My BlackBerry Z10. Photo taken with an iPhone12.
My first mobile phone (not including the Motorola bag phone we moved from truck to truck) was a BlackBerry. 2002 cutting edge Canadian technology. I loved all my BlackBerrys. There was Pearl, a real beauty. Then Curve, loved those curves. Then Bold, marketing slogan: love to be bold, which was my last keyboarding BB. And finally, the “futuristic” touchscreen Z10 which I grew to love eventually. On January 3, 2022 it was the end of an era as BlackBerry discontinued service on their phones. BlackBerry focused on the business market. Who knew that business and pleasure could mix? It appears everyone but BlackBerry knew.
Of course this New Ontario brew has nothing to do with the demise of a great Canadian technology company. Vanilla stars and blackberry hearts sounds like a special edition of Lucky Charms*. Lucky the Leprechaun and his magical unicorn** quaffing a brew while roasting their magical marshmallows. Which come to think of it sounds suspiciously close to magic mushrooms. Maybe that’s where the idea for leprechauns and unicorns came from. Let’s see if this brew is “magically delicious”.
Lucky and his Magical Unicorn
A cold mid-winter’s eve seems like the right time to pour me a porter by my faux fire as it flickers and flames, while watching the Leafs pull off a hard fought victory. It seems like the stage was set for a review extraordinaire. Alas, it was not to be.
Pouring blackberry black with a minimal vanilla head, this brew wafts an aroma of roasted malt and blackberry. The first taste is vanilla and roasted coffee, a nice flavour, but with a slightly harsh aftertaste which seems to be the blackberry reacting to the vanilla. A touch of a cough syrup finish despite no discernable symptoms on my part. I am hoping the after taste becomes an afterthought. The vanilla berry harshness occasionally departs but seems to linger. I have my fingers and toes crossed (no mean “feat”) that it will abate. Damn it, now I have a cramp in my foot.
This brew is probably healthier than Lucky Charms, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the kids. The vanilla blackberry porter combo provides a nice body flavour but the bit of a harsh finish never quite leaves.
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