Spring and Fest of Ale

Well Spring is here and another Fest of Ale has passed and Wine Fest is just around the corner.

It is a great time to dust off the blog and talk about some of the last few weeks highlights including some great spring whites and the judging from Fest of Ale. So first the wines get your hands on some Red Rooster Chardonnay it just won a gold medal at Chardonnay du Monde in France and it deserved it great wine for the price. I also  bought some Serendipity Viogner from a new winery on the Naramata bench I actually was the first  licensee customer. you will be impressed with the aromatics of this wine good acid balance with the fruit make this a great patio sipper.

Judging at Fest of Ale was as always a fun and informative experience there were plenty of interesting ales and a few surprises. We only judge the beers and let the public judge the other beverages just as a quick aside the Sea House Farm and Cidery has a great bourbon aged apple cider. Our pick for best Macro went to Central City Brewing for their   Red Racer IPA and this ale could have easily been best overall, when talking to them it is easy to see the passion for detail that makes this a brewery to seek out when your at your favorite store. Best Micro Brew went to Penticton's Cannery Brewing with a tie between No Justice Pale Ale (Formally No Jail Pale Ale, damn the guys at licensing branch anyway) and Naramata Nut Brown I actually think this beer is getting even better as time goes on the recipe seems spot on. A couple of other breweries deserve a mention here Crannog had 2 cask conditioned ales that scored very high and any brew by these guys is always top notch, the 2 breweries from south of the border brought some crowd pleasers as well and if you travel down south stop in at Alpine in Oroville or Port Townsend and try their offerings. Best of show went to a brew from Paddock wood in Saskatchewan for their Czech Mate Pilsner which was both well crafted and tasty