Bob & Doug Mania, eh?

Happy Canada Day – enjoy the video below!

The loveable Canadian hosers, among Canada’s greatest ambassadors.

Enjoy this trip back to 1983 …

 

Beer, eh?

Ask any Canadian to name things that define our country and beer will certainly make the shortlist. We didn’t invent it, perfect it nor do we drink a terribly large amount of it per capita (citation needed) – but boy – we sure do identify with it. Maybe Bob and Doug MacKenzie are to blame, I mean thank, however – for whatever reason beer is a point of eternal pride among Canadians and one of the few essential items we use to identify ourselves. Beer, along with poutine and strippers, was imported to Canada by the French settlers in the 17th century. For once, the Canadian climate was a bonus as the country could serve as the world’s largest refrigerator.

The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in 1668. John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1829, Thomas Carling in London, Ontario in 1840, John Labatt in 1847, also in London, and Eugene O’Keefe in Toronto. Over the next century, these names became famous world-wide. After the First World War, Canada flirted with prohibition briefly but quickly abandoned the idea once people realized this would include beer and rye. (Canadian whiskey) Of course, many people became rich as liquor flowed across the border to our Southern neighbours. (You’re welcome.)

For better or worse, the market in Canada for domestic beer became dominated by large breweries like Labatts and Molsons. Their two main brands Canadian and Blue crowded out the market and restrictive liquor licensing laws gave Canadians little choice.

Since the 1980s, many of the draconian laws that restricted beer sales began to ease and Canadians have enjoyed a recent beer renaissance as of late, with many micro-brewery and craft beers being introduced. (Many very good). Canadians could choose more styles of domestic beer and even, god-forbid, foreign beers. Canadian beer did quite well for itself and the fear of being swamped by foreign brews never came to fruition. In fact, Canadian beers are quite popular in American markets, although mainly closer to the border.

There is a long-standing joke that every Canadian already knows. In short, American beer is like having sex in a canoe in that they are both ‘fucking near water’. I’m sorry to tell you that while Canadian beer is slightly stronger – it is only barely. You see, the numbers on the beer labels lie. The average Canadian beer is only 0.5% stronger than the average U.S. beer. You see, Americans use a different method of measuring alcohol content that we do. So, despite it going in the face I have been taught growing up – I feel it is my duty to set the record straight – a 5% Canadian beer is virtually equal to the 4% American. That being said, the fact you learned about ours being so much tastier and more awesome? That was spot on.

Of course, Canadians do drink all other sorts of booze as well, as many of my previous posts will attest. In fact, there is nothing you cannot get here – well, within reason of course. Anyway, I think I’ve written enough for now but I will make it a point to discuss both rye (Once again, foreigners know it as ‘Canadian whiskey) and for sure the Bloody Caesar (think Bloody Mary + clam pee and you’re in the right neighbourhood).  Well, I think I’ll go celebrate another post the way I celebrate all of them – with a cold beer. Until next time, cheers!

SOURCE: Canucklehead.ca