The platter looks at once appetizing and intimidating. Specially prepared charcuterie is laid out on a wooden tray at one of Toronto’s top restaurants – the Crystal 5 in the Royal Ontario Museum. What’s coming alongside it to drink? Not expensive foreign wines but some small samples of Ontario’s craft brewery beers. Times have changed.
The world of beer is complex and varied yet so many restaurant beer lists are not. Brewmasters from craft breweries across the country are experimenting with everything from fruit beers to milk beers while many bars, pubs and restaurants haven’t adjusted their beer offerings in years. Though it’s long been the beverage of choice at barbecues and cottage getaways, beer is fast becoming a favourite accompaniment to gourmet meals and it’s high time food service operators bridge the gap.
Every year, more and more people are starting to experiment with different and more interesting beers. This is largely due to Canada’s booming craft brewing industry.
Craft beer sales are up across the country. In Ontario alone, the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) sold $16.9 million of the province’s craft beer for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. That’s a jump of 46.5 per cent from last year.
But why the surge in popularity?
Craft beer offers a wonderful alternative for consumers who don’t like to be pigeonholed. Today, breweries are offering a variety of beer flavours beyond the ordinary, from coffee-infused brews to organic options. Quite simply, there’s now something for everyone.
More and more, customers are coming to expect this type of variety when they go out for dinner or drinks. Having a lemon tea beer or an unfiltered wheat beer on the menu can help attract the ever-growing number of beer connoisseurs out there.
Many restaurants have caught on to the trend and are now offering hoppy, amber-coloured ales, roasted, malted flavoured black stouts and copper-coloured bitters. However, many food service operators haven’t shifted away from only offering big brand, mass-produced products.
The need for change and variety on a beer list stems from the fact that the culture surrounding beer is changing in this country. Beer is still that fun beverage perfect for watching a baseball or hockey game but people are now realizing it is a wonderful match for a wide range of dishes. Having chilli? Try a thirst quenching blonde ale. Feel like fish and chips? Go for a traditional pale ale with notes of citrus. Ordering pasta? Give a light organic lager a try.
Pairing beer with food has become so popular that some restaurants have taken on beer sommeliers. But while not every food service operator needs a resident beer expert, offering more varied, local, and batch-crafted beers makes sense.
Back at the Crystal Five, the beers are coming in small floats. There are darks and lights, lagers and ales. And they taste great with the fancy fare. Around the restaurant, people seem to really be enjoying the different flavours they taste. And unlike wine – no one is spitting out a drop.
James Breithaupt, field marketing assistant at Mill Street Brewery, graduated with an honours degree in journalism from Carleton University in 2009. At Mill Street, he helps coordinate special events, branding and licensee samplings. Officially opened in December 2002, Mill Street Brewery produces innovative, handcrafted beers in Toronto’s historical distillery district. The company was named Brewery of the Year at the 2007 and 2008 Canadian Brewing Awards. For more information, contact James at jbreithaupt@millstreetbrewery.com.
BEER & FOOD PAIRINGS
Beer: Coffee porter
Aroma: Burnt malt and dark roast coffee
Flavour Profile: Chocolate, coffee and toasty malt with a light bitterness
Serving Suggestions: Shrimp, oysters, chocolate desserts, marscapone cheese
Beer: Organic lager
Aroma: Light foral
Flavour Profile: Light palate with malty flavour balanced by some hoppy bitterness
Serving Suggestions: Seafood, light pasta, cheese and fruit
Beer: Blonde ale
Aroma: Light dusting of hops
Flavour Profile: Light malt flavour in perfect balance with hop bitterness
Serving Suggestions: Oven roasted turkey sandwich with mustard, chilli and cheddar cheese
Beer: Pale ale
Aroma: Citrus and spice with roasted notes
Flavour Profile: Complex malty texture with a snappy bitterness
Serving Suggestions: Quesadillas, curries, pad Thai, spicy crab cakes, provolone cheese
Beer: Wheat beer
Aroma: Wheat and spice
Flavour Profile: Citrus, banana, coriander and cloves
Serving Suggestions: Salads with oil and vinegar dressing, grilled scallops and Gouda cheese
