Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale
Alexander Keith's

mildly tasted like a buttered popcorn jelly bean. bought it at the caesar's casino in Windsor

 

 

 

Great for a lager witch what it realy is.

 

 

 

Worst beer available in Winnipeg, next to Kokanee.

 

I'm not sure I've given this good a score to a beer that everyone else (per the BA average) felt was so Poor.
But I must say, this beer did its job: refreshing after 90 minute flight delays in Chicago and a bumpy bus ride from Calgary airport into the Rockies.

More important than my review is my remark that I find it funny the brewer calls this an IPA (I presume in the British tradition since Nova Scotia is close geographically and spiritually) and BA has 697 reviews with American Blonde styling. It also should be noted that UnTappd averages this as a 3 rating and BA's average is 2.63. Something screwy going on here since I find BA usually .25 above UnTappd's average. Not to quibble; but remember beer is to be enjoyed first and analyzed second.

And since Alexander Keith is the "Pride of Nova Scotia", they deserve better than average Overall Hugs from me. I went on their website and they are genuine for 200 years.

 

12 Oz bottle. Pours golden with white head. Aroma is of sweet fruit and bready malt. Body is medium and crisp. Floral hops, bready malt and ripe fruit fill the mouth. Medium dry finish. Ok brew.

 

People don't understand that this is not the English IPA first brewed by Alexander Keith, in Halifax back in 1820 (the first IPA brewed in North America). Until Anheuser-Busch got their claws into it, this was a heavily-hopped, all malt (no corn) mash IPA. Now, it is a weak-flavoured, lightly-hopped, 5% ABV Blonde lager, which meets none of the criteria for an IPA. This is not the beer I drank at university, not even a pale (forgive the pun) imitation. It is thin, light, with no lacing, and a taste typical of Anheuser-Busch swill. Might as well be drinking Bud Light (but no one really drinks that, it's just an urban legend, just like the notion that there are people who actually drink Moxie). This was my go-to beer back many decades ago, but now, I wouldn't touch it.

So I rated this as an IPA. Much like if someone showed you a cow and asked you to rate it as a horse. So as an IPA this is terrible. As a lager it is good.

 

All the complaints about wanting this beer to be an IPA or I was tricked needs to understand this isn't a real IPA. Hell this was one of the first mainstream "IPA's" out there. It's brewed like an IPA and was supposed to make the journey to INDIA and ferment but instead it just gots sold in Nova Scotia and became the standard beer. Not reaching that fermentation it doesn't hit the same as a real IPA buts boy does it do the trick and many a nights where you just come home reeking of this fine working mans beer. Stops comparing it to sierra nevada IPA its in the class with the beers that put hair on your chests like miller lite and coors lite.

Good autumn/winter beer. Can see myself drinking these on a crisp day at the golf course.