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67 Front Street East
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News

Beer School, June 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 55

What is a Czech Pilsner? The origins of pilsner beer dates back to 1842, named after the ancient city of Plzen, now part of Western Czech Republic, where the beer was first brewed. Prior to the advent of pilsner, beer drinkers were only accustomed to dark, heavy, cloudy beers. This Plzen brew is renowned for being the first fully pale beer in central Europe, light-bodied, golden and brilliantly clear. According to modern standards, Czech pilsners should be more malt-forward than their German counterpart, crisp and clean, with a pronounced bitterness. Yeast & Fermentation By the early 19th century, brewers knew …
Beer School, May 2023 E-News

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 54

What is Nitro Beer?  Most beer is carbonated through CO2, both naturally through fermentation and additionally through forced carbonation. To achieve peak effervescence, carbon dioxide is injected into the beer, pressurizing bottles, cans, or kegs.  Nitro beer differs in that it contains a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, where nitrogen accounts for 70-75% of the mix, and carbon dioxide the remaining 25-30%. Nitrogenated beer was originally developed to replicate traditional cask ale, which is naturally carbonated through fermentation, and naturally nitrogenated from the exposure to air when a pint is drawn from the cask. History of Nitro Beer  In …
April 2023 E-News, Beer School

C’est… What Is Cask Beer All About?

What makes beer like Al’s Cask Ale so special? Read on. Definition of “Cask Ale” Cask ale is unfiltered and unpasteurized. Traditionally cask ale is also cask-conditioned, undergoing a secondary fermentation in the cask. This contrasts with “keg beer” which is generally filtered and carbonated. Cask-conditioned beers are also referred to as “real ales”. Beer Delivery Systems It took until the 17th century for bottled beer to become commonplace. Up until that time most beer was consumed by pouring it directly out of a cask. Along with advances in science in the later 19th century such as pasteurization and mechanical …
April 2023 E-News, Beer School

Leah’s Beer School: Lesson 53

History of Tequila & Mezcal The origin of fermenting agave began somewhere between 1000 B.C. and 200 A.D., where pulque, a drink made from fermented sap of the agave plant, was first documented on a stone carving from 200A.D. A prized drink among the Aztecs communities, it is thought that pulque may have existed as far back as 1000 B.C., initially developed by Olmec civilization in the lowlands of Mexico.  There are many competing narratives regarding tequila’s origins, though one dominant narrative describes the Spanish building primitive mud stills to make agave wine, in response to dwindling brandy supplies during …
Beer, March 2023 E-News

Finding Al

Our house favourite, Al’s Cask Ale, has been listed with the LCBO. We are moving forward with a plan to roll it out in select stores in the GTA with the first round appearing by early April. Let your local store manager know that you would like to see Al make an appearance. We will be posting a list of stores here.