unless you visit (or live in) Prince Edward Island. My recent trip to this North Atlantic paradise was fueled by a steady diet of flavorful beers, but my favorites came from PEI's own Gahan House brewery. Gahan (sounds like gone with an h in the middle) is PEI's main microbrew, and although you can buy growlers and kegs, the beer is not exported. So good luck getting it! Really, this means I could make up whatever I want about these beers and you'd never know the difference. Since this is what I usually do, you'll probably not notice any difference.
Gahan House resides in a charming, homey Charlottetown building with a surprisingly small bar (unless there was another hidden somewhere I didn't see) and a large dining area. Seriously, I think the bar had more taps than seats - and they had seven taps. Skipping out on the guided tour, which I'm sure is a good time, I was still able to check out the brewing vats housed in the basement while on my way to the washroom - that's Canadian for bathroom!
I did my best to try all seven of Gahan's taps, but my efforts were hampered by some of the varieties being unavailable. The bartender had no idea when they'd be back on tap. In fact, it sounds like Gahan House operates on a "we'll brew what we feel like" policy and that they don't try to keep everything in stock all the time. It's sort of like someone's backyard brewing that just blossomed into a full-time gig. Ah, Island Life.
Here's what I had to drink, I think in the order I drank it:
Island Red - pretty much a standard red ale, but tasty nonetheless! A nice balance between caramel malt and pungent hops. The Red Ales seem to be pretty popular in Canada, I believe because red is the only color featured on their flag.
Sydney Street Stout - this was a solid offering, especially on a rainy day like we were having. Dark black body with a mocha-colored head, it had the light body and robust taste you want from a traditional stout. There was a bitter coffee note I really enjoyed. The more I think about it, the more I wish I had had more of these over the course of the week - if only we'd had more stout-worthy weather!
Sir John A's Honey Wheat - This was probably my favorite of the bunch, but if you read this blog you'll know that honey beers hold a special place in my heart. Sir John A was the fellow who pretty much invented Canada or something and this sweet wheat was a fitting tribute to his genius and magnificence.
Coles Cream Ale - I was excited to try this, but it was all tapped out. I will continue to imagine that it tastes just like cream soda.
Harvest Gold Pale Ale - By the time I had this, I was three or four pints deep. 20-oz Imperial Pints. Of beers that probably sat between 5% and 6% APV. On an empty stomach. All I can say is that I only had one during the entire trip, so it probably wasn't very exciting. Side note: one of my favorite things about Canada is the Imperial Pint. Other side note: the women of PEI all are beautiful. Proof: My girlfriend pointed this out to me.
Iron Horse Brown Ale - Tasty, malty, and super smooth, with enough hop bite to balance it all out. This was a good beer, but its true strength came in mixing it with the other draughts. More on that later, like in another blog post. Man vs Beer teaches patience. In the meantime let me just say again how hot those PEI girls were. Like three out of every five were 9's. What's going on up there? And why isn't it going on down here?!
1772 India Pale Ale - Another beer I was excited to try, both because I like IPA's and it was heavily advertised as Gahan's newest brew. Unfortunately, this was another beer that was MIA. I think this is a good strategy for a brewery - just come up with names for beers and never actually make them. In fact, just serve PBR and food coloring out of different taps. That's it - I'm opening a bar.
