In 1838, a flour mill was set up in Wakefield, to which a general store, spinning mill and sawmill were added. Blond in color, this beer offers a discreet bitterness followed by the roundness of malt, reminiscent of fresh breadcrumbs.
The first feed mill in the Collines-de l’Outaouais was built by Scottish immigrant and mason William Fairbairn. Better known as the Maclaren Mill, it was taken over in 1844 by the Maclaren brothers, who truly developed the site and diversified its operations, taking advantage of the hydroelectric power of the La Pêche river.
In 1910, a violent fire destroyed everything but the flour mill. Operations resumed and continued until 1940, producing animal feed until 1962. The mill became a heritage museum in the 1980s, before turning into the Wakefield Mill we’ve now known since the early 2000s: a hotel&spa, conference center and one of the region’s favourite restaurants.
The Helles refers not only to the old Maclaren mill, but also to mills in general. In the 19th century, no fewer than 221 mills were built in Quebec. In the Collines-de-l’Outaouais, in addition to the one in Wakefield, two others were built in the 20th century: Victor de Perkins Mill and Legros de Sainte-Cécile de Masham Mill.
At a time when transportation mobility wasn’t what it is today, it was essential to have a mill close to farmers. Everywhere in Quebec, when a village developed, the church was first built, followed by a mill before the first harvest. Water power being omnipresent in Quebec, it was the energy of choice used to power these mills. Flour mills, wood mills, spinning mills – these mills built the Quebec of yesteryear and are still very much a part of our built heritage.
It is this piece of our history that inspired Helles du Moulin. Helles du Moulin is a bottom-fermented beer with a low bitterness and the sweetness of fresh grain. To brew a beer, one first has to grind the cereal. The mill is also an important part of beer production, so what better way to bridge the gap between the two worlds than with a beer reminiscent of freshly baked bread. In addition to the delicacy of its malt and the finesse of its bitterness, you’ll feel the peppery, slightly lemony notes from the hops.
Our Helles is a delicate combination of a good quantity of modern pilsner malt from Innomalt in Sherbrooke, to which we added Magnum hops for bitterness, from Houblonnière Lupuline de l’île-aux-Allumette and Saaz de Houblon from Jarrets Noirs de la Beauce. The magic was then created by fermenting at low temperature with Staffelberg yeast from Labo Solution brassicole in La Pocatière.
