WOLFE ISLAND, ON – A small brewery affiliated with a restaurant on the largest of Ontario’s 1000 Islands has launched its first beers, including one that uses a very unique item in its brewing process.
Wolfe Island Spring Craft Brewery has been founded by Casey Fisher, owner of the Wolfe Island Grill, with both businesses named after the island in Lake Ontario where they are located.
Brewmaster and partner René Ziegelmaier has developed four inaugural brands for the brewery including Billy Bishop Red Ale (5.2% abv, 35 IBU), Lighthouse Lager (4.2% abv, 18 IBU), Orange White (4.8% abv, 12 IBU), and the signature Wolfenstein Cannonball Ale, which Ziegelmaier describes as follows:
It’s a German steinbier brewed with an authentic 36 pound (16kg) solid iron cannonball, dredged from the bottom of Lake Ontario. This cannonball would have been fired on our Great Lakes during conflicts surrounding the War of 1812. Two centuries later, we put our unique spin on the steinbier process. We heat the cannonball significantly hotter than the German brewers would have heated their stones. This heat caramelizes sugars from the malt to help balance bitterness from the hops, as well the cannonball leaves residual iron in the beer, giving the beer its crisp and refreshing finish.
All of the beers are made using water from the artisan springs that run beneath the brewery, and ingredients from local farms are also used where they fit the style of the beer.
Wolf Island Spring beers are available at the Wolfe Island Grill and The Mansion – another establishment owned by Fisher – as well as other select bars and restaurants in Kingston. They will also be featured alongside several other local breweries in the beer garden at the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta in Bath on July 7th to 9th, and Wolfenstein is currently going through approvals for LCBO sales, with 473 ml cans expected to be available in stores this October.
For more details, see the Wolfe Island Spring Craft Brewery Facebook page.