Vancouver Island Brewery - Gingerbread Ale???!?!

I have to say this does not make me want to drink the beer - I can not reconcile gingerbread and beer

Vancouver Island Brewery  NOVEMBER 19, 2012 Press Release! Dear Bernard,  Our Brewmaster has been hard at work baking some new ideas for a craft brew... Local brewery mixes brewing and baking to craft a Holiday Classic! When you think of the holidays and times spent with loved ones, sweets and treats seem to find their way into the picture. With that holiday inspiration in mind the brew crew at Vancouver Island Brewery set out to craft a beer that brings the best flavours of the season into a unique beer perfect for the holidays. Dough Head Gingerbread Ale is the result of combining the best of baking and brewing and the local brewery has brewed up a fresh limited release batch as part of its seasonal 650 mL bottle series. Crafted carefully, Dough Head Gingerbread Ale unites these two worlds into a handcrafted beer with a touch of ginger and spice that is balanced with a malty sweetness. "The holidays are times to be enjoyed and this beer is a feel good brew, crafted to bring a smile to your lips." stated Jim Dodds, General Manager at Vancouver Island Brewery. "We love brewing unique, flavourful beers and this gingerbread ale is a fine example of combining spice and malts perfectly balanced for a drinkable winter treat." The brewery is also hosting an open house and cask tasting event for Dough Head Gingerbread Ale on Saturday Nov 24th from noon - 6pm. This is a great opportunity for beer enthusiasts to come down, sample Dough Head Gingerbread Ale and go on a brewery tour to see how the local brewery crafts their beers. They will also have fresh Gingerbread Ale draught available in unique 1.9L glass Growlers at the brewery. Crafted in small batches there is a limited supply of bottles available at local beer stores and at Vancouver Island Brewery's on-site beer store. Flavour: Ginger and spice balanced with a pinch of sweetness Aroma: Spice, molasses and malt Colour: Gingerbread brown About Vancouver Island Brewery In 1984 Vancouver Island Brewery started with the mission of crafting local, all natural craft beers for Islanders to enjoy. Beginning with the careful selection of the finest quality ingredients, we use skill and patience to handcraft our family of ales and lagers in small batches. Our goal is to bring our passion for craft beer to the brewery each day and brew unique, flavourful beer for you to enjoy. Thanks for your time! I hope you enjoyed the update and can make it down to the brewery on Saturday, Nov. 24th for a tasting of Dough Head Gingerbread Ale. Sincerely, Adam Ball 250-361-0007 2330 Government Street Victoria, BC V8T 5G5 Vancouver Island Brewery Socialize with Us Find out what's going on at the brewery on Facebook and Twitter, and share your craft beer experience on Untappd. Join Our Mailing List

© Vancouver Island Brewery - 2012 vibrewery.com Save $2.00 VIB Brewery Tour Coupon must be printed and presented in person. $2.00 savings applies to the brewery tour fee of $10 which includes a branded VIB pint glass. Coupon is transferable so please share this offer with friends and family. For more brewery tour info please click  here.

Aaron Hall goes to Wannawafel

Aaron Hall is the host of Shaw TV's local foodie show Delicious and this time he checks out Wannawafel.

I have tried their waffles, my problem is that they are a style that does not appeal to me.  These are well made proper Belgian waffles, but they are simply too sweet for me.

Aaron Hall goes to Foo Food

Aaron Hall is the host of the Shaw TV program Delicious and this episode he goes to Foo Food.

This is a hard one for me to write because I know they are good but the experience for me has always been not quite right.   I put it down not to a problem on their part but really a frame of mind thing on my part.   I have either come there and it has been very busy and I was annoyed and a in a rush, which is not their fault. Or I went with someone else that wanted to go there and it was not what I wanted to eat.

Here is my horrid admission, I really am not a pad Thai fan, I can tell when they are good but something about them does not really work for me.  I think it comes down to the tamarind flavour, nothing else would seem to make sense.

Very cool is that they make use of the Health Nexxus Food Tracker app.

Saanich Food Roundtable November 20th 11am

Saanich Food Roundtable November 20, 2012 11:00am - 1:00pm District of Saanich, in the Annex 770 Vernon Ave Victoria, BC   Come to learn and share about emerging issues and actions in Saanich related to the Food System including: District of Saanich planner Jane Evans will update on planning and food related initiatives Sustainability Office Communities in Harvest vegetable growing contest set for 2013 Community Kitchens Network Coordinator, Diane Andiel Panama Flats, Gorge Community Gardens, Commonwealth Community Gardens, Food Scrap Recycling Program… Update on the Regional Food Policy, and the efforts to support land access for farmers in motion. This meeting is a roundtable format for networking and sharing information, please bring updates and any materials you would like to distribute.   RSVP to admin@communitycouncil.ca     Linda Geggie lgeggie@telus.net c-250-896-7004 Coordinator, Capital Region Foodand Agriculture Initiatives (CR-FAIR)

Aaron Hall goes to Street Level Espresso

Aaron Hall hosts another episode of Delicious on Shaw TV.   This time he is at Street Level Espresso.

Making bread at home

Some time back I found an interesting recipe for a crusty white bread so I thought I would try it.   I am stunned at how well it works and how forgiving it is.   The bread I get at the end of the process is better than most of the average breads I can buy in the stores and bakeries.

Here is my recipe:
Ingredients:

• 750 ml hot water 
• 10-12 grams of yeast
• 10-12 grams of salt
• 900 grams of flour, I have been using 600 grams whole wheat and 300 grams white

Instructions:

The oven set up I use

• Bloom the yeast in the water.
• Add the yeast and water to the flour and salt.  
• Stir till the flour is combined - this will be a wet bread dough.
• Do not knead the dough, just dump it in a bin to rise - if using your hands make them wet when handling the dough
• Let rise for 12 to 18 hours
• Punch down and divide into two loaves and let them rise for half an hour to an hour - use wet hands for this
• Heat your oven to 440ish Fahrenheit with two pizza stones and a bowl of water 
• Sprinkle a pizza peel with some cornmeal and then drop a loaf on the peel, push it into the oven, repeat for the other loaf  (If you do not have a pizza peel, I recommend buying one, they are only about $25 and we have found it important for anything we do on the pizza stones)
• Bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes.

Points to know

• A wetter dough tends to be better than a drier dough - I had some drier doughs that ended up dense
• An all white dough will be very light and fluffy
• Punching down and rising and then punching down and making loaves will give you more even holes

What I like about this recipe is:

• The bread is amazing
• The actual work time involved is short - maybe ten minutes of your time.  I can make the dough while having breakfast and bake the loaves after dinner.

The cost is about 35 cents a loaf.   In the store a similar bread will sell for $3 to $4.   At 8 loaves a week, I am about $25 ahead by making this bread.

Aaron Hall goes to Clive's Classic Lounge

Delicious is a TV series locally on Shaw which is hosted by Aaron Hall.   In this episode he checks out Clive's Classic Lounge.

I am a huge fan of the return of the cocktail culture, though with a bunch kids and other responsibilities in the community I really have not had the time to enjoy the lounges that there are in this town.  I am sad to say I only been for drinks at Clive's once and then I had a beer.....   What I saw of the atmosphere impressed me, what I know of the bartenders gives me confidence this is a good place for a drink.

Clive's is located in the Chateau Victoria which will be host to many of the events of the Art of the Cocktail October 13th-15th.

Clive's is named for local hotelier Clive Piercy.