By the start of September the first beer taps in Greater Victoria will start serving up Peninsula Pale – a Lighthouse Brewing Company beer created in partnership with Field Five Farm on the Saanich Peninsula.
A week later they should be on local liquor store shelves, says Jon Siewertsen, a consultant with the Esquimalt-based brewery.
One of the “original breweries in B.C.” and marking 25 years this August, it was time to release a new core beer, Siewertsen said.
Head brewer Drew Sinden knew what he wanted, Siewertsen said.
“He wanted to make a beer he wanted to drink every weekend. And that’s what he’s done.”
With a style in mind, they knew about Field Five Farm and rolled in there without an appointment.
When sixth-generation Peninsula farmer Kyle Michell and his wife Jennifer bought land on Hovey Road in 2015 it was a horse farm. The purchase marked a return to the family fold, as in the 1960s Kyle’s great-grandfather Willard Michell farmed the land.
The elder Michell also likely farmed grains, which Field Five returned to. Alongside Mike Doehnel, they developed a significant and successful malting operation – from grain grown on site.
Conversations between Lighthouse and Field Five about malt options and ideas, philosophy and copious test batches and blends eventually led to the Peninsula Pale – a 90 per cent pilsner malt and 10 per cent pale malt from Field Five.
“The beer we’ve created is … it’s difficult to classify,” Siewertsen said. “It’s really just meant to be approachable for every day beer drinkers.”
Its hallmarks include the high quality malt from a very sustainable farm with documented good environmental practices. The Peninsula Pale will also feature a QR code linking to the Central Saanich farm.
“People can scan the code while they’re enjoying their beer and learn about the local farm and where the beer comes from,” he said.
Siewertsen expects Peninsula Pale will be in liquor stores the start of September, pouring freely during Esquimalt Ribfest Sept. 6 to 8, and available B.C.-wide by the second week of September.
“It’s becoming a core beer for us, a full-time product. This one is here to stay, available year-round.”
