Bill Spurr - idiot or incompetent

[GAM]

Ah yes. Does anyone know how to find out when It's on?

Jeff P had voiced interest in going down when BAB was on tap.

Sandy

[benwedge]

I think I've finally cracked the code: if you deep fry it, it's amazing (see: Stillwell, Battered Fish.) If you don't, it's trendy, pretentious, bland, "in need of something." Today's gem.

[mikeorr]

He really didn't like the Auction House in today's review. Although I've only been there once, I wasn't all that impressed with the food either.

[mr x]

Three restaurants off one kitchen? Is this a common practice I have never heard of?

Has anyone had the Rare Bird on tap to compare with the bottled product?

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[blacktip]

Three restaurants off one kitchen? Is this a common practice I have never heard of?

Not that common, but the Riverside Pub, Sunnyside, and Sunnyside Too(formerly Smitty's) are all served out of the same kitchen. It's all mediocre.

We had a group reservation of 10 at 6:30 turned away from the Auction House, on a night that had a 7pm hockey game, because they didn't feel it served their business well. I think that they lack perspective on what would have better served them that evening, but they're free to do business as they please.

[BobbyOK]

Three restaurants off one kitchen? Is this a common practice I have never heard of?

Has anyone had the Rare Bird on tap to compare with the bottled product?

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It is just a part of the Dome after all.

I may have to go back and read through more of his articles, but I think he manages a misogynistic and/or sexist quote per article these days. It's almost a meme.
"But a dessert of Apple Brown Betty is served on a Pictou County oatcake so tough it takes a fairly able lad just to cut through it."

[mr x]

I had no idea where it was located.

Nor do I have any idea what a Pictou County oatcake is.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

I would speculate it is an oatcake made it pictou county. Not a genre of oatcake (unlike pizza)

[BobbyOK]

I had no idea where it was located.

I had high hopes for the place until the morning I walked by on my way to Le French Fix just before they opened. The computer screen for their POS system was visible through the window - and all I could see was the Dome's logo on the screen savers. Hopes dashed, and no one I know has had positive things to say about the place since then.

[benwedge]

Whoa. Bill Spurr has stepped his beer game up.

Four local beers, two by Propeller and two from North, are on tap

He didn't appear to order any booze (which is fine) but he mentioned the beer selection in his latest column.

[mr x]

Thirsty work: Big Spruce Brewing can't bottle its beer fast enough

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1 ... ast-enough" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A spectacular view of a lake, an orchard, a maple grove, tables made from tamarind and chair backs of woven banana leaf — obviously, this is a brewery in Cape Breton.

The exotic furniture isn’t the only unique thing about Big Spruce Brewing, located in suburban Baddeck. There’s also the self-taught brewer, the assistant whose previous profession was making windows and the delivery vehicle, a Dodge Caravan with the seats removed.

The operation might sound ad hoc, but Big Spruce has just one big problem — keeping up with the demand for its beers.

Jeremy White and Melanie Bock-White, both Canadian, met while working in South America. The quest for a certain way of life brought them to this organic farm five years ago. Last April, they opened the doors of Big Spruce, the only advertising a small handmade sign on the shoulder of the nearby highway that said Cold Beer.

“We did a business plan, thinking we’d sell 50 growlers a week out that door, but we sold 50 growlers our first day of business and never looked back,” said White.

“We were constantly short of beer, we expanded the brewery five weeks in because we were at the three-year forecasted production five weeks into the business.

“That was our problem last year, a Sold Out sign at the top of the driveway, having to turn away people that were trying to buy beer and, heartbreakingly, trying to buy beer at our best margin. When people are coming to us … we’re incurring the least cost in getting it to them.”

Growlers are 1.89-litre glass vessels in the shape of moonshine jugs that most craft brewers sell their beer in. They’ve been selling a lot of them, with craft beer sales in Nova Scotia growing by double digits the last three years in a row.

In addition to the steady stream of customers making their way up a steep gravel driveway to buy one of the four beers White makes, Big Spruce is also sending kegs to 26 bars and restaurants, a number that will grow to 35 this summer.

He has the top beer on tap at the Stubborn Goat in Halifax and sold as much as 800 litres of beer a week last summer at Governor’s Pub in Sydney.

As he gets ready for summer, White’s latest expansion has seen the purchase of three more fermenters, two conditioning tanks and another 150 kegs, doubling production to almost 4,000 litres a week. Also, when tourist season starts, the sign on the side of the road will come down.

“If we had a sign down there, we’d have to pave the whole farm,” said White, who saw sales dip to 50 growlers a week in the first week of January.

The biggest lessons so far, apart from “we should have built a bigger brewery,” have been about the demand for organic products and to not pay too much attention to the beer geeks when developing recipes.

“It’s about making approachable, easy to drink beer,” White said. “I’ve had problems with craft beers out there … because I think a lot of craft beer brewers are too interested in brewing beers that impress other brewers.”

In addition to his top sellers, an oatmeal stout called Cereal Killer, and Kitchen Party pale ale, he also makes a red ale and a black IPA.

“An oatmeal stout because I saw a huge void in the market here for locally brewed stout year-round, and Kitchen Party because we just wanted a bright, slightly hoppy, citrusy, easy-to-drink pale ale,” said White, who uses hops from the 300 plants on his farm in the beers.

“We never did organic or on-farm for any (reason) other than we were personal advocates of being organic. There were personal reasons behind the creation of the brand, but what we weren’t prepared for was how much that would mean to our brand and how much that would contribute to people liking our beer.”

Big Spruce also acknowledges a luck component that’s contributed to its early success, in that the farm happens to sit above a well that provides excellent, abundant water.

“You go half a mile up the road and there are people whose tap water is rusty, and they have to drive to get their water,” Bock-White said. “We wanted to use the water that we get at our house because it’s so crisp, so cold because it comes from this deep spring, and we were really concerned that we wouldn’t be able to get the same water here, just 200 metres away. And I think it is different, I think it’s more mineralized over here, which is great.”

In addition to spending time with the couple’s active young son, Bock-White is also putting the finishing touches on plans to open a restaurant this summer in the brewery’s second storey, where all the food will be paired with beer.

She’s already selling malt vinegar as well as marmalade and jelly made from beer, and recently saw a batch of 60 truffles sell out in one morning.

“We’re also using the spent grain from the beer and making beerscotti, as opposed to biscotti, we’re doing toffee with Kitchen Party, and all different flavours of beer nuts,” she said. “We’ve been selling at the market in Sydney, and we’ve been selling it here and it’s been doing really well. It’s the novelty of it … and it tastes really good, too.”

Walking through the orchard on his one-minute commute from the farm house to the brewery got White thinking about making cider, or a beer that incorporates apples. He also sees lots of potential in this market for apple brandy.

“The market speaks for itself. We’ve had three consecutive years of double-digit growth in craft beer, gone from a market that’s two per cent to five per cent in the span of half a decade,” he said.

“I think the biggest challenge facing us is protection of the brand, the craft brand. It’s nebulous, are we all remaining true to it, what is it? How effectively are we going to be able to keep the big beer companies, who have a lot of money to throw at things, away from craft beer? I think it’s going to be pretty tough.”

About the Author
BILL SPURR FEATURES WRITER
E-Mail: bspurr@herald.ca
Twitter: @CH_BillSpurr

[mr x]

I find this statement a bit odd:

The biggest lessons so far, apart from “we should have built a bigger brewery,” have been about the demand for organic products and to not pay too much attention to the beer geeks when developing recipes.

“It’s about making approachable, easy to drink beer,” White said. “I’ve had problems with craft beers out there … because I think a lot of craft beer brewers are too interested in brewing beers that impress other brewers.”

My personal problem with craft beers has been a lack of quality control and a fascination with seasonals...I seriously can't think of any brewers who brew to impress other brewers.

[HappyHopper]

Someone get Ben a drink... Decent Food review.. ridiculous comment about the beer, that's my take..

[Jimmy]

That article is awesome in so many ways

[chalmers]

My guess as to what he's saying is that there are too many weird and wacky beers being brewed, where the brewers are doing so to show off their use of off-beat ingredients, as a way to show other brewers (and others) "how to do it" or "prove it can be done".

So, actually, very close to your own feelings (too many seasonals), if I read yours correctly.

[LeafMan66_67]

My guess as to what he's saying is that there are too many weird and wacky beers being brewed, where the brewers are doing so to show off their use of off-beat ingredients, as a way to show other brewers (and others) "how to do it" or "prove it can be done".

So, actually, very close to your own feelings (too many seasonals), if I read yours correctly.

When reading stuff in the paper or on the news, I have learned that you really have to question everything - just because it was reported on, doesn't mean that they are reporting or quoting accurately.

[chalmers]

From the latest Zymurgy. Maybe this is what Jeremy is talking about?

[HPhunter]

“It’s about making approachable, easy to drink beer,” White said

Is this? This what Craft Beer is not all about???

“I’ve had problems with craft beers out there … because I think a lot of craft beer brewers are too interested in brewing beers that impress other brewers.”
WTF I thought we were all in this together! All Brewers do the best they can!, Some make better beer then others, but nobody is sandbagging it, while others step up to impress other brewers! EVERYONE IS DOING THE BEST THEY CAN!
But hey, not all of us make approachable beer...
What would I know? I'll just keep on trying to impress Randy!

[GasMD30]

Another thing that bother me about this article is the spaghetti description.

During cooking, the spaghetti is blanched, then finished by being cooked in the sauce, giving each strand a pink/orange hue. The meatballs are cooked sous vide in the sauce, so they’re extremely tender and the flavour of the sauce permeates throughout. That’s how spaghetti and meatballs is worth $17, and how a chef is different than you and me.

The last way in the world I want meat cooked is sous vide. Without being a chef, I can guarantee that I can make better spaghetti meatballs than this with lightly smoked meatballs that have been caramelized on a grill. There's no way a braised meatball could compete. My 2c.

This irked me too. You can't cook something "sous vide" and have the sauce flavours permeate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).... And I agree with you, a caramelized pork meatball from a frying pan tossed into the sauce is glorious!

[chalmers]

“It’s about making approachable, easy to drink beer,” White said

Is this? This what Craft Beer is not all about???

I'd say making undrinkable beers is not what Craft Beer is about.

“I’ve had problems with craft beers out there … because I think a lot of craft beer brewers are too interested in brewing beers that impress other brewers.”
WTF I thought we were all in this together! All Brewers do the best they can!, Some make better beer then others, but nobody is sandbagging it, while others step up to impress other brewers! EVERYONE IS DOING THE BEST THEY CAN!
But hey, not all of us make approachable beer...
What would I know? I'll just keep on trying to impress Randy!

I disagree that everyone is doing the best they can. They may think they are, but there are plenty of Maritime microbreweries putting out crap beer (most of us have brands that we will no longer buy, due to previous bad experiences), but it could be improved if they fixed their processes (sanitation, fermentation control, etc). I don't think it's unfair for me to say, just because a brewery is small or "craft" (whatever that means), the beer coming out will be good.

[mr x]

I think Jeff was making the same point I was about brewer's brewing to impress each other, as opposed to brewing the best beer they can. I just don't think this is true - I don't know of any brewer's that brew to impress others as a goal. Obviously, everyone's target involves sanitation, etc... but I don't think impressing other brewers is on that list.

And as far as impressing the beer geeks, whoever that is, one should keep in mind that beer geeks are in no small part of the growth of the business in which craft brewers operate. Look no less at Cantillon - you could make a case that it was beer geeks that saved the brewery from bankruptcy, etc. The beer geeks here can brew better in every aspect than most of the brewers in this province, and further than that - not by making unapproachable beer, but by understanding beer, styles and being free to experiment to make great beer. Again, I don't know of any of us, pro brewers included, who deliberately make beers that aren't approachable.

Jeremy seems like a good guy from when I met him, and certainly a welcome presence at Hoptoberfest. These just seem to be odd comments, and sound more like Spurr to tell you the truth...

[chalmers]

"Doing the best they can" vs "Brewing to impress other brewers" are two different issues, I believe.
Does the picture I posted ring true for the second statement more than the first?
When you mentioned "a fascination with seasonals", was it this sort of beer you were referring to?

I don't think sanitation is included in everyone's target, honestly. If it was, once a sanitation problem was pointed out to a brewer, they would strive to fix it. We both know that there are breweries in our region who have been informed they have issues and have not fixed them.

[mr x]

Not necessarily, depends on your context.

The picture is Sam's opinion, or just a funny quote, maybe both. I don't read more into it than that.

Fascination with seasonals is brewing the latest fad or god knows what before being able to brew a great beer/beers with consistency. That's what I mean.

I think being able to brew a great beer on every level is on everyone's to do list. Competency, stubbornness and ability to listen are another story. IMHO, all of these people are doing the best they can, given that those are their personal qualities (among many many others)...in other words, some people just suck at stuff compared to others, lol.

[chalmers]

I'd be curious to see Jeremy's full "brewers brewing for other brewers" response (I see ... in the article), maybe it sheds more light on what he meant. The picture is actually Adam's opinion of Sam's beer, I posted as an example of one brewer appreciating another's beer, which some brewers would hold in higher esteem than other drinkers.


I'm not talking about "I think being able to brew a great beer on every level is on everyone's to do list", we don't really disagree there (though for some, I think it's low down on that list). You said "Obviously, everyone's target involves sanitation", which I believe is different and wrong, given the past history we've both observed (brewery informed they have a sanitation issue, brewery informs customer that there's a problem with (a) their palette or (b) store where they bought the beer, brewery continues unchanged).

Look, you'd be hard pressed to find a bigger fanboy of Atlantic Canada Beer (I writing a blog about it which takes up way too much of my time), as such I'm hoping that regardless of shitty competency, stubbornness or ability to listen, the beer quality can improve. I'm not quite ready to give up yet.

Let's have a beer and discuss.

[mr x]

No.

Wait, yes.

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