Indie Calendar Co.

17/09/2018

Have been meaning to post this for quite some time. Perhaps one of the most memorable experiences I've had thus far. Two years ago I was in Amsterdam and stepped into Brouwerij de Prael. I checked out with a few bottles and noticed a large glass jar of hops in an orange-yellow liquid.

Me: What's in there?

Him: Hops in grain alcohol.

Me: Wow. How long has it been soaking?

Him: Since I've been working here.

Me: Ok, How long would that be?

Him: At least four and a half years. But this place has been open for seven years, so maybe as long as that.

Me: How much to try some?

Him: Um, no charge. Do you want some?

Me: Yes, please.

(gets out small paper cup)

Him: Are you sure? (looking confused and nervous)

Me: Absolutely.

(pours out roughly a half shot)

What followed was by an order of magnitude the most bitter hop taste I've experienced.... and than a warm, happy, cheerful glow for the next hour - seriously! (I was giving out random hugs like a Care Bear)

22/06/2018

Tree Brewing Beer Institute, Kelowna.

22/06/2018

Red Bird Brewing, Kelowna.

22/06/2018

Kettle River Brewing Co. My number 1 pick for Kelowna. Love the cloudy.

22/06/2018

BNA. Kelowna.

26/05/2017

Yet another photo series.... Pike Brewing Company in downtown Seattle, Washington. A beer memorabilia extravaganza (and many great brews, of course).

24/05/2017

Next album up... Coast Mountain Brewing in Whistler, BC. A new brewery that is serving some superb offerings right out of the gate. These photos are long overdue (sorry to the Coast Mountain crew). A stout that is on the short list of the three best stouts on the planet, at least that I've tried - and an IPA that absolutely nails all the right notes.

An absolute must for next time you're in Whistler.

PS - Note the Sorel boots. It's another one of those little local angles on brew culture that we see so often. About a month before this I was in Northern Europe where their boots are often slick, crisp white in line with their dairy and agricultural traditions. At Coast mountain the style was the Sorels, as you'd expect for a ski town with 12 meters of snowfall per year (and a brewery with the word "mountain" in their name). And the very next week I was in Seattle where the brewer's boot style was the rugged, heavy green rubber that you see on the fisherman of the coastal Pacific Northwest (and so fitting for Seattle).

22/05/2017

Here are some shots from an afternoon stop at Blood Brothers Brewing near Dupont and Dufferin in Toronto. An interesting array of brews. Loved the Guilty Remnant White Chocolate White Stout - made with cacao nibs, cold brew coffee, and vanilla.

20/05/2017

Long, long, long overdue for some albums. Luckily there just so happens to be a stack of fresh photos here from around the globe that we can share with you. Seattle, Whistler, Amsterdam, Toronto... Let the fun begin: here are a few prime shots from Hopworks BikeBar in Portland, Oregon.

23/12/2016

Ottawa edition comes to save the day in the Christmas Countdown....

Final hours of the countdown to Christmas. Need a last minute gift for a brew enthusiast on your list? We can help. Stocked at Tooth and Nail Brewing Company, Goods, Bicycle Craft Brewery, and Maker House Co.

20/12/2016

Here are the details on the 2017 Ottawa edition...

13/10/2016

Located in the culturally-rich suburb of Marrickville, Batch Brewing Company is one of many great new breweries in Sydney’s Inner West. Founders Chris Sidwa and Andrew Fineran wanted Batch to have a community focus, and that shines through everywhere you look. From the art on the walls, to the café up the street that serves their Big Kahuna coconut brown ale, to the food truck that regularly parks out front, Batch is an essential part of the neighborhood’s fabric, as craft breweries so often are.

Students, tradesmen, entrepreneurs, young families, grandparents, and even a few happy dogs; Batch had brought them all in to spend time together on the sunny Australian winter Saturday that we stopped by. Everyone proudly told us stories: coming up with ad hoc solutions to keep a brew at the right temperature through a cold snap in the early days, of the whisky barrels sourced from a small Australian distillery for aging, and of a collaboration with a local Vietnamese lunch spot that used coriander, cucumber, carrot, chili, and pork broth to craft a beer for the Great Australian Beer Spectacular that was reminiscent of a famed local sandwich called the Marrickville Pork Roll.

We sampled a West Coast IPA that hit all the right notes and a tart fruit sour made with zest, juice and Amarillo hops called Dr. Somes’ Lemon Elixir. We tried a collaboration that paired Batch and a rural brewery called New England Brewing Co., which is located six hours north of Sydney in a small town called Uralla. The collaboration is a black and gold called Country Cousins: a chocolate stout from Batch is poured on top of a chili pale ale from New England, then the two are enjoyed together. We savored a Bière de Garde inspired by the ales of Southern France called La Moustache. We sipped their fabulously creamy Elsie the Milk Stout off the nitro tap. Seated side by side with friendly, happy beer enthusiasts, the pints and hours flew by. We may have been thousands of miles from home, but by the time we left we felt like we were part of the community.