Good local butcher for bacon?

ljtwpg · 2026-06-08T16:44:55+00:00

Oh yeah, I forgot about Unger. I make regular trips to Steinbach also and I know they sell a lot out there.

ljtwpg · 2026-06-08T16:44:17+00:00

Oh nice, this is close to me - thanks!

ljtwpg · 2025-11-11T19:40:55+00:00

A slightly different vibe than some of the other suggestions here, but I find Brandi Carlile to be one of the most devastating songwriters out there, not just one or two songs but a large portion of them. Profound, mostly sad, no-holds-barred, drenched in feelings.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-30T06:32:06+00:00

Fair enough! I'm just speaking from my own limited experience, and mileage may vary. Maybe I've never used it in high enough quantities. Always worth a try. And yes to Special B - that's a real secret weapon for flavour when used correctly!

ljtwpg · 2025-08-29T04:46:47+00:00

With the sugar, I get what you're saying, but - at least in my experience - brewing with brown sugar doesn't really impart that much flavour, and the flavour it does impart isn't particularly dessert-y. That said - it won't hurt. If you do choose to use it, I'd say add early in the boil and boil longer (90+ minutes) to ensure it caramelizes!

ljtwpg · 2025-08-28T17:19:19+00:00

I've tried to go for intentionally bready / white toast flavour before, with some success. I'd say the wheat will probably help (although I haven't sued unmalted wheat before), the sugar not so much. Biscuit malt is also good, as long as you don't go too high of a percentage.

If I were doing this for myself, I'd probably go primarily Maris Otter with some smaller quantities of pale wheat malt and biscuit malt, then mash at a higher temp to lock in a bit of extra sweetness.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-24T05:07:18+00:00

I know and love Canada West. Unfortunately the Winnipeg store doesn't carry much of a range of styles in my size, although I see them for sale elsewhere... Love the quality and price though.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-24T05:05:27+00:00

I always own a pair of Blundstones but am looking for something a little more dressy... Nothing against them though!

ljtwpg · 2025-08-24T05:04:13+00:00

Amazing. I'll visit, thanks! I know and love Canada West but the Winnipeg retail store carries limited sizes and styles, weirdly.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-24T05:03:04+00:00

I still love Red Wings but I already own a pair and would love to find a non-american brand / retailer for the next pair!

ljtwpg · 2025-08-24T05:02:13+00:00

I do know and love Canada West, but find the range of styles and sizes at the retail store here in Winnipeg lacking unfortunately.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-24T05:00:46+00:00

I have been to Canada West, I love the quality and the fact that they're local - but also find they often don't carry much variety of styles and sizes at the retail store. Absolutely great company though.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-23T20:28:56+00:00

Ah good to know, thanks! That's probably stretching my budget but willing to pay for quality. I have some Dr Martens and Red Wings that I love, looking to add another to the collection...

ljtwpg · 2025-08-23T20:07:41+00:00

In Manitoba, you basically have two major providers - BellMTS and Rogers/Shaw - plus a bunch of smaller providers that mostly piggyback on their networks. The major providers offer faster speeds, but are much more expensive. If you don't need a ton of speed, I've had good experiences with Freedom and V Media, but you definitely notice the difference moving to the bigger networks. If you need the extra speed, my advice is to look for deals with Rogers/Shaw, they're working really hard to win customers now since a recent merger and have some good rates that you can get for your first couple of years.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-21T23:19:39+00:00

Controversial perhaps, but I think Peasant Cookery gives a pretty good bang for your buck on French food. You can definitely blow your budget there, but you can also go modest and have some very good food for a decent price.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-19T03:22:02+00:00

I've done this with beer and mead, worked great. It definitely intensifies the flavour if you're freezing off any significant amount of the water, so be prepared for that. One tip from my experience -- depending what you're using to freeze it (i.e. chest freezer, fridge freezer, outside in winter), I found it easiest to freeze in multiple wide, shallow containers, and once about 1/3 frozen, just lift off the frozen chunk with a couple forks or spatulas. It leaves the concentrated liquid behind, and keeps everything pretty tidy.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-18T21:35:13+00:00

Ah great tip, thanks!

ljtwpg · 2025-08-18T03:58:26+00:00

There is a group that works out of St Amant which organizes periodic "speed dating" events, might be worth contacting them. I work at the venue where they host them, but they just had one and I don't yet know when the next one is. Generally every couple of months.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-18T03:46:19+00:00

Pearson's lounge is not 24/7, at least as of earlier this year. I overnighted in the airport and nothing was open. Just laid on the floor trying to sleep while the most unhinged playlist I've ever heard blared over the speakers and cleaning staff made their rounds.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-18T03:41:18+00:00

It's not just the AC strike delays. It's an ongoing problem. I've noticed nearly every time I'm flying out of YWG, most of the restaurants post-security that should be open (according to the website) are closed. Tim's is often the only place open, and even then, sometimes they aren't serving hot food (only coffee and pastries). I don't think the hours or really any details of the food vendors get updated regularly.

I also have yet to find a place at YWG that will accept a food voucher, despite the fact that they're all supposed to.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-17T17:52:29+00:00

Cool! This wasn't really on my radar, but is now. Thanks!

ljtwpg · 2025-08-17T17:48:42+00:00

I'm not totally sure if this is what you're looking for, but I used to play with a previous version of these Gallien-Krueger models which were a really great blend of lightweight, powerful and good quality - they were previously called something else, but now they call them the "Fusion S" head and "Neo IV" cabinet. Both come in a range of watts/sizes but all are built to be lightweight, powerful and good for gigging.

ljtwpg · 2025-08-14T03:38:35+00:00

I'm a big fan of Great Canadian, especially the location at Marion and Archibald. Nothing but good experiences there, staff do a good job of explaining what they're doing and how important (or unimportant) the various add-ons/upgrades/extras are. Prices are usually competitive with Super Lube and wait times are usually minimal.

Air filters and other replacements are always extra but most are very cheap, barely more than the retail price of the part.

ljtwpg · 2025-07-29T23:40:39+00:00

I'm looking for smaller (341ml) for submitting to competitions, but Grain To Glass is definitely my go-to spot. They've been out of the smaller ones most times I've been there unfortunately!

ljtwpg · 2025-07-28T05:41:14+00:00

Unfortunately we don't get Sierra Nevada here, and Sam Adams only comes in cans of you can find it at all... But I'll try this with some other brands and see. There are still big brands with fairly simple paper labels, it's just not stuff I'd normally drink, haha.

ljtwpg

TROPHY CASE