LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2022

BEER

Local Attractions Next-level Ontario beer brings together craft brewers with ingredients grown right here in the province to create a true taste of home. BY JORDAN ST. JOHN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES TSE The explosion of small breweries across Ontario over the last decade has created opportunity, not only for beer drinkers looking for novelty, but also for local producers of ingredients. Historically, brewers have used malt from England or Germany and highly sought-after hops from the Yakima Valley in Washington or the Czech Republic. But more recently, farmers, maltsters, hop growers and yeast scientists have grown into our craft beer boom, these entrepreneurs are beginning to produce remarkable results that rival their imported counterparts. Taking advantage of Ontario’s up alongside the province’s brewing industry. A decade agricultural wealth means brewers are able to make outstanding beers with an eye toward greater sustainability. While the reduction in carbon footprint in terms of transcontinental shipping is a consideration when choosing to use local ingredients, that’s not something that comes across to the drinker. It’s what’s in the glass that counts, and the aromas and flavours borne of Ontario’s terroir help make the beers they produce unique.

Left Field Brewery Ice Cold Beer (LCBO 17910, 355 mL, $2.80) was introduced in time for Spring Training in 2020 in tribute to the iconic call of the Blue Jays’ beer vendor and has quickly become one of the brewer’s most popular offerings.

of Lake Erie. Rich, wholesome bread crust, with hints of white grapefruit zest and fresh thyme make this light refreshing beer suitable for the table as well as the bleachers.

Billed as an Ontario Ale, it features barley sourced from Ontario farms and prepared using a traditional floor malting method in Hastings County. The hops are from VQH Farms in Eden, Ont, expressing the terroir of the north shore

FOOD STYLING BY CHRISTOPHER ST. ONGE; PROP STYLING BY ANDREA MCCRINDLE

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