Style: American Amber Lager
ABV: 5%
Presentation: 6 and 12 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Creemore Springs Brewery
Country: Creemore, Ontario, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Here’s a small craft brewery that set up shop in an old hardware store in 1987, nestled in the village of Creemore, Ontario between the Mad and Noisy Rivers.  In the beginning they simply brewed one single beer, and brewed it well.  Creemore Springs became synonymous with quality, and shot up the ranks as one of the best lagers produced in Canada.  However most of us here in Canada could only pine away for a chance to sample this exemplar continental styled lager, or had to plan a trip to Ontario if we were feeling ambitious.

Creemore Spring’s brewing standards and business ethics were a bit of a double-edged.  They used all natural ingredients, didn’t use preservatives, and didn’t pasteurize their beer, ensuring a fresh and high quality final result.  Because of this they refused to ship their beer outside of Ontario, since they couldn’t ensure the quality and freshness of it beyond that.  Oh snap!  The rest of us were missing out on a good thing, but couldn’t fault Creemore for that sort of decision.

Fast forward to 2005, when Molson purchased the Creemore Springs Brewery.  There was a bit of a worrisome hush throughout the craft beer community upon the news, as there had been a trend for many years of larger commercial breweries buying out smaller craft ones, and either shutting them down, or merely dumbing down the product enough that it was only a ghost of its former self, or falling into obscurity by losing its former loyal following.  Fortunately this was not the case with Creemore Springs, and Molson has let them carry on as usual.

In fact this is a bit of a boon for the rest of us.  Creemore continues to produce its tasty wares in the original brewery in rural Ontario, while Molson utilizes its juggernaut distribution system to supply it to the rest of the country now quickly enough to maintain its freshness.  We all come out winners as a result.

Since this particular beer is a bit darker than your typical all-grain lager there is no need to get too fussy over glassware.  Be it a Pilsner glass or a regular pint glass you’ll be on the right track, as the flavour is balanced and crisp, yet not so delicate as lighter lagers tend to be.  With the addition of the darker malt there’s more flavour to discover, so give this about 10 minutes to warm up out of the fridge.

What sets up temporary residence in your glass will be a beer that’s a clear ruddy gold hue, with a frothy white head.  Expect some clean aromas of biscuity and caramel malt, rounded out by light floral and herbal hops.  An enjoyable crispness to the flavour, with a more toasted malt now that is effortlessly balanced by dry grassy hops, all carried by a light creamy mouthfeel with a crisp carbonated finish.

The light toasted and caramel notes found in this lager are just waiting to be matched with food.  It may sound a bit unorthodox, but finally you have the ideal beer to savour along with your donair or shwarma, what a match, trust me on that.  Keeping in the realm of comfort food Creemore just as easily adds an extra touch to a burger or pizza, as the malt will match the richness, while the hops will adequately cut through the grease.  Same goes for a fully loaded platter of nachos, the hops will tango with any extra jalapenos.  Really, this amber lager will become your constant companion whenever watching the game.  For something a bit more formal serve it alongside a grilled steak or roast chicken, or even some skewers of grilled vegetables.  Creemore Springs will also liven up a Sunday beef roast to new proportions with graceful ease.

The next steps in the cooler:

In-Style:
Brooklyn Lager
Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Other Notable Lagers:
Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Gold
Okanagan Spring 1516 Bavarian Lager
Anchor Steam Beer
Yukon Chilkoot Lager
Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Dark Lagers:
Negra Modelo
Warsteiner Dunkel
Lobkowicz Baron
Paddock Wood Black Cat Lager

For The Adventurous:
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
LTM Série Signature Kellerbier
LTM Série Signature Rauchbier
Samichlaus
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner

Tags: Canada, Lager

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