Alexander Keith's Brewery
| Alexander Keith's | |||||||||||||||||
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 "Those who like it, like it a lot" |
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| Location | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | ||||||||||||||||
| Owner(s) | Anheuser–Busch InBev | ||||||||||||||||
| Year opened | 1820 | ||||||||||||||||
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Alexander Keith's is a Canadian brewery founded in 1820 in Halifax, Nova Scotia making it one of the oldest commercial breweries in all of North America. It was founded by Alexander Keith who emigrated from Scotland in 1817. Today, the brewery is under the control of Labatt, a subsidiary of Anheuser–Busch InBev, formerly Interbrew. The brewery also produces Oland Brewery beers, distributed in Eastern Canada.
In April 2011, Alexander Keith's began selling beer in the United States after nearly two centuries of being available in Canada alone.[1]
Keith's brewery produces Keith's India Pale Ale, Keith's Red Amber Ale, Keith's Premium White, Keith's Light Ale, and Keith's Dark Ale previously known as Stag's Head Stout for Canadian markets,[2] and Keith's Nova Scotia Style Pale Ale, Keith's Nova Scotia Style Lager, and Keith's Nova Scotia Style Brown Ale for US markets. Keith's first, most popular, and most widely distributed beer is its India Pale Ale.[3] Keith's has also produced Keith's Ambrosia Blonde, Keith's Harvest Ale, and Keith's Tartan Ale as seasonal brews. Originally brewed in the Halifax brewery, Keith's expanded production to other breweries as well, and is now produced in Ontario (London), Quebec (Montreal), Newfoundland (St. John's), and British Columbia (Creston), in addition to the original Halifax brewery which now produces beer for all of the Maritime provinces.
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[edit] Advertising
Alexander Keith's career as a politician, and the brewery's and Nova Scotia's Scottish heritage are used to market the beer. In 2002, the mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Peter Kelly, included an invitation to visit Halifax in each case of beer.
In the mid-2000s, Keiths ran a series of television adverts showing a beer-obsessed Scotsman, sporting mutton-chops and wearing a thick grey wool sweater and kilt. This character warned other bar patrons in an exaggerated Scottish brogue that they should not spill a drop of their Alexander Keith's ale. However the commercials were pulled after the actor, Robert Norman Smith, was arrested for child pornography in February 2006, of which he was later convicted and sentenced to 21 months in jail.[4][5]
[edit] Authenticity
[edit] Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale
Many beer aficionados are quick to note that Keith's India Pale Ale lacks most of the qualities usually associated with the IPA style: the alcohol percentage is too low (5% ABV vs. the expected 5.5% to 6.5%), as is the level of bittering hops (less than 20 IBU vs. the expected 40-100). It also lacks the fruitiness and heavier body found in most ales. Keith's was marketed as an India Pale Ale long before the IPA style gained popularity in craft brewing circles as a revived historic beer style. This has allowed Keith’s to effectively grandfather the India Pale Ale name in without meeting the current IPA standards.
Despite (or perhaps as a result of) its lack of resemblance to the current IPA standard, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale continues to be Nova Scotia's most popular beer and the number one specialty beer in markets across Canada.
[edit] Alexander Keith's Stag's Head Stout
The issue of authenticity also arose when Keith's Stag’s Head Stout was released. Keith's Stag’s Head Stout was marketed as a "light" stout with the slogan "Stout need not be heavy." As heaviness is a prime factor in the stout classification it was widely panned by critics for not meeting the accepted standards of a true stout.[6] As a result Keith’s decided to rebrand the brew as Dark Ale, a name that better reflects its dark character without the stout standard to meet.
[edit] References
- ^ http://brewmastersjournal.ca/2011/02/03/alexander-keith%e2%80%99s-fine-beers-grows-south-of-the-border/
- ^ http://www.keiths.ca
- ^ http://www.alexanderkeiths.com
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Alexander Keith's Stag’s Head Stout - Alexander Keith's - BeerAdvocate". BeerAdvocate. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/6994/45965/?sort=low&start=0. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
[edit] External links
- Alexander Keith's Brewery
- Alexander Keith's Brewery USA
- Alexander Keith's Breweriana Collection
- Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour
Coordinates: 44°38′41″N 63°34′13″W / 44.6446°N 63.5702°W
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