I spent the morning on emails. I've also been researching a new wine marketing concept. I thought I'd have time to get a haircut this afternoon on the way to an appointment. No luck. Left it too long before I ventured out.

Bought dinner ingredients at Whole Foods. $100 adds up quickly. I think this is only for tonight's dinner, or so I tell myself. Ya. Stopped in on one of my favourite restaurant clients in Burlington on the way home. Getting closer to landing a large wine deal. I keep my fingers crossed. Pick up the youngest daughter from the GO station and drive her home.

Dinner is gorgeous. It should be! Still thinking of the bill. The three of us pilfer the last few morsels from the box of chocolates we received by mail from relatives in Norway. "Thank you, Helge." We receive a box of Kong Haakon chocolates by Freia every Christmas from him. If he ever stops sending them, I'm gonna show up on his Norwegian doorstep to complain.

Tried three of the 6 Nickel Brook beers I had picked up earlier. I know these beers well. I buy them all the time (and drink them in Nickel Brook stemware). But tonight I share them with the family tasting panel. We discuss the various characteristics. Since we usually do wine tastings, it's a fun change doing a beer tasting.

Here's what the three of us had to say about the beers:

Nickel Brook Premium Organic Lager
   A medium polished copper colour.  The aroma has a spicy and nutty quality, leading to flavours of nutty bread and citrus with a little bit of appropriate bitterness. Well balanced. A pleasant beverage, with distinct character. I was told earlier in the day that Better Bitters sources 100% organic ingredients and that they are certified to USDA and Canadian organic standards. 5% alcohol. All natural, no preservatives.

Nickel Brook Ale
   The light that gleams off this ale produces a dark golden colour with ruby tones. It shows its substance up front with an enticing nutty bouquet with a hint of citrus. It has good body, medium to full. Fruity flavours with citrus and nutty undertones. A smooth beer. It comes across as having a certain distinctiveness that we really liked. They use 3 malted barleys and European hops to make this beer. As with all their beers, this product too is naturally carbonated. It is aged for almost four weeks. 5% alcohol. All natural, no preservatives.

Nickel Brook Maple Porter
   Dark brown, caramel and maple on the nose, with perhaps even some buttery qualities. Caramel continues through to the flavour along with coffee and fresh-baked bread. The maple is not too prominent, just the right blend, in our opinion, making for a very nice Porter. This style of beer has a lot of character and distinctiveness. By nature, this style is aged for long periods of time, producing a serious beer!  All natural, no preservatives. 6% alcohol.

The reason I drink only true micro-brewed beers and selected European beers is that they are all natural. Only four ingredients. Long brewing times. Made by Mother Nature. In contrast, most beer producers cannot say this. They have short brewing times. Lots of chemicals and cheap ingredients (like corn)... I prefer real beer!

We decide that we are glad that Nickel Brook Craft brewery is nearby. Although several of their products are in LCBO and The Beer Store, I personally prefer to go directly to the Brewery because John Romano and team are a fun, energetic bunch of people. And when we go to a restaurant, we request it by name. Have done so for a couple of years at least.

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