New Brew – Apricot Ale

Image by Fir0002

Ed has been busy brewing up a specialty beer for this weekend, June 1st, 2013.  Ed will be releasing his Apricot Ale, available beginning on Friday, May 31st, at the Black Creek Historic Brewery in the heart of Black Creek Pioneer Village.  This beer has a burnished gold colour with a hint of apricot in both the flavour and aroma.  Ed also notes that it has a bit of a bready malt taste in the background.  Lightly hopped and carbonated, this medium to light bodied beer is very refreshing and is what Ed describes as ‘a patio beer that will appeal to the most discriminating palate.’  Available in our signature glass Growlers for $18 (including a $4.00 bottle deposit), this one-of-a-kind brew will sell out fast, so make sure to visit the Village and pick up your growler soon! 

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Sneak Peak – New LCBO offering – Montgomery’s Courage

Loyal patrons of our LCBO line may have noticed a new brew on the shelf! Representing the decade between 1830 and 1839, Montgomery’s Courage is the third beer in our series of 12 unique beers that represent each decade between 1800 and 1900. This beer commemorates the Rebellion in Upper Canada.

In the 1830s, the seperate colonies of Upper and Lower Canada both revolted against unjust government rule. Economic hardships emboldened rebels whose pursuit of democratic freedoms had long been suppressed. Although both rebellions were defeated, Upper and Lower Canada were unified as a result, and responsible local government was enacted in Canada. In 1837, Toronto’s Montgomery’s Tavern became the base for a rebellious force led by William Lyon Mackenzie. It was quickly defeated. Possibly the rebels courage was due in large part to their consumption of the tavern’s fine ales. In the 1830s, rye based ales like Montgomery’s Courage were in abundance. This amber ale is lightly carbonated and balanced to favour a slightly bitter hopping while delivering peppery, spicy notes with a bouquet reminiscent of ripe apples or calvados.

Montgomery’s Courage, LCBO #343137 is a limited edition brew, available only through the LCBO in a traditional short neck 500 ml. bottle beginning in May through late September 2013.  Individual bottles retail at $3.95.

Copland Brewing Co. 1915

1915 Vest Pocket Reference Annual published by Copland Brewing. Image provided by Ken D

Ken D, one of our readers, sent along an image of the cover of a 1915 Vest Pocket Reference Annual published by Copland Brewing Company.  It’s a neat piece of ephemera as it lists the brands of beer Copland was producing at the time (Pale Ale, Half-and-Half, Budweiser, XXX Porter and Special Brewed Ale) and includes images of two of the bottles and labels in use at the time.  It’s also interesting to note the proprietors, Robert and J.E. Davies.  Robert was late of both the Don and Dominion Breweries; in fact XXX Porter was one of the Don’s signature brews.  Ken mentioned that the volume contained details about horse racing, sports records and information regarding postage rates.  These were likely given out as a promotion either to the public, or more likely to bar owners and people in the business. 

Copland Extra Stout Label from the Fisher Library’s Vintage Canadian Beer Labels Collection.

I pulled up one of the labels pictured on the cover from the Fisher Library collection at the University of Toronto for comparison.  Looks like a pretty good match to me!