ottawa foodies

For all you nostalgic OFs from the Maritimes, today's Halifax Chronicle Herald announces the return of Beep for the summer. Available only in Nova Scotia from Farmer's starting Monday. Can't wait!

thechronicleherald.ca

Please tell me what Beep is?

If you don't know, you don't need to know :-)

It is basically orange flavoured sugar water that for some very odd reason was sold for decades by a dairy.

Something they could package (and cross sell) in milk cartons when the milk filling/production line was not busy.

Marketing a product like 'Punch Packs' ... circa 1973-1978 ... When milk was packaged in plastic bags. The size of the bag was reduced to an individual
serving of fruit flavoured sugary drink (Orange, grape and a red one.)

Sold with a straw that had a diagonal end which would 'punch' the bag. Similar to a juice box straw (but not kinky bend).

Best think, was the empty punch packs could be blown up like a balloon .. pierced through with the straw, to hold the air ... then stomped on to make a loud bang.

Anyone remember these ?

YES! I remember those juice bags. Ideal for freezing and keeping a cooler nice and cold! They double as a drink or a freezie. Plus, as you mentioned, they had a 'bang' that blew any juice box out of the water

Sip sacs at Perette's when I was a kid in Montreal. They had a large size as well that really went bang.

Never had the punch packs but in North Bay, ON when I was a kid the milkman also delivered Beep. Definitely dating myself--you could get all milk products, eggs,orange juice and Beep. We had a milkman and a breadman! Even back in the mid sixties Beep was not natural. My mother vetoed it! Kind of like Tang but in a carton...

Remember Beep Juice very well. How many of you remember the little plasic Beep cars they used to give away with it? Yellow and black cartoon like cars, they were a hoot.

Oh man, I'm stupidly excited over that Beep announcement. ;D Ironically, my kids hated it the last time they tried it. (Which was great -- more for me!)

refashionista, I haven't been able to even buy any yet. It hasn't made it across the causeway and up the west coast yet. Halifax seems to be hoarding it all for themselves!

Damn' you, Halifax! *shakes fist in impotent rage* That means I'll be unlikely to score any in the Valley in August for sure. Boo. :(

I remember that stuff very well...used to drink it in the 60's while watching Firehouse Frolics! (I'm old) :)

A friend in halifax just retweeted this ... stocking the beep shelf

twitter.com

I spoke with the Farmer's supplier for this side of CB last week and although he has put in an order for us each week for the past three weeks, he has not had any of his orders for Beep filled yet. Keeping my fingers crossed for this coming week.

Clearly Halifax is hogging it all - greedy pigs.. ;) Is it wrong that I'm hopeful this "temporary" reintroduction is just their way of bringing it back without admitting getting rid of it was a bad idea? We used to spike it with vodka and serve it over ice.. ;D

BTW that was taken at this Sobeys

goo.gl/maps/IMtq

Beep has arrived in CB!

My condolences ...

This one is going around on facebook

I remember these as 'mini-sips' from Perrette's depanneurs in Montreal.

The bags made a hell of a bang.

coolopolis.blogspot.ca

Would never have tried this if I hadn't seen it here. I'm working in Halifax this month, so I got a carton the other day. It's okay but I won't be buying another one. Looking forward to the weekend to explore a bit more. Any recommendations?

For right in Halifax? Or further out? Wolfville, NS, has some interesting restaurants and the Halls Harbour lobster pound is an annual haunt of mine! ;) You should definitely check out the Halifax Farmer's Market: halifaxfarmersmarket.com/ Wolfville has a good one, too: www.wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca/

Oh, and Lunenburg County Winery!! www.canada-wine.com (The Valley is full of lovely little wineries, as well. :))

I am right in Halifax and am heading to the farmer's market tomorrow morning. Not sure I'll get to Wolfville this time, but I do want to go to Lunenburg. Thanks!

For those of you who will be in Halifax for tall ships ...

RT @sugahhfx: Just so you can prepare... We will be unveiling Beep Slushies at Food Fare by the Sea during #TallShipsNS

I'm here, waiting for the Tall Ships and a Beep Slushie--that stuff has kind of grown on me. There was a full page of Beep drinks in a local free newspaper recently. Check it out here: www.thecoast.ca

I warn you, Beep is a slippery slope from there. ;) Try mixing it with a bit of mango and some gin! ;D

All this talk of Beep reminded me of stuff I drank as a kid in Windsor called "Ping!" - the exclamation point was part of the name. IIRC it was a tangy pineapple grapefruit kind of thing. I loved it.

OMG,I'm in Beep withdrawal,having had to return early from Cape Breton and my summer with Beep and Smuggler's Cove Dark rum.

Caperbeach.

What ? Smuggler's Cove Dark Rum ?

With all do respect. And please don't get me wrong. I'm just passionate about dark rum.

Why waste room in the car with that stuff ?

Cutsie (false) marketing name aside, The Glenora Distillery (blender and bottler of Smuggler's Cove Dark Rum)only give it a one line mention on their website.

www.glenoradistillery.com

And when I toured the G Distillery years ago, they told me the rum was a 'project' that was to provide much needed income while their TRUE product, Malt Whisky, aged for a number of years. And it was easy to do because they already had the license to produce and distribute liquor in Nova Scotia. No easy feat.

www.glenoradistillery.com

So go get some REAL dark rum !

Not some cheap Jamaican/Caribbean-blended-with-Canadian Rum stuff.
(And BTW ... WHERE DO Canadians grow the sugarcane to make "Canadian Rum" ? Yeesh!)

Try Old Sam.
One of the best dark rhums in the world.
Imported from Demerara, Guyana, in wooden casks, by the Newfoundland Liquor Commission.
(And Newfies know their dark rhum ... they were the real smugglers, supplying the good stuff to thirsty Capers during the prohibition.)

PTL!! .. The LCBO has finally have given Old Sam a listing ... OLD SAM RUM
LCBO 256180. (And my years of lobbying the LCBO (circa 1985-1995) for a listing, didn't even raise an eyebrow on any of those damn Upper Canadian buyers at the LCBO headquarters).

and it is available at a store near you.

www.lcbo.com


Double Dark N' Dirty

Take a tumbler .. fill with ice
Add 2 shots Old Sam
Top with Coca Cola

"Spot the Froth"

Well! I guess I've been told! Nevertheless, Captain Caper, if you are ever back at Glenora they have a cask strength sipping rum that was aged in the single malt barrels that has a lovely molasses flavour. (And I wouldn't be mixing THAT with Beep!)

Beep! and rum?
/me shudders

Don't knock it till you've tried it. Think rum punch in the Caribbean while sitting on the beach.

Give me a week. I'm headed that way until the middle of August. If for no other reason than to answer my own curious mind. That would be the only reason, obviously.

Be sure and add a good squeeze of fresh lime.

Order your beep t shirt

www.farmersdairy.ca

Beep sorbet was on offer at the Stone Hearth Bistro yesterday. Alas I was too full.

Beep is back in Nova Scotia for the summer again! Enjoying a Beep and rum (aka Cape Breton Libre) right now.

Cape Breton Libre !

"Down with the causeway !" General John Cabot Trail

The Cape Breton Liberation Army
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thechronicleherald.ca

I prefer my Beep with gin. Alas, won't be making the trek back this summer.. :/

That's "Down with the causeway B'Y" to you :-)

refashionista, I wish I could bring some back with me but I'm flying this time and of course liquids are verboten.

Caperbeachgal you can still put bottles in your checked luggage, well-wrapped in newsprint and clothes and maybe a prayer cloth.
BTW which beach keeps bringing you back?

Margaree Harbour. Beep comes in a cardboard container....I'm not risking it.

I'm in NS now. Could bring some back mid June for Caperbeachgal and others. How does it keep if not refrigerated? We take 2 days driving. Assume it is available on the South Shore?

Thanks so much for your kind offer, southshoregirl. I will be back here in July and will get my fill then. It is meant to be kept refrigerated so unless it was kept in a cooler with ice, I doubt it would survive a 2-day car trip in warm weather.

And in my experience its MUCH better to get oneself to NS than to try and cart NS to Ottawa!!!

While I was growing up in Cape Breton, beep and (Gilbey's) Lemon Gin was 'the girl's drink', while rum 'n coke or beer (Oland's Export etc) was 'the boys drink', at beach parties.

I took this picture of Margaree Harbour while picking wild raspberries on the side of the road in 2006.

This beach would have been 'too public' for our teenage drinking. We had to choose more secluded coves to partake in the finer things in life .... like Lobsters and Liquor !

That's our beach! There have been a great many parties there over the years (both underage and adult) including beer and lobsters. Can't wait to get back.