Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Having a beer with Sachin is a whole new experience for anyone who loves beer. If you are like me, you meet a friend for a beer, catch up on what’s new and the beer is only there for the camaraderie. As a matter of fact, my beer of choice always the same or at least one of the same. But with Sachin, it’s a whole new ballgame. First, you take a minute to look at the beer, to admire it’s color or the perfect head of foam. Then you get to smell it; aroma, perfume, bouquet – it’s all there to fully appreciate. Still, before you take a sip, there’s a story, always a story behind the name.

Today, we met at Aroma’s, the perfect place for specialty wine, beer and liquor. On tap is right now is Unibroue Trois Pistoles ( trwa-pee-stole) or "Three Coins", a uniquely savory craftsman brew with a dark brown color and a rich foam mousse. Close your eyes as you gently swirl the glass and the cocoa and fruity aroma takes you to a hot day on the beach covered in the coconut scents of Hawaiian Tropic – back when your body glistened with suntan oil – not that creamy Sport SPF 50 used today.

Visit the Unibroue website and you’ll discover that the beers at Unibroue are entirely natural, contain no chemical additives or preservatives, and are made with first quality ingredients. But that’s not the story. Unibroue changed the way beer is brewed in Canada. Traditionally, Canadian breweries were state-owned, but the founders of Unibroue were successful in bringing Belgian yeast brewing to Canada while maintaining sole ownership.

Unibroue beers also can seem strange to the untrained eye; there is a small amount of sediment at the bottom of each bottle. This is normal, it is the yeast, an essential component of brewing beer. When the yeast ferments a beer during the brewing process, most brewers filter the yeast out of the beer for bottling. Unibroue, however, does not filter their beers and leaves the yeast in the beer. This is a process called "méthode Champenoise" in Belgium and "beer on lees" by Unibroue. The yeast remaining in the bottle gives the beer a secondary fermentation, increasing the alcohol strength but heightening the complexity of the brew. The yeast is harmless. It is meant to be drunk and not discarded, and, as a matter of fact, provides a great source of vitamin B complex.

Malty chocolate with aftertaste of port, enjoy this beer on it’s own like I did, or have a yummy chocolate dessert with it and you’ll be basking in smooth delight. 9% abv.

Alcohol Calories Add Up

It's tempting during the hot summer months to come home, kick back and cool off with a beer or glass of wine. But all those extra calories can start to add up quick.

A bottle of beer, a glass of wine or a shot of liquor, if you're watching your weight, which one of these alcoholic drinks offers the least amount of calories per serving?

A 12 ounce bottle of light beer has an estimated 100 calories, versus 150 for the same size regular brew. A glass of red wine has about 100 calories, but is measured in a much smaller four ounce serving. Experts argue mixed drinks are the biggest diet busters. A mixed drink like a daiquiri can pack in more than 400 calories in an 8 ounce glass.

Alcohol will typically make you gain weight in the fact that it's calories taken in that most people don't account for.

Registered dietitian Molly Paulson says alcohol is loaded with carbohydrates and sugar. She suggests a better way to hold down the calories while drinking is to alternate beverages, making every other drink a glass of calorie-free water.
CNN/ Pathfire

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Wine Ice Cream!

Move over Cherry Garcia, here comes pinot noir ice cream! Well, assuming you’re over 21.

Yes, the New York legislature passed a law preventing minors from getting their hands on the stuff since two gallons of the ice cream contains as much alcohol as one glass of wine according to one producer.

Can’t be too careful, New York!

Read the more from Dr. Vino

What's the difference between lager, ale, and stout?

This is the kind of question which should, by law, be posted in several languages, in every maternity ward in the Union and Protectorates, so that the medical staff can engage in the discussion within earshot of newborns, to the benefit of the nation for the long term.

There's so much snobbish talk about ales and stouts and beers of all description, thanks to an explosive micro-brew industry, the unfortunate effect of which has been to stigmatize the askers of such basic questions. So first I must thank Mrs. Harriet T. Crumley of Bent Fork, South Dakota for writing in (not her real name or town).

Before casting aside the corporeal body, the ultimate and inexorable yielding to forces beyond human influence, one needs to acquire a basic understanding of malting (inducing and then halting the germination of a grain), which makes available complex sugars and starches for fermentation (using yeast to convert those sugars and starches into alcohol in an air-starved environment).

And that—you may thank me now, dear reader, for the brevity and clarity you have just enjoyed despite insidious feelings of dread and mounting anger—is it.

Almost.

The differences between lager, ale and stout are largely determined by the kind of yeast used in fermentation, as well as the various grains. Yeasts ferment at different speeds, temperatures, and, due to the density of the living, seething, stinking mess, even at different depths in the fermenting container. "Top fermented," for example, describes the process for many ales.

Of course, there are nuances and specifics which take us well beyond the scope of this modest yet enjoyable little column, so you, O wingéd reader, and Mrs. Fork of South Harriet, Dakota, now empowered with correct and succinct knowledge, are enjoined to pursue further research, as needed, elsewhere. On your own time.

Thank you all very, very much.