Beau’s and David Suzuki Foundation collaborate on bee-friendly farmhouse ale
Certified organic Canadian craft brewery Beau’s Brewing Company has collaborated with environmental advocacy group the David Suzuki Foundation to create Cross Pollination, a farmhouse ale brewed with organic honey and bee balm. Given Beau’s longstanding commitment to sustainability, this latest partnership in its Ottawa 2017 collaboration series is a natural fit.
“To be able to work with the David Suzuki Foundation to further the work they’re doing is a real point of pride — not just for me, but for the whole brewery,” says Beau’s co-founder Steve Beauchesne.
Among the David Suzuki Foundation’s ongoing initiatives is The Butterflyway Project, which aids Canada’s declining pollinator populations — bees and butterflies — by establishing networks of wildflower patches in neighbourhoods throughout Canada. A portion of Cross Pollination sales proceeds will be delivered to The Butterflyway Project.
As bee balm is one of the most immediately recognizable pollinating plants, Beau’s sourced organic essential bee balm oil from Quebec to use in Cross Pollination. Along with organic honey, the bee balm lends sweet, floral notes to the beer’s aroma, characteristics that are complemented by the chosen style, a fruity and slightly peppery Belgian-style farmhouse ale. Cross Pollination pours hazy gold with a white foam and finishes clean, with wildflower reverberations. The use of traditional Belgian Saison yeast imparts a mild spice character to the beer.
This marks the sixth in a monthly series of beers Beau’s will brew with friends from across Canada to honour Ottawa 2017, the capital city’s official celebration of the nation’s 150th. Beau’s is the official brewery of Ottawa 2017, and its flagship lagered ale, Lug Tread, the official beer.
Cross Pollination is available Thursday, June 1, in Beau’s signature 600-ml bottles at the brewery’s taproom in Vankleek Hill, Ontario; online at BYBO.ca; and in draught at select bars and restaurants in Ontario.