LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2023

MAKERS AND SHAKERS

SUMMER SIPS Introduced in 2011, bold and hoppy Hawaiian Style Pale Ale (LCBO 497438, 473 mL, $3.15) remains Spearhead’s flagship offering. Czech brewmaster Tomas Schmidt conducted stovetop experiments with leftover pineapple to achieve its fruity but balanced acidity. Queen of Wheat (LCBO 23850, 473 mL, $3.45), a classic Bel gian-style white beer, broke new ground by featuring a drag queen (activist and performer Rowena Whey) on the can. A portion of its sales goes to support the educational programs of the The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity.

Book Smart Josh Hayter, president SPEARHEAD BREWING COMPANY, KINGSTON

At one point in his life, Hayter admits he was more of a wine and spirits kind of guy. That all changed with a book his former mother in-law gifted him: Notes on a Beermat by Nicholas Pashley, a chronicle of his beer-tasting travels with wit and depth. “It changed my life,” says Hayter. “I be gan exploring good beer bars in Toronto and began discover ing the art of craft beer, then started a beer blog.” That eventually led him to leave a web develop ment career to run Spearhead Brewing, where the focus is “making traditional beers in an untradi tional way.”

ALCOHOL-FREE INNOVATION Being inclusive was also the motivation behind Akwa . Jacob Schmidt, Tomas’s son and head brewer, created an aromatic hop water for non-imbibers. It has zero calories, no sugar and all-natural flavours that include effervescent notes of citrus and tropical fruit. Buy it at the brewery or online (spearheadbeer.com) .

128 FOOD & DRINK EARLY SUMMER 2023