The Bar Towel

I'm a pretty big Canadian history nerd, so I was extremely pleased to see Black Creek's Rifleman's Ration on LCBO store shelves as a way to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. I`ve heard a couple of people mention Barley Days Royal George Brown Ale, but until I read this article ......

http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Eat ... s-of-1812/

.....I had no idea it too was designed to be a 1812 commemorative ale too (I`m slow. The name didn`t clue me in at first).

Having just moved back to Ontario after being away for a few years, I`m a little out of the loop in terms of local Ontario brew news. Does anyone know if any other breweries are planning War of 1812 commemorative beers? Given the location, this would seem right up Niagara College`s alley. Also, the article I linked above mentions Royal George being in the LCBO by June, but I don`t see a listing for it. Did it make it into the LCBO or is it a brewery only deal?

In my search for 1812 beers I came across a really interesting idea done by the Pratt Street Ale House out of Baltimore. They brewed dueling 1812 beers called Oliver`s War of 1812-God Bless America and Oliver`s War of 1812-Rule Brittania. Both were IPA`s but were brewed strictly with American and Brittish ingredients, respectively, in completely equal amounts. Only a few ratings for each on RB, but the British version is currently in the lead.

There was talk of this year's Toronto Beer Week Homebrew competition having a 1812 theme, but I haven't heard more.

It would be cool to have a 2012 Canada v.s. US IPA standoff, but we would probably get our asses kicked. Still, it would be cool to pick that fight...

Too bad you missed the C'est What fest during OCB week - they had approx. a dozen 1812 themed brews from various brewers across the province. Cool stuff. There's more info on that front (and related discussion) beginning on page 3 of the Ontario Craft Beer Week thread in the Beer Events forum.

velovampire wrote:Too bad you missed the C'est What fest during OCB week - they had approx. a dozen 1812 themed brews from various brewers across the province. Cool stuff. There's more info on that front (and related discussion) beginning on page 3 of the Ontario Craft Beer Week thread in the Beer Events forum.

Was going to say the same thing, and I wonder if these beers will be back during TBW...

velovampire wrote:Too bad you missed the C'est What fest during OCB week - they had approx. a dozen 1812 themed brews from various brewers across the province. Cool stuff. There's more info on that front (and related discussion) beginning on page 3 of the Ontario Craft Beer Week thread in the Beer Events forum.

Awww, man! (equal parts awe at such a damn cool event and exasperation that i missed it).

Thanks for the pointing me in the direction of that thread. I really am out of the loop. I missed being in the province for that C'est What fest by about a week, but that would have been something I would have absolutey loved going to. I really hope some of the brewers revist those beers. The war did last 3 years, after all.

I didn't know Railway City Honey Elixer was an 1812 brew....I think The Brain in Hamilton has bottles. I'll have to check it out. Really sad I missed Torch the White House Brown Ale. Maybe the coolest name for a beer ever.

Maybe the gun was jumped just a weee bit on rolling out commemorative beers. War was declared on June 18th, but the first act of agression wasn't commited until July 12th when US General Hull invaded Sandwich/Windsor (I'm just mad I missed the C'est What event. Haha).

It would be super cool if some astute local-ish brewer would cook something up for next June (6th) to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Stoney Creek so that the fine residents of Hamilton could wet their whistle while reveling in one of the most important military victories in Canadian history. *Ahem*

And just saw this thread as well.....

http://www.bartowel.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=7775

Not a homebrewer, but totally geeked out about the contest!

boney wrote:I didn't know Railway City Honey Elixer was an 1812 brew....

It's not. Or at least, it wasn't originally released as one. Maybe they retconned it into being one for the C'est What event, but when it first came out in April, it was described as being Railway City's 4th anniversary beer, with no mention of 1812.

GregClow wrote:

boney wrote:I didn't know Railway City Honey Elixer was an 1812 brew....

It's not. Or at least, it wasn't originally released as one. Maybe they retconned it into being one for the C'est What event, but when it first came out in April, it was described as being Railway City's 4th anniversary beer, with no mention of 1812.

Greg, I got that it was an 1812 beer from the list of beers at the C'est What Fest you posted and earmarked as 1812 beers over in the Ontario Craft Beer Week thread, Page 3, 2/3 of the way down the page. Typo or convienient re-branding?

boney wrote:

Maybe the gun was jumped just a weee bit on rolling out commemorative beers. War was declared on June 18th, but the first act of agression wasn't commited until July 12th when US General Hull invaded Sandwich/Windsor (I'm just mad I missed the C'est What event. Haha).

Actually the first act off aggression was June 26th, when an innkeeper and 3 others (including a 12 year old boy) from Millen's Bay, NY rowing out to Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence and capturing the British outpost there (a Sargent, 3 Privates and 2 women). To be fair, the British did not know they were at war.

icemachine wrote:

boney wrote:

Maybe the gun was jumped just a weee bit on rolling out commemorative beers. War was declared on June 18th, but the first act of agression wasn't commited until July 12th when US General Hull invaded Sandwich/Windsor (I'm just mad I missed the C'est What event. Haha).

Actually the first act off aggression was June 26th, when an innkeeper and 3 others (including a 12 year old boy) from Millen's Bay, NY rowing out to Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence and capturing the British outpost there (a Sargent, 3 Privates and 2 women). To be fair, the British did not know they were at war.

Abner Hubbard! True enough. I should have said the first sanctioned military campaign.

It gets kind of blurry when the British knew they were at war (the fort on Carleton likely didn't know they were at war when captured). It was probably around June 25th-26th. An American messenger named James Vosburgh was instructed to take the news of the declaration of war to Fort Niagara on June 25th. However, a US merchant named Jacob Astor payed Vosburgh extra money to first deliver news of war to his Upper Canada buisiness contacts, in order to protect his investments (furs). One Upper Canada contact, Thomas Clark, alerted British authorities who then immediately started detaining Americans north of the border. That too could also be seen as an act of aggression.

boney wrote:Greg, I got that it was an 1812 beer from the list of beers at the C'est What Fest you posted and earmarked as 1812 beers over in the Ontario Craft Beer Week thread, Page 3, 2/3 of the way down the page. Typo or convienient re-branding?

Dunno - I just cut & pasted that list from the C'est What website. Could've been either.