Toronto’s Henderson Brewing Company has released a special lager they brewed in collaboration with Jacobsen, the Copenhagen-based home brewery of Carlsberg.

Nordic lager (5.2% ABV) is an easy-drinking copper lager infused with Scandinavian angelica root. That addition is subtle, perhaps contributing a hint of aroma as the beer warms.

The collab beer is at the LCBO. Sebastiaan Besems, president of Carlsberg Canada doesn’t rule out future collaborations between the two breweries. He’s keen to see how the market responds to their unusual take on a lager.

At the special launch dinner (held outside, of course, at Anthony Rose’s Madame Boeuf) we heard plenty of friendly banter from Besems and Henderson’s co-founder Steve Himel about the fact that this was a project between an independent Canadian brewery and one of the world’s largest brewing conglomerates.

Apparently, announcements for the collaboration inspired calls to Henderson asking if they had been taken over. By way of denial, another Henderson co-founder, Adin Wener, joked that his and Himel’s houses are still owned by the bank.

Carlsberg has a partnership with Brooklyn Brewery that involves distribution and joint purchases.

In proper lager fashion, Nordic lager showed itself as an able partner for a wide variety of food at the beer dinner. From beet salad to smoked salmon it is a versatile match.

As well as being on tap at the Henderson’s Sterling Road location, it is also getting a special release party there on Nov. 10. Nordic Fest will include Scandinavian food, an artisans market and games like kubb. It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.