Roi des Oies: Holiday Dinner Pary

The Saturday between Christmas and New Years, Jean and I hosted a holiday supper with some friends. We were in charge of the bird and we wanted to try something different, so inspired by a traditional English holiday meal we made a goose. It was our first time trying goose let alone making it; we first set off to make a beer braised goose but settled with a citrus, all-spice, and honey goose recipe from English chef Gordon Ramsay.

Specialty Beer Shops: Bières Etc. Second Anniversary/ Christmas Special

Looking for a gift for the beer lover in your life, dig your car out from under the snow bank and get to Bières etc. they have a great selection of Quebec Microbrews along with beer glasses and artisanal food products that will make any beer lover happy on Christmas day. 

Specialty Beer Shops: Depanneur Simon Anthony (Le Paradis de la Biere)

On a cold Saturday morning in November, Adri and I woke up with the intention of visiting a specialty beer store. We bring you "Le Paradis de la Biere", Depanneur Simon Anthony. This quaint depanneur is located on Beaubien corner Lanaudiere, across the street from Poutine Ville. This was our first time walking into "Le Paradis de la Biere" and it was quite an intense experience. When I first walked through the doors I said to myself that this was a pretty decent setup, a lot of bottles, nice tall shelving units, narrow, but long rows. But, I did not see any refrigerating units, I thought that was strange. They could not possibly call themselves "Le Paradis de la Biere" without an awesome selection. Then Adri popped out of a hole in the wall and said, "Hey, there is another room back here". So, I walked into the other room, smaller than the other, but loaded with fridges, and a wonderful row built upon overstock cases of Le Castor and Unibrou, amongst others. 

Vienna: BrewPubs

A surprise stop in our European beer tour. 

We arrived in Vienna not expecting much from their beer scene, we were so focused on our two main beer destinations, Munich and Prague, that Vienna kind of fell to the way side. The information online is sort of lacking, but nonetheless we found some good places to enjoy a pint. Our favorite beer site ratebeer.com always has helpful info on where to find a good beer when in a foreign land. During the day we enjoyed Vienna's famous UNESCO Heritage Viennoiseries but we made time for a  couple stop offs at local brewpubs in the evening.

Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour!

 

You may have never heard of the town of Pilsen in the Czech Republic, but I know for sure that you are familiar with their famous export: Pilsner Urquell. They have been brewing beer here since 1842 and they are the original pale lager.  The popularity of this crystal clear beer led to the towns name being co-opted as a style moniker, Pilsner. Today, most big commercial beer brands base their recipe on the original Pilsner, but please do not compare the two.