That's a Shipload of Beer!
Labatt company officials, who were at first keeping a lid on the name of the craft brew, have now disclosed that the ship will carry barrels of Alexander Keith’s Traditional Lager that will be distributed for the first time in the United States. Buffalo, the City of Good Neighbors, was chosen to be the first city in the nation to try the beer.
Marketing Director of Labatt USA Peter Bodenham said "This is a very, very fun brand from the original brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia," adding, " Alexander Keith is not new in Canada. Keith, who was also the mayor of Halifax at one point started this brewery in the 1800's, and we roll out about 240 million bottles a year in Canada."
As for the American presence, Bodenham said, "We'll do business with primarily border states--Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan--but upstate New York is our largest market. And anyone familiar with craft beers knows the importance of authenticity and heritage. We want to build awareness of this beer in a fun way. Keith was very sociable, and this beer will bring its culture with it. This is the kind of beer people enjoy in Halifax at long tables with bench seating. It makes you want to have a pint or two while you enjoy your company."
Labatt hopes to recreate that sociable atmosphere tomorrow, complete with traditional, lively music. The Challenge will enter the Erie Basin Marina to the sounds of bagpipes and drums welcoming them in. Deckhands and "wenches" dressed in period clothing will unload barrels of beer for distribution in the United States.
The public is welcome to attend the Saturday afternoon event. The last time Buffalo welcomed a Tall Ship into its harbor was the Amistad in September of 2003.
May 10
Noon
Erie Basin Marina
Update:
Alexander Keith’s will be ceremonially delivered to the following locations tomorrow between the hours of 4:30 and 7:30. The beer will be delivered by wenches, a Scottish bagpiper and a privateer. Bar Patrons who are present in the bar during the delivery will receive a free taste of Alexander Keith’s.
· Pearl Street
· WJ Morrissey's
· Coles
· Casa Di Pizza
· Colter Bay
· Darcy McGee's
· Brinks
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Comment Options
Hoss
Awesome!!!
Hopefully they don't get boarded by pirates, errr, Homeland Security Agents.
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r129
Calling Alexander Keith's a craft beer is a joke. I was tricked into trying their IPA in Toronto, because I thought it was going to be IPA, and I was shocked at how flavorless it was. I can't even imagine what the lager must taste like.
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NorPark
Will they have samples available for drinking or are they just going to tease us?
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DJB
The lager is actually pretty good. It is true that many breweries call any light colored beer a 'pale ale', when they are more similar to a light ale or lager. Microbreweries don't make this mistake, but many commercial brewers do and I've found the same problem from other Canadian breweries. A true pale ale is a beer style that is hoppy and bitter and would never be described as 'flavorless'.
Whether you prefer lagers or IPAs watching the ship come in the Erie Basin Marina and being served by a few beer wenches on a Saturday sounds fun to me.
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NorPark
Not very favorable reviews of this brew at beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com, however sounds like a pretty cool event, so I will certainly be there to come to my own conclusions.
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mbhxam
i think they should fill the commercial slip with this beer and then place great big straws in for all to sample...now THAT is a waterfront i can get down with!
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CapedCrusader
"those who like it, like it a lot"
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LivingForge
We need more events like this in the harbor and at the canal terminus to recall Buffalo's place in the War of 1812 and Western expansion/colonizing. These are the kinds of ships that help tell this story.
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Jas
I tried it recently. It tastes just like any other mass-produced lousy beer. Give me my micro brew!
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NickInPHL
For a macro, this is a fantastic beer. Much better than any American macro and it beats Canadian and Blue hands-down. Obviously a lot of people will still prefer microbrews, but for a mass-produced beer that you can buy a case of at any store, this Canadian brew is superb.
NorPark, don't be dissuaded by the poor reviews on beeradvocate and ratebeer. These are mostly because it's called Keith's IPA, even though the beer is most definitely NOT a true India Pale Ale, nor is it a real English IPA either. If you read the Wiki, the brewery kept the IPA tag because of tradition, not because it's actually an IPA in the modern context. Most reviewers who don't know any better expect a really hoppy beer, which Keith's is most definitely not. I'm sure if they scrapped the IPA from the title, the ratings would shoot up.
This will be a hit in Buffalo as a better alternative to the weekenders of Molson and Labatt you can buy at Consumer's.
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NorPark
So do we know yet if they will be giving out samples at the marina, or will it just be a big dog and pony show?
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WIGS
how dare ye mock Keith's beer. while it certainly is mass produced so it cannot qualify as craft brewed, it is still only brewed at one brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia where its been made since 1820.
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sbrof
sounds fun..
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NickInPHL
NorPark,
I'm guessing that if they're going to be giving away free beer to people in the bars they're ceremoniously delivering to in the afternoon, they'll probably give a free one away to the public attending the event as well. It would be good PR.
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RisingDamp666
Now, if only Buffalo can get the Amstel Beer ten-person "Beer Bike".
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BuffaloNY
It's about time Keith's is coming to the states. You've been able to buy it at Duty Free for some time now but it's a great beer. colter bay has had it on tap for a couple weeks. I'm siked.
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