Cured Craft Brewing Celebrates Its First Birthday
Cured Craft Brewing Company was established in June 2020 in Leamington, ON in Windsor-Essex County. They reside in a heritage building in Uptown Leamington, and their beers can be found in their taproom and at establishments across the region. They are also available to be shipped across Ontario!
Their beers are made with local ingredients, and bear names inspired by the heritage and character of their hometown, as well as the background of their Co-Founders. In addition to limited, seasonal brews, Cured has a core lineup of six beers available year-round in cans and on tap. I did a deep-dive on this core-lineup, which includes a Pilsner, a Honey Wheat Ale, a Cream Ale, an IPA, a Lager, and an Oatmeal Stout. Let’s see what’s brewing in Leamington!
Pelee Pilsner
Pilsner - 5%
Cured Brewing’s core Pilsner is named for Point Pelee National Park, a Leamington landmark located on a peninsula extending into Lake Eerie at the southernmost point of the Canadian mainland. Pelee Pilsner pours a crystal clear copper, with a frothy head of foam which leaves a nice trail of lacing. The nose is abundant with whole wheat bread crusts and honeyed sweetness with a touch of lemon zest. With medium effervescence and a nice frothy feel, the palate is crisp, and low in bitterness, with a fluffy malt bill giving notes of fresh baked bread and more of that sweetness that was teased on the nose. The hop presence is subtle, but imparts a small zip of citrus cutting through that malty sweetness. Less bitter than your average Pils, with a touch more honey sweetness, it’s got great flavour and a crisp, refreshing finish.
Honey Badger
Honey Wheat Ale - 5.2%
Honey Badger Wheat Ale is named for Co-Founder Lisa Bradt’s nickname as a Registered Nurse. It pours a hazy, deep copper-orange with a nose that’s wheaty and floral with a touch of spice and underlying sweetness. The malt bill is assertive, with an up-front wheat grain profile that’s more roasty than I expected, but in a very pleasant way. Beneath that, there’s a complementing earthy, honey sweetness. The texture is effervescent and grainy. The fruit esters are very subdued, and the earthy background gives it a nice minerality. There’s also a subtle citrus element on the mid-palate which lightens it up. This is a Wheat Ale with a delightful twist.
Colonel G’s
Cream Ale - 5.3%
The Cream Ale is named for Col. William T. Gregory, the man who built the heritage building that Cured now resides in. It has a slightly cloudy pour with a golden straw colour, and a sweet nose with aromas of bread and corn. It’s light and effervescent on the palate, and mild in flavour with lightly toasted grain and subtle sweetness. The hop profile delivers a very mild, but refreshing note of lemon and just a little bitterness. It’s an undeniably refreshing lawnmower beer.
Triple ‘A’ IPA
New England IPA - 6%
The name of Cured’s house IPA is a nod to Co-Founder Scott Bradt’s 35 year trade as a butcher. The pour is a cloudy, copper-amber with an off-white head. On the nose, it’s a fruit salad of pineapple, melon, and pear. It has a medium body and carbonation with a frothy mouthfeel. The palate matches the nose with the same combo of fruit. There’s low bitterness and a sticky, caramelized brown sugar malty sweetness. Some more subtle flavours of mango and tangerine zest sneak in as well, along with grapefruit pith and a touch of hop spice on the finish.
42nd Parallel
Lager - 4.3%
Leamington sits on the 42nd parallel, which, as already mentioned, is the southernmost point of Canada, and it’s the inspiration for the name of their house Lager. It pours crystal clear with bright, fresh aromatics of citrus, cracker maltiness, and a touch of spice. There’s bright carbonation on the palate making it light and crisp. It’s got very mild malty sweetness, low bitterness, a subtle, refreshing zip of citrus, and a smooth, bready finish. This refreshing summer crusher is a ballpark beer for sure.
Southern Ontario Stout
Oatmeal Stout - 5%
The name of Cured’s Oatmeal Stout speaks for itself! S.O.S. has an ink-black pour, with a head the colour of espresso crema, and aromatics of cold brew coffee and milk chocolate. The palate delivers on what the nose was selling, as it has me thinking very much of cold brew the whole way through, with a roasty profile, approachable bitterness, and mild creaminess. It has a medium body, giving it a nice texture but not sitting too heavy. Bitterness of dark chocolate and the very subtle sweetness of milk chocolate give it a lovely balance. Accents of stone fruit on the mid-palate combined with the overall dryness of the palate give it hints of a tropical stout. We tend not to think of stouts as summertime beers in Canada, but the cold brew vibes combined with the dry profile and tropical notes make this stout very enjoyable even on a hot, humid day.
Cured Brewing Company have just celebrated their first birthday, and their core lineup has a beer for every palate. Give them a try for yourself along with their current seasonal offerings, and the next time you find yourself in Southern Ontario, stop in for a pint and check them out!
Article and photography by Nathan Lefebvre.
This is a sponsored post.
Cured Craft Brewing Co’s canned lineup is available from their taproom, and for shipping across Ontario from their online store.
Find Cured Craft Brewing Co. online:
Nathan
Nathan is a craft beer enthusiast from Ottawa, ON. He is the Co-Founder of @TeamLactose, he’s passionate about travelling for beer and he loves talking about beer from Ontario, Quebec and beyond.