Tag Archives: stella artois

Nice little weekend

Dave, Tristen, and I enjoying too many free cocktails at The Vancouver Club

Dave, Tristen, and I enjoying too many free cocktails at The Vancouver Club

This past weekend was a good one for my friends. On Friday, my friend Dave had a party to celebrate earning his Masters degree.  Master Simington lives in Chilliwack near Old Yale Brewing and treated his guests to a 19L keg of Old Yale Pale Ale.  Old Yale is not a very well known brewery in these parts, but is definitely one of my favorites.  It was cool to catch up with old friends and celebrate with a keg of tasty, affordable, local craft beer.

On Saturday, I attended Adam and Lesley’s wedding at the Vancouver Club.  I’d previously posted about the Vancouver Club, wondering what their beer selection might be like.  I guess Adam and Lesley read the post because they both asked me if I approved of the beer.  I didn’t really, but the wedding was awesome!  The venue, the food, and the company were all wonderful.  The Vancouver Club is a great place for a wedding, shoddy beer menu aside.  All the best to Adam and Lesley, thank you for inviting us to enjoy your special day!  We had planned to stop off at The Railway Club before the reception, but didn’t quite make it.  There was a cocktail hour before the reception featuring drinks and tasty food, and who am I to pass up graciously provided sustenance?  And if you were wondering, the beers available were Molson Canadian, Stella Artois, Heineken, and Becks, four generic lagers.

Also at the wedding on Saturday, I received the most surprising text message of my life to date.  As we were sitting down for dinner, Peter, of guest post fame, announced the birth of his first child, wooooo!  Baby Aaliyah Chandler arrived 18 days early, but healthy and with minimal fuss.  We visited the newly formed Chandler family this morning and can attest to the cuteness of said family, thanks in large part to the most recent addition.  To tie this event into beer, I’ve heard that stout is supposed to help in breast milk production.  This may or may not be true, but I’ve also heard that drinking stout is good times, so who really cares?  The Chandlers can expect some stout from me in the near future.

Congrats to my friends on their major life achievements!  If you are up for further celebration, I’m up for a few beers.

Cheers,

Chris

A wedding at The Vancouver Club

I am going to The Vancouver Club for a wedding this weekend.  I’ve walked by the building before and it looks quite nice, a lovely place for a wedding reception.  I’ve never been to The Vancouver Club and most of what I’ve heard of it comes from rich, old men I’ve met through work.  From what I gather, it is an elitest place where business people go to talk about how great the are.  Seriously, if the general clientele mirrors the few members I’ve met, then this place is snob central.  The dress code posted on their website seems to validate my conclusion.  Anyway, I’m wondering if this place is going to have any good beer?  I’m sure they’ll have wine and spirits that cost a lot, but will they display good taste or will the ‘premium import beer’ on the menu be Stella Artois?  I’ll find out and report back.

In any case, I have a backup plan to get myself some tasty craft beer on Saturday.  Conveniently, The Railway Club is located equidistant from the ceremony and reception venues.  I’m planning on popping in for a pint of their Railway Boxcar Bitter, brewed exclusively for The Railway Club by Phillips Brewing.  They also have some other fine beers on the menu, Central City ESB being one.   A few pints before the reception might improve the quality of the speeches later on, who can tell these things?

Cheers,

Chris

Protect your beer from the sun

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