

Here are just a couple of things to try, Join a growler club it is great for the enviroment and the beer is fresh. Seek out some 2011 white wines from the Okanagan it is a good vintage for whites, acids are low and fruit flavors abound. Try the McLoughlin Steele Whiskey it is the first time one has been on the market from the Okanagan.

Cheers.

A Tale of 2 Brews

At the recent Okanagan Fest of Ale I had the pleasure of being an official Judge along with Alan Moen from Northwest Brewing Magazine and tried about 80 different brews in styles ranging from Kolsch to Porter and everything in between. As always there were some standouts and some dissapointments but the winners tend to rise to the top and Central City's ESB was a clear favorite along with Vancouver Island's Herman's Dark Lager 2 distinctly different but well crafted beers. I noticed this morning that the ESB was also best at the world beer competition as well, it is good to see we were not the only ones who liked it. Reading through the results this morning I was struck by the number of breweries from the USA that I had not been aware of it is great to know that every trip south I make there will be new styles and brews to sample.

I spent some time talking to the guys from Sin City Brewing in Vegas 2 weeks ago while sampling there product. I thought we had weird laws in BC but Nevada takes the cake they brew their beer at a Coors plant and have to buy it back from themselves to sell it at their outlets in Vegas. Hasn't stopped them from producing some tasty products, I really liked their Heffeweisen. 

The Success of Session ales

Today we finished up the Pike Kilt Lifter a Scotch Ruby ale

 that was very well received by everyone at the pub. It was one of those beers that fit in the middle of the brewing spectrum Great color some malty notes in the mid palate and a clean finish that adds a level of pour me another drinkability. I think we had it in house for only 1 week, good pour through on 2 kegs.

Now on Tap

Delerium Tremens a Belgian Tripel at 8.5% ABV this is a sneak up and bite you in the posterior kind of ale it goes down smooth with layers and layers of flavor and an almost cherry finish but the alcohol will catch up to you quickly.

The Wikipedia write up on this beer talks about how Delerium Tremens is the state of withdrawal from alcohol poisoning or the DT's  hence the pink elephants on the label I can imagine that 5 or 6 of these could get you to that place.

Even in our little town there is a growing appetite to try something new and these beers certainly deliver on that, they offer the chance to expand your beer knowledge, experience a ritual pour in a proprietary glass and have something to talk about when the conversation turns to what have you tried lately.

A New Twist on an old Tasting

This weekend I was invited to present at a small whiskey tasting in Oliver. Not knowing the group I wanted to create a tasting that was not too technical and not boring rehashing what they had previously tasted or had as a theme. Laying in bed half awake an idea came into my head as often does immediately rendering sleep an impossibility, what makes whiskey particularly scotch differ so greatly between brands even those made in the same geographic area. Take away all the obvious heavily peated, unique finished, super old and what do you have left. Mostly you have whiskies on 2 ends of the flavour spectrum sweeter sherried malts and more austier bourbon barrel only malts, so I chose the Glenlivet Nadurra

 and the Abelour A'Bunadh

 the former aged in first fill bourbon and the other in Olorosso sherry barrels. I poured a small sample of Sherry and a small sample of Jim Beam to let everyone have a reference point and then each of the 2 whiskies in turn and let the group decide which style they preferred. Not so surprisingly it was almost an even split with maybe a couple more people leaning more to the sweeter end of the spectrum. After a break for some food we tasted 4 more whiskies and the group was able to pick out the sherry finished whiskies with relative ease. I will use this format again in the future with any group of fairly new tasters it was a success and everyone left with some clues as to where to choose their next purchase from.

Suds and Superbowl

Well Superbowl is here this weekend and even those of us above the 49th parallel know it is a great day for a party. So in anticipation of the game Tin whistle brewing next door to us a has a cask conditioning of Pigskin Amber Ale a special bacon flavored heavy ale that we are going to tap into at noon on Superbowl Sunday. It is encouraging to see the response to the new session tap and a public desire to try some new beers. If this trend continues I look forward to being able to bring a range of new tastes to the South Okanagan. Right now we are featuring the Erdinger Dunkel Weis Beir and have a couple of kegs of Brooklyn Lager in the fridge for when that is tapped off. For those of you who have not tried the Brooklyn it will change your opinion of American beer it is packed with flavor and hoppy goodness.

The Business of the Business "The Politics of Booze"

Every time I open a paper or turn on the news it seems like there is some article or another talking about a proposed change to the laws around serving or selling the demon beverage. One of the latest things in the local paper is a proposed increase to the minimum selling price of beer as a way to curb consumption. Not only does this theory not work, just think tobacco, but things like .05 have already caused a quantum shift in habits. The State just South of us recently voted to take government out of the liquor sales equation. we on the other hand spend tax dollars renovating stores that were just done. As a licensee I am forced to buy all my spirits from 1 of only 2 stores, pre-pay and pick up my order. does any other industry allow that kind of service to survive. Not to mention if they don't want to list a new product you can only get it by the case. I know this sounds like a bit of a rant but really I am hoping against hope that we figure out that governments role in this industry is only to insure public safety and not to be in competition with their own customers.

Happy New Year

Well it is now 2012 and I sit here trying to figure out what this year will bring, what are going to be the trends that people talk about, drink and what will be forgotten and not seen again. Some up and comers here in the Okanagan are local draft ciders, cask conditioned ales, micro distilled spirits, and local Cabernet Franc. Whats not includes flavored cider, short drinks, and cheap Australian Shiraz. Some of these may fade or come back but there is no denying that consumers are more savvy and picky and they will seek out the trends.

We tapped our first cask here at the pub a few days before Christmas it was another one of those fabulous porters from Cannery Brewing in Penticton we served it up with some fresh Malepeque Oysters on the half shell what a great match. 

Right now our session tap features Crannog's Back Hand of God Stout. Brian and Rebecca produce some of the best Organic sustainably farmed product in B.C. Come in for the Ribs add a pint or 2 of stout and you may spend a lot of time trying to come up with a better pairing. These go together like Hockey Night in Canada and Don Cherry.
Watch for Kilt Lifter coming soon for our Burns celebration.