When his radio show goes on the air Sept. 28, Colin Jack will try to prove discussions about beer don't have to descend into shouting matches between "tastes great" and "less filling."

With a background in Canadian history, Jack, 40, is determined to see beer take its place among beaver pelts and canoes as a vital part of Canadian culture.

"What's more Canadian than beer?" he asked.

The show is scheduled to air on 650 AM at 6 p.m. once a month.

While beer is huge business in Canada, Jack said there's a surprising disparity between consumption and knowledge.

"Most people don't know much about the beer they're drinking," he said.

While he's not opposed to tipping back a pint over chicken wings and nachos, Jack said beer can enhance many meals.

"The natural carbonation actually cleanses your palate," he said.

Jack said a nice amber ale can accentuate smoked gouda cheese, while curry goes nicely with an Indian pale and ale and a red pasta sauce is a little sweeter when served with a cream ale.

Jack said he recommends limiting wine drinking to before or after dinner, but not during, or people can do what he does.

"I drink beer before, during and after," the schoolteacher said.

For the last five years, Jack said he's spent his days teaching business and information technology at St. John's School, but the radio show is a natural extension of that work.

"First and foremost, we're about educating," he said. "To me, it's really important that people appreciate but not abuse."

Jack said he's a proponent of small sample sizes when it comes to beer tasting, and he never drinks before driving home.

"People need to treat beer like they treat wine," he said.

Jack said he believed strongly enough in his radio show to reach into his own pocket for the first four shows, scheduled to air once a month. He said he's spent between $6,000 and $10,000 to produce the show, partially because of difficulty in finding sponsorship.

"There's a lot of people who say a beer show won't work," he said.

Out of 46 breweries in B.C. Jack said he's been to 41, and he said the flavours he's tasted and the stories he's heard are worth sharing.

He focused on R & B Brewing Company on East Fourth Avenue just off Main Street. The microbrewery, featuring concoctions such as Hop Goblin India Pale Ale and Dark Star Oatmeal Stout, is one of several breweries who were almost forced into business when a major brewery laid-off workers from one of their plants, according to Jack.

While he speaks highly of amber ales including Yukon Red and Thirsty Beaver, Jack expressed reticence about naming a favourite.

"I always feel shy to name a favourite because every brewery has at least one beer that I adore," he said.

His co-host Joe Leary called Jack a sommelier of beer, and said it was time for a radio show dedicated to ales and lagers.

"It's a working class drink that's been relegated to the back pages," he said.

Leary said his partner for the show had an incredible ability to discuss just about any beer.

"You can hit him with anything beer related, and he can speak on it," Leary said. "I can drink 'em, but I can't talk 'em."

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