CheapEats Ottawa restaurant guide blog

Follow the Tractor: A Road-Trip to Beau's All Natural Brewing Co.

A few weekends ago we headed off on a quick trip to Montreal from Ottawa to run some errands. Or so we thought...

What was supposed to be a quick little drive to Montreal and back turned into a bit of a meandering road trip, complete with a stop at the Fromagerie St. Albert (they even have a cheese curd jingle!), followed by one of my new favourite places, Beau's All Natural Brewing Company in Vankleek Hill, ON. Some of you might remember Beau's from the CEOT v2 launch party back in February - they provided party-goers with fresh cold pints of their Lug Tread Lagered Ale, and good times were had by all!

As a consumer, it's so very easy to distance yourself from the process of how the things you buy (including food and drink) actually become things - this was a great chance to see the process of making beer first-hand and understand how much time, effort and love (and science!) goes into that pint you just poured for yourself. So it was great to not only be able to pick up some Beau's Beer directly from where it's made, but also to get a guided tour of how Beau's becomes Beau's, from the giant tanks for brewing to the (very) cold room, to the delicate "beer gun" process of filling each and every bottle they ship!

We got to try Lug Tread at it's varying stages of brewing - as "green beer" (not the Irish kind!) that was just a few days into the brewing process, beer that was much further along, and the delightful finished product. Our tour guide, Steve, who is one of the driving forces behind Beau's (along with his mom & dad, sister, brother, and all kinds of other friendly faces) walked us through the entire process. This place is definitely a family affair, and well worth a visit on a sunny Saturday (or any other) afternoon. And it doesn't hurt that you can pick up any of their brews there, including Lug Tread or Bog Water (and rumour has it, since they're now the Official Beer of the Ottawa Jazz Festival, there's a new beer in the works as well!).

Beau's All Natural Brewing Co.
#10 Terry Fox Drive (you can't miss the giant sign!)
Vankleek Hill, ON
www.beaus.ca

Quick Notes

• QofW: What's your favourite patio spot for a sunny Friday afternoon?
• CheapEats On Sale 'til May 14th.: Buy a copy of CheapEats online at plethorapress.myshopify.com by Ma.. tinyurl.com/65enox
• DiRienzo's - Photo of the Week: 200609_09_05 - DiRienzo's Originally uploaded by MyUtopian. The CheapEats Ph.. tinyurl.com/6e9rqm

Automatically posted from the CheapEats Ottawa twitterfeed - www.twitter.com/ceot by LoudTwitter

DiRienzo's - Photo of the Week

200609_09_05 - DiRienzo's
Originally uploaded by MyUtopian.

The CheapEats Photo of the Week is 200609_09_05 - DiRienzo's taken by MyUtopian.

No matter how many times I see it, I still love this photo.

It came into my radar when I heard about last year's Di Rienzo's Sandwich Appreciation Day - May 12. I wonder if there will be another one this year. Anyone? Anyone?

 

Add your own photo to the CheapEats Ottawa Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week.

Technorati Tags: dirienzo's, myutopian, photo of the week

CheapEats On Sale 'til May 14th.

Buy a copy of CheapEats online at http://plethorapress.myshopify.com by May 14, using the discount code "cheapeater" & you'll get

25% off & FREE CDN shipping

That means CETO for $9.41 or a CEOT for $10.19, or both for under $20 including shipping.

Just go to http://plethorapress.myshopify.com 
On checkout enter the code: cheapeater

VVL Release Saturday May 10, 2008

Hello Everyone!

Well Vintages is at it again – showcasing pinot noir in this Saturday's release. This is hit & miss grape at the value-end of the spectrum. We tasted ~ 20 pinots from different regions around the world. Of course, we loved the $40 Burgundian – but not enough for it to merit mention on this list. Consequently there is nary a pinot to be seen on the list. If you are pinot fans – we recommend that you visit the nearest Vintages to get a recommendation from a Product Consultant.

SPARKLING WINES

616441 Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catharine Brut (VQA Ontario) $29.95

This is a fantastic sparkling wine rivalling those hailing from Champagne. Toast, apple and citrus highlight this very dry fizz. Grab a dozen oysters and a bottle and you are set!

Ontario Brewing Awards Winners

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to sit in on the 5th annual Ontario Brewing Awards and sample some of the Gold Medal winners. 

57 brands of Ontario brews were submitted for judging across 15 different categories.  The big winners were Mill Street Brewery walking away with 3 Golds, 3 Silvers and 1 People's Choice.  Close behind were Brick and Great Lakes Breweries with 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and 2 People's Choice each.  The People's Choice favourite was Nickel Brook with 3 People's Choice and 2 Silver Medals.

The awards, which caused some brew-ha-ha last year, were judged this year by a panel of beer experts and some regular beer drinking folks.  The Gold and Silver Medals were based on the expert tastings and the People's Choice were based on the whole panels input.  

As soon as the photo above hit Flickr, comments started coming in on the winners:

• Adam said "Hockley Stout? Gotta try that... the dark is already almost a stout."
• Raj said the Belgian Wit is "Good for the patio"
• Arieh added a note to Cameron's Auburn, "The Auburn is my favourite"

Which are you favourites? Any surprises on the list?

Keep reading for the full list of Gold, Silver and People's Choice Winners.  

Quick Notes

• Hitting the Ontario Brewing Awards this afternoon. Let's hope last year's judging brew-ha-ha was a one time deal.

Automatically posted from the CheapEats Ottawa twitterfeed - www.twitter.com/ceot by LoudTwitter

Quick Notes

• Just got a Cheaper Coffee tip from an S*bucks Barista: Want a Mocha? Order a latte, pay with an S*bucks card, get your mocha syrup free.
• Are you doing anything for Cinco de Mayo?

Automatically posted from the CheapEats Ottawa twitterfeed - www.twitter.com/ceot by LoudTwitter

Photo of the Week by swingoutoftown

DSC_05313443 by swingoutoftown.

The CheapEats Photo of the Week is DSC_05313443 taken by swingoutoftown.

swingoutoftown may not remember the name of this roll, but they took an amazing shot of it. Thanks for sharing!

Add your own photo to the CheapEats Ottawa Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week.

Here's what swingoutoftown said when uploading DSC_05313443 to the CheapEats Flickr Group

"MHK Sushi & Asian Fusion: sorry don't remember the name of the roll but it was yummy"

 

Technorati Tags: mhk sushi, swingoutoftown, ceotv2, cheapeats ottawa, photo of the week, photo, ottawa, food

Value List Release Saturday April 26, 2008

We took a wee hiatus from the tasting room due to overriding commitments.  If you checked www.ceotblog.com, there were a few notes for last week’s release provided by our colleague – David Beauroy – a man with an extraordinary palate!  We are back at the tasting trough with smiles on our faces after tasting the offerings in the Saturday’s release. 

California is the theme and what a wonderful wine growing region it is!  California is well-known for their elegant cabernet sauvignons, spicy, bold zinfandels and outstanding chardonnays.  Many of the wines on offer this week are pricey, but as usual, we have found some well-priced gems: 

SPARKLING WINES

057422 Black Wing Chardonnay/Pinot Noir Sparkling Wine (South Australia) $16.95

A nice starter scented of yeast and crisp green apple with fresh fruit flavours and a crispy finish.

WHITE WINES

708305 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Gold Label Chardonnay 2006 (Monterey County) $19.95

This Chardonnay offers rich aromas of lush tropical fruit. Nicely balanced ripe fruit and s subtle hit of oak.