Quit Clowning Around

This week's taster: Clown Shoes Clementine White Ale.

Let me begin by saying I'm down in Naples, Florida for the week for a vacation and a visit with my parents. Well, my parents, knowing about my blog, scoped out the Total Wines store in town and its massive beer section. When I got there, I couldn't believe my eyes. There was over 2,000 kinds of beer in this store. I would need a lot more than a week here to get through that number.

As I looked through this over-whelming amount of beer, one of the store's employees starting chatting to me. Dwaine knew just about every beer there was to offer in that store and had tried a good number of them. I picked up a few on his recommendation, and some simply because I liked the name or label.

The first one I tried was by a brewery named Clown Shoes, which I thought was a hilarious name. They had a lot to choose from, including Hoppy Feet, Tramp Stamp and Muffin Top to name a few. My new friend Dwaine recommended the Clementine White Ale to me, though he did say Tramp Stamp was good as well.

While I was excited about the Clementine beer, I was not overly thrilled about it to be honest. I could taste a bit of clementine as an aftertaste, but it was not as strong as I was hoping. What this left me tasting was mainly a basic white ale, which are not my favourites. This being said, if you like white ales it will give that hint of something new for you, but if you want to avoid that beer flavour than start with something else.

Cheers,
The Lager Lady

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

This weekend I tried Nicklebrook's Green Apple Pilsner beer, and I was so happy that I made this discovery. I was also pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this brewery is located in my hometown of Burlington, ON.

This beer is delicious. I was intrigued when I saw it in the LCBO and thought that it deserved a chance. What I found was a truly fruity experience. It tasted like an apple-flavoured pop (or soda or fizzy drinks or whatever you choose to call that type of beverage in your part of the world.) While the apple flavour has hints of cider (the alcoholic kind, blog entry on this coming soon), it is unique. A great option for someone who doesn't like even the slightest taste of been, but wants to join in on the pint party.

Now because I share the same turf as Nicklebrook, I have the privilege of purchasing this at any Beer Stores and LCBOs in my town, but if you are from some other town or city you can check here to see if it's at your local LCBO. Also, here is a list of restaurants and bars that carry Nicklebrook beers, hopefully including the Green Apple Pilsner.

Cheers,

The Lager Lady

Lemon Tea is a Treat for Me

This weekend I tried Mill St. Brewery's Lemon Tea beer. It is a wheat beer that has a little bit of orange pekoe and earl grey mixed in with it. Which to me is a bit confusing because they call it Lemon Tea but there isn't actually any lemon tea in it. Ignoring that fact though, my verdict is: would be nice on a warm summer day on a patio.

Now, as I have mentioned before, I'm not going to be using extremely technical terminology and I am not formerly educated in beer, so bare with my descriptions.

I found this beer refreshing, but not my first choice for the winter. I would think of it as the adult version of iced tea, and so I would have one of these outside on a patio with a good book.

Personally, I find wheat beers to be citrusy and cloudy. When I first started drinking beer and saw the cloudiness, I associated it with being a heavy beer. With the Mill St. Lemon Tea this was not the case. I wouldn't classify it as a light beer, but not a bad start for those of you who are still trying to find a beer taste you like, as it is not like your typical beer.

Cheers,

The Lager Lady

Beer 4 Boobs

Please be sure you do not mix that up and think 'Boobs 4 Beer' because that is not the message I am trying to get across.

I came across this really cool event, Beer for Boobs, happening in Toronto on March 25. It is a fundraiser for - you guessed it - breast cancer! And the main attraction - you got it again - beer! You are on a roll, my faithful reader, but have a rest while I give you all the details.

It is happening at barVolo and will be featuring 10 specially brewed beers by local brewers. And better yet, these beers are being developed by 9 female brewers. This event couldn't have more girl power if the Spice Girls were singing (though that would be something, wouldn't it?) The doors open at 2:00 and it is $20 to get in.

Overall, this event seems like a great opportunity to try some new brews and support a great cause. Not to mention, support local breweries, as the brewers are all from around here. They're going to put their minds together to create one super beer and then split into smaller groups to create the rest.

If you're able to attend, I highly recommend it, and I know that I'm going to try to. For more information, check out this article, the Facebook page or the Twitter feed. Hope to see you there!

Cheers,

The Lager Lady

Floris Ninkeberry Makes Me Merry

I stumbled across Floris Ninkeberry when I was living in Dublin last year. I was at The Porter House with some friends and decided to try some different beers. The selection was unbelievable so my friend Kristin and I did a bit of sharing. After chocolate, raspberry and strawberry, Kristin opted for a Floris Ninkeberry because it had such a hilarious name.

The result: a new-found favourite. It was so fruity and light, at first taste you wouldn't even guess it was beer. This is a great option if you want to partake in beer-tasting without worrying about having to hold your nose.

It is a Belgian beer that is a mix of mango and passionfruit. After much research (mainly Googling), I have determined that ninkeberry is not a real fruit, it is just what the Belgians call this delicious creation. For beer that tastes this good, they can call it whatever they like as far as I'm concerned.

I am on the hunt to find this beer in Canada, if anybody comes across a bar that carries it please let me know (after you've tried one, of course).

Proost,

The Lager Lady