Love Good Beer

I miss hops and hockey

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 | Beer | 4 Comments

Obviously I know that almost all beer has hops in it, but not necessarily the high levels you find in the pacific northwest. When I moved to London I thought I’d be moving to a beer mecca, cask beer everywhere! I actually feel like I’ve taken a step down beer-wise. While there is a thriving pub culture here that I very much enjoy, I can’t say as much about the quality of the average beer. The majority of cask ales have been open a bit too long and taste a bit stale. Even the freshest cask of English ale can only be described as a mild pale ale by west coast standards. We’re blessed in Vancouver to have been influenced by the hopheads of Oregon, Seattle, and Northern California and it tastes good.

Sweet, sweet Central City IPA

I didn’t realize quite how much I missed a 60 IBU West Coast IPA until I had a slew of visitors gift me fantastic bottles from the motherland. Amongst my blessings I counted Central City IPA, Granville Island Imperial IPA, and Deschutes Hop Trip. They were delicious, thanks for asking. Of course there are British exceptions, such as the brilliantly hoppy offerings from Brewdog in Scotland, but I can definitely say that UK brewing lacks the adventurous extremes of the North American west coast and Belgium. Lucky for me, I’m making a quick return to Vancouver next week. Canucks woooo!

I knew that I missed hockey, but (again) I didn’t realize how much until I was reminded of it’s absolute awesomeness. Game 4 of the Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks series was at noon pacific time, meaning it was on in London at 8PM. I seized my big chance to watch live hockey for the first time in over a year at the Maple Leaf pub in Covent Garden, as did every other hockey starved Vancouverite in London. I can honestly say it was one of the best atmospheres in which I’ve ever watched a hockey game. The place was packed out with fervent Canucks fans decked in blue and teal, complete with UK levels of alcohol consumption, which resulted in really good times. What choice do I have but to come home for the parade?

At the Maple Leaf for game 4

Hank didn't touch it, we're good

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: canucks, central city, deschutes, Granville Island Brewing, imperial ipa, India Pale Ale, IPA, london, maple leaf pub, red racer, stanley cup, vancouver, west coast

Pregame at the Kingston

Sunday, March 1st, 2009 | Beer | No Comments

I went to the Canucks vs Lightning game on Friday.  It was not a good game, but at least the Canucks won 2-1.  Before the game, in need of a post work meal and a pregame libation, we decided to go to the Kingston Taphouse and Grille.  I’d often heard about the Kingston when listening to the TEAM 1040.  The 1040 guys regularly do their Canucks pregame shows at the Kingston, so I thought it would be a cool place to hang out.  It wasn’t bad, but I can’t say there is much to taking in a live radio show.  The place was packed out and we couldn’t even hear what Rick Ball and Don Taylor were saying.  I guess I expected some fan interaction.  Is a hug from local sports legend Don Taylor too much to ask for?

The crowded bar at the Kingston, Rick Ball of 1040 in the background

As for the Kingston itself, I can’t say I was overly impressed with their beer selection.  They had some local microbrew on tap from Granville Island, Russell, and Red Truck.  They also had the typical Canadian macro lagers, plus Guinness and Cafrey’s, but nothing that got me excited.  I also found the bar to be too crowded, but the burger I ordered was suitably tasty.  We had a decent time at the Kingston, but I much prefer the freshly brewed beer and atmosphere of Dix for my pregame warmup, which is where you’ll find me next time.

The taps and the big screen

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: canucks, dix, don taylor, granville island, kingston, red truck, russell brewing, team 1040

Stout Burgers

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 | Food and Recipes | 4 Comments

This past Saturday I had some friends over to watch Mats’ victorious return to Toronto.  To celebrate the Canucks glorious victory, I made Stout Burgers (thanks for the recipe Dave).  Sadly, I forgot to take pictures, but I can tell you they were delicious.  We also found the burgers to be giant.  The recipe calls for only six burgers, weighing in at just under a half pound each.  Needless to say, they were a mouth full.  I can’t honestly say I noticed the Stout in the burgers, but the beer did help keep the patties nice and moist.  They were also very spicy, which I enjoyed, but others may not.  In any case, if you like burgers, I recommend giving the recipe a try.

Tags: bbq, canucks, leafs suck, mats sunding, stout burgers