New brew with local flavour on the horizon?
An amber ale brewed with Honeycrisp apples and finished with smoked applewood with hints of honey and nutmeg.
Does that sound good to you? Andee Fisher hopes so.
The 29-year-old Niagara Falls native is a finalist in a nationwide contest hosted by Scotland’s Innis & Gunn Brewery.
Last month, Canadians were invited to submit an idea for a new beer for a chance to head to Scotland in January to brew the limited edition beer that will bear their name and will be sold across the country in fall 2018.
More than 1,000 beer ideas were submitted in the Imagine & Gunn competition, including Fisher’s entry called Andee’s Choice, which has been named one of eight finalists.
Fisher heard about the competition on social media.
“I’m a big fan of their original India pale ale,” she said. “But, not as big a fan as my brother, so I sent him the link to enter but he just had a baby and forgot about it. So I figured I’d enter myself.”
Fisher, one of two women to make the final round, described the ale as perfect for any season.
“I thought about ingredients I like in beer and flavours that Canadians gravitate towards.”
The A.N. Myer Secondary School graduate said friends and family were the inspiration behind her idea.
“When I think of beer, I think of family and friends at a barbecue or at a nice meal … it’s about being surrounded by loved ones.”
The second phase of the competition is an online vote. Canadians can cast a ballot at innisandgunn.com. Voting closes Nov. 24.
Innis & Gunn held a similar competition last year in Sweden. Mika’s Choice, a Bourbon barrel-aged jalapeno stout is currently being sold across Sweden.
“We’ve had our say — now we’re turning it over to Canadians,” said Innis & Gunn founder and master brewer Dougal Gunn Sharp.
“We were inspired by the thoughtful and creative beer ideas Canadians shared with us. I can’t wait to find out which we’re going to brew.”
Other brew ideas in the running include a coconut and rhubarb ale and a rum raisin ale.
“We believe that the possibilities for beer are limitless,” Sharp said.
Innis & Gunn began in central Scotland in 2003 and offers a wide range of beers including a barrelaged line, lager and India pale ales. Its beer has become the most popular British bottled craft beer sold in Canada.