Beverages and Blades - Traditional of Course

I found this photo from a trip to Montreal a few months ago. I brought my new 14 with me for the weekend.
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btb01 said:
David, that looks like a nice place, although noticeably more modern than the pubs you usually share with us. :D
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Aye it's not a traditional pub, but the place it's in is old. It's in two 150 year oldish railway arches under a railway viaduct that the pub owners leased off the Network Rail, the organisation that owns the railway infrastructure over here.
 
Prester John said:
I'd try it. I KNOW I like the blade and the stogie.
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jwb01 said:
Excellent! Not sure about “hopped whiskey” I’ll have to try it, but Monty Whites are definitely one of my favorites. And the jigged bone on that lambsfoot is exquisite!
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The whiskey is different but remarkably good (and this is coming from someone who does not generally like infused whiskies). I don't think I would drink it every day but it is certainly something I wouldn't mind keeping around.

The Monte White was a very pleasant and welcome change. I smoke a lot of full flavored/bodied cigars and I had one the other night that gave me one heck of a buzz. I figured I would dial it back a little with the Monte and I probably will have another one this evening or something similar.

Thanks for the compliments on the blade, fellas, Glennbad did an exceptional job on it.
 
donn said:
Aye it's not a traditional pub, but the place it's in is old. It's in two 150 year oldish railway arches under a railway viaduct that the pub owners leased off the Network Rail, the organisation that owns the railway infrastructure over here.
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Very cool, David! :thumbsup: The story behind it reminds me a bit of the Sheffield Tap.
 
Prester John said:
Beautiful pics.
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Thanks PJ.:)

Pàdruig said:
The whiskey is different but remarkably good (and this is coming from someone who does not generally like infused whiskies). I don't think I would drink it every day but it is certainly something I wouldn't mind keeping around.

The Monte White was a very pleasant and welcome change. I smoke a lot of full flavored/bodied cigars and I had one the other night that gave me one heck of a buzz. I figured I would dial it back a little with the Monte and I probably will have another one this evening or something similar.

Thanks for the compliments on the blade, fellas, Glennbad did an exceptional job on it.
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Thanks for the rundown Dylan. Great to see that restored horn Lambsfoot better than ever. Beautiful work by Glennbad.

That hopped whiskey you’ve been sampling reminded me of an unusual whisky fortified Imperial Stout brewed and aged locally I tried this past winter.

That prompted me to take a couple of pics of some of the standouts, for those of you who enjoy a good stout (and so I can get rid of the old bottles ;):rolleyes:).

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Some of the runners up (L to R):

The Red Hill Brewery on the Mornington Peninsula grow their own hops. I’d describe this as a really nice, solid Imperial Stout.

The Epic Imperial Stout comes from New Zealand. Again, I’d say it was a decent drop, without anything to really bring me back to it again.

meako meako , I got the Wayward Brewing St. Basil’s Imperial Stout, after remembering your bus trip there a little while back. A good stout, without being particularly memorable.

The Fat Santa I probably drank at the wrong time, as the weather was getting hotter - it has vanilla beans and Tonka beans in it, and is barrel aged. This one was a very fine drop, but be warned - it’s like drinking a liquified Christmas pudding, so it’s not quite a session beer!

Now these next ones are all highly recommended - probably among the very best stouts I’ve tasted.
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I included the Founders Breakfast Stout, as not only is it a great stout, but it’s probably a familiar reference point for most of you.

All of the other stouts in this pic, I would say are even better than the Founders.

The Boatrocker Oatmeal Oyster stout is an absolutely stellar rendition of what might have been a common working persons food and drink combo in parts of 18th century England. I understand the Kiwis were actually the first to combine the two in one beverage, rather than just using crushed oyster shells as finings to reduce cloudiness. The head brewer at Boatrocker tells me they put 12 kilos/26 pounds of primo South Australian oysters, shells and all, into each 1300 litre/343 gallon batch. It’s not in any way ‘fishy’ tasting, and the sharp and fresh tasting, slightly briny flavour is a great combo with the more familiar dark, roasted malty layers.

The Boatrocker Dramjet is the one I was thinking of in relation to that hoppy whiskey. This is a kind of hybrid style, I haven’t experienced before. It’s a whisky barrel aged Imperial Stout, which is fortified with more whisky, and is completely still - no carbonation at all. It’s 18% abv, so it’s probably best enjoyed in a similar pour volume to a glass of good port. It has a velvety smooth dark, rich flavour, with a very strong, warming finish and is unlike anything I’ve tried. It comes with a cork too, so it can be recorked and enjoyed over several sittings.

The last two are the best of the bunch.

The Bright Brewery Stubborn Russian, from the Victorian Alps is an Imperial, with 10 litres of drip brewed coffee and a bunch of cocoa nibs added to each 1000 litre batch. Every sip is a pleasure to be slowly savoured - this one is like a grown up’s chocolate mocha milkshake with 12% abv.

Lastly, everything that comes out of the Hargreaves Hill Brewery in the Yarra Valley is among the best of its class IMO, no matter what style they do. Both the husband and wife owners are orchestral musicians by trade, and they seem to bring that understanding of complex nuance and harmony and balance to their brews - and never make the mistake of overstating any element of flavour at the expense of any other. This doesn’t have any external flavouring in it - it’s just a classic 12% abv Imperial Stout and an absolute pleasure to slowly enjoy. This is a lovely capper to a cold evening.
 
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meako said:
Great reviews Chin.
yep Wayward is a top spot to visit and spend a "couple of hours" if you're ever in Sydney.
Cheers.
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Cheers Meako, yep I'll definitely drop by and sample a bevvy or two the next time I'm up that way.:thumbsup::cool:

Ha, you're probably the only Porch person who'll see most of those local stouts, and I daresay you probably don't get much stout drinking weather up there, even in winter!:D;):)

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A Colombian Maragogype coffee, out in the garden.
 
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Anyway, stout drinkin’ weather’s long gone here.;):) Enjoying a crisp, fresh, locally brewed Gose by Hargreaves Hill:cool: as a ‘sundowner’ to a baking hot 42c/108f degree day, with an old friend and a new one visiting from the US;):

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