Analysis: Three Pumpkin Beers IV

I used this Thanksgiving weekend as an excuse to continue my methodical pumpkin beer tasting. I completed a tasting in 2010, 2012, and 2013. Each of these previous tastings were based on three seasonal brews. As each year passes, it becomes increasingly difficult to find new subjects for my experiment; fortunately, new craft breweries are popping up all over BC, and each one of these new incubators wants to try to make a pumpkin beer. This year, we had several people contribute bottles, so it was actually a seven beer tasting. I kept the title of this entry the same as past entries though, for the sake of continuity. Here are the results:

1) Phillips Crooked(er) Tooth Barrel-Aged Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkin beers seem to fall into one of two categories: drinkable and light ales that are actually brewed with a great deal of roasted pumpkin, or dark and heavy ales that contain limited pumpkin but a great deal of spices associated with pumpkin and pumpkin pie. Phillips' Crooked Tooth and Crooked(er) Tooth are both on the light side and pumpkin-focused. Even this new release for 2014, which is higher alcohol at 7.3% ABV and rich due to its whiskey barrel finish, is smooth and fairly dry. This was the hit of the night. A

2) Canuck Empire Brewing Pumpkin Patch Ale

I hadn't heard of this Abbotsford brewery before trying this beer, and now I know why. With a putrid cabbage finish and an isopropyl mouthfeel, this seasonal release tastes like a product made by homebrewers who don't know what they are doing. The unanimous failure of the night, this beer was bitter and contained very little pumpkin flavor. Its colour was a light copper, but it was much more pleasant to look at than to consume. F

3) Spinnakers Spiced Pumpkin Ale

I've never been a fan of Spinnakers. However, this was a blind sampling, so you'd think my bias could not be applied. While my eyes could not identify which bomber was produced by Spinnakers, my tastebuds could! To quote some of the notes taken by tasters that night "smoky", "little pumpkin flavour", and "bourbony" were descriptors used more than once. The nose on this badboy was intense too. This is not an easy-drinking beer. Spinnakers Pumpkin Ale is one of those beers that should probably be called a harvest or spiced ale rather than a pumpkin ale. We all graded this one about the same as well. C+

4) Nelson Brewing Organic Pumpkin Ale

I knew that I had reviewed this last year, but we threw it into the blind taste test anyway. What were we going to do, not drink a rare and craft-brewed pumpkin beer?! This beer is actually just so-so, and its bouquet is better than its taste. To reiterate last year's review: "This beer poured a light copper colour and had a nice head. Similar to Fernie's Pumpkin Head, pumpkin was not the dominant flavour. This beer packs a spicy wallop, and two members of our group noted that it tastes a lot like chai tea. This beer was not sweet, so its heavy spice characteristics suit both dinner and dessert." B

5) Cannery Knucklehead Pumpkin Ale

Not a great sign right off the bat: a thin white crown and minimal lacing. Combine these warning signs with the cola colour and lack of squash nose/flavour and you have a drinkable harvest ale rather than a fragrant pumpkin beer. Almost all respondents made a point of noting the non-existent nose, and three of the seven tasters used the adjective "woody" when describing the finish. I thought this beer was pretty solid and that it would pair with food quite well, but it would be hard for me to drink a full pint of it. B-  

6) #9 of Elysian's 12 Beers of the Apocalypse: BLIGHT

This one woke everyone up. This is a beer that wants to be noticed. And not surprisingly, this beer was great because it was made by Seattle's finest brewery. It is like Elysian's Night Owl on steroids: it has the same squashy and fragrant profile but the alcohol is bumped to 7.4% ABV and the spices are infiltrated by potent Vietnamese cinnamon. Two tasters noted a "banana bread nose" and almost everyone found the cinnamon/brown sugar characteristics rounded and pleasant rather than overpowering. Personally, I found this beer a bit on the sweet side, but appreciated how all of the flavours were distinctive and harmonious. A-

7) Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale

I have purchased and enjoyed this beer from the very first year it was produced. While it was my favourite from this year's selection, several people from our group found this beer to lack both spice and pumpkin flavour. I actually like this beer because of this light profile. Unlike most of the ales listed here, I could drink a full pint of this. I find many pumpkin beers to be cloying, but Crooked Tooth's raw pumpkin and acidic nose, combined with its low carbonation and delicate spicing, makes it clean and smooth. Phillips rules! A

Keywords: "best pumpkin beers", "BC pumpkin beers", "Phillips Crookeder Tooth"

Copper Chimney at the Hotel Le Soleil

I have lived in Vancouver my whole life. I eat out a lot. I love Indian food. AND I worked kitty-corner from this restaurant for one entire year. Why haven't I heard of this place?

I recently attended a Yelp event here and think I found the answer after speaking with one of the managers: this is the hotel restaurant for Le Soleil on Hornby Street, and the vast majority of the people who dine here are staying at the hotel. Up until 2013, the restaurant had not made a huge effort to market themselves to the local clientele, despite being in business for thirteen years. I tend to avoid hotel restaurants because I (perhaps paranoiacally) feel that they can lower their standards due to the fact that they have captive patrons. Also, they tend to be stuffy. I am pleased to report that this is not the case with Copper Chimney, which offers thirty-foot ceilings, open seating, a long bar, and spicy fare! Also, the menu has not fallen prey to the traps of typical Vancouver Indian cuisine. Copper Chimney is very proud of its tandoori oven, and they incorporate tandoori-roasted items - such as eggplant, prawns, and salmon - into accessible dishes such as crab cakes and flatbread. There ain't no aloo gobi here!

Not only was I impressed with this restaurant's staff, ambiance, and food, Copper Chimney also threw one of the best Yelp events I have ever been to, and I have been to many over my five years as an Elite reviewer. There were drinks at the door, endless samples of the tandoori prawns and steak flatbread, and generous pours. The prices are on the high side when considering the plethora of great eating options downtown, but I will recommend the Copper Chimney in the future due to the great service and wonderful items I sampled.

Keywords: Alex Dawkins, Best Vancouver Indian, Hotel Le Soleil Vancouver

Harvest Deli in Vancouver

I live four blocks from Harvest Deli and have now eaten ten sandwiches from this tiny Kitsilano deli. In fact, I am eating a BAM right now, and honestly think it may be the best sandwich I have ever had: grilled and buttered sourdough, generous amounts of crispy bacon, ripe avocado, caramelised onions, arugula, melted aged cheddar, and russian dressing. It is super super awesome. I just turned to my girlfriend to ask her to contribute to this review, but her BAM disappeared after the first sentence. Amazingly good.

Each sandwich is made to order and the ingredients are very very fresh, and thoughtfully composed. The owner also makes two soups fresh every day, and service is prompt and polite. I lived in the UK for several years, and there are sandwich shops in every neighbourhood. Whether it is due to VanCity's fear of carbs, or due to our city's eclectic tastes and wide variety of ethnic options, Vancouver has surprisingly few delis and sandwich shops. When done right, a sandwich is the perfect food, and HD has restored my passion for these simple yet satisfying snacks.

I have a few minor criticisms. Their multigrain bun is fairly dense and detracts from the delicious fillings within. Also, the business has been working on its branding and signage for about a year, and this gives the shop a "temporary" and slightly unprofessional feel. There are over two dozen sandwich options, but the menu is a bit confusing and wordy. Once you know how to navigate through it, everything is fine and scrumptious...but I was intimidated by it the first time I explored it. Nitpicking aside, I am a HUGE fan and a bi-weekly supporter of Harvest Deli. Mmmmmmm.

PS - A good tactic to tackle HD's massive menu: bring a buddy, order two sandwiches, and then split them. Bam!

BLS Canada is BS

Everything about BLS, India's privatized Visa and Passport processing service, is dismal. My first impression of this company was negative, as they are located in the dingy basement of an otherwise impressive looking highrise on Howe Street in Vancouver. The underground service centre lacks any fresh air, any natural light, and any decor. Reflecting the awful location of this bureaucratic failure of a company is the customer service. Upon my first visit for an Indian Tourist Visa application, the grumpy receptionist took a look at my well-worn and washing machine-tested passport and said I had to go the the Indian Consulate one block away to check whether my document would be accepted. I went over to the Consulate and they said my passport was passable. So, I went back to BLS, was shown to a bizarre and completely empty whitewashed waiting room, and was then finally beckoned into a messy backroom office to see a Visa clerk. I paid my $75 for BLS to process my Visa and was told it would be a week.

Great! Easy! Or so I thought, until I received a call a few days later saying my application had been rejected because my passport was damaged. I needed a *new* passport, and I needed to pay *another* $75 fee to BLS.

It is totally unacceptable that BLS a) accepted my wrinkly passport when it is their job to process complete Visa and Passport applications, and b) charged me twice and, c) could not tell me how long it would take to process my Visa...when I had an impending trip planned.

BLS' ineptitude extends all the way to its automated status update delivery system. I received six emails over a span of two days "updating" me as to the status of my Visa, but when I did a manual update check it said my Visa was already back at BLS and ready for pick-up.
 

This company is not representing India properly and is dissuading potential tourists through their incompetence. Visit Nepal instead.

Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Vancouver Craft Breweries", "Best Vancouver Coffee"

Cork & Fin

I had been to Cork & Fin several times over the past two years before dining there recently, but only for their 5:00-6:30pm buck-a-shuck sessions, or a random drink. I really wanted to have a full meal in order to see what the kitchen was capable of, and to see whether the food could stand up to the slick and comfortable ambiance of the space that I had enjoyed in the past while shooting oysters. Valentine's Day seemed to be the perfect excuse to test this Gastown brasserie.

I was impressed from the get-go as our table was ready right upon arrival and we were given a primo spot on the cozy second floor, overlooking the main dining area and oyster bar below. We started our meal with a glass of French bubbly, which whet our appetites for the first course of this Valentine's set menu.

The first dish was a crudo platter consisting of six Kusshis, tuna tartar, cured salmon, and scallop sashimi. All of the seafood was clean tasting, subtle, and elegantly presented.

The second dish was an unusual and harmonious octopus salad. This looked a bit intimidating at first glance because the slices of octopus were abnormally large when recalling salads of a similar ilk; however, this grilled cephalopod was tender, and married perfectly with the roasted tomatoes and greens upon which it rested. 

For the third course, I had the egg yolk ravioli with a butter parmesan sauce and my girlfriend had the arctic char with fennel and blood orange salad. These two dishes were perfect counterpoints to one another: the pasta was rich and soft, while the char and salad were light and palate-cleansing. The portions were also bang on, as this protein-heavy menu meant that we couldn't have handled huge servings of pasta and fish.

The dessert echoed the yin-yang balance that existed between the pasta and char, and presented itself in the form of a flossy pavlova and a luscious pistachio chocolate mousse. On its own, the pavlova would have been too light. And by itself, the mousse would have been too heavy. But together, they were perfect.

This meal, and this 2014 Valentine's eve, could not have been more enjoyable or satisfying. We popped our heads into the kitchen as we were leaving to give our thanks to the chef, Cayley Milne, who is doing an amazing job at Cork & Fin. We will definitely be back.

Keywords: "Cayley Milne chef", "Best Vancouver Seafood", "Cork & Fin review"

Native Art and Airports

Susan Point's Whorl at YVR

With the popularity of air travel and the transient nature of flying from one destination to the other, airports are becoming destinations in and of themselves. As flight prices became affordable and technological developments enabled planes to fly further and faster during the boom of the airline industry in the postbellum 1950s, long-haul necessities such as stopovers and connections became the norm. With patrons beginning to spend more and more time in airports around the world, and many travellers being put in the position to judge cities (and even entire countries) on time spent within specific airports, these facilities began making an effort to be both practical and cultural in nature. 

Airports are responsible for providing first impressions. If you get off of a plane only to enter a drab and dirty airport belonging to a foreign and unfamiliar city, you very well may judge this new land before you have even left the building. On the other hand, a clean and well-appointed airport can reflect a city and community that is proud and eager to make a good impression. Above and beyond logistical efficiencies, cleanliness, and safety, the aesthetic qualities of an airport are among the most important factors when considering how these bastions of modern travel affect those traversing their various terminals, tunnels, and tarmacs.

Several airports in North America have stepped up and made a great effort to highlight and promote the Indigenous cultures upon whose land they have been situated. This is a positive and effective approach to design and decoration for many reasons. Artwork produced by cultures within their traditional territories can represent idiosyncratic aesthetic values and reinforce unique geographical features.

The Albuquerque International Sunport, for example, houses over one hundred permanent artworks that communicate the overarching aesthetic values of New Mexico and the primary traits of Pueblo artwork. This airport art collection is not composed entirely of Indigenous work, but an effort is made to promote Pueblo taste and artistic values. The Sunport has been greatly successful with their design approach, with USA Today ranking it as one of the top ten airports for art in the USA.

Allan Houser's Apache Crown Dancer at ABQ

Vancouver’s YVR Art Foundation was founded in 1993 and made it a priority to feature British Columbian First Nations art in the city’s main airport. Red Cedar, monumentality, and interconnectedness are elements essential to both British Columbia as a geographical region and the First Nations from this province, and most of the works in Vancouver International Airport epitomize these elements.

Referencing their promotion of Aboriginal art, the YVR Art Foundation strives “to do its part in helping these traditions flourish and to contribute to the success of a new generation of BC First Nations artists.” In addition to expressing the character of the land and the artistic values of the Indigenous cultures that inhabit it, including First Nations art in a bustling public venue such as an airport is also beneficial from a commercial standpoint.

Connie Watts' Hetux Thunderbird at YVR

The Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport contains not only a permanent art collection, but also a museum displaying rotating exhibits and numerous shops and galleries that sell Indigenous art from the area. It is the Phoenix Airport’s mission to create a space for travelers “that promotes Arizona’s unique artistic and cultural heritage”. This promotion is not simply aesthetic, for the inclusion of retail spaces dedicated to art and jewellery produced by the Ak-Chin, Yavapai, Colorado River Tribes, and local cultures encourages visitors to support the community on an economic level as well.

From February to June of last year, the Phoenix Airport teamed up with the Heard Museum to present an exhibition of Native bolo ties. This was an ingenious idea for a show because bolo ties are one of the most popular and common jewellery items produced by Indigenous cultures in the Southwest. This temporary exhibition was an excellent way to both educate travelers about this form of jewellery and encourage them to purchase one of these beautiful and locally-made items. Furthermore, this small display was up during the Heard Museum Guild’s Indian Fair and Market, which is held in Phoenix every year and is a huge tourist attraction.

Phoenix Airport's Bolo Ties Exhibition

While it is outstanding that Albuquerque, Vancouver, and Phoenix have acknowledged and promoted the unique Indigenous cultures from their respective regions, the inclusion of Native art in public spaces, such as airports, needs to be improved. Airports are a necessity of travel, and communities that contain vibrant Native art markets should take advantage of these teeming travel hubs to elevate the output of their Indigenous inhabitants.

The Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport contains not only a permanent art collection, but also a museum displaying rotating exhibits and numerous shops and galleries that sell Indigenous art from the area. It is the Phoenix Airport’s mission to create a space for travellers “that promotes Arizona’s unique artistic and cultural heritage”. This promotion is not simply aesthetic, for the inclusion of retail spaces dedicated to art and jewellery produced by the Ak-Chin, Yavapai, Colorado River Tribes, and local cultures encourages visitors to support the community on an economic level as well.
From February to June of last year, the Phoenix Airport teamed up with the Heard Museum to present an exhibition of Native bolo ties. This was an ingenious idea for a show because bolo ties are one of the most popular and common jewellery items produced by Indigenous cultures in the Southwest. This temporary exhibition was an excellent way to both educate travellers about this form of jewellery and encourage them to purchase one of these beautiful and locally-made items. Furthermore, this small display was up during the Heard Museum Guild’s Indian Fair and Market, which is held in Phoenix every year and is a huge tourist attraction
- See more at: http://urbannativemag.com/top-3-airports-for-indigenous-artwork/#sthash.P3WU6tAY.dpuf

The Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport contains not only a permanent art collection, but also a museum displaying rotating exhibits and numerous shops and galleries that sell Indigenous art from the area. It is the Phoenix Airport’s mission to create a space for travellers “that promotes Arizona’s unique artistic and cultural heritage”. This promotion is not simply aesthetic, for the inclusion of retail spaces dedicated to art and jewellery produced by the Ak-Chin, Yavapai, Colorado River Tribes, and local cultures encourages visitors to support the community on an economic level as well.
From February to June of last year, the Phoenix Airport teamed up with the Heard Museum to present an exhibition of Native bolo ties. This was an ingenious idea for a show because bolo ties are one of the most popular and common jewellery items produced by Indigenous cultures in the Southwest. This temporary exhibition was an excellent way to both educate travellers about this form of jewellery and encourage them to purchase one of these beautiful and locally-made items. Furthermore, this small display was up during the Heard Museum Guild’s Indian Fair and Market, which is held in Phoenix every year and is a huge tourist attraction
- See more at: http://urbannativemag.com/top-3-airports-for-indigenous-artwork/#sthash.P3WU6tAY.dpuf

 Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Vancouver Airport Art", "best airport artwork"

While it is outstanding that Albuquerque, Vancouver, and Phoenix have acknowledged and promoted the unique Indigenous cultures from their respective regions, the inclusion of Native art in public spaces, such as airports, needs to be improved. Airports are a necessity of travel, and communities that contain vibrant Native art markets should take advantage of these teeming travel hubs to elevate the output of their Indigenous inhabitants. - See more at: http://urbannativemag.com/top-3-airports-for-indigenous-artwork/#sthash.P3WU6tAY.dpuf

The Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport contains not only a permanent art collection, but also a museum displaying rotating exhibits and numerous shops and galleries that sell Indigenous art from the area. It is the Phoenix Airport’s mission to create a space for travellers “that promotes Arizona’s unique artistic and cultural heritage”. This promotion is not simply aesthetic, for the inclusion of retail spaces dedicated to art and jewellery produced by the Ak-Chin, Yavapai, Colorado River Tribes, and local cultures encourages visitors to support the community on an economic level as well.
From February to June of last year, the Phoenix Airport teamed up with the Heard Museum to present an exhibition of Native bolo ties. This was an ingenious idea for a show because bolo ties are one of the most popular and common jewellery items produced by Indigenous cultures in the Southwest. This temporary exhibition was an excellent way to both educate travellers about this form of jewellery and encourage them to purchase one of these beautiful and locally-made items. Furthermore, this small display was up during the Heard Museum Guild’s Indian Fair and Market, which is held in Phoenix every year and is a huge tourist attraction.
- See more at: http://urbannativemag.com/top-3-airports-for-indigenous-artwork/#sthash.P3WU6tAY.dpuf

Restaurant Zoe in Seattle

My girlfriend and I hunted this warm, stylish bistro down on a recent visit to Seattle because I read about their oyster happy hour on Yelp. Everything about our experience at Restaurant Zoë was outstanding. First, we ordered sixteen Shigoku oysters, and not only were these rare deep-shelled bivalves amazing, our server also threw in two extra oysters on the house. Second, Zoë has both a great wine and beer list. I find that many restaurants tend to favour one beverage over the other, and it seems like places that serve oysters are wine biased, but Zoë has great crafts on tap too. Third, our server was amazing. He was attentive, very polite, and quick to refill our plates with Zoë's delectable complimentary focaccia when they began to look bare. We also ordered the roasted cauliflower to compliment our oysters and it was great. I want to explore the Capitol Hill area more thoroughly on my next visit, and I will be sure to drop by Zoë during my wanderings.


Keywords: "Restaurant Zoe Seattle", "oyster happy hour seattle", "Alex Dawkins"