This weekend, the Czechs are bringing the brew he made with Czechvar’s Adam Brož — called Transatlantic Ležák (roughly, “Transatlantic Lager”) — to Toronto. StarTogether
As a 22-year veteran of the brewing industry, Luc Lafontaine is accustomed to collaborations. Usually, they’re laid-back affairs. It was a shock, therefore, when last October, theshowed up at Czechvar’s brewery in South Bohemia, to be greeted by a battery of camera-wielding reporters.
This home-and-home collaboration is also a milestone in Ontario brewing. Lagers were largely overlooked during the craft beer renaissance that picked up pace in the 1990s. With a few exceptions — such as Toronto’s own Czech-influenced Steam Whistle — brewers shunned the style because of its association with flavour-deficient North American macro-products.
The beers have been selling increasingly well, but Godspeed remains a relative minnow with a capacity of 2,000 hl ; the state-owned Czechvar brewery can brew 1.85 million hl. In a video interview, Brož recalls the unlikely collaboration with enthusiasm. He describes his Canadian counterpart with beer-geeky charm: “It’s a joy to brew with someone who is aware of fine-tuning. I felt it at the first moment — this is a man who will become my friend.
months. “I had thought that when we used the traditional recipe with only slight differences, it would be very similar beer,” says Brož. “The truth is absolutely the opposite. It’s really different, and the ‘discussion’ is great.”