Love Good Beer

Lime – Really!

Sunday, April 25th, 2010 | Beer | 8 Comments

I have been absent for quite some time now. Don’t worry, my passion for fine beer and delicious food has not subsided – if anything it has increased. I was out shopping for supplies in preparation for tonight’s hockey game and while picking up a 12 case of Central City’s summer pack I caught sight of a heartbreaking slew of product’s that left my soul devastated. Light Lime Lager is everywhere! No longer is this craze limited to the macro brewing giants, small craft brewers have jumped in head first without hesitation and fear of drowning in the deep end of the macro brewers pool of mass market “beer”. Dead Frog, Big Rock and The Northam Group are all promoting their own fizzy lime swill marketed at lager and I am afraid this is the beginning of the end.

It is true, Bud Light Lime is a massive hit, and why not, people love 7up – market 7up as beer and, what do you know, its a hit. It doesn’t disappoint me to see new products on liquor store shelves that macro brewers market as beer, when really they resemble juice more than beer, I don’t expect much from giant corporations. However, I hold craft brewer’s to a much higher standard and I am disappointed in their current behaviour.

To all you craft brewers offering a lime “beer”, please stop, its not a good thing that you are doing. If your marketing team is pushing you to offer this product, please inform them that following trends, not fads, is the best practice.

On a more positive note, I am making Salt Spring Island mussels, fries, and wings tonight – accompanied by an oude guezze . All will be enjoyed in the company of good friends while cheering the Canucks on to victory.

Erik

Tags: Big Rock, dead frog, Lime Lager, Northam Group

I’m back

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 | Beer | 3 Comments

Sorry for my near two month absence, my extended leave is completely inexcusable and I apologize profusely to all of you. I know it is not much of an excuse, but I just moved into a house and it turns out houses are a lot of work and will quickly consume most of your life. Things are settling back down to normal now and Shaw recently ran cable to my house last week and I am now once again connected to the world through the magic of the internet. So I am back!

I put together a post a few weeks ago about Dead Frog‘s latest release – which is a great amber ale. I thought I would be able to steal internet access from my neighbors unsecured wireless network, but the signal was no good and I couldn’t upload the post.  I thought is might still be worth sharing.  If you you haven’t yet tried Dead Frog’s Amber Ale I recommend you go out a give it a whirl.

Aldergrove’s Dead Frog Brewery recently released a new beer to mark their two and half year anniversary.  No surprise to hear that the beer is name 2 ½ Year Anniversary Ale – very creative.  This new release is asmoked amber ale and is only available in Dead Frog’s 12 pack mixer.  After finding reading about this new release earlier today I stopped in at the liquor store on my way home to find this new beer.

Although I have never been a fan of clear bottles, as they tend to turn delicious beer into foul smelling skunk water, this new beer is delicious.  The smokey flavour is relatively mild but is noticeable in the aroma. The 2 ½ Anniversary Ale is malty but not overpowering and is balanced by a mild hop finish.  All in all a well balanced flavourful amber ale.

Smoked beer is a scarcity here in BC and often times when found the smokey flavour tends to be overpowering.  Cheers Dead Frog for putting together a great smoked amber ale.

Erik

Tags: 2 1/2 year anniversary ale, dead frog, smoked amber ale

Protect your beer from the sun

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 | Beer | 1 Comment

Have you ever been outside on a hot day and craved a cold beer ever so badly?  I have and I can remember finding that first sip of ice cold Corona (with a lime) gloriously refreshing.  Have you ever noticed how that same Corona doesn’t taste nearly so good a few minutes later? Note: noticing this might depend on how many Coronas you’ve already had.  I’ve noticed, but I thought it had to do with the beer warming in the sun.  Turns out I was wrong, the sun hates beer.  It is an indisputable fact of science.  Okay, I made that up, but the sun can turn a beer “skunky” in a matter of minutes.  Scientists have noted that UV light interacts with certain hop byproducts found in beer.  When UV light hits these chemicals they breakdown into the very same chemical that humans revile in the scent of actual skunks.  Who knew?  Turns out these scientists did.

Apparently humans are super sensitive to this chemical and can detect less than a milligram in a swimming pool.  This is why you might find yourself enjoying your beer a little less if you’ve been out in the sun.  I’m writing about this because I found myself turning my nose up at a glass of delicious beer this past weekend.  I was really concerned there was something wrong with me until I recalled reading about the sun’s malicious intent in a recent issue of Beer Advocate.  I figured I’d best blog about this and spread the word.  This Summer, if you plan on drinking your favorite beer out of a clear glass or drinking Corona, Sleemans, Dead Frog, Heineken, or Stella Artois out of the bottle, shield your drinking vessel from the sun to preserve the taste.

Have you seen those Corona commercials where two people are sitting on a fabulous beach with their bottles of Corona?  They are advertising skunky beer and I find that funny.  If only you could taste ads, more people might be drinking quality BC microbrew, no lime required.

Cheers,

Chris

Tags: Beer Advocate, corona, dead frog, Heineken, science, Skunky Beer, sleemans, stella artois, uv light