Led astray by Alexander Keith

I thought I knew what an India pale ale was when I tasted my first Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale back in the late nineties. I remember liking both the citrusy smell and the slight bitterness of the beverage, and it replaced Molson Canadian as my go-to beer when I went to either the bar or the Beer Store. Even after it was discovered the annoying Scotsman used in an ad campaign liked kiddie porn almost as much as he liked his ale, the popularity of Keith's continued to soar, with it now being available in the U.S. after being a Canadian exclusive for centuries. But as the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Not only is Alexander Keith's not the best India pale ale on the market, it turns out that it isn't even a true India pale ale.

As beer nerds are quick to point out, a proper IPA has a higher alcohol content, is a lot more bitter due to the higher level of hops, and is fruitier in smell, and heavier in body than what you get in Alexander Keith's. Labatt, who owns Alexander Keith’s in Halifax, haven't brewed a strong-tasting ale since the days of  Prohibition, and Keith’s brew master emeritus doesn't feel there is a need to change the long-standing brand. And why should he; as their slogan used say, those who like Keith's, like it a lot. And I still like Keith's quite a bit. I'm not planning to throw out my membership in the Order of the Stag, and I give Alexander Keith all the credit in the world for being a better brewmaster than Samuel Adams ever was (turns out he was more interested in American independence than he was in making beer). But after a recent visit to the LCBO where I bought a random sampling of IPAs, I found a couple of ales that I'll be more than happy to drink over the course of the summer. If you have a chance, have a taste of the following, and feel free to let me know what you think, and if there's an IPA out there that I should be drinking, let me know.

Updated: 12-26-2016

• Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA
• Beaus Beaver River IP Eh
• Beaus Gigantic: La Formidable^*
• Beyond the Pale Aromatherapy
• Great Lakes Brewing Audrey Hopburn
• Great Lakes Brewing Karma Citra^*
• Great Lakes Brewing RoboHop
• Great Lakes Brewing THRUST!^*
• Hop City HopBot IPA
• Hops and Robbers Extra Delicious IPA
• Le Castor Yakima IPA
• Leo's Early Breakfast IPA^*
• Muskoka Brewery Mad Tom IPA
• Nickel Brook Headstock IPA 
• Red Racer India Pale Ale
• Stone Delicious IPA^*

^* Personal favourite