A few weeks ago I gave a guided beer tasting for members of the Toronto Food Policy Council.  And I’m happy to report that the mission was accomplished – my friend and Indian chef extraordinaire Preena Chauhan turned from a into an occasional beer sipper into a  craft beer connoisseur!

Check out her blog, it will certainly spice up your day.

*****

Tasting Notes from a Amateur Beer Drinker

By Preena Chauhan, in A Teaspoon of Tumeric

July 22nd, 2011

Yesterday may have possibly been Toronto’s hottest day ever, surpassing 38 degrees Celsius, feeling more like 49 degrees with humidity. Meteorologists said this was due to a “heat dome” in the atmosphere that seals in heat to create oven-like temperatures.

Thank goodness for my Garam Masala Green Goodness Water! This is coming in handy for this very hot and sticky week!

No doubt water is the best thirst quencher, however many would argue nothing beats the heat on the hottest day of the year better than a nice, icy “cold one”. I’m talking about beer of course!

Coming from an amateur beer drinker, I’m in agreement it was a great day to have a beer—even though I’ve been known to order up a large beer, socialize the night away with warm beer in hand only taking one or two sips (at best) at the darn thing!

That all changed last week when I attended a craft beer tasting led by Tracy Phillippi, beer judge and fellow member of the Toronto Food Policy Council, where I was introduced to some amazing local brews.

Our Ontario craft beer flight included the following beers, which were all very good:

1)      Creemore Kellerbier ~ An unfiltered, hopped lager with a hint of citrus and spice. With a slightly bitter aftertaste, this beer was extremely refreshing with apricot and pumpkin aromas.

2)      Amsterdam Oranje Weisss ~ A pale, spicy and fruity wheat-based ale. With its cloudy haze this gold-winning beer is unfiltered and infused with orange citrus and spices such as anise and coriander. Easy on the palette, this beer was likeable and friendly, an easy sipper on a hot night.

3)      Black Creek India Pale Ale ~ A hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale.

4)      Hockley Stout~ A full-bodied dark, bitter creamy ale with vanilla, coffee and smoky notes.

Amsterdam’s Oranje Weisss was the crowd’s favourite. I personally favoured the Hockley Stout as it was surprisingly pleasant and caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting it to be that good, especially paired with Choco Sol’s chocolate!

Tracy’s breadth of knowledge on beer styles, history and brewing methods was informative, interesting and animated and her love for the beverage itself was enough to rub onto even the most amateur of beer drinkers—like me!

To read more of Preena’s blog, check out her website! Don’t forget to let me know how your Ontario craft beer pairs with Indian food…