Pothole Porter

If you're a motorist in Winnipeg right now, you'll likely be weaving around a plethora of potholes.

But if you're a beer lover, this also marks the time of year that Half Pints Brewing releases one of their finest seasonal selections, the aptly named Pothole Porter.

There is a strong scent of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. For someone more inclined to the taste of a hoppier beer, I find Pothole to have a particularly smooth and malty taste. 

The description of the beer on the label is "stare into the abyss" and this metaphorically describes its jet black colour. It’s like black liquid silk.

Pothole can be purchased at select MLCC locations. I also tried it at the Yellow Dog Tavern last week and it tasted even better on tap.

Well worth seeking out.

The Masters

The PGA Tour season officially started back in January but the first major tournament of the year begins next week in Augusta, GA. This tournament, of course, is The Masters, "a tradition unlike any other," as CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz will inevitably call it.

Augusta National Golf Club will be hosting the event. Unlike other major championships, The Masters is held at the same course every year. Augusta National is a staid and very conservative club; only recently did it admit its first two women members, Darla Moore and Condoleeza Rice.

The television coverage of the tournament is similarly conservative, with announcers being required to call fans, 'patrons'. Nantz will be fresh off of calling college basketball, but his tone and style at Augusta will be relaxed and restrained. 

The background theme music for The Masters is a simple twinkling piano melody with string accompaniment. Viewers are shown images of majestic towering trees, blooming azaleas, and grass that is far too green.

But for all of the saccharine elements that are involved in the coverage, The Masters is one of, if not the most, exciting golf tournaments to watch. Augusta National teams up with a handful of sponsors every year and is able to all but eliminate advertisements (only four minutes out of every hour is allotted to commercials). This creates a nearly uninterrupted flow of golf.

The rich history of the tournament and the fact that it's played at the same course each year helps add a sense of nostalgia and déjà vu for long-time fans.

Who will forget the epic birdie putt by Jack Nicklaus on the 17th hole in 1986, en route to winning his sixth green jacket at the age of 46? Or the daring iron shot by Phil Mickelson on the 13th hole in 2010? Or the nearly-impossible chip shot by Tiger Woods on 16, in 2005?

There's nearly always drama during the The Masters (the exception maybe being Woods' runaway victory in 1997) and it makes for riveting television. And it's a sign of spring, even if it happens to be a snowy one in Winnipeg this year.

Audrey Magazine Launch

Red River College’s Creative Communications students will unveil their magazines this Thursday, March 28, at the magazine trade fair. The event is happening in the Atrium of the downtown campus at 160 Princess Street, from noon to 4p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Our group is introducing Audrey magazine. People who visit our trade booth will have an opportunity to get their photo taken while wearing some fun accessories. Also, we will have a number of prize packages and goodies to give away.

Note: the above post is for a school assignment.

Old Boy Classic Ale

Old Boy Classic Ale, from Parallel 49 Brewing Company in Vancouver, has a dark brown colour. There's a roasted coffee bean nose and the flavour is full but it doesn't smack you in the face like some beers. Old Boy is somewhat similar in taste to Half Pints Brewing's Sweet Nikki Brown. A solid session beer, if not exactly memorable.

Portage and Main IPA

Portage and Main IPA is the newest addition to Fort Garry Brewing’s Brewmaster series - a line of beers that branches into more bold and complex flavours than is found in Fort Garry’s standard offerings. I’ve reviewed several other beers from this series in previous blog posts.

This IPA is made with West Coast and Manitoba flower hops. It has a pretty intense nose: a strong grapefruit scent dominates but there is also a slightly floral aroma, no doubt because of the aforementioned local hop presence.

The head is a fluffy white with a tinge of orange. The colour is a light amber. 

This beer has a surprisingly malty taste for an IPA and the mouthfeel is a bit on the creamy side.

Another good addition to the ever-growing selection of locally-brewed craft beer.

A Thousand Farewells

Nahlah Ayed’s account of her life and career as a journalist offers a behind-the-scenes look at a foreign correspondent and what is involved in that job.

What works in her book A Thousand Farewells is the inside glimpse it provides of a reporter working under conditions of sometimes extreme stress and unpredictable or ever-changing situations. Ayed at one point tells a dramatic story of being attacked by an armed man in Baghdad.

This reminded me of a story from the book Hitch-22, where Christopher Hitchens writes about a time he was roughed up in Beirut. Hitchens also writes extensively about his experiences in Middle East in his memoir.

Ayed gives us a sense of what it is like to be in Cairo’s Tahrir Square amongst thousands of protestors or to come home to her apartment in Beirut and find that the windows have been smashed because of a nearby bomb blast.

She also writes of corrupt officials in several countries who not only accept bribes but expect them. Fellow journalists can learn that values and customs differ according to the country you are in and what is accepted as fairness in Canada may not be the same thing in Iraq, for example.

Journalists can learn other things from Ayed’s book as well, such as her use of Twitter to report on wars and protests in real-time. The book also serves as a warning of sorts, as the author relates how she got so caught up in her work that her physical and mental health suffered as a result.

Although Ayed does touch on her health issues, I think it would have been interesting to have more of the book devoted to that aspect. She is also fairly brief about her time at The Canadian Press and I would have appreciated a little more insight into what it is like working there.

The book affected me because of Ayed’s connection to Winnipeg; she grew up here for part of her childhood and returned here to go to university. I also one day aspire to become a foreign correspondent, so the stories that Ayed tells are of a personal and professional interest for me.

Kona Imperial Stout

This beer, from Fort Garry Brewing's Brewmaster series, has a browny-white head and a jet-black colour. It has a strong roasted coffee aroma, which is no surprise as it is brewed avec café. There’s a pronounced malt and coffee-flavoured taste, and the finish is smooth but mildly bitter. Recommended for stout lovers.

Half Pints Brewing will be releasing an Imperial Stout of its own, called “Le Temps Noir”, this Saturday at 9 a.m. at the brewery. Check out their blog for detailed information about the beer.

Twice as Mad Tom IPA

This beer, from Muskoka Brewing in Bracebridge, Ontario, is a double or Imperial IPA. Beer Advocate describes this style of beer as an India Pale Ale on steroids.

The head is light with an off-white colour. The beer itself is a slightly opaque orange when it is first poured, but turns clear once it’s been in the glass for a while.

Although my sense of smell was impaired a little from a cold, the strong citrus hop aroma was still quite noticeable. The taste is similarly citrusy and hoppy.

For someone who is familiar with double IPAs this beer is nothing out of the ordinary as far as robust mouthfeel and high alcohol content (8.4%) go. But for those who are IPA newbies I would suggest starting off with a less imposing, “regular” IPA, such as Half Pints’ Little Scrapper. Muskoka also brews a less strong version of this beer called Mad Tom IPA.

The Waiting Room

The contrast between the American health care system and the Canadian system is starkly depicted in the documentary The Waiting Room. 

The emergency room of the Highland Hospital in Oakland, California is the setting for the majority of the film. This is a public hospital and most of the patients shown in the movie have little or no insurance, are unemployed or underemployed, or have an addiction.

One of the main people depicted in The Waiting Room is a man in his thirties who has come to Highland after being referred there by another clinic. This man was diagnosed with testicular cancer and was about to undergo surgery at the previous facility, only to have been denied because he didn't have any medical insurance. 

If this man lived in Canada he would not have been denied this critical surgery. As it is stated on Health Canada's website, Canadians are entitled to "universal coverage for medically necessary health care services...on the basis of need, rather than the ability to pay." 

Just before he leaves the hospital this man and his partner discuss his financial options with one of the workers. As he stands outside in the hospital parking lot, the man and his girlfriend are at a loss at how to cover his medical costs.

The actual waiting of patients that’s shown in The Waiting Room gives us another contrast between the American and Canadian health care systems. While there is waiting in Canadian emergency rooms and doctor’s offices, we also have a Patient Wait Times Guarantee, which is an “offer of alternative care options (e.g., referral to another physician or health care facility) to patients whose wait times exceed a defined timeframe when medically necessary health services should be provided.” One man in the film had been waiting for three days to see a doctor after being shot in the leg; it’s very unlikely that something like this would occur in Canada.

The hospital staff who deal with the desperate patients are shown to be remarkably composed for the most part. One nurse in particular is candid and sometimes blunt with the patients that she sees. As she takes the blood pressure of a man, she scolds him for "cussing" at someone else in the hospital. When the man protests, the nurse will have none of it and continues to voice her case against the use of foul language.

A doctor who witnesses death for the first time (of a fifteen year-old boy) is unsure how to handle the aftermath when dealing with the police as well as the boy's family. Another more experienced doctor tells him of the need to inform the family in the clearest possible terms, and not to use any euphemisms like the boy has "gone to a better place", but that he has died or is dead.

The scene of the boy dying is particularly moving and "clinical" at the same time. The boy is wheeled into a room while the paramedics are administering CPR; after a couple of minutes it's determined that the boy has no pulse and he cannot be revived. Immediately, hospital workers record the time of death. We see the boy's motionless hand and then his foot and finally an information tag being attached around his ankle.

Much of the video was taken from directly behind someone's head. For example, when a doctor is entering into the operating room, the viewer is taken right along with him, and we see the scene from his perspective. Conversely, there were also close-ups or head shots of people, deftly depicting their emotions as they confront difficult and stressful situations. One instance is of a man trying, unsuccessfully, to get a discount on his pain medication.

The sound was fairly subtle and sombre in feel. And the music did not unnecessarily exaggerate  any of the emotional or dramatic scenes in the film.

Although The Waiting Room shows only one side of the American health care system (the one for the poor and uninsured), it does so objectively and with little judgment. The stories of the people who work at Highland Hospital, as well as the patients who pass through it are told literally through their own words, as there is no narrator in this documentary. People speak freely and we see them in a “natural” or real life setting, giving the film a feel of authenticity.

Sources: “Canada’s Health Care System,” www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/index-eng.php

“Canada’s Health Care System,” http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/system-regime/2011-hcs-sss/index-eng.php

 

Freedom of Speech

As many of you may have heard, Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane sparked some controversy last month when he tweeted a picture of himself holding stacks of cash on the balcony of his Las Vegas hotel room. 

Some people were upset at Kane for flaunting his money and chalked it up as another example of his immaturity. Kane, when asked about the picture, called it a joke and said that people shouldn't get worked up about something so trivial. 

I thought the tweet was pretty funny and not out of line with what a rich young kid (which is essentially what Kane is) would post online.

But it is a departure from what people expect out of professional hockey players in terms of their comments to the media (traditional media and social media). Clichés are the friend of hockey players, and athletes generally, when they deal with the press.  When someone veers out of clichéville, people take notice. And by people, I mean journalists.

A quote that is a non-cliché is a breath of fresh air to beat writers. In a recent column, Winnipeg Free Press sports writer Ed Tait lavished praise on Jets' coach Claude Noel, someone who can be counted on for a candid comment.

Brian Burke, ex-GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, always speaks his mind. In the news conference following his firing, Burke responded to a question from Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons, who he’d been on the outs with, with this remark: “That’s the best part about today, Steve, is that I probably don’t have ever have to talk to you again.”

Hall of Fame right winger Brett Hull never shied away from a media scrum in his playing days.

And Alex Ovechkin somewhat carries on the tradition of being one of the rare players who speak their minds. Admittedly, Ovechkin's charm comes partly from his weakness with the English language. One memorable quote came a few years ago after Ovechkin had snuck into an opposing team’s practice, which was being conducted by coach John Tortorella. When he was asked by the media what motivated his actions, Ovechkin responded, "Tortorella, pisses off."

Paddock Wood 606 IPA

Paddock Wood is a micro-brewery located in Saskatoon, SK. It brews a variety of beers; my favourite is the Czech Mate Pilsner.

The 606 IPA has a relatively crisp and clean mouth feel for this style of beer. It doesn’t have the intense citrus hop taste and piney scent that many IPAs are known for and that I prefer.

The beer is a touch on the “light” side, at least when put up against other pale ales that clock in at 6% ABV and above. But don’t mistake this for a beer lacking in robustness or complexity because it has plenty of both.

Lockout Shortened Season: A Good Thing?

The NHL season is set to start a week from today. By all accounts, the Winnipeg Jets will be hosting the Ottawa Senators at the MTS Centre on January 19th (the scheduled has not been officially released yet). There will be a 48 game schedule with no inter-conference games; in other words, the Jets will only play against other Eastern Conference teams.

Now, a lot of fans were very frustrated with the lengthy lockout and rightly so. It’s hard to be sympathetic toward millionaires and billionaires and their squabbles over money. But I’m thinking that this shortened season might not be such a bad thing after all.

The standard NHL season length of 82 games is too long. Now, some might say that 48 games is too short, but generally I’d rather have fewer games. It’s unlikely that the NHL will reduce the number of regular season games (in a typical year) purely due to economic reasons, but it would be ideal if they could find a middle ground of, say, 70 games.

A lot of casual hockey fans only really start to follow the NHL once the playoffs start in mid-April. (Last year was likely an exception for a lot of Winnipeggers as they had a true home team to cheer on for the first time in fifteen years, and every game seemed like a celebration of sorts.) But this year the playoffs will be here before we know it and each regular season game will seem much more important. In a normal NHL season, it’s conceivable that a team could go on a ten game losing streak but still bounce back to make the playoffs; the chances of that happening this year are virtually nil.

So, strap on your helmets, fans, this will be a wild race of a season. 

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.