By day, Lee Burroughs whips Hamilton into lean shape by reducing manufacturing waste and inefficiency.
By night, the lean manager morphs into our official brewmaster and whips up craft beer the Hamilton way: with a little elbow grease, and a whole lot of American-grown hops.
He’s been home brewing since his college days in the 80s, when the only way to snag a decent craft beer was a) flee to Canada or b) make it yourself.
Lucky for us, he chose the latter.
“Home brewing is huge right now,” said Burroughs. “You can buy whole kits. But back then, you had to be creative.”
He borrowed flasks from the school’s chemistry lab. He bought hops wherever he could find them. And the hardware store became his second home.
“It became my passion,” he said. “The first few batches were pretty funky. Fortunately I’ve gotten much better over the years.”
Tough as Pales IPA: official beer of Hamilton
Lee’s home basement doubles as his laboratory. It’s tricked out with all the brewing essentials – from kettles to wort chillers, fermenting equipment and specialty malts.
While he brews about five batches every year, he’s most proud of his recent formulation: Tough as Pales IPA.
“If Hamilton Caster had an official beer, this would be it,” he said.
Tough as Pales IPA represents Hamilton down to the very last drop. It’s red and brewed with pure American hops. Like our casters, it’s strong – 8% alcohol – and crafted by hand. The flavor? Punchy. Intense. Full-bodied. And long lasting, of course. It’s Hamilton Caster in a bottle.
We apologize for the extreme cravings this story may have triggered. Want to talk home brewing with Lee? Send him an email. Cheers!