Cock sauce in a bottle.

I call it Rooster Sauce. Others call it Cock Sauce. Call it whatever the hell you want.

While most hot sauces are saturated with a strong vinegar taste and manufactured for heat and heat only, Huy Fong Foods has developed a sauce that doesn’t take away from the flavour of the food you’re adding it to. Don’t get me wrong, the heat is apparent but it doesn’t overpower the palate like many hot sauces do. Ingredients are typical – chilli, sugar, garlic, and jalapeño, but are all balanced just right.

In terms of heat units, Saracha is ranked from 1,000 to 2,500 on the Scoville Scale and hovers on the bottom end of the chart, but don’t be fooled for a minute, enough of it will bring out the forehead sweats for any entry to medium level connoisseur.

From eggs to tuna and from pasta to burgers; this red hot, chilli pepper packed paste is worth every cent and can be easily applied most any edible for a little extra kick.

Prices range around the $3 to 4$ mark but if you’re lucky, you can find random sales or 2 for 1 specials. Move over ketchup, there’s a new ass-kicker in town.

Official Website:

http://www.huyfong.com/

Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce_(Huy_Fong_Foods)

Doesn’t do well in a bottle.

I was so disappointed with Trafalgar Ales Smoked Oatmeal Stout that I decided it wasn’t even worth my time to apply my shitty writing skills to a full scale review.

Enjoy…..

– from Oakville, Ontario

– dark, looks like Coke

– Smokey, sour

– minimal head for an oatmeal stout which could have been due to bottle

– dogshit, total dogshit

Have a nice day.

Now well established in the Riverdale area, Prohibition Gastrohouse brought some much needed life to a otherwise sketchy corner of Queen Street and Broadview Avenue. Surrounded by long term, well known establishments such as Dangerous Dan’s and The Real Jerk, Prohibition has made a name for itself by offering a wide selection of local, import and micro brews on tap, accompanied by a solid breakfast, lunch and dinner menu offering a wide range of creative and unique dishes for your tasting pleasure.

Owners bypass the “Happy Hour” red tape and offer “Hooch” hours at certain times in the day offering drinks at discount prices. Hooch hour applies to most draft beers and making it worth your while, especially if you’re a fan of  the good stuff such as Delirium, which can usually run you $7.00 to $8.00 at regular prices.

I’ve had a number of items off the menu and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Naga Ghost Chicken Drummies are my go-to item - I’ve never had a bad batch or one that didn’t leave my mouth on fire.

The website is simple and fairly bare, with only a map of their location and contact information. Menu has yet to be posted so you’ll just have to go in blind and experience it for yourself.

Prohibition Gastrohouse

http://myprohibition.com

696 Queen Street East

Toronto, Ontario

416-406-2669

Situated on the corner of Main Street and Park Drive in the Town of Stouffville, The Corner House offers a mix of fine to relaxed dining at an affordable price. While the beer selection isn’t anything to brag about, the dining experience and service is next to unbeatable.

I made reservations for a Saturday night in the upper room to experience what staff called the “best live duo in town” and we weren’t the least bit disappointed. Right off the bat, the staff made no issue of our changing number of guests and did their best to accommodate without any attitude or heavy sighs on the other end of the receiver. Appetizers at our table ranged from Grilled Flatbread, Grilled Calamari and Pan-Seared Scallops. Entrees of bacon-wrapped lamb chops and grilled beef tenderloin were served in a classic style accompanied by optional taters or greens. Wait staff was more than prepared to answer various questions regarding wine pairings and offer suggestions without hesitation and with confidence.

Beer was limited to a short list of the regular import and domestic types and only offered Stella Artois on tap – somewhat disappointing, however; the lack of tap beer was backed by a solid wine selection of Ontario, California and Italy’s best. My only beef would be the lack of reds from France – only one bottle listed from Liore and I would have liked to see at least a couple of heavy hitters from either the Rhône or Bordeaux regions.

The live music was great – the boys played three hours straight without taking a break and covered off a number of classic rock hits from the 60’s and 70’s.

If you’re living in town or just passing through, The Corner House offers a dining experience that can’t be beat outside of the GTA.

The Corner House

6403 Main Street

Stouffville, Ontario

905-640-8494

email: info@thecornerhouse.ca

I think that at lease once, every beer enthusiast should brew a batch of their own beer. With that being said, there are many levels of what one would consider ‘homebrew’ or ‘brew-your-own’ – ie:, a makeshift lab in your damp and dingy basement or through a local wine / beer making service – I’ve done both and with mixed results. Now that I no longer have the time or the space to attempt to create the next aneheuser busch in my basement I rely on others such as the staff at Fermentations! to do it for me.

Realistically, most enthusiasts go through brew your own for one specific reason – to cut costs. Roughly $70 for three cases (for premium beer, others selections are cheaper) of beer ain’t too bad and if the output tastes better than turpentine, you’ve struck gold. I’ve had many a bottles of homebrew or brew-your-own and some have been effen terrible while others have been quite good.

I recently brewed a batch of Dunkle at Fermentations! on the Danforth in Toronto and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste of the beer. It was a nice amber as expected with a clean and malty flavour. Head was basically non existent but not a big deal – after all, this is brew-your-own and you can’t set the bar too high.

A few things to think about with the whole homebrew process – green plastic 500ml bottles are the norm for bottling your beer. Some enthusiasts my cringe at the thought of drinking beer out of a plastic bottle or ‘storing and pouring’ from plastic to glass when ready to drink…..big deal, suck it up. I started saving my glass bottles but found that they took up too much space and I was too lazy to thoroughly clean them out pre-bottling. The brewing process takes all of two weeks from start to finish. Your first visit will be to select your beer of choice and empty the yeast into the brew keg. Two weeks later it’s ready for bottling and even better – consumption!. Other brew-your-own services may require or allow you to interact more throughout the brewing process but this was my experience.

If you’re gonna whine because the taste isn’t as traditional or similar to what you would expect straight off the shelf, than this isn’t for you. If you’re looking for the experience, a drinkable beer and to save a little cake, look up your local brew-your-own and give’m a shot.

Bottom line – I was looking for the best bang for the buck and I got it. Three cases of drinkable beer in two weeks and for only $70. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and we were allowed to sample our beer as we bottled.

Fermentations!
201 Danforth Ave
Toronto, Ontario
416.778.9000
charles@fermentations.ca
www.fermentations.ca

It’s all show and no go but what do you honestly expect coming from a light beer?.

You know you can crush at least 12 to 15 bottles without getting completely sauced and brag about it to your friends except the real men will always know you’re drinking to watch your choleric intake so you don’t jeopardize fitting into those trendy jeans you bought on your Saturday shopping spree at Zara.

But the reality is, Coors has the largest brew barn, is the 5th largest brewing company in the world and does almost 3 billion in revenue a year….so…something must be working.

The beer itself is light, clear and slightly crisp but only due to the mandatory coldness required at consumption time. Aroma is paper thin and there’s little if no hoppy feel to the taste.

At the end of the day, and if you’re a calorie counter who could care less about whether or not you’re drinking beer or drinking water, Coors Light is the choice for you. Go take your ‘Silver Bullet’ and have a seat in the corner with the rest of the gym rats.

I don’t go out of my way to buy anything ‘organic’ but because I’m a fan of other Mill Street Brewery beers, I thought it would only be fair to give their new organic brew a try. In an attempt to fall in line and appeal to the organic movement, this German Pilsner is claimed to be pesticide and herbicide free. Is it? who knows, and in all honesty, who cares. We’re talking beer here. If it tastes good and you like it, drink it.

Right off the bat and uncapped, the presentation is clean and fresh to the eye. The bottle is a reminiscent of Carona because of its transparency but I suppose this is a strategic move by the brewery to emphasize the ‘organic’ and clean feel to their marketing. Bottles come in the standard 341ml at the beer and liquor store but can also be purchased in a 222ml lady size at the Brewery itself. The lager can be found on tap as well at many pubs, restaurants and the Mill Street brewhouse.

Aroma is par for the course with a fresh and crisp taste. This isn’t a heavy lager by any standards and can easily be consumed continuously throughout the night without having to change your drinking lineup mid-festivities due to overpowering aromas or aftertaste. Highly recommended for hot summer gatherings and pairs nicely with anything BBQ.

Mill Street Brew Pub and Store

55 Mill Street, Building 63

Toronto, Ontario

M5A 3C4

P:416.681.0338

F:416.681. 0339

For those that have lived in Toronto for some time you may or may not be familiar with Mr. Correnti and his fantastic line up of smokables. Do yourself a favour and pass up the $50 Havana’s in the regular smoke shops and convenience stores and take a walk to the local tobacconist at 606 King St West for some home rolled Cuban cigars. You wont find labels (unless you ask for it) or fancy display cases but what you will find is a family proud and owned business with an art for rolling some of the best cigars in town – right in the building. The dark and under illuminated space sports a wall of famous supporters leading to a simple business office and the rolling and stock room. Depending on when you go, rollers will be plowing away with the finest leaf, working their craft.

For the most part, I stick to their popular robusto ($10.65 CAD) for a mild, slightly spicy smoke. Product is always fresh and stocked in proper storage in the back. Keep in mind that since most cigars are rolled on a daily basis, it’s worth your while (but ultimately up to you) to let them sit out in the air for a day or so to dry. At this point, feel free to smoke away or transport to your humidor. From time to time, I’ll switch to their maduro Dominican blend. The dark, earthy looking wrap is the result of the curing process the leaf goes through before it is used to roll and is a fantastic smoke. If a sugary sweet taste with a bold kick is what you’re looking for, these are the cigars for you.

Don’t know what you want? don’t be afraid to ask. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly – even to the noobs. Their website is simple but informative. Pages range from family history to cigar nomenclature and provide directions and contact information.

Correnti Cigars

606 King Street W Toronto, Ontario
M5V 1M6

416.504.4108
416.504.8380

General Inquiries: info@correnticigars.com

Beer Porridge

The best, a kick in the nuts, beer porridge… whatever you want to call it. I was first introduced to The Draak by Eddie, my fast talking beer slinging tender at my favourite watering hole in Toronto and I’ve been hooked ever since. At 10.5%, this sauce will have you giving the hairy eyeball to everyone in the bar after only three or four bottles. Ideally served in a Tulip or Chalice style glass this Belgium treat is meant for your tasting pleasure and not for pounding (I speak from experience). A strong alcohol aroma is emitted once poured but all forgotten once you take a backhand to the chops from the powerful fruit and coffee explosion. Intake should be monitored as this Dark Triple is definitely one to be reckoned with – if you intend in drinking three or more of these lovely ladies, be prepared for a foggy memory the next day.