Flatlander’s expanding beyond beer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/05/2023 (336 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The full list of drinks being poured at the Flatlander’s Beer Festival at Canada Life Centre on June 2 and 3 has been posted, with the fest continuing to expand beyond lagers and ales.

In addition to the hundreds of beers available for attendees, this year’s festival has added more in the way of ciders, hard seltzers and iced teas, ready-to-drink canned cocktails and more. Many of the beers being poured deliver summer-themed flavours — think sours, goses, fruit-infused ales and the like.

Of note: only about half of our local breweries and contract brewers are taking part this year.

To peruse the full list of products being offered, visit wfp.to/0NF, where you can also purchase tickets, which start at $44.95 plus fees and benefit the True North Youth Foundation.

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If beer, coolers and ciders don’t float your proverbial boat, maybe something a little stronger — a peaty whisky, perhaps? — will put wind in your sails.

On June 3, celebrations will take place in various cities across the globe for Ardbeg Day, which will feature the launch of the Scottish distillery’s experimental Heavy Vapours, the first whisky made by Ardbeg to be distilled without a purifier.

Tabula Rasa (725 Osborne St.) is hosting the local Ardbeg Day celebrations from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $35 plus fees at wfp.to/0Ne and include a whisky tasting.

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On June 13, Sookram’s Brewing Co. and the Park Theatre (698 Osborne St.) team up again for a double feature of flicks — this time featuring the comedies Happy Gilmore and Fubar.

Things get underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Park; tickets are $15 plus fees and include a 16-ounce beer made special for the event by Sookram’s. For tickets and more info see wfp.to/0N2.

Wines of the week

As we head into celebration season (think graduations, weddings and the like), here are a half-dozen sparkling wine options from six different countries in a range of prices for festive toasting.

Magnotta NV Starlight (Ontario — $29.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A Riesling-Vidal blend, this Ontario sparkling wine in Magnotta’s Venture series is pale straw in colour and offers ripe red apple, peach, lemon candy and hints of floral and spice on the nose.

It’s light-bodied and brings some sweetness on the palate, which ramps up the ripe peach and apple flavours; that hint of spice, meanwhile, lingers with the fine bubbles before the medium-length finish. It’s a fun and accessible sparkling for all palates and would work in a grapefruit mimosa, French 75 or a range of other not-too-sweet cocktails. 3/5

Villa Conchi NV Brut Seleccion Cava (Penedes, Spain — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A blend of Macabeo, Zarel-Lo, Parellada and Chardonnay, this stalwart Spanish Cava is pale straw in colour, bringing red apple, bread dough, pear and peach notes on the nose.

It’s light-bodied and slightly off-dry, with the aforementioned tree fruit flavours coming with a splash of lemon, some white pepper and a hint of chalkiness on the finish. Consistently well-made. Also available in 375ml and 1.5L bottles. 3.5/5

Famiglia Zonin NV Cuvée 1821 Prosecco (Prosecco, Italy — $17.95, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Made entirely from the Glera grape, as most Proseccos are, this Italian bubbly is pale straw in colour with fresh floral, peach and pear aromas showing most prominently along with hints of lemon-lime.

On the slightly off-dry, light-bodied palate the fruit flavours come crisp and clean, with lemon and lime followed by crunchy apple, peach and pear. The bubbles are lively, while the acidity ramps up the intensity. Lovely on its own or would work just as well in a mimosa — especially while it’s on sale for $15.95 until the end of the month. 4/5

Paul Mas NV Prima Perla Rosé Brut (Crémant de Limoux, France — $22.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir, this sparkling wine from the Limoux region in southwestern France is pale pink in colour, with bread dough, baked apple, chalk and raspberry on the nose.

It’s light-plus-bodied and bone-dry, with an almost-herbal note coming with the tart raspberry flavours, as well as the riper apple, brioche and chalky notes, with the Chenin Blanc delivering a subtle honeycomb note that adds complexity. A very nice value for the price. 4/5

Genevieve NV Brut Rosé (Bot River, South Africa — around $51, private wine stores)

Made entirely of Shiraz grapes, this South African bubbly is deep pink in colour, and delivers ripe cherry, raspberry, bread dough and hints of peach, aromatically.

It’s dry and light-plus-bodied, offering loads of ripe red fruit notes, hints of chalk and brioche, a touch of tart citrus and a medium-length, balanced finish. While it would never be mistaken for Champagne, there’s great finesse and complexity here that come highly recommended. 4.5/5

Paul Roger NV Brut Reserve (Champagne, France — $81.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A blend of equal parts Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, one-quarter of the juice in this Champagne comes from reserve stock from previous vintages.

It’s pale straw in colour and aromatically offers attractive bread dough, red apple, floral, sweet orange, lemon zest and subtle herbal notes. On the light-plus-bodied palate there’s the slightest hint of sweetness, with the yeasty brioche, lemon zest, peach and mandarin notes, delivered with a chalky, linear focus on the finish. A fine Champagne for celebrating; also available in 375ml bottles. 5/5

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