Monday 11 January 2016

December 31, 2015

307/1581) Caffe Volo:  Verdi Imperial Stout  by Birrificio del Ducato of Italy:  **; 8.2%;   bottle pour;  brewed with chili peppers;  red wine nose;  flavours of coffee, wine, cider with mild heat;  said heat is more prominent during the finish and after taste;

308/1582) Caffe Volo:  Baron Noir by Le Trou du Diable of Quebec:  **;  7%;  dark coffee and alcohol nose;  cidery mouth feel;  dark, dark coffee flavours;

309/1583) Caffe Volo:  Westvleteren 8 by Abdig Sixtus of Belgium:  **;  sharp, tart cidery nose;  bubbly mouth feel;  complex, tart and cidery with a sweet fruity finish;

This was a bottle pour courtesy a Volo acquaintance named Doug.  Familiar faces Roger and Peter also got in on this.

310/1584)  Caffe Volo:  3 Minutes To Midnight by Bellwoods Brewery of Ontario:  **1/2;  a 10% barrel aged imperial stout brewed with cherries - in fact the barrels involved are on their third time around:  these cognac barrels were previously used to age Bring Out Your Dead;  nose is cherries, coffee, espresso, oak;  flavours of cherry, coder, red wine, cherry features strongly in the finish and after taste;

311/1585) Caffe Volo:  Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus by Brasserie Cantillon of Belgium:  **;  a 5%  lambic with raspberries;  beautiful red colour;  tart, cidery nose;  sharp tart dry cidery;  a bottle pour;

Doug also bought a bottle of Achel Brun and he poured two glasses for me but someone else drank each one before I could get to it.

Another terrific NYE at the Volo.  Bottles came out from the cellar on the hour, announced with the ringing of a bell.  It looks bad but I didn't have a full pint of anything tonight.  It is just as well that the next two New Year's Eves will be on a weekend.  I don't think I can manage another for a couple of years.

Come 2016, there will be a second Volo location in Little Italy.  The space looks a lot roomier which will be helpful in case a NYE party of seven, one of whom is wearing a top hat the size of a champagne cork held in place with a chin strap, sets up camp at the bar.  I expect it will be even more like Stillwell's in Halifax.  I can hardly wait.

It does speak well of the Volo that I will join them on NYE.  I can scarcely tolerate this artificial celebration.  Given the on-going assault on Christmas, coupled with the different new years in so many cultures, religions and nations I am surprised we are even allowed to talk about it.  My complaint has always been that every good time Charlie who hasn't tied one on since St. Patrick's Day is taking up space in the bars.  Brian late of Tracks absolutely refused to work on that night.

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