Looking at the Beer Store's list of top sellers, it's painfully obvious that despite the efforts of forward-thinking craft brewers everywhere, the majority of beer drinkers in Ontario choose to drink pale lagers that lack flavour and character, and that would be hard to differentiate from each other if it weren't for their labels. Many would argue that this can be chalked up to the power of advertising and marketing, while others claim that the palates of most people in the Western world have become so accustomed to bland processed food that it only makes sense we'd be looking for the same thing in our beer.
Whatever the reasons, it's sad that so many people have such a narrow idea of what "beer" means, often through no fault of their own. But at least there are signs that things are changing, although mainly at the LCBO, where the beer selection tends to be more adventurous than at the Labatt- & Molson-owned Beer Store. The craft beer category is the fastest growing segment in the LCBO's beer program, and high quality imports are also doing well there, with some beers in special seasonal beer releases selling thorough their initial orders in mere days.
However, one of the biggest indicators that people are starting to look for more from their beer might be the huge success of Innis & Gunn, a small brewery from Scotland whose flagship beer, Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer, has become the most popular bottled UK ale at the LCBO. And far from being a fizzy and flavourless yellow lager, it's a strong ale (6.6%) with a rich reddish-copper colour and robust flavours that come from aging the beer in oak casks for 30 days during the brewing process. Not to mention that at $3.45 a bottle, it sells for about 2-3 times as much as your average mainstream lager.
So how did such a distinct, flavourful and relatively expensive beer become such a hit in a province that loves their light lager? No-one can say for sure, but regardless of how it happened, I&G owner Dougal Sharp and his crew are obviously very happy about it, as well as the similar success the beer has had in a number of other provinces. The popularity has also inspired them to provide Canadian drinkers with limited edition variations of their beer in the last couple of winters, one created using an IPA as the base beer and the other tweaked by aging the beer in rum casks.
More recently, the I&G line-up has been increased again, with one beer being a new permanent edition to their portfolio, and the other being a special limited edition created especially for Canada (unlike the others, which have been available in the UK and other markets).
The first and permanent of these new arrivals is Innis & Gunn Blonde (LCBO 118687 - $3.45/330 mL), a brew that started to appear on shelves next to its older sibling a couple of months ago. According to I&G's new brand manager Nicol Rennie, the Blonde was created for those who prefer lighter beers but still enjoy the unique flavour and character that oak aging imparts on beer.
At 6%, it's still relatively strong in alcohol, but in all other aspects, the Blonde is lighter and more subtle than the main I&G beer. It pours a bright golden body with a thick cap of white and a good amount of carbonation. The aroma is fairly sweet and a bit fruity, with inviting notes of vanilla and toasted oak. The flavour follows, with the fruity malt, vanilla and oak being joined by a hint of honey, some light herbal bitterness and a smidgen of alcohol warmth in the finish.
The other new brew has just started to hit stores, and is an extra-special limited edition crafted exclusively for Canada as a thank you for making the core I&G beer so successful here. Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask (LCBO 130534 - $4.95/330 mL) is, as the name suggests, aged in Canadian rye whiskey casks rather than the bourbon barrels used for the regular version. It also features some malted rye in the grain bill used to brew the beer, which may not have had a big impact on the final product, but it's still a nice touch.
With a ruby-brown colour and a small off-white head, it looks great in the glass, and smells quite nice as well, with notes of dried fruit, spice, maple, and mellow rye whiskey. The flavour is quite fruity off the top, with raisin and orange accompanied by maple and toffee, all balanced by a peppery rye whiskey character to end. If a comparison were to be made, then it's closer to the original I&G than the Blonde, but still very different as well.
So will we ever see an Innis & Gunn beer hitting the "Big Ten" at the Beer Store? Not likely, no. But being the number one bottled UK import at the LCBO certainly isn't anything to sneeze at. And of course, that popularity means that those looking to enjoy a bottle or two of the Canadian Cask edition on July 1st (or any other day, for that matter) would be well advised to grab some soon, as if previous limited Innus & Gunn releases are any indication, it's unlikely that this one will be on the shelves for long.
This is so exciting! I can't wait to try the Canadian Cask...