The Ceili Cottage

An eagerly awaited newcomer to the Toronto pub scene. This truly is as close to a pub in Ireland as you’ll get outside the Emerald Isle. From the 2 million year old bar made from granite from Ireland, to the oyster shells embedded in the concrete on the patio, this truly is a taste of home for me. The owner Patrick McMurray has done a fine job of this place, the food is all made in house (even the sausages!) and they have fresh oysters from Canada and Ireland.

There are 12 taps, 4 Irish and the rest are rotating Ontario brews and a real ale cask. The staff are a fantastic bunch and certainly always friendly and willing to help. There’s different events each evening from live Irish trad music sessions, match making evenings to shuck your own oyster nights. This has become my favourite pub in Toronto by far and is a home away from home, right down to the Irish turf burner that scents the place evoking memories of home. This is a must visit in Toronto.

www.ceilicottage.com

Stop - Pumpkin time!

It's probably my favourite beer time of year - yes, Pumpkin Ale time. Right now as I type this I'm having a Wolavers Will Stevens Pumpkin Ale.

It's certainly not my favourite pumpkin ale but it really is a delicious example of what a pumpkin ale can be.

My rating is as follows:

Appearance: Golden Orange, no visible carbonation, small off white spiderweb head. Aroma: Pumpkin spice, cinnamon, malt, yeast, orange peel and bread. Aroma: Bitter orange peel, malt, spice, cinnamon, it’s a strange balance between orange peel and malt. It works, but just barely.

Aroma: 6
Appearance: 3
Flavour: 6
Palate: 3
Overall: 14

Score out of 5 is 3.2

Beer of the month - August

It has to be Black Oak Summer Saison. I must say, I allowed the Toronto Ratebeer lads whip me up into a frenzied state about its pending release. I didn't get around to having it for a couple of weeks so I had to put up with hearing the guys raving about it...

So, I finally got around to having it at The Rhino , I was seated at their patio and was chuffed when the server told me they had it... so, it arrived: Looked in order but smelled very odd, lots of caramel and wet paper, lots of skunk... then the taste - caramel, caramel, caramel.... butter and caramel again... I left disappointed and confronted the lads.. they all came to the defence of the Summer Saison.

Anyhow, zip forward a week and I was in one of Toronto's finest beer establishments Bar Volo and saw that they had it on tap. I ordered a pint. What a different beast it was. Superb. Just a perfect summer beer.

Aroma 7
Appearance 4
Flavour 7
Palate 4
Overall 16

Total 3.8 out of 5

Kudos to Ken and the staff at Black Oak, this is a cracker of a brew.


Pic stolen from my pals at www.tasteto.com

Beer of the month - July

Yeah, yeah - I'm a couple of months late on this one *blush*

This months beer of the month is Creemore Springs Kellerbier, much like Greg Clow over at tasteTO it's also only my second Kellerbier...

I was sorry to miss the launch party at Victory Cafe a little while ago, so I was very glad to grab a 6 pack from the LCBO today..

Here's my notes and scores

Appearance: Pinkish orange with a small off white head and good visible carbonation. Aroma: Slight perfume, some grassy hops, malt, some light lemon peel and grain. Flavour: Initially malt, nice grassy hops (as opposed to the grassy hops that I personally dislike) a good creaminess to the body with a sweet hop finish, the more I’m drinking it - the better it’s getting. Good work Creemore, a solid brew. Oh - refreshing too!

Aroma 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavour: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 17/20

Total score: 3.9 out of a possible 5

Beer of the month

My beer of the month for April is most definitely Brooklyn Black Ops:

With thanks to HogTownHarry for picking this up in Buffalo for me! Appearance: A lovely used motor oil body with nice thick creamy brown head. Aroma: Chocolate-peat, bourbon, leather, vanilla, lots of malt, alcohol, yeast, some almost strawberry notes with a nice hint of whiskey in the finish of the aroma. Flavour: Tremendous, lots of oak, smoke, bitter chocolate, with burnt malt and coffee. There’s some alcohol but it’s not overpowering, thin but somehow creamy body with nice tingly carbonation on the tip of the tongue and a very long malt-whiskey-chocolate finish. Just superb.

Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 9/10
Flavour: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall impression: 18/20

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/brooklyn-black-ops/82103/30639/

Six Nations - Grand Slam

I can't recall the last time, if ever, a radio broadcast made me cry. Well today it happened. Congratulations Ireland - you made us proud, from Dublin to Cardiff to Casablanca then Toronto. You've lifted the spirit of the nation in a time of horrible uncertainty.

The Spring

Today was finally above freezing. I left work and it was 10c there was a slight breeze in my face. I flashed back to Dublin at the end of the summer. I suddenly missed the sights and sounds of home. The smell of the trees as I walked to the shops. The friendly nod of the odd passer by I knew. The familiar sights and sounds of the main street in my town. The bellows of laughter and chat coming from the pubs.

Immediately I was back in Toronto. I could see the city in the distance, it beckoned me. It screamed of a new home, a new place. Nothing will replace Ireland but my God, Toronto takes a good crack at it. I gladly got on the streetcar and made my way home.

Sometimes happiness comes from the simplest of things, today it came from the wind.