Sipping beer on the Pier with one of Canada’s top beer experts
Media representatives are invited to attend a news conference at Halifax’s historic Seaport District on Thursday, August 12. In the lead up to the 4th annual Halifax Seaport BeerFest, one of Canada’s top beer connoisseurs, Mirella Amato, will be sharing her skills in the art of beer tasting.
Joining Mirella will be Geir Simensen, owner and executive chef of Scanway Catering, to discuss some of the delicious food offered at this year’s BeerFest. Geir, Mirella, and BeerFest co-chairs Bruce Mansour and Brian Titus will be on-hand and available for interviews.
The following individuals will be attending and speaking before the event:
-Bruce Mansour-Co-chair of the Halifax Seaport BeerFest
-Mirella Amato-Female beer connoisseur and creator of Beerology
-Geir Simensen-Owner/Executive chef of Scanway Catering
Time: 12:30 PM
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010
Location: Halifax’s Seaport District (Marginal Road behind the Westin Hotel), at the south end of the harbor walk.
This festival is turning into a great event, if a few more local breweries would get off their asses and show up, people might think there is a vibrant brewing community here. This year, I have to tell you that Brian Titus did not make this into a Garrison event at all. His efforts this year were the most industry supporting I have seen. Yet so much great beer we know and buy here was not on display. And it should have been. There were a lot of beer curious people there. Local beers/ Garrison, Rock Bottom, and a stand with beer, but no-one pouring it, from Paddy's Pub in Kentville/Wolfville. No Propeller, no Granite, no Seaport, no Rogues Roost, no Hart and Thistle. All these places missed a great chance to add to their list of customers and patrons.
My pet peeve is how we tend to favour things from away. Well, in this case, no one from the local scene showed up to demonstrate if they were competitive with the people from away.
Of course there was a bit of the CFA boosting from the organizers. I have to wonder about how the Toronto and Montreal people invite my brother and I up there to judge contests and attend festivals, and yet in our own city we don't even get invited to attend.
Mirella Amato was there this year, doing a very cool ladies tour, going oer the histroic relationship between women and beer, and getting the ladies in early to start their sampling before the rush. She is kinda my junior, a few years over (OK, maybe 15). I've known her since she started coming to beer events in Toronto 10 years ago. She judged with me last year at the Canadian Brewing Awards. (I wonder if she was at the IPA table, I'd sure like to know what went on there....)
At least this year, they let me attend as media, after I asked, though I think Brian Titus is afraid I might mention the Hart and Thistle. INstead I showed up wearing an H&T ball cap. I did take out and switch back and forth with my Garrison hat all night.
Anyway, I think that at this point I should point out that I assume I am still the senior beer geek in Atlantic Canada. I'm a BJCP National Beer Judge, the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers - Atlantic Chapter Beer Instructor, and Founder of The BrewNosers, Halifax's Homebrewing and Beer Appreciation Club for the past 25 years, blah blah blah blah, blah blah... You'd think that sooner or later they might realize that someone here knows at least as much about beer than the "experts" they bring in. But in the end, it is pretty good to just be able to sit off to the side of the Quebec tent and have brewers bring you samples.
Mirella is a great choice as a guest beer geek, as we do have female beer-lovers here, but none I know of who have taken it upon themselves to learn as much about the beverage as she. And the idea of providing some focus on women and beer is a commendable one.
I hope the thing is a great success, and it really sis seem to be going well tonight. I really don't care if they ever ask me to do anything or not, it just amuses me that they are falling into that same trap that our government does, assuming that if it's come from away, it must be better. And that we can't possibly have a local who might know that much about something like beer!
Which is hogwash, of course. People from away gave us Scotia Square, the Sewage Treatment Plant, The Cogswell Street Interchange, and stole all our fish to boot. They can have as much Keith's as they want, though. I did hear an interesting story about the Keith's ads in Quebec pretending to be a micro, shown being brewed in the "demo for tourists semi fake brewery" in the old Brewery Market. As if Keiths/50 was brewed in those size batches!
In the meantime, as my beer buddy from Wisconsin says: "Now Go Have a Beer"!
6 comments:
...which just goes to show there's a negative in everything, just gotta luck hard enough ;-)
I get that the connoisseur/pundit market is competetive but beyond Mirella's extensive qualifications, she is uniquely suited to the task - opening this event up to more women. Hence the Women-only tour. As much fun as drinking with middle-aged white guys is, our goal is to broaden it's appeal (have you seen the menu!). The IPA judging reference - just mean. Hart & Thistle - really? I practically begged Bruce to come in & they sadly only withdraw days ago for legit reasons. The real news should be the 175 brands being sampled (half of which you can't get at the NSLC or privates!). We're bringing 6 Quebec micros down including Le Trou du Diable on tap & 5 brands from Charlevoix plus the owner! Throw in the Brussels beer dinner (got your ticket?) & 4 amazing chefs & you've got a real event...which I'm sure you'll talk up in you're blog after attending Friday. See you at 6:30 my friend!
Hahaha! Yes, Brian. I said she is a great choice. I just think it is funny how in every field of endeavour in Nova Scotia, we always seem to ass-u-me that people "from away" know more than we do. It is a part of a larger overall malaise that we suffer from, and one, frankly, that has held us back economically, in my opinion. Not just in beer, but in Architecture, sport, university professors, you name it.
I think your efforts this year are on the money and much more industry related.
Not sure what you meant by the "mean" comment? I have been dying to find out who was on that final IPA panel and ask them what the hell happened to all the hoppy beers we tasted after the judging was over. Not the ones you are thinking of, either. The other BC ones I tried (Philips!) were wonderful, yet not even a bronze?
And I had the Tree one last fall. Yours is better. If she was on that panel, perhaps she'd know why there was no bronze.
It is too bad about the malt delivery problems the H&T had - I was having some fun at your expense there. They don't have beer to pour in enough quantity to make it worth while.
Maybe an Amateur table next year? BrewNosers would do it up good. Then again, we can't have homebrewers showing up the pros, can we?
I hope to have time to see the place Friday.
Still laughing at the "connoisseur/pundit market" comment. As if. Competition only occurs when there is something to compete for.
I hear you on your last. It's like Canadian comics - success is measured in one's ability to put food on the table! Re. IPA judging, head-scratcher still. With Rob & Troy down + Mirella you might just be able to get to the bottom of this (be gentle). The homebrew competition/summit idea came up 2 years ago I beleive but just never quite happened. Open to it? Absolutely. Real goal would be to expand this thing into a full week with numerous satellite events, etc. Conversation over a beer? Oh ya & Scotia Square...not my fault ;-)
How juvenile. Sounds like some bruised egos on both sides.
Pete G.
Hah! Yeah, sounds like it, I suppose. Except you don't know me and how little I care. They really should have had my brother, who does this stuff for a living, involved by now. I was just beating one of my old drums about Nova Scotians worshiping CFA's when there are people here who are at least as good. I still support the women drinker angle, by the way. Big time.
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