Brew North: How Canadians Made Beer and Beer Made Canada

by Ian Coutts

An intoxicating illustrated history of Canadians' love affair with beer.

Brew North tells the delightful story of our national beverage, from New France and the British conquest, through Prohibition and the beer parlour era, and right up to the rise of the microbreweries. Lively and informative, Brew North puts beer lovers front and centre. Whether they are cowboys quaffing India pale ale in a western saloon, flannel-shirted working stiffs swilling Cinquante from brown "stubbies" in Montreal taverns, or modern-day beer snobs sipping pints of caskbrewed bitter and commenting on its "chocolate and cigar box bass notes," this is the story of the men-and women-who brewed, served, and drank our national beverage. Brew North doesn't just tell this story, it shows it. Early illustrations of rustic taverns and Victorian photographs of opulent saloons are combined with fantastic advertisements, giveaways, and gewgaws brewers have long used to market their product. It's all here, from fussy Victoriana to fifties kitsch to today's sophisticated ad campaigns. Now the classic era of Canadian beer is ending; brewery giants Molson, Labatt, and Sleeman are in foreign hands. At the same time, more small brewers are producing more interesting beers. A new golden age? Brew North arrives at a key moment to chronicle where beer has been and point to where it is going.

Genres: Beer, Canada, Food

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2010

About the author

I'm really excited about my new book, The Perfect Keg: Sowing, Scything, Malting and Brewing My Way to the Best-Ever Pint of Beer. It's all about my adventures making beer from complete scratch. And adventures they were: crop failure, acrid smoke, snarling hounds, band-aid beer, frozen yeast, and a mercurial barrel maker, to name just a few. Despite all that, in the end what I got was... well, I can't reveal too much about that final, aiming-to-be-perfect keg, but I can tell you that I met some wonderful folks, learned a huge amount about brewing, and gained enormous respect for the people who really know how to do it.
And I'm so happy that the book is already striking a chord with readers. J.B. MacKinnon, author of The 100-Mile Diet, says that it will "make you laugh, make you cheer, and make you thirsty."
This and my other books reflect what I most love to do: really research a topic, and then present it in a way that's lively and fun.
I'll be doing media stuff and getting out and around in the U.S. and Canada to talk about the book. Please check out my blog and Twitter feed for details.

Reviews

[Bill Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short and really interesting read. I would recommend this to any beer lover or enthusiast of Canadian or beer history. The book is chock full of fascinating stories and great visuals.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about the history of brewing in Canada. Explains why most of the major commercial beers in Canada today are so tasteless. It fails to explain why Canadian brewers, even the micros, are so afraid of using a decent amount of hops but maybe that's just my personal pre-occupation. Anyway, it's a fairly short, entertaining read and has lots of nice pictures. Yay pictures.

[Melanie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stuff, though needs an update. The newest breweries in it are Beau's and Grand River, and there's been sooooo much action since then, not to mention issues/changes with beer sales, government, etc.

[Ian Coutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it -- and not just because I wrote it! Writing it introduced me to a lot of Canadian history and fun facts I would never have stumbled across otherwise.

[Rosanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book; learned to be proud of my Canadian beer heritage. Ian Coutts has done a massive amount of research and distilled it down to the most interesting parts. Great writer.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good historical on brewing in Canada. Sad what Molsons/Labbatts did to beer in our country.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the tone. It was breezy and fun. It had a lot of trivia and who doesn't like trivia especially about Canadian beer.

It makes me want to see what else this fella has written...