Big Dude Likes Beer

Anyone who follows me on Twitter, or anyone who read my post about our anniversary trip to Toronto should have realized by now that I enjoy a good beer.  I thought it may be time to start sharing those reviews here on the blog.

Now my love of good beers grew out of my friendship with an awesome cat named Shawn. Shawn was the dude I hung out with that was always into odd and interesting things and always talking about his new passion. He was the cat who got into the new music first. He was my friend who first tried home brewing. He was the guy who would show up talking about some obscure movie no one had seen yet. Yes, I realize that this makes Shawn sound like a Hipster. Fie on that! Shawn wasn't doing this to be cool, he was just Shawn and he liked the stuff he liked.

So anyway, way back when, before he abandoned me for some chick he met on the internet and moved to Edmonton, Shawn introduced me to Ratebeer. At that time beer was that stuff you bought that tasted so so but got you drunk. The percent alcohol and price was all that mattered to most of us, but not Shawn. He was the one that would convince me to buy a Newcastle with my 12 pack of Molson XXX. He would make sure our first pint of the night was a Leffe before we swapped to Labatt Ice. He was the one that taught me that beer could be good.

So fast forward about 10 years and here I am. I've now reviewed 687 different beers. I'm now a connoisseur and collector of new beer reviews. My wife and I now add the search for a good place to get some beer to all of our vacation planning. When I cook I actually try to work out beer pairings to go with the dishes I'm making. Some people call me a beer snob. Fie on that too! A snob looks down on others who don't follow their path, I'm not like that. If you really dig your Coors Light, that's cool with me, you feel free to enjoy that while I have something I will enjoy way more. Sure I may suggest you try something different but I'm there to show you a bigger world, not convert you. Okay maybe I will say you are drinking swill, and waft the amazing scent of my Chimay your way... well maybe I'm a little bit of a beer snob.

So here's a couple of my recent beer reviews. You can expect to see more of these in the future as I combine my love of beer with my love of food.

Dogstalker April Bock - Grand River Brewing

Very hazy slightly rusty brown pour. Very little head. Somewhat sour smell. Yeasty. A touch of fresh bread, no not fresh about to go in the oven bread, before it’s baked.

Very subtle mouth. Smooth and well blended. Medium to low carbonation. Some grains, but finished grains, maybe cereal. A touch of fruits, in the raisin plumb area. A bit sweet in the middle. Very little aftertaste.

Enjoyable brew.

Brasseurs Du Monde : Rousse

Light rusty clear pour. White head that faded fairly fast. Weak scent, really not much there at all. Just a slight beer scent.  You know that generic hops and grain smell. 

The lack of scent really belies a mouth full of flavour. Warm nutty and a touch sweet with a subtle spice backdrop. A bit warming. The sweetness grows as you drink it. Very pleasant.

Really impressed by Brasseurs Du Monde so far. This is my third beer by them and I've enjoyed every one.

So there you have it, two of my recent beer reviews. Do you dig beer? Are you someone that likes a good wine with your meal? What's your beverage of choice?