Anti-pipeline label’s message is clear: Coule Pas Chez Nous!
“No water, no beer ... No beer, no fun!”
That's one of the rallying cries behind Coule Pas Chez Nous! a limited-edition Quebec-brewed IPA (India pale ale) that was marketed throughout March with a specific political mission in mind — to protest against the proposed Energy East Pipeline.
The beer was produced under the auspices of Coule Pas Chez Nous!, a coalition of activist groups across Quebec concerned about potential environmental threats posed by the pipeline, which is intended to stretch 4,600 kilometres from Alberta to New Brunswick, transporting up to 1.1 million estimated barrels of crude oil per day. The groups worry that an oil leak could seep into the water supply and jeopardize our drinking water.
Since water plays a key role in brewing beer, many Quebec microbreweries solidly backed the protest. Quebecers got a taste of Coule Pas Chez Nous! (the beer) through a series of promotional events in March, organized by Coule Pas Chez Nous! (the group) at more than 20 participating brewpubs throughout the province. The beer was available on tap at those pubs, and a further 12,000 bottles were distributed to stores. A portion of the sales served as a fundraiser for the anti-pipeline campaign.
Dieu du Ciel! is one of the microbreweries that wholeheartedly supported Coule Pas Chez Nous! They hosted one of the promotional events at their Montreal brewpub on March 14.
“Although we're not involved in the production or the recipe itself, we did accept to do an event at our place and sell the beer,” said JeanFrançois Gravel of Dieu du Ciel!, who sees it as more of an awareness campaign.
“The Energy East Pipeline is something we all have to talk about. We have to make sure that we give a voice to the population on this issue, because it could potentially have a huge impact on all of our lives.”
Gravel points out that most Quebecers live close to the St. Lawrence River, which would be vulnerable to an oil leak, not to mention the threat to the lifeblood of all breweries — water.
“I realize that some customers might not agree with this,” he said, but he emphasizes that it's an important issue that needs attention. “We owe it to the people to find the most information they need to find a solution. We're not thinking about money, but the big picture.” (For Dieu du Ciel! that political advocacy also means that it donates 10 cents of the sale of each bottle of Sentinelle, a German-style pale ale created in-house, to benefit the work of IRIS, a non-profit institute for social research.)
But not all microbreweries are comfortable with this strong stand on a controversial issue.
Some, like Trou du Diable, opted to step back from the month-long campaign, declining to sell the beer or host one of its promotional events. Isaac Tremblay of Trou du Diable says the company didn't want to risk alienating customers who might have their own reasons for supporting the pipeline.
“It's a very complicated matter, and a pretty big statement to slap on a label and put on a shelf,” Tremblay said. “That's not our thing.”