Local craft brewer develops lemon-dandelion beer to honour his mother

A local craft brewer has dedicated a new beer to the memory of his mother, in hopes of raising awareness for cancer patients and at the same time, participating in a craft beer initiative known as Fine N’ Dandy.

Kieran Buzek, owner of Top Dog Brewing Company, lost his mother Shelley in December 2023, after a lengthy and courageous battle with her disease.

The Fine N’ Dandy story began in 2016 when brewer Jeffery Craig was diagnosed with cancer and he put his love and passion for craft beer to the test by contacting his friends at Craft Heads Brewing Company and Walkerville Brewery, collaborating on a beer featuring dandelions as the main ingredient to help the fight against cancer.

The Fine N’ Dandy project has raised over $23,000 to date and those proceeds go to the Windsor Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The project is now in its eighth year and Top Dog is participating for the second time.

Buzek plans on brewing about 1,000 cans of his new Lemon Raddler infused with dandelion root and that beer will be available locally and across Ontario.

Some of the local establishments carrying the Lemon Raddler are the Leamington Portuguese Club, The Main Grill in Kingsville, Garfield’s in Colchester and Woodcraft in Essex. 

The rules for participating in the initiative are simple: Make a great dandelion-based beer.

Buzek says he’s dedicated this beer to his mom and her good friend, Dr. Michelle Prince.

“Michelle and my mom were great friends who shared their cancer journey together for years,” he says. “Neither of them took a day for granted and they fought with every ounce of strength they had in their body.”

Kieran has reached out to other families who have loved ones battling cancer or lost a loved one to the disease and has included several local names on the can label.

This year’s batch is dedicated to Shelley Lynn Buzek, Victoria Johnson, Deborah Ann Carr, Patrick Denome, Pamela Brundritt, Carol Jean Stanton, Bryon Maple Gero, Michelle Prince, Liz DelCiancio, Judy Banman and Ian Tate.

The initiative runs until April 28 and Buzek is also giving $1 per can sold to the Dr. Michelle Prince Comfort Care Tote Program. The program provides high-quality, custom tote bags to patients starting chemotherapy, and is filled with very useful items to help them cope and manage side effects.

Brewers participating in the Fine N’ Dandy project besides Top Dog include Chapter Two, Craft Heads, Jake’s, Rose City and Walkerville.

Visit Top Dog Brewing Company’s Facebook page, Instagram page (@topdogbrew) or go to topdogbrew.ca.