Maple Bear Tripel - An Ode to the Canadians and the Brits
In October 1944, Essen (Belgium) was liberated by the 4th Canadian Armored Division, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and The 49th West Riding Division (Polar Bears).
This beer, brewed by the Crow Mountain Craft Brewery in Essen, is primarily dedicated to those units.
The purpose of this beer is to highlight the Canadian and British efforts in the liberation of Western Europe. Its sale directly supports initiatives related to education, remembrance, and celebration of the liberation during WWII.
Normandy: The Beginning of the End
On June 13, 1944—just a week after D-Day—the Polar Bears landed in Normandy. After earlier deployments in Norway and Iceland, they returned to the battlefield and helped secure Caen before moving on to capture the port of Le Havre.
The Canadians had already fought on French soil during the 1942 Dieppe Raid, but it was in June 1944 that they truly turned the tide. On D-Day, the 3rd Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade stormed Juno Beach.
Weeks later, the 4th Armoured Division and 2nd Infantry Division joined in, pushing through Caen, crossing the Seine, and eventually sealing the Falaise Pocket—where the German 7th Army was nearly destroyed.
From there, Canadian troops moved on to retake the Channel ports, including Dunkirk, where the British had been forced to evacuate just four years earlier.
The Low Countries: Liberating Belgium and the Netherlands
After these heavy battles and the British and Canadian race to Belgium and Antwerp, the Polar Bears were stationed south of Turnhout. They liberated Turnhout and were deployed in Operation Pheasant, in which they liberated large parts of the Kempen and advanced towards Roosendaal and Willemstad (the Hollands Diep). After clearing the west bank of the Meuse of the last Germans, they moved to “The Island” in the Betuwe, where they took the place of the famous 101st Airborne Division.
The Polar Bears are the unit that eventually liberated Arnhem (a ruin by that time). Utrecht is also liberated, and it is the Polar Bears who are the first to eventually drive into Amsterdam. The division ends WWII in the Netherlands.
The Canadians liberated large parts of West and East Flanders and fought fiercely in the polders of Zeeland Flanders to clear the southern bank of the Scheldt. The 2nd Infantry and 4th Armoured Regiment were then transported to Antwerp, where they managed to cross the Albert Canal and push on towards South Beveland and Walcheren… The liberation of the northern bank of the Scheldt began. The Canadians paid a heavy price during the Battle of the Scheldt (the forgotten battle). Black Friday (Woensdrecht) and the Sloedam are just two examples of this. As a result, Antwerp could finally be used to supply the Allied armies and launch the final offensive toward Germany.
The Canadians also played a leading role in the liberation of the Northern Netherlands north of the major rivers, building a very close bond with the Dutch people, who by then had endured a winter of war.
Germany
As the war neared its conclusion, Canadian forces pushed into Germany during the Rhineland Offensive (Operation Veritable). While most of the Rhine crossing was carried out by the British, the 4th Canadian Armoured Division pressed on toward Bremen, continuing the fight until the very end
Conclusion
From Normandy’s beaches to the polders of Zeeland, from the towns of Flanders to the streets of Amsterdam, the Polar Bears and Canadian divisions helped liberate countless communities across Western Europe.
Maple Bear is more than a beer—it is a liquid tribute, a way to keep history alive.
“At the going down of the sun, and in the morning… We will remember them.”