It’s been busy. Very, very busy. I haven’t had the chance to seek out new GF products and I’ve had even less time to blog about anything.

That being said, I am going to steal a format from Bailing Bucket, who stole his format from ctoverdrive, and give you a little list of the things I know today. Some GF and some not.

First - Kensington Wine Market strikes again. They are now carrying Glutener Beer. I’ve reviewed this before here, and now I am happy to say that it’s available in another place.

Second – I don’t care what BCFF says – everything in life can be reduced to 50/50. Will you win the lottery? It’s 50/50, you either will or won’t. Will they find a cure for cancer? 50/50, they either will or they won’t. Will a case of CocoPebbles fall from the sky and land in my kitchen? 50/50, either it will or it won’t - Just ask Celiac Husband. So for all of you pessimists out there that want to tell me that there is thing called Math that proves that I’m wrong ya da ya da, PLEASE save it. My argument is iron clad, and in the places it might not be – my resolve is, and I will win even if it’s by breaking you down into admitting I’m right.

Third – Timbuk2 has plaid. JAM.

Fourth – Thanksgiving is coming. Fiance and I are hosting. GF Patisserie is going to do most of the work.

Fifth – Love her or hate her, Dooce is a literary genius and her posts make me want to contemplate the idea of having kids. And then I remember that kids are all about eating all your food, spending all your money, messing up your stuff and never really knowing at any given time what is going on.

Sixth – Have a great weekend everyone.

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Did you just say “No” to me?

Um, I hate to inform you of this, but that is not a word I am willing to accept thank you very much!

You’re probably wondering what that was all about – it was about me. I don’t like the word NO and whenever possible, I change it into a YES.

Blame it on my upbringing, blame it on genetics, blame it on whatever you want – it’s a thing and I am very happy with it.

How does this relate to my blog? It’s the reason I keep talking about GF Beer. Believe it or not, in my pre-celiac days, I rarely drank beer – I preferred gin and tonic,  jagermeister and Coke, and red wine. Beer was something that other people drank.

Then one frightful day, Dr. Lady said to me: “Caitlin, this also means NO beer.” My response was: “You think so hey. I bet I can find beer that is suitable to drink, and I bet you a million dollars that I am going to like it.” Dr. Lady just smiled, she’s dealt with me long enough to know that I am prone to say things like this during an appointment.

And with that, the Epic Beer Quest began. With a lot of help from family and friends I have found some good ones, and some not so good ones. And this time, with the help of a very knowledgeable man at Willow Park Wine and Spirits, I found this:

Estrella Damm.

First, I just loving saying that name over and over again really loudly: Estrella DAMM, Estrella DAMM. There I go yelling at you with my caps lock key again! Sorry.

I also love this beer because it in no way has any of the trade mark features of the ‘not so great’ GF Beer. No fiz, no odd after taste, tastes the same warm or cold (prefer to drink it cold) and it has a great colour as well. It also finds a balance between being too light to matter and too dark to drink with a meal.

Estrella DAMM you’re good!

As a side note: If anyone has been able to find Bard’s GF Beer please let me know as soon as possible! I want to know if it lives up to the adds.

Happy Don’t Take No For An Answer, So Now I Drink Beer Day!

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We recently took a trip to Thunder in the Valley in Blairmore Alberta. It was a day full of sunshine and a night full of fireworks – a damn good combination if you ask me! One of the requirements of a trip like this is bringing good friends. You’re going to be stuck in a car for hours with these people, and then you are going to be stuck sitting in a field with them for a few more hours. You better like them!

Another requirement is beer. Not only does it make the people you’re with, a little funnier, it also makes your grilled steak taste that much better – proven fact.

On our way out we stopped by Kensington Wine Market to pick up some Green’s. While we were there, we stumbled upon this new creation – La Messagere Rousse. For those of you who threw up a “WHAT?” like I did – Rousse is just fancy talk for Red Ale.

I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn’t much like the last La Messagere I tried. BUT what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t throw myself on the stake for me readers?! So we bought it and I decided to give it a try. You better appreciate it!

Verdict: Pleasantly suprised. It’s still a little too fizzy for my taste, but the actual taste is nice. It’s not my favourite, but it will definately do if my favourite can’t be found. All in all, I would say it’s nice, not great but not horrible, it’s nice.

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Do you see that?

Do you see that sun in the sky?

Do you know what that means?

Patio time!

And what do we all love about Patio time?

Patio drinks!

Kensington Wine Market has really stepped up to the plate and is now offering another Gluten Free Beer! This one is called Frio!

Frio! is a lager style beer brewed in Canada by Fort Garry Brewing Company in Winnipeg, MB. Frio! is a light beer (in more ways then one, it’s only 4%) with a mild taste. It’s similar to Le Messagere in colour and taste, but lacks the fiz that Le Messagere has. I personally don’t like my beer to fiz. So, for that reason, I would choose Frio! over Le Messagere.

From the beer tasting I’ve done over the last little bit, I have to admit that Green’s GF Beer still takes the cake. It really is the best we’ve found.

HOWEVER, there is something that Frio! can do that Green’s can’t – Frio! would be the best for Beergarrita’s.

Yes people I said it, Beergarrita!

So what’s in a Beergarrita?

In a jug combine the following: 4 bottles of GF beer, two shots of tequila and one can of frozen lime juice. Mix, drink and enjoy.

Warning: After two glasses you will need to do the stand check. Stand up, try to walk across the room and back. If you can make it without falling – continue drinking. If you can’t make it – take a break, have some water, or risk being “that guy” at the party.

I’d like to take this moment to thank my dad for finding the Frio! and I’d like to thank BCFF for the Beergarrita recipe. There would be no fun in the sun without you two!

(This picture is just because I think my dog rocks, and he was keeping us company while we hung out with our beergarrita’s getting a tan!)

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My parents have been very helpful and supportive in my GF living. Mom always double checks labels, and they always keep a look out for new GF products I may like. One such thing is GF beer. A trip to Kensington Wine Market turned fruitful when my dad caught these little diddy’s and bought them. We sat down and had possibly the greatest beer tasting afternoon ever. The results are below. I hope they help you, and I hope that you too can partake in beer at your next BBQ!

Le Messagere

A very light GF beer made in Quebec. First taste and I am reminded of beer shanty’s – beer mixed with ginger ale. It’s very fizzy, a lot like a pop fiz that will produce involuntary burping. Maybe not the best in social situations – you will already be “that guy drinking the weird beer” and this might upgrade you to “that guy who burps a lot”. Maybe not the best if you’re trying to impress someone of the opposite (or same) sex. My mom who is NOT a beer drinker, really liked this one. It was light and didn’t have the bitter beer taste that she hates. If you’re one of those people that isn’t so much about the beer taste of beer, this may be for you.

Greens – Quest

Getting closer to real beer with this one. This one actually holds a little bit of a head of the top. After much discussion we decided that Quest had a more fruity taste to it – something between the taste of a champagne and a sweedish berry candy. Definitely no bitter beer face with this.

What we also liked about Green’s was that it was not only GF but it also covers a myriad of other allergies: wheat, barley, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, beans, milk/lactose, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulfites. Okay I know what you’re thinking, why would there be crustaceans and celery in beer? Can’t tell you the answer to that – but they have made it known that if you don’t have to worry about it, it’s not in the bottle!

Green’s – Discovery

Another step closer to a complete success. Discovery is slightly heavier than say, Molson Canadian, but still lighter than a dark ale. With Discovery you start to get more into the finer points of beer. It carries a slightly bitter taste and more of a true beer colour and body. If you’re into the generic beers this is your beer. As with all Green’s beers, this one is also free of allergens.

Green’s – Endeavor

Now this is a beer! This will make you want to drink GF beer. This will make you want to soak your steak, and your burgers in beer again. Oh if only it came in a can and you could have beer can chicken! Endeavor pours with a nice head and has a nice dark honey colour. The closest comparison we could make to a gluten filed beer is Sleeman’s Honey Brown. I will caution you to one thing – this bottle is 7% alcohol. And because it goes down so well you may find yourself  swaying like the front row at a Boyz2Men concert!

If you want to know where I am this weekend – I’m sitting in the sunshine on my parents deck drinking Endeavor.  And if I may, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my parents and Fiance and Cousin J for their help with the taste test. (I think Dad and I had more fun than the rest of them.)

All of the beers above can be found at the Kensington Wine Market and Green’s can also be found (in limited supply) at Willow Park Wines & Spirits.

Happy Beer Day – please drink responcibly.

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