Malt, hops, and yeast, move over.
Herbs, spices, and fruits from around the world are ready to share the stage as Ottawa revisits the definition of beer.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is proposing changes which reflect what’s been happening in the craft-beer industry, including the use of micro-organisms other than yeast in fermenting, recognition of herbs and spices as ingredients, and label rules to disclose all ingredients.
It’s a move likely to irk beer purists, including one of my favourite people, himself once a beer scribbler, who provides feedback on my columns and called a banana-flavoured Toboggan beer “nonsense.” I think my joy over a lobster beer from Niagara College elicited stronger words.
He’s right in that so much of what craft breweries have been creating failed to meet current definitions. But rather than get the industry to heel — or worse, let the big-selling brands have dibs on the words “beer” and “ale” — the CFIA has worked extensively with the industry association Beer Canada to get with the program.
Before it’s a done deal, there’s a window for public input open until September.
“I am sure there will be some people who may be offended, but the regulations are trying to cover all the bases,” Jon Downing, brewmaster professor at Niagara College teaching brewing in Niagara-on-the-Lake, said in an email. “The purists can still adhere to their principles and promote and market traditional brews and techniques, differentiating them from the rest.
“I think you need to have a framework to define beer as a food product in order to reduce confusion and differentiate it from many other products such as alco pops, ciders, wine cooler and soon cannabis beverages, all of whom are vying for space on shelves and in the market.”
As a beer prof with students from around the globe, Downing has tasted many unusual recipes — they’re also shared with the public at the teaching brewery’s store or at beer festivals in nearby St. Catharines.
“We have certainly had some odd, ethnic fruits used from Columbia, India, Panama, China and other places, along with some interesting spice combinations, such as chai blends and adding oysters or lobsters, have been fun experiments,” he said. “This semester we have a Mirabelle plum beer being brewed by a Korean student.”
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