There’s a new beer on the block. Chef Angus An and Main Street Brewing have created an exclusive beer called the Crispy Lager, designed to complement the flavours of An’s renowned restaurants – the elevated Thai cuisine at Maenam, Southeast Asian street food at Longtail Kitchen and soup noodles at Fat Mao Noodles.

“Our friends at Main Street Brewing are long-time colleagues, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to collaborate with them on creating an exclusive new beer that would pair well with our culinary line-up,” said An, founder and executive chef of Full House Hospitality, which counts Maenam, Longtail Kitchen, Sen Pad Thai and Fat Mao Noodles in its restaurant portfolio. “The Crispy Lager is everything we’d hoped it would be – it’s bright, light, easy to drink and pairs well with a variety of dishes, especially those with some heat. We can’t wait for our guests to enjoy it with our food.”

Available now for dine-in guests, the Crispy Lager is a take on the classic lager, featuring a twist with the addition of preserved black lime and toasted fennel. The black lime infuses the beer with a juicy quality, while the toasted fennel adds texture and a hint of flavour.

The colourful pink can was designed in-house by Full House Hospitality and includes sketched artwork of signature dishes from Maenam, Longtail Kitchen and Fat Mao Noodles, iconic Southeast Asian symbols and a portrait of An.

Main Street Brewing most recently won a gold medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards for its Main Street Pilsner, in the North American-Style Lager category.

“We had a great time creating the Crispy Lager with [An],” said Azlan Graves, Main Street Brewing’s head brewer, who was named 2024 Canadian Young Brewer of the Year at the Canadian Brewers Choice Awards.

“It’s definitely a great pairing with the diverse flavours of Southeast Asian food. The combination of preserved black lime and toasted fennel truly sets this beer apart.”

Guests will be able to purchase cans to take home from Main Street Brewing later this summer.