Remembrance Day: Mum, Dad, this brew's for you

Napoleon stated that an army travels on its stomach. During World War Two, the Allied Forces often travelled on their beer. Those Canadians stationed in Britain sipped beer to celebrate a victory or surviving another day. But it took awhile for our soldiers to get used to the British brew. 

Unlike Canadian lager, British beers such as Pale Ale, Bitter, and Mild had more flavour from the malt and hops, had less gas, and were served at room temperature.

Just last week, I discovered a new British brew at the Ironwood LDB: Marston’s Lancaster Bomber Amber Ale ($2.19 for the 500mL tall can). This is exactly the type of beer that Canadian troops would have tasted when they arrived in Britain.

True to its name, the Amber Ale is a beautiful dark amber colour with a good froth on top. It smells of flowers from the hops and biscuits from the yeast.

The malted barley adds a sweet toffee flavour, which is balanced with the bitterness from the four types of hops. Overall, a delicious full flavoured British Bitter, which has won gold and silver medals in international competitions.

In addition to discovering a great beer, what really blew me away was the close connection to my family.

My dad, Flight Lieutenant Carl Hanson, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during WWII, was a navigator on the Lancaster Bomber, the plane the beer is named after!

The “Lanc”, a four-engine heavy bomber played a crucial role in the Allied bombing of occupied Europe.

The risks were so high that almost half of all aircrew never made it to the end of their tour.

Fortunately, my dad survived his tour of duties and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

The DFC is British military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces, including the RCAF for “an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy.”

Another positive result of my father’s role in the war was meeting a Yorkshire “Wren,” a woman in the British Navy.

They married immediately after the war ended. The “Wren,” Ronnie, was my mother and she became one of thousands of British war brides to leave the UK and follow their Canadian husbands back to Canada to begin a new life.

As we pause to remember the sacrifice our soldiers made during conflicts like the Second World War, I will be lifting a glass of Lancaster Bomber Amber Ale with pride and appreciation in my heart, a tear in my eye, and a toast, “Dad and Mum, this brew’s for you!”

Eric Hanson is a retired Richmond teacher and British beer fan.