Beer festival in King City

June 14 - if you don't have plans, maybe you'll want to go to King City for a new craft beer and food truck festival.

I'll be honest, those are two of my favourite things.

There are nine breweries listed as taking part.

The next day is Father's Day, so maybe take dad out a day early for some fun.

Finally open - Innocente

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I got a behind-the-scenes tour of Innocente Brewing in Waterloo.

It was a very impressive brewery and owner/head brewer Steve seemed thrilled to fill us in on all of his plans.

Innocente is now open - Jeff went on Sunday to get a beer. While we've had samples before, these were the first official beers.

Jeff cracked a Conscience American IPA almost immediately and was a big fan of it.

"It was tasty, it was hoppy," Jeff told me tonight on the couch - I should have written down what he said when he had it. He was a pretty big fan.

If you're in the area, for sure stop by and say hi to the gang - they're really friendly and seem to love what they're doing.

Here are some behind the scene shots:

Buffalo - the city beer is rebuilding

Pearl Street Grill and Brewery

OK, my headline might be slightly overstating the facts, but it's true that some major parts of Downtown Buffalo are being revamped thanks to one brewery operation in particular.

Last summer, Jeff and I went on vacation with our daughter to Buffalo and discovered a great brewery that is doing amazing things. The whole operation is now dubbed the Buffalo Brewery District, but I don't remember it being called that when we were there. Instead, we knew we were staying at the Lofts on Pearl (which were apartments that never sold, so they were purchased and turned into hotel rooms), which were also owned by the people who ran the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery next door.

While it was a while ago and I really should have written this blog post ages ago, I can tell you Jeff and I spent quite a few meals at Pearl Street. It helped that by staying next door, we got a discount on food at the brew pub, but it was also because we weren't sure what else was around beyond the Subway sandwich shop up the street.

The staff were great, the food was tasty and the beer more than quenched our thirst. The back patio was a-mah-zing (to quote Penny from Happy Endings). It was several floors and hanging baskets teemed with petunias.

Jeff and I also visited beer mecca, a.k.a. Premier Gourmet, where he was able to pick up a number of different craft beers. I think I could have left him in that store for the entire day - Jeff was a big fan of looking at the beers and selecting just the right ones (he had a limit, of course - he could only drink so much in the time we were there, and he could only bring so much home).

Jeff was able to pick up some Flying Bison Brewery beers - although because it was so long ago, I don't exactly remember his take on them (sorry), but I'm pretty sure they were decent.

We had plans to visit other breweries, but who knew travelling with a 9-month-old would mean we were stuck in our hotel room a lot while she napped? Yeah ... so our plans changed a little once we got there.

But on the last day, before heading back, we did stop at the Buffalo Brew Pub. It was a welcoming spot that might have seemed a little plain, and the food was your typical family restaurant fare, but the service was outstanding and I think the beer was pretty good, too (Jeff only had a little because he was driving).

Buffalo might not seem like the typical vacation destination, but it's definitely worth visiting if you're a fan of beer (in fact, when we told friends we were going to Buffalo, a couple asked, "On purpose?" except for Jeff's home brewing friends - they knew exactly why we wanted to go to Buffalo - for the beer).

Read more about the Buffalo beer scene.

More photos:

"Tap" art on the brewpub

Mmmm, beer

The beers we had

Just one aisle in Premier Gourmet

Getting excited for Guelph's newest brewery

Royal City Brewing Co. is set to open in April (next month! and it will be warmer) and we are super duper excited. Both Jeff and I have been following their progress on Twitter and Facebook.

We haven't had a chance to try any beers yet, but the photo they posted today of their cool looking growlers/bottles has us excited for the grand opening!

Photo: Royal City Brewing Co. Twitter/Facebook

Beer with ... bamboo?

Bamboo Beer Ltd.

Now I want to try this just to say I've tried it.

Bamboo Beer Ltd., claims its beer, made with bamboo, is "beer with benefits."

I believe it's out of Hamilton, Ont., but that is not explicitly stated on their website (three of the five restaurants that serve it are in the Hammer, while two are Toronto).

What do you guys think? Anyone had it?

I stumbled across it when I discovered the Twitter account for the new Hamilton Beer Festival, Aug. 8-9. Bamboo is already listed under the beers section, so I guess if you don't get a chance to try it before summer, you can do it then!

Frost Quake vs. Yuletide Barley Wine

Over the holidays, we were lucky enough to pick up two beers from Wellington Brewery - the Yuletide Barley Wine and then, later, Frost Quake.

Jeff decided to try the two beers head-to-head.

While the barley wine was delicious, the Frost Quake definitely won the battle.

In fact, Jeff couldn't believe how much he preferred Frost Quake.

"Can't believe how well integrated the bourbon barrel is in Frost Quake. So smooth, not overpowering. Just delicious," he said on Twitter (he tweets about other beer-related things, so feel free to follow him).

Jeff even went on to say: "Best beer I've had in some time."

I also was fully prepared to steal all of Jeff's Frost Quake, but he wouldn't let me.

I'd also like to add, I love how Wellington is working with local artists for their labels - so very cool.

Side note: There are rumours of a craft beer festival coming to Guelph's Old Quebec Street downtown. Imbibe Food & Drink apparently has the details, but they aren't giving them up just yet.

Block Three

There's a new brewery in St. Jacobs called Block Three and, well, it's pretty fantastic.

Admittedly, I've only had one beer there, the King Street Saison. It was quite tasty. I am eager to try the Sugar Bush Brown.

But, here is the problem (and I hate to say there is a problem). They keep running out of beer!

They do make things in small batches, which is part of the problem. They're in a tourist town and there's lots of interest in craft beer, so it's not a surprise people are checking them out.

I can't wait for them to expand so they don't run out anymore!

Still, if you're in St. Jacobs, you'll want to stop by (if they're open) and pick up a little something (if you can).