Beau’s was chosen as the official brewery of Ottawa 2017 celebrations happening in the nation’s capital this past year, and Lug Tread was the official beer. As 2017 drew to a close, local craft brewery Beau’s bade farewell to its Ottawa 2017 Series, a dozen new craft beers brewed to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Each beer in the series was conceived and brewed collaboratively with partners that spanned the country from coast to coast to coast.
The nearest of these collaborators was Ottawa-based brewery Tooth and Nail, working with Beau’s to create an “ESB style” beer called “Lock Monster.” Part of the proceeds generated from its sale were, at the request of Tooth and Nail, donated to the CHEO Foundation – one of several different organizations that have benefited from the Ottawa 2017 Series. Each of the dozen beers raised funds for a charity or not-for-profit in communities where Beau’s beer is available. A total of $18,000 was donated to these organizations from sales of the Ottawa 2017 Series, with the vision that the series would create a legacy of good work that lasts beyond Canada’s 150th year.
The brewery, which has sales across the country and now in two states, announced a total of $597,000 donated to charities across Canada last year, as well as to various community organizations and the independent arts. Locally $10,000 from the proceeds of the brewery’s popular Oktoberfest celebrations went to the Vankleek Hill Agricultural Society, while another $10,000 went to the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital Foundation.
The Ottawa 2017 Series was “the highlight of the year” for this independent Canadian craft brewery, which saw a total of 46 different beers (30 of which were brand new) brewed over the year, and 17 new awards won for brewing and business excellence.
“We want to thank everybody who came out to the brewery, and all the folks who have helped us design these wonderful, interesting beers,” says Beau’s co-founder Steve Beauchesne. “The Ottawa 2017 Series has allowed us to introduce brand new ingredients and flavours into the Ontario craft beer market, and we got to use the Canadian landscape as our inspiration to do it.”
