While some beers may be described as Canadian, they might have ingredients from other countries.
Or they might be owned by a multinational corporation.
Electric Bicycle Brewing's new Actually Canadian Pilsner is about as Canadian as a beer can be, says owner and founder Elliot McKerr.
"We want Canadian beers. And Canadian consumers to drink Canadian beers that are truly 100 per cent Canadian-owned, and full of ingredients that are manufactured by wholly owned Canadian companies," he tells V.I.A.
While most of Electric Bicycle's beers (and many others brewed by independent Vancouver breweries) are primarily Canadian, there are often pieces that come from abroad. That was true for Electric Bicycle's Sports! Pilsner, the Mount Pleasant brewery's biggest seller.
"The only thing that wasn't Canadian in that beer was actually the hop varietals had come from Europe," he says.
"And so we worked with a hop manufacturer out of the Pemberton Valley to secure some hops for all of our batches moving forward."
So Actually Canadian Pilsner was born. And it's a permanent addition to their menu (while Sports! is leaving).
While it's not yet being bottled, a mock-up design may seem familiar to beer drinkers of a certain age.
"Obviously we've poked a little bit of fun at a multinational company that employs a lot of people and makes a lot of beer in Canada," McKerr says.
There's also a point to be made, he adds.
"We hope that that opens a discussion about, you know, who actually owns the products that we are consuming in Canada, especially if they're called, you know, something like.
Beyond the brew
But the plan goes further than just the ingredients in the beer. McKerr is working on getting 100 per cent Canadian-made and owned packaging as well.
"We've now sourced Canadian-owned and manufactured glass bottles and Canadian-manufactured labels," he explains.
The one thing proving difficult to source is the caps or "crowns" for bottles. McKerr notes there are caps made in Canada, but often the companies are part of multinational conglomerates, which are things this beer is taking aim at.
"While those companies still manufacture products in Canada, the supply chain isn't wholly Canadian-owned, which is what we're trying to do with this beer," he says.
McKerr notes he appreciates Canadians working for the multinational corporations, but says the point of doing the beer this way is to keep the supply chain wholly within Canada.
He notes Canadian-made products exist, but American and multinational firms own most of the means of manufacturing. Solutions are being worked on, though, and he plans to have the beer, Canadian-made from farm to shelf, ready before the summer.
"We may actually have to go with like a unique closure, to make that happen," McKerr says.
As for the other beers from Electric Bicycle, McKerr says most of the ingredients are already Canadian, particularly the malts and fruits used.
For hops and yeast, it's a little more difficult. There may not be a Canadian version of certain hops used for flavouring, for example.
McKerr notes while some companies are pivoting to make themselves more Canadian, Electric Bicycle is already very Canadian.
"We're already there, and so we should probably wave that flag," he says.
