Canadian Brew

I'm not a gourmet and I don't pretend to have the training or talent to properly describe the taste of things. I just go with what I like and hope I convey a little of it to you.

The Canadians love their beer. Molson's and Labatt's are the top two labels and statistically they tell me Labatt's sells more in Canada, but in the area I was in, Molson seemed to have the edge. Molson and Coors joined forces. Molson Canadian and Coors Light are somewhat ubiquitous in the Belleville/Trenton Ontario area. Of the two, Canadian, is the better. Coors Light is as tasteless as watered down kool-aid.

Molson also owns Rickards. Rickards is prety good, the Honey Brown Ale and the Red are tasty and usually available most places. OK, enough of the big guys, let's visit some places where you can get some real beer.

First on our tour today is a little brewery about 25 miles northwest of Belleville near Campbellford.

Church Key Brewing is in an old Church, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere.



These are pictures of the exterior. The church was built in 1878. Sometime in the late 90's, it was abandoned and in 2000, John Graham turned it into a microbrewery.



Here are the two fermentation vats inside the brewery. The other is Ryan, en employee, and he is kegging some Holy Smoke




A picture of John I stole off the web. I met John on one of my several trips to his Brewery. He is a big affable man who is dedicated to his craft and interestingly, to doing it as "green" as possible.

Here are the Beers I've tasted:

Holy Smoke Scotch Ale: This is an unbelievably smooth and refreshing dark ale. It leaves you with a hint of smokiness that goes so well with ribs or steaks. Undoubtedly, it is my favorite Church-Key Brew.

North Umberland Ale: This ale is also really refreshing. It has a bright crisp citrusy finish and great with Fish and chicken. My second favorite CK Beer.

West Coast Pale Ale: This Pale Ale is loaded with hops! Lovers of bitter ales will really like this one. I like it, but It is on the bitter side.

Cranberry Maple Wheat: It's a seasonal brew, mostly in the spring when the sap is running. It is has a sweet maple taste and finishes just a little tart from the cranberries.

Lactese Falcon: To be honest, it must take a real special pallet to enjoy this stuff or even finish a bottle. My friends and I called it Yak-tese Falcon because much more than a sip and we were ready to..um...er...well...yak! It tastes somewhere between sour milk, bad cheese and dirty feet.

Our next destination takes us in the other direction. Again, it's about a half hour ride, but this time, we are headed south into Prince Edward County to Barley Days Brewery.



As you can see, this is a bit larger operation.

Here's my take on the two that I tried:

Harvest Gold Pale Ale: Good Crisp and refreshing. Medium hops give it just the right bitterness. A good Pale Ale.

Wind and Sail Dark Ale: This is a really good dark ale. The roasted barley taste really comes through. One of my favorites and my favorite of the Barley Days offerings.

The Kingston Brewing Company is a great old brew pub in downtown Kingston, about an hour east of Belleville.


This is a picture of the bar in side. I tried two of the pub's offerings.

First was their Dragon's Breath Real Ale: It was drawn from an old fashioned beer engine and it instantly became my all time favorite ale. Nutty, malty, goodness in a glass!

The other was a cream ale (I forget the name). It was smooth and creamy as most nitrogen conditioned brews usually are, but this had a slightly crisp flavor that made it really refreshing!

The last brewery on our tour is Cameron's in Oakville , about 20 miles south east of Toronto. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take any pictures as my camera was packed away, but I did sample their Auburn Ale. This was also an instant favorite. Refreshing with a nice clean bite on the finish. Worth finding and trying!

There you have it, those are the microbreweries that I visited. In talking to my Canadian Friends, they seemed to indicate that they really don't have the wealth of micro and small breweries we enjoy here in the US. What they lack in quantity, they certainly don't lose in quality.

Time to head for Engine House #9!!

VW

Follow up on the Mother’s Day Breakfast

The Community Council extends our heart felt THANK YOU! to all who came for the breakfast! We had the honor of making breakfast for about 120 people and were delighted with the turnout. Probably 25% or more who attended were young children. There were children inside and also children playing in the back recreation area. I did not hear one child (or adult, for that matter) raise their voice the entire time. The event proceeded without a problem or even a dropped plate.

Thanks also to the council members and to many others who not only selflessly volunteered to help, but who worked hard the entire time. Thanks also to those who made generous contributions and to all who helped make this event a success.

From my perspective in the kitchen, it was the 2nd time I've worked in a production kitchen, and it pleasure to meet and talk with many of the neighbors. I never realized it before joining the Council, but volunteering for community activities is a very enjoyable way to spend part of a day.

Based on the success of this event, the Council will hold future food related events. Check back for information or see the Calendar and the Upcoming Events sections of the http://www.explore-greenwater.com/ web site for information.

Nothing says summer quite like a poinsettia

For years while we were in the floral design business, we kept our shop open and offered delivery on holidays when most others were closed. We didn't decorate our own tree until after business hours had ended on Christmas Eve. Even in the years since then, we still don't decorate or put a tree up at home until Christmas Eve. That has become our tradition. Likewise, we don't take the decorations down when most other people do either. We like to enjoy them throughout the winter doldrums easily to the end of January and sometimes beyond.

Now with just a little over six months until Christmas and 2009, our beautiful, poinsettia is still flourishing (photo above was taken today); sometimes we have successfully kept them going and growing for years, while others toss them in the dumpster the day after Christmas.

Temperatures are forecast in the 80s and 90s in Western Washington over the next day or two. Here's hoping our gorgeous poinsettia can survive the heatwave.

Nothing says summer quite like a radiant poinsettia in full bloom...

Portraits And Poetry At Tacoma's Impromptu Gallery

Above: Tacoma artist Becky Frehse (left) poses with friend and collaborator Judith van Praag of Seattle (right) and her canine companion, in front of their joint installation at Tacoma's Impromptu Gallery last night during the Tacoma Third Thursday Art Walk. Photo copyright 2008 by Mizu Sugimura.

By the end of the afternoon yesterday the good weather the television forecaster's promised for May's Third Thursday Art Walk in Tacoma had most definitely arrived and light filled the space occupied by the Impromptu Gallery at 608 Fawcett, which bills itself as a contemporary cooperative.

My art minded girlfriend from Federal Way and I once again headed toward the same little oasis of culture that I described in my TNT posting of last month. The reward we get for saving the date is easily becoming a regular habit, and this won't be the last third Thursday that we'll be spending in the South Sound destination that aptly declares itself to be the place where art and nature meet!

Among the featured artists whose work was displayed at the gallery last night included Tacoma's Becky Frehse whose portraits occupied a section of the gallery walls with descriptive poetry written by her friend and collaborator Judith van Praag of Seattle.

Other cooperative members listed at the gallery's online website include: Bill Colby, Bea Geller, Trinda Love, Dorothy McCuistion, Dane Gregory Meyer, Susan Paredes, LeeAnn Perry, Betty Sapp Ragan and Chip Van Gilder.

General viewing hours are from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Thursday - Saturday. More information on the current show can be obtained by calling (253) 572-9232 or at this link.

No special words. Just pictures.

The end.

If These Walls Could Talk

I attended a networking event held tonight at The Commencement; a large condominium project being built in the tiny Town of Ruston. Their showroom is located inside the former Ruston School building. As a historian myself I always think first of the history and the lives a building such as this has touched over the years. Walking through the front door and as I reached the top of the stairs I saw a few historic photos of Ruston School and Point Defiance Park along with a brief history of ASARCO and Mr. William Rust, my favorite gentleman in Tacoma’s history. As I walked forward into the showroom everything else was new. New tile, new paint, new furnishings; all to entice you to buy one of their shiny new condominiums. My mind still wandered to the historic side of the building. If these walls could talk what would they say? How many children cried on their first day of school here? How many children met life long friends here? Who started a teaching career here? Who forgot their lunchbox at home? Who laughed? Who felt pain? What would Mr. Rust say about Ruston today if he were alive? In the celebration of handshaking and business card exchange my mind could not stray from the many questions I want to ask the walls, only if they could talk.

You don't know who attends school with your child.

How can schools to protect the rights of their mentally ill students while simultaneously ensuring the safety of the staff and the rest of the student body? As the parent of a special needs offspring I am sensitive to the need of appropriate education in the least restrictive environment for all students, but at what point should a school, district, community draw the line when servicing a student who is mentally ill? If a student has indicated an interest in doing bodily harm to others, but has a learning disability, should the school chalk it up to bravado or accept an evaluation from a psychiatrist? What if that student has access to weapons?

Eric Harris wrote in his journal six months before he and Dylan Klebold rampaged at Columbine High School, "I have a goal to destroy as much as possible, and I must not be sidetracked by my feelings of sympathy, mercy or any of that." What, if anything could/would have school authorities done had that journal been read in school? One would hope that fifteen lives might have been saved on April 20, 1999. What have we learned since then? Will “Compassion Crews” and Rachel’s Challenge assemblies prevent another Columbine?

It is a fine line that public schools walk to maintain students’ rights to an appropriate education, confidentiality, and the safety of others. Due to privacy laws regulating the disclosure of sensitive personal information, school officials may only notify campus authorities or family members if they can with certainty conclude that a student poses a threat to him/herself or others. Parents of other students and other staff members are left in the dark while those in charge are left to hope. Unfortunately, the point at which violence becomes a real possibility is difficult to estimate. Faculty may often be forced to make a choice between either overstepping their roles as counselors and guardians due to a desire to protect students or by backing away from the issue in order to protect the rights of the ill student.

I have long felt that the law regarding who is fit for general education in public schools is too broad. I would not wish to refill all the institutions that were emptied in the 1970s, but in our rush to create “least restrictive environments” for citizens have we thrown the baby out with the bath water. There are only seventeen beds for mentally ill children at Western State and some few more at Fairfax Hospital in Kirkland and yet the proliferation of drugs in or society coupled with other environmental factors means that increasingly there are students in public schools who need help that outstrips the expertise of the school districts.

All students deserve an appropriate education, but do we not owe it to ill students to demand that their illness be addressed so that they are in a better position to take advantage of the offered education and prevent a disaster at school? What as a community do we want our public school communities to look like? How do we prevent another Columbine or Virginia Tech incident? With whom do your students spend six hours a day?