Tag Archives: Okanagan Spring

Okanagan Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner, Part Two

Brewmaster's Dinner

For those of you who missed last week’s post on Win #4, I will provide you with a brief recap of what happened. The rest of you can skip gleefully past the next paragraph and get ready to learn what my husband thought of five Okanagan Spring beers.

I was delighted to win two tickets to the Okanagan Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner at Mamie Taylor‘s courtesy of Miss 604. However there was a problem. I don’t drink beer. I have tried many times to cultivate a love for Canada’s national beverage, but I have failed. However, I have somewhat redeemed myself by marrying a devotee of the brew. Thus, if you’re here for the beer, here are some excerpts from the on-the-spot reviews I got Ryan to record:

Beer #1: Okanagan Spring Pale Ale

“This is a particularly nice beer…It’s a nice, well-balanced, mellow beer..really approachable. I could pretty much drink this all day, and possibly I will.”

Beer #2: Okanagan Spring Sonder Hefeweizen

“This is a wheat beer…and if you like wheat beers, I think you’ll like this one. It’s got a very strong vanilla overtone, which is quite interesting for a wheat beer. Generally, this is like kinda your ideal summer beer.”

Beer #3: Okanagan Spring Cloudy Amber Ale

“I like it a lot, ’cause it’s beer..well, it’s got kind of a nice, mellow amber ale-ness. Basically, an amber ale should have a nice, strong beer flavour, a nice balance of hops, and beer-ness  and it’s got all of that. This is a perfectly, decent amber ale.

Beer #4: Okanagan Spring Porter

“To be honest, my tastebuds are kind of shot by the previous four beers, but if you like porter, I think you’ll like this porter.”

Now, at this point you may be wondering why the first beer of the evening, the Okanagan Spring 1516 Bavarian Lager hasn’t received a review. That is because it was served as part of a michelada cocktail, so it wasn’t possible to assess its flavour on its own. However, Ryan very much enjoyed the cocktail.

When asked what his favourite beer of the night was, Ryan had difficulty picking a clear winner. He enjoyed everything he drank, but particularly liked the porter and the amber ale because they most closely aligned with the type of beers he particularly likes.

Win #4: Okanagan Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner, Part One

Before the ImbibingThe first courseThe Second Course

I love food. I especially love free food. Perhaps now you can guess my motivation for entering Miss 604‘s contest to win two tickets to the Okanagan Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner at Mamie Taylor’s. I was delighted when I won this prize, however there was a problem. I don’t drink beer. I have tried many times to cultivate a love for Canada’s national beverage, but I have failed. However, I have somewhat redeemed myself by marrying a devotee of the brew. Thus, this is the first of two blog posts on our Thursday evening experience. If you love food, be prepared to revel in my very detailed descriptions of the delectable four courses we enjoyed. If you’re here for the beer, wait for part two, when some on-the-spot reviews on the five beers Ryan tasted that evening will be presented.

This was our first time at Mamie Taylor’s. The atmosphere is warm and the long tables lent themselves well to conversing with our dining companions. I’m not a fan of taxidermy, but I did like the rather whimsical wallpaper of animal targets on the bathroom wall. Vegetarians, however, would be less amused I’m sure. Mind you, Norman Bates would feel right at home.

Our first course (pictured above) was a tuna smokie, garnished with fennelkraut and dijonaise. I could never have imagined how flavourful and moist tuna could be. In fact, I never even knew such a thing as a tuna smokie existed. Our table mates also seemed equally amazed and delighted by this passed canapé. I have to give the bun its due as well. So many times I’ve enjoyed the meat of a burger or the filling of a sandwich, only to have been let down by the bread. This bun was a worthy home for the delectable tuna vessel it housed. Overall, a very impressive start to the meal.

The appetizer (also pictured above) that followed was cornmeal fried rock fish with cajun spices, orange, fennel, parsley, and old bay aioli. I can’t remember if I’ve ever had rock fish before, but I found the taste light and somewhat similar to sole. What made the dish special was the crispy cornmeal and the refreshing slaw that accompanied it. I’m not sure I would seek out rock fish for its own sake though, it didn’t have the depth of flavour that I so enjoy in other white fish.

Main CourseDessert

Do I have your attention?! Look at the beautifully presented, scrumptious offerings above! The main course was slow roasted porchetta accompanied by roasted apples, polenta, and an olive and herb puree. The crackling on the porchetta was like the most perfectly crisp bacon that melted in your mouth. Yes, it was rich. But no, I regret nothing! Diabetes, high blood pressure, muffin top, come what may, this was worth every calorie. The polenta was an incredible standout as well, especially given that I have been rather meh on polenta in the past. Again, oh so crispy, and excellently paired with the puree.

Finally, we arrived at dessert. I was well and truly sated before it arrived, but I was powerless to say ‘no’ once I saw this brown sugar cake. Alongside it was custard made with Okanagan Spring Porter. It had all the depth of flavour of a sticky toffee pudding, but the custard kicked it up a notch by bring beer notes to the party.

Now, having realized I have devoted well over 500 words to describing this meal to you, I strongly recommend that you put Mamie Taylor’s on your must-visit list. Chef Tobias Grignon knows how to put on a culinary show and I for one can’t wait to return for another delectable performance.

Contest note: This is my fourth win of the year, so I’m almost on track with my one-win-a-month goal. This prize, which I thank Miss 604 sincerely for winning, was worth approximately $100, making my total winnings to date approximately $203.