One of Canada’s most talked about breweries in recent years has been Beau’s All Natural from Vankleek Hill outside Ottawa. Their beer have been winning awards and accolades in many circles. Sadly its distribution is fairly limited, and thus those of us on the left side of the country cannot get it.

However, I was in Toronto last weekend for a conference (more on my beer adventures there another day), and I was able to pick up a couple bottles of Beau’s beer from the LCBO, including their flagship, Lug Tread Lagered Ale. They promote the beer as an ale that has undergone a period of lagering, claiming that it is inspired by the old German style Kolsch. Kolsch’s, indeed, are light bodied ales fermented cold to give a kind of hybrid character.

Given how much I have heard about the beer (and that I met the owners – it is a family-run brewery – in San Francisco a couple months ago) I snapped up the rare opportunity to try it. And to be honest, it didn’t disappoint.

It is a bright, medium yellow beer with a wispy white head that falls away fairly quickly. The aroma gives off a crisp pilsner malt note accented with lemon and other light fruit, some graininess and a bit of wheat flirting with the fruit. A touch of grassy hop lingers in the background.

The flavour matches the aroma. I detect a sweet, soft grain, some pilsner quality and a distinct fruitiness of lemon and spring fruit. Earthy and grassy hops are present, but remain balanced. Overall, malt is the lead actor here, but even it does not do too much. Hops is more present than in similar beer but knows its wingman role.

Some have disparaged this beer for its ordinariness – it is not big in any direction. I must disagree. This is a flavourful beer that demands that you have a second one to prove that your taste buds weren’t fooling you. Sure, it is not a bold, crazy beer, but it offers a refreshing pint without making you compromise on flavour. I am not sure I would call it a Kolsch, or at least not a stellar version of one (Half Pints‘ take is better), but the effects of the lagering are clear. The edges of the ales are softened while retaining the fruity esters.

This is a pleasant beer that can serve quite nicely in a pub for an evening with friends. It is not the most aggressive of beer, but it doesn’t claim to be. It is fully deserving of its reputation. I am looking forward to the bottle of the Beaver River IP Eh I also picked up. I will keep you informed