Big Spruce names winter beer after CBC meteorologist Peter Coade
It's a tip of the hat to a 'legend,' says Big Spruce owner Jeremy White
Need to warm up after Nova Scotia's recent storms? Cape Breton-based Big Spruce Brewing has a CBC-themed beer for you.
The Cape Breton microbrewery came up with Coade Word: Snowmaggedon Winter Warmer — and yes, the name is a tip of the hat to CBC meteorologist Peter Coade.
"'Cause he's a legend! And because it's a winter warmer," said Jeremy White, the owner of Big Spruce.
"I figured it would be a real laugh if we could make a beer that gets released in the wintertime and hopefully coincides with a few big snow events and lo and behold, we've managed to do that."
The ode to Coade is an eight per cent alcohol beer aged with rum-soaked cinnamon, vanilla beans and fresh ginger.
"It's got a nice, warm spice flavour to it as well and it's gone over quite well at all our tap accounts and of course here for sale in growlers at our brewery," White said Wednesday.
The brewery produced seven barrels — or about 550 to 600 litres of the ale — and it's been popular, White said.
"It's nearly gone, I think we shipped our second last or last keg of it to Halifax at Stillwell today," said White.
Stillwell, meanwhile, tweeted a picture of staff getting the beer ready for its Barrington Street customers.
Big Spruce is known for its beer names and tries to use puns for its brew monikers, said White.
"I always say a good beer name is one that makes people think for a few seconds before they actually get its intention," he said.
"This is indeed one you have to see written and then you have to have a bit of knowledge about CBC folklore and once you see it and put two and two together and realize it’s a winter warmer, it makes perfect sense."
Will there be more Coade beer in the future?
"We'll just have to see what Peter says," White said with a laugh.
Coade, who earned a spot two years ago in the Guinness World Records book because of his long career as a weather forecaster, said Wednesday it was "a real honour" to hear about the beer.
"I'll supply the snow and let them supply the beer," he said, chuckling.
White said the beer was fun to make and it’s been fun to see it do well. And as Big Spruce tweeted: "It's the perfect after work beer for esteemed meteorologists!"