Drinks to pair with Pride

Summer proper is almost here, and you may already be thinking about sneaking away to the lake or on that much-needed vacation.

Before you go, there are plenty of drinks-related events happening in Winnipeg and beyond.

June is Pride Month, and there are many ways (and places) to celebrate with local sips…

The Beer Can (1 Granite Way) is serving up a feature cocktail that includes Patent 5 Distillery’s Pride Purple Blossom Gin, with $1 from each cocktail sold going to Our Own Health Centre (2A-230 Osborne St.).

The backyard at Good Neighbour Brewing Co. (110 Sherbrook St.) has been transformed into Queer Gardens, hosting Pride-related events throughout the past week.

Saturday night is the Pride Pup Meet Up in the Backyard, a BYO dog even as part of West Broadway’s Pride celebrations, while at Good Neighbour’s South Osborne beer shop (683 Osborne St.) folks can pop by to design their own Pride merch Saturday (featuring designs by M.Ink Co).

Beyond the city’s borders, Brandon’s Black Wheat Brewing Co. (402 10th St.) is among local breweries hosting Pride-related events, with a Queeraoke karaoke night taking place on Wednesday starting at 7:30 p.m.

Happy birthday to Kilter Brewing Co. (450 Rue Deschambault), which is bringing back the annual Kilterpalooza bash to celebrate on Saturday, June 13, from noon to 11 p.m. The day features a vendor market, games, face painting, hotdog and taco specials, live music and DJs and, of course, new brews (as well as cocktail slushies). Kilterpalooza is free to attend, and is open to guests of all ages (and has pet-friendly patios).

On Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. The Common at The Forks celebrates 10 years of slinging wine and beers, with $10 specials including glasses of cava, an old-school local beer flight and a special brew from Barn Hammer Brewing Co. (plus some food specials).

Full disclosure: this writer is the current curator of the wine list at The Common (and, shameless plug: the new summer wine list just launched June 5). There will also be a DJ and photo booth.

West Winnipeg’s best beer vendor (in this west Winnipegger’s opinion) once again hosts the Charleswood Beer Fest, taking place June 19-20 at the Beer Mkt (6600 Roblin Blvd.). There will be food, giveaways and, of course, beer, with free samples from a range of local and national breweries. The event runs on the Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and on the Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. and is free to attend.

Later in June, The Pourium (942 Portage Ave.) hosts the Hidden Gems tasting on Wednesday, June 24, starting at 7 p.m., featuring off-the-beaten-path grape varieties, regions and such. Tickets are $70 plus taxes and are available on their website.

If you’re looking for some wines with synchronicity, Jones & Co. Wine Merchants’ (1616 St. Mary’s Rd.) event on Friday, June 26, starting at 7 p.m. might have you walking on the moon.

The event will feature the wines of Il Palagio, a product of Sting and wife Trudie Styler, poured alongside small bites, music by Sting and the Police and more. Among the Il Palagio wines carried by Jones & Co. are the Message in a Bottle Vermentino and Rosso, the New Day rosato and the When We Dance red from Chianti.

Don’t be driven to tears by missing out on this event — tickets are $100 and are available on their website.

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Drinks of the week

Little Brown Jug Hefeweizen
(Winnipeg — $4.39/473ml can, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts)

Medium gold and hazy in appearance, Little Brown Jug’s hefeweizen brings bread dough, clove, malt, banana candy and wheat notes aromatically.

It’s light-plus-bodied and dry, offering malt and bread dough notes along with a subtle peppery component, secondary clove/baking spice notes as well as that banana candy note lingering in the background.

At 4.7 per cent alcohol, the finish seems just about right. 3.5/5

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Good Neighbour Brewing Co. Gaytorade Sour Series Fruity Punch
(Winnipeg — $4.75/473ml cans, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors)

One of four flavours in Good Neighbour’s seasonal series of sports-drink-flavoured and -infused brews, the Fruity Punch is bright salmon pink and hazy in appearance, with plenty of carbonation when you crack the can.

There’s a saline and lemon zest note on the nose (typical of a sour) along with the fruit punch note that work well together.

On the palate it’s much of the same, with the fruit punch flavours coming with lemon zest, saline and subtle bread dough notes before the modest finish (it’s 4.5 per cent alcohol).

Fun and flavourful. 3/5

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Dead Horse Cider Co. Strawberry Fizz Apple Cider
(Winkler — $3.48/355ml can, cidery, Liquor Marts, private wine stores, beer vendors)

Strawberry and rhubarb juices as well as some bitters are added to this apple cider, which is pale gold and clear in appearance.

The strawberry jam/candy/pie filling notes on the nose dominate, with subtle tart rhubarb and apple notes in the background.

It’s light-plus-bodied and comes with a touch of sweetness, accentuating the mashed strawberry flavours; the tart acidity and the rhubarb notes, meanwhile, help things from getting cloying. Alcohol is five per cent.

Very nice — especially while it’s on sale (it’s regular $3.98). 3.5/5

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Wooden Gate Cider Co. L’il Fruity
(Pilot Mound — $4.99/355ml bottle, cidery, Liquor Marts, private wine stores, beer vendors)

Medium reddish amber in appearance, this southern Manitoba cider is made with apples, raspberries, sour cherries, saskatoons and chokecherries.

Aromatically, the apples and tart red fruit lead the charge, with some attractive subtle spice notes in there as well.

It’s light-plus-bodied, mainly dry and tart, with the sour cherry and tart apple notes working nicely with secondary raspberry and spice flavours, while racy acidity lingers along with the modest finish (it’s 5.2 per cent alcohol).

A tasty li’l number. 4/5

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Station 22 NV Keep Calm and Love Pinot Grigio Blush
(Montreal — $11.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This value-priced pink wine, an “international blend of imported and domestic grapes,” is very pale pink in appearance and offers pleasant red apple, strawberry and orange candy aromas and an almost-sweaty note.

It’s light-bodied and off-dry, with tart red apple and strawberry flavours accompanied by an odd herbal, savoury note, and comes with medium acidity and a short finish (it’s 12.5 per cent).

It’s a simple, nondescript rosé; for a few bucks more you could get a far better pink wine (from, say, France, Chile or Argentina). 2.5/5

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winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson