Dunedin House of Beers

Hi Blog! Today is Thursday, March 19, 2015. We're pretty much recovered from the Miller Invasion and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Toronto Scrantons - Matt, Weina and William. Having prepared as best we can, we decided to take the day off and ride our bikes over to Dunedin. Dunedin (or Dùn Èideann as the Scotts say) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The Scottish motif is used all over town.

Our destination was Dunedin House of Beer. In addition to the 40 taps which are constantly rotating, they have an extensive bottle list, all of which is kept up-to-date on their website.

The beer from the website is displayed on a large flat screen above the taps. One of the coolest features of their beers list is the hot link to the Beer Advocate website so you can read all about the beer and see what others have said before you even try it.

While they will pour 5 ounce samplers, our bartender Sean steered us away from that route. He said he would let us try any beer we wanted and then we could order the one we liked best, that way you don't waste your calories on beer you don't really, really want.  (More places should do this.) Dave picked Schnebly's Little Havana Cafe Con Leche Stout by Miami Brewing Company. It was a dark creamy sweet milk stout which went down smooth with not even a hint of bitterness. 

Kathy really wanted to try Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout by Stone Brewing company, but she was a little nervous since Stone is know for their hoppy beers. Sean poured a quick taste and her fears were allayed. This big brew comes in at a whopping 10.50% abv and is served in a tulip glass. Kathy loved the subtle hints of anise. Some reviewers thought it was over the top. Perhaps since we tried it on tap, the flavor may have mellowed compared to the bottle. It was definitely a tasty stout that we would quaf again.

Local salsa and chips provided just the right accompaniment to offset the effects of the high gravity beer. Since we still had 8 miles to bike back to Clearwater, we decided to share the next beer - Founders Backwoods Bastard by Founders Brewing Company, a 10.2% abv scottish style ale.  This "Wee Heavy" is cave aged in oak bourbon barrels. We would definitely buy a case of this beer next time we go beer shopping.

We had a great time talking to Sean about the whole Beer-muda Triangle that exists in Dunedin between Dunedin Brewery, House of Beer and 7venth Sun Brewery. Kathy now has a new friend and a sticker for her journal book.

It wasn't all just beer talk.  We learned a lot, too.  Did you know that Saint Arnold is the Patron Saint of Brewers? Arnold of Soissons or Arnold or Arnulf of Oudenburg (ca 1040–1087) is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, the patron saint of hop-pickers and Belgian brewers. At the abbey, he began to brew beer, as essential in medieval life as water. He encouraged local peasants to drink beer, instead of water, due to its "gift of health." During the process of brewing, the water was boiled and thus, unknown to all, freed of pathogens. There are many depictions of St. Arnold with a mashing rake in his hand, to identify him. He is honored in July with a parade in Brussels on the "Day of Beer."

Can you say Road Trip to Belgium?