Willie... and the year's best!!!

Two of my former Beer Store bosses, Leigh and Willie,
happily pose at Willie's Retirement Party on January 4
at Gator Ted's Tap and Grill in Burlington. I am hoping
that Willie will still hang around to share a pint or five

I said it so often to my young coworkers at the Beer Store that it practically became my mantra. If they were grumbling about the schedule or pretty much anything else the way young kids do, I would point to Willie, our manager, from a distance and say in a very firm voice (a tone not many expect from me), "Maybe you should really appreciate that man over there because you will have many, many bosses in your life but you will never ever again have one this cool or this good again!"

The great majority listened and believed it... maybe one or two didn't. That happens. You're always gonna run into the odd young one whose life and attitude is more miserable and wretched than the lyrics to a Smashing Pumpkins' song. They are the working world equivalent of the movie, "Gone In 60 Seconds", having all the appeal of Nicolas Cage and really, 30 seconds would be nicer. But the truth is, I didn't have to say that to many. It was pretty self-apparent.

But besides both being pretty easy-going people, Willie and I have a lot more in common. We have the same birthday. I don't mean we were both born on Valentine's Day. No, I mean we were both born on the exact same February 14th way too many moons ago.

BEST MIX-SIX OF THE YEAR: With all due apologies to
Mill Street Brewery, which regularly cranks out funky mixed
six-packs, Muskoka Brewing pretty drove this one straight into
 my wheelhouse with their three separate IPAs - the 4.3%
Detour session IPA, the 6.4% Mad Tom IPA and the 8.4%
Twice As Mad Tom IPA. Nothing but hoppy goodness!!!

Now granted since he was spawned in Scotland, which is six hours ahead of Toronto, where I was hatched (and incubated until the tail fell off), we both assume he was born first. But when Willie and I were working together, he told that to anyone standing within earshot. The reactions usually ranged from "Really? That's cool..." to indifference veiled with a dull "I took my ear-buds out to hear this??" expression. However, we had one pretty young spitfire named Stephanie who was a little more blunt. Willie has a bit of middle-age spread and much of his hair deserted him quite some time ago whereas I have more of a shaggy-haired, scraggly-ass skinny surfer dude thing happening. So when Willie told Steffers we shared the same birthday, she looked me up and down and then looked back at Willie and said, "What the hell happened to you???" Trust me, Willie laughed as loudly as I did. But here's the measure of the man. I quit newspapers for a while to work in the public sector (municipal politics) for a five year stretch at one point. One day, I was unexpectedly given my walking papers and believe it or not, I have never been either fired or unemployed. (Believe me - no one is more staggered by that revelation than me.) Frankly, you'd think Human Resources would know the difference between drinking to get drunk and drinking for warmth and comfort. Geez, people, smarten up! Panicked, I picked up the phone and called Willie, a former boss, to see if he had anything available to help me out. "Go buy some steel-toes (work boots). You start tonight." My unemployment lasted less than 24 hours, thanks to my birthday brother from another mother.

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE OF THE YEAR: My
main man, Curtis, from Hanover's Maclean's Ale poured
me the perfect pint at the Toronto Festival of Beers. But
the boys kept in touch with me via Twitter during the
Summer and tweeted me to let me know a nearby liquor
store had finally started carrying their outstanding
Maclean's Pale Ale. Now that's a step above the norm!!!

I see a lot of negative stuff about my place of employment in the papers these days but from my end, the Beer Store will always be people like Willie so you'll have to forgive me if I view things somewhat differently...

Now moving from the Best Boss I Ever Had, it's time to take a look at the best the Canadian beer world had to offer me in 2014. I did an abbreviated version of this at the end of 2013 so here's the rules: no repeat winners and no seasonals - these beers have to be available year-round. If I had a winner last year, they will be noted in bold italic brackets after the category. Simple enough, yes? Okay, let's play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire... but with beer, not money.

BEST LAGER: (King Brewery Dark Lager) I probably drink a lot less lagers than I used to (thank you, IPAs) but I haven't stopped cold. In fact, this year it was Mill Street Brewery's 100th Meridian Organic Amber Lager that stopped me cold. Using organic prairie malts teamed with Cascade and Bravo hops, this feisty little brew hits the palate with a lot more punch than your typical lager. Also a favourite of Beer Musketeer Glenn and co-worker Marie. Nice job!

BEST DUNKEL: Yes, lagers are getting a little more attention from me than I gave them last year. I see them routinely pounded on RateBeer and feel for them so time for me to give them some long-overdue props. Beer Musketeer Cat and I first tried Side Launch

BEST WHEAT BEER: (Howe Sound King Heffy
Imperial Hefeweizen) Brothers Eric, above right,
and Jeff Doman created Oshawa's Underdog
Brewery in 2014 and since that time, their
outstanding All Or Nothing Hopfenweisse has
popped up on tap in dozens of discerning pubs
throughout the GTA. A touch of bubble gum on
the first sip, that quickly fades to wheat and
banana on the tongue. Hats off to these two. whose
credo is "Beer with no excuses"... True dat, guys!

Brewing's (Collingwood) Dark Lager at the Burlington Beer Festival and we were both bowled over. Spicy on the nose, roasted chocolate on the tongue, this is a little ass-kicker. The beer, formerly known as Denison's Dunkel, will do very very well at my store and I am basing that on my patronage alone...

BEST FRUIT BEER: I am gonna let the ladies decide this one. First Cat, then Marie and finally Ladyfriend Lee all tried and then seriously raved over Turtle Island Brewing's (Ottawa) SMASHed Cherry Ale during different points in 2014. And a gentleman does not argue with ladies, particularly Trish Watson, the cofounder and self-declared "Beer Goddess" of the brewery itself. My Turtle Island favourite is their 6.5% Ixcacao Triple Chocolate Stout... but again, the best way to lose an argument with a lady is to start one so this stands as The Ladies' Choice for 2014.

BEST PILSNER: (Steam Whistle Pilsner) I quite like Creemore Pilsner (Czech style) and Rickard's Blonde (German style) but I am heading to the west coast with this year's winner, Steamworks Brewing's (Vancouver) Pilsner, which captured Best Craft Beer at both the 2011 and 2012 BC Craft Beer Awards. Lightly nutty on the nose, bitter and lightly fruity on the tongue, damn this is a great Czech-style pilsner.

BEST GLUTEN-FREE BEER: Snowman
Brewing (Richmond Hill) have created a
gluten-free Amber Ale with something of a
twist. It actually tastes like beer! Good beer!

BEST PALE ALE: (Spearhead Brewing Hawaiian Style Pale Ale) This is always one of the toughest categories simply because I drink so many of them. Two excellent choices would be my buddy Kevin's favourite Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion or Glenn's favourite Rhyme & Reason but in the end, I'm going with Cameron Brewing's (Oakville) California Sunshine American Pale Ale. Citrus and orange rind on the nose, grapefruit on the tongue, this is one mouth-puckering tart treat!

BEST STOUT: (Nickel Brook Old Kentucky Bastard Imperial Stout) Let me take you back in time to last January's frigid Winter Craft Beer Festival at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse. It got so cold that while my co-conspirators lined up at the King Brewery booth to get some warm Thornbury Cider, I refused cider (as I always will) and parked my butt at the next booth over, quaffing back many a F & M Brewery (Guelph) Stonehammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout. If I'm gonna warm up, oatmeal and coffee are key ingredients. Chocolate, vanilla and coffee on the nose, oatmeal on the tongue - that, my friends, is how you properly stay warm in the nasty Canadian winter!!!

BEST FREE CONCERT: When I attended the
Saturday session of the Toronto Festival of Beers, The
Trews were the day's entertainment. Playing a decidedly
cool acoustic set, here lead singer Colin MacDonald
belts one of the East Coast rockers' classic tunes...

BEST LIGHT(ER) BEER: Not personally a fan of the lighter beers but when Rib Eye Jack's Ale House Beer Technician Kylie recommends something, I always listen. In this case it was the Great Lake Brewery's (Toronto) Citraddiction Extra Pale Ale (a session IPA, in essence.) At just 4.4% and 40 IBUs (international bitterness units), this XPA packs some heat, baby! Using Citra hops, it's pine and citrus on the nose, grapefruit and lemon on the tongue. Probably the best session beer I've had yet,

BEST ALE: (Mill Street Brewery Tankhouse Ale) Let's go back to the West Coast, shall we, for yet another winner. I was considering Granville Islands' chocolate and caramel treat Lions Winter Ale but am sneaking across town to give this one to Parallel 49 Brewing's (Vancouver) Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale. Caramel and malt on the nose, light pine and spice on the tongue, this 6% earthy ale has everything! Including, quite possibly, the tears of a gypsy... which is just cool.

BEST PORTER: (Mill Street Brewing Vanilla Porter) I don't hate pumpkin ales, I loathe them. Stupidest Autumn fad ever! In essence, this category could be called the Best Bad Fad Beer. So when Nickle Brook Brewery created this year's, they didn't do an ale. No, they created Pissed Off Pete's Pumpkin Porter. Using actual pumpkins instead of say pie filling, this was dark, delicious, spicy and yes, even a tad pumpkiny. I enjoyed it so much, I bought more and shared it with friends. For a pumpkin beer, that's a first.

BEST SAISON: Four Winds Brewing (Delta, BC)
head brewer Brent Mills holds up their delicious 6.1%
Saison. Citrus on the nose, tart and tangy on the tongue,
this was the single best saison I enjoyed this past year!!!

BEST INDIA PALE ALE: (Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA) As much as I love my IPAs, I have a buddy who is 14,129 kilometres (8,779 miles) away in Wellington, New Zealand, who loves them a wee bit more and had been drinking them much much longer. So how is Beer Musketeer Stevil St Evil gonna pick the Canada's Best IPA from that distance? Well, a few months back, Glenn mailed him three beers: two Central City Brewing (Surrey, BC) Red Racer IPA (6.5%, 80 IBUs) and one Nickel Brook Headstock IPA (7.5%, also 80 IBUs), my hometown favourite. Gotta be honest, Red Racer has an unfair advantage as Stevil used to bartend with Central City Brewmaster Gary Lohin back in his Vancouver days during the 1990s. Stevil has been chomping at the bit to get his old buddy's beer into his Wellington perch. As expected, Stevil absolutely loved his buddy's beer. Less expected was " ...but holy crap, that Nickel Brook Headstock was even better - outstanding!!!" Game, set and match to Nickel Brook Headstock IPA as Stevil now knows why I buy this stuff by the two-litre (64 ounce) growlers. Okay, okay, usually three growlers at a time because, well, I get pretty thirsty in the Winter... also in the Spring... and Summer... and Autumn... I don't play seasonal favourites.

Well, as I said to my neighbour, "I'm sorry I dropped your baby but you have to acknowledge that you picked a bad time to tell me there were tasty snacks." And just like then, it's time for me to get the flock outta here. But speaking of last year, I have a Beau's All Natural Brewing Best of 2014 Four-Pack in the fridge, plus a couple of more fine Beau's products and I give Trafalgar Brewing another go with their Chocolate Orange Porter... plus Beer Musketeers Cat and Blair's birthday bash on Saturday!!! But guys and dolls, that's it, that's all and I am outta here!!! Until next time, I remain as always...