Sunday Night Suds - Laker Red

This week's Sunday Night Suds Beer Review looks at Laker Red. What kind of beer is red you might ask? Is it an ale or a lager, or perhaps a stout or a porter? The good folks at the Brick Brewing Company don't let on which style the "Red" beer is, although they do have a rather annoying jingle ("Mak'er a Laker, It's a buck a beer") on their website that I can't get out of my head. To hear it, click on the following link, http://laker.abuckabeer.ca/ but be forewarned, it sticks in your mind. I wind up singing it to Sarah at least three or four times a day.

So why review a Canadian beer that brands itself as "a buck a beer?" Initially, I have to admit that I was interested because the COR (the Kashruth Council of Canada) indicated that many beers brewed by the Brick Brewery of Waterloo, Ontario are under their hashgacha. I then tried mightily to find it at many of the more comprehensive beer stores in NY, but with no success. This only raised my curiosity.

Last week we took the kids to Niagara Falls for a few days. Of course, now that I was in Canada, I had to try to score some Laker. So after a full day at the Falls, we took the kids out in the car to Sobey's (the local supermarket chain) to try to supplement what we had brought on the trip. I also went looking for Laker so that I could have a cold one with my daf yomi later that evening. I was sadly disappointed when I learned that beer in Canada is only sold in beer stores. Oddly, all the beer stores are called just that, "Beer Store." And the ones in Niagara closed at 9 PM. Well, the next day before we left the area, we went to the beer store and I found four styles from the COR list of approved beers. (To see the COR list, please click here http://www.cor.ca/en/21709?pr_view=0#).

The Laker Red is just that, Red. Its in the lager family (although the experts at BA call it an ale, the Laker website describes it as a lager, a sentiment I concur with), and has a little foam and a soft red color. There is no heavy aftertaste and actually not a very strong flavor after the initial sip. The beer advocates who have reviewed it have not been kind, but I found that its a refreshing pour after a long day driving in the car. Just make sure to chill it and serve it in a glass.

Laker Red is certified kosher by the Kashruth Council of Canada. For the experts' take on Laker Red click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/416/19489 .

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

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