BEER WITH Terroir

We’re used to the concept of terroir in wines—but in beer? That’s the goal at Bench Brewing, the new brewery opening this summer on the Beamsville Bench in Niagara. “One way we can do this is to use a coolship,” says Mark Horsley. “It looks like a big baking pan and it lets us cool the wort down in an open-air environment so wild yeasts from our neighbouring farms and vineyards can innoculate it. We also have 14 foeders that were formerly used to make wine at Le Clos Jordanne. Each one holds 9,500 litres of beer and also houses the micro-flora we’re trying to develop. That’s how we’ll develop our house style and make beers that have a real sense of time and place.”