issue 01 / volume 41

The Other Brew: Cheerful Cherry Edition

» Big Rock and Driftwood breweries go bold and fruity

Taylor Pitt
Production Assistant

: Cinnamon Bun potato chips
: currently going around, but
: not ina bad way (much like the

: chips). The beer has a sugary-

elcome back to the Other :
Brew! This week I’mtry- :

ing Big Rock Brewery’s Cherry
Bomber, a cherry-flavoured
Hefeweizen Ale. Since cherry
is one of many flavours seen in
wheat ales, but one! hadn’t yet
tried, I just had to pick this one
up. Besides, it’s a seasonal offer-
ing, and the end of summer is
coming up surprisingly fast.

Cherry Bomber pours a
cloudy-pink colour, topped
by two fingers of bubbly white
head, with just a hint of pink
laced on top. The bubbles
are very loose, and once they
settle it leaves an almost
soapy ring around the inside
of the glass. It has a smell that
immediately catches you off
guard. It’s like a bakery ora
small candy store, and smells
heavily of bready wheat and
caramel malts, cherry taffy
candy or syrup, yeast, and
then of a hint of flowery hops.

Its taste is much of the :
same: like a cherry strudel took :
a trip through one of Willy :
Wonka’s magical machines and :
ended up ina beer. Extremely
unusual, on par with the Lays

yet-earthy, cake-like flavour

: that leaves you confused but

: wanting more. I’m not sure

: ll ever buy the same bottle

: again, but for the night I spent
: with it, ] appreciated it. Big

: Rock Brewing Company’s

: Cherry Bomber is available

for around $5.75 in Lower

: Mainland speciality liquor
: stores—for a limited time only.

Next up is the Belle Royale

: Wild Sour Cherry Ale from

: Driftwood Brewery. Now,

: this beer is much stronger,

: coming in at eight per cent.

: The label art implies a very

: dark, earthy flavour. It also

: lists the ingredients in the

: beer, but I don’t want to spoil
: one of the ingredients listed.
: Ifyou purchase Belle Royale,
: don’t look at the ingredi-

: ents first. Save them until

: after you've had the beer—I

: promise it'll be worth it.

Belle Royale pours a

deep cherry red, much like

a wine, and did not produce

: much ofa head. A tiny white

ring of foam sits on top of the
beer. A bold aroma, entirely
made of cherries, makes itself

: noticed first. None of the
: beer’s more subtle notes are
: able to come out in the smell.

The first sip has an

: intensely sour cherry flavour,

: overpowering the taste of beer
: and making itself something

: else immediately. However,

: sweet notes and complex fruity
: complements are there to

: balance the otherwise bitter

: flavour, allowing the beer to

: truly reveal itself over time.

: Beneath it all is a somewhat

: funky taste that can’t be

: placed, and at first I was going
: to mark the beer down for

: this. On the other hand, I’ve

: read the ingredients now, so

: ’'m going to say that I approve
: of the funk. Undoubtedly

: odd, it’s a taste that I feel is

: very precise, and has been

: well-executed. It’s not a beer

: to drink with friends at a party
: though, and is best enjoyed

: alone and sipped at over time.

The masterful combination

: of flavours that Driftwood

: has put together isn’t going to

: appeal to most people, and the

: price of $12 a bottle is sure to put
: offa lot of customers who would
: want to try it. However, I highly
: recommend this asa one-time

purchase for anyone with curi-
ous taste buds and a love of beer.

 

life & style // 11

 

stop HIV & Hep C now

» Check HIM out

Andrea Arscott
Columnist

: with HIV during anal sex is
: 20 times greater than vaginal
: sex because the rectal lining is

: thinner and more fragile than

here’s good news for

gay men living in New
Westminster and its sur-
rounding areas: the HIM clinic
is now open at the Purpose
Society at 40 Begbie Street (a
couple blocks from Douglas)
on Monday and Wednesday
evenings from 4 to 9 p.m. Stop
in to get tested for HIV and
other sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and Hep C, or
to talk to someone about your
physical, emotional, sexual,
or social health matters. The
Health Initiative for Men (HIM)
is dedicated to promoting
the well-being of gay men of
all ages. Take a peek at HIM’s
website at checkhimout.ca or
come by to say, “Howdy,” and
fill your boots with condoms—
and don’t forget the lube!

It’s extremely important to
use condoms and water-based
lube during anal sex. According
to Microbicide Trial Network,
*the risk of becoming infected

: the vaginal lining.” Lube can
: prevent friction, which prevents :
: condom breakage. So load

: up on Aqua Lube, and please,

: save your oily substitutes for

: their intended uses. Oil-based

: lubricants can cause condoms

: to break down, plus they can

: lead to infections. And who

: wants an itch you can’t scratch?

Men having sex with

: men may want to cozy up

: tocondoms if they haven’t

: already done so. Anarticle in

: 24 Hours states that Provincial
: Health Officer Dr. Perry

: Kendall explained in his latest
: report on HIV, stigma, and

: society that HIV rates are not

: decreasing amongst gay and

: bisexual men. According to

: 24 Hours, almost 60 per cent

: ofnew HIV infections in BC

: were attributed to this group

: in2ou. There could be many

: explanations as to why the gay
: community is not experiencing
: adecrease in HIV cases.

If you are, however, a man

: having anal sex with other

? men in an open ora non-mo-

: nogamous relationship, or you
: simply like to engage in casual

encounters of the bump-and-

: grind kind, it’s especially

: important to wear a condom.

: If you're a Scruff or Grindr

: user, although you'e likely to

: ask potential dates “are you

: DDF (drug and disease free)?”
: frequently, you can’t always be
: certain users know their status. :
: Or maybe the guy you want to

: hook up with hada mishap he

: doesn’t yet know about. Back

: at the ranch, your brainy self

: knows that sending this hot

: dude up to your private room is
: risky, so be sure to stock up your :
: drawers with lots of condoms.

Condoms come in all

: shapes, types, and sizes, and

: youcan have a blast (literally)

: experimenting with them.

: Then, when you meet someone
: you want to have a relationship
: with, think of how good sex

: will feel once you decide it’s

: time to give up the rubber

: wetsuit. According to HIM,

: you should only consider

: condom-less sex witha regular
: partner after three months of

: using them consistently with

: that partner, before and after

: testing. It can take up to three
: months for HIV antibodies

: to develop in the body and to

: show up ina rapid HIV test.

: During this window period

: HIVis most infectious and can
: be easily passed on through

: condom-less sex of any kind.

As long as you and your

: boyfriend aren't having sex

: with other people, and provided
: there weren't other partners

: inthe couple months before

: you met, three months should

: be long enough to wait. But,

in case your new partner slept

: with someone else when you
: started dating, you may want
: to play it safe and wait an

: extra month before burning

: rubber. Or better yet, talk

: toa nurse about it first.

It can also take three

: months to get to know some-

: one, so why not take it slow? In

: the meantime, get tested before
: having sex with new partners

You should only
consider condom-less
sex with a regular
partner after three
months of using them
consistently with that
partner, before and
after testing.

: to eliminate HIV and STIs from
: previous partners, and then test
: again after three months just to
: be sure youre clear. Am I clear?

Stop HIV now. Get tested.

: Wear a condom. Get tested.

Come down to the HIM

: clinic in New West on the

: first and third Friday of the

: month from 11a.m. to1p.m.

: for anonymous and rapid

: HIV testing, and STI and

: HCV testing. We also provide
: vaccines, free harm-reduction
: supplies, and condoms! You

: canalso get your questions

: answered by emailing sexy-

: questions@purposesociety.org