From the Bar Towel: Rogue Beer Dinner and Tap Takeover at beerbistro – September 19th beerbistro has announced that they will be hosting a pairing dinner and tap takeover event to celebrate the Ontario debut of draught beer from Oregon’s Rogue Brewing. Taking place on Wednesday September 19th as part of Toronto Beer Week, the dinner will be hosted by Stephen Beaumont, and will feature 10 courses with beer pairings. Tickets for this exclusive event are $125 plus tax and gratuity, and will be going on sale on Tuesday September 4th at 10 AM. Call beerbistro at (416) 861-9872 to reserve by credit card. See this thread as well: http://www.bartowel.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=8227 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a side note, I was told about this by a publican outside of Toronto a few months ago, so I'm hopeful that these draughts will be available across the province, or at least in the major centres. More great news for Ontarians!
Interesting. I rarely get excited about Rogue and doubt that I will pass up supporting local Ontario breweries on account of ordering a Rogue pint very often, especially considering where the price point will likely be. That said, there are a couple of their offerings that are very good (Mocha Porter, Chocolate Stout) that I would happily order a pint of.
If the picture that Greg posted is an accurate indication of the beers that will be available, I will definitely go for the Yellow Snow, Chocolate Stout, Hazelnut, Brutal, and XS IIPA (providing their less than, say, $8.50 a pint). I don't recall Rogue draughts being overly expensive down south, so if the price point is high here I'm guessing that'll be a reflection of our alcohol taxes, lab test fees, and any tarriffs that the agency or brewer might have to pay. One of the biggest outstanding criticism's of Ontario's beer scene is the fact that we have virtually no American draught beer, so I think this a huge step forward for the province. Not to mention, Rogue makes some really good beer. We'll see how it unfolds, but as long as the price point isn't ridiculous, I'm very excited about this.
So these are the draughts that are coming, listed by availability and BA score: Year Round Brutal IPA (4.05) Dead Guy Ale (3.96) Yellow Snow IPA (3.81) First Growth OREgasmic Ale (3.78) Seasonal XS Imperial India Pale Ale (4.14) Hazelnut Brown Nectar (4.08) First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager (4.04) Mocha Porter (3.89) I find it strange that the "seasonals" are strictly comprised of year-round offerings and a limited release (Dirtoir), while the Yellow Snow (Winter seasonal) will be available regularly. But either way it's great to see these hitting Ontario.
