P.E.I. has B.E.E.R

It has been awhile since I have blogged due mostly to the unscheduled removal of my appendix and the resulting doctor imposed dry-spell, which put a serious damper on my craft beer sampling not to mention the challenges imposed on my mental faculties by taking heavy-duty pain killers.

 

Thankfully I am feeling much more like my old self so I celebrated this emergence from liminality by sampling a quartet of craft brews from Gahan House Brewery  courtesy of some very good friends who remembered that, when you travel, beer makes the best souvenir for the beer geek in your life!

 

Gahan House, originally known as Murphy’s Brewing Co., opened in March 1997 and currently it is P.E.I.’s only brewery (it’s a small island for those who have not visited). As the brewery’s popularity grew they relocated to the Gahan House in Old Charlottetown to meet production needs. In 2000 the brewery changed their name to reflect their connection to the Island’s history; according to the brewery’s website John Gahan was a prominent merchant who imported teas, wines and family groceries. By 2008 Gahan House had begun bottling two of its’ handcrafted ales, Island Red Premium Ale and Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale.

 

 

 

There are seven beers in the Gahan House line-up, four of which are available bottled. After trying all four of their beers one word comes to mind …safe. Now this is not meant to disparage but rather to comment on the fact that this brewery makes four very consistent beers that typify their style while not pushing any boundaries per se. All four beers shared a few features in common, they are very clean, clear, light and drinkable. Of the four I enjoyed the Island Red and the 1772 IPA the most. Gahan House is one of those brewery’s you could readily take a ‘big’ beer drinker to if you wanted to ease them into the world of craft beer.

 

Overall a nice line-up of beers, not mind-blowing, but very drinkable and I really like their commitment to reflecting their historical ties to the Island, specifically and Canadian history, broadly.