Beau’s keeps sending new beers out our way and I’m happy about that. While I am mostly focused on what’s happening here locally, and what beers we can get from our local folks, I do enjoy reviewing these beers from Beau’s.

I did a pretty in-depth write-up about Beau’s when I met with co-founder Steve Beauchesne, but I do want to reiterate a bit about the brewery. Founded in 2006 in Vanleek Hill, Ontario by father and son Tim and Steve Beauchesne, Beau’s is an employee-owned and completely independent Canadian craft brewery. They are also the official beer of Canada’s 150^th anniversary.

Now I know I said I’d do the Patersbier next, but Beau’s Buenos Dias gruit is already here in town. So, I figured I’d write about it first. Hope you don’t mind. On to my review of their Buenos Dias Gruit.

*Writer’s Note: I did receive this beer review free of charge. This did not influence my write-up. *

Buenos Dias – Gruit

Gruits are an ancient style of beer that finds it origins somewhere around 700 CE. The Gruit reached the height of its consumption between the 9^th and 13^th centuries. Like many other ancient beer recipes, it was the women from whom this ale was produced. The recipe would be passed down through the generations. As time progressed, it shifted to being a task done within monasteries. The monastic communities gained economic prowess, having the best harvests, the best fabrics, etc… and they soon moved into producing beer.

During this time the gruit was a lot different from what we find today. Being made of an often-top-secret blend of herbs and spices. During the height of its popularity, the Gruitier was held in high regard and often had body guards to help protect the recipe. Holding positions of high regard and often luxurious houses, gruitiers all proclaimed their recipe to be the best and often boasted healing or medicinal properties. The use of the herbs and spices had a more practical reason, to keep the beer from spoiling. As hops were not used, these beers needed some other means of keeping for longer periods.

Today, a Gruit is a top-fermented ale that will still use blends of herbs, spices, or citrus. Most gruits produced today do use some level of hops but do so in a way that it imparts no hop flavour on the beer itself. Rather, these beers focus on being clean and imparting flavours from the use herbs, spices and botanical. The Buenos Dias gruit from Beau’s that we are trying today uses lime, orange, coriander and salt.

ABV – 4.5%
Appearance – Pours a light yellow with a slight haze, likely from acidulated malt and wheat malt, with a small bit of white foam that dissipates quickly.
Smell – Easily identifiable notes of citrus from the lime and orange with subtle notes of coriander.
Taste – A clean drinking beer with a nice lime note, much more pronounced than the orange. There is a bit of a salty note there as well that leaves a dry finish.
Mouth Feel – Good carbonation with nice bubbles and a dry salt finish.
Overall Thoughts – Having not had many gruits to compare this too, I can’t say. This beer certainly seems to hit the notes for the style and provides a nice clean enjoyable beer. I like the use of salt and think it pairs well with the lime.
Do I like it? – Yes, I did enjoy this beer. Having made a Margarita Gose myself, this is right along those lines minus the sourness. It’s a great warm weather beer and is refreshing.

I hope that this write-up was informative. I encourage you to get out and try as many new beers as you can. Broaden your horizons and your palate.

I’ll be meeting with Adrienne Johnson from Barn Hammer this week for the next installment of my “Get to know a Brewer” series. So watch for that soon as well as my review of Beau’s Patersbier.

Thanks for following along.

-Beer Winnipeg