If the base beer is Coors Light ... No thanks!

I am not much of a St. Patrick’s Day fan, as I find it over-hyped, focused too much on over-consumption rather than appreciating good beer, and subtly sectarian (it is only the Catholic Irish that wear green; Protestants wear orange). Plus who can get excited over Molson Canadian with green food dye added?

However, as it works out there are two events in the days following St. Paddy’s, that might offer an appropriate antidote to the green excess.

Hair of the Leprechaun Beer Festival, Friday March 18: This event has quietly become something to which to pay attention. A local Rotary Club decided to do something different as a fundraising and starting pulling together some breweries and beer reps to offer a night of beer tasting. It has grown larger than they expected. They are up to 17 different breweries and more than 50 different beer. Enough to legitimately call it a beer festival. Details found here, but I can tell you it runs from 5 to 1o pm at the Santa Maria Goretti Centre (11050 – 90 Street). Tickets are $25, and sample tickets are $1 (average beer will cost 2 tickets). Plus, all the proceeds go to the Urban Spirits Rotary Club, which supports programs for kids at risk. So, all your money will go to good causes.

Oak-Aged Beer Pairing, Saturday March 19: I mentioned this event a few weeks ago. It is a beer and food pairing co-hosted by Gini’s Restaurant, Sherbrooke Liquor and myself. I will lead the group through tastings of five different oak-aged beer paired with wonderful French-inspired dishes. We sold out the original limit, but decided to add a couple more tables to accommodate the demand. That means if you act quickly you might be able to scoop up the last few tickets available.

Between them, these two events might just be enough to get rid of that unpleasant linger from green beer (Sherbrooke Shamrock excepted).