Monday, July 01, 2013

A new Language......

......Brewerese!!! It was a lovely day yesterday and since enough members of the family were going down to support the "Pride" parade, my husband and I decided to go to Harbourfront to see if the tall ships were still there. Alas, they weren't, however, there was a lot happening and we opted to stay for lunch at a newly renovated brew pub - Amsterdam Brewery.

We were seated at a table outside, by the water, in the sun, with an umbrella for a little cool shade and proceeded to read the menu. This was not the food menu, which would come later, this was just the "beer" menu. I rarely drink beer, but I always have beer in a brew pub and in Britain.

Now to decide????? I could choose from over a dozen different types of beer all brewed by Amsterdam and many brewed on the premises (they have other locations). I liked the description of the one called "Fracture" - An Imperial IPA brewed with Columbus Centennial, Simcoe & Citra hops & dry hopped twice for aroma. Our most hop froward beer, with layers of hop flavour & a long finish - Obviously a "hopping" good beer - maybe too good, hence the name!!! We chose "416" (our area code). It was described as - Unfiltered local lager brewed with toasted wheat & 2-row malts with Cascade & Sorachi hops. Citrus Aromas with a light body & full finish.

Lunch with two blondes (ales that is)

Truly another language that I am not adverse to learning!!! Brewing beer has obviously risen to the designer level with branded ingredients, special aging processes and designer yeasts. Here is another - Sour Cherry Imperial Stout aged on sour cherries in a Flat Rock pinot noir barrel for nine months with Brettanomyces & Lactobacillus. - try to get your tongue around that!!

Oh yes, we did have something solid for lunch. I had fish & chips - very predictable and my husband had mussels. Both were delicious. We also noticed that there were several dishes that had a "wort reduction" component :) Given that I didn't see "Toad in the Hole" on the menu, I was curious. I looked it up. "Wort" happens in the brewing of beer and the kitchen obviously uses it as a demi-glaze.

It was an outing that was about a 20-minute drive away, but I could have been in another country or another world. Maybe, I'm still on vacation!!

Have a great day!!

6 comments:

  1. I love beer and there are Charleston has a great microbrewery. AND... now a block away from my house is beer tavern with dozens on tap and exotics to try. Both places offer samplers which is a fun and affordable way to try different varieties. Great fun to do with friends. My Sweetie who doesn't drink indulges in their gourmet root beer.

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  2. I don't associate fish and chips with Amsterdam...but, I'm glad you found something to please your palate.

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  3. Beery interesting. I'm not a beer drinker either. But I am somewhat familiar with the process. I knew someone who was experimenting with micro brewing before it became big business.

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  4. Great post! I am not a beer drinker.
    Fish and chips I love. Looked like fun.

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  5. I love accompanying you on your dining (and drinking)adventures. I love breweries. We have many "microbrews" here in our out-of-the-way area of the states and they always have some interesting offerings!

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  6. I think that Fish & chips are s national dish, right? I actually can't get enough of it. Cheers to British cuisine!

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