A split

I'm considering a split up and writing 2 blogs, one on beer in general, and one on Victoria Pubs. Would anyone read this if I were a little mire diligent on content?

Bleh!

Hey, for all those out there in tube land. Reviews from Toronto and Langford are forthcoming once I regain internet health standards as set by myself. In other words, I'm a little under the weather and don't relish the thought of writing log pieces right now, but I know I should ince I have material.

BK

The Local Kitchen, Bar, Grill...food place in general, with beer...

The Local Kitchen is going to have to work hard to overcome the rep of the sites former tenet. The Garlic Rose was not a well respected joint, simply put.

However, under a totally different management team and owner, the only thing that seems to be the same is the location, which has always been awesome. At the bottom of Bastion Square, the Local Kitchen has a summer patio ripe for sunny days. Therefore it must be properly reviewed.

Don, of the Victoria Burger Blog and I checked out the sunshine soaked seats and went in on some pints and burgers for this one.

Overall, it has a fairly expected feel to it. It's one of those stereotypical west coast patios. There's a selection of local beers and domestics, but not a lot. The patio has no distinctive features other than it's location, which is the real selling point. The food was good and fresh. The service attractive and friendly. Everything is so...so normal. Outside it lacks that character that older places get.

To look at things a little more in depth is difficult. First off, we decided to sit outside, which was the obvious choice on a beautiful warm day. Traffic was a loud in nearby, but that's the trade off for the rays and people watching.
The music was good, no complaints there, a fun, selection while still being fairly chill.
The crowd was middle aged, and a couple families were even spotted.
It just lacked that certain something, but it's got a shot of being great.

So it has it's bases covered, but it needs to grow. Hopefully it passes the 4 year mark and continues on to gain some of that missing "it" factor, because right now it's just a nice place. Yeah, that's a bit of a backhanded compliment, but that's what it is.

The tourists probably love it.

Service - Friendly and Professional...and a little business like - 3.5
Beer Quality - All the standards, none of the flare - 3.5
Beer Price - Location has it's cost - 2.5
Food - It was good! - 4
Character - Maybe inside has more - 2

To be honest, it's hard to complain about a place that does things well, but...meh.

Crap Beer

A few of my posts refer to crap beer. It's not to be mean, but some beer is just boring piss-water with a little ethanol to make you tipsy after awhile.
The main reason I don't like these beers is that they only serve to get a person drunk. There's no real enjoyment of a crafted drink, it's just a means to an end, and that's not what beer has been for thousands of years. It's been a too of culture generally. Yes, sometimes people got drunk and did stupid things, but most of the time it's a social thing.
Then you have these massive corporations take over the industry and change the game, making beer a vice, and on top of that, offer a low quality product.
Therefor, I call they're products crap beer, like Coors, Labatts and the others. They all have the same general properties. Light gold colour, weak bitter flavour and massive ad campaigns convincing people that COLDER beer is a good quality and UNIQUE beer is a non-issue.
So hopefully you'll now go out and convince your friends that they might actually like beer if they try something other than the genric tin can brands.
Yes I know there aluminium, but it rhymed.

Ross Bay Pub: Inadvertent Free Beer

A family night at a pub across town is maybe not the most traditional of dinner plans, but it is by no means a bad idea.
The Ross Bay Pub is located across the road from the Ross Bay Cemetery, so you know they've got spirits! Oh snap.
Anywho, it's actually a decent place, bigger than expected, and much like the Country Rose, it reflects the locals. However, since it's in Fairfield, it's a higher class joint with architecture and decorations appearing more modern. The music matches the relaxed modern feel with a mix of blues and jazz styled numbers.
Behind the counter a large lit bar hold a wall of alcohol. It's apparent that beer isn't the specialty here, though I'm not sure what is since I never got close enough to see what bottle were up there.
While the style of the pub is modern, the decor is a little odd, with beer paraphernalia from Lighthouse, Molson Canadian, and other breweries on the walls. It seems a little cliched to put that up and makes it more like other pubs and less unique.
The clientele are older in general, but keeping the place busy. It doesn't look like it would get too raucous in here, especially as the clock edges past 9 and tables start leaving. There are a few TVs on, and they seem to cater to the older crowd as well, with golf on more than a couple.
The service is younger though, all college age. They seem friendly enough, though a little frazzeled when we first arrived in the middle of the rush.
The food was an issue for us. It wasn't crap or anything, but t was poorly timed. Our nachos didn't seem to rush over, but the burgers were right after and we ended up having an over crowded table.
The food itself was decent. The burgers were solid, the fires not overdone. I think I'll Don's opinion at the burger blog to better judge these burgers, I'm never sure how good whatever I'm eating is.
The beer selection is the usual. A few local brews, a couple of crap taps, Stella Artois I think, etc. Nothing too special, but enough to kepp everyone happy.

We did score FREE BEER though. I don't think it was a restaurant sponsored event though. Alexander Keith's has developed it's own wheat beer, I think, and we got sample pints. Always a bonus, although someone accepted a pint and then left it behind. Blasphemy!

All in all it's another solid locals bar. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but if I'm nearby I'd suggest it.
Service - It's a 3.5, even though there was the food snafu, I'm putting that on the kitchen.
Food - It was good, but nothing special - 3.5
Beer - A 3.
Price - A pretty standard pricing set up - 3.5
Character - A nice balance of modern and relaxed, though a little cliche - 4

Pub Pics!

Hey,

If anyone IS reading this, sorry about the lack of photos. I can't seem to get my camera and 'puter to live in harmony. As soon as I do I'll have photos phollow.

BK

Irish Times: Sterotypically Fun

So I have to say I have a history with Irish Times. It was the first pub I ever hit, I've spent countless hours there, some memorable, some memory-less, and I've memorized the tap selection.
Ok, well, they've changed some of the kegs recently, so I can't say I know what's up right now, but I used to have it down.
Styled as a stereotypical irish pub, it's over the top in "authentic" paraphenalia, but it's well done. The taps are polished brass, everything is wood, there's book shelves, fireplaces, nooks, and a stage. It's a sort of "dream pub" or something off a movie set. Despite this, it's done in a more humble, less in your face way, which keeps it from constantly being in your face.
On this particular trip we had an upstairs table (yes, there's an upstairs, it's 2 stories of Eire goodness). We overlooked the bar and central clock. The entire thing is a giant decorative structure, probably something turned into a bar. It's now got mirrors, shelves and other alcahol related gear on it.
The band wasn't playing yet, but as with every other day of the week there's someone scheduled to take stage. U2 or some other band related to the emerald isle was on the speakers.
We knew it got busy later on so we ordered pints and food promptly. Luckily it was still a slow period, so we all (Kristi, Andrew and I) all got the suds quickly.
There's a decent selection of pints, with a mixture of local micros and some big names from over sees. They do provide a couple of the crap beers, though I never knew why until I whittnessed a man actually order a Coors Lite.
Who goes to an irish pub to order flavoured water?
Anywho, Guiness and all his friends are there, as well as a reps from Driftwood, Phillips and the such. A bonus is that almost every type has it's own specific glass. The Hoegardens show up in their massive glass buckets, the Guiness in the recognizable wide, curvy glass, etc.
Unfortunately, this is one of those places that really goes with a full crowd, but when it's undercapcity it's a little underwhelming.
But, the service was friendly and since they were used to crowds, having only a few to serve kept them nearby. The kilts don't hurt either (don't worry girls, I think ALL staff members where kilts).
The food was the usual fare and while it was solid, it wasn't spectacular. They've taken some of my favourites off the menu, which disappoints. There also isn't much in the way of traditional stuff, and what is there is expensive. They do do a good job of combining west coast into the plan though, making traditional Atlantic dishes Pacific.
All in all it was a good time though I know they can do better.
Service - 4, though this is coloured on past experiences
Food - Solid, but the crab burger wasn't as crabby as possible - 3.5
Beer Quality - 4, with a decent selection of local and international. And Tours of the Taps!
Beer Price - The location draws is awesome, but you pay for it - 3
Character - Past experiences force me to give a 4.5. When this place goes, it's FUN!

Country Rose - Colwood's only pub?

Ok, as a good ol' local boy from Colwood, I've been to the Dairy Queen, I know all the schools in the area and I've burned stuff at a half dozen spots around the municipality. However, I've never been to the Country Rose.

Well, I should say, I HAD never BEEN to the Country Rose. And there was a reason for that. It's rumoured to be an old person's pub. Our parents go there. 40+ crowd. etc.

Well, that seems true.

A couple local youth were around, but the under-30 demographic is under-represented. We grabbed a table near the front of the converted house as we were waiting on our friend Tim to arrive. The same word came to both Kristi and Andrew as they sat down in the chairs.

"Thrones?"

While the outside looks like a simple converted house, the inside has a very west coast/english pub/working class feel to it with lots of wood, some brass, low lights and other fairly generic hints to where you are.

That's not such a bad thing as the pub is not a destination pub, it's a local tavern serving the local people with local styling.

In other words, if you live with-in stumbling distance of this place, you'll probably spend a few paycheques here, but your not driving out from Victoria to experience the Country Rose.

The waitress was quick and freindly, though warned us that the white board advertising the specials might be a little hard to read. She checked up on us often, though it was a little like having your mother come ask if you want more beer.

The tap selection was the weakest point, though I never asked about bottles. I don't imagine it would have been much to write home about(which is kinda what I'm doing, isn't it?). This is one of the places where I can actually list the beers > Coors and Blue, for those unsure of what ales and lagers are, and then Race Rocks, Okanagan 1516 and Hermann's Dark for some true selection. On the upside, prices are on par with what a local bar should be ($4ish (CDN this time!))

Food was average, but that's what you'd expect here. Folks don't come here to thoughtfully sip or savour tasty morsels, they come here to gather with friends after a long day or week and laugh have a good time. Which is good since the TV's are mostly Keno and Poker and the music is turned right down. Oh well, it does have darts, a billiards table and lots of room!
So you might not see me here too soon, unless I want a watering hole within walking distance.

Service - Thanks mom? aunt? - 4
Food - Meh, appetizing at least -3
(Beer) Quality - Five on tap, and two of those are domestics? - 2
(Beer) Price - Hey, it's as cheap a pint as I've seen in awhile - 4.5
Character - A local pub with local charms, which haven't grown on me yet - 4

Seattle: Part 2 - Brouwer's

A Sunday evening in the states can be a quiet time, and with hit and miss weather, the downtown core was a little slow. On top of that we found a magazine in our hotel room talking about the 25 best watering holes in the emerald city. While not all of the listed establishments specialized in ales, lagers, etc., there was one site which struck me as a possible all-star.

Brouwer's is a smallish pub in the Fremont area just outside of the central area of Seattle. If you've never been there, there's a ton of reason to check it out. A funky little district with a troll, Stalin and other statues or sculptures, the shops match the setting. It's a sort of San Fran north.
While it took us a little while to find, Brouwer's is definetly worth the search. We thought we'd gone the wrong way as we passed a few houses, but we came around the back way, spotting a few kegs behind a fence near a square blue building. With a logo above the door and sandwich board on the walk, this isn't a tourist bar.

A massive door leads you into a wide open tavern. With a second floor observing the ground floor, there's more spots than first appear.

Hip, classy, dungeon, beer cellar > all these words can be used in the description here. While the logo is central or northern european in design, the atmosphere is again, definetly Seattle. Laid back but neat with some style to give it an edge. Sweet. However, the one TV in the joint was a little out of place with My Little Pony. Luckily the sound was tuned to a bluesy rock style with a little Dick Dale in there.

Warm lighting offset the dungeon like feel, though the crow was a little odd, but appreciated. Probably a story behind that one.

Now we strike at the heart of the matter. Brouwer's is suitably deficult to find, limiting it's patron's to beer afficianados and locals, or the lucky local afficianado. I wish I was one. Those who do find are rewarded with 60+ taps and a selection of bottles ranging up to 300. A more fitting name would be Browser's IMO. And to top that off, there's NO CRAP BEER. No Coors, No Bud Light. I don't think they even carry Beck's or Corona. The only major label I recognized was a Guiness, but it looked like a limited edition.

However, with a selection like this, I didn't bother finding out and started local and then moved on to bottles. It's truly a beer fans candy shop, though some can be costly. Pints were spotted as high as $15 US, but those were truly special beers. I think. I'm in a lower tax bracket, so I stayed in the single digit range.

If I could I would just talk about the massive rows of taps and coolers of beers, but it's really a sight to behold and linger on, with a pint in hand. The bottle menu comes in a leather bound book! Rarely do you see proper beer culture, but that's awesome!

The service was slow at first, again, but knowledgeable and friendly. She advised us a couple of times and checked in regularly.

The food was great, though again, a little pricey. I could have spent less, but without wings OR nachos in the kitchen I went with a three meat medley which was great, and to make sure no animal group was left out, mussels abounded on the opposite side of the table. Apparently, to quote my father, they were "Awesome."

It should be noted that while there were plenty of hints it's in the Pacific Northwest, this place is heavey into the Belgian stuff, with Belgian food as well as a wide selection of Belgian beers. If your a fan of the lighter, more spiced flavours of, say, a Hoegaarden, than this is probably your first choice in this entire region.

As with any beer lovers hide-out, the taps are constantly changing, and you have to figure the bottles change up every now and again, so if, by chance, you do knock off all of the 360 or so varieties available, there will be more.

Service - Slow start, but they know their shit -> 4
Quality - It's hard to do this so early in the game, but it's a 5!
Price - I know some bottles are hard to just get out here, but sitll 3.5
Food - Great in many regards, though a little unorthodox, not that that's bad = 4
Character - With beer being the central post, this place is solid 4

Seattle: Part 1 - FX McRory's

Despite being based in Victoria, I spent a recent weekend in Seattle for various reasons, and pillaged a pair of pints while there. Of course, this is the perfect place to start this pub blog, so let the first review commence.

Saturday found my dad, of all people, and I searching out a site to view the Canucks game in a city almost void of a hockey culture. Banners supporting the Sounders and Mariners were everywhere, and the odd out of season Seahawks logo popped up.

After some mid-day reconnaissance to a couple of sports pubs, which were less than pleasing, we wandered down 1st, then over to Pioneer Square, eventually arriving at FX McRory's.
McRory's is fairly classic Seattle. A classy saloon, filled with sports memorabilia and bottles of liquor on display, it lends it's self to the laid back nature of Seattle, while still being more than your neighbourhood pub. Also, they have a large whiskey selection, especially bourbon, which may be the largest collection in the world. If your looking to sip scotch and skip suds, this is probably the place.


Marble tables, prints of the pub itself by famous sports artist LeRoy Neiman, and very high ceilings convey a more elegant feel, but the sports and patrons keep that in check, averaging out to a really nice sports pub.

Service was slow at first, but did pick up, and then fell off again. She was nice enough, but nothing special, no offense.

Once we did have her attention though, she was friendly and accommodating. When we asked if we could put the 'Nucks game on the TV in our corner (there were about a half dozen flat screent high def tvs and a couple projection screens out) she directed us to the manager, who happened to be sitting a table over to us. After he freaked me out with a straight faced rant about "some crazy Canadians" he had earlier in the day he obliged.

This meant there were basket ball play-offs, a Sounders game, a M's game and our hockey playoffs going on at the time. To our surprise, it was the soccer collecting the most attention. No wonder basketball failed here, it's a footy town. After the Sounders game an eclectic mix of classic and alt rock serenaded us, with tunes from Nirvana, The Ramones, and some celt punk.

The nachos and wings were great. Hand cut potato chips formed the base of the nachos which was a lateral move in my opinion. Crispy and covered in hot sauce, they were, with guaca, salsa and sour cream. They seemed to lack some of the toppings I'm used to though, like tomato, and onions, but chalk that up to culture shock. The wings were awesome though, big juicy suckers, 8 to a plate. 12 regular wings usually = a pound, but I bet these 8 matched that.

The beers were pretty high quality too, with a mostly local selection, with a couple of the expected imports and domestics. At 5 to 5.50 US a pint, it's what you would expect, a little on the high end, but within normal range. We saw the likes of Red Hook and Deschutes arrive at our table.

Now for the rating:
Service - Slow but alright, we'll give it a 3
Price - Fancy place = higher prices, 3.5
Pints - A solid local selection makes me smile with 4
Character - Fancy sports pub, though a little quiet - 4
Food - Juicy wings! mmm...4

Welcome

Welcome to my brand spankin' new blog, thanks for wandering in. Not much here yet, as I have yet to visit a pub for this blog, but no doubt I will, and the reviews will start to flow and form.