Great Lakes Brewery, Toronto’s oldest craft brewery visits The Wine Ladies at CP 24 Radio 1050

Indeed because we are The Wine Ladies it doesn’t mean we can’t deviate from the grape every once in awhile and “drink outside the box” and venture into another territory all together.

Indeed because we are The Wine Ladies it doesn’t mean we can’t deviate from the grape every once in awhile and “drink outside the box” and venture into another territory all together. We recently did just that when we devoted a radio show to that other very versatile beverage! BEER!

Our guest in studio owner Peter Bulet of Great Lakes Brewery www.GreatLakesBeer.com ,Toronto’s oldest craft brewery family owned and operated. We covered a lot of ground and talked about making it, enjoying it, cooking with it and even bathing in it! Well Marilyn Monroe bathed in Champagne maybe she should have shampooed her hair in beer too!

Caption: Peter Bulet of Great Lake Brewery in studio on CP 24 Radio 1050

Wine is ancient but in fact beer is the oldest form of alcohol on earth, dating back 10,000 years to ancient Sumeria, now Iraq about 6500 years ago.

Wine as we know is made from fermented grape juice. Beer is made from fermented grain. But while grapes already contain easily fermentable sugars, grain has to be altered. It has to have its starch converted into sugar before it can be fermented.

How is beer made? The principle ingredient in beer is malted barley. When barley is malted, it is immersed in water and left to sprout, then heated in a kiln, where its starch is converted into sugar. During brewing this sugar is extracted from the malt with water and the resulting liquid is then fermented by yeast into alcohol.

And beer is just not beer anymore! there are so many kinds, flavors, something for everyone’s tastes and preferences.

Great Lakes Brewery has a full line up of wonderful choices of lagers and ales. Including their very popular Golden Horseshoe Premium Lager, great for the warm weather, thirst quenching and perfect for those desiring a light bodied beer. It’s a perfect companion to lighter fare, such as fish, salads, or spicy dishes like wings or sausages. Or perhaps a perfect year-round beer Red Leaf Smooth Red Lager. A fully flavoured yet deceptively smooth lager with hints of caramel, nuts and toasted malt. Great for the BBQ! bring on the burgers!

The devil made me do it Prepare yourself for a devilishly good time…Devil’s Pale Ale is the brewery’s number one best seller. A medieval style ale that boasts a rich mahogany colour and caramel, malty flavour, like many beers of that time! And Susanne’s favorite the summer seasonal beer Orange Peel Ale one of four seasonal beers available throughout the year. Handcrafted with five specialty malts and five varieties of hops, along with just a touch of honey, heaps of fresh oranges and peels into the boil. A little different, you say? It sure is!. Orange Peel Ale balances the unique flavour of oranges with generous mounts of hops to achieve a slightly fruity and refreshing taste.http://www.greatlakesbeer.com/brands.html

Caption: A sampling of the craft beers of Great Lakes Brewery

But what about cooking with beer? Does cooking with beer bring out different flavours? Is beer best used in a marinade or a sauce?

We asked Corporate Chef Darryl Fletcher from Aqua Star the leading supplier of frozen seafood in North America North America www.AquaStar.com, regular radio personality on The Wine Ladies radio show and star of Chefs Corner on http://www.soultv.net to share and spread his passion for food, and this time come up with a few recipes using Great Lakes Brewery’s beers.

Caption: Chef Darryl Fletcher showcases his new beer inspired recipes at Great Lakes Brewery

As always we were inspired and not disappointed! He came up with three easy, delicious and original recipes.

Dijon Beer Marinated Salmon

Course
Choose ONE from Entr