To mark the 170th anniversary of the poem Evangeline: tale of Acadie. several brewers have joined to create a new beer style. The official launch of the beer style was on June 9, 2017. The Henry W. Longfellow poem was published in 1847 and presented to the world the tragic history of the Deportation of the Acadians.
The 1400 line poem, written in hexameters, is an epic poem based on the oral tradition. It is the story of a young girl, Evangeline Bellefontaine, engaged to her lover, Gabriel Lajeunesse, who are cruelly separated from one another during the Deportation of Grand Pré in 1755. The Acadian Nut-Brown or Cajun Nut-Brown was not a historical fact but was mentioned on line 330:
Then Evangeline lighted the brazen lamp on the table,Each brewery that participated were told they should give their beer a francophone name or a name from a place or a person that was Acadien or Cajun. It would also be appropriate to give it a name related to the poem of Longfellow (Evangline, Gabriel etc).
Filled, till it overflowed, the pewter tankard with home-brewed
Nut-brown ale, that was famed for its strength in the village of Grand-Pré
The ten brewers and beers are as follows:
- Acadie-Broue (Moncton, NB) was found in 2004 by Patrice Godin. Their Nut-Brown will be called La Bringue,
- À l’abri de la Tempête (Îles de la Madeleine, QU) La Palabre acadienne is the name they choose for their Nut-Brown. This microbrewery opened their doors in 2004 and is in a former fish processing plant in the Iles de la Madeleine.. Located by the sea, its magnificent terrace offers views of the sea and the Dune of the West. The microbrewery values the use of local raw materials in the design of its beers such as the development of a local smoked malt, algae harvesting of native spices and picking fresh herbs are used to create unique beers.
- Brasseux d'la Côte (Tracadie, NB) have called their Nut-Brown, “La Belle Acadienne”. The microbrewery is an idea that started in the head of a group of friends who wanted to offer locally crafted beer. After a few years of hard work and the support of a group of investors and a cooperative, the project finally broke ground in 2017.
- Cajun Brewing (Lafayette, LA) called their Nut-Brown Evangeline. Located in the heart of Cajun country in Lafayette, Louisiana, Cajun Brewing is proud to be the first brewery in a dynamic city known for incredible food and unmatched hospitality.
- CAVOK Brewing (Dieppe, NB) called their Nut-Brown Bellefontaine de Grand-Pré. CAVOK is a new brewery looking to open in Dieppe this fall.
- Distillerie Fils du Roy (Petit-Paquetville, NB) has called their Nut-Brown Évangeline. Fils du Roy has been operation since 2012, located in the Acadian peninsula. The distillery is specialized in the production of spirits, but makes small batch of beer. It is possible to visit the distillery and samples their products both for free.
- Flying Boats Brewing (Shediac, NB) has created The General's Armada Acadian Nut Brown Ale. Named for the storied Italian general Italo Balbo, lead an "armada" of hydroplanes (S-55 Savoia Marchetti) to Shediac, on his way to and back from the Chicago World's Fair in 1933.
- Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault (Edmunston, NB) Nut Brown Ale was baptized La Madoueska. Madoueska is a town in Maine, a county in New Brunswick, a river born in Québec and a legendary republic. Madoueska, Maliseeet land of the porcupine was adopted by an indomitable people called the Brayons. Rooted in its lands and forests, it’s the part of Acadia not quite like the others.
- Microbrasserie le Naufrageur (Carleton-sur-mer, QU) is in the heart of the Bay of Chaleur. Le Naufrageur, The Wrecker, very name is a nod to the fact that the founders of the brewery have ancestors who practiced piracy in one form or another through the maritime troubled history of Acadia and New-France. Microbrewery Le Naufrageur has always worked with Quebec and organic ingredients to create beers with Gaspesian accents. Several of its beers draw their flavour from plants and shrubs of the Gaspe and almost 100% of its raw materials are grown and processed in Quebec.
- Savoie's Brewhouse (Charlo, NB) called their beer the Savoie's Nut-Brown. They started their operations nearly two years ago and now house their microbrewery at Herons Nest in Charlo.
