Canada brewery launches bitter ale for tough times

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - As central bankers try to prop up an ailing global economy with financial bailouts, a tiny Western Canadian brewery has stepped into the battle with what it bills as a recession-fighting ale.

Howe Sound Brewery began selling Bailout Bitter at its pub in Squamish, British Columbia, on Wednesday, and is awaiting permission to begin selling bottles of the brew in stores in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

Howe Sound co-owner Leslie Fenn said the ale, which is similar to a British extra special bitter, was an attempt to inject some humor into tough economic times. It carries the slogan "A bitter ale for bitter times."

In keeping with the tight financial times, it will be sold at a lower price than the brewery's other ales.

"I kept hearing about bailout after bailout ... so we created a beer around it. It just sort of fit," Fenn said.

The brewery has filed to trademark the name in Canada, the United States and England, and may begin selling the ale outside its current small distribution area under contract with other breweries, Fenn said.

(Reporting by Allan Dowd, editing by Rob Wilson)