Domestic Thursday: Mugs and Steam Whistle Pilsner

It's long been a dream of mine to see the beaches of Cyprus. A less cherished, but more achievable wish had been to own a mug with an octopus on it. As they say, shoot for the moon, because if you miss, you'll land among the stars. But, as I say, aim for the octopus mug and you'll at least have something to drink from.

Although I had been stalking cephalopod-related Etsy listings for a while, they were out of my price range. So, a few months ago, I went to Play with Clay with some of the folks from the All Strung Out knitting group and painted the mug on left. But the Octomug was lonely. And I had painted him on the far side, so while others could gaze upon his tentacular greatness, I could not. Thus, the Squmug was born.

The Squmug has a submarine on its backside. I repeat, a submarine and not a fish.

This week's Ontario beer is one of my favourite choices when it comes to - MOM STOP READING - all-night drinking. As much as I like bitter IPAs and robust stouts, I can't handle a whole night of them without praying for antacids from heaven. So, when I have to make it through a whole football game, I reach for the Steam Whistle. The company only makes one beer, and that's a pilsner. Pilsners, along with their parent class of lagers, are tough to make, and I respect anyone who can make one that's well-balanced and flavourful while remaining crisp and clear. Steam Whistle is just that, with an interesting roasted grain flavour, almost like cornflakes without the corn. So, calm down, craft ale people. They're also a beer company that's pretty jacked into local culture, hosting art shows at their brewery, concerts for unsigned musicians, and so on, image-making that's extended to their excellent package design. Check out that red bottle cap. Ain't it adorable? If you want to learn more about how some Ontario lagers are made, by the way, The Grid has a handy flow chart.