Raise a glass for a good cause

The return of the (excellent) Beer is Art event at WAG-Qaumajuq on April 2 saw many of the province’s craft breweries pouring new and small-batch brews alongside core pours.

If you weren’t among the hundreds of craft beer lovers sipping their way through the galleries, fret not — there are plenty of beer-related events in the coming days that are sure to please your proverbial palates, many of which also happen to benefit good causes…

The annual Props N Hops event returns on Saturday, April 18, to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (2088 Wellington Ave.), featuring more than 20 Manitoba brewers pouring their wares among the planes and alongside finger food and live music. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $70 plus fees and include a commemorative glass; they’re available at wfp.to/iaM. The event is in support of scholarship programs for Manitoba Air Cadets.

Barn Hammer Brewing Co. (595 Wall St.) has just released the Crocus Wild Ale, a beer made by women/non-binary folks at the West End brewery and brewed with lactobacillus plantarum and locally sourced herbs and blooms. It’s available at the brewery and most other places you can buy beer, with 25 cents going to the Rainbow Resource Centre.

Good Neighbour Brewing Co. (110 Sherbrook St.) helps launch the Run Your Lungs Out 24-hour treadmill challenge taking place at Polo Park on Friday with a new brew, the Lungs of Steel Ice Pop Biosteel Sour Ale. The can features art by Kal Barteski and will be launched at Next Door (116 Sherbrook St.) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at an event featuring free samples and prizes. The Run Your Lungs Out event raises money in support of CancerCare Manitoba.

Nonsuch Brewing Co. (125 Pacific Ave.) is taking part in the A Taste for Life fundraising campaign, which sees various establishments offering food and/or drink promotions to raise awareness and funds for HIV and STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection) programs provided by Nine Circles Community Health Centre. One dollar from every pint of La Pils sold in Nonsuch’s taproom on Wednesday will go towards the initiative — for a complete list of participating establishments, see atasteforlife.org/winnipeg.

On Saturday, April 18, Nonsuch is part of another fundraising initiative that sees breweries across North America making a “Babe Brew” in support of Beer Babes Family, an organization that supports women in the brewing community. For the occasion, Nonsuch has brewed the Salted Calamansi Lager, which will be poured in the taproom starting on April 18, with one dollar from each pint sold going to Beer Babes’ annual Women in Beer grant.

winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson

 

Beers of the week

All beers are available at the brewery where they were made, as well as beer vendors and Liquor Marts.

Good Neighbour Brewing Co. Mango Orange Sparkling Beermosa (Winnipeg — $4.75/473ml can)

A sour ale infused with mango and orange (and oats), this “beermosa” is light copper and hazy in appearance, with almost wine-like citrus and tropical aromas coming along with fresh malt and oats and a hint of creamsicle. On the off-dry, light-plus bodied palate that creamsicle flavour comes through in a big way, with a vanilla component working well with the orange flavours and a more subtle mango note. The almost-salty sour note here keeps things lively, while the 4.5 per cent alcohol seems just right. A fun brunch beer. 3.5/5

Dastardly Villain Ale Works Rusty Baboon Light IPA (Winnipeg — $4.40/473ml can, brewed at Oxus)

Medium gold and clear in appearance, grassy, hoppy aromas come with a pine note a well as grapefruit rind, bright malt and a modest tropical components. It’s light-plus bodied and dry, with the hops notes front and centre and coming with decent malty notes. True to its name, this light IPA clocks in at a modest four per cent alcohol, bringing hoppy IPA flavours without the boozy knockout punch. Brewed at Oxus (1180 Sanford St.). 3/5

Obsolete Brewing Co. Birch Bark Wild Rice Lager (Dauphin — $4.25/473ml can)

Brewed with wild rice from Cranberry Portage, this lager is pale gold in appearance and hazy, offering a subtle earthy note on the nose along with fresh malt, bread dough, red apple and chalky components. It’s dry, light bodied and crisp, with the earthy, slightly nutty notes from the wild rice working well with the malt, apple and chalky flavours, while it’s a very modest 4.2 per cent alcohol, making for a short finish. The carbonation is a touch on the low side. 3/5

Kilter Oceania Hoppy Pale Lager (Winnipeg — $4.25/473ml can)

This Aussie-inspired lager is dry hopped with Galaxy and Motueka hops; it’s medium gold and clear in appearance, with a piney, resinous hoppy note on the nose that comes with the fresh malt, citrus rind and chalky notes. It’s dry and light-plus bodied, with lemon rind and fresh malt flavours coming with some bold, grassy and slightly dank hops (which aren’t excessively bitter), while the five per cent alcohol seems just right. Lots of vibrant, hoppy character here without the big boozy finish of some IPAs. 3.5/5

Barn Hammer Epitaph Red Ale (Winnipeg — $4.42/473ml can)

Medium copper in appearance, this British-style red ale brings loads of toasted, almost-spicy rye malts as well as red apple, biscuit and yeasty, mineral notes aromatically. It’s a dry, medium-bodied red ale that leads with fresh cracked oat and rye malt notes and follows that up with bread dough, red apple and subtle chalky notes. It’s deep and robust, and practically begs to be served with fish and chips. Brewed with local malt from Scythe Malting Co. 4/5

Oxus Vostok “The Launch” Juicy Double IPA (Winnipeg — $4.42/473ml can)

Oxus’ signature double IPA returns, this time with two variations — along with The Launch comes The Orbit and The Singularity, both double IPAs as well. The Launch is medium straw and hazy in appearance, with ripe mango, pineapple, peach and dank, herbal notes on the nose. It’s dry, medium-bodied and gutsy, with ripe tropical fruit and peach flavours coming with white pepper and resinous, grassy, woody hops notes. The eight per cent alcohol is punchy but well-integrated — exceptional once again. 4.5/5