Beer: Beau's Lug-Tread
Type: Lagered Ale
Region: Vankleek Hill, Ontario
Rating: Novice/Intermediate
So here we are, the last day. What does that mean exactly? Will I stop drinking now? Heading off to detox? No. This little project of mine was no different than what I do almost everyday when I get home from work, and that's change, get dinner ready, and crack open a cold one. The difference is that I like many types of beer and REALLY enjoy trying the different types and brands that are out there. Like wine, there are many varieties, flavours, big players and small outfits. Beer has many uses - you can cook with it, pair it with food to enhance flavour, relax, it brings people together, it's a social lubricant,you can get plowed, the list goes on. So will my habits change after today? Maybe a little. I mean, I'll still go to the local LCBO and grab a different brew now and again, but now that summer's here (heat-wise, not calendar-wise), I may stick to a few of my favs more often.
But what I've done the past 40 days is give you a sampling of the vastness of beers that exist in the world. Not all of them are accessible where you live, but then again, you may have access to ones I've never seen before. If that's the case and you have a favourite or two, send the names over my way. I've tried to give you a laymans take on what certain brews taste like, what to expect, how to enjoy it. I've tried to expand your beerological knowledge and show you a world beyond Molson, Labatts, Anheuser, etc. But if that's your comfort zone, then I respect that choice. Otherwise, like food and drink, there's a world of discovery that just has to be enjoyed.
So today I bring you a fine micro/craft beer that's 45 minutes from my house in nearby Vankleek Hill, Beau's Beer. It's a great beer and an even greater story.
The first time I saw this was several years ago when they first introduced their flagship beer, Lug Tread. It came in a very attractive ceramic bottle with the swivel cap. In terms of marketing and interest, the hardest part was done as it easily stood out from the rest.
The beer is a combination of two styles – it is top fermented like an ale (it uses malted barley which conducts a fast fermentation and typically results in a sweet and full-bodied taste) and then cold-aged like a lager. Hence the name Lagered Ale.
The beer is a golden colour and crisp to drink. If you`ve not had a crisp beer before and are struggling to imagine what I mean by that, think of club soda. Club soda is way crisper than any beer I`ve drank but if you`ve had club soda then you know the direction we`re pointing at.
In terms of Ontario Craft Beers, this one has won numerous awards, and with good reason. But if you're looking for the big white ceramic bottle at your favourite alcohol vender, you'll be sadly disappointed. Well placed sources tell me that many people were so enamoured by the bottles, they decided to keep them, and thus the brewery was not getting enough numbers back to clean and rebottle their stock. So the decision was made to go with a 500 ml brown bottle 4-pack in a distinctive carrybox. Not quite the same impact, and it could be hard to find if you didn't know about the change, but it's always nice to have 4 Beau's than just one.
Two things you need to check out are Beau's website and Beau's Blog. It is a family business that is primarily helmed by a father and son team and their friends. In a world where so many companies are trying to make themselves look bigger than they are to try to compete with giants, Beau's is proud to be small and family based. Part of their corporate philosophy insists that they will always have time for their friends. Hell, Steve Beauchesne and I have so much in common, we could be brothers - good beer, wife, kids, and indie music. No wonder I like his brewery:)
Bottom line is, try this one. You will either love it or hate it, much like many of the beers I've recommended over the course of my project. If all you ever tried was Bud or Blue you aren't likely to enjoy this, but if you have sampled a range of beers you are likely to really enjoy this one.
So thank you for joining and indulging me in this, my celebratory look through beer at 40 awesome years. Here's to another 40, and you're all invited along for the ride.
“Alright Brain, you don't like me, and I don't like you. But lets just do this, and I can get back to killing you with beer.” - Homer Simpson
