August 25, 2011

Mmmmm Beeeeeerrrrrrrr

I think Homer Simpson said it best and I’m sure I’ve done my ancestors proud by quenching my thirst with a beer. Of course, I’m known to drink other tasty beverages, but there’s something about beer.  After your first sip (especially after a day of gardening or a tough day at work) it’s hard not to say ‘ahhh’. Even though beer snobbery seems to be hitting its all-time-high of late, I’ve always enjoyed beers from a nice micro-brewery. I fell in love with Creemore at 19! And with Muskoka at 22! I’m much older now and I guess I can say I was ahead of the times.

With gluten now being off limits, beer was one of those things that I missed a lot. Dare I say it; even more than bread! I’m far from a boozer and I know my limits, but I do enjoy a nice beer when the time is right. There are some gluten-free beers on the market and they can be hit and miss. There is Messagère from Quebec, but the yeasty flavour just doesn’t do it for me. Then there is New Grist, from Milwaukee, which is quite nice and with good flavour. But then I found Nickel Brook, from Burlington (ON). This beer is tops in my book.


It was quite lucky actually as the LCBO was out of New Grist the day of my visit. I saw the cans of Nickel Brook’s Gluten Free Beer and asked the clerk if he knew anything about it. He told me he hadn’t tasted it, but they sold a lot of it. That sold me!


This golden lager-style beer has a tone of flavour. You know it’s not true beer, but it tastes pretty close (Barvarian Purity Act stipulates that if it contains anything besides barley and hops, it can't be called beer). And that yeasty flavour? Non-existent. Being available only in cans, one may be concerned about a tinny taste that can be encountered, but not this one (Hmmmm, I wonder if the gluten affects it – or lack of in this case). These cans are filled to the brim, so my only warning is to be careful opening them. Actually, my second warning is not to overdo it (they’re that good).

Perfect for summer; sitting in the backyard; taking them to a BBQ. Now if only I can convince the pub I go to to carry it.

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