“…We fell damn hard in love with his beers and the sacred aura surrounding them. It was the silent ritual, the careful use of a secret Transylvanian ingredient and the interpreted integration of such a […]
Beerism Drops Gluten! Well, at Least Until we Finish These Beers…
The phrase “Gluten Free” is pretty big right now, and the market for it seems to be growing exponentially. Like many topics related to how we diet, gluten started becoming a household term pretty quickly. As […]
Dieu du Ciel Réserve! – Seven Days, Barrel Aged
I’ve written several articles about Dieu du Ciel! at this point, but none quite as epic as this. I’ve managed, over the course of about a year, to get my hands on all seven barrel […]
La Cuvée 2014 – A Night of Great Beers & Great Beards
Saturday morning I sat on my couch with my two year old son, watching Caillou and reflecting on the beer-soaked evening from the night before (not to mention also reflecting on why this cartoon kid […]
Bellwoods Brewery Part 1- C’mon, Get Hoppy
With my frequent visits to the LCBO over the last few years, I’ve become more and more familiar with Ontario’s craft beer scene. Unlike Quebec, in Ontario alcohol can only really be sold in two […]
Drinking Outside the Box – Beerism Talks Imports, and More Specifically: Nøgne Ø
In Quebec, we have a fantastic number of choices when it comes to drinking local craft beer. And from these choices, there are tons of amazing beers that are consistently available. For a long time, […]
Sam Adams Utopias 2013: An Examination Into the Original Big Beer
Utopias by Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co) is a widely discussed beer, and with good cause, as you’ll soon see. There may be some controversy surrounding the beer’s rather steep retail price, but the world’s […]
Dr. ‘Stange’ Love or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blonde
Sure it’s been negative 40 degrees Celsius these last few days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drink something refreshing amongst all those imperial stouts you’ve been sipping. I mean, one can still get thirsty […]
Beerism Goes Wild: Brettanomyces are Certainly Very Infectious – Part 1
Brettanomyces isn’t a dinosaur, nor is it a character in Plato’s republic, as one might think. Rather, it’s a wild yeast strain (often accompanied by lactobacillus) that imparts tart, sour and funky elements to your […]
T.J.’s Quick Guide to Hefeweizens, and Why You Should Love Them!
Pronounce it: “hay-fuh-veyt-sssenn” and not “Hefe-why-zen” AKA: Weissbier, Weizenbier, Weizen, or Wheat Ale Ever had a white beer? A lot of breweries label their beers as “white,” which is actually a description of both its […]
Epic Tastings: Belgian Strong Dark Ale Edition
This will be the third time now that I’ve had a relatively epic tasting with the Malty Tasker, and the second time that fellow Beerism writer T.J. attended as well. Until recently the “tastings” that […]
T.J. Says The Only ‘Meal’ Good Enough to Stand Up to Shepherd’s Pie is an Oatmeal Stout
As summer fades out of sight and the terraces close down, beer geeks look forward to the winter season brews. For those that follow seasonal beer releases, Fall isn’t just sweater weather. ‘Tis the season […]
Go to Dunham Already! What Are You Waiting For? Beerism Gets Served Food for a Change.
This coming Saturday is the latest Brasserie Dunham bottle release party, and I can tell you that I’m pretty excited to attend (details here). The town of Dunham didn’t really mean anything to me until […]
Beerism Does L’exorciste by Dieu du Ciel! – And a Little Craft Beer Ranting as Well…
Dieu Du Ciel’s L’Exorciste can’t be purchased in stores, and actually, it can’t be purchased at all anymore. It was gone as quick as it came. To procure some, I had to drive about 45 […]
Beerism Celebrates Saint-Bock’s 7th: A Q&A with Owner Martin Guimond
“I was the director of communications in marketing. I left everything to pursue this for the world of beer. I am making a fifth of the money that I used to. This passion animates all […]
Beerism Does “Festival l’Oktoberfest des Québécois” 2013 – From What We Can Remember Anyways…
A couple of weekends ago was the “Festival l’Oktoberfest des Québécois,” a beer festival located in Repentigny, which is not too far from the greater Montreal Area. After a full day of drinking big, bold, complex, and high […]
Heady Topper VS Les Trois Mousquetaires’ Double IPA – A Comparison of Hop Brilliance
You might be asking why I’m covering Heady Topper – one of the most renowned beers in the world – alongside something brand new, unrecognized, and barely tasted by anyone. Well, since Les Trois Mousquetaires’ […]
Simply the Breast! – St Ambroise Vintage Ale Meets Seared Duck
One of my favorite meats to eat and cook is duck, but more specifically, duck breasts. In texture and richness, it’s the perfect crossover between poultry and beef. When cooked properly to medium rare, a […]
Debunking the Fruit Beer Myth – Raspberry Beer is Such a Beautiful Thing
I’m particularly excited about this article. For one, I get to talk about my favorite fruit and how it relates to beer, but mainly I’m excited because I got the pleasure to work with a […]
5 Days of IPA’s: Homeland Edition – IPA Day in Quebec!
It’s IPA day!!!! I couldn’t think of a better way to promote the festivities, than to write yet another IPA article! I’m thinking you all might be starting to tire of my endless IPA centric articles. […]
Smuttynose Carbonara: A big Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian Imperial Stout Meets My Spaghetti.
It’s been a bit of time since my last “Beer & Food” article. It’s certainly not easy spending loads of time in the kitchen while taking care of my 15 month old son. However, the […]
Dieu du Ciel’s Herbe a Detourne – A Comparison; How Do Citra Hops Taste After a Year?
So I’m getting more and more excited these days about how beer changes and develops over time in the bottle. Because I’m relatively new to the world of being a beer geek, it’s only now […]
T.J.’s Guide to Cross-Border Beer Buying
If you are Canadian and are curious about bringing back some of that great American craft beer over the border, this article is for you. For Canadians who want to pick up some craft brews […]
Beau’s Winter Warmers – T.J.’s Take on some big Beers
Beau’s Brewery prides itself on being all natural, and has launched a special series of beers to fund its expansion in to clean energy. Just a 30 minute drive from Montreal, Beau’s has collaborated with […]
Dogfish Head Makes Some Big & Badass IPA’s – And we Can’t get Enough!
I’ve heard several people say “Dogfish Head is overrated,” and honestly, I’m not exactly sure what people mean when they make that statement, or if they themselves even know what they mean. I guess I’ve […]
Beerism’s Guide to “Festival Mondial de la Biere 2013” – A Day of Drinkin’
Well, it’s that time of year again, where we can all congregate in a giant room and taste beer from all over Quebec, and rest of the world. That’s right, it’s “Festival Mondial de la […]
Hopfenstark’s Saison Station – Three Takes on the Same Style
Hopfenstark is a brew pub located in L’assomption, Quebec. It’s about 30 kilometers outside of Montreal. They bottle and distribute an impressive line up of beers, but their availability is not as widespread as most […]
From Empty to Discovery – T.J.’s look at the Evolution of a Beer Drinker & the American Red Ale
I came to a realization the other day as I gathered my empties to bring back to the shop, and the craft beer nerd will sympathise with me here. I noticed that I wouldn’t get […]
Brasseurs du Monde’s Quadrupel: ABT 12 – A Drink for Privileged Guests
I love quads. I can’t say why for certain, but there’s just something compelling about that big, dark, sweet and smooth taste that never tires for me. And just as I have trouble explaining why […]
Another 6 days of IPA’s – A Hop Bomb Comparison: Part II
A few months ago, I posted an article that examined some solid I.P.A’s from North America. It was certainly my most successful article to date, so I thought, why not do it again! In that […]
T.J. Blinn on Social Media discoveries in the World of Beer
There’s a common prefix that amateurs and passionate people of all kinds have been using for the past 40 years to keep big corporations out of their figurative neighborhoods. That prefix is “Support your Local […]
Purgatory – Extra-strong porter, 10.5% Collaboration between Trou du Diable & Dieu du Ciel!
Late one night a couple of weeks ago, I was reading through my News Feed on Facebook while waiting for a friend. We were meeting to go out for some beers and all that we […]
A Year Old “Fullers Vintage Ale” Taste Comparison – The Tantalizing Test of Time
Although I’ve enjoyed beer for many years, it is only in the last two years or so that my interest has surpassed that of an individual who regularly enjoys beer, and progressed into someone with […]
Beau’s All Natural Belgian Pale Ale Meets My Makeshift Lasagna
So once again I found myself home alone with my son – now about 9 1/2 months old. He had just gone down for a nap, and instead of being a normal person and taking […]
Six Days of I.P.A’s – A North American Hop Bomb Comparison
The infamous India Pale Ale has been a staple for many craft breweries since the modern beer revival over the last few decades. Although originating in England, North America has taken this style leaps and […]
Zesty Risotto Meets Quebec’s Collaborative Saison from Ca Va Brasser!
I’m well aware that my last beer and food article involved risotto, but I just like making it so much that I’m going to have to bore you again with another one. In my defense, […]
Goose Island: Sofie – The Beer Who Masqueraded as a Champagne
Belgian Style Ale 2012, 6.5 % – A Review by T.J. Blinn This review is of a special collection beer with Goose Island, a Chicago craft brewery that recently garnered the attention of macro-brewer Anheuser-Busch. […]
Brewed Pancetta #2 – Balancing Smokey Risotto, Propeller’s Double IPA… and a Baby!
So I started writing this entry a while ago. I’m not sure why I dropped it, but for some reason it remained half finished for over four months. I began writing it just before we […]
Ale de Hardy: Brasseurs du Monde: The « every flavor » beer.
Extra Strong Ale : Barley WIne 10.5 % – A Review by T.J. Blinn My first impression of this barley wine from Brasseurs du Monde is that it doesn’t look like a barley wine at all. […]
Brasserie Dunham Offers a Tongue-Tantilizing RIS That Doesn’t Disappoint
If you live in Montreal and you ever venture out to the eastern townships, there is great little town called Dunham. I’ve been there a few times and always stop in at “Homei,” a fantastic […]
The Season for Sour – Boquebiere’s Wild Yeast Saison Punches the Palate
Boquebiere, a microbrewery located in Sherbrooke Quebec, is relatively new to the Quebec scene, but has quickly become one of my favorite craft beer producers in the province. They have quite an extensive list of […]
Beerism goes… Simple? A “Simple Malt” Scotch Ale Comparison
Les Brasseurs Illimites – a brewery out of St. Eustasche, Quebec – have a line of beer called “Simple Malt.” I have always praised their offerings because of their diversity, quality, and generally reasonable prices. […]
Beau’s Weiss-O-Lantern Meets Some Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli!
Every time I make my way to Ottawa – which occurs often enough as I have family there – I treat myself to a stop in Vankleek Hill, where there resides a fantastic brewery called […]
Dogfish Head: Theobroma – An Ancient Ale with a Chocolate Twist
Some of the more eagle-eyed readers of this blog may have noticed that despite being based out of and very interested in the Quebec craft beer scene, there are an awful lot of reviews of […]
Beerism Goes Rogue! Dead Guy Ale & Double Dead Guy Ale Ain’t for the Frail
Rogue Ale was first founded in 1988 in Oregon and for the last 24 years, they have been brewing award wining, big and bold beers for the American public. Until now, I have not had […]
Alley Kat – A Fire Breathing Double IPA from Edmonton, Who Would Have Thought!
So my friend Ryan and I – who moved to Calgary several years back – decided to begin trading beer through the mail. As you might be aware (or not), it can be quite difficult […]
Pit Caribou’s Oxymor Wheat Wine does Something Different
Pit Caribou is a brewery out of Gaspe. I haven’t had too many of their offerings, but the ones I have had were quite good. Their Oxymor series seems to be beers that they are […]
Boson de Higgs – Hopfenstark’s Hybrid Hits Your Palate in all the Right Places
So until recently, Hopfenstark was kind of a mysterious brewery to me, only having tried their products at Beer festivals, and never seeing their bottles for sale. During the last festival I attended, I made sure to […]
An Imperial Stout Fit for Royalty – St Ambroise does it right!
It seemed about a good time to review this one as I’ve been sitting on it for over a year, patiently waiting to crack it open. Also, I managed to find another bottle from the […]
Brewed Pancetta #1 – Steam Beer and Some Basilic Ravioli Sear
So to continue with the notion of using what I have in the fridge, I was able to use my freezer as a primordial garden of Eden. I found a bunch of frozen ricotta cheese […]
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