Coinciding with the winter melt and milder spring weather, the first weeks of April will see a special new beer pop up from the team at Broken Stick Brewing, the craft beer maker located inside Hammond Golf Club.<\/p>\n
With a lineup of over a dozen beers already in their portfolio, Broken Stick will unleash the new suds in collaboration with the not-for-profit registered charity \u201cIt Takes a Village Dog Rescue\u201d (ITAV).<\/p>\n
With the brewery\u2019s name pairing nicely with the canine focus of the event, Broken Stick\u2019s role in the collaboration comes at the tail end of a recently completed contest called \u201cPints and Paws Rescue Brew Photo Contest.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contest raised $9,309 to support ITAV\u2019s program to find good \u201cforever\u201d homes for lost, abandoned, neglected and mistreated dogs.<\/p>\n
Over 50 dogs (and a cat, apparently) entered the photo contest which began in the middle of March and generated thousands of votes: contest winner, Kelso, a three-year-old Akita-Chow Chow cross with the latter breed\u2019s distinctive blue tongue, was declared the winner grabbing more than 3,000 votes.<\/p>\n
That means that Kelso\u2019s photo \u2013 courtesy of Ottawa-based Jos\u00e9e Lavoie PhotoArt \u2013 will grace the label on cans of Broken Stick\u2019s specially-crafted lager called \u201cRescue Brew.\u201d
\nThe new beer is scheduled to be unveiled at a special event at the brewery that runs 4 p.m. \u2013 7 p.m. on April 12.<\/p>\n
Homes found for 600 abandoned or neglected dogs<\/strong><\/p>\n Established in 2021 and based in Athens, Ont., ITAV Dog Rescue finds homes for all dogs, but they are especially concerned with abandoned and neglected dogs in remote northern Canadian communities where there is canine overpopulation and limited access to veterinary care.<\/p>\n To date, ITAV has found homes for 600 abandoned or neglected dogs, and they continue to work on raising money to allow them to help more.<\/p>\n ITAV director of events Marie-Claude Boily says that while about 90 per cent of their fundraising dollars go to covering veterinary costs for the dogs, events such as Pints and Paws also raise general awareness about abandoned and neglected dogs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need the funding, but these events are also about education,\u201d says Boily. \u201cWe hope that the more people know about us, the more they will foster or volunteer. The more fosters and volunteers we have, the more dogs we can save.\u201d<\/p>\n Boily says ITAV is \u201cvery happy\u201d with how many people participated in the contest, but she adds that she was struck by the number of new followers the organization received.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is what really impressed me,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd that we raised over $9,000, though our goal was $5,000.\u201d<\/p>\n All proceeds from the Rescue Brew contest go to ITAV.<\/p>\n Rescue Brew for wide appeal<\/strong><\/p>\n As for the beer, at the time of writing the Rescue Brew lager, which was brewed on February 28, was in its fermenting tank with canning scheduled for early April.<\/p>\n Broken Stick brewmaster Dave Callaghan says the event was a good opportunity to connect with local people.<\/p>\n \u201cThe local pet community is a different community for us, and we hope they discover Broken Stick and come here to enjoy a beer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Looking for a beer that would be popular and accessible \u2013 and \u201cwasn\u2019t anything too crazy\u201d in terms of flavour profile and bitterness \u2013 Callaghan and co-brewer Cullen Gillis settled on a milder one-time brew.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted that wide appeal, so we made a lager,\u201d says Callaghan. \u201cEntering into spring, it\u2019s something drinkable and on the lighter side.\u201d<\/p>\n Flavoured primarily with Saaz hops, native to Czech Republic, Rescue Brew will clock in at about four per cent alcohol by volume.<\/p>\n Having had a preview tasting of the beer in its early stages, I\u2019d describe it as straw coloured with a mild bready aroma and herbal flavours that are light and crisp; it finishes with just a hint of bitterness that moves it out of the realm of U.S.-style light beers.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a touch of bitterness,\u201d emphasizes Callaghan. \u201cJust enough to replenish your palate and make you want another sip.\u201d<\/p>\n He and Gillis have made a full batch of Rescue Brew, which for them is 700 litres; they will package about 900 cans with the rest going on tap.<\/p>\n Beer-lover friendly, family friendly, pet friendly<\/strong><\/p>\n In a closely guarded collaboration between Callaghan and Lavoie, an ITAV volunteer, the new Rescue Brew beer and label will be revealed at the April 12 release party.<\/p>\n The unveiling event will include the sale of Lavergne Meat and Deli hotdogs \u2013 what else? \u2013 prepared by Hammond Golf Club\u2019s Dandy Lion Pub and available for pre-order.<\/p>\n The event will also feature live music from Bill Wiswell, a patio area featuring Ottawa-Gatineau\u2019s Paw Platters Barkuterie Boards, door prizes, trivia and games, and a kids\u2019 corner.<\/p>\n It should be noted that the event is craft beer-lover friendly, family friendly and, of course, pet friendly.<\/p>\n Cuteness warning: a selection of ITAV\u2019s adoptable puppies \u2013 like four-month-old \u201cZenith the Northern Supermutt\u201d \u2013 will be on hand as well.<\/p>\n For event tickets and to purchase beer and hotdogs, please visit https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/villagedogrescue.<\/p>\n Food writer Andrew Coppolino lives in Rockland. He is the author of \u201cFarm to Table\u201d and co-author of \u201cCooking with Shakespeare.\u201d Follow him on Instagram @andrewcoppolino.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Coinciding with the winter melt and milder spring weather, the first weeks of April will see a special new beer pop up from the team at Broken Stick Brewing, the craft beer maker located inside Hammond Golf Club. With a lineup of over a dozen beers already in their portfolio, Broken Stick will unleash the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":105652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-societe"],"acf":[],"featured_media_global":[],"yoast_head":"\n