Beer Class - Hops' Rubbin & Lovin: IPAs & Pale Ales

Tonight I was at Tequila Bookworm attending a beer class called Hops' Rubbin and Lovin: IPAs & Pale Ales put on by Toronto-based beer writer, editor, Certified Cicerone and a Prud'homme Beer Sommelier, Crystal Luxmore.

Discover the terroir of hops by rubbing and sniffing different varieties along with hoppy ales and IPAs. Smell hops from wet-leafy English flavours, to zingy white wine-like hops from New Zealand, alongside a guided tasting of beers containing those varietals. Learn about the mighty hop and why it remains the favourite bittering ingredient in beer.

It's hard to know where to start. The hour and a half class went quickly and was fun and tasty. There were 19 in attendance. Nine were women.

For each tasting, the first item placed on the table was a glass of hops. First up was a Saaz hop which is used in Steam Whistle Pilsner. It is in the top picture and below. It is a mild hop, with a delicate aroma and flavour used in Pilsners so as not to overpower the beer with bitterness. It is one of the four noble hops which also include Tettnanger, Hallertauer and Mittelfrueh. They are low in bitterness and higher in aroma.

There are 200 to 300 variety of hops in the world and more are being developed on the vine.

Of course, the next thing that came out was the beer. We rubbed the hops, took a sniff and them compared ito the aroma and taste of the beer.  It was an excellent way to showcase the hops used in each beer.

Hops are flowers but look like cones. I was surprised to find that only female hops are used for brewing as they are the ones with the lupulin glands that contain the essential oils that contain the flavour and bitterness qualities that are released into a beer.

See, I was paying attention.

Most brewers use hops that have been dried and compressed into pellets. These have more concentrated aromas and flavours and when crushed, turn into more of a dust. Below is the Wakatu hop pellet, which is a new style of hop that has been developed in New Zealand. New Zealand has such a isolated culture in which to grow hops no spraying is needed, so they are considered organic hops. The are woody, earthy, spicy and citrusy. I really enjoyed them and the Wakatu NZ Pale Ale from Junction Brewery, who uses this hop exclusively in their ale.

 

We had a cheese pairing with the Rhyme & Reason Pale Ale, which is more of an American style pale ale using Centennial, Chinook, and one of my favorite hops, the Citra hop, which has all kinds of citrus notes running through it. Crystal said this ale is finished with Simcoe hops that gives this a piny aroma and flavour. The Avonlea Cheddar match well with this beer but the Roche-fort Blue Cheese overpowered it. We were supposed to save it for another ale but I ate all mine. Oops!

 

The blue cheese was supposed to be paired with a much stronger flavoured beer, St Ambroise IPA by Mcauslan Brewing in Quebec. We smelled Cascade and Centennial hops before having this. This IPA is coming to the LCBO in a couple of weeks and is an excellent example of a true English IPA. I really enjoyed it and will be getting some for my fridge.

Our last beer of the night was a half pint of Amsterdam Brewing Boneshaker IPA, a favorite of mine. With it came a bowl of Amarillo hops. They had a floral aroma which was slightly spicy, and citrusy. As this was a single hop beer, after smelling the hops, it was easy to pick up the notes in the aroma and flavour.

Surprisingly they were matched with a carrot cake muffing with a cream cheese icing. Apparently this is known as an excellent match and is one of Crystal's favorites. I was skeptical but she was right. They were homemade and very light in texture and yes, matched with the hop forward Boneshaker.

 

It was a great night. We crushed and smelled many different hops and tasted six great beers. This is the second time I have taken one of Crystal's beer courses and both have been great. I would not hesitate to do another again. She has three more coming up this fall. They are worth attending.

Back in 2010, Teena and I visited a hop farm in Stouffville. Here I am among the vines. I love hops!

‘Tis the saison! Luxy's Beer School

Tonight I was at Tequila Bookworm for a beer class put on by Crystal Luxmore who is a Certified Cicerone and a Prud'homme Beer Sommelier. The class was on one of my favorite styles of beer, especially in the summer, the Saison. There were about 20 or so in the class.

According to the late Michael Jackson, known as "The Beer Hunter" (not the weird singer guy of questionable morals), this Belgium ale are nominally seasonal beers for the summer, but available all year round. Only in a country with so many strong beers would brews of at 5.0 to 6.5 per cent be regarded as "light" summer specialities. Despite their typical strengths, Saisons usually have a citric, peppery, quenching, quality, due variously to hard water, heavy hopping, spicing or deliberate souring. They are usually amber to orange in colour, and often very quite dry. Saisons are largely local to the French-speaking part of the country, especially the western part of the province of Hainaut, in old, small, farm-like, breweries close to the Borinage coalfield.

Crystal was full of knowledge and explained how Mr. Jackson feared that the saison would one day become an extinct style of beer. The style, though, was rescued by the exploding American craft beer industry. Now Ontario has quite a few of these ales, which are a delight to try.

We were given tasting sheets and a selection of meats, cheeses and bread to pair with our samples. We started with a Nickel Brook Le Paysan Saison which was not on our list to try. I didn't take any notes on it but really enjoyed it and would have another again.

As we sipped the Paysan, Crystal gave us the history behind the saison.

Back in the 1800s, water was fairly bad, so in the winter to ensure their workers would not become ill, farmers would brew huge batches of saison, which was not only tasty but a purified drink. To ensure their workers didn't just get drunk during working hours, the beer was brewed at only 3% to 5% APV.

They used barley, oats, wheat and anything else they grew in the brew, along with local spices and hops. They found if they added lactic acid it acted as a preservative and killed bacteria. The hops they added also were a preservative and killed other forms of bacteria. This added a unique sourness to the ale. They also used a different strain of yeast which in the original brews would mix with airborne yeasts so every brew was a little different. I was surprised to learn that the saison yeast gives off a natural pepper and spice taste in an ale. I always thought it was was always added

I was at a table of home brewers which included a beer sommelier, Doug, and a beer educator, Mick, and Martha, who had an excellent palate. They were really nice and it was fun to hear how they described each beer. There was a wealth of knowledge around my table.

I have many notes and plan to boil them down to just a paragraph for each beer.

First up was the historic benchmark for saisons, Saison Dupont. It's a benchmark for the style as it has been brewed by the same family since 1844. It had a slightly citrus aroma and started off lightly on the tongue. I then felt some citrus come through, followed by a bitter but dry finish. Very enjoyable!

Next up was St Feullion Saison. There was very little aroma to this. I am coming off a cold but others at the table said the same thing. There is a slight bitterness to this, no spice and a little bitterness in the end. I was disappointed, yet when I tried this earlier in the year, I loved it. Maybe it is the cold.

Crystal then broke up the saison tasting with a Biere de Guarde from Oast House Brewers, which could be interpreted as "beer for keeping" or "beer to store". It is a French style, farmhouse ale, which almost disappeared after the first World War but whose style was revived back in the seventies. It was very malty and sweet, with caramel tones and something I noticed after it was mentioned, a bit of cherry. There was no bitterness to this at all and, as much as I enjoyed it as a way of breaking up the evening, I would not rush out to have one. Oast House does make a saison, though. We'll have to stop in next time we're in the Niagara area.

Beau's All Natural Brewery was up next with their Patio Saison. There was a little funk to the aroma. Although this sounds bad, it is a very good thing. Martha mentioned that the aroma reminded her of a horse blanket and Doug said more of a barnyard. Again, all good things and not gross in an aroma or taste. I think for the first time now, I truly understand the meaning of funk. This starts sour with some funk (ha!) and has a very nice bitter finish. This one is flavoured with orange peel witch was noticeable and elderberry. I would have this one again!.

The last of the night was Sofie from Goose Island Brewery, named after the head brewers 10 year old daughter. Teena and I have had this before and it was my favorite of the night. The aroma is citrusy  with a little spice and pepper (I got better at this as the night went on). As for the taste, this could be mistaken for a wine and I feel it is almost closer to a a champagne. It reminds me that I should go pick up some more.

The class was an hour and a half long and cost just $30. I feel it was very well worth it. Crystal really knows her stuff and was fun and entertaining. I would go to another one of her classes again in a second. If you are interested in beer, I would definitely recommend her classes!

Travel Photography Course at Henry's

"Remember you are making a picture, not taking a picture."

Daniel our instructor tonight emphasized this quite often tonight during the Travel Photography workshop that Teena and I took tonight at Henry's School of Imaging. I never thought of it that way!

Join us in this inspiring Travel Photography course where we'll share with you plenty of practical & photographic advice that will change the way you shoot on future trips. Discover how thinking and shooting like a photojournalist will put new life into your images. Learn how to look at people and scenes differently to set them apart from standard snapshots. We'll also talk about how experts deal with the hundreds or thousands of images once they get back home.

There was so much covered tonight during our three hour workshop. Some things were great reminders for me of things I have learned before but have not remembered to practice, plus I learned some new tips and tricks. I love the idea of using a string attached to the camera and being anchored by your own foot to ensure camera steadiness when you can't use a tripod.

I also learned some more settings to use in certain situations, especially concerning the flash. I knew about flash filling where you use the flash in daylight conditions to erase shadows on a bright day but never knew that I could control the strength of my flash.

Interesting.

The course was not just how to shoot but also covered guidelines for shooting in strange countries and cultures, plus how to travel with your gear and situations to be wary of. When to try to blend in and when to act like a tourist ... when it looks like you might be in trouble for taking a picture, act like a tourist!

Teena and I are off to Newfoundland and Saint Pierre & Miquelon later this summer so this was a great course for us to take. It should also help with our everyday shots.

I am really glad I took this workshop.

Photographing Fort York for Our Final Photo Assignment

On Thursday at our Photo 101 Course Teena and I are taking at Henry's School of Imaging, we received our final assignment.

There were three topics we could choose from. I chose the first one "Choose something (outside your home) from your everyday routine to photograph. Perhaps there is something that you pass by everyday on your walk/drive home from work, or maybe there is an interesting place that you like to visit often." No matter what the subject, we had to make the shot interesting.

Oh, there was one more thing. No using any of the auto settings. Instead we had to be completely on manual the entire way. Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all had to set manually. It was a little daunting.

Having a big interest in the War of 1812, I have visited Fort York which is in our neighborhood many times. I thought it would be great to go there and try to capture a shot showing old versus new ... the old 200-year-old fort standing against the modern city. The one up top is one of the first I shot in that theme.

It was a tricky day as it started out cloudy but the sun came out at the end. Teena and I each took over a hundred shots. Teena's best shots are here. It was hard to pick my favorite for the assignment. This was one of my finalists, showing a lone cannon guarding the city. It is a little underexposed.

My favorite shot of a building. I attempted to get a little artsy with it. I think it turned out well with good detail and showing the old versus new.

Here is the winner, the one which I am submitting. It is a little underexposed which helps to define the detail. I felt I captured excellent depth of field shooting from the corner of the wall. It seems well-framed and in the background is the underneath of the Gardiner Expressway and condos in the background. The detail came out well. Once I get my teacher's assessment, I will post it under the picture. My fingers are crossed!

Photo 101 Class 4, A Photo Walk

Look at this shot. I never thought I would be proud of a picture of fruit or vegetables but here is one!

Today was our fourth Photo 101 class and it involved a walk to St Lawrence Market, St James Park and the corner of Yonge and Richmond. We learned focus and recompose, focus mode, manual focus adjustment and metering. In the shot above, the idea was to highlight the subject while washing out the back ground. I did well in this one and the one below.Here Ingrid explains the technique of recomposition. I know ... it's a camera course so this should be another a much better picture!My pictures from the park were not very good but I volunteered to be the model for the project and here is the shot that Ingrid, our teacher, took of me.We made our way to Yonge and Richmond to learn about creative nighttime shooting. Here are my best two shots. Teena and I are looking forward to using this affect more. Ingrid thought my best shot was the lower one but I love the ghost images in the top one.Looking very forward to next week's class.

Photo 101 Aperature Control, Shots of Spring

Last week at Henry's Photo 101 course we learned about the manual settings on the camera. We learned about the impotance of shutter speed and how to use it. We also learned what the aperture is, how it works, and what the F-stop settings tell you. The important thing to remember about F-stop settings is the lower the number, the larger the opening of the lens and the more light it lets in. It seems backward to me, but I believe I have got it.

This week we learned about the priority settings on the camera and how they can assist in a shot. When on Shutter Priority the camera controls the aperture (F-stop setting) while the photographer controls the shutter speed. With Aperture Priority it is the opposite. the photographer controls the aperture while the camera controls the shutter speed.

This weeks homework it to use each. This week I noticed how the buds were coming out on the trees and though they would make great shots. My intention was to use a short Depth of Field with a large aperture to focus on a bud and wash out the background. After a couple of attempts that did not accomplish this, I then adjusted the F-stop down as low as it would go, then zoomed in. This created the effect I was going for.

I will surely take advantage of these priority settings in the future. Monday night Teena and I are going to the Jays home opener. Will definitely be on Shutter Priority for that night!

Henry's School of Imaging Photo 101 Course

Last summer Teena bought a Nikon D5100 camera with interchangeable lenses. I really liked the zoom and some of the other features so thought it was time for me to upgrade too.

At the end of November, I picked myself up a a Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. Mine does not have the interchangeable lenses but is just a half a step down as my lens has many of the same capabilities as a DSL camera.

"The PowerShot SX30 IS has got you prepared for your next extreme photo opportunity. This point-and-shoot digital camera comes with a massive 35x Wide-Angle (24-840mm) Optical Zoom lens - a first for any PowerShot! It also comes with a 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD, 14.1 Megapixels, High Dynamic Range, Zoom Framing Assist and much more."

Neither of us have not really used our cameras to their best capabilities and we shoot mostly on "auto". I have tried a few features and shot some great pictures in Bermuda, particularly on one walk.

We realized we should do something to enjoy our new cameras more so enrolled in the Henry's School of Imaging six-week Photo 101 Course.

Our Photo 101 course is an immersive and fulfilling program for the aspiring photographer. In this workshop we explore many of the fundamental skills required to advance your photographic knowledge. Students will learn both the technical and artistic sides of photography in a group environment.

Each week, students will be lead through a combination of lecture style and hands on exercises. Students are expected to complete weekly assignments and post them to the course Flickr! group for in class discussion.

Tonight was our first class titled "Getting Started" In it, we covered:

• Camera Orientation
• Camera Handling and Setup
• Program Mode
• Exposure Compensation

It was a very interesting 2 hours. One feature I liked when I bought my camera was the viewfinder as my eyes are not the greatest for shooting using the LCD screen. Our instructor, Ingrid, (she was an excellent teacher) told us this was a feature we should always be using. It is easier to frame an image and keep the camera stable.

Now we also are no longer allowed to use the "auto" setting. Instead she has graduated us to the "Program" setting where we can make adjustments. I like that what we are learning is good for any camera I use. I do need to learn more about my particular camera, though.

Homework this week is to take a shot of our living room or kitchen, adjust the exposure compensation for darker, take the same shot, and then brighter and again take the same shot. We then post them to Flickr! for discussion next week.

Thursday nights are going to be interesting.

Time to drag out the manual and read up more about my camera.

Pairing Craft Beer with Food

I took a beer course a year ago and one of the classes focused on food pairing.

I discovered during the class not only how food can enhance a beer and vice-versa but also how selecting the wrong beer to have with a dish can kill the taste of the beer.

Today I was going to have some Thai food for lunch and for fun searched for a beer/food pairing chart and found a pretty good one here.

If you enjoy having a beer with a meal, this is worth having a look at.

Craft beer food pairing chart

From Beer to There - Glassware & Belgium Beer

Tonight was my final class in the "From Beer to There" course put on by Harbourfront Centre and taught by Mirella Amato from Beerology.

This week was a session on glassware and Belgium-style beers, and was held at on of my favorite places in Toronto, C'est What.

The session on glassware was quite interesting and why certain shaped glasses help to compliment a style of beer. For instance, the size of the glass and the size of the rim both come into play. A tall narrow glass with a small rim opening would be used for lagers and pilsners to help concentrate the head to capture the lighter flavour, plus show off the golden colour of the beer.

A large glass with a wide opening would be used for an English ale, as the head is not that important here. Plus when you drink, you want a bigger volume to cover the mouth so it can enjoy all the complex flavours.

I have to go beer glass shopping and know which 3 glasses I want to buy ... well, maybe 4.

Then it was on to sampling. We started with a Belgium Wit from Mill Street Brewery. I could smell and taste the coriander and orange peel in the beer and taste some of the yeast character. It is a great beer, one which find itself in my fridge this summer.

Next up was another wheat beer, this time from Unibroue, an Ephemere, which too was fabulous. I am fast becoming a big fan of wheat beers, thanks to Mirella.

Next was a authentic Trappist beer, a Dubble from Chimay. Only 7 breweries have the Trappist Designation. It was 7% alcohol, cloudy, dark brown in colour and I could taste toffee in it as I sipped. Someone suggested they sensed bread in the taste but I did not get it. I do know I enjoyed this beer.

For the final beer of the night, and sadly of the course, was a Belgium-style trippel again from Unibroue called La Fin du Monde. It was loaded with flavour, I found it a little peppery, sour, carbonated and at 9%, could taste the alcohol. A fabulous beer to have on a cold night.

I had a fabulous time in this class. My classmates were great, the course was well organized and Mirella was a fabulous, fun, enthusiastic, and interesting teacher. If you see a course she is presenting, I would recommend that you take it.

For me now, my beer geek factor has gone up. Time to put into practice what I have learned.

From Beer to There - American Style Beer

Tonight was week 5 of our From Beer to There beer course.

This week we met at The Rhino for a session on American-style beers, put on Harbourfront Centre and taught by Mirella Amato from Beerology

We learned about the large American breweries and their takeover of the marketplace with mainstream lagers, but the main focus was the American craft beer industry. The first North American craft brewery opened in B.C. in 1982. Many soon followed. In the U.S., there are now more than 1500 craft brewers and I have become a fan.

I never knew what a cream ale was but Mirella explained the beer and the concept of it to us as we sampled one made by an Ontario brewer. Lagers take longer to make so more storage is required and more time needed before it goes to market. So small breweries will make an ale and tweak the process so it ends up close to a mainstream lager. I forgot to write down the name of the beer we tried. I have to start taking better notes but as I found this beer bland which a touch of sourness and really didn't like it, it is probably for the better.

We also had a post prohibition style lager, Mill Street Organic, which is Ontario's first certified organic beer. I love many Mill Street products. Not this one though.

Then came the three incredible beers. The first was a Rouge Brutal Bitter which I have written about before. With a name like that, you would expect a brutal smack of hops in the taste and finish but the hops are very well balanced with the malt, with a rather carmel-like taste coming from the style malt they use and ends up to be a very nicely balanced brew.

Next up was an Imperial Barley Wine called Back Burner from one of my favorite U.S. brewers, Southern Tier. This was a big and bold complex beer. I could smell and taste chocolate, then carmel and where some in the class did not like it, the taste of alcohol. This would be one to sip on a cold winter night by the fire.

Finally came a new release from Brooklyn Brewery called Brooklyn Local 1, which they class as an unfiltered golden ale. They use regular yeast and finish with champagne yeast so the beer is very carbonated. It was light, champagne-like in taste with an earthiness to it. It was an excellent and very different style beer. I like it so much that the next night I took Teena back to the Rhino, which is not far away for us, to have a bottle ourselves.

It was another very enjoyable class. Only one more to go. I'll be sad when this class is over but we are discussing having a "homework" week.

Extra Curricular Activities

Teena, the next day on the Rhino patio showing off the Local 1

From Beer to There - English Ales

Last night was a great class, perhaps my favorite yet, and they have all been great.

Mirella from Beerology took us to the Granite Brewery for a class on English ales, as this is the style that is brewed at this brewpub.

After learning about the different style of beers brewed in the U.K., we were taken on a tour of the brewery section by the owner and brewer, Ron Keefe. Originally from Halifax, he and his brother specifically studied English-style ales before opening their pubs, one in Halifax and the other in Toronto.

The brewery uses two open top fermentors, with the yeast working on top of the batch, producing the alcohol and protecting the beer. Ron drained off some of the one day old "Hopping Mad Ale", which is one of my favorites, for us to taste. He said it would taste bad and was likely around 2% alcohol but, although it still needed work, was not bad. Shows how much I love this beer!

After the tour, it was back to the restaurant area for the tasting.

First up was an interesting comparison. Granite Best Bitter from the cask was poured along side the cask version of the same beer. Cask conditioned ale is beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients and matured in the cask from which it is served. This means that it is fresh and unfiltered and therefore has a unique flavour.

The class was divided as to which they liked better. I liked the cask better. First I tasted the keg version, which I enjoyed, then the cask, which seemed tastier, then back to the keg version which now seemed to have a lot less flavour. Some in the class missed the carbonation in the cask version and preferred the keg.

Then came out the Old Peculiar, a wonderful, tasty but less hoppy ale. We were to finish with a Gin Lane Ale, which is a barley wine with a 9% APV. This is allowed to age longer so the yeast works more to create not only more alcohol but a wonderful fruity aroma and flavour. Only brewed in the winter, Ron had set aside a growler just for our class. Thanks, Ron! It was fabulous!

Mirella decided that we weren't finished and that the IPA on cask was not to be missed. It was lighter in colour than I expected but had a nice floral hoppy aroma and a wonderful hoppy bitterness throughout. I love IPAs and this one's near the top of my list. Great idea, Mirella.

Sadly it was time to go home, but I did not go home empty. A growler of Hopping Mad came home with me.

Ron Keefe showing and explaining the open top fermentor.

Fermenting wort after one day.

Fermenting wort after 3 days. The yeast sure looks different!

Homework!

From Beer to There - Eastern European Beers

Last night our "From Beer to There" class met at one of my favourite pubs in the city, The Victory Café, for the night's session on Eastern European Beers.

Originally the session was called German Beers but as Mirella explained, the beer style is not just specific to Germany but more a style of the region, taking in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Austria.

We covered the Reinheitsgebot, also known as The German Purity Law, which I have written about before, and the creation in 1842 of what we now call Pilsner. The citizens of Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, were revolting and dumping kegs of beer on the doorstep of the mayor of Pilsen. The mayor then took charge of the issue and brought in a German brewer, Josef Groll, to create a better beer. Kroll had learned about lagering, storing beer in a cool area for an extra long time and using a different strain of yeast, known now as lager yeast which works much longer and more efficiently and creates a clearer beer.

He also had studied about English beer and how the British had come up with a way to produce a golden coloured beer. Combined with Pilsen's soft water and local Saaz noble hops, he created a fabulous beer which took Eastern Europe by storm, the Pilsner. Other breweries caught on to this process and started making their own versions, much to the displeasure of the town. So the local brewery started to call their pilsner Pilsner Urquell, which interpreted means "source of the Pilsner". Lagers and Pilsners swept the region and still dominate the beer scene there today.

Then came my favourite part of the class, beer sampling. First one up was King's Pilsner, which is my favourite Pilsner out there. It is a Czech-styled lager with a nice hoppy bite. Note to self, pick some up for the weekend.

Next came Beau's Lug Tread a lagered ale. This is an ale which was stored for an extra long period to refine the taste. I find it more sour than hoppy.

We then changed pace to Kostritzer which is a Schwarzbier, or black beer. It was much sweeter than I expected, with a slight coffee taste from the roasted malts and after someone pointed this out, also noticed a slight liquorice taste. It was a very nice beer.

Denison’s Weissbier was up next. Ontario should be proud as this is ranked as one of the world's best weissbiers. It pours cloudy with the aroma and taste of spice (clove) with a slight hint banana and lemon. Apparently these flavours come from the yeast. Another enjoyable beer. I am starting to really enjoy wheat beers.

Our last sample of the night was a Meibock from Holstein. A Meibock is a lager which is brewed to drink in May. It was copper in colour with an apple sweetness. Mirella asked if any of us noticed a slight "cardboard" taste. With my unrefined nose and taste buds, I could not but others in the class did. Oxygen is an enemy of beer and this taste came from the cans containing some oxygen and being slightly off. Good to learn about the bad with the good.

All in all another fabulous class put on by Mirella. Next week it is English-style beers.

I'm loving Thursday nights.