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The Gose-t of Summer Yet to Come...[edited] A Ghost of German Wheat Yet to Come

This past weekend I found myself at Bar Volo; where I happened to try their new House Ales Gose--well, kind of Gose; a Gose, but not your grandmothers Gose. The House Ales "Lifestyle" as they have named it, is a German style Gose, but with a funky innovative twist. It it salty? Yes. Is it sweet? Yes. Does it taste like pineapple? Yes. Therein comes the funk. While most of us assume funk with a lambic beer, House Ales has gone and done it again by taking the traditional and turning it upside down on its head. It is tangy, tart, and wild tasting but with a distinct pineapple like flavour. It is the kind of beer I envision myself drinking in July, on a beach, maybe in California. It is the kind of beer I want to have pulled pork with. It is the kind of beer that makes me think of short shorts, and shorter tops. It is sweet, salty, sour, and all kinds of summer approved funk. 

Hop lovers be forewarned this is not a beer for you. Those craving a bit of adventure, maybe just swap this in and see where the night takes you. It might still take you nowhere, but maybe it will take you like it took me to a place with nachos, mango salsa, shrimp, and tiki torches. A little place I like to call summer. 

*correction notice: Bar Volo has reclassified this brew as a German wheat beer with salt and coriander--an odd move, if anyone has an insight to the reclassification I would love to know the logic behind. No harm though, I mean a gose is a kind of German wheat beer, but not all German wheat beers are gose*

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Peche Day 2015 at Bar Volo

Yesterday was Peche Day. Celebrated at the Dieu Du Ciel Brasserie and Bar Volo. On tap were 4 takes on the classic Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel--technically, 3 variations and the OG. 

U- Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel Veniel--the lighter cousin of the OG. Coming in at 6%; it is definitely an easier drink but not at the expense of flavour. With the profile of a classic stout, the notes of cinnamon and mocha were more prevalent as the alcohol did not impart too much fiery bitterness. Despite being a stout, it had the potential for an excellent summer drink on par with an iced coffee or iced americano mores than a winter brew.  

V- Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel Bourbon--if the Veniel was the lighter cousin, the Mortel Bourbon was the fiery redhead that visits once a year after some crazy adventure. Vibrant, but smokey. Fiery and smouldering. With heavy flavours of cinnamon, molasses, leather, oak, and all of the other things that make a bourbon sexy embodied in a wonderfully full dessert-like beer without all of the sugary sweetness. It was the quintessential beer on a cold day. It is the beer a woman drinks on a first date to make a statement (or in my case, the beer a married woman drinks to make her husband laugh--sorry, but I love bourbon). 

W- Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel OG--the one, the only, the true Original Gangsta. The superstar of the show. The inspiration and the humble beginnings to something great. Think of your favourite espresso, and add a wickedly delicious stout to fill the capacity of an Americano. It is always a pleasure.

X- Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel 2015 Special Saison--personally, it was second to the Mortel Bourbon, but nevertheless a special variation of the OG to mark Peche Day. It was almost identical, but with a stronger flavour of molasses and honey. Not quite bourbon notes, but almost sweetened espresso. It had a flavour profile of an excellent shot of espresso pulled over a shot of fresh Prince Edward County Lavender Honey and then topped with an excellent stout beer to fill the capacity of an Americano. It had an nice earthy aroma, but it was light enough to make an excellent summer drink along with being a great warmer on a winter day. It is a beer I hope the folks at Bar Volo saved a special cask of to pull out once more for 2015 to just let some of us regulars go back to the last day of February 2015, after a 4 week long ice cold spell, on a sunny day that warmed the city, and brought us out of hibernation to get excited once more about beer in Toronto. 

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Beer. The mere thought of it conjures up ideas of a man in a bar ordering a cold pint of his favourite brew, rugged, grizzly, bearded, flannel shirted, manly. But beer is no longer reserved for men or for anything of the ilk. I created this blog with the intent of introducing the female beer drinker. While there are others before me who paved the way, they are women swimming in an ocean of men; playing against an old boys club of sorts. Well no more. Say hello to ladies lounge of beer, brews, and booze. 

This blog is not just about showing different kinds of beers and acting all hoity toity. Beer is a drink of the common man. It is a drink that at its worst is still good, and at its best is earth shaking. This blog isn't about reinventing the wheel. It isn't about being better. It is about beer. Sometimes just about booze. Sometimes about wine. Sometimes it is about food. Hopefully, you, likely a female reader, will stumble upon this corner and find something you like. Maybe you won't, and that is okay too, but I really hope you enjoy your stay. 

Maybe I will introduce you to a slice of Canadiana. Maybe you will try a new beer. Maybe you will just look at pictures of wicked pizza. Either way, welcome to my corner, where beer is the drink of choice for us women. 

Thanks

F*** it, lets go for beer. 

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#bust #granta #worn #beer #hogtown