Monday, February 3, 2014

Brand Introductions

One of the truly amazing things about opening a small brewery is how little these early stages have to do with beer! Over the past several weeks, I have cut trenches in 60 year old concrete (8 inches thick with wire mesh, if you must know), I have built a cold room, framed our retail area received shipment of spectacular kettles and fermentation tanks, all while continuing the licensing process. Pretty crazy.

But the beer, you ask? What of the beer?

Well, I have been working on a few core recipes over the past few years, with a big push to refine them for you over the past several months/weeks. When we open in the coming weeks, we will be leading with our two core brands. They are:

North Shore Blonde Ale - 24 IBU's 5% ABV
In the marketing copy we have described this ale as being "a sophisticated take on a Canadian Classic, at home on the dock or the dinner table". In truth, it is a high quality take on a very simple concept. It is light in colour, subtly impacted with Canadian Cascade hops and cold crashed to ensure a crisp and clear finish. If you are a casual beer drinker who chooses something simple, light in colour and crisp in texture, this beer is for you.

Cliff Top Pale Ale - 35 IBU's 6% ABV
Not a word of a lie, I am drinking one of these while I write this. We evolved Cliff Top in the proud heritage of West Coast American Pale Ales. It has a great golden colour and boasts a strong but not overwhelming hop forward finish. If you are a craft beer lover who wants quality in every sip, this is your choice.

As we head into the spring, we will also be introducing our first round of seasonals...and I am so glad that our first season is Spring. Watch for:

Red Sky Ale - 35 IBU's 5.5% ABV
An American Amber Ale which boasts a really cool balance of caramel and raisin with crisp citrus notes, we utilize a home made confectioners syrup and Chinook hops. This is a great one for spring afternoons outside.

Spring Saison - 27 IBU's 7% ABV
The William Street crew loves Belgian beers, especially Saisons. This will be our first opportunity to share this passion with you and we can't wait. Made with a complex blend of Canadian malts, hops and local Northumberland honey, this is a fantastic opening fanfare to patio weather!

White Sail Wheat - 30 IBU's 5% ABV
Our take on an American Hefeweizen, White Sail has the cloudy bitterness that makes a wheat beer so refreshing. We use Canadian Wheat Malt, Hallertau hops and we add a healthy dose of fresh orange zest to add an element of cirtrusy sweetness. Now that's a beer for early summer!

So...who's thirsty?

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