If your humble narrator could ever marry a specific day of the year, that day would be the first Friday in August, also known as International Beer Day.
Yes, gentle reader, the 10th annual International Beer Day has come and gone, and your humble narrator spent the day in a celebration of all the joys that beer brings us.
First celebrated in California in 2007, IBD has grown into a worldwide soiree, with events in 200 cities and 50 countries across the world.
Since I couldn’t find a nearby pub that was observing IBD, I made my own party by descending on the local beer hall with a posse of drinking companions in tow.
The declared purpose of IBD is threefold: To gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer; To celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer; To unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day.
As a few of my drinking companions were recent transplants from the Maritimes, your humble narrator decided to honour their heritage by sampling the wares from but a few of our easternmost provinces.
While the majority of the 800+ Canadian breweries are located in Ontario and Quebec, it is the Maritime provinces that punch above their weight. New Brunswick comes in first place with the most breweries per capita, followed closely by Nova Scotia, and PEI coming in third.
Despite their reputation as a boozy province, Newfoundland is far down on the list, as most of the market share on The Rock is still owned by Molson and Labatt.
Fortunately, your humble narrator has been on a many a beer-soaked pub crawl in Halifax, so was well-equipped to pick and choose from quality of the brews from the east coast.
While Alexander Keith’s is the most famous brewery in Halifax, and has stood the test of time since opening its doors in 1820, your humble narrator eschews their brews, if only because Keith’s has been owned by megabrewer Labatt since 1971.
In terms of craft brews, my favourite Nova Scotian beer is the ESB from Halifax-based Propeller Brewing. Although this beer is made in the style of an English Special Bitter, don’t let the name fool you, as this style is not particularly bitter, especially when compared to a Pale Ale or an IPA.
With a deep copper hue, the Propeller ESB has plenty of the caramel malt that is typical for this style, providing a structured malt backbone to the beer, with hints of burnt toffee and a bit of floral hop aroma.
Those who enjoy a full-flavoured beer without a biting hop bitterness usually like the ESB style, and my drinking companions were no exception.
Although headquartered in Charlottetown, the PEI Brewing Company also operates breweries in Halifax and Saint John, making them perhaps the most ambitious craft brewer in the Maritimes.
My drinking companions were all over the PEI brews, with the Island Red the most popular. Made in the style of an Irish Red Ale, there was plenty of toasted malt and spicy hop bitterness on the palate, making this beer pair exceptionally well with food.
Always the contrarian, your humble narrator differed from the group, with my favourite being the Sydney Street Stout, a jet-black delight, with plenty of burnt chocolate flavours, just a wee bit of aromatic hops, and a dash of oats in the grain bill to give the beer a smooth and creamy finish. Stout lovers will swear off Guinness after one sip of this ebony nectar.
Stepping out of the comfort zone of your normal beer of choice is highly recommended on IBD, giving you the chance to experience new beer-related happiness by sampling a beer from another culture.
There were many other beers enjoyed by your humble narrator and his drinking companions on IBD, but space constraints prevent me from describing them all.
You too, gentle reader, can do your part to promote beer-related happiness. In the spirit of International Beer Day, why not give the gift of beer to a friend? And be sure to tip your servers at the local watering hole; they put up with all our debaucherous misbehaviours while we are imbibing, and they deserve some love!
