A World Of Beer

When I was asked to cover Beau’s “It’s a Beer World After All” as part of Ontario Craft Beer Week, I didn’t know what to expect. The folks at Beau’s have been making great beer for more than seven years, and having a lot of fun while doing it. I had the pleasure of covering their Oktoberfest last year in Vankleek Hill and they put on an event that featured beer, music and food that was all unexpected and all fabulous!

So, based on what Steve Beauchesne and the folks at Beau’s have done in the past, I had some pretty high expectations. Heading west on the subway to catch a shuttle bus to CJ Skatepark in Etobicoke meant I was intrigued. There would be four different events, each with its own theme, food and beer, in a skate park? It sounded like a teenage boy’s dream.

Part of the adventure was finding the shuttle bus at Kipling. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard, and there were several like-minded beer and food loving people doing the same, so we had company in our fun and wonderment. We knew there would be beer. We knew we’d be celebrating Canada Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at 7:00 pm, Oktoberfest in Munich at 8:00 pm, New Year’s Eve in Copenhagen at 9:00 pm and St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin at 10:00 pm.

How could we possibly celebrate four events in four cities in four hours? (I can imagine that you found ways – JD)

We did.

Steve Beauchesne was front and centre as his team of merrymakers handed out Canadian flags and hats and we dug in heartily to wee little mini maple donut buns with peameal bacon, smoked cheddar and barbecue sauce from Seed to Sausage. And these sweet and salty morsels were paired with Beau’s Lugtread and Festivale.

People were eating and drinking and having a good time, when suddenly the sea of red and white from Canada Day quickly became green as 8:00 struck, and we were transported to Munich. The crowd was celebrating Oktoberfest with Bratwurst sausage with home-made sauerkraut, milk buns and beer mustard from Samuel J. Moore’s Alexandra Feswick. With new beer too!

This was a party!

There were several cliques of people who trekked to CJ’s in pairs and groups and they were having a really good time. While it’s apt to happen when there’s good beer and food, everywhere I looked there were lots of smiling, happy people. Everyone I spoke with was surprised with each twist and turn that the folks at Beau’s offered, and no one seemed disappointed once the next segment of the event was unveiled.

There were skateboarders offering some rad tricks, live music and even an indoor fireworks/pyro show.

What’s not to love about that? Could it be topped? How about Steve Beauchesne in a top hat to welcome us to Copenhagen and New Year’s Eve?

Chef Rasmus Kliim from Copenhagen’s renowned Restaurant Radio offered up beef tartare with pickled red onions, mustard seeds, mustard mayonnaise, crispy malt flakes, vinegar powder, brown butter vinaigrette and mustard sprout. If that wasn’t enough, next up was Canadian lobster with dehydrated carrots glazed in carrot/sea buckthorn juice, salted yogurt, pine puree and crispy rye bread.

At a beer event?!

Beau’s certainly don’t do things the way you’d expect.

Oh, and there was MORE new beer, and a big announcement.

Steve announced that Anders Kissmeyer (who was on hand) of Denmark’s famous Kissmeyer Brewery would be brewing a Nordic Pale Ale with Beau’s, as the first offering from B-Side Brewing Label. The Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale reflects both Nordic and Canadian traditions and will be available from Beau’s. B-Side Brewing is like a record label, but for beer. Steve Beauchesne explains. “It’s not about new beers from Beau’s – it’s about us travelling the globe to meet cool, like-minded brewers, and then working with them to create authentic versions of their recipes we can brew fresh right here in Ontario.”

This was exciting for the beer fans in the crowd, of which there were many, even a dad with his infant (and noise-cancelling headphones!). This could mean a world of difference for those that like to drink beer from around the globe, that isn’t readily available in Ontario.

Next up was Saint Patrick’s Day, and Toronto’s Ceili Cottage offered up oysters, a seared Ontario beef striploin on crostini with horseradish aioli, and then sticky toffee pudding.

No one I spoke with was disappointed with the food and beer offered. Some were surprised by the less traditional offerings, but since beer and food go so well together, all the food was enthusiastically devoured.

The beer served was: Lug Tread, Festivale, Festivale Plus, Bog Father, Rudolphus VI, Strong Patrick, Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale and Opa’s Gose.

As I walked out of the skatepark with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step, to catch the shuttle bus back to Kipling Station after 4+ hours of having a good time while eating world-class food and drinking world-class beer, I looked around and I saw hundreds of people doing the exact same thing.

Beau’s continues to surprise and amaze, with their beer and events, and for putting people together and making sure they have a good time, leave happy and say nothing but good things about what they do and who they are.

David Kruger is a kindergarten teacher in Parkdale, after a decade teaching in Regent Park.  He’s an active advocate for social justice and food security.  He lives in Toronto with his superstar wife and awesome daughter, and never ceases to stop being amazed at the process of creating and/or eating tasty dining experiences. And he likes baking stuff.