So when is an IPA not really an IPA?

Not only is Keith's not an India
Pale Ale, I'm not even sure it's
an ale, period. Unless ale is
actually spelled "l-a-g-e-r" out
there in Halifax, Nova Scotia...

There seems to be some sort of online movement afoot to have Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale renamed. I can certainly understand why. Since IPAs are my beer style of choice these days, Keith's certainly doesn't measure up to the standards to which I hold a good IPA. (That's right, I used the word "I" and "standards" in the same sentence. Frankly, you should all be stunned that I have some... and less-than-shocked that my so-called "standards" pertain to beer...)

Okay, quick history recap: British ships sailing to India in the 1800s carried big-ass barrels of beer. Why? Because that's how countries made friends back in the 1800s. They got them drunk. Same as now but with ships. But the beer always arrived flat. Ask any guy in a frat house how many friends that's gonna score you. So British brewmasters discovered if you upped the hop level of the beer during its production, it would arrive in India fresh as a daisy... a beer-soaked daisy. A happy side-effect of this super-hopped joy juice was that British bar patrons thought, "Hey, this has some bite to it" and happily quaffed away until Jack The Ripper killed them. Well, if they were hookers. He seemed to leave everyone else alone. I'm not Sigmund Freud but I'm going to guess someone had Mommy Issues...

Okay, back to Keith's - so why the fuss? Well, present criteria for IPAs generally call for the beer to have at least 5.5% alcohol by volume (though most are over 6%) and anywhere in the range of 40 to 100 IBUs (international bitter units) which is what gives IPAs their tangy quality.

Flying Monkey Brewing founder and owner Peter Chiodo
holds up one of Canada's best IPAs, Smashbomb Atomic
IPA. This stuff makes you feel 10 times more super-clever...

Keith's, on the other hand, is only 5% and has an IBU of less than 20. And good luck finding out what its IBU is. The actual IBU of Keith's is written on a note in the left pocket of missing gangster Jimmy Hoffa - my guess? About 10 to 15. Beer purists argue, and I get this, that Keith's should not identify itself as an IPA. Indeed, when it is shipped to the United States, it is under the name Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Style Pale Ale. Keith's, on the other hand, is resisting the notion of a name change, noting simply that they've been brewing it since the 1800s, calling it that since the 1800s and that the beer snobs are free to take a long walk off a short Nova Scotia pier. Was Keith's IPA an actual hop-driven IPA back in the 1800s that has simply been mellowed down to suit the generic tastes of the typical Canadian beer drinker? Possibly. Let's find a Nova Scotian who was of legal drinking age in 1850 and ask him, shall we?

Now THIS was an awesome American find!!! Founder's
Brewing, out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, make this
outstanding Centennial IPA. So good, it gave me wood.

Anyway, the brew-ha-ha (geezuz, that sounds familiar) has gotten to the point where a West Coast craft beer lover has started a petition, trying to force Keith's to change the name. This is the petition: Petition Against Keith's Despite the fact the petition is over a year old, only 188 have signed it - in a country of 34 million. Why? Because "who cares", that's why. My sole concern would be if it was getting shipped to the United States as Canada's leading-selling IPA. But it's not. So to the Americans reading this, let me just say this: Keith's is a large-selling, mass produced Canadian lager. Would I order one in a bar? Absolutely. It's a decent little beer, not an IPA but still good enough to get the job done. But I would also wanna know what the guy on the floor had been drinking so I could try that, too. As Molson's motto goes: An honest beer makes its own friends. And eventually, the floor becomes a familiar acquaintance. (Molson's might not have said that second part...)

The best part of Red Racer IPA from Central City
Brewing in Surrey, BC, is that it was created by a
friend of a friend. So it's my friend by association.

Anyway, since I attended the Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival in the summer, I have been on a Sacred Quest For Hops. You can read about that here: Don's Sacred Quest For Hops Unless you already have, then don't bother. It's not like I've added naked Oktoberfest pictures. (Or have I? Muah ha ha ha ha...) But regular readers know the two Canadian IPAs I love the most are Muskoka Brewery's Twice As Mad Tom Double IPA and Flying Monkey Brewing's Smashbomb Atomic IPA. So have I found similar hidden hoppy treasures since then? Well, of course, I have!! What, you think I sit on my thumbs all day? That would give me thumb arthritis and the thumb is a key and much-needed component in lifting a glass of beer.

First up is Grand Rapids, Michigan, brewery Founders which created its outstanding Centennial IPA. At 7.2% and an IBU of 65, this is a damn fine craft brewery IPA. RateBeer agrees, scoring it at 99, one point higher than Smashbomb Atomic and Twice As Mad Tom. Michigan, take a bow. You have a giant in your midst. The floral aroma, citrusy hops... all bang on.

Out of Kelowna, BC, Tree Brewing's Hop Head IPA is a
strong contender as one of the country's top IPAs

My New Zealand pal, Stevil St. Evil, has been long warning me to keep my eyes peeled for Red Racer IPA. Why? Well, during his bartending days in BC back in the 1980s, Stevil used to work with a chap named Gary Lohin, who then went onto a brew-pub in the 1990s and is currently the brewmaster of Central City Brewing in Surrey, BC. It was Gary who created Red Racer IPA. Stevil, living in NZ as he does, has never had it - it was created after his departure overseas. But I have. And it, too, is top of the class at 6.5% and an IBU of 80-plus. Kangeroos aren't this hoppy. Or delicious. (I assume.) Gary has made an absolutely dynamite beer (also 99 on RateBeer) that has seen numerous returns to the fridge in Donny's Bar and Grill.

A shout-out to my homies, Nickel Brook, parked down the
street and around the corner from me and their punchy
hop fix, Headstock IPA. Absolutely lovin' that it's local

Out of Kelowna, BC, Tree Brewing has created a winner with Hop Head IPA. At 5.8%, which is a little light, and an IBU of 64, this is a strong contender but a wee step lower on the challenger's list than the above-mentioned beer. And I do mean wee step. Don't get me wrong, it scored 95 on RateBeer so it's no slouch. It's just that the competition at the top is so strong. I am eagerly searching out their Hop Head Double IPA (8%, 90 IBU) because I suspect it could crack one of the top spots. Interestingly enough, I recently spotted a Hop Head Black IPA and grabbed a 650ml bottle. Made as a limited edition for the recent "Beer Me, BC" campaign, the one-off is 8.3% and a mind-numbing IBU of 161. The human palate can't even discern above 100. Wanna know what a black IPA with a ridiculously-high IBU level tastes like? IT TASTES LIKE A PORTER!!! Not a little, not a lot - exactly like a porter. I really loved it but like Keith's, it doesn't belong in this IPA edition of Brew Ha Ha! However, that said, it would be perfect for this Pulled Chicken Sliders recipe, courtesy of the Beeroness out of California. Check out that recipe here: Slow Cooker Beer Chicken Sliders... MMMMM

You can't call yourself Immortal when your IBU is a girly 42.
Zeus called - he wants the image of his hand holding a
lightning bolt removed from your packaging at once... if
that 42 IBU figure is correct. It might be 65. We're not sure

Gonna leave my last big shout-out to my home-boys at Nickel Brook Brewing here in Burlington for their Headstock IPA. It scored a little lower on RateBeer (90) but at 7.5% and a nifty 80 IBU, it's one of my favourites. A big part of that is that the brewery is a 10 minute drive from my casa. Like Smashbomb and Red Racer, I buy the stuff all the time. I love it. Okay, quickly wrapping this puppy up, both Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA out of Toronto (7.1%, 65 IBU) and Phillip's Brewing Hop Circle IPA out of Victoria, BC (6.5%, approx 65 IBU) are worth trying. I was warm enough to Elysian, The Immortal IPA out of Seattle but even at 6.3%, its IBU was a sissy 42... or it is 65? I've read both numbers from different sources, both connected to the brewery. (Pretty sure, it's 65 - I can kinda tell now.) And from there, the list went down. Two at the bottom in particular, Paddock Wood 606 IPA out of Saskatoon and Dead Elephant IPA out of St Thomas, Ontario were both dreary efforts. Their brewmasters would be drawn and quartered in ye olden days.

Next up, this weekend, in fact, Brew Ha Ha! FINALLY has its Germany beer in the spotlight. And people, there are some outstanding ones, particularly in a beer style that I am not a fan of in Canada. What style is that? Wait until the weekend. Don't be so damned impatient. Have a Red Racer IPA and chill...

Okay, shout-out... first on deck is New Zealand's own Stevil St Evil who has a very good reason to quaff back the brewskis. It seems after two major operations, his internal thermostat is set at Human Torch levels. Check it out here at: Is It Hot In Here... Or Is It Just Me? And I would like to give my homey, Glenn, a shout-out but I can't even find a recent blog from him... oh well, next time. Until then, I remain...