While Mother Nature continues to play peekaboo with the beginning of spring, anxious local residents eagerly await the most anticipated event of the year. I speak, of course, of the start of patio season, that glorious moment when you can drink outside and feel life get exponentially better, while winter fades away into a distant dream. To honour this upcoming festive occasion, this week’s blogging round-up looks at bloggers who write about beer, wine and/or cocktails, all excellent choices for an afternoon outside on a patio.
Beer
Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer. – Henry Lawson
Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson was a wise man. Often called Australia’s greatest writer, he perfectly captures that feeling of springtime bliss when you sit under the sun, drink in hand, and imagine what it would be like to live in Aruba for life.
Turning to the local blogosphere, Beer O’Clock by Ross Brown is an excellent source if you want to read reviews of different beers. Capital Pint by Travis Persaud, which is published every second Thursday on Ottawa Magazine’s web site, also discusses beer. Then there is the Ottawa Beer Club and Ottawa Beer Tap Society.
One site I enjoy is Sheltered Girl Meets World, which I reviewed on my personal blog. I initially considered this site to be in the foodie category, but after reading numerous beer-related posts, as well as stories on wine and travel, I realized that it covered much more than food.
For its part, Barley’s Angels Ottawa, a new group for female craft beer lovers, was recently launched and their blog promises to be a great source for beer appreciation.
Ottawa and Gatineau-area breweries also have an online presence, such as the blog by Broadhead. If you exclude company web sites without a blog, you can click on the Facebook pages for Beyond the Pale Brewing Company, Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery and Mill Street Brew Pub. Kichesippi Beer Co.’s blog appears to be dormant, but their twitter account is active. The Clocktower Brew Pub also has a twitter account.
En français, il y a la page Facebook pour Gainsbourg et Les Brasseurs du Temps. (Note: Les Brasseurs have an English web site if you don’t speak French).
Wine
I have enjoyed great health at a great age because everyday since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles. – A Bishop of Seville
Wine lovers are also well represented on the blogosphere. Capital Wine is run by wine agent Andrew Rastapkevicius, and provides an excellent source for vino-related local news. Another blog worth reading is Grayson Drinks by Grayson McDiarmid, the general manager and wine director at Gezellig in Westboro.
Then there is the wonderfully named sit. sip. savour., the cleverly titled wine out loud, and the great blog Second Ferment. Finally, 327 Wine Bar at 327 Somerset Street West has a blog,
Cocktails
If you like to drink cocktails, then Martinis for Breakfast by Jennifer Pennock is a must-read. I reviewed this site on my blog last month, and found Jennifer’s posts to be a mix of humour, wit and useful information. For instance, check out the recipe for The Gypsy that she recently posted, a vodka-based cocktail with Bénédictine, a dash of Angostura Bitters and ice.
Then there is Ottawa Cocktails, an events business that also has a Facebook page.
Finally, I should note that The Gouda Life recently posted a tasty recipe for a ginger-cilantro margarita. While this local blog is definitely in the foodie-category, it is good to see some cross-pollination into the world of cocktail blogging.
Know of any other beer, wine and/or cocktail-related blogs not mentioned above? Please let us know in the comments section below. In the meantime, if you want to know more about local bloggers, please go to The Ottawa Blogging Library, a blog that I created to accompany the Tour de blogosphere columns.
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