Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company, also known as Beau's Brewing Company or simply Beau's, is a microbrewery
located in Vankleek Hill
, Ontario
, 50 minutes east of Ottawa
.
It was launched on July 1st, 2006, and is known for its "regionally famous" Lug Tread lager
ed ale
, as well as a number of seasonal beer
s. Beau's beers are available throughout Eastern Ontario
on tap as well as at LCBO
liquor stores.
company for 17 years, and Steve having worked for the Ontario government and running Go! Go! Go! Records) and opened Beau's on Canada Day
(July 1) 2006.
Beau's has been successful since opening, having sold its entire first batch of 3,000 litres (5,300 pint
s) to nine Ottawa
-area bar
s and restaurant
s before the official opening date. Though it originally expected to supply Lug Tread to local LCBO
s and Beer Stores in 2006, Lug Tread first appeared in Ottawa LCBOs in early 2008, by which time it had expanded to over 90 establishments in the Ottawa area.
As of July 2009, over 200 Eastern Ontario
establishments featured Beau's Lug Tread on tap. "Just about every LCBO in the region" sells Lug Tread, and 300 cases of 12 jugs (each containing 750 ml) are shipped each week. By late 2009, Beau's was supplying a number of bars and LCBOs in the Greater Toronto Area.
-style lager
ed ale
that is produced year-round.
Seasonal beers include Night•Märzen (an Oktoberfest
-style amber lager), Tommy Gun APA, Festivale (an Altbier
-style ale
), Beaver River I.P. Eh? (an India Pale Ale
(IPA) with a "citrusy punch"), and Bogwater – Strong & Spicy Dirty-Brown Ale.
All of Beau's beers use only organic
ingredients, and the brewery itself is in the process of being certified organic. Beau's also emphasizes local ingredients, maintaining membership in the Ontario Federation of Agriculture
, and is currently developing local hops
to replace imports from Germany
.
In its debut year, Lug Tread won "Best Beer of the Fest" at the 2006 Golden Tap Awards
in Toronto
. Lug Tread went on to win "Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA
)" at the 2007 and 2008 Golden Tap Awards, and "Best regularly-produced craft beer brewed in Ontario" and "Best of the Fest" at the 2009 awards. The brewery itself also won "Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA)" and "Best micro/craft brewery in Ontario" in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
At the 2009 National Organic Brewing Challenge awards, Lug Tread won 2nd place, while seasonal Night•Märzen placed 3rd. Another Beau's seasonal beer, Festivale, won gold medal at the 2009 Mondial de la Bière in Strasbourg
.
jugs at their brewery. The ceramic jugs were formerly available at the LCBO but were not part of the bottle return program at The Beer Store. The jugs are still available at the Beau's brewery, are imported from Germany
and cost the company $3 each. Rather than allow Beau's to pick up the bottles from local Beer Stores, The Beer Store ships all Beau's bottles to Toronto
for reprocessing, along with conventional bottles.
Beau's has instead set up a bottle-return process in a partnership with Operation Come Home, an Ottawa youth program. Beau's operates six bottle return locations, from which homeless youths are hired to collect and sort the jugs. The program provides the youth with job experience and income, while providing Beau's with savings through the reuse of the jugs. As of May 2009, six youths have graduated the program to work in full-time jobs elsewhere.
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
located in Vankleek Hill
Vankleek Hill, Ontario
Vankleek Hill is a community in Champlain township in eastern Ontario, situated south of Hawkesbury on Highway 34.This agricultural based community became a thriving community in the 1890s and still retains many of the buildings and structures which were present then...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 50 minutes east of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
It was launched on July 1st, 2006, and is known for its "regionally famous" Lug Tread lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
ed ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
, as well as a number of seasonal beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s. Beau's beers are available throughout Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
on tap as well as at LCBO
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
liquor stores.
History
Beau's was started by father and son Tim and Steve Beauchesne. After having informally discussed the idea, they left their previous employment (Tim having run a textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
company for 17 years, and Steve having worked for the Ontario government and running Go! Go! Go! Records) and opened Beau's on Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
(July 1) 2006.
Beau's has been successful since opening, having sold its entire first batch of 3,000 litres (5,300 pint
Pint
The pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
s) to nine Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
-area bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s before the official opening date. Though it originally expected to supply Lug Tread to local LCBO
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
s and Beer Stores in 2006, Lug Tread first appeared in Ottawa LCBOs in early 2008, by which time it had expanded to over 90 establishments in the Ottawa area.
As of July 2009, over 200 Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
establishments featured Beau's Lug Tread on tap. "Just about every LCBO in the region" sells Lug Tread, and 300 cases of 12 jugs (each containing 750 ml) are shipped each week. By late 2009, Beau's was supplying a number of bars and LCBOs in the Greater Toronto Area.
Beers
Beau's main beer is Lug Tread, a KölschKölsch (beer)
Kölsch, also written Koelsch, is a local beer specialty brewed in Cologne, Germany. It is a clear beer with a bright straw-yellow hue, and it has a prominent, but not extreme, hoppiness. It is less bitter than the standard German pale lager. Furthermore, Kölsch is warm fermented at a temperature...
-style lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
ed ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
that is produced year-round.
Seasonal beers include Night•Märzen (an Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
-style amber lager), Tommy Gun APA, Festivale (an Altbier
Altbier
Altbier is a German top-fermenting beer brewed in Düsseldorf and other parts of North Rhine-Westphalia.The name Altbier, which means old beer, refers to the pre-lager brewing method of using a warm top-fermenting yeast...
-style ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
), Beaver River I.P. Eh? (an India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale or IPA is a style of beer within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century.The first known use of the expression "India pale ale" comes from an advertisement in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30, 1835...
(IPA) with a "citrusy punch"), and Bogwater – Strong & Spicy Dirty-Brown Ale.
All of Beau's beers use only organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
ingredients, and the brewery itself is in the process of being certified organic. Beau's also emphasizes local ingredients, maintaining membership in the Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is a general farm organization established in 1936 and headquartered in Guelph, Ontario. The OFA comprises 52 county farm organizations from across the province. Bette Jean Crews was acclaimed OFA President at the 2008 Annual General Meeting, held in Toronto,...
, and is currently developing local hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
to replace imports from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Reception and awards
Beau's beers have been very well received, having "earned a reputation for quality and clean taste with beer drinkers who want more than just a cheap buzz," and Lug Tread having become a "fast favourite."In its debut year, Lug Tread won "Best Beer of the Fest" at the 2006 Golden Tap Awards
Golden Tap Awards
The Golden Tap Awards is an annual beer awards event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The awards are sponsored and presented by , a website and forum dedicated to the discussion and promotion of Toronto's craft and microbrew beer scene....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Lug Tread went on to win "Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
)" at the 2007 and 2008 Golden Tap Awards, and "Best regularly-produced craft beer brewed in Ontario" and "Best of the Fest" at the 2009 awards. The brewery itself also won "Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA)" and "Best micro/craft brewery in Ontario" in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
At the 2009 National Organic Brewing Challenge awards, Lug Tread won 2nd place, while seasonal Night•Märzen placed 3rd. Another Beau's seasonal beer, Festivale, won gold medal at the 2009 Mondial de la Bière in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
Bottles
Beau's sells their product in both 600ml glass bottles available at the LCBO and in 1.89L ceramicCeramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
jugs at their brewery. The ceramic jugs were formerly available at the LCBO but were not part of the bottle return program at The Beer Store. The jugs are still available at the Beau's brewery, are imported from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and cost the company $3 each. Rather than allow Beau's to pick up the bottles from local Beer Stores, The Beer Store ships all Beau's bottles to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
for reprocessing, along with conventional bottles.
Beau's has instead set up a bottle-return process in a partnership with Operation Come Home, an Ottawa youth program. Beau's operates six bottle return locations, from which homeless youths are hired to collect and sort the jugs. The program provides the youth with job experience and income, while providing Beau's with savings through the reuse of the jugs. As of May 2009, six youths have graduated the program to work in full-time jobs elsewhere.