Beer Travel

Friday the Firkinteenth at The Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Posted by AtlCan BeerBlog on 2012-04-23
Posted in: Beer Travel, Raven & Sierra. Tagged: Raven and Sierra. Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note:  I mentioned a while back that guests posts would be appearing from time-to-time regarding beer travel.  Here is the first post from Raven and Sierra.

Raven and Sierra holding the Philadelphia Beer Week “Hammer of Glory”

So, what does Friday the Thirteenth and cask conditioned beer have in common? Well, if you are the vast majority of the world, nothing at all. But, if you happen to be in the great beer city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, plenty. Northeast Philly is home to the Grey Lodge Pub and for the past 15 years and 25 Friday the 13ths later the Grey Lodge has celebrated this “unlucky” day with a beer event of epic proportions–Friday the Firkinteenth!

Here is a little history regarding the event……Scoats, owner of The Grey Lodge, wanted start serving cask-conditioned ales at The Grey Lodge, but thought it needed some sort of push to get it going. He saw somewhere, and with enough time to plan ahead, that 1998 was going to have three Friday the 13ths (this happens about every 11 years). The phrase “Friday the Firkinteenth” came to him in a vision while riding the Market Frankford SEPTA line and the rest is history!

Scoats – the owner of The Grey Lodge

From beer writer Jack Curtin, “”This whole thing makes no sense whatsoever. It’s totally random because the timing is entirely at the mercy of the calendar. It’s held in this tiny neighborhood bar in Northeast Philadelphia, an area which is not exactly your mecca for great beer. Yet virtually every brewer within shouting distance would kill to be a part of it and people come from all over to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and hope they can get a beer from bartenders who are incredibly overworked. Scoats is either a genius or an idiot savant, I can’t decide which. But God bless him.”

For those who are wondering, “what the hell is a firkin”, here is a bit of information.  Firkins and pins are two sizes of casks. A firkin is 40.8 liters (10.8 US gallons). A pin is 20.4 liters (5.4 gallons). A typical U.S. 1/2 barrel is 15.5 gallons.

This past week Sierra and I met up with some beer friends who traveled up from North Carolina to celebrate the 25th Friday the Firkinteenth.  The weather was near perfect and with that we ventured to the pub in time to be nicely postioned for the 12 noon tap time of the first seven firkins. In case you are wondering 22 firkins were acquired for the event with seven firkins pouring at any time (except when they got down to less than 7), tapping a new one as one kicks. The order of the casks were totally random.

The line up was as follows–

Cricket Hill Hopnotic IPA
Dark Horse Crooked Tree
Dock Street Rye IPA, dry-hopped
Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA
Flying Fish Farmhouse
Free Will Citra Pale Ale
Ithaca Nut Brown
Manayunk Dreamin Double IPA
Manayunk Oatmeal Stout
Nodding Head 60 Shilling
Philadelphia Engine 1892 Market Stout
Prism White Lightning
Ruddles Country Ale
Sly Fox Chester County Brown
Sly Fox Oatmeal Stout
Sixpoint Brownstone
Stoudts Scarlet Lady ESB
Troegs Hopback Amber
Victory Headwaters Pale Ale
Weyerbacher Blanche
Yards Brawler
Yards ESA

With plenty of good friends, good beer abounding and an appearance of Philly Beer Week’s very own Hammer of Glory we hung in all day and at least sampled from each one of the 22 firkins tapped. The last firkin, tapped around 7 P.M., was the Philadelphia Brewing Company’s 1892 Stout. This beer was brewed to celebrate Reading Terminal Market’s 120th anniversary. The market, a city icon, is an enclosed public market found at 12th and Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia. Over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, ice cream, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods.

Standouts from the day include–Dock Street dry hopped Rye PA, Ithaca Nut Brown, Free Will Brewing Citra Pale, Manayunk Dreamin Double IPA, the aforementioned PBC 1892 Stout and Weyerbacher Blanche.

All in all a fantastic time was had by all. Kudos to Scoats for pulling off another flawless event!

If you are looking for a summer beercation idea the city of Philadelphia would be happy to welcome you for a visit. The next Friday the Firkinteenth will take place at The Grey Lodge Pub, 6235 Frankford Avenue, on July 13, 2012.

Editor’s note:  To see additional pics of the event, check out the Friday the Firkinteeth Photo Album on the Atlantic Canada Beer Blog Facebook Page.

Insiders’ Guide to the Montreal Craft Beer Scene

Posted by AtlCan BeerBlog on 2012-03-14
Posted in: Beer Travel. Tagged: Canadian Brewing Awards, Dieu du Ciel, Mondiale de la Biere. Leave a Comment

While the intent of this blog is to focus on Atlantic Canada, you’ll never see me pass up the opportunity to learn more about different beer scenes.  I recently had the opportunity to meet with a couple of guys who are extremely knowledgeable about the Montreal (and broader Quebec) beer scene.

Teklad Pavisian or Tico as he is known to all, is originally from Iran and has been living in Montreal since 1987.  His stay in Montreal was expected to be a short one.  He arrived that Winter with the intentions of making and saving a bit of money and eventually moving to Chicago where his uncle lived.  When Summer came, and he saw what a great spot Montreal is at that time of year, there was no way he could leave.  Tico is definitely an authority on beer and the specifically the Montreal beer scene.  He is a brewer at Benelux, a long time home brewer and is Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Certified although he is quick to point out he is not a “style Nazi”.

Anthony Wilson or Jaf as he is more commonly known, is a native of Melbourne, Australia and has lived in Montreal for roughly the past five years and really developed his love of craft beer since moving here.  Throughout our conversation it was very apparent that he has a thorough knowledge of the local scene including detailed knowledge of individual brews offered at different spots.

The balance of this post is based on my discussion with the two of them.

Overview of the Montreal (and broader Quebec) beer industry
There are currently approximately 40 breweries in Quebec of various sizes with 25 permits pending for new brewpubs and microbreweries.  When I asked Tico about collaboration between micros he indicated that there isn’t much formal collaboration resulting in official production but a great deal of knowledge sharing and “backstage” collaboration.  There are a lot of friends within the industry and they tend to show respect by supporting special events and after parties put on by other brewpubs. Most brewpubs bring their own unique character and there is no fear of market saturation.  He also definitely agrees with the idea of the craft beer industry being a brotherhood and that the more people discover great craft beer, the better it is for all.  They way he described it craft brewers are looking to “enlighten” customers about the great brews that they offer.

The Montreal craft beer scene is still relatively young with many of the players only being around the past 10 to 15 years and still developing their expertise.  Jaf’s advice for anyone looking to try the best beer in the market was to stick to draught as many of the very small bottling micros are experiencing quality inconsistencies from batch to batch.

As is commonly known, the Quebec beer scene is greatly influenced by Belgium tradition.  This influence is driven primarily by language.    Technical literature from Belgium is available in French, whereas information from most other parts of the world is most commonly available in English and to a lesser extent German.

Top 5 spots in Montreal
When I asked Tico and Jaf to list off the top 5 spots in Montreal for great beer they agreed on the list with the disclaimer that they were in no particular order.

Vices et Versa (6631 St-Laurent) is not a brewpub but has the broadest range of Quebec craft beer with over 30 taps.  If you only had the time to get to one, Jaf suggested this one due to its wide selection.

Benelux (245 Sherbrooke Street West) was identified due to its broad range, accuracy for style and excellent brewing craft.  This may seem as a homer pick as one Tico is one of the brewers but after sampling 5 of their beers during my visit I certainly vouch for their quality.

l’Amère à Boire (2049 St-Denis) was another spot identified by both.  One of the unique aspects of this location is that many of its beers are of the lager variety which is quite rare for micros due to the longer brewing and holding time of beers of this style.  Jaf mentioned their Czech Pilsener, Kolsch, and banana flavoured Hefenzweizen among his favorites.

Cheval Blanc (809 Rue Ontario Est) was identified as they like to experiment and make very interesting beers.  They also noted that their brewer was very approachable and often there.

Last but not least, the original Montreal brewpub, Dieu du Ciel (29 Laurier Ouest) was mentioned very fondly.  They described it as a brewpub with great character and always have a great mix of basic and experimental beers.  Jaf mentioned their Black IPA Chinese tea blend and a Ginger & Mustard Seed Blanche (with very subtle ginger) as some of their recent innovations.  As per RateBeer.com, they offer 15 of the best 50 beers in Canada including #1 and #2.

Beer Clubs
MontreAlers is an English local home brewing club that has been in existence for the past 15 or 16 years.  Tico has been a member for the past 14 years and this is how he met Benoit Mercier who is the Head Brewer and part owner of Benelux.  Jaf has been a member for the past few years and is the current president of the organization.  Many of the professional brewers in the area got their start as members of this club.  Nathan McNutt is another noteworthy member who is brewer at Reservoir Brewpub and the only National ranked BJCP Member.

The Club currently has 55 paid members with and additional 75-100 on their mailing lists.  The club meets up once a month at someone’s house to sample beers and have general beer discussions. They generally do blind tests of members’ brews and provide constructive feedback on the brews with the intent to help them correct any flaws.  The experience is as serious or as laid back as the individual wants.  After sampling some home brews they then normally sample some commercial beer.  The group encourages members to push the limits of extreme styles only once the basics of brewing are well understood.

A French beer enthusiast club called Biereapholie also exists.  This particular group isn’t based on home brewing but are general beer lovers.  They have beer tastings and organize importations from other areas with purchases normally being full pallets at a time.

Beer Festivals
Tico indicated that brewers are generally very supportive of festivals and that most brewers attend most events.  Here is a quick run down of Montreal and broader Quebec events:

The Winter Warmer festival is in its second year and takes place in Montreal and is put on by Brouhaha Brewpub.  Tico would like to see them tweak the format.  Tickets for this year’s event were $95 + tax.  Many find this a steep cost to sample 30 or so heavy alcohol beers although he did mention the festival also offers excellent food.

The Mondiale de la Biere is the largest beer festival in Montreal and takes place in June.  This year’s event will also serve as the backdrop to the Canadian Brewing Awards and related conferences.  This promises to be a road trip worthy event and if possible would be more enjoyable earlier in the festival when the crowds aren’t as large.

The Chambly Bieres et Saveurs Festival is near Montreal and is an event that Tico described as “beer lovers meet food lovers”.  Several American brewers come up for the event and offers good quality beer, cheese and sausage.  It is also a very family friendly event as you can leave your kids in a supervised park for free during the event.  This festival takes place Labour Day weekend.

Outside of Greater Montreal there are a few festivals that they mentioned as well. Festibiere de Gatineau will take place in May. Festibiere de Sherbrooke will take place in late August.  The Oktoberfest des Quebecois takes place in Repentigny in early September.

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The Story of McAuslan Brewery – Montreal, Quebec

Posted by AtlCan BeerBlog on 2012-03-13
Posted in: Beer Travel, Profiles. Tagged: McAuslan Brewery. 1 comment

While in Montreal a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a brewery tour of the McAuslan Brewery famous for its St-Ambroise brand of beers.  The host for the tour was Taylor McAuslan, the son of owner Peter McAuslan and a man very well acquainted with the Atlantic beer scene. Taylor lived in Halifax from 2003 to 2010 and is the person responsible for introducing and growing the St-Ambroise brand in the region.  When Taylor looks back on his time in Halifax he lists Henry House, Foggy Goggle and Freeman’s as his favourite establishments.

This profile is based on information learned during the tour, emails exchanged with Dean Petty, the Atlantic Accounts Manager for McAuslan Brewing Inc., and other research.

Background
In the 1980s Peter McAuslan began considering opening up a brewery after 25 years as a home brewer.  In 1987, Peter and his wife and eventual McAuslan Master Brewer Ellen Bounsall, began serious research by looking into funding and equipment which included travel to Europe to visit small breweries.

In mid 1988, Alan Pugsley who was trained in England and had experience building, designing and installing breweries all over the world was engaged to help develop their initial recipe.  Ellen, who has was trained as a biologist, made a total of four batches of beer with the help of Puglsey and was then on her own.  In February of 1989 McAuslan enjoyed its first sales of St-Ambroise Pale Ale.

Production
McAuslan currently brews about 85,000 HL of beer per year or approximately 3,000 cases of beer per day.  Approximately 75% of their sales come in bottles with the balance coming in the form of draft sales.  Taylor explained during the tour that for the mega breweries this split is typically closer to 85-90% bottled.

McAuslan brews both ales and lagers.  The ales are for their St-Ambroise and Griffon brands with the lagers being for beers they make on behalf of other breweries.  McAuslan is the official brewer for New Brunswick’s Moosehead Brewery for its Quebec distribution.  Moosehead was actually a minority shareholder in the brewery from 2002 to 2008 before selling their shares to Les Brasseurs RJ which is the other company that McAuslan brews lager for (the Belle Geule and Tremblay brands among them). The ale to lager production is fairly evenly split.  From start to finish it takes about 12-14 days to brew the ales and about 40 days of total time for the lager which is why the lager tanks in the brewery are so much larger.

McAuslan uses about 8 litres of water for every litre of beer produced (the typical Canadian brewery uses about 10 to 1).  Taylor explained how the ratio can be as high as 20/25L to 1L or as low as 3 to 1 in countries where access to water is more challenging.  McAuslan is looking to reduce the amount of water they use in their production.   He also explained that each bottle of beer is normally good for 12 fills / bottle.

The hops they use for their production are mostly from the United States (Oregon / Washington) but also use hops from Southeast England.  They do use some adjuncts (mostly corn) in their beers.

Their operations are supported with approximately 80 employees.

Their Beer
McAuslan uses both the St-Ambroise and Griffon branding for their beers and has won numerous international and national awards.  St-Ambroise is their core brand and is used for most of their products.  Griffon was a brand that was developed in the early 1990s and geared towards the “less experienced” consumer pallet more accustomed to macro brews.

Now the really fun part….  Here’s an overview of the beers based on the sampling part of the tour:

Griffon Red Ale – This is an English style red and one of the first to be bottled and sold in Canada. During the tasting Taylor discussed how Richard’s Red really served as “training wheals for craft beer” by changing the perception of how darker beers taste and essentially helping out craft brewers with different looking and tasting beers.

St-Ambroise Pale Ale – This is the company’s biggest seller and is an American Pale Ale (APA). This has similar malting but higher carbonation than similar English ales in order to align with North American tastes.  This brew is made with two types of both American and British hops.

St-Ambroise Scotch Ale – This is essentially the McAuslan version of a winter warmer.  It is lightly hopped as they want to stay true to the style with a smokey flavour to balance the sweetness of the hops.  Taylor mentioned how this can be described as a “wee heavy” which is a Scottish way of describing a strong beer.

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout – This is their most decorated beer including winning two Platinum Awards at the World Beer Cup and is also extremely highly marked by the beer enthusiasts on ratebeer.com.  It is made with a mix of black and chocolate malts and is an excellent example of a difficult to get right style.  If you’ve never tried this beer, you owe it to yourself!

St-Ambroise Pumpkin Ale – Taylor described this as “pumpkin pie beer” and it is a very fitting description.  This is made with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.  It is brewed once a year starting in Summer and ready for sale in late Summer / early Fall.

St-Ambroise Apricot Wheal Ale – This is a product that they sell more of proportionally outside of Quebec that they do within.  They’ve used this beer to get their foot in the door with different liquor commissions due to its uniqueness and has helped get their brand established. Taylor commented that he figures that sales for this product are pretty evenly split between men and women and he’s surprised by how many “NASCAR / UFC type of guys” seem to really enjoy this beer.

I also asked about the St-Ambroise IPA that I was able to purchase at one of the Halifax private liquor styles last Fall.  This is a fairly new brew for them and one they plan on doing year round. When I commented that I was surprised it wasn’t hoppier Taylor described how they brewed it as a more traditional IPA and toned it down relative to many of the hop heavy IPAs you’ll find on the market now (somewhere Greg Nash is cringing). Apparently the tap version of the brew tastes quite a bit hoppier.

There are also a few other brews offered that we didn’t sample or discuss:  Griffon Extra Pale Ale and St-Ambroise seasonals:  Raspberry Ale, Strong Ale and Vintage Ale as well as their Cream Ale. There are currently no plans for any new brews.

Distribution
McAuslan beer is currently sold in all provinces but Newfoundland with approximately 70-80% of their sales within Quebec.  Overall, the Apricot Wheat Ale accounts for approximately 40% of their branded sales, the Pale Ale accounting for 30% with the balance coming from their other beers.  Within the Maritimes,  over 50% of their sales are for Apricot, with the bulk of the other half being made up of St-Ambroise Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

They currently sell about 1700 HL/ yr in the Maritimes with their best clients being Henry House in Halifax, Brooklyn Warehouse in Halifax, Foggy Goggle in Halifax, Wooden Monkey in Halifax, Spitfire Arms in Windsor and Library Pub in Wolfville.  Unfortunately, Dean Perry informed me last week that the NSLC has decided to de-list St-Ambroise Pale Ale.  The beer will continue to be available at the Private Nova Scotia outlets (Harvest Wine and Spirits, Premiere Wine and Spirits, and Bishops Cellar).  If you would like to contact NSLC to pass on your thoughts about this great beer being removed from their shelves here is the link.

Brewery Tours
As mentioned at the start of this post, I gathered most of my information from a guided tour. The tour costs $20.00 and is worth every penny. The tour lasted about and hour and 45 minutes and was a guided tour throughout all areas of the brewery, detailed aspects of the operations discussed, a sampling of six excellent beers and a gift bag containing a glass, a winter scarf, coaster and two lanyards.

The brewery is about a 15 minute walk from the Place Saint-Henri Metro station (Orange Line). Tours are offered by appointment only on Wednesday nights at 6:15 and 8:00 pm.  There are 3 shifts / day other than Wednesday which is cleaning day which is why tours are only available then as there are less staff on the floor.

Internet presence
McAuslan was the first Canadian brewery on the internet launching their website in 1995.  They also have a Facebook page and can be followed on Twitter (@bierestambroise )

Atlantic Canadian Beer Festivals
St-Ambroise beers will definitely be available at three Atlantic Canadian beer festivals this year.  Dean has confirmed they will be attending the Saint John Beer Fest, Atlantic Beer Festival and Seaport Beer Festival.  They may also attend the PEI Beer Festival and OktoberFest des Acadiens but cannot confirm as of yet.

Community Involvement
Peter and Ellen have been heavily involved in their community supporting a variety of arts, educational and community development projects.

Peter has been the President of the Concordia Alumni Association, sat on the Board of Directors for the Empress Cultural Center and has been involved in projects related to the development of the South West sector of Montreal.

Ellen is a founding member of the Tree Within, a group dedicated to helping battered immigrant women and past member of the Board of Directors for the Montreal Chamber Orchestra.

McAuslen also randomly pays out 5 individual $1,000 bursaries to artists who perform at their Centre St-Ambroise throughout the year.

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This is the third in a series of profiles of breweries I’ve completed so far with the first two being for Shiretown Beer and Garrison Brewing Company.  If you’re a brewer and interested in being featured on this site please contact me.