Out to dinner with my favourite son and my favourite daughter-in-law who are in fact married to each other. Coincidence? I think not. The Grist brew kitchen in NOTL* is our toast host. They tell us that the word “grist” (the noun) means malt crushed to make mash for brewing. Always learning. It also appears that the word “grist” (also a noun) can mean useful information, particularly when it comes to backing up an argument, good to know. Within that context it appears that I am gristless when it comes to any home front debates with the missus.
So what significance could the year 1836 have? That was the year of the Alamo, remember that? Dickens was publishing “Sketches of Boz”, the Dickens you say. And Darwin arrives home after 5 years of island hopping. That’s all grist for the mill. But this brew must be referencing something far closer to home, literally.** They tell us that brewing is finally back in St.David’s after 187 years. Through a deductive reasoning process that would make Sherlock jealous, I figure that St. David’s last brewery closed in 1836.
The Grist List
Luckily brewing is back ala The Grist. A great draft menu to choose from, the Grist list, all from the Grist’s grist if you get the gist. Our server was very helpful as I subjected her to my draft menu inquisition. The red cream ale caught my attention. I have had a Sudbury cream, a Timmins cream, a Muskoka cream, a Minden cream, a Kilkenny and a Killarney cream, to name a few. It was time for an NOTL cream. Perhaps the cream of the crop? We shall see.
It pours a full brimming to the rim, no room for head, pint. A golden rosé glow, which is usually a good description of me after a few as opposed to my first brew of the evening. A mild malt aroma, not much to speak of or write about for that matter, although I just did. A great malt flavour with an almost lager like sweet in there, followed with a bit of crisp hoppy bitterness on the finish to remind me it is an ale after all. Very easy drinking, as smooth as someone much smoother than me.*** A very tasty ale that went well with a great meal and great company.
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