Showing posts with label Muskoka Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muskoka Brewery. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

The Real Man Travels 2016 Father's Day Gift Guide

The Real Man Travels 2016 Father's Day Gift Guide.

We here at Real Man Travels consider ourselves experts of sorts when it comes to buying gifts for Dads. With 60% of our staff being dads, and 100% of us having fathers you could say we have the required experience to make such a bold claim. Without further delay here is this years gift guide:

Gift Ideas from Ed

1. BBQ Light 

If your dad is anything like mine, then drinking in the sunlight trumps cooking in the sunlight. For the dad who doesn’t spark the grill until 8:30-9:00pm a BBQ light is the solution to night time cooking. These come in a variety of styles, the most common being an attachment to the BBQ’s handle. You can pick one up for as little as $10, just remember you get what you pay for!


Grill anytime with Weber BBQ light


2. Mounted Beer Opener 

You could take the easy route and buy a pre-made mounted beer opener for your dad. Or you could finally show off all the skills your dad taught you throughout the years by making him a custom one. Look around the interwebs for any opener that suits your needs and get out into the workshop to make a custom mount that your dad will not only be proud of, but use every day! My tips for this gift is to have a cap catcher on it and tie in some elements that speaks to your Dad, favourite sports team, favourite brand of beer, etc. Bonus if you end up making one that your Mom doesn’t mind having on the wall.



Mounted beer opener available on Etsy.


3. Secrid Wallet 


It is time for your old man to lose the bulky wallet system he currently has (he probably still has a Blockbuster membership card in there). Bring your old man into the present with Secrid’s line of sleek and sexy wallets. I’ve personally been using the Slimwallet for almost a year now and people always look at me when I press the button to slide my cards out like I have some space age contraption. The main compartment can hold 5-6 cards and it has slots for an additional 6. There is also a plastic fold for any cash your Dad may need to carry. The best part is the amount of pocket space that is freed up, and how much more comfortable sitting for long periods has become.


Secrid Slimwallet in Brown


Gift Ideas from Sam


1. Gillette Shave Club 

About a year ago I used a gift guide to recommend dollar shave club, So what's changed you ask? Up until recently if you wanted a razor delivered to your door you were restricted to Dollar Shave Club. Finally an entry from a major name in men's grooming is entering the subscription razor market, and I am in favour. I would describe myself as someone with sensitive skin, so other than finding a barber to offer a straight shave, the Gillette fusion was the pinnacle for me. Quite frankly my first shave was with a Mach 3, and it still might be the best shave on the market. Gillette Shave Club options are available on a subscription basis, as well as the most recent addition, the fusion ProShield, offering lubrication before and after the blades. for as little as $16.99 every 5 months (Gillette's cartridge may last up to one month each depending on your shave schedule) you can send your "Old Man" the best a man can get.


Gillette Shave Club package, the best a man can get.


2. Solar Powered Bluetooth Speaker

Bluetooth Speakers have been all the rage for over a year now. With every passing month they have been made smaller, longer lasting, more colourful, more powerful and even waterproof . Well now there's even solar for the dad who enjoys the outdoors. Now he can enjoy enjoy soaking up the rays while pumping out the kind of music that embarrasses you in front of your friends.
Eton solar powered Bluetooth speaker

3. Beer and Meat 

Sometimes it's the simple things that bring us the most joy. Plus, what dad doesn't enjoy grilling steaks while sipping back a cold one. Vegans and vegetarians, that's who. Alright, so there's a few dad's this won't work for, but if your dad is the carnivorous type, pick up some T-bones, or tenderloins, and pair it with a 6 pack of his favourite beer, and you'll be good to go.

MEAT!

Gift ideas from Chris


1. Muskoka Brewery's SummerWeiss

Is your dad a Weiss man? If so then he will love this unfiltered nectar of the gods.  If you are unsure of his taste get him a beer mixer pack, you're bound to get one or two that he will like

Muskoka Brewery Summerweiss

2. A Super Sweet Hawaiian shirt

If your dad has a good sense of humour and a terrible sense for fashion, BOOM! Perfect gift. Just promise me one thing, make sure that you get him a shirt that fits him properly. Everyone will at least thank you in advance for that.

A Hawaiin Shirt...actually looks good!

3. Matching Kid and Dad outfits

I may be a huge sucker for cuteness but I love matching my kids sometimes. Sometimes it feels like we are Luke and our little one is Yoda on our back. Or we are Arnold and he or she is Danny Devito. Or in this instance we are Maverick with your partner goose. Totes Adorbs.

Matching Dad and kids clothes

Gift Ideas from Scott

1. Power washer 

Dads like to keep their stuff clean. Cars, patio, siding, lawn mower – Dads know they all look, feel and function better when well maintained. Don’t worry, a power washer won’t be looked upon as a judgement of the current level of maintained cleanliness, or as an implication of work expected; it will be valued as a secret acknowledgement, a carefully directed wink and gun if you will, of Dad’s manly value of steadfast meticulousness.

Power wash all the things!


2. Undershirts

Dads have a lot on the go. They also tend to hate shopping for anything that doesn’t have 250+ horsepower or 80,000+ BTUs. Thus, Dads tend to wear underwear past its best before date. Consider picking up some high quality small clothes for the man who tackles the big stuff with ease.

If you must walk around the house with no pants on Dad, please look good doing it!

3. SoundTouch® 520 home cinema system from Bose 

For those who really want to make Dad happy, consider automating his life with a sweet home entertainment system from Bose. Give Dad the gift of controlling his music from anywhere in the house, including the backyard and garage. I’m not saying you’re going to win kid-of-the-year for this, but, really, you probably will.

Loud noises thanks to Bose.



Wednesday, 9 December 2015

5 Winter Themed Beers to Try This Holiday Season

With the cold weather looming, snow threatening to fall at any given moment and fireplaces begging to be used, it is the perfect time of year to consume winter themed beers. In no particular order of awesomeness, here are 5 brews to check out!

*Please note all of these may not be available outside of Ontario*

Winter Beard Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout (2015 batch)Muskoka Brewery, Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada
Winter Beard Cranberry Stout Bottle

$14 CDN

750mL Bottle

ABV: 8.0%

Winter Beard Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout looks dark brown almost black, opaque and has a light brown head. The aromas match the flavours you taste with dark chocolate notes and a slight hint of the tartness of cranberries. The mouth feel on this brew is lighter than I anticipated, but is smooth going down. You have two choices with what to do with this bottle. The easy decision is to drink it all up right away. The harder decision is to let it age for another 2 years. I’d recommend buying two and seeing what happens from a fresh batch to an aged one.



Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer Ale Wychwood Brewery, Witney, Oxfordshire, England

Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer Bottle
$3.50 CDN

500mL Bottle

ABV: 5.0%

Bah Humbug! If you’re feeling grumpy about the season, have a glass of Christmas Cheer. Wychwood has produced a Christmas brew with a translucent, dark copper colouring. They have jammed in many flavours and aromas to remind you it is the Christmas season. Cinnamon, darker fruits, brown sugars, vanilla and more come out in this beer with each sniff and sip. The mouth feel is thin with little carbonation. Overall this is a great beer in small doses. Maybe one or two to get you into the Christmas mood.




Lions Winter Ale – Granville Island Brewing, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Lions Winter Ale Can
$3 CDN

473mL Can

ABV: 5.5%

I'm not too sure how a lion would fair in a Canadian winter, but I know us humans can use this Lions Winter Ale to warm up around a fire. The beer pours a nice burnt copper colour with a foamy, creamy looking head. The aromas on this one are vanilla and cocoa. The taste however takes on more of a chocolate, malty, caramel flavour. While that may sound like a disaster of sweetness, it is all fairly balanced to be quite enjoyable. The feel is exactly like the pour, smooth and creamy. Bring a few of these to your next Christmas party and pass them off to those who normally avoid beer like the plague. It will surprise them!



Great Lakes Winter Ale Great Lakes Brewery, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Great Lakes Winter Ale Bottle
$7 CDN

750mL Bottle

ABV: 6.2%

It gets cold around the Great Lakes, so why not warm up with some Winter Ale from a company who gets it! The ale pours a chestnut brown with a head that dissipates fairly quickly. I pick up strong scents of cinnamon and gingerbread with some butterscotch. The taste is that of winter spices: cinnamon, cloves and ginger but also has a dark bready taste with a hint of citrus. This one has a medium to low carbonation with a dry finish. I found splitting this bottle with my girlfriend while watching the fireplace channel (yea I do that from time to time) had some weird enhancing feature. I suppose atmosphere does have a major impact on your senses!



Winter Welcome AleSamuel Smith’s Old Brewery, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England

Winter Welcome Ale Bottle
$4 CDN

550mL Bottle

ABV: 6.0%

Winter is coming and you either run from it or you welcome it. I always like a reason to drink to a few brews, so I will welcome it with open arms and this Ale. The beer pours a rusted bronze with an off white head which leaves that mouth-watering lacing on the glass. I pulled out light spices with caramel, bread and warm applesauce as its aroma. For the taste I was getting more of a toasted nut, malty bready taste with a hint of the cinnamon. I craved the warm applesauce that I picked up from the aroma, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite there in the taste. This is still a solid brew to try, especially for those looking to practice picking out aromas and tastes.



There you go! 5 new beers to try out on your next day off, next weekend off or even to bring to a Christmas Party. If you end up loving one, two or all of them then I’m glad I could help. If you hate them all, well I apologize, but be sure to check them in on the Untappd app and you’ll at least earn a Winter Badge!


Remember to consume all of these adult beverages responsibly and have a safe and happy holidays!

Photos of each brand were pulled from the LCBO website.  

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

The Toronto Indy Sure Knew How to Rev Our Engines!

A Real Girl Travels guest post by Sarah Evans and Cody Hannath

The Honda Indy Toronto promised that this year’s event would be nothing short of exhilarating, and exhilarating it was! The afternoon was a whirlwind of activities, starting with a behind-the-scenes look at the race cars and lots of food and beer. Sadly, the event ended prematurely due to weather, leaving us wanting just a little more.

Honda trucks lining the entrance
These trucks lined the entrance to the Indy with all the names of the racers
Our adventure began the minute we stepped off the bus that brought us right to the Direct Energy Centre. We immediately headed to the IndyCar paddock, the route to which provided us a sneak peek at the Acura Sports Car and Support Series Paddock. We found this particularly interesting as these were all high-end cars using the track as a testing facility. After sweet talking a lovely older gentleman into letting us touch an Aston Martin, we made our way into the IndyCar paddock.

Mechanic tuning an Aston Martin
We convinced him to let us touch the car for a dollar. We touched it and he didn't take our dollar!
The IndyCar paddock was what got our engines revved. We grabbed some beers and proceeded to check out some fast cars and the muscle behind them. The cars that the pit crews were working on were the actual ones that would be hitting the racetrack in less than an hour. We picked the perfect time to visit as we caught the frantic final preparations before the race. Between the racers decked out in full gear and the crew members screaming into their headsets, it was truly exhilarating. You could feel the electricity in the air, and it was impossible not to get swept up in the pure adrenaline rush that coursed through the grounds. We got to watch the last minute diagnostics and tune-ups on the cars, and witnessed firsthand the sense of urgency that precedes the beginning of a race.


Pit crew working on a car
We were able to get close to a few crews working on the cars

Not able to get close to the pit crew
And not so close to others
All this action made for some hungry girls. Food was not hard to find, as what had been dubbed "tastefest" by the Indy organizers was stationed right past the paddock. Tastefest featured numerous food trucks and stands, all set up around a wide area filled with picnic tables. To make things even better, tiny beer carts
were set up all around, coupled with two larger beer tents.


The seating area for Tastefest
Lots of seating in "Tastefest" at the Toronto Indy.
At this point the rain, which was just dripping before, turned into a full-on downpour. This turn of events clearly called for some fresh beers. We first sampled the Muskoka Brewery Craft Lager - pretty tasty. For our second round we bypassed the Mad Tom and Cream Ale, only because we had tried them before, and went straight to their Detour and Dark Ale. We then switched over to Amsterdam Brewery. Already being familiar with their Amsterdam Blonde, Boneshaker IPA and Big Wheel Amber, and after trying their 416 Local Lager, we went for the girly beer: a raspberry wheat ale brewed out of Kawartha Lakes Brewery. It was delicious, the perfect summertime beer with just the right amount of raspberry tartness. It immediately became our go-to.


A rainy selfie of us drinking beer.
Making the best of a rainy day by enjoying some tasty beers!
Any seasoned beer drinker knows that with the perfect beer comes the perfect food pairing. With over ten food trucks to pick from, the choices seemed endless. We settled on SWAT, sandwiches with a twist. Nothing like some pulled meat to fuel a girl’s fire. Between our pulled wiener, pulled pork and authentic Montreal poutine, we were stuffed. After grabbing another beer to wash it all down, we made our way to the grandstands ready to take in some men with a serious need for speed.

The menu for S.W.A.T.
So many options for a hungry girl
After finding our seats (and wiping them down with stolen paper towels), we were ready to let the Indy race spark our engines. We waited, and waited, and waited. The race that was scheduled to start at 3:55 p.m. was yellow flagged, with even the pace car not being able to handle the curves ahead of it. Due to visibility, the race was red flagged.



The view of the track from our seats
The view of the track from our seats in the pit area

With the distant promise of a green flag flying over our heads, we slowly got more and more wet until the race was finally called off.  An inherent sense of disappointment was apparent among the crowd, but the weather conditions could not be debated.

We left the Indy wanting more, but still feeling relatively satisfied. We were teased with what an actual race could have offered, but it gave us a taste of what we would have seen. Watching the cars speed around the track on a yellow flag was excitement itself, and listening to their engines roar was sensory overload. While we got to see only the tip of what the Toronto Indy had to offer, we will definitely be back for more next year!


Some Toronto Indy Highlights:
  • Clean, indoor, line-up free washroom facilities

  • Helpful, enthusiastic volunteer staff

  • Great food trucks and beer vendors

  • Rain ponchos and umbrellas available for easy purchase

  • Misting stations (had it stayed hot and humid)

  • Huge indoor space capable of housing most of the crowd once it started raining, but also offering a view of the track

  • A lot of directional signage to easily find your way around

  • Civic through the years exhibit, showcasing how much the Honda Civic has evolved

Honda Civics through the years
A portion of the Honda Civic through history exhibit
A special thanks goes out to Honda Indy Toronto and Honda Canada for inviting their rained-out Saturday fans to come back for more fun on Sunday, by honouring their Saturday tickets. That’s some Canuck love right there!And while Sam Williams was lucky enough to meet James Hinchcliffe at Honda's Tame the Track, we were happy to settle for this sexy cardboard cutout!

Us gals in front of a James Hinchcliffe cardboard cutout
It's not the actual James Hinchcliffe, but this cardboard cutout will do!
Were you at the Honda Indy Toronto this past weekend? If so, let us know what you thought about it below in the comments, or on Twitter or Facebook.