According to Beer Canada, the number of licensed Canadian breweries more than doubled from 2010 to 2015, growing from 310 to 644. Consumers are drinking less, but better beer, driven by a desire for experimentation and authenticity. So how can we tap into this growing enthusiasm?
Consider implementing a curated craft beer list on a separate menu page. Thematically, this could be by region/country, beer style or flavour profile.
Test demand with a “seasonal summer menu”. Rotate out two or three of your fuller-bodied or higher-alcohol drafts, placing them on your bottle menu. Use those taps to showcase seasonally-friendly Pilsners, Wheat beers, Saisons, Session Ales and Radlers; and place several additional ones on a stand-alone summer menu. Remember to clean your lines when you tap a new keg, and consider investing in the varied glassware that will showcase your craft beer experience to its fullest.
If your guests enjoy food and wine pairings, you may want to consider the same for beer. In general, these beers go well with lighter bistro and pub-like fare. For instance, a Saisons’ slight acidity works well with salads, fish and ceviche. Or make a Radler/grapefruit ice float.
I’ve suggested some products below, but availability varies. Please buy local: not only do you put money back into your regional economy, your beer will be fresh. As a general rule, if your beer is older than six months, switch products. Would you serve stale-dated milk?
Pilsner Urquell (4.4%) is the original Pilsner beer, first brewed October 5th, 1842 in the Czech town of Pilsen (Plzeň). It remains a benchmark to this day: clean and crisp, with great depth of flavour, and a distinctive, spicy – but not bitter – Saaz hop finish. Collingwood Brewery’s Rockwell Old Style Pilsner (4.6%) is a thirst-quenching and bar-food-friendly alternative: low-to-mid carbonation, a mandarine-scented aroma, and a firm, but not aggressive, hoppy finish.
Canadians love wheat, whose addition can add lightness and texture. Belgian Wheat Ales (called “Witbier”) spice things up a bit by adding orange peel and coriander. A world-class example is Blanche de Chambly, from Quebec’s Unibroue (5%). You may notice the champagne-like mousse, its clove and citrus-like overtones, and a delicate, luxurious mouthfeel that ends with a slight tangy finish. The beer is dynamite, particularly on tap.
Appealing to the younger crowd is the audaciously branded Jerkface 9000 (5%), a NW-style Wheat beer from Vancouver’s Parallel 49 Brewing. It pushes the style in a hoppy new direction, hitting a high note for its airy and gulpable quality. Mosaic hops add guava and papaya scent, along with an intriguing bit of basil-like spice.
Saison (or Farmhouse) Ales were made by Belgian and French farmers who used whatever grains they had on hand during the season (French: “saison”) to produce rustic tangy beers that would quench their summer thirst. I prefer the lower-alcohol versions such as Unibroue’s deliciously crushable À Tout Le Monde (4.5%). Created at the request of Megadeath lead singer Dave Mustaine, it’s highly carbonated, with a light-bodied prettiness, and tangerine, dried peach and lychee notes. The beer would shine as a patio aperitif, or with citrus-dressed salads, fish and chips, or a turkey BLT.
The term Session Ale used to refer to the easy-drinking, lightly alcoholic English Ales that factory workers consumed during a work-break “session”. Today, the term has been co-opted to include many other low-alcohol “sessionable” beers, including the new, trending style called India Session Ale (ISA).
Like its sibling, the India Pale Ale (IPA), ISAs are often noticeably hopped, but with much lower alcohol. Two quenchable brands are Central City’s Red Racer India Session Ale (4%): a consumer-friendly, solid tasting beer, whose guava and citrus-note hops nicely balance the slight malty palate; and Fernie Brewing’s Slingshot Session IPA (4.5%): a bit more energetic, with a crescendo of grapefruit, pepper and pine resin flavour that has made IPA one of the most popular styles today.
Finally, with their fruity mix of beer and citrus juice, Radler is Sodastream for adults. Salzburg’s Stiegl Grapefruit Radler (2.5%) is a gold standard. Highly carbonated, Stiegl Radler is refreshing, succulent and satisfying – without being too sweet. Crafty Radler, by New Brunswick’s Pump House Brewery (4.7%), adds tangerine to the beer and grapefruit mix for a slightly sweeter, juicier take. Whichever one greets your guests’ lips, Radlers make great golf bag beverages, and are a sure-fire way to tempt wine drinkers to the other side.
According to Beer Canada, the number of licensed Canadian breweries more than doubled from 2010 to 2015, growing from 310 to 644. Consumers are drinking less, but better beer, driven by a desire for experimentation and authenticity. So how can we tap into this growing enthusiasm?
Consider implementing a curated craft beer list on a separate menu page. Thematically, this could be by region/country, beer style or flavour profile.
Test demand with a “seasonal summer menu”. Rotate out two or three of your fuller-bodied or higher-alcohol drafts, placing them on your bottle menu. Use those taps to showcase seasonally-friendly Pilsners, Wheat beers, Saisons, Session Ales and Radlers; and place several additional ones on a stand-alone summer menu. Remember to clean your lines when you tap a new keg, and consider investing in the varied glassware that will showcase your craft beer experience to its fullest.
If your guests enjoy food and wine pairings, you may want to consider the same for beer. In general, these beers go well with lighter bistro and pub-like fare. For instance, a Saisons’ slight acidity works well with salads, fish and ceviche. Or make a Radler/grapefruit ice float.
I’ve suggested some products below, but availability varies. Please buy local: not only do you put money back into your regional economy, your beer will be fresh. As a general rule, if your beer is older than six months, switch products. Would you serve stale-dated milk?
Pilsner Urquell (4.4%) is the original Pilsner beer, first brewed October 5th, 1842 in the Czech town of Pilsen (Plzeň). It remains a benchmark to this day: clean and crisp, with great depth of flavour, and a distinctive, spicy – but not bitter – Saaz hop finish. Collingwood Brewery’s Rockwell Old Style Pilsner (4.6%) is a thirst-quenching and bar-food-friendly alternative: low-to-mid carbonation, a mandarine-scented aroma, and a firm, but not aggressive, hoppy finish.
Canadians love wheat, whose addition can add lightness and texture. Belgian Wheat Ales (called “Witbier”) spice things up a bit by adding orange peel and coriander. A world-class example is Blanche de Chambly, from Quebec’s Unibroue (5%). You may notice the champagne-like mousse, its clove and citrus-like overtones, and a delicate, luxurious mouthfeel that ends with a slight tangy finish. The beer is dynamite, particularly on tap.
Appealing to the younger crowd is the audaciously branded Jerkface 9000 (5%), a NW-style Wheat beer from Vancouver’s Parallel 49 Brewing. It pushes the style in a hoppy new direction, hitting a high note for its airy and gulpable quality. Mosaic hops add guava and papaya scent, along with an intriguing bit of basil-like spice.
Saison (or Farmhouse) Ales were made by Belgian and French farmers who used whatever grains they had on hand during the season (French: “saison”) to produce rustic tangy beers that would quench their summer thirst. I prefer the lower-alcohol versions such as Unibroue’s deliciously crushable À Tout Le Monde (4.5%). Created at the request of Megadeath lead singer Dave Mustaine, it’s highly carbonated, with a light-bodied prettiness, and tangerine, dried peach and lychee notes. The beer would shine as a patio aperitif, or with citrus-dressed salads, fish and chips, or a turkey BLT.
The term Session Ale used to refer to the easy-drinking, lightly alcoholic English Ales that factory workers consumed during a work-break “session”. Today, the term has been co-opted to include many other low-alcohol “sessionable” beers, including the new, trending style called India Session Ale (ISA).
Like its sibling, the India Pale Ale (IPA), ISAs are often noticeably hopped, but with much lower alcohol. Two quenchable brands are Central City’s Red Racer India Session Ale (4%): a consumer-friendly, solid tasting beer, whose guava and citrus-note hops nicely balance the slight malty palate; and Fernie Brewing’s Slingshot Session IPA (4.5%): a bit more energetic, with a crescendo of grapefruit, pepper and pine resin flavour that has made IPA one of the most popular styles today.
Finally, with their fruity mix of beer and citrus juice, Radler is Sodastream for adults. Salzburg’s Stiegl Grapefruit Radler (2.5%) is a gold standard. Highly carbonated, Stiegl Radler is refreshing, succulent and satisfying – without being too sweet. Crafty Radler, by New Brunswick’s Pump House Brewery (4.7%), adds tangerine to the beer and grapefruit mix for a slightly sweeter, juicier take. Whichever one greets your guests’ lips, Radlers make great golf bag beverages, and are a sure-fire way to tempt wine drinkers to the other side.
Dan Hertz is a journalist, educator, consultant and sommelier. He is the consulting beverage professional at Silver Springs Golf & Country Club in Calgary, and can be reached on Twitter @Goforvino, or dan@goforvino.com)
