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Don’t get me wrong; I find beer bellies very attractive, and there were plenty to be seen at the Halifax Seaport Beerfest. I grew up in small town Quebec, and my first drink of beer was actually a Guinness that was purchased for me by my older sister, Geneviève. I then became a regular consumer of Labbatt 50 (Brewnoser, don’t laugh or think less of me). I could always be found on a Friday night with a quart of 50 by my side, and another chillin’ on ice at the fire pit. Since then my beer “buds”" have changed, although, I’ll admit to buying a case of 50 every time I go home.

These days, I am a fan of the microbreweries here in Halifax; Propeller, Garrison, Granite Brewery. Today I had the pleasure of being asked to join the media tour at the Seaport Beeerfest, led by Christine White, of Taste Of Nova Scotia, and had the opportunity to sample a bevy of beauties before the hordes of people arrived. Our first stop was at the Q104 booth where Garrison had specially made a beer called Q-Brew; very nice! We then hit up Propeller (I had the Pilsner; one of my favorites), then to Garrison, Rudder’s Pub (based out of Yarmouth), and then some crisp Stutz Cider crafted by Hanspeter  at Grand Pré Winery. After the media tour, I was left to my own devices and sampled about twenty or so beers. My favorites included the “Paienne” from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel (Thanks Jeff for the recommendation!); the Mill St. “Wit” and of course the two ciders from Stutz and Tideview. So, with beer goggles starting to appear before my eyes, we made a mad dash for the ferry back over Dartmouth to talk about the great beers we had tried, and those we wished we had not.