Great Lakes Brewery hosts a monthly event called Project X on the second Thursday of each month. At its inception a year ago, the idea was that they would show off one cask conditioned ale and a number of their beers on tap. The $10 membership would get you a t-shirt and inclusion on the mailing list, and you would have to pay $10 on each subsequent visit to cover the cost of snacks. I’ve been out there a couple of times, and it has become fairly obvious to me that the event has evolved way past its original model into something unique. The number of cask conditioned ales on offer has gone through the roof. The event is frequently tied to other, larger events. The event also has some exhibitions about the most famous beers on a modern exhibition stand design. Project XX was a benefit event with proceeds going to the Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke, featuring food and cask ale produced by women (the rather excellently named Great Lakes “Does this muu-muu make me look Hefe?” Imperial Hefeweizen is seemingly based on one of the beers from this event and is available tonight at Volo). This month’s edition not only marks the one year anniversary of Project X, it ties them to Ontario Craft Beer Week.
This month’s edition, Project XXXX is a fine jumping off point to talk about the spirit of the event. Great Lakes is Toronto’s oldest craft brewery and for the most part the thing that has sustained them to this point are the brews that they have produced in order to appeal to the mass market: Golden Horseshoe Premium Lager and Red Leaf Smooth Red Lager. In 2006 they started releasing more substantial fare and their Devil’s Pale Ale and seasonal releases followed from that point on. There’s a Pumpkin Ale, a Winter Ale, an Orange Peel Ale, a Green Tea Ale and the Crazy Canuck Pale Ale, which was released in time for the 2010 winter olympics. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s six beers that have made it into the LCBO in the last four years.
In order to develop new beers, it seems to me that you need three things: A pilot brewing system, competent and enthusiastic brewers, and the willingness to get the hell out of their way and let them experiment. Great Lakes has all three of these things, and Project X exists in order to show off the results of the process and also to recoup a small amount of the R&D outlay. The sheer variety of products that they’ve produced as a result of experimentation just in the last year is massively impressive. There have been Barley Wines, Double IPAs, West Coast IPAs, Saisons, Rauchbiers, Breakfast Stouts, Imperial Hefeweizens, Hoppy Weissbiers, English Milds, and two beers based on medieval styles and techniques: a Gruit Ale and a Steinbier.
Everyone seems to be getting in on the act. I already talked about David Bieman’s Saison over here. John Bowden is responsible for the Morning Glory Breakfast Stout, which was a favourite at Cask Days last year. And then, there’s Mike Lackey. I’ve spent a small amount of time taunting Mike about his maniacal hop obsession this week, claiming that I was going to make sport of him at some point. I came up with a number of potential jokes, which I include here in a Rostand style categorization:
Melodramatic: When he approaches the mash tun, the soundtrack swells with pizzicato strings.
Chuck Norris: Mike Lackey doesn’t love hops. He hates tooth enamel.
Illegality: Mike Lackey’s hops are delivered daily in bales dropped from a low flying plane.
Corporate: Mike Lackey has more hops than a malfunctioning energizer bunny.
Agrarian: Mike Lackey is personally responsible for the continued subsidy of half the hop growers in Washington State.
Concerned: I hope he doesn’t end up in a padded room, rocking slowly back and forth, repeating “Columbus” over and over.
Straight-up Thievery: He must love the little beer nerds, to give them this to drink.
In truth, there’s no reason to mock the guy. He’s the brewer behind My Bitter Wife IPA, My Bitterer Wife Double IPA, Miami Weiss, Lackey’s Caskey, Armadildo IPA and other excellent products. He’s got a signature style and he may be the only brewer in Ontario whose beer is immediately recognizable. His beer is going into round two of the Volo IPA challenge with a commanding lead and I have no doubt that he’s going to win. The best part, as a beer nerd, is getting to see how he’s tweaking the recipe with every new brew run. It’s a useful insight into the refinement process and a great display of his enthusiasm and ability.
Project XXXX had a great party atmosphere. Having lucked out on the weather, Great Lakes splurged on a G20 style fake lake of their own. There was a small lakeside area with Muskoka style deck chairs. They were serving pork and lamb sausages with roasted red peppers and a mixed salad with a Green Tea Ale vinaigrette. The Rollergettes, the Great Lakes affiliated roller derby team, were onhand and provided what looked to be the most entertaining impromptu day care service in the GTA. (Roller Derby Daycare. Someone pitch it to Fox.)
Taken moments before little Johnny was hipchecked into oncoming traffic.
They invited F&M, Flying Monkeys and Muskoka to supply casks for the event. F&M supplied a Strawberry Blonde lager, which was refreshing in the afternoon sun. Muskoka brought a dry-hopped Cream Ale. Peter Chiodo from Flying Monkeys brought both a cask and bottles of his new Smashbomb IPA (72 IBU, Citra Hops) in order to allow people to do a side by side tasting. The cask version had an effusive mouthfeel and an overwhelming citrus quality, while the bottle version was served slightly colder and seems to concentrate its attack on the mid palate. Great Lakes provided Lackey’s Caskey, My Bitter Wife and Miami Weiss.
If you haven’t been out to Project X yet, you’re missing out. Next month will be different, but no less impressive. It’s definitely worth the trek out to Royal York and the Queensway. Plus, where else can you get great food and sample several kinds of beer for ten bucks?