tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39815795937733513832024-02-18T22:46:36.473-06:00AutoMattic TransmissionMatthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-87351147258801992622017-06-20T00:15:00.001-05:002017-06-20T00:15:10.335-05:00Fred Mc Evoy was aliveLast Monday, Fredi killed himself. He was 59. He didn't want to be 60.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-puddle-photographer-flies-solo-at-gallery-exhibit-1.3075096" target="_blank">Winnipeg puddle photographer flies solo at gallery exhibit (CBC Manitoba)</a><br />
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We must have met on a film set, because those are the friends who connected us: a handful of grind house fans who spent a few years throwing their life savings and credit ratings at filming existential horrors. Fredi played an excellent evil priest like a good Irish atheist does.<br />
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He would have chatted me up, because he started conversations. I wish I remember how he did it or what story he used. Since he killed himself I've been going through memories, hoping to tack significance to moments now I know there won't be more.<br />
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<a href="http://globalnews.ca/video/2026437/puddles-of-art" target="_blank">Puddles of art (Global Winnipeg)</a><br />
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I vaguely remember studying him early on rather than listening to him. His accent was delightful and his authenticity was everything I wanted as an actor and, later, as a person. Fred was present when he spoke and when he listened. Yogis train for that kind of feat. Fred<br />
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<a href="https://fred-mcevoy.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Fred Mc Evoy Photography</a><br />
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That didn't make him an angel; the human heart isn't that good. He didn't forget Belfast, neighbours being blown up and boots on his neck. He whipped his cane at beggars who thought they could get aggressive with the crippled Irish guy.<br />
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He's hurt himself now, too, though it's put an end to the pain of a crushed body. A friend who knows him much better than I do stands by his choice. "He went out on his terms." I'm selfish. I miss him. I hate him for his absence.<br />
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<a href="http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-246326/Mcevoy_%20Fred" target="_blank">Passages</a><br />
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Fredi never learned my dog's name. He'd only call her "my beauty" over and over.<br />
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This past year was rough. I started drinking to hurt myself. Fred saw. He'd sit beside me at the bar and tell me I was done and send me home.<br />
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Fredi would reach his hand as high as he could when he saw you across the square, a stretching wave.<br />
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<br />Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-11096787073838912392016-04-28T12:45:00.001-05:002016-04-28T12:45:11.885-05:00Gif test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-71295980572011856462015-07-14T08:29:00.000-05:002015-07-25T11:05:42.751-05:00The Hazards of Billeting a StorytellerMy first Fringe review is done and the festival hasn't even started yet.<br />
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Okay, it's not an official review. But I spent a good chunk of last night staying up listening to New York's <a href="https://twitter.com/Peter_v_Aguero" target="_blank">Peter Aguero</a> talk. Just listening, man, just listening. He's a professional storyteller performing at Venue 11 (Red River College) about <a href="http://www.winnipegfringe.com/show-filter.aspx#selardi+productions" target="_blank">the jagged mess of a relationship he had with his father</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/116219393" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/116219393">Daddy Issues Trailer</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user4386925">Peter Aguero</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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That's how much I care about you, Winnipeg audiences. I will test out performers before their shows open.<br />
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He's fantastic, by the way. Add "Daddy Issues" to your must watch list.<br />
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Happy fringing.Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-71664021177506748102015-06-07T10:33:00.001-05:002015-06-07T10:33:18.875-05:00New York Notes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A year ago, Mel and I were in New York for the first time. It won't be the last; the city had us dancing to its tune before we'd crossed the second street.<br />
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I made notes during our week-long stay, with the intention of fleshing them out into a fuller blog post once we were home. Now it's been a year and this bare skeleton was still hanging in my smartphone. And I like it as it is. So much of New York lives in our imagination it seems silly to nail it down with adjectives and verbs.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 1 - arrival after tight flight, subway, crowds, trish, homesick, restaurant, groceries, central park, baseball, steak, watched blue bloods and said hey look, we're there</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 2 - sleeping in, Puerto Rican Parade, Starbucks, Moma, Don Anonios, waiter from Naples, Broadway and times Square, seeing the high line, Sleep No More, jazz after, walk home helping a german couple, watch the Tonys</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 3 - rain, Greenwich, Washington square, bookstore, Daily Show no go, run the hills of Central Park, pub after to see Rangers lose game 3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 4 - late start, buy tickets, walk to Guggenheim, rush through Met, deli supper, All the Way, oh no I messed up Mel's pic with Bryan Cranston!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 5 - Grand Central, Macy's, cheap luggage at thrift store, deli, cooking pizza on gas oven, American news is odd, wine, dirty jokes from the theater porter, Realistic Jonses</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 6 - morning run by reservoir in Central Park, Gangs tour, fake coffee for wifi, the gilroy, Rats!, rooftop supper, If/Then, walk back in the rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Day 7 - great start to the day, cleaning, central park - no boats :(, just imagine, ferry view, rainstorm, harlem jazz, good bye</span><br />
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There's so much more to doMatthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-1006788708857996672015-05-31T13:20:00.000-05:002015-05-31T13:20:11.381-05:00What if Mad Men ended like a '90s teen movie?<br />
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What if Matthew Weiner's brilliant series <i>Mad Men</i> ended like the not-quite-as-brilliant teen movies of the 1990s - <i>She's All That, Can't Hardly Wait</i> and <i>American Pie</i>?<br />
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Two words: mandatory montage. Here's a little video I put together just for fun.Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-84040223917152381962015-05-16T10:28:00.000-05:002015-05-17T13:56:35.581-05:00The Worst Thing You Can Say to Each Type of Theatre Professional<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The ancient art of playmaking unites a ragtag troupe of skilled artisans around the ephemeral goal of transporting an audience into a story. Each thespian brings their strengths as well as their own nuanced weakness... Achilles' heel, if you will... brittle ego... I swear if she says one more thing I am walking out of this rehearsal hall an never coming back...<br />
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Erhem. The Theatre is one of the best places to spend your waking (and dreaming) life, but it's a minefield laced with delicate relationships. The clever person avoids sharing the following thoughts with the following people (and others, if you'd like to share them in the comments)<br />
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<b>To the director:</b> We'll just have to recast<br />
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<b>To the actor:</b> I saw (other actor) in your part. A-mazing.<br />
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<b>To the playwright:</b> So it's like <i>Proof</i>?<br />
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<b>To the stage manager: </b>The schedule needs to be flexible<br />
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<b>To the choreographer: </b>I know it's <i>West Side</i> but we couldn't get many quote unquote dancers<br />
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<b>To the producer:</b> It'll still be a success even if we don't sell a single ticket<br />
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<b>To the production manager:</b> Who are you again?<br />
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<b>To the lighting designer: </b>That seems a bit dark<br />
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<b>To the sound designer: </b>That seems a bit loud<br />
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<b>To the fight director: </b>That seems a bit too real<br />
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<b>To the set designer: </b>(after the set is built) Still, you can't beat a black box, right?<br />
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<b>To the costume designer: </b>Just think "period drama on a budget"<br />
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<b>To the usher:</b> I'm a friend of (actor) and it's only five minutes. Can't you let me in?<br />
<br />Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-67153418227489413352015-05-03T20:17:00.001-05:002015-05-03T20:17:31.763-05:00Hamlet and sunshine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Stepping out of Hamlet's corpse-riddled conclusion into sunny downtown Winnipeg was jarring. Behind us, Elsinore had cleared the deck; in front of us, an always overdue Prairie spring was green with energy. Nature worked against the play's mood... with higher production values...<br />
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I'm not disagreeing with Shakespeare. "We're all dying and you should get used to that," is a solid argument, pentameter or no. Maybe that's all the more reason to soak up the sunshine while it lasts. I imagine the original script got there: an extended Act 5 Scene 2 where Hamlet and Horatio hit the trails, hike to this lake Hamlet Sr. used to take the fam in better days. They fish, one reels in a trout.<br />
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"You know what we should do, H? Fry this up and dip it in butter."<br />"Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is 't to leave betimes? Let be."<br />"Exactly."<br /><br />A few day's ago a friend said my life look pretty perfect on Instagram. It isn't. Yours isn't. Did your uncle murder your father and marry your mother? I don't have the words to tell you how wretched that sounds, though I can recommend someone.<br />
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Get out there and soak up as much sunshine as you can. You owe it to yourself to be happy.<br />
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The rest is...<br />Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-40601944649593170242015-04-01T19:22:00.001-05:002015-04-01T19:33:02.802-05:00Mo' Ratings, Mo' PromoHoly cheese and crackers! We've just finished spring ratings and THAT was a long haul. Eight weeks of always needing a solid, audience-grabbing story to promote overnight plus double the usual number of ratings features.<br />
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Did my right eye always twitch like this? That would explain why no one joins me on the bus seat.<br />
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Here are the jewels I snagged out of Spring Ratings '015 - some of my favourite commercials. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xXtB2VtVRRA" width="560"></iframe>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6ku-G-t1wDY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6iFHdpA1x-I" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OgczeF8pIJA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rjHA3AN03cA" width="560"></iframe>Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-11830371453793010142015-02-14T19:46:00.004-06:002015-05-11T21:52:23.976-05:00Donny<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1">When Mel first brought me to Bruxelles, Donny shook my hand like he would crush it. When Mel and her mother moved into the living room, he sat me down at the kitchen table, poured out an envelope of small pieces of cardboard and said “These form a letter T.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I had to solve this puzzle to date his daughter. I couldn’t. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After 10 minutes of trying, he’d had enough. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“AWW GEEZUS” he said and started to solve the puzzle himself.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But he had forgotten how it went together. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Isn’t that awful? Do you want a chocolate bar?” and he took off into the store.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When I asked Donny if I could have his blessing to marry Mel, he asked me if I could help him tear up an old sidewalk first.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first time Donny met my mother, Mel and I had been dating for a few weeks. Both my mother and the Marginets came to our third year university production of Lysistrata. The play is a Greek farce, with jokes about anal sex, bestiality and cocks. The cast wore giant fake phalluses. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">After the show, I walked toward my timid mother and sister in the lobby of the Gas Station Theatre. They were clearly horrified by what they had just seen. Donny intercepted me. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Holy fuck that was good! Holy Jesus! I mean shit that was funny,” he said, pumping my hand. He turned to the nearest person to bring them into the conversation - my quiet Christian mother. “Holy Fuck, wasn’t that great?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Walking into a social, wedding or bar a wave of recognition would spread through the room.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“It’s Donny.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Hey Donny.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Donny, come here.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">He was always the most popular man at the party.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When something broke in our house and my poor technical skills wouldn’t solve the problem, he would drive two hours from Bruxelles to fix it. Once it just involved reattaching a wire in one outlet. He never gave me the gears. He was happy to help. We’d sit on the front step after and he’d ask me questions as he smoked.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’m often the second person up in the mornings when staying at the Marginets. He was so pleased to see me walk into the kitchen - someone to talk to, at last.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">He asked me to go for drives. We wouldn’t talk much. We’d sit in the cab of his truck as he drove, showing me his rolling Tiger Hills.</span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-28556997819943835892015-02-03T15:03:00.001-06:002015-04-01T19:26:35.132-05:00Opinions on opinions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRSSGUttL6qhreJgJIPBk1l-mzf7_NbnbF3lomGvUcqLiHZ0bNaUB6V-MUDF7GRUEBFrLdzhtbGGYn7Z0vYQpm1ypB2OyO6mI_HwzX2SLOGGYzELpsn9tTRoEq06mcLdt00cJX0VWyw4/s1600/the+living+scene.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRSSGUttL6qhreJgJIPBk1l-mzf7_NbnbF3lomGvUcqLiHZ0bNaUB6V-MUDF7GRUEBFrLdzhtbGGYn7Z0vYQpm1ypB2OyO6mI_HwzX2SLOGGYzELpsn9tTRoEq06mcLdt00cJX0VWyw4/s1600/the+living+scene.png" height="392" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I'm on this week's episode of <a href="http://www.thelivingscene.com/livingscenepodcast/2015/2/2/the-living-scene-episode-12" target="_blank">The Living Scene podcast</a> with CBC theatre critic Joff Schmidt, talking about<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>how we both fell into reviewing</li>
<li>the Winnipeg theatre scene and its awesome beast mode: The Winnipeg Fringe</li>
<li>highlights from last year's mainstage season and hopes for this year's CowardFest</li>
<li>those <a href="http://senselist.com/2006/09/06/the-questionnaires-of-james-lipton-bernard-pivot-and-marcel-proust/" target="_blank">ten infamous questions</a> James Lipton asks guests on The Actors Studio</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
If only I could end an interview on not-the-worst-note ever. Check it out.Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-32325766357388268802015-01-23T08:21:00.000-06:002015-01-23T08:21:27.594-06:00"Squillions of kisses"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkoV5gojM4qXNRLfRSI6ktI1QYoY187EBk_8uS2ovAjbB5FipG4cdgnzg2Hb8O-upQ1X3lvoFFCxgn2LHyB-boRSDPH3ENNSTQTklzKVh3rlapF7P41dodFMYcWBHB9nBEXXCeOjoAEY/s1600/noel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkoV5gojM4qXNRLfRSI6ktI1QYoY187EBk_8uS2ovAjbB5FipG4cdgnzg2Hb8O-upQ1X3lvoFFCxgn2LHyB-boRSDPH3ENNSTQTklzKVh3rlapF7P41dodFMYcWBHB9nBEXXCeOjoAEY/s1600/noel3.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
While I had planned to adapt a number of Noel Coward's amazing, amusing letters into a play for <a href="http://royalmtc.ca/mpf" target="_blank">CowardFest</a>, a couple problems popped up to nip me in the bud. Sad to not be participating, but I'm happy to go watch some fine work from local companies.<br />
<br />
Do take in as much of the festival as you can and - in lieu of a full play - here are just a few of the Grand Old Man's wonderful words below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nzhpcH2aD4VUOtwMAEO_wqTuSIhsr59mDYY2hWOxr_gZu8cSj5kr5t4SZbA-wcKMdM8o4N26TlDdf-pom2WCNDCUGOzrf5p3ukNw-f91x_kRzmqlaYF193lWUrHHz579zGv0KKobVqI/s1600/noel4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nzhpcH2aD4VUOtwMAEO_wqTuSIhsr59mDYY2hWOxr_gZu8cSj5kr5t4SZbA-wcKMdM8o4N26TlDdf-pom2WCNDCUGOzrf5p3ukNw-f91x_kRzmqlaYF193lWUrHHz579zGv0KKobVqI/s1600/noel4.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Dear Darling old Mother,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Thank you very much for your letter. I
could not send a card and this was scarcely odd because there were no cards to
send… I have been out in the yaught this afternoon it was very rough and I was
fearfly sea sick and Uncle Harry took me ashore and I was going to wait on the
beach for TWO HOURS but a very nice lady asked me to go to tea with her I went
and had a huge tea this is the menu 3 seed buns 2 peacies of cake 2 peacies of
Bread and jam 3 biscuits 2 cups of tea when I thank her she began to preach and
said we were all put into the world to do kind things (amen). I am afraid she
did not impress me much but I wished her somewhere…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">I hope you are not miserable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">It makes me miserable to think you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">I have got to go to bed bed now so
goodbye from your ever loving sun Noel. Squillions of kiss to all love to Eric
the dogs are so nice down here. I had three little boys to tea yesterday each
about the size of a flea. I had to amuse them and didn’t enjoy it much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">-Noel</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYTiElddpEElcOmMHUOI-q-zp1L6VbtvDebOM3Hi4yXK3bGe7GMDyOyZn4ZfQ_makF6kLrFiJZoxAC-yFFS6L4EuezM5ENZwxk41IHtP2zkFOcwH7o4W8kTv18aZ3F0bzdmhdQRNm3pI/s1600/noel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYTiElddpEElcOmMHUOI-q-zp1L6VbtvDebOM3Hi4yXK3bGe7GMDyOyZn4ZfQ_makF6kLrFiJZoxAC-yFFS6L4EuezM5ENZwxk41IHtP2zkFOcwH7o4W8kTv18aZ3F0bzdmhdQRNm3pI/s1600/noel2.jpg" height="320" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Darling,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">The play is going very well, I come back
to town on Sunday. I have been very ill the last few days, it started off with
a sore throat and me losing my voice. Manchester always affects me like this,
it is a beastly hole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Aren’t the air raids awful, please wire
me if they go anywhere near our delectable residence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Farewell for now, my lamb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Ever your ownest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Snag<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzTO5BrXTwTpnCJfK6GEcZwsZ-Kkn9IGxuKZHF9cFxwMc8cPnYzFipM0rTN2yQnKRMwaN-qPICN80LMPVIWasPj6Sh097jpMEuvV2aV06W6EfI0GBxBDqIyoQZhpJnsG41mMWrgba3F0/s1600/noel5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzTO5BrXTwTpnCJfK6GEcZwsZ-Kkn9IGxuKZHF9cFxwMc8cPnYzFipM0rTN2yQnKRMwaN-qPICN80LMPVIWasPj6Sh097jpMEuvV2aV06W6EfI0GBxBDqIyoQZhpJnsG41mMWrgba3F0/s1600/noel5.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">The play, dear, has all the earmarks of
being a failure. Jack and I sat grandly in a box on the First Night and watched
it falling flatter and flatter. And I must admit… we got bad giggles! They were
all expecting something very dirty indeed after the English Censor banning it
and they were bitterly disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">We suffered a little during the first
act but gave up suffering after that and rather enjoyed it. I find on close
reflection that I am as unmoved by failure as I am by success, which is a great
comfort. I like writing the plays anyhow and if people don’t like them that’s
their loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Good by darling Snig. I’ll cable every
week. Your photograph is a great success in a small leather frame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Your loving Snoop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kD1WvQkZVDt-7PIQSPyiKHwGCoaSfP7ob1uEEvJDgi2xmXb37mAU7s6Hp0wSwihvyObmBPZbK1EEvDQPhThRJNoj_ftVY47FgGS_3K2HKkDEC6jOP30UAZf-0CVq1YPClDVTOY1pp0Y/s1600/noel6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kD1WvQkZVDt-7PIQSPyiKHwGCoaSfP7ob1uEEvJDgi2xmXb37mAU7s6Hp0wSwihvyObmBPZbK1EEvDQPhThRJNoj_ftVY47FgGS_3K2HKkDEC6jOP30UAZf-0CVq1YPClDVTOY1pp0Y/s1600/noel6.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">The moment I switched out the lights,
Gertie appeared in a white Molyneux dress on a terrace in the South of France
and refused to go again until four a.m. by which time <i>Private Lives</i>, title and
all, had constructed itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-68792461429613768042015-01-08T10:13:00.003-06:002015-01-08T10:13:57.060-06:00Beer Advent Final Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmt32BpoDzhHysQ8N-d9FNFOq6ep7slWA0VRel-8Ql8KTn8OuMt7R5O7lBtC-3YFHJPxuFHKJu2fLsNcz_dPIMLo8XtVIkoR55g12lb84FoLrM8MesVkv_wqX2jFirN6JmlJePBxwQLc/s1600/Beers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmt32BpoDzhHysQ8N-d9FNFOq6ep7slWA0VRel-8Ql8KTn8OuMt7R5O7lBtC-3YFHJPxuFHKJu2fLsNcz_dPIMLo8XtVIkoR55g12lb84FoLrM8MesVkv_wqX2jFirN6JmlJePBxwQLc/s1600/Beers.jpg" height="640" width="634" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The Craft Beer Advent Calendar 2014 is complete. It has been a really interesting 24 beers
with a lot of variety and a veritable world tour of brews. My wife asked if I’d be interested in doing
this again. ABSOLUTELY. It was a fantastic experience that gave me
the opportunity to try beers that I might never have the chance to try
again. I certainly hope I can for some
of them, others…I’m okay not having them again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, let us wrap up the post with some statistics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We had 24 beers all of which were a different style or
variation on a style. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We visited<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 233.75pt;" valign="top" width="312">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
United States (3)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Israel<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Netherlands (2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Germany (2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Brazil (2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Guyane Francaise<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
England (2)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Belgium<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Norway<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 233.75pt;" valign="top" width="312">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Austria<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Scotland<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Iceland<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mexico<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
New Zealand<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Australia<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Italy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Finland<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
South Africa<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We managed to hit 6 continents through this with the
following stats<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Europe (Scotland, Finland, Norway, England,
Iceland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->North America (United States, Mexico)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->South America (Guyane Francaise, Brazil)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Asia (Israel)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Africa (South Africa)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Oceania (Australia, New Zealand)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Certainly the majority of the beers came from the
European countries with absolutely NONE coming from Canada. We had some repeat countries as listed above
with 3 coming from the United States as the top contributor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My favorite beer for the entire 24 days? It’s actually rather funny that I should have
my favorite beer on the fourth day of the Calendar! My favorite beer from the entire calendar
comes to us from:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Peak Brewing Company in Portland, Maine and is the <a href="http://beerwinnipeg.com/2015/01/05/craft-beer-advent-calendar-day-4/"><b>Hop Blanc</b></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What a journey it has been. I’m glad to have taken it and hope that you
all following along enjoyed it as well.
Please continue to follow me as I blog at my new home: <a href="http://www.beerwinnipeg.com/">www.beerwinnipeg.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I hope to see you all there!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
- Beer Winnipeg<o:p></o:p></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-82796251522928017682015-01-08T09:38:00.002-06:002015-01-08T09:38:43.989-06:00Beer Advent Day 23 & 24 | Mosco & Entendez Noel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCQ2_-6qMS1r-9AEqDcFXoEBtm5C9drMDk12zZb3e1s7_gJPvVdgg_oJOG1uDvo_qCWFOaQk0WwMfdFVmLqevfvzdhLWrxKH-s_Hf95oRU6DzzHvbxHde7pb5erQJv27P490Za4bhIFA/s1600/Beer+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCQ2_-6qMS1r-9AEqDcFXoEBtm5C9drMDk12zZb3e1s7_gJPvVdgg_oJOG1uDvo_qCWFOaQk0WwMfdFVmLqevfvzdhLWrxKH-s_Hf95oRU6DzzHvbxHde7pb5erQJv27P490Za4bhIFA/s1600/Beer+23.jpg" height="640" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">We are almost at the end of the
calendar. Only one more beer after
today! I will be posting it today as
well because I had meant to post this last night and then got busy with working
on the launch of my new blog. Luckily it
is basically ready to go!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">First thing I’ll be doing is moving all
these posts over there. I still have the
24<sup>th</sup> beer and the final recap of what we saw in the Calendar. Once that is done then I’ll put a new post up
explaining the goal of the new blog and then we will go from there. I have a back log of beers to review from my
time in the Maritimes and I am excited to tell you about them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Today’s beer comes to us from Israel
making it another Asian beer. The beer
is called Mosco and is brewed in the Judean Mountain in the village of Zanuch
in Israel. Annoyingly the <a href="http://www.beers.co.il/brewery.asp?id=177" target="_blank">website </a>is
down for them to update it and so I can’t find any information the brewer or
brewery other than its location. Seems
that a variety of the beers in the calendar are trying to sabotage my ability
to review them. Oh well, we shall just
move into the beer style and its review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The beer is a Strong Blonde ale brewed
in the Belgian method, So a Beligan Pale Ale essentially. Blonde ales are very pale in color and are
usually clear, crisp and dry. Being brewed
in the Belgian style means that it will use wheat malts which will make it
cloudier than you’d expect but it should still hold the same coloring. Blondes are from the Pale Ale variety of beer
and usually have a lighter body with a subdued malt character and large hop
profile. They aren’t hoppy by any means,
but they typically are not malty either.
Think of Coors or Coors light. Onto it then!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
67/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Cloudy with a straw
coloring and quite a bit of yeast sediment.<br />
<b>Smell</b>: Yeasty on the nose with
caramel malts and grassy/lemony notes from the hops.<br />
<b>Taste</b>: Cool and crisp with a dry
finish. Slight fruitiness with a sickly
sweetness making it taste far more alcoholic than the 6.5% abv should account
for. Not as crisp as I would expect as the wheat malts make for a creamier
mouth feel so the taste is subdued a bit on the end.<br />
<b>Mouth</b> <b>feel</b>: Light body with creamy mouth feel with good carbonation.<br />
<b>Overall</b>: Not the best Belgian style
beer I’ve had in this variety nor even in this calendar. The yeast sediment is a big turnoff for this
style of beer as was the overly sweet character to it. Overall this beer was below average for its
style and not really a good showing for this calendar.<br />
<b>Do I like it</b>: No, I did not enjoy
this beer. The sweetness was too much,
it didn’t have the body and flavor that I would expect in a Belgian beer. I
would not be interested in drinking this one again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Well, what a journey: 24 beers from around the world in a variety
of different styles. This process has
given me a great deal of insight into brewing and breweries around the world. I feel I have learned a great deal and I
respect and appreciate beer a lot more than I did before this. I certainly hope I have been able instill in
some of you the same sort of sense of appreciation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Our final beer comes to us from <a href="http://www.soundbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Sound Brewery</a> out of Washington State in the USA.
Founded by Mark Hood and Brad Ginn, two seasoned home brewers, Sound
Brewery began brewing in Poulsbo in February of 2011. They have been brewing some award-winning
beers that are Belgian inspired as well as traditionally northwest style beers
as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The beer that has been given to us for
the very last beer of this calendar is the Entendez Noel Belgian Quadrupel. Sitting at 11.5% abv this is certainly a
strong beer, bordering on a barley wine that promises to bring a good
bitterness along with the warmth of malt.
Sitting at 50 IBU it is certainly up there with a good hoppy IPA for
bitterness and having been brewed in the Belgian style, it promises to be a
strong upfront beer with lots of complexity.
They’ve used Trappist yeast, Belgian Pilsner malts, cane sugar, and
Motueka hops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Quardrupels are a beer that is
traditionally brewed by the Trappist Monks of Belgium. Trappist Monks are renowned worldwide for
their brewing abilities and rarely sell beer outside of their monasteries. My brother had the opportunity to purchase 6
beers from one of the Trappist monasteries in a very limited release (100 cases
of 6 beer each) in Toronto. They were
going for $100 a case, not cheap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The name represents the strength of the
beer and originates from the use of X on the bottles which indicated this. So, a single would be marked with an X and
indicate a weaker beer. This is the
strongest beer brewed by Trappist monks and would have been marked XXXX. I’m rather excited to give it a try as it is
the last beer of the Calendar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
82/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Clear amber colouring with
no head. Was concerned it was flat upon
opening, luckily it just wasn’t.<br />
<b>Smell</b>: Lemon notes, hoppy notes,
some sweet honey smell and a bit of the caramel malt.<br />
<b>Taste</b>: At first taste it is a light
bodied, well balanced, sweet and hoppy beer with good citrus notes and some
honey sweetness in there for flavor. As
I continued to drink the alcohol (11.5% if you remember) started to show itself
making it taste like alcohol and overshadowing the other initial flavours.<br />
<b>Mouth</b> <b>feel</b>: Light body with creamy mouth feel with light carbonation.<br />
<b>Overall</b>: Nice, well-balance
quardrupel that is better cold than warm.
As it warms the alcohol comes through a lot stronger and overpowers the
other flavours. They are quite nice
though initially and this beer is well balanced and when I first sipped it I
was surprised that I didn’t taste the alcohol.
As far as quadrupels go that is a good thing and this was definitely a
strong contender. <br />
<b>Do I like it</b>: No, I did not enjoy
this beer. It was good to begin with but
as I continued to drink it the alcohol came through too strong. Perhaps it is because it is such a strong
beer and not my cup of tea, but it overpowered everything else for me and made
it more of a chore to drink. If I drank
this one again, it would be outside on a cold Winnipeg day so that the beer
would stay at that initial temp.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">I have one more post that I will do for
the Advent Calendar. I will be summing
up the 24 beers we have tried indicating their styles, location, and choosing my
overall favorite. In that post I will
also be officially launching my new blog as I should have everything finalized
and organized. I hope that you will
continue to follow along as I blog about beer both reviews and news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-9799512411256629412015-01-03T18:07:00.001-06:002015-01-03T18:07:48.925-06:00Beer Advent Day 21 & 22 | Winter Bock & Final Countdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjLVVYIVM_NEj-l3KAHTNw5eJBl7MtvSOq1HWgha3xi6njpurSp9siYf_xso8gBdZ8Skg1dQ7CcriKIIZRzL13HoZ6BmL0pqywBsQuL2QCUCH4Qezv3l8S031fA0FaeHvGzWdsGTN_kc/s1600/Beer+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjLVVYIVM_NEj-l3KAHTNw5eJBl7MtvSOq1HWgha3xi6njpurSp9siYf_xso8gBdZ8Skg1dQ7CcriKIIZRzL13HoZ6BmL0pqywBsQuL2QCUCH4Qezv3l8S031fA0FaeHvGzWdsGTN_kc/s1600/Beer+21.jpg" height="640" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Well, today wasn’t a bad day, although
one of the beers in my advent calendar had gone bad as it had not sealed
properly. I opened it, poured it and
right away could tell it had turned. No
carbonation at all and a sour smell. I
did taste it and the taste had turned also.
I will not include a rating of this beer only details about the brewery
as I did not feel it was fair to rate a beer that had turned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The beer today is from Fürst Wallerstein
Brauhaus in Wallersten, Germany. Founded
in 1999, it is a large scale operation that produces malt based beverages
including beer. The beer that we had in
the advent calendar today was their Winter Bock. We have seen a bock before, they are a strong
lager made in Germany with a variety of subtypes. In this instance a winter bock is a bock that
has been spiced, in this case with molasses and a bit of pepper, to give it a
more winter warmer/ale style flavor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There are not many details that I could
find on the brewery, so I apologize for the curtness of this post. As I said, the beer had gone bad, so I moved
on to the next one! I will post that as
well today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Two beers in one day, I must be spoiling
myself! Really, I had meant to post
these yesterday as that is when I had tasted them. Sadly it was a busy evening and there were a
number of things to deal with and I did not get to them. So, there will likely be three posts today as
I have today’s beer to try as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The 22<sup>nd</sup> beer from the advent
calendar was a Winter Saison produced by the gents at Rooie Dop, a brewery out
of the Netherlands. Interestingly
enough, while these gents do brew small batches at their own brewery located in
Utrecht, their large batches are brewed by the Brouwerij De Molen who produced
our 19<sup>th</sup> beer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Rooie Dop is a brewery that wants to
make some flavourful and sometimes experimental beers. They do a lot of collaboration with their
beers and don’t really care about the rules for brewing particular styles of
beer, they “care about flavor” as they say on their website. The brewery was started y three friends some
years ago. Mark Strooker is the one who
calles the shots at the brewery and is an IBU extremist according to his
profile (I like this guy). Overall the
brewery sounds unique, creative, and over all talented based on being rated one
of ratebeer.com’s 2013 best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The beer we get to try today is a Winter
Saison. Again, Saison’s are broadly
defined pale ales that are higher in alcohol content, highly carbonated and
generally spiced. They are traditionally
a Belgian style of beer which means they include the wheat and barley malts
which produce a creamier mouth feel.
This particular Saison is called “Final Countdown” and was produced
using smoked malts and rye. It was
specifically made for inclusion in this year’s Advent Calendar and that is
pretty exciting. Onto the beer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
80/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Cloudy amber colored beer with good head that dissipates rapidly.<br />
<b>Smell</b>: Smoke and apricot are right
at the front. Interesting combination
that isn’t unappealing, actually.<br />
<b>Taste</b>: Very smoky with a hint of
fruit notes in there. Sweet malty
balance that goes well with the smokiness of the beer. Reminded me a little bit of being at a campfire though, which wasn’t wholly
appealing, but not terrible either.<br />
<b>Mouth</b> <b>feel</b>: Good carbonation, creamy mouth feel, light body.<br />
<b>Overall</b>: Definitely a unique beer
for me. I’ve had smoked beers out of
Germany before which taste like you are drinking the campfire. This one was lighter and had that pleasant
creaminess of a saison. As a Saison I’d
say it was good with a unique flavor balance and some risks taken that turned
out pretty okay. <br />
Do I like it: I enjoyed this beer for the risk that was taken in producing
it. Adding smoked malts to a saison is
an interesting idea that I didn’t know if it would work. Overall it worked well enough to taste good,
but I wouldn’t drink it again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-34101687855335679012015-01-02T16:03:00.003-06:002015-01-02T16:03:42.785-06:00Beer Advent Day 20 | Vixnu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsUj1_yj10L2uZqDQ38-YKaByLIxR2bgve66LNCXmfmddiz72sA53kxttbhAJ79MinhQvb8MMJ8Wxvps44yp4Tp2jbRSXrJvGvjIlRYcr3tgAo3keVgyzyomItGNSv8-5Us9lHqnn1II/s1600/Beer+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsUj1_yj10L2uZqDQ38-YKaByLIxR2bgve66LNCXmfmddiz72sA53kxttbhAJ79MinhQvb8MMJ8Wxvps44yp4Tp2jbRSXrJvGvjIlRYcr3tgAo3keVgyzyomItGNSv8-5Us9lHqnn1II/s1600/Beer+20.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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Well, it has been nice being back in the city and getting
settled back in after a holiday. It’s
been nice being back and getting into a bit of a routine once more. I’m going to try to catch up on the beers as
much as I am able. Looking forward to
blogging about some of the ones I had in the Maritimes, but I’ll wait til the
calendar is complete for that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s beer comes to us from the Colorado brewery
located in <a href="http://www.cervejariacolorado.com.br/">Ribeirao Preto</a>,
Brazil. It is one of the oldest craft
breweries in Brazil and was founded in 1995.
Rather than try to copy American and European style beers they decided
to use local malt, cassava flour, unrefined cane sugar, coffee and hops to
create uniquely Brazilian beers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The beer in the calendar today was their Imperial double
IPA called Vixnu. It is made using local
malt and dry-hopped with American hops. Rapadura, a traditional Brazilian
candy, is added as well to add a unique sweetness. I’m excited to give it a try, so let’s get to
it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Rating: 79/100<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Appearance</b>: Dark
Orange Amber, slightly cloudy with quite a bit of sediment floating around inside.
Good head which retains well.<br />
<b>Smell</b>: Very malty nose with loads of
caramel and some floral and pine hop notes.<br />
<b>Taste</b>: Very hoppy with the cane
sugar sweetness that finishes off on the tongue. Good piney hops as well as woody and resinous
flavours with slightly herbal notes.<br />
<b>Mouth</b> <b>feel</b>: Good carbonation, coarse mouth feel, light body.<br />
<b>Overall</b>: The floaties inside were a
little off putting. Made it difficult to
swallow not knowing what they were.
After getting past that, this is a well-balanced and nicely hoppy double
IPA. It is not the best one that I have
tasted in this style. Fairly average but
surprisingly smooth for a 9% beer. <br />
<b>Do I like it</b>: I don’t dislike it. The beer is a reasonably well-balanced double
IPA with good hop and nice sweetness.
Sadly, the floaties were a bit off-putting and made it difficult for me
to find the appeal. The flavours were
reasonable and while there are other double IPAs I like a lot more, this one
wasn’t bad. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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Getting close to the end of the Calendar. I may double up on my reviews to try and get
more than one done during the day. I’m
excited to get through the Calendar and given that the days have all passed, I
guess there is no reason to wait. I
still enjoy the excitement of finding out the new beer each day. In any case, thank you for following along
and Happy New Year!<o:p></o:p></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-72787430180060062512015-01-01T16:32:00.002-06:002015-01-01T16:32:31.692-06:00Beer Advent Day 19 | Winterporter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXf-G3ngO8oZcuCd11jmKVyJJa-rnsrWr86Hf0swEIjXyuacJukJsyG-trJ6_6kKdG0NLSuvOQRcC-C0-4yafY56btd3P6CBoakka5SXZrovNR4UO4mEeVhXcpSMGCGIdiZcuihbfs7-E/s1600/Beer+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXf-G3ngO8oZcuCd11jmKVyJJa-rnsrWr86Hf0swEIjXyuacJukJsyG-trJ6_6kKdG0NLSuvOQRcC-C0-4yafY56btd3P6CBoakka5SXZrovNR4UO4mEeVhXcpSMGCGIdiZcuihbfs7-E/s1600/Beer+19.jpg" height="640" width="422" /></a></div>
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Good day everyone. I am glad to be back in Winnipeg once more
and to get back to blogging about the rest of the Advent Calendar beers. I apologize for not posting much while I was
away. I took notes and have lots to blog
about, I just was busy spending time with family and friends and could not find
the time to sit down at a computer.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Today’s beer comes to us from the
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BierbrouwerijDeMolen" target="_blank">Brouwerij de Molen</a> in the Netherlands.
It is a Winter Porter aptly named “Winterporter”. The breweries name means “The Mill” and is
located inside a historic windmill building called De Arkdulf, which was built
in 1697. As well as a brewery they also
have a retail business on site and a restaurant which creates food to pair with
their beers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Founded in 2004 by head brewer Menno Olivier,
this brewery can produce 500 litres per batch with an annual production of 500
hectolitres. The equipment at the
brewery includes converted dairy tanks which are used as fermenters and the
bottles are still capped and corked by hand.
Today the brewery is able to produce 2500 litres at a time and has an
annual production of 6000 hectolitres due to the purchase of a new building 200
meters away from the mill. One
interesting thing about this brewery is that they do not dispose of
unsatisfactory beer. Instead, this beer
is distilled into a “beer liqueur” at 20% abv and is then sold as well,
reducing the spoilage of the beer and allowing them to still make profit off
bad batches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Porters are style of beer we have seen
already in this calendar and are a dark style of beer that was originally
developed in London from well-hopped beers made with brown malt. Originally this style of beer was created by
mixing an old ale (stale or soured), a new ale (brown or pale ale) and a weak
one (mild ale) to combine and create a new beer altogether than balanced the
flavours and left a pleasing beer that was neither like the new nor the old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Porters and Stouts are of the same
stock. In fact, when Guinness first
launched its world renowned stout it was as a focus on the mass-production of
Porter. At the time there were two
strengths of porters, either X or XX.
Stout at the time simply referred to a strong or robust ale, it has
since developed due to the advent of coffee roasters and many of the malts that
they could use to impart both colour and flavor, but originally this was its
meaning. Porters were part of this
thread.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This Winter Porter is essentially a
Winter Warmer, a malty, hopped dark beer that has reasonably high ABV
(6.5%). Its light body adds some differentiation
from the stouts and warmers we have had, as well as being brewed in the
traditional porter style. I’m excited to
give it a try, so let’s get to the beer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
73/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Dark brown in the glass allowing little light to pass but showing
ruby highlights when held to the light.
Strong head that retains well.<br />
<b>Smell</b>: Chocolate notes on the nose
with a light sour fruity note as well as some yeastiness mixed in there.<br />
<b>Taste</b>: Some sour fruit notes,
reminded me a bit of grape juice to be honest, with some chocolate notes and a
finish earthy/hoppy bitterness.<br />
<b>Mouth</b> <b>feel</b>: Low carbonation, smooth mouth feel, light body.<br />
<b>Overall</b>: Not an overly appealing
beer with the sour fruit notes in it.
The light body is deceiving when drinking such a dark beer. For a porter it is not bad. I have certainly tasted better but this one
brings some interesting tasting notes that I wasn’t expecting. <br />
<b>Do I like it</b>: I do not like this
beer. It’s not a bad beer by any means,
it just is not a good beer either. Having
just returned from the Maritimes and having some fantastic stouts, porters and
other beers, I find this one to be lacking in some areas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">As a final note, over the holiday I
decided that I will branch out and start my own blog as a sister site to my brother’s
beer blog out of Toronto. I’m not ready
to give details yet and I hope that I will still be invited to blog here from
time to time. I will be finishing the
Beer Advent calendar on this blog before moving my posts over to the new
one. Keep an eye out as I’ll give more
details when I get closer to being ready to launch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-52030658097251213762014-12-21T17:28:00.001-06:002014-12-21T17:28:27.206-06:00Bonus Beer Review 1 | Tante Blanche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBGOILh9tRMvT2a0Evw5vxJfSF4b_krD5y9yXY6H5F8FFUtEqCHINfnLpc-8Dbv5NTWKrrCugN1wGHtNjPa1G8heOTCrrtstZ38U1WpFUXKNGA77-yRzOBiTnvEAdsnLIQrvFqLNAkrA/s1600/Bonus+Beer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBGOILh9tRMvT2a0Evw5vxJfSF4b_krD5y9yXY6H5F8FFUtEqCHINfnLpc-8Dbv5NTWKrrCugN1wGHtNjPa1G8heOTCrrtstZ38U1WpFUXKNGA77-yRzOBiTnvEAdsnLIQrvFqLNAkrA/s1600/Bonus+Beer1.jpg" height="640" width="470" /></a></div>
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Good day folks, and hello to you from New Brunswick. We arrived here are safe and sound and have
been happily enjoying the company of family and friends. I had the opportunity to get down to the
local LC and check out what new craft beers are in from local or regional
brewers. Surprisingly there are a
few! In fact there are some just opening
on Monday which I plan to visit at the actually brewery (keep an eye open for
the post). Remember that this beer is
NOT in the Advent Calendar.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Today’s beer comes to us from <a href="http://petitsault.com/en/" target="_blank">Petite Sault</a> (little jump)
brewery located in Edmunston, NB. It’s
really close to the border of Quebec and has a predominately French population
which is why the brewery name is French as are all the beer names.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Opening just this past year in 2013 this brewery is
located in downtown Edmunston in an old police station that has been
renovated. The primary contacts André
Léger, Mychèle Poitras and André Morneault but they are supported by the
community, friends, and family including over 80 shareholders!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They have a variety of different beers in different
styles but they follow the traditional Belgian style of brewing combined with
local flare and experimentation. The
particular beer we are trying is a Belgian White (wheat) beer called “Tante Blanche.” or “White Aunt”. Brewed with the
traditional ingredients of Barley, Wheat, Hops, and a hint of orange, this one
promises to be quite good.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Rating: 86/100<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Appearance</b>: Golden
brown, slightly cloudy, good head that retains well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Smell</b>: Orange
and Apricot notes on the nose followed by the slight citrus notes of the hops.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Taste</b>: Orange
and apricot come through balanced with the malt and the hops to create a really
smooth drinkable beer. The tastes work
very well together and while drinking it I could find no complaint compared to
the Jeune Geule we had the other day or the big names. It is a strong Belgian white that I’m excited
to find here in the Maritimes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Mouth</b> <b>feel</b>: Creamy mouthfeel from the wheat
malt combined with mild carbonation for a smooth finish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Overall</b>:
Strong, well balanced Belgian white beer that blends well and has a nice
flavour profile. For a Belgian white I
can find no complaints and feel that this is a very strong beer. Compared to the Hop Blanc and the Jeune Geule
that we have seen on this blog already, this one is right up there with them in
respect to quality and style.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Do I like it</b>: I
really do. I am finding that I really
enjoy the Belgian whites as I try them more and more. The combination of flavours with the creamy
smooth texture makes for an overall appealing beer that drinks well and tastes
great. I still like the Hop Blanc better
because it combines this style with the hoppiness of an IPA which I also
love. This one displaces Jeune Geule for
my second favorite beer of all the ones I’ve blogged about.<o:p></o:p></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-9987847779901234772014-12-18T23:18:00.001-06:002014-12-18T23:18:09.010-06:00Beer Advent Day 18 | Jeune Gueule<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76H_SqtqMC4NxLchyphenhyphen75DsdEjR3XOVwzxKLyaPVqTIOOFcmbNWFUWvvGqPGFI1-tVABiHOVXO42zaaLRU8uzR2KISpyZoaqmQs2wdxkVygfpa_q6uyw_IcEh9ZqlebR_3kuAPGlCgAdx0/s1600/Beer+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76H_SqtqMC4NxLchyphenhyphen75DsdEjR3XOVwzxKLyaPVqTIOOFcmbNWFUWvvGqPGFI1-tVABiHOVXO42zaaLRU8uzR2KISpyZoaqmQs2wdxkVygfpa_q6uyw_IcEh9ZqlebR_3kuAPGlCgAdx0/s1600/Beer+18.jpg" height="640" width="438" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Well folks, here we have come at
last. The last day that I will posting
with the calendar. I will be back
posting the final beers when I return from my trip. In the meantime I will be making every effort
to post on beers I am trying while on the trip, so you don’t feel like you’re
missing out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Today’s beer is another South American
one! It comes to us from </span>Well folks, here we have come at
last. The last day that I will posting
with the calendar. I will be back
posting the final beers when I return from my trip. In the meantime I will be making every effort
to post on beers I am trying while on the trip, so you don’t feel like you’re
missing out.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Today’s beer is another South American
one! It comes to us from GUYANE
FRANÇAISE, or French Guiana, located in the northeastern region of South
America bordering Brazil (to the south) and Suriname (to the west) with the
South Atlantic Ocean on its eastern side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Founded in 2010 as an amateur
microbrewery, they brewed their first beer in 2011 and opened their brewpub
doors in Cayenne. In 2012 they grew to
allow 10 times as many people into their brewpup and began selling their beer
throughout French Guiana. This is also
the year they introduced there second two beers, the Weiti (which we get to try
today) and their blonde. Today, in 2014,
they have finally begun to export for the first time, to Canada!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Now, their Weiti is a White beer (wheat
beer) that has been flavoured, lightly, with oranges. They use malted barley and wheat to give it
the specific white beer characteristic of being creamy. Like many wheat beers, this one is not
filtered to allow for the flavouring of the oranges to remain intact. This beer would likely be reminiscent of
Shock Top or Rickard’s White (I would guess) and I am excited to see! On to the beer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
85/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US">Golden brown, cloudy, with a significant head that
retains until consumed.<b><br />
Smell: </b>Strong citrus smell, the orange really comes through.<br />
<b>Taste: </b>As I expected, quite a lot
like Rickard’s White and Shock Top.
Creamy orange flavor that goes down smoothly and is packed with malty
sweetness to go with the tangy citrus notes from the orange.<br />
<b>Overall:</b> While this one is a more
traditional Belgian Wheat Beer, the citrus notes add quite a bit to the balance
and over all flavours of this beer. The
fact that I would put it above Rickard’s White or Shock Top in terms of balance,
flavor, and overall quality of a Belgian white is a strong nod to this South
American microbrew.<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>I do, quite a bit,
like this one. While it is not as strong
as the Hop Blanc was, lacking the nice bitterness from the hops, it is a strong
Belgian Wheat Beer that brings a lot to the table. It is certainly something I’d drink again and
definitely one of my top choices so far.
Maybe Belgian Wheat’s are my new style?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">
Be sure to check back from time to time
as I attempt to post updates as often as possible from the road. I can’t guarantee a post every day, but I’ll
try! Thanks for following!, or French Guiana, located in the northeastern region of South
America bordering Brazil (to the south) and Suriname (to the west) with the
South Atlantic Ocean on its eastern side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Founded in 2010 as an amateur
microbrewery, they brewed their first beer in 2011 and opened their brewpub
doors in Cayenne. In 2012 they grew to
allow 10 times as many people into their brewpup and began selling their beer
throughout French Guiana. This is also
the year they introduced there second two beers, the Weiti (which we get to try
today) and their blonde. Today, in 2014,
they have finally begun to export for the first time, to Canada!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Now, their Weiti is a White beer (wheat
beer) that has been flavoured, lightly, with oranges. They use malted barley and wheat to give it
the specific white beer characteristic of being creamy. Like many wheat beers, this one is not
filtered to allow for the flavouring of the oranges to remain intact. This beer would likely be reminiscent of
Shock Top or Rickard’s White (I would guess) and I am excited to see! On to the beer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
85/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US">Golden brown, cloudy, with a significant head that
retains until consumed.<b><br />
Smell: </b>Strong citrus smell, the orange really comes through.<br />
<b>Taste: </b>As I expected, quite a lot
like Rickard’s White and Shock Top.
Creamy orange flavor that goes down smoothly and is packed with malty
sweetness to go with the tangy citrus notes from the orange.<br />
<b>Overall:</b> While this one is a more
traditional Belgian Wheat Beer, the citrus notes add quite a bit to the balance
and over all flavours of this beer. The
fact that I would put it above Rickard’s White or Shock Top in terms of balance,
flavor, and overall quality of a Belgian white is a strong nod to this South
American microbrew.<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>I do, quite a bit,
like this one. While it is not as strong
as the Hop Blanc was, lacking the nice bitterness from the hops, it is a strong
Belgian Wheat Beer that brings a lot to the table. It is certainly something I’d drink again and
definitely one of my top choices so far.
Maybe Belgian Wheat’s are my new style?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Be sure to check back from time to time
as I attempt to post updates as often as possible from the road. I can’t guarantee a post every day, but I’ll
try! Thanks for following!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-44931320689721144932014-12-17T20:30:00.001-06:002014-12-17T20:30:17.713-06:00Beer Advent Day 17 | Marmalade Porter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KXCuIXIH4YbAmpYwTjT3LqSCuvndbcg3AGbFJL7olAH_hFDdv7C8LAzbwReYr1tWyx_Zk4PIed_pSLNWDVMQ6m4tZf2E3bvUfkprWQYmV1o8Kf4BUH-reCU4TT5id0WFr0-boMyB9ok/s1600/Beer+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KXCuIXIH4YbAmpYwTjT3LqSCuvndbcg3AGbFJL7olAH_hFDdv7C8LAzbwReYr1tWyx_Zk4PIed_pSLNWDVMQ6m4tZf2E3bvUfkprWQYmV1o8Kf4BUH-reCU4TT5id0WFr0-boMyB9ok/s1600/Beer+17.jpg" height="640" width="440" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Well, we only have 2 beers left before I
take a break from this. It’ll be hard to
leave 5 beer behind in the calendar undrunk.
Alas, they will be all the sweeter when I return and can try them in
quick succession and post my final days of beer! Luckily I’ll be trying some fantastic brews
while away and will blog about those so you don’t feel like you're missing
out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Today’s beer comes to us from Yorkshire,
England. The <a href="http://www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wold Top Brewery</a> is located
on 600 acres of farmland in Yorkshire.
Owned by the family for generations, the traditional farm was not
bringing in enough revenue. The decision
was made to diversify - after 8 years of planning and discussing, in 2003 they
brewed their first beer. Since then they
have grown to include numerous traditional recipes and brew many beers that are
distributed around the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Being on a farm, brewery owners Tom and
Gill use ingredients that they grow right on site. Leaving space between their crops to allow
for biodiversity, they make every attempt to brew using sustainable methods and
local self-grown ingredients! The beer we will be trying from them today is a seasonal that is typically brewed
as a cask ale (a beer brewed and served from an oak cask) that they have
bottled for limited distribution. The
beer is called the Marmalade Porter! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Porters, like stouts, are dark and heavy
beers that have been malted heavily.
They are rich and often flavored with chocolate, coffee, or caramel
malts to give them some balance to that richness. This one uses both barley and
corn malts. It was rare to see corn
malts in a beer until recently when the numbers of those with gluten
intolerances soared. Now we find corn
and even sorghum malts used in beers to make them “gluten free.” This one is not 100% gluten free - while it does
meet the requirements for those who simply have an intolerance, it would not be
good for those with celiac. On to the
beer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
75/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US">Rich dark brown with no apparent head.<br />
<b>Smell: </b>Chocolate, coffee, caramel
and sweetness are apparent in the smell.
Hints of orange at the end.<br />
<b>Taste: </b>Rich and heavy with a strong
malt flavor and good sweetness. Has an
odd metallic taste to it and a strange after taste that I attribute to the use
of corn malts. Flavors are good and it
is not overly sweet. Not a high quality
porter but a unique one in the use of corn malts and the flavor profile.<br />
<b>Mouth feel: </b>Rich and full bodied
with mild carbonation.<br />
<b>Overall: </b>A standard porter. Nothing spectacular about it but it also does
not have anything really dragging it down other than the metallic taste and the
odd aftertaste. The choice of malts was
a good one, other than perhaps the use of corn malts in this case. The flavor profile is nice and provides for a
good balance. Corn malts in a porter
where malts are super important is a risky choice.
I don’t think it worked here.<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>I didn’t <i>not</i> like it, I’ll say. It is definitely not my favorite beer and one
that I likely wouldn’t want to have again.
It is a beer that I’d be fine drinking if there was nothing else but not
one I would seek out to drink again.
Overall it’s an average porter and an average beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-71565654907929214042014-12-16T20:31:00.000-06:002014-12-16T20:31:12.865-06:00Beer Advent Day 16 | Bersalis Kadet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBocqKmxh28q8O7DHIfnMp_o8eD0OFoaVazEYWzMAnZTKzeFDV5odxHVNJsNSN-NXSl3mvIlJVtOU4xfXMPe3l1aaumcKJAMlhGvzPuvb2lncCEYzLhaWJ-XScaspzr-m6uX8w8rlmAL4/s1600/Beer+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBocqKmxh28q8O7DHIfnMp_o8eD0OFoaVazEYWzMAnZTKzeFDV5odxHVNJsNSN-NXSl3mvIlJVtOU4xfXMPe3l1aaumcKJAMlhGvzPuvb2lncCEYzLhaWJ-XScaspzr-m6uX8w8rlmAL4/s1600/Beer+16.jpg" height="640" width="410" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">My wife thinks that as this beer
calendar progresses I am becoming more difficult when it comes to my
reviews. I was thinking about it, and I
honestly might be. Not because I am
treating the beers differently, I believe, but because I am trying so many fantastic
beers it is difficult not to compare them to one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">There are 3 more beers until I am off
for my travelling. Today’s beer comes to us from the beer-soaked land of
Belgium. <a href="http://www.oudbeersel.com/en/" target="_blank">Oud Beersel brewery</a> brings to
us their Belgian Ale “Bersalis Kadet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">The brewery started in 1882 and is
located about 10 km from the Brussels city centre in the southwest of the
capital. It is one of the last remaining
authentic lambic breweries and is known of its lambic beer brewed in the
tradition brewing method.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Lambic matures up to 3 years in wooden
barrels before being blended to make Oude Geuze, which is the young form, or
first fermentation of the lambic beer.
Sour cherries undergo fermentation in this immature lambic beer and
after a second fermentation Oude Kreik is created, which is the matured version
of this beer. This spontaneous
fermentation and unique brewing process is possible because of the presence of
special micr-oorganisms in the region. It
is only possible in this region due to the existence of what they call “wild
yeast” native to the Zienne valley where Brussels is located.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US">Luckily for me, because we’ve already
tried a beer like this (<a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-5-krampus.html" target="_blank">Krampus</a>), this particular beer brewed by Ould Beersel
is a Belgian Ale that is brewed in the standard method. It is a Belgian beer
brewed in the style of a lager. Lagers
are a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures. The most common one consumed is a pale lager
but other types include pilsners, and Märzen style lagers. Let’s give this one a try!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
73/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Clear golden
brown/amber hue with significant head that retains very well.<br />
<b>Smell: </b>Yeasty on the nose with
caramel malts and grassy/lemony notes from the hops.<br />
<b>Taste: </b>Cool and crisp with a dry
finish. Slight fruitiness with a good
sweet from the malt and a dry bitter finish from the hops. Good summer beer very reminiscent of a
pilsner in flavor with its lightness and dry crispness.<br />
<b>Mouth feel: </b>Light body with crisp
carbonation.<br />
<b>Overall:</b> Crisp, cool and refreshing
this beer certainly brings a lot to the table.
The sweetness is not overpowering but nor is it really there. There is some lacking in the flavor department
as things tend to drift off as you get to the finish. While dry and bitter from the hops, it’s not
really anything noticeable. This beer is
good, but it lacks overall for other beers of the category..<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>I did enjoy the
beer. It was refreshing. The flavors, while not overly noticeable,
were still appealing and provided a nice good beer to go with a meal. It’s like they say, you don’t want a beverage
to overpower your meal. This one would
certainly be a good food beer as it allows the flavor of the food to come
through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-2264650089675118732014-12-15T17:58:00.003-06:002014-12-15T17:58:37.846-06:00Beer Advent Day 15 | Karoo Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEPghhYscRD0UaQTxAwI3fgaST4LfHOKZ5BxC8xk8bXcjMaF6f5ZDywUEdrLoKPOBeTPI0PFuQWYcrK_JNrlUzU3yDD0vo5ZDZX-B4K7DK-qocrljofHrLcmBDqAUs_5YUnG9joQzlP8/s1600/Beer+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEPghhYscRD0UaQTxAwI3fgaST4LfHOKZ5BxC8xk8bXcjMaF6f5ZDywUEdrLoKPOBeTPI0PFuQWYcrK_JNrlUzU3yDD0vo5ZDZX-B4K7DK-qocrljofHrLcmBDqAUs_5YUnG9joQzlP8/s1600/Beer+15.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My wife
and I were going over in our heads the countries and continents we have already
seen so far this month. We were figuring
out which continents we have yet to visit of the 6 featured. So far we are only missing Africa and
Asia. I guessed that we would be seeing
a beer from South Africa shortly and lo and behold, today’s beer is from
Africa! South Africa to boot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.quillsfoods.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=2" target="_blank">Porcupine Quill Microbrewery</a> is located in the Valley of 1000
Hills, Bothas Hill, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Bothas is 600km southeast of Johannesburg and
is on the eastern edge of South Africa right on the ocean. They produce beer
under 3 labels: Porcupine Quills, Dam Wolf and African Moon. They produce a
total of 8 beers under the labels in a variety of styles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
brewery is located in the same building as a deli in the Bothas region and they
serve locally made food as well as their local brew. The brewery itself is a 6 barrel brewery
system imported from the UK. Another
rather small brewery, they are only producing 980 litres of beer at any given
time. The system can only use whole
flower hops as opposed to manufactured hop pellets, which are used in many other
brewing processes. This gives a fresher
hop flavour to beer and combined with their chemical free production method
makes for a very “wholesome” beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One
important thing to note is that this brewery does what is called “natural
bottle conditioning” for the beer. Conditioning has to do with how the beer
becomes carbonated. While many larger breweries will artificially carbonate
beer by forcing CO2 gas into the entire batch of beer, bottle conditioning is
more traditional for small batch beer.
It is, actually, how home brew is carbonated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At
the end of the fermentation process some residual yeast is still in the beer. Extra sugar, typically dextrose as it
dissolves best, is added just before bottling.
This allows the beer to carbonate while in the bottle. This results in a yeastier smell and flavour
to the beer as well as mild sediment. It
is however also a more natural way of carbonating the beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
beer we are trying from them today is the Porcupine Quills Karoo Red. It's an American amber ale that has been highly
hopped with Williamette whole flower hops to give it a pronounced bitterness. Coming in at 49 International Bitterness
Units (IBU), it's right up there with any IPA.
Similar in style to the Hopped Red Ale we had from Australia, I’m
curious whether the makers of the Calendar consider this to be a different
style simply because it is called a Red Ale rather than an India Red Ale. Either way, I am excited to give it a try!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Rating: 77/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Appearance: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Cloudy amber with no noticeable head. <br />
<b>Smell: </b>Caramel, yeast and floral
notes from the hops.<br />
<b>Taste: </b>Sweet malty caramel that
flows smoothly into bitterness that is enjoyable for those who like it. Certainly well-hopped. Balance is right for a hoppy beer with the
sweetness making way for the bitterness on the finish and allowing it to shine
as the star. The hops in this beer are
one that carry a citrus flavour that blends well with the other flavours,
caramel, malt, and slight yeastiness from the natural bottle conditioning.<br />
<b>Mouth feel: </b>Medium bodied beer that
is well carbonated and has a coarse mouth feel.<br />
<b>Overall:</b> Excellent hoppy red ale
that shows of the flavour of the Williamette hop while still balancing well
with the sweet malts. The yeastiness
from the bottle conditioning detracts somewhat from the overall flavour of the
beer and brings the overall flavour of the beer down a bit. While it is a decent red ale, there is
certainly room for improvement.<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>Yes, I did like this
beer. I am a big fan of hops and I love
having the opportunity to try ones which are being showcased. Having a single hop in a beer and allowing it
to shine is an excellent way to give someone the opportunity to really taste a
particular hop. Most IPAs and hopped
beers use multiple hops to create broad flavour profiles. I really enjoyed getting to try the
Williamette hop and I’d be happy to see it show up in other beers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-35687735549419975532014-12-14T19:31:00.000-06:002014-12-14T19:31:07.119-06:00Holiday shopping made better<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8RNCRwGoLL69aE2gVdW081-I-O12Z6hc9xqGXmtK348mfrF5iXJJT7yH30x6l1-U85ryYBfoi1n1Epj93UrtW-3OosvQnFyl9gsMWvKusAh80bAJIrgp0TMDGU1fbNNd_qyxy3GfzQI/s1600/growing+opportunities.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8RNCRwGoLL69aE2gVdW081-I-O12Z6hc9xqGXmtK348mfrF5iXJJT7yH30x6l1-U85ryYBfoi1n1Epj93UrtW-3OosvQnFyl9gsMWvKusAh80bAJIrgp0TMDGU1fbNNd_qyxy3GfzQI/s1600/growing+opportunities.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A few years ago my family made an excellent choice to simplify spending over the holidays. At first we switched to Secret Santa style giving (like your office party, <a href="http://youtu.be/bXe11h0OlsU" target="_blank">but without the weird passive aggressive politics</a>), but we took an even awesomer leap this year and are making donations to charities. Go Team Impossible Last Name!<br />
<br />
Mel and I made our gift to <a href="http://www.growingopportunitiesinternational.org/" target="_blank">Growing Opportunities International</a>, a Winnipeg-based fundraising charity that supports community-driven projects in<br />
<br />
Their current big push is for <a href="http://www.buildherohome.com/" target="_blank">Hero Home</a>, a community sports centre in northern rural Tanzania being spearheaded by Tabitah Martin, a Tanzanian marathoner and national coach. It'll be a safe place for kids can go to play, learn and be nurtured.<br /><br />Like a lot of clever charity projects, you can see exactly what your dollars are going toward. Want to buy nails? You can do that. Sand? Then let's call you the Sand Man. If you're into that.<br />
<br />
PLUS, if you donate before the end of Monday, December 15, <a href="http://www.tattoofora20.com/" target="_blank">you're entered to a draw to win 5 hours of customized tattooing</a> from Ivy Gowen at Metamorphosis Custom Tattoo, inking "Sand Man" on your bicep like a boss.<br />
<br />
Get in on this. Or donate to whichever charity you support. It's shopping from your computer at home, so you skip the mall, plus you can skip the "will they like it?" anxiety. Everyone wins.<br />
<br />
Happy holidays!Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-773980425737888972014-12-14T19:03:00.002-06:002014-12-14T19:03:35.963-06:00Beer Advent Day 14 | Imperial Schwarze Gams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV7ijCbMbkEDhVARcdvKx47eDP79sqq1AaX3U6QSr86ft_j7FAmfvMJrgEz_BHjo7cqkKSQr741GCmRgIKBsDq4gdBosMJcVGB6WNEH8vK8ohaOQX0oD5pOsZa1dbqO9YEkiOAMMp0AY/s1600/Beer+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV7ijCbMbkEDhVARcdvKx47eDP79sqq1AaX3U6QSr86ft_j7FAmfvMJrgEz_BHjo7cqkKSQr741GCmRgIKBsDq4gdBosMJcVGB6WNEH8vK8ohaOQX0oD5pOsZa1dbqO9YEkiOAMMp0AY/s1600/Beer+14.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We are now on the 14<sup>th</sup> day of
the beer advent calendar. I wanted to
take a minute to remind you that I will be travelling and so I will not be
reviewing the last 5 beer until I return from my trip. I will be having the opportunity to try some
unique beers and will be taking notes on them so that I can blog about those as
well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For today’s beer we have flown back
across the ocean and have arrived in Austria.
The brewery <a href="http://www.loncium.at/" target="_blank">Loncium</a>, located in the village of Kötschach-Mauthen,
Gailtal, Carinthia, near the Italian border has produced the beer that we will
be trying today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The brewery itself was founded in 2007
and has been expanding since then. They
are far away from being any sort of corporation and take to heart the nature of
craft beer by producing small batches of what they like to call “artisanal
beer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">They don’t provide many details of
themselves on their website but they do talk a lot about craft beer and the
importance of it. They even go into its
history and paint a wonderful picture of small batch brewing. The beer that we have the pleasure of trying
today is the Imperial Schwarze Gams or an Imperial Dark Bock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bocks are a style of beer that are dark
in colour, malted, and lightly hopped.
They were first brewed in the 14<sup>th</sup> century by German
brewers. Originally brewed in Einbeck,
the style was named for that town. When
it spread to Bavarian region the inhabitants mispronounced the name as “ein
Bock” (a billy goat) and thus was born the beer we now call bock. As a visual pun to this mistake, most bocks
have a goat on the label.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In Austria, where this beer is from,
Bocks are typically only brewed at Christmas and Easter time which makes its
inclusion in the advent calendar no coincidence. I’m excited to give it a try, so let’s get to
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
80/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Pours a
clear dark brown with a short loose tan head that diminishes rapidly leaving a
thin skim.<br />
<b>Smell: </b>Mild smoke, floral notes,
chocolate, vanilla, and liquorish notes on the nose.<br />
<b>Taste: </b>Sweet taste that combines
well with mild smoke and bitterness to provide a complex flavor profile that
includes the vanilla and chocolate notes as well. <br />
<b>Overall:</b> Body is a little light for
a bock but the sweetness and balance make up for that. The beer is an excellent addition and is
great for these cold winter months. Good example of a bock from Austria.<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>I’ve really grown to
appreciate bocks. There malty flavor
profiles and complexity bring a lot to the table and are very flavourful. This one does not disappoint and I did rather
like. I would be happy buying this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-36337290258982797232014-12-13T18:58:00.000-06:002014-12-13T18:58:18.597-06:00Beer Advent Day 13 | Blackfriar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrah8FJuHzuiWM_ZGT-_iBHXu76gFkdLT4k19mcGDvCOngDb-QH9SF3zA0VGdhyphenhyphenFp0y20arMRzGvhcwKi017dMhNt5Dc9MLlacFgBpFTVweoZzC5vVZd5TMMKNziuCjLRafxOSSbpZU4/s1600/Beer+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrah8FJuHzuiWM_ZGT-_iBHXu76gFkdLT4k19mcGDvCOngDb-QH9SF3zA0VGdhyphenhyphenFp0y20arMRzGvhcwKi017dMhNt5Dc9MLlacFgBpFTVweoZzC5vVZd5TMMKNziuCjLRafxOSSbpZU4/s1600/Beer+13.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So begins the second half of the <a href="http://www.craftbeerimports.ca/craft/beeradvent-calendar.php" target="_blank">CraftBeer advent calendar</a>. The first half of
it was rather good. As a recap on the
countries we have visited so far we have: Norway, Finland, England, United
States, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Mexico, Iceland, Brazil, and
the United States. So, thus far we have
visited 11 unique countries on 4 different continents!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Today’s beer takes us back to the United
Kingdom, this time to Perth in Scotland!
Perth is located to the north of Edinburgh, 42.8 miles away and within
the city we will find the brewery who has made us our beer today - the
<a href="http://www.inveralmond-brewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Inveralmond Brewery</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Founded in 1997, this brewery has
certainly made a name for itself in Scotland.
The head brewer, Ken, officially joined the brewery in 1999. A year later he smuggled some yeast to
Scotland from the Czech Republic giving the brewery the claim of having the
only “official” Czech Pilsner in Scotland.
In 2002, they won <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champion_Beer_of_Scotland" target="_blank">Champion Beer of Scotland</a>, no easy task, and continued
to grow from that point on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In 2009 they had grown too big for their
original space and laid the ground work to build their brand new brewery. They moved into the new brewery in 2011 and
have continued to expand their production from brewing 8000 pints at a time to
now brewing over 32000 pints at any given time. When their local team, St.
Johnstone, made it to the Scottish cup for the first time in 130 years, they
brewed a special blue beer to show their support. They are truly a Scottish brewery through and
through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The beer we have the pleasure of tasting
from them today is their Blackfriar Scotch Ale. It's named for one of the three ancient orders of
monks who are central to the history of Perth.
The monastery of the Blackfriar was built in 1231 and was the location of
the assassination of King James I by traitors.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Scotch Ales are strong ales which are
traditionally known as a “wee heavy” in Scotland. Scotch ales are typically
very malty and balanced with hops to land somewhere in the middle ground
between sweet and bitter. This
particular beer has been brewed with not only barley malts but also wheat which
will give it a heavier, creamier feel.
Balancing with four different kinds of hops this brew promises to have a
number of flavor notes and I’m excited to see what it tastes like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rating:
78/100<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Appearance:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Copper brown
beer, clear, 1” of head that retains well.<br />
<b>Smell: </b>Chocolate notes as well as
the floral notes of hops. Smells a bit
of caramel as well at the very end. <br />
<b>Taste: </b>Malts come through at the
beginning with a creaminess that comes from the wheat malt. Balances really well with the hops providing
a mild bitterness to combat the sweetness of the malts. Flavours of chocolate come through from the
chocolate malt used in the beer.<br />
<b>Overall:</b> Creaminess is really
pleasant and goes well with the richness of the malts and the balance of the
hops. This beer has flavours that work
well together with the specific body of it and I really found that I was
enjoying the beer while drinking it.
The use of wheat and barley malts was really smart and added a lot of
character to the beer.<br />
<b>Do I like it: </b>I’m not a huge fan of
this style of beer. While I wouldn’t
necessarily <a href="http://www.liquormarts.ca/product/inveralmond-blackfriar/500-ml" target="_blank">seek this one out at the liquor store</a>, I did enjoy it and would be
happy to drink it given another opportunity.
I feel the hops came through really well to balance the sweetness. Overall, a beer I really enjoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981579593773351383.post-25222140080848985362014-12-12T20:07:00.000-06:002014-12-12T20:17:00.225-06:00Beer Advent Day 12 | Biére de Nöel Holiday Extra Strong Ale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMHtI-Psa0y2f2CsHVi0R6orqe33tKtjTTMmgjLtmqRN3R7ApJKgjfqtKSY9_q78v-3hVRGzISA0o14EEUG-J18WWVJstPfcbHTPS1p1MV8UjauYho95x24476CvxoWtuHNg6fr9WDK4/s1600/Beer+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMHtI-Psa0y2f2CsHVi0R6orqe33tKtjTTMmgjLtmqRN3R7ApJKgjfqtKSY9_q78v-3hVRGzISA0o14EEUG-J18WWVJstPfcbHTPS1p1MV8UjauYho95x24476CvxoWtuHNg6fr9WDK4/s1600/Beer+12.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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We are official at the halfway point in the beer advent
calendar. It’s been quite an interesting
experience thus far. Lots of opportunity
to try unique beers, and only halfway done!
That means 12 more beer to go!
Fantastic!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s beer comes to us from <a href="http://bigskybrew.com/" target="_blank">Big Sky Brewing Company </a>in
Missoula, Montana. This is the second
American beer we’ve come across in the calendar. Big sky was started by Neal Leathers, Bjorn
Nabozney, and Brad Robinson. It all
began with Brad and Neal, home brewers since the 80s, when they first came
together they began producing a series on their local cable access station
called “Beer talk”. It was a show about
Brad and Neal tasting various beers and commenting on what they liked and did
not like. This brought attention to the
duo and showed their passion for beer.
Sadly neither of them were business savvy. That’s where Bjorn came in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Neal started brewing test batches while Bjorn and Brad
raised the capital. After about a year
and a half, Big Sky Brewing was officially ready to open its doors. They brewed their first batch of beer,
Whistle Pig Red Ale, in mid-June of 1995.
They started out as a draft only brewery but today they are one of the
50 largest breweries in the U.S. selling a total of over 46,500 barrels (2.5
million 6 packs) of beer a year. They
sell in over 24 states so it’s a beer you might be likely to run across.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The beer we are trying today is not one of their standard
brews. It’s a seasonal beer (not to be
confused with the style) that they bring out only around this time of
year. It is the Biére de Nöel Holiday
Extra Strong Ale. This is a limited
edition beer from the company brewed in the style of a Belgian Dark Ale. It sits at about 10.13% alcohol/volume.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Belgian Darks offer a really wide range of
characters. The colours can be in a
variety of hues from amber to light brown to deep garnet. Flavours range between dry and spiced to
sweet and malty. Most usually have low
bitterness but this one comes in at a pretty good 35 IBU (international
bittering units). The average IBU of IPAs
(the hoppier style of beers) come in at the 40+ range. I’m pretty excited to give this one a try, so
let’s get to the beer! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Rating: 66/100<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
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<b>Appearance</b>: Amber brown with 1” of head that retains very well. Cloudy with some signs of possible sediment.<br />
<b>Smell</b>: Very sweet smell. Malts come through strong giving a caramel
aroma with slight berry notes and the distinct smell of alcohol. <br />
<b>Taste</b>: Sickly sweet with a strong
alcohol after taste. This is clear a
strong ale as the taste is somewhat overwhelming. Malts are clearly noticeable and add to the
sweetness of the beer. Flavours are
limited by the overtone of the alcohol leaving a bitter aftertaste that isn’t
wholly pleasant.<br />
<b>Overall</b>: When brewing, alcohol is
created by the yeast digesting the sugar in order to create alcohol as a
by-product (among other things). Many
strong ales have this trouble of being overly sweet with a strong alcohol after
tone that overshadow any of the malts or hops used in the brewing process. Good ones can balance this out creating a
flavourful enjoyable brew. Sadly, this
one was not able to do so and the alcohol and sickly sweetness of the sugar and
malts overwhelmed any other flavours. <br />
<b>Do I like it:</b> There are many good examples
of strong ales that are balanced and provide a full flavour beer that is still
strong in alcohol. Sadly, this beer was
not very balanced and was not really that enjoyable. I found myself cringing at the sweetness
combined with the alcohol after tone.
This is not a beer I would buy.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
------<br />
<br />
Since we're at the halfway point, here's a quick refresh of the first 12 beers of the Beer Advent Calendar:<br />
<br />
Day 11 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-11-tropical-christmas.html" target="_blank">Tropical Christmas Saison</a><br />
Day 10 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-10-gdingur-stout.html" target="_blank">Gædingur Stout</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Day 9 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-9-cucapa-honey-amber-ale.html" target="_blank">Cucapá Honey Amber Ale</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Day 8 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-8-weltenburger-kloster.html" target="_blank">Weltenburger Kloster Anno 1050</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Day 7 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-7-nuclear-free-anzus-ipa.html" target="_blank">Nuclear Free ANZUS IPA</a><br />
Day 6 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-6-fat-man-red-suit-big.html" target="_blank">Fat Man, Red Suit, Big Sack</a><br />
Day 5 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-5-krampus.html" target="_blank">Krampus</a><br />
Day 4 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-4-hop-blanc.html" target="_blank">Hop Blanc</a><br />
Day 3 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-3-chateau-civrac-old-ale.html" target="_blank">Chateau Civrac Old Ale</a><br />
Day 2 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-2-hippa-heikki-extra.html" target="_blank">Hippa Heiki Extra Special Bitter</a><br />
Day 1 | <a href="http://automattictransmission.blogspot.ca/2014/12/beer-advent-day-1-gd-advent.html" target="_blank">Gød Advent</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Matthew TenBruggencatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467497402585603741noreply@blogger.com0