#blue tractor

Do You Know About Woodward #Cider Co in Kamloops? #exploreKamloops @woodwardciderco @Privatowine #apples

3 apple ciders from Woodward Cider Co in Kamloops

Ever since I’ve been enjoying apple ciders from my Scotland trip this summer, I’ve been looking for BC-produced apple ciders. Just before the end of August, I went to Kamloops to visit the wineries there and see how their grapes were maturing.  I was surprised to see at Privato Winery an adjacent building called the Woodward Cider Co.  I was told…

So I'm awake and healthy this morning after getting motion sick for the first time in my life while drunk riding in the passenger seat of my friend's spaceship. 

I say spaceship because I don't know whether it's his car or his driving, but I felt like I was on a bad roller coaster. After being drunk and in a spaceship, there's now a pile of my vomit somewhere between West Bloomfield and Ann Arbor. 

I had never been to Ann Arbor before last night. I've wanted to go for some time. I've known a few people from there, heard some great things. 

My friend Chelsea is a stage manager at Performance Network- a local theatre there. She's involved with a production of the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams that's currently showing. 

I won't go into details about the performance- this isn't a theatre criticism blog, but know that the actor playing Tom earned my standing ovation- even if nothing else about the production did (which there were many, many wonderful things about the production). 

During intermission I was hit on by a professor of Economics at UofMichigan. David is his name and he just got tenure. He was a cutie, I thought he was just making small talk but then he dropped that line. Plus, I excused myself and went to the bathroom and later a lady friend who was with me came in and said all the silly things to be said in the bathroom when one of your friends gets hit on. 

After the show some of the interns, the actor who played Jim (who was wonderful) named Sebastian, and Chelsea took us to a local bar. 

The Blue Tractor Brewery and BBQ

First, the barbecue smelled amazing. It had such a delicious, sweet and smokey scent to it- the smell that can only be had through balancing the rubs with the smoking of the meat. 

The beer, so I hear, was great. I miss beer sometimes. 

The bartenders were amazing. One of the waitresses took my drink while I was away from our table before I was done with it. The one really cute bartender- the one with the beard- talked to me about it and gave me a drink. I only paid for two. I think those were the two drinks I didn't order from that bartender. 

The atmosphere at this bar is amazing. It's old, dark, wooden, seedy with a perfect blend of tavern class mixed with college-town gastropub. The basement was awesome. There was a live band playing in the basement and it just so happened that they were playing blues, bluegrass, honky tonk, and folk. 

I can't stand it when people fight their urges to dance for fear of looking stupid. It makes everyone feel self-conscious, so no one dances. It makes for a boring time for the band and a boring time for those watching. 

So, I danced. And I danced and I danced. And eventually other people danced with me. At one point, I was asked by the band leader to help them play the tambourine. Superfluous as that may seem, I was elated. He played a song from Mississippi for me. "Mississippi Queen DeAnnah here will kindly join us in playing this delta song from her homeland by playing the tambourine". It was awesome. 

I got hit on quite a bit. The weirdest attempts I've ever been subjected to happened last night. My talley was 4, 4 weirdos. Asking me what my favorite Aladdin song was, doing magic, asking me what my name was the last time we met, etc. It was ridiculous. 

Ann Arbor, I had a great time. It was nice being back in a college town. It was nice being out of West Bloomfield. 

Sweetwater Java Stout

This is a new offering the Blue Tractor offered up for us to try; it's a Stout that has been dry hopped with Sweetwater Cafe's coffee.  Java Stout is dark brown to black and cloudy adding to the depth of color, and has a thick and rich head mirroring a Guinness.  This is a rich beer with only a hint of palatable bitterness (and that mostly tastes of coffee and pine), since most of any hops derived bitterness is covered by the rich coffee and chocolate flavors.  Most surprising about this beer is its spiciness and lack of residual hops flavor that can be all too common in Micro-Brews.  The best flavor comparison for me is a mocha, as it has almost dark chocolate as the overarching flavor followed by coffee.  So if you like stouts, or enjoy a little more of a coffee flavored bitterness in beer, or if you just want a smoky and rotund beer; head over to the Blue Tractor and check out their Sweetwater Java Stout.

Malty -|-------- Bitter

Light ---------| Dark

ABV: 6%

East Bound & Brown

This is the Blue Tractors offering in an American Brown Ale.  Another dark and cloudy beer with a medium bodied cream colored head.  East Bound has a wonderfully smoky and roasted flavor that compliments the expected nuttiness.  This is contrasted slightly with a pine like bitterness.  For a brown ale East Bound has a wonderful crisp snap on the tongue making it feel lighter and smoother than many other brown ales.  And while the bitterness can linger on the tounge a bit it's not at all bad.  I would probiblly recomend this to people who enjoy Sam Adams Boston Lager,  and if you like brown ales this is a great addition to the lineup (although it might be a bit lighter than you used to).

Malty ---|------ Bitter

Light -------|-- Dark

ABV: 5.3%

Bumper Crop IPA

Bumper Crop is a Light Colored Medium Bodied IPA and one of Blue Tractors year round beers.  The first thing you will notice about this beer is the floral bitterness that you can even smell on it. This beer has a nice thick head (great lacing) and a citrus flavored start with a bitter snap at the end.  Bumper has hints of mango, grapefruit, and caramel that can be tasted around a floral and pine like bitterness that sits on the tongue.  This is an IPA that hits you and will not let go and Balanon stated at the tasting this is a "face sucker", and if your love is bitter IPAs with good complexity this may just be for you.  While not as bitter and hopy as say Bells Breweries Hopslam, Blue Tractors Bumper Crop is a wonderful addition to the beer world especially for those among us who enjoy the bitter spiciness associated with IPAs.

Malty -------|-- Bitter

Light ---|------ Dark

ABV: 6.5%