Blog Name Change

Over the past month or so I've been thinking of changing my blog name. The reason for the change is not just the fact that the Bombers haven't been playing, although there is that aspect.

The scope or concept of my blog seems a bit unfocussed and random; I'd like to narrow the focus a little bit, but still leave room for writing about a variety of things.

One name idea that I keep coming back to is Paul's Sports Bar. Now, the name itself might sound a bit pedestrian, but I think it opens up the writing possibilities. For instance, I won't limit myself to just writing about the Blue Bombers. Other sports will get a mention. Also, I won't write solely about beer, but will branch out to discuss other potent potables.

And because discussions in sports bars don't necessarily always focus on sports, I might throw in the odd piece about politics or current affairs.

During the Christmas break I'll work on getting a new and, I hope, improved blog up and running.

Any comments or suggestions as to the kind of content you'd like to see are, of course, always welcome.

St Nick's Oaked Spiced Porter

The recent upsurge of new beers produced by Fort Garry Brewing seems to coincide with the rise in popularity of Half Pints Brewing. In some cases, Fort Garry will come out with a beer that is similar to what its competitor has already released. Case in point is Happy Jack Pumpkin Ale, which I reviewed about a month ago. Its appearance was no doubt precipitated by the widespread love for Punk 'N' Fest, a Half Pints creation.

St Nick's Oaked Spiced Porter is another instance of Fort Garry trying to emulate the success of Half Pints. The latter company's Pothole Porter (usually released in the spring, hence the name) gets the upper hand over St Nick's but this beer has its pluses nonetheless.

The nose is spicy, due to the presence of all-spice and cinnamon. These spices as well as nutmeg give this beer a distinct holiday flavour. I also detect a hint of coffee. The taste is quite smooth and the flavours tend to linger on your tongue for some time after the beer's gone down.

Kudos to Fort Garry for branching out and brewing a bigger variety of beers. This competition should only be a good thing for local beer lovers.

Isolator

This is a brand new doppelbock from Winnipeg's Half Pints Brewing. Although Isolator is described on the label as a "malty bock", the nose is more hoppy than you might expect for a beer with a relatively low IBU of 17. The colour is a dark red. The beer clocks in at a robust 8.6% ABV, so it's not surprising that it has a boozy finish. The taste is quite malty; it's also rich and slightly sweet.

This beer should be served at a warmer temperature (around 10ºC). And you'll want to drink it slowly to savour its complex flavours.  

Isolator was released last Saturday at the Half Pints brewery in St. James and will be available in Liquor Marts this week. Sometimes these special or seasonal releases aren't available at every LC, so it's wise to call ahead and confirm the beer is there before you make the trip.

In Defence of Books

There was an update yesterday for iBooks and I downloaded it even though I never use the app. In the description of the new features and fixes, it listed a fix for when the app "unexpectedly quits".

This phrase got me thinking about e-readers or reading apps and their recent rise in popularity.

Now, I'm not against e-readers per se, because anything that encourages people to read is a good thing. It's just that I don't totally get why people use them. 

Sure, you can carry a large collection of books around on a small device. For people who live in a more confined space and have less room for non-essential items, this feature is most certainly a plus.

But for people who have the room for a bookcase or who borrow books from the library, what is point of having a device that holds vast numbers of books? Is it so you can read several books at once? Or, is it that when you go on vacation you can bring a bunch of books without increasing the weight of your luggage?

I mentioned to someone recently that I've never read an e-book and they were a little surprised because they know I'm a big reader. This person said that maybe I wasn't getting the same e-reading experience on my iPad because it is "backlit" whereas the Kindle is not, therefore reading on the latter device is easier and more like reading off of an actual page. 

This argument led me to think, we'll why not just read an actual book? You don’t have to shell out any money to acquire a device that will enable you to read a book. Books don't unexpectedly shut off. There’s no battery in a book that needs charging.  They are portable enough that you can take them anywhere. You can only read one book at a time (not to be confused with having several books "on the go"), therefore the "advantage" of having hundreds of books on your device doesn't seem like much of a benefit at all. I agree that some lengthier books or hardcovers are heavier and aren't the easiest to hold for long periods of time. In this case, maybe an e-reader is preferable but I can't confirm this.

There is also something nice about flipping the pages of a book through your fingers and glancing ahead to see how much more you have to read. This is not possible with an e-book as you can't actually see the thickness of the book itself. Whether you are reading War and Peace or Of Mice and Men the size of the device remains the same. Again, this is most likely a positive for many people. But I like to see concretely or physically how many pages I've read and how many pages I've got to go. Sure, the page numbers are listed on e-books but it doesn't seem that you'd get that same sense of progress being made that you do with a "real" book.

You can lend books to other people, turn them on to a new writer or subject or genre. It's unlikely that you'd lend anyone your tablet or e-reader.

And then there's the matter of selection. I heard an author on the radio a couple of days ago who said there are currently 60,000 e-books available for purchase. This is only a fraction of the number of real books in circulation. Also, there are many out-of-print books to be found at used book shops that you aren't going to find in electronic format.

I’m not against new technology in any way, I just feel that books don’t need a lot of enhancing or digitizing. They’re pretty good just the way they are.

Früli

This is not a beer for beer aficionados. In fact, this beer is more suited for non-beer drinkers. My wife, for instance, likes this beer. She is not much of a drinker and when she does drink she doesn't choose beer.

Früli actually has strawberry juice in it which makes it sweet and gives the beer a reddish colour. It tastes sort of halfway between a cooler and a "real" beer.

At 4.1% ABV it is light tasting, but the sugariness turns me off.

Happy Jack Pumpkin Ale

This beer, from Winnipeg's Fort Garry Brewing, has a dark orange colour and a strong cinnamon scent. The spiciness doesn’t come out as much in the taste, however, and to this reviewer that is a good thing, as some seasonal beers overdo the spice factor. There's a slightly sweet malty pumpkin flavour and the taste is robust but not overpowering. Recommended for Halloween sipping. 

A Blue Year

As most of you know, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have had a season to forget both on and off the gridiron. The new stadium was not going to be ready for the start of the year, so the CFL made a rare scheduling move and had the Blue begin the season with four consecutive road games. The Bombers lost all four of these games and, to put a generous dose of salt on the wound, it was decided that no home games would be played at Investors Group Field until 2013 due to delays with construction.

Bomber brass also decided to ban fans from bringing noise making devices into the stadium, including cowbells that had been purchased from the Bomber store in past years. After many complaints, the team relented and said that cowbells were exempt from the ban. However, bottled water and coffee thermoses (two items among many that were allowed in past years) remained on the prohibited items list. The team attempted to mollify thirsty upset patrons by installing water coolers around the stadium. 

The Bombers fired Head Coach Paul LaPolice halfway through the year and his replacement, Tim Burke, proceeded to lose his first three games by a combined score of 121-27. 

Injuries have plagued the Bombers this year as well. Starting quarterback Buck Pierce went down early in the season and did not come back until the September 29th game at home against Toronto. During that game he was hit on the chin by the helmet of a Toronto defender and sustained a concussion. Pierce was back in the lineup last week and played well as the Bombers beat the Argos 44-32 in Toronto.

The Bombers are currently tied for third place in the East Division with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (the teams play each other tomorrow afternoon in Hamilton). Both clubs have a dismal 5-11 record. But since this is the CFL and six out the league’s eight teams make the playoffs, the Bombers still have a slim shot of reaching the postseason. The Bombers must win their last two games and the Edmonton Eskimos must lose their final two.

Although it’s been a bleak year for the Winnipeg Football Club, there have been a few players who deserve mention for their stellar play. Running back Chad Simpson is fourth in the league in rushing yards (1003) and has played in three fewer games than the three backs in front of him. Receiver Chris Matthews has used his 6-5 height to his advantage and made the faithful forget all about the similarly statured Greg Carr who signed as a free agent with the Eskimos in the off-season. Matthews has caught 72 passes for 1105 yards and is fifth in the CFL in receiving yards. Both Simpson and Carr are CFL rookies.

On the defensive side of the ball, veteran defensive back Jonathan Hefney has been his usual ball-hawking self and leads the team in tackles with 64. Linebacker Johnny Sears has had a breakout year, combining big hits with excellent coverage (3 interceptions). Henoc Muamba leads the Bombers in special teams tackles with 18 and has become a solid starter in the middle linebacker position.

So don’t despair, Bomber fans, even though this year is almost a write off. There’s been some positive play in the last few games, a couple of players (Matthews and Simpson) have emerged to become bonafide CFL stars, and the new stadium will open for the start of next year. 

Garrison

Garrison Brewing is a micro brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is located right where the cruise ships are docked. My wife, Chantel, and I visited the brewery in September of 2009. If I remember correctly, you could get a two ounce sample of any beer they made for a dollar. I regret not trying Jalapeño Ale; it just sounded a bit too "out there" for my tastes at the time.

This brewery also sells and re-fills growlers. A growler is a large bottle that holds the equivalent of six bottles of beer but has a lower price. It's recommended that once the growler is opened the beer should be consumed within three days. Unfortunately, growlers are not yet available in Manitoba. I hope that changes one day soon.

Below are two brief reviews of Garrison beers that are available to purchase at the MLCC:

Martello Stout:

There's a jet black colour to this stout. It has a pronounced liquorice scent. The taste is smooth and crisp, and the flavour is fairly standard but lacks a lot of complexity.

Imperial IPA:

Perhaps unsurprisingly this beer has a cloudy orange colour ('unfiltered' is clearly displayed on the beer label). The nose is citrusy, piney, and hoppy. Lovers of hops, rejoice! This beer clocks in at a robust 7% ABV but for those used to IPAs, the booziness is not excessive.   

1982

1982, by Jian Ghomeshi, 284 pages, Viking/Penguin Canada

Many people know Jian Ghomeshi as the host of Q, the popular arts and culture talk show on CBC Radio One. Others may know him as a former member of the band Moxy Früvous. Quite likely most people don't know much about Ghomeshi's early life as a teenager growing up in Thornhill, Ontario.

The majority of the action in1982 takes place in or around the year 1982, when Ghomeshi was in grades 9 and 10 at Thornlea Secondary School.

Ghomeshi writes about a few pivotal events that happened in his life in 1982. These events include, but are not limited to, the following: going out with his dream girl (Wendy), attending a major outdoor concert with Wendy where he becomes an instant fan of the group Talking Heads, and meeting two members of Rush: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.

These major happenings and others shed light on certain issues that Ghomeshi was trying to overcome at the time. Ghomeshi, who is of Iranian descent, was living in a largely white, middle-class area. He becomes involved with theatre and musical groups at school and is somewhat self-conscious about this at the start of 1982. He encounters racism in varying forms and experiences confusion about who he really is as a person.

He is not confused about his admiration and idolization of David Bowie, however. Ghomeshi's narrative must be seen through the prism of Bowie. I haven’t actually counted, but I’d be shocked if Bowie's name is mentioned less than a hundred times in this slim volume. Even Wendy, the dream girl, is seen as desirable because she reminds Ghomeshi of Bowie.

There is an elliptical or circular way in which the story unfolds. Ghomeshi will touch on an important event or moment, then go on to describe some of the background details (of a person involved in the event, for example), and then come back to fully describing the event itself. This style of writing makes for more dramatic and climactic reading.

Ghomeshi will sometimes allude to stories that he has told earlier in the book, but the repetition works well for the most part.

He favours brief, punchy sentences. Although he sometimes gets into heavy topics, the writing, overall, is in a humourous vein. The action rarely lags and that makes this book a quick read.

Jian Ghomeshi will be appearing at McNally Robinson this Saturday (October 13) at 7pm.

Oktoberfest

October is here and so is Oktoberfest, a seasonal beer from Half Pints, a brewery based in Winnipeg. There is a soft white fluffy head on this beer and it has an amber colour that reminds me of certain leaves that fall at this time of year. The lager is 6.2% ABV but the extra kick is not noticeable in the taste. The maltiness is pronounced and the taste overall doesn't so much pop out as it does reveal itself in dense layers. The new label is a winner as well.

There are a couple of offshoots of this beer. Last year Half Pints released Smoktoberfest, which, as the name suggests, was a smokier tasting version of Oktoberfest. Punk 'N' Fest is a pumpkin-tinged Oktoberfest and it will be released on October 20th at the brewery. I've tried Punk 'N' Fest in previous years and it is a delight.

A Guide to Cheap Beer in Manitoba

I had originally planned the beer section of this blog to be about craft beers. This kind of beer is generally brewed in smaller batches and has more varied and complex flavours. It is sipping beer, not chugging beer.

But I also realize that craft beer is usually more expensive than standard, mass-produced beer. As many students will be reading this blog (maybe), they, like me, probably don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend on premium brews. So, here’s a guide to “economy-priced” beer that’s on sale in Manitoba. 

Unless otherwise noted, the prices that I list are before taxes and deposit. The prices listed below will also be for a six pack, with a few exceptions. All prices were obtained from the MLCC website.

Boxer Lager, a product of Minhas Creek, is the cheapest beer you can find at $6.16. It is not at all memorable, but I find it slightly better than Minhas Creek Classic ($6.83), which has an overly carbonated taste and did not sit well with my stomach on the one occasion that I tried it.

One of the better-known budget beers is Lucky Lager ($8.04) from Labatt. There is also a stronger version (6% ABV) called Lucky Extra. When I did drink Lucky, I preferred the latter as it didn’t taste so watered down and bubbly. 

There are a couple of inexpensive beers that come in plastic bottles, both brewed by Fort Garry. The first comes in a two litre bottle and is called Stone Cold ($6.74). This beer should be avoided. The second is called Two Rivers Lager ($2.72) and it comes in a 710 mL bottle. The lager is quite drinkable and the resealable cap makes this one portable as well.

The following beers are all brewed by Molson. Keystone and Keystone Light ($8.04) are, as the slogan goes, “always smooth”. Black Ice ($8.04) may have a similar price tag but the taste is much harsher and stronger. My preferred beer in this inexpensive category is, by far, Molson Dry ($8.04). As the name suggests, it’s an extra dry beer (5.5% ABV); the taste is crisp and refreshing. The official website notes that Dry “imparts a subtle impression of hops with no residual bitterness”. Frugal imbibers take note: bottles of Molson Dry are more expensive than cans, even though the cans contain slightly more beer. For example, a 24 pack of bottles costs about six dollars more than the same number of cans. The reason for this price discrepancy is unknown to me. 

As a side note, cheap beers taste best at very cold temperatures. I would advise chilling them as cold as you possibly can without actually letting them freeze. 

Now, I haven’t tried all of the cheap beers on offer so I welcome all comments and suggestions if your favourite low-priced beverage went unmentioned.

Annoying Guy

Enough has been written and said by local scribblers and pundits about the Bombers' woes on the field this season. So this post will be a venting session of sorts about the irritating season ticket holder who sits directly behind my friend and I in Section T.

A bit of history first. 

I've been going to Bomber games for a long time. I had season tickets for a few years in the early 2000s and have gone to most Bomber home games since 2006. 

Prior to the 2011 season, my friend Daryl and I bought season tickets, partially to be "in line" to get seats at the new stadium, Investors Group Field.

We had no real complaints last year. We were pleased with where our seats were located and got to know the regulars in our section. For the most part everyone was cool. There was the odd person that would walk in front of us during a play - a major no-no - but we could deal with that.

This year it’s a different story. There was a loud-mouth behind us at the first regular season game but, because he wasn't a regular from 2011, we wrote him off to being a single game ticket purchaser and therefore wouldn't be at the next game or at least wouldn’t be sitting in the same seat. We soon realized we were wrong, as "annoying guy" (which he will now be called) was back in the same seat at the next home game.

This fan believes that his knowledge of football is superior to that of the coaches. Far superior. When a mistake happens on the field, "annoying guy" will yell out both what the mistake was and how he would have made the right call.

Occasionally, Daryl and I will mutter a sarcastic comment to each other in response to something "annoying guy" has just said. Usually it’s along the lines of: “odd that the Bombers haven’t hired him to coach”. As "annoying guy's" comments get more irritating, our comebacks get more vitriolic.

Now, I’m not objecting to fans who voice their opinions. I am objecting to "fans" who take more pleasure in pointing out the home team’s faults than actually cheering them on. When the Bombers are actually making some good plays (which, admittedly, is a rarity this year), "annoying guy" is conspicuously quiet.

So, two things to look forward to next year: a new stadium and sitting far, far away from "annoying guy" (I hope!). 

Bacon Maple Ale

This beer, brewed by Rogue Ales, is the liquid equivalent of a good batch of pancakes coated in maple syrup with a couple of strips of bacon on the side.

The colour of the beer is a cloudy, reddish orange. I noticed some sediment floating in the beer
just after it was poured but that was not unexpected as the beer is unfiltered.

Bacon Maple Ale (5.6% ABV) is quite malty with a sprinkling of hops. There's an intense bacon
scent on the nose and it has a slightly smoky, sweet taste. This beer would go well with a
maple dip.

Contrary to what I was expecting this beer does not have a super bold taste, even
though maple and bacon are intense flavours. The brewers easily could have gotten carried away and made this an in-your-face kind of beer, but instead the mixture of ingredients was done subtly.

You will not find Bacon Maple Ale at local Liquor Marts (a friend picked this one up at the
Happy Harry's in Fargo), although two Rogue beers are available, Dead Guy Ale and
Chipotle Ale, according to the MLCC website. Bottom line, this beer is well worth
trying if you can get your hands on one.

Initial Post

Hello everyone. This post is just to introduce my blog before I actually write any stories on specific topics. As the name of my blog suggests, I will be writing about the Blue Bombers, books, and the one thing that almost everybody likes, beer. Kind of a variety of topics but I didn't want to limit myself to just one thing. I don't profess to be an expert on any of the above but will be offering opinions and hopefully some unique insight.

Upcoming posts will include:

A piece about an annoying fan who sits behind me at Bomber games. 

A brief review of a beer that a friend has brought back from the States that has some intriguing flavours.

Possibly a review on the new Martin Amis novel.

Thanks for reading.