In July 1941,a bomber flying out from Montreal made an emergency landing in Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham after the pilot lost control in a storm. This smooth amber lager features malty notes with a light caramel finish.
As you climb the staircase from Wakefield’s General Store toward the former Chamberlin’s Lookout café, you’ll notice a fascinating photograph of a Lockheed Hudson light bomber sitting in front of the Black Sheep Inn with its wings removed. But what was a military bomber doing in the middle of Wakefield’s bustling main street? And why had its wings been taken off? That was more than enough to spark our curiosity.
After digging through historical records, we discovered that this 1941 photograph was taken after the aircraft made an emergency landing in a dairy farmer’s field in Masham. The pilot, Edward Orville De Larm, was on a routine training flight from Montreal when he was caught in a severe storm. Lost, disoriented, and unable to escape the surrounding hills because of the weather, he ultimately chose to make a forced landing. The photograph was taken while the aircraft was being towed to Ottawa for repairs. Its wings had been removed so it could pass beneath the various bridges along the route.
For the quiet rural community of 1941, far removed from the battlefields of the Second World War, the sight of a military bomber in their fields must have been unforgettable. This remarkable local story, deeply rooted in the history of the Gatineau Hills, became the inspiration for one of our beers. It was all we needed to create a new addition to our Classic Series: the Bombardier Vienna Lager.
One hundred years earlier, in 1841, the Schwechat Brewery near Vienna developed a new type of malt known as Vienna malt. It was revolutionary because it was significantly lighter than the dark malts traditionally used at the time. For the first time, brewers could produce a bright amber beer instead of the darker red or black ales that had long dominated brewing. Just one year later, in 1842, the world’s first Pilsner would be brewed, introducing the first truly blonde lager.
Although the style has nearly disappeared from its Austrian homeland, it flourished in Mexico thanks to Austrian immigration. Since the craft beer renaissance, Vienna Lager has enjoyed a well-deserved revival around the world. We chose it to commemorate the remarkable forced landing in the fields of Masham. And so, the Bombardier Vienna Lager was born.
Pouring a beautiful light amber colour, it offers a smooth, malt-forward character with delicate caramel notes. Exceptionally drinkable and wonderfully refined, it strikes a perfect balance between richness and elegance.
Our Vienna Lager is brewed with a base of Vienna malt from Innomalt, complemented by a touch of Caramel 80 malt from MaltBroue. It is bittered with Magnum hops from Houblonnière Lupuline and finished with Saaz hops from Jarret Noir before being cold-fermented with Staffelberg yeast from Labo Solutions Brassicoles in La Pocatière.
