FOOD & BEVERAGE

Wellington Brewery - Hop Water 0%

More and more people are choosing to either moderate their alcohol intake or curb it all together Hop Water is a way that craft breweries are becoming a player in this space, and it's a delicious alternative. Think of it as soda water that showcases the aroma and flavour of hops, it's allowing us to explore Hops in a new way and us ‘hop heads’ can get our fix any time of the day without having to pop open a can of beer. At 0% ABV it is alcohol free and very refreshing. Wellington was one of the first breweries to produce it around here and my fav so far is the Cascade, made with Ontario Hops! It is crisp with lively carbonation and a bright citrus and grapefruit hop character to it Looking for something more adventurous? Try their Peppermint

Pattie Milk Stout filled with rich cocoa flavours and cool peppermint!

Shillow Beer Co - Barley wine 9.5%

Hitting the other end of the spectrum and bringing you a 9.5% Barley Wine to sip away your sorrows or stretch through the championship game is Shillow Beer Co Shillow is now based out of Ottawa committed to crafting interesting and delicious brews and they are certified Kosher! They offer Ontario-wide delivery and amongst their colourful line up of cans and brews their 2022 Barley Wine is reflective and lush with aromas of red liquorice, dark fruit balanced on a slightly bitter frame alongside a caramel and molasses finish. I always suggest purchasing a couple of cans as these types of beers age very well so perhaps over the next few years of breaking brackets you can make it a tradition to crack this beauty and remember brackets past

My tradition of picking brackets and watching the tournament goes back to my childhood with both my mom and dad. We enjoyed picking teams and heckling each other through the tournament. Mom ALWAYS picked North Carolina, I always picked Michigan and Dad always picked different. Though there is no real right way to pick our strategy of enjoying the game together always won for us. This year my picks are Michigan State for the men’s tournament, there is even more history to this as a long time Magic Johnson fan and for the women’s tournament I choose Baylor.

I wish you all a fun rest of March full of more sun, less snow and a ton of great basketball

Tiffany is an Ontario-based beer & travel blogger sharing her adventures served alongside all kinds of craft beer. Her love of craft beer is what inspires her travels and her love of storytelling is the backbone of her blog. Tiffany also puts on local pairing events & women only beer events so follow along with her adventures on social or at www.TheTravellingPint.com because the ROI on curiosity is priceless!