Blogging, Bannock and Eventually a 2025 Beer List

Looking back, it’s amazing to me that in the early years of this blog I banged out two beer lists a year. Either I was drinking ten times the amount and variety of beer I drink now… possible, or I had far more disposable time to dedicate to writing as I have now.

Scrolling down my mid-2000s ubiquitous right blog sidebar it looks like I can barely get off my ass to do a blog post a year, which is a bit melancholy and also a tad misleading. It’s not for love… Food blogs didn’t die the way I was predicting back when I wrote this and I didn’t slow down due to work. In fact, I have MORE free time now that I’m not in a professional kitchen.

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2022 Sumer/Autumn Beer Roundup

Interesting times continue! I’ve left the culinary industry and began a new career in retail, started a podcast with my buddy Simon, become and middle-aged homeowner/DIY enthusiast and lately I’ve tried to generally chill out more on my off hours. 

Key to my even keel amidst these chaotic times is to kick back with a brew or two on my off hours. Savouring my beer and taking notes has been a great exercise in mindfulness and has helped me not only expand my palate, but also learn new things about my favourite liquid art form. It’s about time to pass on a couple things I’ve noticed during this last summer/autumn. 

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Eat | Drink | Cheap Episode 11 – Mead, Part 2: The Sobering

The boys sober up and continue their talk on one of mankind’s oldest alcoholic creations. Including step by step instructions on fermenting your own mead, recipes, flavouring ideas and what to avoid when entering into the mead community. Shawn also laments shopping for his wife in the liquor store and shows some love for the original Iron Chef Japan.

Questions, comments or corrections? Hit us up at email@eatdrinkcheap.ca

eatdrinkcheap.ca

eadrinkbreathe.com/podcast

Music by John Palmer

Show notes and Shout Outs:

Make Mead Like a Viking by Jereme Zimmer: https://www.amazon.ca/Make-Mead-Like-Viking-Wild-Fermented/dp/1603585982#:~:text=In%20Make%20Mead%20Like%20a,not%20only%20uncomplicated%20but%20fun.

Middle Mountain Mead: https://middlemountainmead.com/

Wardruna: A Norwegian Folk Metal group that uses traditional instruments: https://www.wardruna.com/

Original Iron Chef Japan on Youtube: Big love to Eevee EVP, Sidney Greenwood and Xacred for keeping my Nostalgia alive!

Eat | Drink | Cheap Episode 10 – Mead, Part 1: The Drunkening

Our heros crack open the good stuff and talk all about Simon’s favourite fermenting project: Making mead at home! Learn how to mix honey, yeast and water to form earth’s oldest booze and laugh as the boys slowly realize they’ve been drunkenly rambling for an hour and they’re not even halfway done. Cheers!

Questions, comments or corrections? Hit us up at email@eatdrinkcheap.ca

eatdrinkcheap.ca

eadrinkbreathe.com/podcast

Music by John Palmer

Show notes and Shout Outs:

Simon’s Small Mead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQwfmjmVvs&t=16s

Simon’s Mead Making Made Simple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT54-0Dx0zg

Simon’s Sweetness and Alcohol Content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHbfKFeTIRY

Simon’s mead Horn: https://jelldragon.com/asatru-pagan-supplies/glass-drinking-horn-with-iron-stand/

My mead corner https://photos.app.goo.gl/nJC8n9TmCUVXGiHV9

Parallel 49’s “Peach Bod” Sparkling Peach Ale.

Everything Everywhere All At Once!    

5 BC Beers That Got Us Through 2020

I don’t need to tell anyone 2020 was challenging year, we all felt it in one way or another. People got sick, whole countries burned both literally and metaphorically, our industry got trashed, lots of things went wrong. The subconscious weirdness of the year weighed on everyone and by early fall I was becoming as much a psychiatrist to my crew as I was a chef.. Life on the front lines.

Amidst this chaos my wife and I bought a house. We’d been planning it for years and the perfect fit just happened to pop up. The final months of Armageddon included packing, moving, screaming cats and learning all about house insurance. Oh, and the holidays, lots of fun.

I drank a lot of beer last year. I think a lot of people drank a lot last year. It’s not the best tag line for a post, but here we all are. I tried to do my best to keep my pandemic imbibing under control, and I think I did a pretty good job. I did make friends with a handful of new beers that are worth discussing.

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