During my recent travels in the south west I discovered a great book by Kevin Starr entitled ‘California’. It charts the state’s history, from the aboriginal peoples, through the Spanish to the Americans. He looks at the many reasons for California’s success (geography, immigration, weather, innovation to name a few) and tells an interesting story spanning 500 years. Read the rest...

California is a world all its own. An economy that is the 8th largest in the world, a multicultural population of some 35 million, the same as our whole nation (or the city of Tokyo), an ideal climate and a penchant for kicking back and enjoying life. Read the rest...

San Jose is the largest city in Northern California and the capital of Silicon Valley. It enjoys a booming economy, a rich Spanish/Mexican heritage and a vibrant social life reflected in it’s many clubs, restaurants and bars. Amongst the latter are a number of great beer bars, breweries and brewpubs, many located in the historical downtown district. Read the rest...

Work took me to La Belle Province this summer, and as luck would have it, I found some time to explore the Montreal beer scene a bit, and to taste some amazing beers from some of the small towns throughout the province. Read the rest...

On the muddy banks of the mighty Mississippi, great beer’s a flowing. Flying into St. Louis, Missouri in early May, the Mississippi River was flexing its muscles, low lying areas in danger of flood. Though the weather was close to +30 C and sunny, there had been mighty rain in the Mid-West. Read the rest...

While Spring is making its way slowly to most parts of our dear country, it seems exceptionally slow in Saskatchewan, where they have received record amounts of snowfall, the snow dumps are all full, so 4 foot drifts dominate the residential landscape. Read the rest...

I was lucky enough recently to escape the the doldrums of a cool, late Spring by flying to L.A. on business. This of course lent itself immediately to the prospects of beer hunting in a city that has only in recent years embraced the craft beer revolution. Read the rest...

I was lucky enough recently to visit Montreal, home to a growing number of wonderful brewpubs. On my first evening I was able to walk from my hotel to Benelux on Sherbrooke, a brewpub that has become a local hotspot. The place was packed when I got there, with one seat left at the end of the bar. Read the rest...

Every year for the last 14 years the Grand Place at the centre of Brussels has hosted the Brussels Beer Weekend, the biggest celebration of Belgian beer anywhere in the country, and I’ll bet in the world. 51 breweries showed up for edition #14, presenting more than 350 different Belgian beers from Lambic, Stout, Trappist, Wit and Oud Brune to Golden, Saison, IPA, Abbey and beyond, they are all here! Read the rest...