Insider on Cider

I spent most of last week in the business of research and espionage – finding out the incider secrets to producing, kegging, and partying with cider.  The friendly, but unsuspecting victims of my espionage?  Sulker’s Cider [now brewing cider at a secret location in Guelph] – more specifically  Matt and his partner N. I blogged about them last year in Cider: The Final Frontier.  I infiltrated the world of cider through friendly connections – my daughter, M, who has played the role of “best friend” to these people for years – heh.

What i found was dry  cider flavoured with hops, kombucha , passionfruit, rose-hips and hibiscus, and several other ciders that i do not pretend to understand [actually i pretended to understand everything while i helped Matt and N keg and sample the cider].  Later this weekend I partied with them at a launch party at Her Fathers Cider Bar in Toronto [a good city to stay anonymous in – important in the espionage business].

When any of these get on tap at a bar near you demand one from your server. Or ask politely.

These were my my favourites from the launch party.

1. Sulker’s Dry-hopped Kombucha blended cider. 6.0% – blended dry-hopped cider and kombucha. It appealed to my sour loving palette
2. Sulker’s Super Dry. 6.3% – clean with minimal sweetness- hints of tannin
3. Tie – Sulker’s Super-Dry with Rose-Hips and Hibiscus because they remind me of collecting rose-hips for gramma, and the Super-Dry with Pasisonfruit because who doesn’t love passionfruit – the most alien looking of all fruits.

This is what the party looked like …

Kombucha and Rose-Hip / Hibiscus

Pretty Sulker’s Cider bottles

While at the party i snooped the basement and found this source of nectar

This is what the research looked like …

Me pretending to sample while i took note of the wall of hardware behind me

I don’t pretend to know what this is – but i pretended while espionaging

I actually did know what these were – but i pretended not to

Oh, i didn’t bother to change anyone’s name to protect anyone in this article.  All the characters are NOT fictitious.

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Combating Water

In the beginning there was Spring. Or maybe Summer. But definitely not Winter!

Spring is here. That means it’s time for my annual water rant. I promise you this one is not unjustified or unfounded and it may be even Biblical.

I’m so sick and tired of “water people”. Honestly, last week i mentioned that i might have a slight sinus infection and somebody says to me “maybe you’re not drinking enough water”. Then my stomach growled in a meeting, “maybe you’re not drinking enough…” – Hey jerk! Maybe you’re not drinking enough water!

If I’ve learned anything from the weather network [and i haven’t] it’s that the Springtime is no time to drink water. It’s raining enough as it is! Seriously, i haven’t watched a high school rugby game yet this year without getting soaked to the butt [thx for the expression uncle Harold].

So enough of this water stupidity. Let’s combat water. Get yourself a large umbrella, a fabulous rain jacket, and a bottle of Muga – the people’s rosé. Muga is the finest of rosé that you can find at the LCBO and it reminds you that warmer weather is on the way, while being delicious at the same time. That’s a win, win, win [at least]. May 13 the LCBO released this year’s vintage of Muga rosé, which is technically a rosado [that’s the way they roll in Spain]. It’s a perfectly delightful rosé and you cannot go wrong serving it, bringing it to a party, or sipping it in secret in your backyard or basement.  Better yet, stay inside and watch something on Netflix.

I have it on good authority that the Spanish don’t waste their time drinking water. Why should i?

Combating water indoors with a cozy scarf

Combating water with Netflix and time travel

Combating water with a daughter drinking grapefruit juice – heh

Previous water rants

2010 Drink More Water? 

2011 Still Drinking Water?

2012 Water – I’m not convinced

2013 Water. Again?

2015 Hyperbole

2016 Water Research

Local Caesars

There are so many local foods that excite me in Guelph.  Soon it’s time to harvest local Fiddleheads! Royal City Brewing Company released a perfectly lovely Berlinner Weisse  this week – “No Sleep Till Berlin” –  and of course the Farmers Market in Guelph gets me and my Coco up every Saturday morning at 6:30 to discover what’s new.

But as i prepare for summer i start thinking about Caesars – Canada’s version of ‘Merica’s Bloody Mary.

Dixon’s Distillery of Guelph makes a clever little vodka designed for the Caesar – their “Flaming Caesar Vodka”.   With hints of celery salt, chili heat, and garlic – it makes a great Caesar.  But hey, a picture says a thousand words – so here are 3.000 more that are easy to read.

 

 

 

Misinformed

I really have lived my life under the assumption had I could drive a Jeep to South America – our only friendly neighbour to the south.

I’m wrong – according to google. Look here!
Google maps tells me it’s not possible.  And those google people are presumably smarter than me.

Tonight I’m drinking a lovely wine from Argentina, and I sadly am finding out that I can’t drive there to get more.  Nevermind the fact that I may be 189 hrs of driving – an estimation I made, but honestly I’m so thrown off by google right now that I’m unquestionably questioning anything that i thought i knew.

I can’t even be certain that I purchased this lovely Trapiche Syrah at the LCBO for under $9 because that seems as crazy as a Spanish speaking border guard telling me i can’t get to Argentina from here [or an ‘merican speaking border guard for that matter].

 

 

 

Matchmaker

My Linkedin bio recently changed from “self-amusing wine blogger” to  “matchmaker”.

Specifically hooking up Toronto’s Muddy York Brewing Co. with Guelph’s finest gastro pub, Baker Street Station. It’s a classic tale … blogger turned matchmaker meets microbrewer Jeff, drinks stout … blogger sees gastropub guy Dave at the gym and says “you know what you should do, blah, blah” – next thing i know there’s something there that wasn’t there before [yes, that’s a Beauty and the Beast reference – ah romance].

And I think I done good. So good that the beer menu at Baker Street Stn looks like this now. Tasting notes are hardly necessary – it’s love.

Okay, maybe the board looks like this …

Would you believe that one of more of these photos was photoshopped by my mischievous daughter little m?

Guelph’s first keg from Toronto’s Muddy York. I got to touch it!

 

Muddy York Brewing Company’s Stork Derby Stout – Now on tap in Guelph thanks to my matchmaking skills. You’re welcome Guelph.

Jonathon’s historic pouring of the first pint of Muddy York’s Stork Derby Stout in Guelph

 

 

How the Irish Saved Civilization

St Patrick’s Day is upon us and i thought it an appropriate time to educate readers on just how the Irish “make the moonshine”.  Heh, that’s a line from our new favourite family show – Moonshiners [and please, if the show is fake, i don’t wanna hear tell about it].  And yes, the title of this blog borders on being unethically misleading – or is it ethically misleading? Did you say ethically misleading?

In all simplicity, whiskey/whisky is moonshine aged in barrels.

In Canada we normally make our moonshine from rye. In Kentucky they use corn, or at least some combination of rye and corn. In Ireland and Scotland the best are usually made from malted barley.  In Scotland peat is sometimes used to dry the barley, resulting in the distinctive peat nose and taste.  In Ireland they don’t peat [except for Connemara] and they ….

You know what – I’m just complicating things.  I find it fascinating, but i don’t want to start sounding like one of those people for whom the minutia of their dream is far more interesting to them than the listener.

So suffice it to say that i added this to my whiskey cellar just in time for March 17th. Also, I’m gonna read some of Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization today.

 

The Oud Couple – heh

I found two beautiful creations this week – “oud”ly enough at the same place [heh]. Revel Cider’s Revelation Oud Blanc and Exchange Brewery’s Oud Bruin at The Only in Toronto. The Oud Bruin i have had before, and raved and raved about it to anyone that would listen. My daughter M subsequently drank her weight in Bruin [heh].

An “Oud” is a complex sour – Belgian style – usually aged in barrels.  Just like many red wines that i like, there are pronounced tannins [pr. tan-in, heh] in a sour. This is my new favourite discovery in the beer world. I’ve even devoted part of my wine cellar to sours.

Here are the two beauties side by side – the Oud couple [heh].

Further research uncovered that the Revel cider [located in my home town of Guelph – or G-town as the kids call it] was barrel aged for 8 months and partially soured with wild pears – if i understand brewer’s talk at all – and there’s really a good chance that i don’t.  However, what i do understand is delicious.

Further, further research uncovered that Exchange brewery used a lactic fermentation and aging in oak barrels with a “mixed cocktail” [their words] of wild yeast and bacteria.

Speaking of research – i’m working on my own authoritative guide to all things sour and yeasty and bacterial [actually only the ones pertaining to beer – heh]. Sneak preview below.

Thanks C for promoting the liberal use of “heh”.  Heh.