For all the ladies who enjoy craft beer…

Okay this post is for the ladies…do you ever feel like beer is sometimes perceived as a “manly” drink, or going to have a “pint” is for the guys? Well fear not…Because A. that is definitely not the case, and B. there are TONS of women (including myself) who enjoy craft beer just as much as the guys. But if you do feel alone in this let me introduce you to the fabulous Society of Beer Drinking Ladies.

I  JUST stumbled across their website and got instantly excited! There is a huge community of women in the GTA… some of them brew, some merely get together to drink and celebrate beer! YAY!

The Society holds events otherwise known as “Bevies” on the last Friday of the month. You can buy tickets for the event and expect a fun night of mingling, dancing, buying some cool swag, and enjoying beer from great breweries with other ladies like yourselves!

You can also sign up to be a “volunbeer” which is another great way to meet beer lovers.Whether it be serving up beer, selling tokens, setting up or tearing down an event you are sure to be surrounded by other women who have the same interests in you! I recently signed up myself to be a “volunbeer” at their next event if there are still spots available. I’ll keep you posted!

Until next time…

 

Photo Cred: Society of Beer Drinking Ladies

Yoga is the latest trend in the Craft Beer Community…

Have you heard of the latest trend in craft beer? It’s been around now for a couple of years but is becoming more and more popular as more breweries continue to pop up. You may be surprised to learn that yoga and craft beer have been teaming up…and have had tremendous success!

YOGA can actually enhance your craft beer tasting experience. And now breweries across the country are hopping on board and offering 40-60 minute yoga classes followed by a beer tasting and a tour. Here is an excerpt from Yoga on Tap who are touring Ontario this Spring 2016:

THE PRACTICE OF MINDFUL DRINKING:

When you grab a beer after work or on the weekend with friends how often do you think about the individual flavours of the beer or where the ingredients come from? As yogis + beer connoisseurs, it is important to us that we’re not drinking just for the sake of drinking. There is a purpose, and that purpose is experienced to it’s fullest ability! Whatever your beverage of choice, acknowledge that it is more complex than it appears + therefore deserves your full attention when learning about this liquid that you’re sipping into your body!

The concept seems a little strange but I’m definitely intrigued. As a person who loves both yoga and craft beer I think this is a really clever way to bring people with different interests together. If this seems like something you’d like to try then head over to Collective Arts + Nickelbrook Brewing tonight at 7:00pm.  It sounds like an awesome way to meet some awesome people!

Photo Cred:Collective Arts Brewing

Craft Beer is More About Community than Competition

I saw something earlier this week that inspired me to write this post. It was a shout out from Collective Arts Beer congratulating Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. on their grand opening! Now normally you’d think that this would be bad for business or a threat because they’re direct competition…right? Not in the craft beer world. One of the things I’ve learned about craft beer over the last 2  years, and probably one of the things I love most about craft beer (besides the beer itself) is the  craft beer community.

Screenshot of Collective Arts Tweeting @lagershed

A few times on my beer adventures, I’ve noticed how supportive other breweries are towards one another. For example: on my most recent trip to Montreal we asked some workers from Le Saint Bock which breweries were good in town…and instead of boasting about how Saint Bock was the best, we were told about several other amazing places to check out. The same thing happened in Ottawa, Toronto, and again in Hamilton.The craft beer community is exactly that. A community.  That supports one another, and shares a passion and love for craft beer. Collective Arts Brewing and Nickel Brook Brewing even brew under the same roof!

The craft beer culture is different from your typical bar scene. Drunken riots are fewer and far between…instead you actually meet and talk to people about the beer, people who appreciate the craft and the atmosphere.It really is a great community to be a part of, and I’m happy to drink to that! Cheers!

 

#NationalBeerDay

Happy #NationalBeerDay folks! Drink Up! (and responsibly)

Beer to cure the common cold?

I’m feeling extremely under the weather today…so much so that I took the day off work. I have nothing in the house to remedy my sinuses… and I started to wonder…Is beer good for a cold?

Well according to a study by Japan’s oldest brewer it is! Here is an excerpt from the article written by Newsfeed.time.com contributer Patrick Boehler:

“Hops, one of the three basic ingredients of beer along with water and barley, contains a chemical compound called humulone, which can help the human body fight the virus that causes the common cold in adults, according to a report by the news agency Agence-France Presse. The same virus also can cause bronchitis and pneumonia in children. With vaccination for these illnesses has yet to be found, the study by Japanese beverage giant Sapporo says that beer could prove a unique way of curbing infection.”

Wait! Before you start chugging back a beer to cure your cold…stop!  The study later goes on to say:

“Unfortunately, a single can of beer doesn’t contain enough humulone to make a difference, Jun Fuchimoto, a researcher for Sapporo, told AFP. You’d need to drink 30 12-oz. cans of beer in order for there to be any effect”…

30 12 oz cans of beer to cure a cold is an awful lot of beer! And sadly like I said before don’t have anything in the house to remedy my cold, that includes beer. So for now I will go old school… and get some much needed rest.

5 creative ways to up-cycle your beer “stuff”…

When you’re an avid beer lover you sometimes end up with a lot of beer bottles, cans, growlers, caps, etc… Sometimes you want to hang on to a bottle of your favourite beer because it had a cool piece of artwork on it like the bottles from Collective Arts. Sometimes you want to keep a bottle cap from a great trip! Of course you can always return them them to the beer store or the Brewery for some extra change…. OR you can get creative and find other uses for them! I hopped on Pinterest to find some inspirational pictures for up-cycling my old bottles/growlers.

Here’s my top 10 picks (in no particular order):

1). Beer Bottle Glasses

2). Bottle Cap Coasters ( bottle caps are a much smaller memento you can keep from your favorite breweries…plus you can use them while you have a beer!

3). Beer Bottle Lights

4). Beer Pong Trophy

4). Beer Bottle Vases

5). Beer Growler Lamp

There you have it! These are just a few ways to re-purpose all things beer! (***Warning Pinterest can become very addictive…***)

 

 

Beer, Beer and MORE Beer at Rib Eye Jacks (Burlington)!

I’ve lived in Burlington most of my life…so I was surprised to find out about a place called Rib Eye Jacks that was literally right around the corner from me! I had never been there before but  figured I should certainly check it out because it is so close.

Rib Eye Jacks doesn’t necessarily have that “hipster” vibe that you may find with some of the newer breweries, but they have great beer…and a LOT of it! What makes them unique is that they have about 7 rotating beer taps, 15 regular taps, over 65 bottles/cans,  AND they tap a new ask every Thursday at 5pm! (***Note: they only have 40 pints available from the cask so get there at a good time!!!***) They have a large selection of beer which is great for someone who loves to be adventurous when they go out!

 

I mentioned in an previous post that I tried Immodest by Nickel Brook. The beer was 9% alc. but was deceivingly light- not heavy, it’s one I’d recommend….and then you’re probably cut off haha.

I love the beer selection here, there really is something for everyone- and there seems to be a loyal following of guests. If you are in Burlington I do encourage you to visit- it may not be your typical brewery, but you will not be disappointed by the selection of beer. If you are an avid beer lover then hit up Rib Eye Jacks!

 

Job of a Lifetime!

If you are on social media often I’m sure you saw the EPIC Intern position that World of Beer posted about a few weeks ago. If not let me fill you in…They are looking for a Beer Intern and  will pay $12000 to travel the world for 4 months visiting tons of breweries, tweeting about beer, blogging about beer, Facebooking beer (is that a verb?) and the best part being paid to DRINK BEER!

Watch Here:

I was totally on board an all set to submit my application until I read…the fine print. 😦  ***you must be authorized to work in the US.*** UGH! How unfair! (Don’t they know that this is my dream?) This opportunity sadly  ended as quickly as it begun… application deadlines were accepted until the 26th of March, and final interviews are being conducted THIS WEEK! Those lucky sons of guns will be boarding a plane in a few weeks to do what I do…only it’s a WAY better deal (haha).

Don’t get me wrong, I love beer blogging for fun…but who wouldn’t want to jump on this kind of opportunity???

Sigh…Better luck next time!

 

 

 

 

There’s a New Brew in Town…

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Shawn & Ed Brewing ( Also known as S & E Brewing Co.) a new brewery located in Dundas Ontario. I was especially excited to visit this brewery because it’s so close to home and Dundas is such a great little town!

The building is a historic landmark in Dundas and has a long history dating back to the 1860’s when it was  first used as a Curling & Skating Rink. The building has had many other functions over the years serving as a garage space, a manufacturer for washing machine parts, and as a furniture store.The space is stunning and the owners have done an excellent job maintaining the character of the building, making it the perfect space for a brewery:

The brewery offered 4 types of beer to choose from, their LagerShed selections: Original, Lighter, Darker and their BarrelShed selection which is gently aged in wine barrels. Naturally I tried all 4…the Darker was my favourite!

The focus of the Brewery of course is to produce a great quality beer. They have a retail store at the front entrance where you can purchase beer, and of course a bar for tasting! There is no kitchen at S & E Brewing Co. however I was thrilled that they had support from the Gorilla Cheese food truck for the opening weekend! I don’t know if a food truck will be a permanent fixture at the brewery  but the grilled cheese here was phenomenal, and the perfect pairing for beer! (We had the Zesty Mordant…Doritos & jalapenos….say what? AMAZING)

I’m excited to see how well S & E Brewing Co. does in Dundas. Opened just in time for those hot summer days;  a large venue  to produce the beer, you can  certainly expect to see S & E Beer at local bars, the Beer Store & LCBO very soon!

Good Luck you guys!

Editors Note: This post only highlights Sunday April 2nd of the opening weekend at S&E Brewing co.

Find your beer-loving soulmate through the latest App!

How much do you love craft beer? Do you love it so much so that your partner in life has to be equally obsessed with craft beer and brewing as you are? If this is a no brainier and you can’t imagine spending the rest of your life with your non-beer-loving partner…don’t worry!

You can confidently kick them to the curb  knowing that your beer-loving soulmate can be found on Caring Craft Beer Co’s latest beer app “Ontario Craft Beer Dating App” that was released today!

The app promises to bring Ontario craft beer lovers together, and has already had some success! Our friends at OBN interviewed one couple who says that “The shared love for brettanomyces bruxellensis even brought two competing Toronto brew masters together!”

AMAZING! So if you have yet-to find your one and only…download the app today!

 

 

Special Thanks to: Ontatrio Beer Network for the story & feature image

 

***Please note that any posts published on April 1st are subject to being totally and utterly false.***