C'est What e-news October 2007 | Edition #93 News, music, rants, and other propaganda ~ published monthly Last posted October 10, 2007 What's Up Whisky Tasting | Beer Festival Results | New On The Menu | Get Real Music News Whisky Tasting Can Scotland hold on to its pre-eminent spot in whisky lovers hearts? With competition from Canada, Ireland, America, Japan, and India, Gaelic pride may soon be limited to haggis. On Wednesday October 24, 2007 we are showing off six fine examples of the whisky distillers art from these countries in a blind tasting so that you can judge for yourself. A coupon for a dinner for two at C'est What will be awarded to anyone who determines the correct country for each sample. There, the gauntlet is down, dare you take the challenge? Advance tickets are available for $28.50 (all taxes and charges included) up to index | return to top Beer Festival Results 19th Annual Festival Of Craft Breweries With thirty-nine brews available for sampling, twenty-one of which were appearing just for the event, our beer festival on Friday September 28, 2007 was tailor made for the adventurous. 2799 samples were purchased and a little over a quarter of these (739) were rated. Although there was much excitement surrounding the line-up, the Toronto "beer weenie" is becoming an increasingly critical beast - raters weighed in with a typical score of about 31.5, down almost four points from the results a year previous. Eight brews finished with a score below 30 compared with one last year. County Durham swept the top three with Durham Hop Head, C'est What Caraway Rye, and Durham Hop Addict finishing ahead of the pack, all with median scores of 37. The Hop Head was inadvertently tasted "blind" as it's tap label was switched with the Scotch Irish (Helen) Kellertrubes Lager for the duration of the Festival. The full story and table of ratings are available here. up to index | return to top New On The Menu The restless quest for (true local) flavour continues with the addition of Church-Key West Coast Pale Ale, Maudite, Mill Street Oktoberfest, Durham Hop Head (cask), Black Irish Porter (cask), Black Oak Nut Brown Ale (cask), Great Lakes Double Pumpkin Ale, and the return of St. Ambroise Pale Ale to our craft draught line-up this month. On the wine side of things we welcome a new Niagara winery to our list, Harbour Estates. We will be featuring their fruity and accessible Vidal/Chardonnay and a well structured, good value Cabernet by the glass. Our much beloved Le Grand Shepherd is back on the food menu. Next week we will be offering a meatier version of the Porter Beef Ribs sourced from the St. Lawrence Market - a carnivore's delight of which Mr. Flintstone would be proud. If you thought that the Shepherd and Ribs couldn't be topped for decadent and comforting consumption, think again. We are days away from launching the Beer Float, dessert nostalgia for the over nineteen set. You will have your choice of Hazelnut Chocolate Ale, Coffee Porter, or Oatmeal Stout topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a bright red cherry. Yes, you will have to drink your beer with a straw. up to index | return to top Get Real, Get It Live whatsnext.ca Streaming Radio and Music Site "..I kind of realized that alcohol really does solve all your problems. Whoever said drinking doesn't help lied." - Jewel Ghost Walk Creek (Oct 13) Scott McKeon (Video Webcast) (Oct 27) Last posted October 10, 2007 Those with day jobs may be reluctant to check out a show during the week. Not to fear, here at C'est What shows start within fifteen minutes of their advertised time, and most weekday shows wrap up by 11:30. Enjoy! Ghost Walk Creek Ghostwalk Creek is Stuart Henderson, a singer-songwriter centred in Toronto, backed by Dave Marshall (bass), Greg Karout (flute), Bruce Adamson (guitars) and Jeremy Elliott (drums). I've travelled around Canada and the world, and many of my songs try to reflect the people, places and stories I've come into contact with... The "live" feel to these songs is due to the utterly unpolished, plainly under-practiced atmosphere they were recorded in. For some of these, we laid it all down and recorded off-the-floor in a big, empty lodge in Northern Ontario, on the shores of Canoe Lake. Hence, The Lodge Sessions. A bit out of tune, a few scratches here and there, but the feel of the songs came across OK, I think. What do you think? Saturday Oct 13 - Doors 10:00pm - Show time 10:30pm, $6.00. Advance tickets are available for $6 up to index | return to top Scott McKeon (Live Video Webcast) Since picking up his first guitar at the age of four, Scott McKeon has devoted himself to the mastery of his craft and can now be considered to be one of the most gifted and naturally talented guitarist, singer songwriters emerging on the UK blues rock scene. He plays with the technical expertise and passion that is the envy of musicians many years his senior. Saturday Oct 27 - Doors 10:00pm - Show time 10:30pm, Advance tickets are available for $7 up to index | return to top Let us know if you would like to receive our monthly e-newsletter with links to all our music updates: webmaster@cestwhat.com