LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2023

LOCAL

Makers and Shakers Innovative Ontario brewers demonstrate their flair for flavour with a dynamic roster of traditional favourites alongside contemporary spins and no-alcohol options.

BY MICHELE SPONAGLE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RONALD TSANG | PORTRAITS BY JOEL KIMMEL

SUMMER SIPS The brewery makes its lagers using a slow, cold-fermentation process, giving added crisp ness to top-selling Last Duel Lager (LCBO 511477, 473 mL, $3.25). The name references an infamous local event: the country’s last fatal duel, fought in 1833. Calypso IPA (LCBO 557439, 473 mL, $3.45) highlights the tropical and citrus notes in Calypso hops, and Easy Amber (LCBO 926964, 473 mL, $3.25) showcases light-roasted caramel and barley notes in a gorgeous red‑hued ale.

All in the Family

In the 1980s, Steeves remembers his dad, Terry, a true trailblazer, making beer at home. Jeremy Steeves, co-owner PERTH BREWERY, PERTH limited,” Steeves says. “Microbreweries and craft breweries were virtually non-existent.” In 1993, Perth Brewery went from the kitchen into a much larger brick and-mortar location, where Terry, his wife, Cathy Brown, and Jeremy are partners in producing low-gluten craft beers that are easy-drinking and suited to the region’s nature loving, cottaging and lakeside lifestyle. “Back then, beer profiles were very

ALCOHOL-FREE INNOVATION Play Lager was introduced in the summer of 2021, quenching customers’ thirst for a no-alcohol option that captured all the best qualities of the brewery’s regular beers. It has a clean finish and just 45 calories. Buy it at the brewery or online (perthbrewery.ca) .

PROP STYLING BY ANDREA McCRINDLE

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