Montgolfiere Weekly

By Pat Rich

Recently I was contemplating Hegel and the end of history, something I had not done since my university days. This was prompted not by existential angst but by a recent article in The Globe and Mail – and not one of the profound musings of Margaret Wente, but rather a piece in the Living section.

The article described how a small microbrewery in Seaforth, Ontario — Half Hours on Earth Brewery (the name itself evidently taken from the lyrics of a now-defunct New York rock band) — has turned to music lyrics to name its beers. Continue reading “Phänomenologie des Kraftbiers” →

by Pat Rich

We were sitting with friends at the Aberdeen Pavilion in Lansdowne Park in Ottawa a few weeks ago enjoying the St. Patrick’s Day festivities with music, food and, most important, at least 12 different varieties of draft beer supplied by Beau’s Brewery, the well-established Vankleek Hill microbrewery.

The event had been sold out for weeks and mirrored the success Beau’s has had with its Oktoberfest event held for the past 7 years at the Vankleek Hill Fairgrounds. Beau’s also sponsored the St. Patrick’s Day parade that preceded the Lansdowne Park event. A spokesman for the brewery was quoted as saying the celebrations aimed to have “a more traditional, cultural focus. We want this to be a cultural celebration.” Continue reading “The new beer culture” →