Beau’s “feBREWary” kicks off soon at +225 locations in Ontario and Québec
Beau’s Brewing Co. has announced details for the 6th annual edition of feBREWary, a month-long winter beer celebration put on by the local craft brewery across Ontario and Québec. Starting the week of January 30, a different Beau’s beer each week will be available all month long. The beers will be on draught at more than 150 participating restaurants and pubs in both provinces, and sold by the bottle at approximately 75 Québec retailers, as well as at the Vankleek Hill, Ont. brewery.
The 2017 feBREWary beer line-up was revealed today by Beau’s, and it features an inspired selection of four brand-new beers, plus one (Tyrannosaurus Gruit) back by popular demand. Like all Beau’s beers, each is certified organic:
- Week 1: Triceratops Tripel, a strong Belgian-style golden ale brewed with a gruit mixture of heather flowers, lavender and bog myrtle – spicy, herbal and fruity, with lasting warmth (9.0%)
- Week 2: Farm Table: Dunkel, a German-style dark lager – roasty and rich flavours of mocha and chocolate are paired with the signature clean finish of the lager style (5.7%)
- Week 3: Iron Shirt, a pale ale made with Vidal ice wine grapes and aged on oak and vodka – a collaboration with Montréal’s Brasserie & Distillerie Oshlag for Beau’s Ottawa 2017 series (6.8%)
- Week 4: Blood Simple, a Belgian-style witbier with characteristic citrus and spice, accented with the addition of organic blood orange juice, orange peel and cacao (5.3%)
- Week 5: Tyrannosaurus Gruit, a red herbal ale brewed with Québec-grown beets, hibiscus flowers, juniper berries and locally foraged spruce tips – woodsy and earthy (5.8%)
Each participating feBREWary restaurant or pub celebrates feBREWary in its own way, from fun chalk board art, to tap features or paired menus, to themed events. This year Café Nostalgica in Ottawa has set up a Beau’s-themed curling rink on their patio, and will be hosting mini-bonspiels every Thursday to coordinate with each new beer. The Foundry Kitchen and Bar in Port Perry will host a feBREWary tap feature night called “Beau’s, Beats, and Board Games” on February 23, with games, music and a special menu by Chef Steve Lovisa. And in Toronto, feBREWary-themed beer dinners will take place at Relish Bar and Grill (Feb. 23) and Thoroughbred Food and Drink + Gabardine (Feb. 16).
And while participating locations create their own brand of feBREWary fun, one thing is consistent: having a new Beau’s beer on tap each week gets craft beer fans excited. Nine years ago the Queens U Grad Club was one of the first pubs to serve Beau’s in the city of Kingston, Ont., and they have participated in feBREWary since 2013. “Participating in each and every feBREWary has created fun and excitement prior to each release,” says Grad Club manager Virginia Clark. “Newly released beers sell out the same evening here, making feBREWary a no-brainer for us,” she notes.
feBREWary also takes place at the Vankleek Hill, Ont. brewery each weekend – in Ontario, it’s the only place to purchase the new beer releases by the bottle, making it a hot destination even in the middle of a Canadian winter. Round-trip bus packages from Ottawa through Groupon are available for each weekend of feBREWary here: https://www.groupon.com/deals/beau-s-all-natural-brewing-co-16 (bus packages from Montréal for 2017 have already sold out). Each weekend features a special food menu to pair with the feature release, from vodka-cured salmon to lollipop chicken legs, to Mayan chocolate and chili cookies.
More details about Beau’s month-long feBREWary celebrations (including where to find the feBREWary beers on tap and by the bottle in Ontario and Québec) will continue to be updated at www.beaus.ca/febrewary.