JANUARY 2003

 

 

The Bar Scene Take #4 – Brewsters

 

                 

 

Brewsters enjoys the title as Calgary’s longest running brewpub, serving up beer since 1989.  Since the initial brewpub opened on 11 Ave and 8th St. SW Brewsters has expanded and now has four locations in Calgary and other locations throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Their line of beers has changed slightly over that period, but stand by favourites, like the Flying Frog Lager are still there.  To my disappointment this year they decided to drop their annual Christmas Ale due to lack of sales over the past couple of years.  I also remember having a nice spicy pumpkin ale there around Halloween a few years ago and that too seems to have disappeared.  I can’t really complain as Brewsters now boasts 13 beers during the winter months (The Barley Wine is only available from Oct. through to March).  Being a sentimental type of guy I prefer the original 11th Ave location to any other despite the fact that the 11 Ave location is only half the size it used to be as Specific Gravity restaurant occupies the other half, though Specific Gravity(closed as of Jan 1) carries all of Brewsters beers and very good food I must add. 

 

I had a cousin visiting from out of town and decided one late December night to check out Brewsters with his brother to help me review this month’s Bar Scene (it is never hard to find people to help you review beer that is for sure).  The first thing I remember about seeing Brewsters since the renovations is that it has aimed towards a more trendy look and feel instead of just your neighborhood pub and seems to attract overall a younger crowd than before, but perhaps it was just that night.  Sleek new booths along with a beautiful bar in the middle of the pub provide a very modern feel to the pub.  The menu is nothing spectacular but provides pub basics at a reasonable rate.  There is a room on the far side of the pub that is obviously just for checking out the sports as it has several TVs set up with numerous individual chairs facing the screens.  This seemed a little out of place in a brew pub as that room had more of a sports bar atmosphere, but since it was on the far side it didn’t really take away from the atmosphere of the pub.  The brewpub also has framed small posters of other micros around the world.  This was a little deceiving as after I saw the first poster beside the washroom, I thought they actually sold beers from Harpoon Brewery in Boston, but further inquiries revealed that this was actually just decoration.  Unfortunately, none of the other microbreweries advertised were sold at any Brewsters, too bad.  

 

As mentioned before, Brewsters boasts 13 beers, but where they are made remains somewhat of a mystery, even to the staff. One server told me that some of it is made at the Eau Claire location or in Edmonton and then sent out to all the Brewsters across Alberta and Saskatchewan.  However during a previous visit in late November I was told by a different server that Brewsters had recently started making beer somewhere in the Foothills Industrial Park.  This seems to make more sense but I hope to investigate further.  However, what is obvious is that the consistency of the beers is not there unfortunately.  I tried the Brown Ale at the 11 Ave location and it was wonderful, in fact probably my favourite beer there, compared to the Eau Claire location where one friend described it as ‘sewage water’.   All reviews from here on in are for the 11Ave location only and do not apply to any other location.  You can find out more about Brewsters at their website, located here.

 

The beer itself is reasonably priced.  We were there on a Sunday night when all pints are happy hour prices $3.95 all night.  However, the Barley Wine is regular price ($5.50).  Our server’s explanation was ‘because it is not beer’.  At first I couldn’t understand what he was going on about, then I realized his train of thought, which surprised me as I thought the staff would be a little more informed than he was (I wonder if he is horrified when he sees A&W serving Rootbeer to minors?).   Otherwise there are sampler trays of five 5 oz beers for $6.31. 

  

In general the beers at Brewsters are targeted so they won’t really offend anyone.  My only complaint therefore is that they don’t make a couple of really wild beers within their 13 beer line up.  The Barley Wine is about as adventurous as they get and that isn’t available for half the year.  Anyways three cheers Brewsters for spreading the micro movement across the prairies.

 

My rating of their 13 products follows but note that as of this month my beer rating system has changed.  My new rating system will focus 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. 

 

Lethbridge Premium Pilsner - I always get scared when I see the word premium in a beer name because usually the name is trying to make up for the low quality of the beer.  HOWEVER, in this case I didn’t find that.  I liked this one, however my cousins definitely disagreed.

Golden color, buttery nose with a sweet butter-toffee mouthfeel with a remarkably absent finish. 2½/5

 

Shaughnessy Stout – Strong coffee nose with hints of rum-raisin.  It has a light body, almost no carbonation, a coffee taste and a mildly bitter finish 3½/5

 

Orignal Lager – A fruity mainstream lager with a dry finish 1½/5

 

Brown Ale – Smell of molasses with hints of caramel.  It carried a very malty medium body with hints of molasses and has a nice dry finish.  Would have liked a full body and doesn’t stand up to wild rose’s Brown Ale, but definitely not bad 4/5

 

Wild Wheat – Pale amber color, fruity nose, along with a sweet malty taste and a VERY dry grainy finish 2/5

 

Palliser Pale Ale – Amber color with floral/citrus bouquet. Fruity sweet malt mouth with an lackluster finish.  Starts off great, but the end is disappointing 3/5

 

Lannigans Irish Ale – A very buttery nose, copper color, medium bodied beer with a dry buttery grainy finish.  This beer actually has hops in it from beginning to end. 3/5

 

Bighorn Bitter – This was a bit of a disappointment, as it had no distinguishable flavour, not balanced at all and no pronounced bitter finish, it was dry like many other of the beers. 2/5

 

Flying Frog Lager – Deep golden color, mild floral nose, full bodied, with a moderately sweet maltly mouthfeel followed by a mildly fruity dry finish with a hint of alcohol.  3/5

 

T.G.I.L. (Thank God Its Light) – But should more truthfully be called Y.W.N.O.T.A. (You Will Never Order This Again).  Lets see, it has no color, a fruity bland sour taste and a horrible finish.  As my cousin put it, modifying a line from the classic Wendy’s commercial of the 80’s, ‘WHERE’S THE BEER?’ I couldn’t have put it any better myself. HORSEPISS.

 

Hammer Head Red Ale – Dark Cherries and apples in the nose.  The taste is subtle with hints of spicy apples under a malty backbone followed by a mildly dry finish.

4/5

 

River City Raspberry – Brewster’s attempt at a fruit beer.  It is a light golden color that has a raspberry nose, a grainy sweet raspberry taste and a watery finish  2½/5

 

Blue Monkey Barley Wine – This big beer (9.5% ABV) is Brewsters most complex beer and is full of malts and hops.  Nice reddish-amber color, small head with little to no carbonation, sour rasberryish nose.  Medium body. Molasses, raspberry and hints of chocolate in the mouth, very sweet and syrupy.  Alcohol is a little over powering and finish has a little too much alcohol, but not bad.  Some people will definitely be offended by the sickly sweet maltiness of the beer, but overall it works. 3/5

 

 

Beer Bottles- Royal Liquor Merchants: 17 Ave location

 

 

The 17 Ave location of the chain liquor store, Royal Liquor Merchants is undoubtedly one of the busiest liquor stores in Calgary.  It has a prime location right on 17th Ave and 11St SW and has parking available.  Inside the store you will find a nice beer section in the middle of the store.  The selection has definitely improved recently and is now one of the best in town.  A couple of beers they carry, including Mt. Begbie from Nelson and the Seigneuriale Réserve very hard to find anywhere else in Calgary, so this is a nice treat.  They also carry vintage bottles of La Fin Du Monde and Maudite.  I think I may have picked up the last bottle of Unibroue 10 (sorry to all that are still looking for this beer) there, plus they carry one of the strange beers I have seen Stone Cold Draft from Manitoba (displayed in HUGE letters on the label) in a 2L liter pop bottle. The clerk said it is made by some guys in the basement, and I take her word for it.   

 

Bubbly Review – German Greats

 

Germany has long been known as one of the great beer nations in the world.  It has a deep, rich history of brewing and now boasts over 1200 breweries, the second most numerous in the world (USA has over 1500).  Germany is also the true home of many different styles of beers including, Wiezen (white), Bock, etc.  All of the beers produced in Germany (with one rare exception I won’t get into) are produced in accordance to the world’s oldest food law.  The Reinheitsgebot or the ‘German Beer Purity’ law of 1516, which states that only water, hops and barley (this was before yeast was discovered and now yeast has been added as the fourth ingredient) can be used to make beer.  Big Rock also states that all of their beers are made in accordance to the same law, though many of Big Rock beers are not actually German style beers.  That said, German beer that is exported can have anything added to it so it will not deteriorate quickly due to time or travel.  Therefore some German beers you see on shelves around town are not in accordance to the German beer laws.  However, this doesn’t deter from the greatness of some of the German beers found on local shelves and overall German beers in Calgary are pretty darn good if I must say so. 

 

The Beer Purity law has recently led to some outcries of protectionism from other European nations.  The European Union has its own food laws and therefore neighbouring countries like Belgium are yelling, with some justification, that the Beer Purity law blocks the free trade of beer across the border and indeed I can back up this claim as I only saw one or two bottles of Belgian Beers in a German bar and never on supermarket shelves.  However, given the complete insular state of the German Beer Culture I am not sure Germans would buy them?  I think not, after experiencing German beer culture and meeting more than one beer loving German who proudly stated that not only is Germany the greatest beer nation in the world, but they had never tried another country’s beer, all with the same pride and enthusiasm.  As the EU countries become more engrained with each other it will be interesting to see how this law plays out.  Until then, I do agree the law should be something that Germans should be proud of.

 

My new rating system will focus 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. 

 

Schneider – Aventinus (Wiezen Dopplebock) 8.8%

This is one of the best beers we have in Calgary IMO.  It is unique for a German beer as I would argue it is more appropriate for the winter months as compared to most German beers, which seem most suitable for the spring to fall months.  It is also unique because it is bottle conditioned, a true rarity for German beers and according to the spokesperson at Schneider, it will reach its full potential in about three years. 

 

Smells like wonderful cologne, Old Spice fans may want to wear some on their next date. Burnt raisins, bananas, cloves and hints of brown sugar extend from the nose, full-bodied, with the spicy hops dancing across your tongue in their Lederhosen and a sweet malty bock backbone that makes this beer oh so complex. Finishing with a nice hearty burning across your mouth that has you screaming for more.  OK so I am a little biased on this one, as this is one of my favourite beers.  This beer is not for the faint hearted.  4/5  (the only reason it doesn’t go higher is I have heard it is too complex for some people, understandably so)

 

Schneider – Wiesse (Wiezen) 5.4%

The only unfortunate thing about rating German beers in the winter is so many of them just don’t feel appropriate and Wiezen is no exception. 

Muddy light brown color, smell of banana and cloves as well as the spicy hops prepare you for the taste sensation.  The initial taste is slightly tart and the mouthfeel is somewhat acidic but with a nice malt backbone, the finish is quite spicy compared to almost any other beer I have had.  One of my favourite Weizen. 4/5

 

Hacker Pschorr – Hefewiezen (Wiezen) 5% 

Nice lacing, hazy dark orange color, medium thick head. Smells of grapefruit, grain, and allspice.  The bottle-conditioned yeast gives off a fizzy mouthfeel along with a sweet malty backbone and a nice spicy hop finishing with a chalky mouthfeel.  3½/5

 

Holsten – Festbock (Bock) 7%

Dark brown coca-cola like appearance, smell of dark fruit and alcohol, medium body with the taste of prune-raisin and roasted malt that ends with an alcoholic warming finish.  Not the most balanced beer on the face of the earth, but a decent winter warmer.  3½/5

 

Holsten – Premium (Lager) 5%

Its yellow, its fizzy and its beer, a main stream lager from Germany, nothing to get excited about, stick to the Festbock or Canadian, one tastes better and the other is cheaper. 2/5

 

Paulaner – Hefewiezen  (Wiezen) 5.6%

Cloudy amber color, typical Weizen smell of banana and cloves, however in the mouth I detected faint hints of lemon and ginger which was quite refreshing.  Medium bodied with a refreshing finish, excellent summer beer (so why the hell am I reviewing it in January??).  4/5

 

Erdinger – Wiessebier Dunkel (Dunkel Wiezen) 5.6%

Dark color, with light brown head.  Smells certainly like a Wiezen, with banana and cloves, the medium-light body gives way to hints of chocolate and banana and roasted malt.  The finish is clean and dry.  It does have potential but seems to lack enough assertive hop character.  Add some hop steroids to this beer and you have got yourself something wonderful. 3/5

 

Tim’s Take

Exploring the World of Beer

 

This month instead of ranting on one subject for a couple of paragraphs, I am simply going to direct readers of The Monthly Brew to explore the world of beer through the World Wide Web (just pictures and text, no tasting on this exploration).

 

First I would like to start with the page that probably gave me the most insight into Beer and Beer Culture; world renowned Beer Connoisseur (and Scotch Connoisseur) Micheal Jackson’s Beer Hunter website focuses less on specific beers than on Beer Culture.  This is an EXCELLENT site, with loads of information and along the way you will learn about the different styles of beer and expand your view of the world.  For example did you know Sri Lanka produces a world class Stout??? (and one of my favourite stouts)  The site is not updated very often (once a month or so), but past articles stretch more than ten years so there is still lots of reading information.

 

Next up, the page that gave me more beer links than I could shake a stick at, Henry's Beer Links.  The links are updated somewhat regularly though dead links don’t seem to get taken off.  The information is again overwhelming, though there are some pretty interesting and obscure pages listed here.

 

The most famous Canadian beer writer Steven Beaumont also has a web page called World of Beer, where he also writes a monthly publication on exactly that, the world of beer.  Steven also has written ‘The Great Canadian Beer Guide’ which is an excellent review of hundreds of beers across the land and gives great background information on the different breweries, a great coffee table book. 

 

Speaking of Canadian beers, the most reviews available on line are probably located at Rate Beer writer (will get into that site in a minute) Josh Oakes with his Beer Manifesto.  He has obviously put in lots of time and effort sampling beers across this country. 

 

Next up is the biggest beer-rating site on the Internet appropriately called www.ratebeer.com.  This site is overwhelmingly American beer focused, but there is more than a few Canadian beers reviewed as well.  The site has interesting articles and forums include subjects such as Beer Traveling, Homebrewing, etc.  Well put together and informative.

 

Anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of Belgian Beer can easily find anything they want to know from The Multi Media Guide to Belgian Beer.  Try the Babble Belt link at the top of the page to get into the discussion board.  The people on the board are some of the biggest beer geeks around, but are helpful and can certainly answer any questions you have about beer or more specifically Belgian Beers.  You can also search the archives for past topics.  It may seem a little intimidating at first, but you’ll get the hang of things after awhile.  

 

There is also The Canadian Beer Index, which is rarely updated, and I don’t find very useful unless you’re looking for the contact information of a brewery.  More useful is the B.C. Beer Guide though it hasn’t been updated for almost a year, it is moderately interesting and has some good Canadian links as well.

 

It seems any country that has an ounce of interest in beer has some sort of beer related website that can direct beer lovers from all over the world to where to drink some great brew, just search the internet and something will come up.  If you know of any other really good beer sites, please send the links to me and I will mention them in future issues.  Cheers Tim

 

 

Beer Glassifieds

 

If you are a home brewer and you have some beer you would be willing to swap with someone else, advertise here, with your name, what you have to offer and your contact information, and negotiate your own terms on the deal.  You can also just advertise you name as a home brewer in order to get into contact with other home brewers and share ideas.  If you send me a recipe for a particular good brew you have made I will try to fit it somewhere on this website.

For beer hunters like me that are looking to swap beer you can advertise what you have to offer, it is probably best not to ask for some beer as you might limit your self.

Please include you name and contact information.