Rick Stiebel/B次元官网网址 Gazette staff
Some might call it the perfect patio Pilsener.
The Axe and Barrel Brewing Company crafted a winner with its King Kolsch beer, which earned a silver medal at the 2017 Canadian Brewing Awards. The fact that itB次元官网网址檚 a favourite of Axe and Barrel brew master Andrew Tessier made the victory a little sweeter at the competition in Ottawa in May.
With the popularity of craft beers and micro-breweries hopping, this yearB次元官网网址檚 event featured more than 15,000 entries, an increase of about 40 per cent from the year before. The competition is open to Canadian majority-owned breweries and cideries of all sizes, with the winning entries in 60 categories determined in a blind taste test by judges selected through the Beer Judge Certification program.
B次元官网网址淭he King Kolsch is brewed mainly from Pilsener malt with a bright, straw-yellow hue that goes down easy,B次元官网网址� said Tessier, the winner of a CBA Brewery of the Year award in 2006 and 31 other brewing awards during his 14-year tenure as brew master at SwanB次元官网网址檚 Brewery.
Tessier considers the award quite an an accomplishment, considering VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 history with craft brewing. B次元官网网址淥nly three beers from Victoria won awards this year,B次元官网网址� he noted. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 nice to get the first of what I hope are many more for the Axe and Barrel.B次元官网网址�
Tessier had been brewing a beer similar to the Kolsch for a few years, and originally brought it to the Axe and BarrelB次元官网网址檚 list as a seasonal beer. B次元官网网址淚 added a few tweaks to the recipe and brewed a batch that we entered in the competition,B次元官网网址� Tessier said. B次元官网网址淭he second batch flew off the shelves once the award was announced, so weB次元官网网址檙e brewing another that should be ready for the Canada Day long weekend.B次元官网网址�
Tessier started brewing when he was 17 as a hobby before joining a group of older home brewers, and started working in breweries when he was 19.
B次元官网网址淪ome of us formed a group called the Raging Grainies,B次元官网网址� said Tessier, eventually apprenticed under master brewer Rick Dellow. That led to several trips to Chicago, where he took courses at the Siebel Institute to perfect his craft.
Tessier is excited about his latest creation, Hopline Bling, a 4.9 session IPA that was added to the Axe and Barrel recently. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 got a lot of really cool elements.B次元官网网址�
The Axe and Barrel, owned by Ron and Diana Cheeke, opened last year on the site of the Loghouse Pub following a and the addition of a brewery.
