Gumbo was visiting the Alexander Keith’s Brewery in Halifax. Congratulations to George G and Roderick Simpson who solved this week’s travel puzzle.
While not as famous as it’s founder would have liked, Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery has developed a niche following through Canada, especially in its eastern provinces. The brewery was created almost two centuries ago, in 1820, making it one of the oldest breweries in North America (the oldest surviving commercial brewery is John Molson’s, founded in Montreal in 1786).
Alexander Keith was a Scottish immigrant who had been a brewer in Edinburgh and London before moving to the New World. He had an interesting career that extended beyond brewing and including being mayor of Halifax and President of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia. While in Canada he experimented with ale, porter, ginger wine and spruce beer, but his signature drink was his India Pale Ale. Keith moved his brewery to its final location, a three-story building on Hollis Street in Halifax, where you can still visit it today. The Hollis Street space was shared with the community’s Farmer’s Market for many years before the Market moved to its new Seaport facility.
all the building blocks of beer)
The tour schedule and hours are seasonal, so check with the company’s website before you visit.
I preferred the red amber to the IPA, but of course that’s a matter of personal taste. Which is your favorite type of beer or ale?
