beer

Hey.

I’m not a lumberjack, or a fur trader, and I don’t live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dog sled, and I don’t know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada, although I’m certain they’re really, really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a President. I speak English and French, not American, and I pronounce it ‘about’, not ‘a boot’.

I can proudly sew my country’s flag on my backpack. I believe in peacekeeping, not policing; diversity, not assimilation; and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.

A tuque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced zed: not zee – zed!!

Canada is the second largest land mass! The first nation of hockey! And the best part of North America!

My name is Joe!! And I am Canadian!

… Thank you.

If this left you confused, or angry, you probably aren’t Canadian.

This was part of a series of Commercials released in the late 1990’s by Molson, the beer company. It prompted many spoofs and spin offs- it’s been a long running joke up here that Americans don’t know much about their neighbours to the north, a fact that both irritates and amuses. On one hand, as seen above, it can be fun to play up the stereotypes. There’s this understated sense of entitlement among Canadians that since we know more about you than you know about us, we’re just a little bit better. However, we would almost never admit it- that would be rude. As Canadians we seek our southern partner’s approval with almost an embarrassing eagerness (We’re just like you, honestly!), yet at the same time cast aside the idea that we are the same. We’re like the little sibling desperately wanting to be included with the older one, yet not wanting the fact to be pointed out.

I’ve been struggling with ideas for posts, trying to think of topics that I know quite a bit about. Then it struck me like a hockey puck to the side of my toque-covered head- I am among a select few Canucks here. Why not write about that?

So just like SiS asks for topics about science and then writes stories on that, I am asking this of you: What is something about Canada that you would like to know about? Politics, beer, our East vs. West mentality, marijuana, shopping, sports, culture, tv personalities, healthcare, differences between the American way and the Canadian way of doing thigns, how we survive 6 months of winter… you name it, I will do my best to talk about it. If I have no clue, I’ll try to figure it out. I can’t speak for the whole country, just my little neck of the woods.

(Disclaimer: I love you guys, I really do. I mean no offence to anyone and I am sincerely sorry if any has been taken.)

You know what the best thing about the winter holiday season is? Of course you do, it’s holiday themed alcohol. Wondering what kind of sweet boozy nectar is the best to get trashed on this holiday season? You’re in the right place.

Gingerbread ale. I was browsing the aisles at Whole Foods one day when I stumbled on this gem. It’s dark, spicy, and tastes likes Christmas (just like me). Sadly, it’s only sold in four-packs, and doesn’t have a wide availability, but if you see it around, it’s definitely worth picking some up.

Pumpkin ale. Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale is pure deliciousness. It’s the orangey/brown color you expect out of a ‘punkin’ ale, and tastes moderately sweet while being heavy on the spice, but low on the pumpkin. Honorable mention to Blue Moon’s Harvest Moon since it’s more widely available.

Celebration ale. Sierra Nevada’s celebration ale is an amber-ish IPA with extremely bitter after notes. It’s pine-y, earthy, not very sweet, and the bitter lingers for ages. It doesn’t really taste like the holidays, but that doesn’t stop me from consuming mass amounts of this stuff once it’s on the shelves.

Sam Adam’s Winter Classics pack is my go-to party beer during the colder months since there’s a beer in here for even the pickiest drinkers. While I enjoy all of the beers included, the stand-out is really the Holiday Porter. It’s dark, and slightly creamy with a much lighter mouthfeel thank you would expect. But oh-so-good. My runner-up in this pack is the Winter Brew. An amber colored, pumpkin pie-spicy bock

Eh?

Let’s get boozy pt. 1