LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2017

BEER  SMALL-TOWN BREWS

Fashioned after the famed kölsch beers of Cologne, Germany, Cowbell’s Absent Landlord ( LCBO 469981, 473 mL, $2.95) has a sweetly fruity nose and rich but lean maltiness with peppery notes on the finish, giving it both the fortitude to stand up to Ontario winters and the refreshing character necessary for the province’s hot and humid summers.

LOCAL CULTURE MUST-SEE

COWBELL BREWING | BLYTH

One of the only annual theatre events to feature exclusively Canadian content, the Blyth Festival celebrates its 42nd season this summer with three world premieres and a play by celebrated native play- wright Drew Hayden Taylor. A highlight of the summer season is the Bonanza week- end during which all four productions are shown over three days from August 18 to 20. 423 Queen St., Blyth, Ont.    Also in August is the Celtic Roots Fes- tival in nearby Goderich, Ont., celebrating the music, craft and culture of the Celtic nations over three days from August 11 to 13. Locations vary; see celticfestival.ca for more information.

As Steven Sparling tells it, his father received a tremendous amount of support from the local community when he first opened his hardware store in Blyth, Ont., in 1950, support he was anx- ious to return once he had developed his small shop into a significant propane business. Now the co-founder of Cowbell Brewing with his son Grant, Steven is determined to continue that legacy of giving back to the region.     Which is why, for example, Cowbell was planned from Day One to be a destination brew- ery—slated to open this summer—rather than simply a beer production factory. With a restau- rant and expansive patio—Mil’s Veranda, named for Sparling’s mother, Mildred—parking and seating for busloads, it has, of course a shiny, tour-worthy brewery and a retail shop.     It is also why father and son have built social responsibility into their new business, with the goal of having North America’s first carbon-neutral brewery and a Greener Pastures initia- tive that sees a nickel from every pint or can of Cowbell beer sold donated to local community and charitable organizations.     And it’s also in keeping with what Steven describes as his brewery’s mission statement: “The world doesn’t need another brewery,” he says. “So if we’re going to do this, we’d better be doing something different.”

BLYTH FESTIVAL PHOTO BY TERRY MANZO; COWBELL BREWING PHOTO BY FAUXPOP

120  FOOD & DRI NK SUMMER 2017