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Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale

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 Inbev, formerly Interbrew. The brewery also produces Oland Brewery beers, distributed in Eastern Canada. To this date there is only a single brewery making the eponymous beer.

When ordering in Canada, one simply asks for a Keith's.

Keith's brewery produces Keith's India Pale Ale, Keith's Red, and Keith's Light. Keith's most popular and most widely distributed beer is its India Pale Ale. Keith's IPA has received some international acclaim, and its popularity outside Canada is growing.

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.

Many beer aficionados are quick to note that Keith's version of an IPA lacks most of the qualities usually associated with the 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. Reviewers sometimes express astonishment at what they perceive to be a misleading marketing gimmick.[1]

It should be noted that Keith's was marketed as an IPA long before the IPA style gained popularity in craft brewing circles as a revived historic beer style. Although the marketing of Keith's emphasizes fidelity to the brewing principles of its namesake, it is highly unlikely that the current recipe bears any resemblance to the original 19th century version. The name suggests that the original Keith's was a strong, heavily hopped ale; the current product is likely the result of a recipe that has been adjusted over the years in an effort to compete with the growing popularity of lagers.

Despite (or perhaps as a result of) its lack of resemblance to an authentic IPA, 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.

• Canadian beer

• Alexander Keith's Brewery
• Alexander Keith's Breweriana Collection