APRIL 2003

The Bar Scene Take #7 – The Ship and Anchor

The Ship and Anchor, or just ‘The Ship’ as regulars know it, needs little introduction to most Calgarians. The Ship has been a mainstay on 17^th Ave SW for many years and its popularity has never waned. The Ship has never been a pretty site, nor has it ever tried to be, but rather a popular, dark, dingy and lively pub. The crowd is a good mix of people, but upper twenties and early thirties seem to be most prevalent. It is an extremely friendly bar, where it is just as easy to talk to your neighbour at the next table as it is with your friends. The Ship also has the distinction of being the only pub in Calgary that has a line up on weekends. The Ship also boasts a large patio, which allows for some interesting people watching in the warmer months of the year. For that matter, people watching is interesting here anytime. Food is served at The Ship and I’ve heard it is very good, and ordering it is easy, finding a place to eat your food is another matter. According to the small black board with the food menu on it, The Ship makes regular pub grub and a few fusion dishes at very reasonable prices.

Ahhh yes, the beer. Well, for starters, The Ship boasts over 30 taps with a large selection from Big Rock and Wildrose, but they steer clear of Molson and Labbatt though they indirectly carry Labbatt’s with Alexander Keiths IPA. They also have their own brewer Steven Buffel, who makes their Mutiny Ale, which seems to taste different every time I go there. The Ship supports the local breweries which is great and they do occasionally get some interesting imports on tap and one of the reasons people go there is to sample the large selection of beers. However, I would like to see them a) brew a few more house brews b) put some more local micros on tap, such as Brew Brothers and Alley Kat c) Add a few more Canadian micros or imports on tap such as Yukon Red (which is available on tap at some pubs), etc. I am guessing they also have bottled beers there, but the focus of the pub is strictly on their draft selection so I never bothered to ask. If you are planning on heading down to The Ship, go before 5 pm on the weekends or it will be crowded. Weekdays tend to be a little less crowded, but quite often there are special events going on. Other than improving the beer selection (and that is only a minor issue) it is hard to find any faults with The Ship. Any faults associated with The Ship seem inherently part of its character therefore….. making it flawless? Hmmmm…. An interesting questions that I will have to contemplate over a pint or two.

Beer Bottles - Edmonton Trail Liquor Store

The Edmonton Trail Liquor Store could best be described on the outside as nondescript. Located on about 8^th Ave and Edmonton Trail NE at the back of a small strip mall home to Blockbuster Video and a handful of other nonchalant retail stores, this small liquor store could easily be over looked. However, what awaits inside is a VERY large beer cooler, in fact it takes up half the store, with a huge selection of import and micros available on the Calgary market. In all the store sells close to 150 kinds of beer and is split fairly evenly between micros and imports. The owner Rob is very keen on having a variety of beers since he took over the store last year and he has worked on expanding the beer selection. What I liked most about this store, is the display of the beer. It is very simple, all beers are located on one long shelving unit and it is easy to scan the shelves for your favourite beer. This is a great place to stop off on your way home from work or if you are heading downtown. I am sure that with their friendly staff, they have a bright future in selling specialty beers to Calgary’s thirsty consumers.

Bubbly Review – Specialty house beers

This month I am covering beers that are either specially made for a pub/restaurant or are renamed something for a pub/restaurant in Calgary. There are numerous examples of this around our city and these little hidden treasures can make a night out just that much more special. Probably the one I talk about the most is Goldspur, made by Alley Kat for the Hop N’ Brew. However, there are a few more that need to be mentioned as well. If any one knows of other house beers served at establishments not on this list please pass on appropriate information, as it will give me some beer hunting.

My rating system focuses on how enjoyable the beer is to beer drinkers. The system will read as follows: 5 – Undoubtedly a favourite of many people; 4 – Outstanding, most people will like this beer; 3 – Some people will like this beer some won’t; 2 – I didn’t like this beer, but maybe you will; 1 – I don’t know how anyone could like this beer, but perhaps there is one person. Horsepiss – self-explanatory

Goldspur (Alley Kat) 9%

This dangerous deep hazy yellow 9% Triple is served only during the winter months at the Hop N’ Brew but you must be careful as it is served in pints, which IMO is just too big for this big beer. In the nose I detected lemon peel, baking soda and hints of nutmeg. The beginning is soft with a white rum type alcohol taste that leads into a lemon meringue like tartness and a dry orangey finish. This beer was created by Hop N’ Brew’s owner Dik, whose chemical engineering background provided him with the technical know how. Dik is currently contemplating bottling and selling this beer in finer liquor stores around town; we can only hope that this happens so everyone can enjoy this delectable brew at home. 4/5

Arrogant Bastard (Bear Brewing) ??%

Served at the Skybar nightclub, (which I found a little peculiar because nightclubs generally aren’t a hot bed of microbrew activity), this Pale Ale is quite unique to say the least. It has a medium brown color (though hard to tell inside the club) that has a nose of green apples and quite acidic which is an indication of what is to come. Not many readers of The Monthly Brew would have tried Lambic style beers from Belgium and certainly none are available in Calgary, but these beers are very very sour, acidic beers and certainly are not to everyone’s taste. Likewise Arrogant Bastard is a strange Pale Ale as it has characteristics of a lambic. The malt is very sour and overwhelms the beer. During the first few sips the beer is interesting and I did pick up hints of berries, but, halfway through, the beer becomes pretty hard to drink due to the sourness. This is too bad as this is a good opportunity for Bear to make an interesting beer but, for now it is an unbalanced and stylistically challenged beer. 2/5

Note: The Sky bar also carries Big Lik from Bear Brewing but I did not rate it this time.

Pin Up Pale Ale (Bear Brewing) ??%

Probably the least complex of Joey Tomato’s house beers, it carries a deep amber-brown color, with wisps of toffee in the nose. The body is very malty with a touch of rich toffee and hints of roasted malt and bubble gum, finishing off mildly bitter. It is a palatable beer and the masses will enjoy it, but for my part it gets a 3/5

Pin Up Honey Brown (Bear Brewing) ??%

Another honey brown, whooopppeeee lets not get too excited!! (NOT!) Though this Honey Brown and Big Rock’s definitely stand above the rest, this one carries a lot of the similar characteristics of the Pale Ale, with toffeeish notes throughout. There are more hops and syrup added giving a much more fruity overtone and of course hints of honey. However, the honey and toffee work well together and are not unbearably sweet, syrupy or medicinal, but are quite balanced. In fact, I would probably order this again if I got sick of the next beer. 3½/5

Pin Up Winter Pudding (Bear Brewing) ??%

Ahhh, yes the crème de la crème of Joey Tomato’s line up…. Or should I say the Crème du Brule??? My biggest complaint about this beer is that it is served waaaaaaaaaayyyy too cold. I ended up ordering the Pale Ale and the Winter Pudding at the same time and waited to finish the Pale Ale before diving into the Winter Pudding. The beer has a deep brown color complimented by a crème du brule nose with a wallop of butterscotch pudding on top. The body has a rich sweet toffee malt backbone supporting the huge crème du Brule palate followed by a cleansing malty finish. Heavy, hearty, sweet and rich, this beer proves to be a dessert and a beer at the same time, very well made. 4/5

The following are CAMRA President Don Tse’s reviews of house beers (I have attached a rating to those house beers that I have tried but the ratings are strictly my own not Don’s).

Buzzard Breath Ale - Brewed for Bottlescrew Bill's Olde English Pub (140 – 10th Avenue SW, phone 264-6959) by Big Rock Brewery, this is perhaps the most successful house beer. In bottled form, it enjoyed substantial success in the United States when Big Rock was experiencing its greatest growth in its early years and is known around the world. Indeed, on a recent trip to Bruges, Belgium, I saw a Buzzard Breath poster hanging prominently in the museum at the small De Halve Maan Brewery. This amber-coloured beer is malt dominated and can be enjoyed by ale lovers who don't like over-hopped beers. 2½/5

Cactus Club Udder Ale and Ugly Ale - The Cactus Club Cafe (7010 Macleod Trail S, phone 255-1088) has commissioned Wild Rose Brewery to brew its Udder Ale and Sleeman's Brewery to brew its Ugly Ale. Udder Ale is based on the Wild Rose Wred Wheat while Ugly Ale, also a wheat ale, is an entirely new recipe. Brewed with real raspberries, Udder Ale starts with a light candy-like sweetness though the finish is dry and astringent. Ugly Ale has no fruit added and is thin-bodied and clean. In both cases, the use of malted wheat is readily apparent

Michael's Lager - Brewed for Michael's Restaurant (139 – 10th Avenue SW, phone 264-6731) by Big Rock Brewery, this lager pours with a thin white head which floats atop the golden beer. The flavour is very well balanced and though it starts grainy, it has a nice earthy hop flavour in the finish.

Ship and Anchor Mutiny Amber Ale - The Ship and Anchor Pub (534 – 17th Avenue SW, phone 245-3333) has a great selection of beers, including its house beer, brewed at Alley Kat's brewery in Edmonton, by and according to a recipe developed by the former brewmaster of Mission Bridge brewpub (which is now Wildwood Grill & Brewing Company). This amber ale has a soft nose with a light hop note. The flavour, on the other hand, is balanced to the malty side, though it has a dry finish 3/5.

Original Joe's Blonde - Brewed for Original Joe's (2047 – 34th Avenue SW, phone 242-4040; 1220 Kensington Road NW, phone 670-5637; 2118 – 4th Street SW, phone 802-3800) by Wild Rose Brewery, this beer is golden with hints of amber. It is very light bodied and though it has a touch of sweetness at the start, it dries out and becomes very clean in the finish. As the beer warms, it develops a touch more maltiness, but remains a generally dry beer. 2/5

Tim’s Take

This month; Things that can make a good beer taste bad!

This is an interesting subject, which is rarely tackled by beer writers. What I am talking about is from the time a beer leaves the brewery to the time it touches your mouth. What can happen to make the beer deteriorate?

First and foremost, as most of you probably already know, fresh beer is key to a tasty beer. However, this isn’t always the case, especially when dealing with bottle-conditioned beer. In fact bottle conditioned beer, which are generally of a high alcohol content, can impart very unpleasant flavours of pure alcohol when too fresh. I remember drinking a Westmalle Triple in Belgium, at the café across the street from the monastery. Westmalle Triple is rated one of the best triples in the world and triples being one of my favourite styles, I thought it would be the perfect beer on draft at the café. However what I got instead was a mix of flavours that had not blended well at all and an overwhelming taste of alcohol. Needless to say, it dampened the experience, luckily though the Dubble was quite nice.

Speaking of draft beer it is essential for publicans (people who run pubs) to keep their draft lines clean, daily if possible. If the lines are not cleaned, by connecting them to what is called a cuppler and cleaning them out on a regular basis, say every week or two, nasty bacteria can take hold and give any beer that passes through those lines an off taste. Dik at the Hop N’ Brew, as far as I can tell, keeps his lines very clean and therefore tries to maximize the condition of each beer he serves. This isn’t the case for some places around town, which will go nameless.

The next things that can ruin a good beer is the beer being left in the light too long and becoming light struck. This is the same with wine, however some beer is much more susceptible because it is put, for whatever reason, in clear bottles which provide no protection from fluorescent or other light. This does not mean beer in brown glass bottles cannot be light struck, but there is much less of a chance. Some liquor stores around town allow their beers to sit out in the light for quite some time and they acquire a layer of dust, not the most appetizing to say the least. My recommendation is if the beer is in a clear bottle then look for a bottle that hasn’t had exposure to the light or, if in doubt, go somewhere else to buy it. Better safe than sorry. I have had bad luck recently with Orval (which by the way is not in a clear bottle) and might wait till I go to Belgium before I buy another bottle.

Though the next point is rare it can happen if the beer is not properly taken care of. Bottle conditioned beers where the yeast has died, either from being light struck, cold or some other reason. Dead yeast can give off port like flavor which can be pleasant in some bottle conditioned beers, but not in others, like Hoegaarden or Duvel.

And last but, of course the most common one is beer just getting old. This can happen in a bottle or a keg. A few months ago I had an unpleasant experience at The Den, on their first open day after the winter holidays. They choose to let the keg sit open for three weeks over the holidays and the finished result was flat and undrinkable. After ordering three different beers and sending all three back, we decided to stick to water.

When all is said and done, you can’t necessarily judge all beer by only one experience. You have to remember you are judging it by a snapshot and not a moving picture. Not all snapshots turn out great, even if the content is. If a beer is supposed to be quite good and highly recommended by more than a few people and you find it just terrible, you might want to try it again in the future to determine if it was just the condition of the beer at that time or actually the beer itself.