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oneyearalbertabeer · 4 years

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This blog led to a book. Sort of. Check out “Tapping the West”

So, it sure isn’t 2016 anymore. A lot has happened since! Like the installation of strange(r) leaders. An extraordinary reckoning with racism. A global pandemic. And it’s all still happening with no sign of letting up.

Utterly insignificant in comparison, but nevertheless in the midst of it all, came this, my first book - Tapping the West: How Alberta’s Craft Beer Industry Bubbled out of an Economy Gone Flat.

I’m writing about it here, in what I promise will be the last post of One Year of Alberta Beer, because this blog is what inspired it. If you read any of the posts below, you’ll know that I spent Jan.1 to Dec. 31 of 2016 just trying to get to know Alberta craft beer. What a lovely, overwhelming introduction it was.

When it was all over (the year, not the beer), and the industry would go on to double in size in 2017 then continue to grow beyond that, I decided that I needed to know more. No - I decided that the world needed to know more.

I wondered:

How was it possible that this industry was taking off in this way?

What factors were conspiring to make every trip to the liquor store an hour-long exercise in indecision?

What did the rapid growth say about and mean to Alberta?

Where was it all headed?

And much, much more!

Happily, a publisher called Touchwood Editions also felt the world should know. So there you go: Tapping the West, which I never imagined would ever exist back in that very innocent time of early 2016, is now available for your enjoyment and edification. (Get yours today!)

How about my timing, huh? When this book came out in May, we were in lockdown, scrubbing our hands raw and scrolling endlessly through Netflix. What a world. Alberta beer isn’t going to be the thing that saves it, but I can’t help but think the fact that there’s a lot more of the stuff around right now is good thing.

And that’s not just because the beer is so great. It’s bigger than the beer. It’s the spirit of it all. If only we could tap that.

I hope you enjoy the book. Thanks for reading my blog. The end.

#beer #craftbeer #yegbeer #yycbeer #alberta #albertabeer #albertacraftbeer #ABbeer #beerbook #beerwriting #economy #economicdiversification #edmonton #calgary #canadianbeer #canadiancraftbeer

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oneyearalbertabeer · 7 years

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My 5 favourite memories of 1 Year of Alberta Beer

When I started last January on my year of Alberta beer, I could see how it might have looked like an experiment in restriction. My source was a single region, and relatively small. Alberta was a newcomer to craft brewing but for a few veterans among roughly 20 breweries at the time. One tweeter called the experiment masochistic.

Who knew how wrong we'd be?

Alberta is fast approaching 50 breweries, 41 of which I was able to try during this year (some were too small or new to send beer out of their communities and I was unable to get to them). I drank no less than 119 distinct beers made by Alberta-based brewers. I was never short on variety, and quality only rarely.

But the truth is, my year of Alberta beer was never about quantity. It was about exploring what a developing industry had to offer. That turned out to be much more than beer. Oh, the memories. Here are my favourite 5.

First cask

I mentioned this in my contribution to the Daily Beer's best of 2016, but it made such an impression on me that I need to put it here too. In January, I went to my first cask event. Blindman Brewing brought 20 litres of its Ichorous Imperial Stout to an Edmonton restaurant.

The beer was awesome, but what made it a great event was the enthusiasm. The brewers made their way from table to table and everyone was raving about the stout, making for a cozy sense of community. I could not have asked for a better introduction to Alberta beer.

Related: Tasting notes for Blindman Brewing’s Ichorous Imperial Stout (January 2016)

Intro to homebrewing

Another indicator of the excellence of Alberta's craft brewing community arrived as a tweet. In May, @yegbeerjudge notified me that a year of Alberta beer wouldn't be complete without a lesson in all-grain brewing. So he and a couple of his friends and I sat in the backyard sampling beers, grinding malt and boiling wort.

It seemed both immensely complicated and the easiest thing ever, and felt like a glimpse of the big bang that spun out the industry we're seeing take shape today. I left with eyes wide open, even if my vision was a bit blurry.

Related: A recap of my first all-grain brewing lesson

Brewery tours

Of the breweries I toured, the Dandy Brewing Co. made the strongest impression. Ironically, it was because of its smallness - a single bay in a modest-sized building in a northeast Calgary business park. Sales director Matt Gaetz gave me a tour and told me the story of 4 guys who pooled less than 100 grand and gave it a shot.

You could see the spirit of the venture everywhere - the resourcefulness and the can-do attitude (we love that in Alberta, right?) - from the massive gas burner they'd shove under the kettle for a boil, to the milling area sequestered in a loft, to the tiny tasting room out front, packed on a Thursday afternoon. It was all elbow grease and passion, and somehow awesome beer came out of it. A true labour of love, and a privilege to get to see.

Related: 3 great beers from my Calgary beer road trip

2016 Real Ale Festival

Thank Selinus, Osirus, Tezcatzontecatl, or whatever beer god you pray to, for Edmonton Beer Geeks Anonymous. I raise a brimming glass to their tireless efforts to share the miracle of craft beer with the masses. These days, I never miss their marquee cask events.

This summer's Real Ale Festival featured 29 casks from 26 Alberta brewers (and a friends from the Yukon and B.C.) gathered in a south Edmonton outdoor hockey rink. Each one - excellent, good or a little weird - represented a once-in-a-lifetime experience of creative brewing. That could be said of any one-off cask, but you don't often get to celebrate that uniqueness with 400 other geeks united by love of Alberta craft beer.

Related: A preview of the 5th annual Real Ale Festival

Sharing Alberta beer

The thing I’ve enjoyed most about this year of Alberta beer has been sharing my discoveries - or, better still, making discoveries with others. My weekly jam night with a friends Guy (left) and Colin (we have a band called Hinterlands) doubled as an Alberta beer sampling session, with everyone taking turns bringing an untested beer.

"It was cool to try handcrafted beers made by people who really care about what they do," says Colin the guitarist, an enthusiastic convert.

My parents, however, surprised me most. Strictly speaking, retired baby boomers are not craft beer's primary demographic. They’re of a time when Trad was exotic. But mom became quite a skillful taster, picking out spices, fruit and eagerly refilling her dainty little “tasting glass” when uncertain. Dad got into it as well, even if his description of most varieties revolved around “hoppy.”

Still, Alberta beers made a real impression on him. “I've never spent so much time analyzing beer,” he says. “I used to just quaff it down.”

And that, I would say as I bring this illuminating and memorable journey to a close, is one of the most important things to come out of my fantastic year of Alberta beer.

Acknowledgements

This blog would not have been possible were it not for the help of several talented and supportive people. The first is my lovely wife, Leah, who worked the Facebook to get these posts read and also edited them so they were readable. When they weren’t it was because I foolishly ignored her advice.

Thanks also to Linda Hoang, who helped me set this whole thing up, provided invaluable contacts, and guided me through the wacky world of social media.

I could certainly stand to buy Rory Lee another Alberta beer for his great work on the graphics for this blog.

Mark Boulter of Ribstone Creek Brewery and Don MacDonald of Brewsters were among the most eager supporters of this project, and I am grateful for their encouragement and enthusiasm.

Thank you Tourism Calgary for making my Calgary brewery tour possible.

Were it not for the existence of Sherbrooke Liquor and Arcadia in Edmonton, I would never have been able to try so many of our province’s great beers. Alberta beer clearly has a friend in both these great businesses. Please support them.

Thank you to CBC Radio Edmonton AM and Metro Edmonton for helping to spread the word about this blog and therefore also about Alberta beer.

And thank you to all the breweries in Alberta for making the beer that made me stop and think about what I was drinking and if a difference might possibly be made in doing so. I look forward to quietly watching the industry grow into one of Canada’s - and North America’s - finest producers of craft beer.

A toast to our brewmasters.

#Albertacraftbeer #albeerta #beerreviews #abbeer #edmonton #calgary #yegbeer #yycbeer #dandybrewing #blindmanbrewing #edmontonbeergeeksanonymous #realalefestival #craftbeer #ale #stout #homebrewing #1yrABbeer #oneyearalbertabeer

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oneyearalbertabeer · 7 years

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The One Year of Alberta Beer 10 favourite beers of 2016

This is the moment I have been waiting for, though I never thought it would be so difficult. This January, I went into my year of Alberta beer thinking I’d set an achievable goal: try beer from each of the province’s brewers and buy no other beer but theirs. Reaching every one of them may have proved tough but buying local was never an issue.

Compared to the beginning of 2016, Albertans are awash in homegrown product. Picking 10 seasonal and core varieties has meant whittling down a list of more than 100 beers sampled from 42 of our nearly 50 breweries. As readers of the Daily Beer may have seen, I’ve already reported on some of the 10 in that site’s Best of 2016 list. (Thanks again to them for including me.)

Here’s the culmination (in alphabetical order) of a year of hard work and easy drinking. Why can’t all jobs be this fun?

Afternooner Tea Saison Situation Brewing 6% ABV

“Making a saison with tea is nothing new,” Situation co-owner Wayne Sheridan told me at the brewpub’s opening in May. Nevertheless, this hazy, orange-copper beer was a revelation. Mango oolong tea combined with the smooth, Belgian character of the saison gave it a tropical fruitiness made even livelier by an enthusiastic fizz. The tea keeps the party under control, checking the sweetness and spice with a nice tannin finish. A truly memorable patio beer.

Related: 5 beers to try at Situation Brewing

Cowbell Wild Rose Brewery 4.5% ABV

If Alberta sour beers have a “gateway,” this is it. The pungent aroma, a little like cut sod left too long in the sun, signals an intriguing and unique experience, and amply rewards the daring. First sip is tangy and puckering, but quickly smoothed over by a light cereal malt and Kaffir lime, which cuts through with refreshing citrus. After that, you’re left with the essence of crabapple but a dry finish. A superb hot-weather choice (and a bronze medalist at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards).

Related: The mysterious pull of sour beers

Hopped Mead Fallentimber Meadery 7.9% ABV

I’d held off on trying mead simply because it wasn’t beer. Clearly, that was stupid, even if it is closer in character to wine. Fallentimber’s hopped mead is a beautiful pale gold with a celebratory champagne fizz, and scented with Chardonnay grape, newly split pine and peppermint. A sip reveals what the honeybees ate: a sweetness comprising clover, lavender, lilac and wild rose. After a dash of pepper, the hops step forward, earthy and minty, to make a wonderfully balanced and accessible Alberta-made, beer-like, wine-like winner.

House of Pilsner Coulee Brew Co. 5.2%

Coulee’s gloriously golden beer is literally not your father’s pilsner. Though it references that old favourite with the bunnies on the can (originally brewed in Lethbridge, location of Coulee), you know from the big, peppered grapefruit scent alone that this is a break with history. The grapefruit carries through with gusto, with lemon tagging along. Underlying the pleasant bitterness is toasted malt that offers the sweetness of a lightly sugared bowl of Sunny Boy cereal. Tradition is important but it can always be improved. This beer proves that.

Related: More on House of Pilsner and my other favourite Alberta beers of October

Ichorous Imperial Stout Blindman Brewing 10.3% ABV

I rushed to my local growler bar recently when I saw that Blindman released a new batch of Ichorous. When I had this winter seasonal early in the year I was struck by its smooth, dark richness. This imperial stout smells somewhat of licorice and tastes of salted caramel followed by coffee and an earthy hops bitterness. The name derives from the fluid said to run in the veins of Greek gods, which I feel is appropriate – this is a beer that is practically legendary.

Related: Cask night at the Next Act, featuring Ichorous Imperial Stout

Old Man Winter Porter Ribstone Creek Brewery 6.5% ABV

An exceptional winter warmer, Old Man Winter is as dark as a mid-December night and capped with a smooth, gauzy head. A sniff brings toasted marshmallow to mind. A taste offers rich roasted malt and a sweetness tempered by a dark-chocolate finish. This one’s so good (it was a silver medalist at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards) it almost makes it OK that winter’s 6 months long.

Passion d’Ale Belgian Wit Two Sergeants Brewing 5.2% ABV

A particularly robust witbier, Passion d’Ale sacrifices none of the delicate points that help define the style. The scent is nothing if not dainty: fresh bread dough, apple, elderberry and coriander. The taste broadens from there, featuring oatmeal, brown sugar, banana, even hints of honeydew and rose hip. The coriander comes through with cinnamon, pepper and a good dose of orange zest for a bracing finish, dry, crisp and with a slightly acidic bitterness. A great sign that Two Sergeants has hit its stride.

Related: More on Passion d’Ale and my other favourite beers of November

Polly’s Pale Ale Hell’s Basement Brewery 5% ABV

Another recent taste of this at Edmonton’s Blue Plate Diner reminded me of the need to acknowledge the quality of this beer. Alberta brewers are renewing my interest in pale ales, and one of the best examples is Polly’s Pale Ale from Hell’s Basement in Medicine Hat. This copper beer pairs biscuit-and-toffee malt with grapefruit hops to delicious effect. Hot stuff, you might call it. Glad to see it finally having made its way out of Medicine Hat, the city with all hell for a basement.

Related: More on Polly’s Pale Ale and my other favourites of summer 2016

Village Squeeze Lemon Berry Helles Village Brewery 4.8% ABV

With the scent of raspberry and vanilla and lively, crisp carbonation, this helles is like a can of liquid sunshine. The fruit leads the way in the flavour, made tastier still with tart lemon, the mix complemented by subdued toast-and-toffee malt. The hops finish refreshing and minty, making this beer a great way to embrace a precious Alberta summer.

White Raven Bench Creek Brewing 6.5% ABV

White Raven is a beautiful IPA in every way. It’s a lovely mahogany colour, produces an aroma of invigorating pine-and-citrus freshness, and is balanced as perfectly as a pendulum swing. At one end is an exceptional malt profile, accented by soft honey-and-toffee sweetness and easy-going guava. The swing back to the finish reintroduces the hops, bearing citrus, mint and reasonable bitterness. A rare bird, indeed.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 7 years

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My 5 favourite Alberta beer collaborations and one-offs of 2016

Recounting my favourite collaborations and one-offs of my year of Alberta beer is kind of cruel. Unless you had a chance to try them, you probably never will. One-offs are called that for a reason and breweries don’t partner up with the aim of reproducible results.

But they’re worthy of recognition for an important reason. They represent the industry’s sandbox, low-risk places in which inspiration guides creativity. As drinkers, we expect experimentation – that risk is part of the fun.

I think – just like with people – growth can’t happen without chances being taken. Alberta beer is a baby (advanced, I’d say, but I’m biased) still in development. Playing alone or nicely with others is a great way to do it. Here are 5 teachable moments that impressed me most in 2016.

Dragon Series Alley Kat Brewing Co.

As I’ve said before in this blog, I’m a sucker for a good beer geek out. So, even if it’s not intentional, I like the professorial quality of Alley Kat’s Dragon series of (mostly) double IPAs, the majority of which are single hopped, letting inexpert drinkers like me to get acquainted with the distinct qualities of a variety.

The bonus is that they’re delicious. “Cerulean” stood out to me, with its scent of pine and rose (I was supposed to get apple or pair but didn’t) and body of rich caramel and loaded fruit salad: maraschino cherry, green apple, grapefruit, cantaloupe, even almond.

I regret not getting more than one bottle but, happily, it’s a series. I already regret not buying another Amarillo, Cerulean’s successor, and look forward to mourning Magenta, currently chilling in the fridge.

Related: A taste of Alberta Dragon, made entirely of ingredients grown in the province

Related: Further tasting notes for Cerulean Dragon, single hopped with Calypso

The Hermit Bench Creek Brewing and Ribstone Creek Brewery 6% ABV

Speaking of beer geek outs, this one takes the (yeast) cake. For all the wonderfully nerdy details, check out Jason Foster’s post on a side-by-side tasting of the 2-beers-in-1 (or is that 1-beer-in-2?) that came out of this meeting of 2 of Alberta’s best breweries.

The short version is that the breweries were inspired by the spiced fruit of the age-old hermit cookie, thinking its flavour profile would lend well to a brown ale. But rather than meet at a 1 brewery, they made both made it using the same recipe. “We wanted to create a unique experience for the Alberta beer drinker,” says Mark Boutler, Ribstone’s director of marketing.

Success! The result is a glimpse into the capricious but fascinating world of beer making. As Foster points out, the Hermits are distinct beers. The recipe, as experienced brewers know, is just part of the process. Other variables include water, fermentation temperatures, exposure time to spices, the alignment of the planets, and so on.

Science aside, these are delightful beers, each in its own way. Bench Creek’s shot, fizzier and livelier, is toasty and biscuity, showcasing the more savoury aspects of the hermit cookie. Ribstones’ takes another tack, fruit-forward, and accented with walnut, coffee and vanilla.

The dual-brewery experiment marks a first for Alberta beer. Happily, it is likely not the last for the Twin Creeks, as the breweries call their collaboration. “We look forward to the next one!” says Bench Creek owner Andrew Kulynych.

Marzen The Dandy Brewing Co. 6.3% ABV

My Calgary beer road trip coincided with the city’s Oktoberfest, for which the Dandy Brewing Co. had smartly brewed a marzen, a Bavarian lager. After my tour of the brewery, co-founder and marketing and sales director Matt Gaetz pour me a taster (it’s the one at the top).

“I honestly think it is one of the best beers we have ever done,” he said.

The orange-amber beer was brewed in March and had been aging since. It offered roast malt on the nose, and dark stone fruit, savoury spice and a lot of caramel on the palate. It was perfect – and to think that, other than “marzen,” it didn’t even have a name, as if brewers’ expectations of it were far too humble.

I hope that I’m wrong to put it on this list. Perhaps there are plans to put in another batch this spring and make it a seasonal? If so, there’s also plenty of time to give it the great name it deserves.

Related: My 3 favourite beers from my Calgary beer trip

One Summer in Saskatoon Cold Garden Beverage Co. 6.2% ABV

Speaking of that Calgary trip, Cold Garden was a warm welcome for an Edmontonian out of his element. Marketing director and co-owner Kris Fiorentino met me for lunch and a chat at the Nash, and guided a tasting of the brewery’s Red Smashed in Buffalo Jump and This Must Be the IPA.

“I loved this beer right up until they did the dry hopping,” Fiorentino laughed and said of the IPA.

Impressed, I decided later that afternoon to locate more of the brewery’s beer. At Craft Beer Market, I found a saison: the pleasingly complex One Summer in Saskatoon. The hazy red copper seasonal smelled of yeast, nutmeg, elderberry, gingerbread, even fallen leaves.

It tasted even better. One Summer featured a sturdy malt foundation of whole grain toast and caramel as well as heady spices and a lively snap of pepper. The saskatoons came along soon after, a rustic juiciness accompanied by the essence of raspberry and vanilla. The finish seemed a logical conclusion: an earthy bitterness with zest of orange rind.

This beer – and this brewery – was one reason I left Calgary with a looming sense of envy. Edmonton has progressed more slowly and, if all goes well, is soon to be home to more up-and-comers than ever. They’ll do their own thing and do it well, but it wouldn’t hurt to look to the talented newbies in the south who have blazed the trail.

Peculier Fellows Old Ale Blindman Brewing Co. and Trouble Monk Brewery 5.7%

My favourite central Alberta breweries proved that going back to basics needn’t be boring. This year, nearly neighbours Blindman (Lacombe) and Troubled Monk (Red Deer) got together to brew up a wonderfully satisfying dark beer, Peculier Fellows Old English Ale.

Root-beer brown, it smelled of wood smoke and peat, well-worn leather, dark chocolate and black licorice. It was downright grandfatherly, but without veering into grumpy old man territory.

That is to say it was incredibly light and, as it warmed, smooth. In just a few minutes at room temperature, any edginess of the roasted malt was replaced by medium-dark chocolate and buttered rye toast. Peculiarly, it finished with the flavour of fennel.

More foundational than flashy, this was a great addition to Alberta tap takeover at Beer Revolution during Alberta Beer Week 2016. A portion of the batch was canned. It’s worth looking for just to see how a young industry (and even younger breweries) is quickly gaining mastery of tradition.

Related: More about Peculier Fellows and my other favourite Alberta beers of October

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oneyearalbertabeer · 7 years

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The Daily Beer was kind enough to include me among a selection of Alberta beer bloggers in this look back on the highlights of 2016.

Check out what made the lists of Jason Van Rassel, Adam Seguin, Haydon Dewes, and more. Your new favourite beer is in there, waiting to be discovered.

#Albertacraftbeer #Dailybeer #beerbloggers #beerreviews #adamseguin #jasonvanrassel #hipsterbeerrun #dontse #ABbeer #bestof2016 #2016inreview

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oneyearalbertabeer · 7 years

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My 3 favourite Alberta beers of November (and more!)

Of the 13 Alberta beers I tried from 10 breweries in November, here are the 6 that stood out for me - 3 easy-to-find favourites, 1 that won’t last forever, and 2 more to consider. Enjoy!

The November Top 3

Golden Gaetz Golden Ale Troubled Monk Brewery 5% ABV

I was tempted to think this beer would be a bore, with its clear gold colour and subtle scent of green apple and honey. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

True, it's as straightforward as a prairie main street (Gaetz Ave., a downtown Red Deer roadway, lends its name to the ale) and is more pleasant and dignified than fancy. Golden Gaetz is full-bodied and balanced. A wholesome toastiness serves as the foundation for understated honey, the impression of vanilla and the suggestion of wild berries.

A spicy fizz and minty bitterness at the end help make this more than a reliable "gateway" beer. For me, this deliciously versatile beer will do just as well as a personal go-to as it will for making converts to the world of craft.

Passion d’Ale Belgian Wit Two Sergeants Brewing 5.2% ABV

After working out equipment issues, Fort Saskatchewan's Two Sergeants is putting more product on local shelves these days, each made with English barley and branded with a military theme reflecting the brewers' former careers. My favourite so far: Passion d'Ale Belgian wit.

This one seems more robust than the average witbier without sacrificing the delicate points that help define the style. The scent, for instance, is nothing if not dainty: fresh bread dough, apple, elderberry and coriander.

It toughens up in the taste, featuring a strong malt backbone with the flavour of oatmeal and brown sugar. There's fruit, but in place of the expected banana there's honeydew infused with rose hip. The coriander comes through with cinnamon, pepper and a good dose of orange zest for a bracing finish, dry, crisp and with a slightly acidic bitterness.

Passion d'Ale has me thinking Two Sergeants has hit its stride. Looking forward to seeing where they go next.

Cerulean Dragon Double IPA Alley Kat Brewing Co. 7.5% ABV

Since the double IPAs in Alley Kat's Dragon series come and go, it seems almost unfair to single out one as a favourite, especially because it's likely hard to find by now.

That said, I want to highlight Cerulean, single hopped with Calypso, to point out the virtues of the series (started in 2011). Each one is a great beer geek out, allowing the drinker to zero in on the flavours of one variety of hops (or the interaction of a couple, which has occasionally been the case with the Dragons).

With the deep-gold Cerulean, Calypso is obvious in both scent and flavour. On the nose, I get pine and rose (the bottle suggests I should get apple or pear but I don’t pick that up).

The balance is excellent; this is a big but highly palatable beer. Rich caramel meets a well-composed fruit salad, garnished with a little mint. I get maraschino cherry, almond, green apple, grapefruit and the soft pungency of cantaloupe. It's a little heavy, and might even seem syrupy were it not for the high alcohol, which has a cutting effect.

This is a beer I'd love to pour for a group - a different kind of dragons’ den - to see what flavours other drinkers might pick up. Maybe for the next one in the series. Happily, I've got an Amarillo Dragon waiting in the fridge and I hear Magenta is on its way.

Loved and lost

Rum Barrel Barley Wine Big Rock Brewery 10.8% ABV

I’m a sucker for barley wine. I love the weight, the depth, the layers, the way it is unapologetically overwhelming.

For me, Big Rock’s 2016 entry, aged for 8 months in Barbadian rum barrels, does it all. A sweeter, English-style barley wine, it pours a rich brown red with no significant head. It smells more of cognac to me than rum, but also fruit such as maraschino cherry, plum and warm raisins, as well as vanilla and some ginger. The high alcohol puts a little sting in the nostrils.

The taste reveals itself in stages. Dark caramel and biscuit is followed by the plum from the scent, well bruised, maybe even stewed, as well as cranberry. There’s nutmeg and ginger, pepper, a whisky earthiness, and a clean tequila warmth.

It finishes with a mild burn at the back of the throat, enhanced by an edgy but fine fizz. There is only the mildest hops bitterness.

Having tried one fresh, this is a beer that I’d love to save for a year. I could see such an exercise in discipline will be richly rewarded - if you can force yourself to wait.

Two to Try

Star Cheek IPA Tool Shed Brewing Co. 6.2% ABV

One of Tool Shed's original beers, Star Cheek is an older one I wish I'd tried sooner. More on the tropical side than citrus, it smells of pineapple, some coconut, pine and even butterscotch. Guava and honeydew dominate the flavour, balanced with toasty malt laced with rum and butter. The finish swings back to citrus, grapefruit in particular. Given Tool Shed's generally lower price point, I’d call this one of the best value IPAs in Alberta.

Wakatu Wheat Bent Stick Brewing 5% ABV

I don't often think of beer pairing, but grilled salmon came to mind when I tasted this ale. I attribute that to its savoury nature. The lime citrus of the Wakatu hops comes through clean and clear, complemented by brown toast and a touch of honey. Very crisp, very refreshing. I look forward to matching it with barbecued fish this summer. Until then, it will nicely wash down a big bag of Miss Vickie's lime and black pepper chips.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 7 years

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My 3 favourite Alberta Beers of October (and more!)

I never imagined how much time it would take to write about Alberta beer. The beautiful and terrible thing about it is that there is just so much. It's an ocean capable of drowning time itself, and time doesn't mind going out that way.

I'm still at it, but other projects are no longer willing to be ignored. Beer, they seem to say, has had its day. I don’t exactly agree, but I’m willing to compromise. So, for the rest of my year, I'll focus on monthly favourites.

This is the plan: I’ll offer my top 3 beers that you should be able to find locally, an outstanding seasonal or one-off, then 3 others well worth a try. Not everything I try is going to make my list (some omissions were really tough, others not), making this a bit like beer curation.

With the rules in place, let the game begin. October was a busy month, with 13 beers sampled from Alley Kat, Brewsters, Coulee, Blindman, Dandy, Dog Island, Half Hitch, Grain Bin, King of Springs, Norsemen Brewing, Troubled Monk and Wood Buffalo. Here's how it played out.

The October Top 3

House of Pilsner Coulee Brew Co. 5.2%

There's something gutsy and fun about referencing history the way House of Pilsner does. A pilsner was first brewed in Lethbridge in 1926 by Fritz Sick's brewery, House of Lethbridge (bought in the '50s by Molson). We've all had it. It's a macro I can return to with little complaint, and enjoy one with dad.

But Coulee’s gloriously golden beer is literally not your father's pilsner. Right from the scent, you know you're in for a serious break with history, the connection to the past being in name only, given the big blast of peppered grapefruit.

The grapefruit carries through with gusto, bringing along a little lemon to help drive home the point that this is a traditional pilsner made modern. Underlying the pleasant bitterness (and yet it’s only 38 IBU) is a bed of toasted hops that offer the sweetness of a lightly sugared bowl of Sunny Boy cereal.

Skeptical? My first can worried me. But a day later I had an oddly specific craving for a House of Pilsner. By the end of my next, I concluded that tradition is great but there’s always room for improvement. This beer is proof of that.

Fire n’ Fury Red Ale Half Hitch Brewing 5%

Since it’s weird to start a glowing review with criticism, I’ll leave that bit to the end and start by saying I think Fire n’ Fury is pretty hot stuff. It’s a pretty, deep ruby colour, has a head that stays put long enough for a couple of photos, and smells of bread, caramel and cedar after spring rain.

It’s also malt-forward like you’d expect of a good red, but with surprises. Along with the toast and caramel is a mineral flavour and a fullness that borrows from red wine, both complementary rather than complicating. It all works together even better as the glass warms, the flavours mellowing and melding.

The mineral notes in particular carry through to the end, when the toast becomes slightly more pronounced – never getting roasty – and combine with a mild hops bite. The finish is dry and clean, leaving you with the overall impression of a simple but solid beer indicative of a promising brewery. I look forward to seeing more from Half Hitch soon.

On tap, at least. This is the critical bit: I’m not sure I would have picked this beer off the shelf because the artwork on the can creeps me out. Sure it’s a cartoon, but combining sex and the threat of violence makes me uncomfortable. Why bother? This is a beer that doesn’t need to lean on a gimmick.

Dandy in the Underworld Oyster Stout The Dandy Brewing Co. 5%

You must be thinking: Come on! You just put Dandy on your last favourites list! Worse still, this beer has been around for ages – the first they made along with Golden Brown Dandy!

Enough with your exclamations! For whatever reason – ignorance, idiocy – I’d yet to try Dandy’s stout. Clearly, good things come to those who wait. Thank goodness they still plan to bottle it as a core beer. GBD, I was recently told, isn’t going to be bottled anymore.

Anyway, drink this Dandy in a dark place and you’re liable to lose it. No light passes through it. There’s chocolate, cinnamon, honey and wood smoke on the nose, creating the illusion that you’re in for a big, thick beer.

What you get instead is light and fizzy, marked by chocolate and caramel, the edge on the sweetness beveled by the roasted malt. Rather than going out bitter, it offers mineral, almost like wet slate, and strong mint tea.

Very pleased that Dandy will keep this stout circulating year round, as it’s just as good for gulping in summer as for sipping in winter. It’s also actually made for oysters, the chocolate notes pairing perfectly, apparently, with the brine of the shellfish. In any case, it’s clearly deserving of its long-time best-seller status. Glad to finally join the crowd.

Loved and Lost

Peculiar Fellows Old Ale Blindman Brewing Co. and Trouble Monk Brewery 5.7%

What’s an appropriate analogy for a collaborative beer? Not the offspring of some brief coupling because, well, brewers probably wouldn't like that and the results don't last, which is a sad thought. So maybe it's more like an ephemeral reaction. Like those science fair volcanoes made of baking soda and vinegar. The combination leads to something spectacular, then it's gone.

Ah, whatever. The point is, Blindman and Troubled Monk got together and created something awesome this summer in their Peculiar Fellows Old English Ale. Root-beer brown, it smelled of wood smoke and peat, well-worn leather, dark chocolate and black licorice.

For all that, it is incredibly light, as if to defy some laws of beer physics. Warmed a little for fuller flavour, any edginess of the roasted malt was replaced by medium-dark chocolate and buttered rye toast. Rather than finishing conventionally bitter, it took on a faint aspect of fennel.

I hope you had the chance to try it. Rather than lament its loss, I’ll look forward to future partnerships between these two central Alberta breweries and to pinching the little cheeks of whatever lovely thing they co-produce. Sorry, couldn’t help it. Congrats to both on a job well done.

3 Others to Try

Oktoberfest Lager Brewsters Brewing Co. 5.5%

It’s a seasonal but I know it’s still on a few store shelves (Sherbrooke and Sobey’s, for example, at least in YEG), and worth looking for. This is a festive, malt-forward beer that smells delightfully of copper, tea rose and rising bread dough. The body is toast and a little brown sugar, briskly fizzy, and transitions by way of mint and pepper to a dry, zesty exit reminiscent of orange rind.

1965 Old Town Porter Dog Island Brewing 7%

This went over well at Old Dude Jam Nite, when a couple friends and I write songs one week and throw them out the next. What stood out about OT porter (named for the year Slave Lake, where it’s made, became a town) is the balance between richness and drinkability. It’s light but memorable for tones of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, honey and a little smokiness. Finishes with mineral bitters and no detectable booziness despite the higher ABV. Rock on.

Hoodoo Hops IPA Coulee Brewing Co. 6.3%

I sometimes wonder: Does Alberta really need another IPA? It’s like Coulee raised its hand and shouted, Yes and here’s why! Hoodoo Hops is a uniquely juicy IPA. Breathe in lilac, pineapple, papaya, Mandarin orange and mango before tasting it in the body with buttery caramel and biscuity malt. The end wraps up with grapefruit, mint and young orange. It’s almost too much – but you’ll probably finding yourself thinking you need another to make sure.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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My 3 favourite beers from my recent Calgary brewery tour

Recently, dad and I took a 2-day trip to Calgary to check things out. I think it was actually our first road trip together, just him and I. It wasn’t so much father and son bonding over a beer as it was over several breweries. Six, actually: Banded Peak Brewing, Cold Garden Beverage Co., the Dandy Brewing Co., Last Best Brewing and Distilling, Tool Shed Brewing and Trolley 5 Restaurant and Brewery.

One more day and we would have hit every place in town. But that’s the incredible thing: at a reasonable, enjoyable, relatively sober pace, it would have taken 3 days. Even then, with other breweries likely to start up before the end of the year, my work in the city would not have been done. With nearly half-a-dozen breweries claiming to be near opening, a return trip will be necessary.

In the meantime, however, I can be satisfied with proof I have that beer brings people - family included - together in unexpected ways. Oh, and proof that Calgary’s craft beer scene is leaving that of every other city from here to Winnipeg in the Prairie dust. As tough as it is, of the nearly 2 dozen beers I tried on the trip, I’m picking these 3 as my favourites.

One Summer in Saskatoon Cold Garden Beverage Co. 6.2%

During lunch at a place near the brewery in Inglewood, Cold Garden marketing director and co-owner Kris Fiorentino (that’s her, in the blurry picture above) walked me through tasting 2 beers on tap, This Must Be the IPA (love that song, don’t you?) and Red Smashed in Buffalo Jump.

"I loved this beer right up until they did the dry hopping," Fiorentino laughed and said of the IPA, brewed with Cascade and Amarillo and accented afterwards with Mosaic. The malt-forward, sweeter-than-average red, she said, is the new company’s top seller.

Impressed by those dainty sips in tiny glasses, I decided later that afternoon to locate more of the brewery’s beer in greater quantities. At Craft Beer Market I noticed Cold Garden’s distinctive pool noodle tap handle. I asked the bartender what it was and she shrugged and said, “It’s only called ‘Summer.’”

When she put a pint in front of me it was clear from the aroma that it was a saison: One Summer in Saskatoon. It had a phenomenally complex and compelling scent of yeast, nutmeg, elderberry, gingerbread, even fallen leaves. Beautiful colour as well, a hazy red copper. Though I tend to dislike beer that's too cold, this seasonal was deliciously chilly, perfect for the warm fall day.

The flavour came through clearly despite the low temperature, owing much to the saskatoons but by no means everything. One Summer features a sturdy malt foundation of whole grain toast and caramel as well as heady spices and a lively snap of pepper. The saskatoon comes along soon after, a rustic juiciness accompanied by the essence of raspberry and vanilla. The finish is a logical conclusion: an earthy bitterness with zest of orange rind.

I'd say Calgarians are pretty lucky to be able to simply walk up to the bar and order a Cold Garden pint. I travelled 300 kilometres for the pleasure and I'd happily do it again. But it'd be really great if brewery Cold Garden came to a growler bar near me.

Marzen The Dandy Brewing Co. 6.3% ABV

The 24-seat tasting room at the Dandy is what made me most envious of Calgary's craft beer scene. At 4 o'clock on a Thursday it was packed, even though the nano-brewery is located in an industrial park. A turntable on the bar competed with the chatter, a couple turned up with a toddler in a stroller, and the taps poured mostly one-off brews.

To my mind, it was everything a community brewery should be. (I love living across the street from a Brewsters but this was something entirely different.)

I could almost have picked anything as a favourite (well, Smoke Boss, a rauchbier, might be pushing it), being so impressed by the atmosphere of the place. Still, the unnamed marzen, appropriately made for Calgary's Oktoberfest, stood out. It's the one in the top left corner.

The orange-amber beer was brewed in March and had been aging since. It offered roast malt on the nose, and dark stone fruit, savoury spice and a lot of caramel on the palate. “I honestly think it is one of the best beers we have ever done,” said Matt Gaetz, co-founder and marketing and sales director.

Only one beer I tried – Dandy in the Underworld Oyster Stout (I get the name now - watch this) – is a regular. But versatility and variety are virtually written into the company’s business plan. Judging by the crowd in the tasting room, it’s working.

“People know that if they go to the Dandy tap room, in 2 weeks they’ll see something different on the menu,” says Gaetz. If the marzen remains, don’t miss it.

Southern Aspect Banded Peak Brewing Co. 7% ABV

There was a similar feeling at Banded Peak, situated in another industrial park. The moment co-owner Matt Berard rolled up the brewery’s garage door the afternoon of my visit, single dudes strolled up to the bar and sat down like characters in a Cheers episode.

“You got a new one?” one of them asked. What was on tap didn’t matter, as long as it was Banded Peak.

A standout, however, was Southern Aspect, a bold 7% seasonal IPA. I enjoyed it so much I asked Berard for takeout, which was accomplished through a “canimal” prepared on-demand at the bar (see the video below).

This is a bear hug of a beer – big, warming, overwhelming in a good way – and the result of an approach Banded Peak has taken since before it began selling beer in May. Berard and his 2 business partners/best friends have homebrewed for years. They just make the kind of beer they want to drink, like this badass IPA.

Southern Aspect’s scent is a citrus blast, a brisk mix of grapefruit, pineapple and guava. At least when cold, the malt stands back until that first sip, where it ranges between oatmeal with brown sugar and graham cracker drizzled with caramel.

Just before the beer seems too get too heavy the hops save the party. They start off subtle with a split second of mint, then bring back the citrus from the scent: grapefruit with a spritz of navel orange and a dash of pepper. Other than exerting a mellowing effect, the alcohol seemed masked throughout.

Everyone complimented the bartender, Berard, a law school student who’s too happy in the industry to contemplate being a lawyer right away. (With evolving brewing legislation, he points out, there’s plenty of opportunity to put his studies to work anyway.)

That interaction between him and customers over Banded Peak creations is what keeps him going roughly 90 hours a week these days, brewing, cleaning, fixing, marketing and, of course, serving pints and prepping canimals.

“Having someone go, ‘that’s a really good beer,’ is the coolest thing ever,” says Berard. “I’m having an absolute blast.”

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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2 German-inspired Alberta beers for Oktoberfest

It took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure out why Alberta beer week falls on the last week of September. Traditionally, that's when Oktoberfest happens, of course, just as it has every year since 1810.

Oktoberfest wasn't always about the beer, though - even if 6 million people descending upon the event in Munich might suggest otherwise. The first one celebrated the marriage of a German princess and prince, the future King Ludwig I.

Apparently, they had so much fun they did it again the next year, adding an agricultural show to the previous year's horse races. Beer trickled into the mix, first as streetcarts filling (I imagine) steins, and in later years being served under tents. So, in the beginning, farmers and brewers shared the spotlight.

Oktoberfest today is a great time to acknowledge that continued connection. Alberta beer sits at the end of a fairly short agricultural supply chain - one that produces 4 million tonnes of barley a year in the province alone, or more than half of the nation's crop. That chain places the brewer just one step removed from the field, with the malter in the middle.

To me, then, each beer represents a relationship that has remained strong over the 200-plus years since that first Oktoberfest. Such constants - rarities in life - need celebrating. I found these 2 appropriately German ales, from Brauerei Fahr and Goat Locker (on tap during the Alberta beer tap takeover at Beer Revolution), to be perfectly suited to the purpose.

Here's to King Ludwig I and his inadvertent impact on Alberta farmers, brewers and beer lovers.

Fahr Away Hefeweizen Brauerei Fahr 5.3%

I could smell the aroma on this the moment it was delivered to my table. Fresh bread dough, trace banana, and orange so strong you expect the beer to spritz citrus if given a little squeeze. Its appearance was just as striking. In the dim autumn twilight, it glowed a hazy pale gold.

The flavour is faithful to the scent but offers surprises, given the style. It seems lighter to me than other hefeweizens, with a smooth start roughed up in the end by pepper and hops so crisp they evoke white grape, perhaps somewhat unripe given the medium-dry finish.

Before getting there, though, the malt components are particularly pronounced, almost as if the beer was made as an instructional tool for a tasting course. A foundation of whole wheat toast, lightly buttered, supports banana, a generous dollop of bubble gum, orange, grapefruit and cloves.

Having tried and enjoyed Fahr’s altbier a few weeks ago, this is my favourite beer from the brewery yet. I hope it comes to a tap near you soon, rather than one too fahr away.

Goat Locker Brewing Company Fainting Bock 5.6%

Goat Locker's second beer is a strong statement. Following the session ale that launched the brand, this feels like a swaggering assertion of the brewer’s versatility. I like the session ale in that it's bigger on malt than others in the category, but it has nothing on this.

Fainting Bock is big in every way. Baaaad-ass, even (you know, because of the goat thing). Its deep amber colour and scent of sweet toffee and spruce are indications to prepare yourself for a beer with body. This is the richest beer I’ve had since barley wine season. It’s not as thick or heavy, but it has presence.

That toffee scent, for instance, carries into the flavour, where it gets tied up with bruised plum (I finally understand that flavour, thanks to this beer) and raisin. And though there’s limited booziness, Fainting Bock offers the impression of middle-aged Cuban rum. There’s some smokiness, too.

Almost mercifully, all that gets reined at the finish. Earthy, minty hops cleanse the palate, leaving a legacy of delicate bitterness and a whisper of black licorice.

All of this is to say that this bock is by no means sessionable - at least not for the faint of heart. I like that. I had half a pint and was glad I did, even if I also found it to be enough for the time being. A great surprise from a relatively quiet brewer. Looking forward to more.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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The One Year of Alberta Beer Favourite 5 - Summer 2016

Maybe the weather wasn't great this summer (at least here in Edmonton) but the Alberta beer was exceptional.

With the change in the seasons, it's time once again for the One Year of Alberta Beer Favourite 5. This isn't a definitive list, of course, and no list of celebrity beer judges helped to create it. It's just me trying to get through as much Alberta beer as possible without greatly compromising my health.

Over the past 3 months, I’ve had 25 beers (not including the casks at the awesome 2016 Real Ale Festival) from 21 breweries, 9 of which had not previously appeared in this blog. So, thanks to Bench Creek, Fallentimber, Hell's Basement, Ribstone Creek and Village for helping to make summer seem cheerier than it was.

White Raven Bench Creek Brewing 6.5% ABV

Award-winning White Raven is a beautiful IPA in every way. It’s a lovely mahogany colour, produces an aroma of invigorating freshness, and is balanced as perfectly as a pendulum swing. At one end is an exceptional malt profile, accented by soft honey-and-toffee sweetness and easy-going guava. The swing back to the finish reintroduces the hops, bearing citrus, mint and reasonable bitterness. A rare bird, indeed.

Hopped Mead Fallentimber Meadery 7.9% ABV

I figured if it was brewed in Alberta, Fallentimber's mead was worth a try, even though it's closer in character to wine than beer. That, however, is what makes it great. Enlivened with a champagne fizz, Hopped Mead offers a kaleidoscopic collection of shifting, fleeting flavours: grape, pine, peppermint, clover, lilac, lavender, rose. The honey keeps it accessible, while the hops add a craft kick.

Polly’s Pale Ale Hell’s Basement Brewery 5% ABV

Alberta brewers are renewing my interest in pale ales, with the summer's best example being Polly’s Pale Ale from Hell's Basement in Medicine Hat. This rich copper beer partners biscuit-and-toffee malt with grapefruit hops to delicious effect. Hot stuff, you might call it. Sadly, there are no plans to ship out of the city for a while. The Hatters, I'm told, are drinking Hell’s Basement dry.

Great White Combine White IPA Ribstone Creek Brewery 5.6% ABV

GWC is as gorgeous as the art on the can it comes in. The IPA-meets-witbier experience starts with biscuit and ripe banana against a backdrop of grapefruit hops. Then there’s a dose of crème caramel accompanied by sprinklings of black pepper and nutmeg. That done, the end comes with a bitter finish and a floral note that, despite Belgian leanings, evokes the delicate scent of the wild rose and the beer's resolutely Albertan origin.

Village Squeeze Lemon Berry Helles Village Brewery 4.8% ABV

With the scent of raspberry and vanilla and lively, crisp carbonation, this helles is like a can of liquid sunshine. The fruit leads the way in the flavour, made tastier still with tart lemon, the mix being complemented by subdued toast-and-toffee malt. The hops finish with noticeable and refreshing mint, making this beer a great way to embrace summer, no matter how short or long it may be.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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Crazy for crowlers - 3 beers bought in bulk from Hell’s Basement and Boiling Oar

I love crowlers, which are one of my many discoveries from this year of Alberta beer. Were it not for this remarkable fill-on-demand technology, I could not have tried this week's great beers.

With my growler already occupied, I needed an inexpensive alternative when I found Boiling Oar on tap at Sherbrooke Liquor. And, knowing I wouldn't be able to visit Medicine Hat this year, the challenge of getting beer from Hell's Basement was solved by a co-worker’s trip to see family. Thank you @deckershelly.

And thank you Oskar Blues Brewery, inventor of the crowler and changer of the craft beer world forever. I raise a toast to you - with beers I might not have been able to drink otherwise.

Polly's Pale Ale Hell's Basement Brewery 5% ABV��

Since Guy, the drummer in our band, grew up in Medicine Hat, I had to bring him some hometown brews. Between songs, we all agreed that this is one of our favourite pale ales being made in the province today.

Polly’s Pale Ale pours a rich copper colour with a loose tan head and a mild citrus scent. That citrus translates into a bit of zip (Guitar Colin preferred to call it “zing”) to balance a biscuit malt that leverages soft toffee to delicious effect. Grapefruit takes over at the end, pushed along by mint that makes way for a lingering bitterness.

I imagine this one would get a little sweeter as it warms, but that is a hypothesis that remains to be tested. My portion of the crowler did not last long enough for me to find out.

Paddle Wheel Pilsner Hell's Basement Brewery 5% ABV

After proving themselves with big styles like IPA, stouts and porters, Alberta brewers seem to be embracing the idea of making simpler styles their own. For me, pilsner is one of those styles, and one of my favourites.

The malt on this golden beer smells of copper, an oddly pleasant metallic smell that I sometimes get from grains. Guitar Colin swears he smelled fruit, "peach nuances" in particular.

The flavour, however, is fruitless. It is crisp and light, and has the bright sweetness of toffee combined with a cracks of pepper, making it an excellent non-craft-dad beer - that is, easily accessible. The hops bitterness remains subdued until the finish, when it leaves a slightly astringent aftertaste.

Between this and the pale ale, Hell's Basement shows such promise that I feel guilty telling you about them, because their beer will remain hard to get. When I emailed to ask if any would soon make it to Edmonton liquor stores, the response, sadly, was no. “Medicine Hat keeps drinking us dry," wrote an owner.

I recommend making friends with someone from the city. Not just for the beer, of course - “Hatters” are fine people. But it wouldn't hurt to tell them that crowlers make excellent gifts.

Kolsch Boiling Oar Brewing Company 4.9% ABV

Sometimes I get the impression from craft beer drinkers that kolsch is German for boring. In the wrong hands, the style can indeed be too subtle to be taken seriously.

But we've seen the power of kolsch before - recall Alley Kat's big win for Scona Gold at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards. With Boiling Oar's take, we see something similar.

The simply named Kolsch is the palest gold with a fizzy, stubborn head, as if it is suggesting itself to be a beer with presence. It is. The mild scent is a tropical and unorthodox combination papaya, guava and pineapple that masks any malt aroma.

The flavour gets back to basics, even if briefly. It starts with crisp, light cereal notes - refreshing and easy as a kolsch should be. Before the drinker can take it for granted, however, a touch of honey drops in, coupled with a bite of ginger. The ale leaves you with a minty aftertaste, a product, perhaps of Old World hops.

Combined with the price - $8.05 for a crowler (it was still on tap at the time of writing) - the understated but unusual flavour of Boiling Oar’s kolsch make it a must-try for anyone looking for a refreshing, easy-going beer.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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What to expect at the 2016 Real Ale Festival - or, A firkin good time in the making

Ben Leon, managing director of the Dandy Brewing Company, is keeping his cask a secret.

This Saturday, the Calgary nano-brewery will be among 28 other brewers tapping firkins – 40-litre vessels of one-off brews – at the Edmonton Beer Geeks Anonymous 5th annual Real Ale Festival. It’s the marquee event for the organization that’s dedicated to growing Alberta craft beer. Nearly sold out, it will host 400 beer lovers, some of whom will be the only people to ever try Dandy’s mystery beer.

“I know it’s going to be a good toast to the end of the summer,” says Leon. “Not to give too much away.”

He will say, however, that the festival fits Dandy’s aesthetic perfectly. “All our beer is real ale,” says Leon. “When you get a beer that’s conditioned with the proper yeast and given the time to let that yeast work with the beer, you get a more complex profile – a truer profile.”

Because this kind of beer is more perishable, few brewers make their living sending out what is known as “live” product. That’s what makes Saturday’s event unique in Alberta. At the Real Ale Festival, we can expect, you might say, nothing but the truth.

Getting real

Real ale is cask or bottle conditioned, meaning it’s unpasteurized and not artificially carbonated. In the brewing process, it’s the stage where the last standing yeast, having eaten nearly all the grain sugar in sight, are lazily tidying up and drawing fermentation to a close.

“Fresh beer is best,” says Shane Groendahl, EBGA founding president and one of the festival’s principle coordinators.

So is creativity, he adds. The festival – likely Alberta’s largest single collection of casks (25 of them supplied by the province’s breweries) – invites brewers to “go nuts, be creative,” says Groendahl. “Make something that you’re going to want to drink and you’re proud to show off.”

The event showcases the province’s brewing talent as much as the product. A brewer himself (a co-owner at Blindman Brewing), Groendahl feels it helps put “a face to the 6-pack.” It’s a relationship-building opportunity for brewers and consumers – something that, as breweries rapidly continue to accumulate in Alberta, could prove all the more valuable in years to come.

“It’s something we want to continue to do no matter how big the industry gets,” says Groendahl of the event.

Better beer

Just as the Real Ale Festival has the potential to strengthen the brewing community and boost local demand, it could be a crucible for even better brewing in Alberta. The event’s focus on experimentation will almost certainly lead to cross-pollination.

“I’d be crazy to say you don’t go to a festival like that and try someone’s awesome cask and say, ‘We’ve got to step it up,’” says Leon. “Or you never know if a brewer has visited another city and brought back a really cool style or trend.”

Which means Saturday will be a day of surprises for everyone in attendance. Among the possible eye-openers might be the marked difference in the taste of fresh versus off-the-shelf beer; the flavours that emerge when nearly 30 brewers are invited to “go nuts”; and maybe even a glimpse of where this young industry is be headed.

The drawback for Leon? It’s not his turn to bring Dandy’s cask. This year, the brewery’s second at the festival, the honour goes to sales director Matt Gaetz. “It’s always rock, paper, scissors,” says Leon with a laugh. “I wish it was me.”

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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Maybe summer hasn’t quite shown up yet but at least these 2 Alberta beers did

If you’re anywhere near where I am, in Edmonton, the weather of late has mostly sucked. Covering a couple of summer beers feels delusional at best and like a single-finger salute to nature at worst.

So, whether they like it or not, I’m bringing Calgary’s Dandy Brewing Co. and Village Brewery in on it. Forget the weather. With a little help from Alberta brewers, we make our own fun.

Squeeze Village Brewery 4.8% ABV

The scent is the first thing that suggests you've just cracked open a can of liquid sunshine. Raspberry rises, held back from making too much of a scene by vanilla, comfortable behind the scenes. Lively carbonation animates dainty white flecks (of what?) throughout the this copper, slightly fuchsia helles, like a snow globe shaken.

The flavour seems ready to masquerade as a sour before thinking better of it. Rather than lean on our friend lactobacillus, its puckering power comes from the tartness of lemon and raspberry, again with the mellowing presence of vanilla.

The malt is present but structural, supporting the fruit with toast and toffee that complement subserviently, amplifying subdued sweetness. The hops follow suit, providing enough bitterness to help keep the raspberry from getting unruly, and finishes minty.

To me, all of this is the mark of a beer that has been oh-so-carefully crafted. Summers in Alberta are short, sometimes very short. We need to embrace what little we get. It's nice when a brewer acknowledges that preciousness with something like a Squeeze.

Bright Young Things The Dandy Brewing Co. 5% ABV

The cheerful scent - I get fresh pineapple and bread dough - on this cedar-coloured, hazy ale had me guessing that I was in for something more typically summery for a summer ale. Floral, fruity, sour, whatever.

Instead, Bright Young Things is one of the more malt-forward releases of the season. No complaint from me on that. It will, however, almost certainly arrive at your table, or from your fridge, too cold. BYT needs time to warm up, getting more interesting the longer it does, like a conversation does, pint by pint.

Once it does, expect sturdy grains, featuring dry biscuit, a few shades of sweetness shy of graham cracker. Citrus from the hops lightens and brightens the ale, revealing itself at first as lime shortly after the malt shows its profile. Towards the finish, it mellows to a vegetable bitterness, making the transition through a flavour akin to cucumber.

I'm enjoying the literary bent of Alberta beer that Dandy is tapping into here. Bench Creek channelled Edgar Allen Poe; Brewsters' recent rye pale ale pays homage to J.D. Salinger; and now Dandy invokes Evelyn Waugh, whose novel Vile Bodies focuses on bright young things, the party-hard social set of 1920s London.

Move over wine. With a beer like Bright Young Things, I feel like the book club beckons for a new beverage.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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Crisp, clean and cold: 3 fresh from the tap

The phrase cellar door has for decades held the title of most beautiful phrase in the English language. Seems sort of random, but maybe it has an inherent musicality, or it looks pleasing in a flowing cursive. Stuff like that.

Personally, I think it has a rival: fresh beer. Close your eyes and say it to yourself. Nice, huh? Or whisper it into the ear of someone whose company you appreciate or, failing that, a stranger on the bus. See what happens. I bet you’ll be surprised.

Or, better still, decide for yourself by simply sitting down with a pint.

We’ll likely never get to the bottom of the appeal of cellar door, but the allure of fresh beer is easy to decipher, especially with the choices below. Recently pulled from Edmonton taps and growlers these beers from Theoretically Brewing, Troubled Monk and Brewsters are wonderfully fresh, crisp choices perfect for summer in Alberta.

Quantum Wheat Ale Theoretically Brewing 5.7% ABV

I'm always on the lookout for good gateway beers, those easy but interesting alternatives you can use to open eyes to the potential of craft beer without immediately closing minds. Quantum Wheat Ale, from Lethbridge’s Theoretically Brewing, fits the bill, but just barely.

Why just barely? For a wheat ale, this hazy, butter-yellow beer (I had one at Edmonton's Arcadia, which tapped a 20-litre keg the day before) has the best of the expected attributes. There's the faint scent of bread and oranges. And the backbone of the flavour is lightly toasted rye bread. All very accessible.

But it also has a lot of character. There's enough hops for it to be taken seriously by seasoned craft drinkers and to alert newbies that their lives are about to fundamentally change.

Quantum is crisp and sharp, almost like a European-style pilsner. The scent of orange becomes the taste of grapefruit and the finish is reassuringly bitter and reasonably dry. One pint leads easily to the next, just as it might open a door for the adventurous macro-beer drinker.

Jaromir Lagr Troubled Monk Brewery 5% ABV

Speaking of pilsners, Trouble Monk of Red Deer has produced a seasonal that, for me, “Czechs” all the boxes.

I love pilseners (thought not as much as this guy, whose story about visiting Pilsen, the Czech birthplace of the style, is a riot). It’s my favourite style after the saison. Though far less complicated, authentic pilseners are packed with flavour and a balanced malt and hops profile that speaks to the timelessness and reliability of old-country ways.

Jaromir Lagr is a delicious, respectful example.

Pale gold and topped with an impressively stubborn, billowy head (pour carefully) this pilsener surprises with an unusual scent. I get melon - peppered honeydew, actually - and cucumber.

The flavour is crisp and clean. The malt is a sprinkle of brown sugar on buttered bread. The hops are in turn inciting and mellow, varying from spicy to minty to vegetable. There’s also a refreshing juiciness, bringing green apple to mind. The finish is not dry.

And the name (even if it has been used several times before) suits it perfectly. Jaromir Jagr has player in the NHL since 1990 with more than half a dozen teams. He’s always in demand - just like a great pilsener. So maybe this one warrants regular production. Jagr, now 44 years old, doesn't appear ready to quit. With their Lagr, I hope Troubled Monk won’t either.

Holden Caulfield (rye extra pale ale) Brewsters Brewing Co. 5% ABV

Holden Caulfield, the teenage narrator of J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, hated a phony. I'm not going to say much more about him because I don't remember the book well enough and I don’t reread books because I’m not immortal. Time’s a-wastin’.

But I do know that there isn't anything phony about this beer. It's too simple and straightforward for that.

You’ve got your invigorating pine and grapefruit hops scent. An attractive deep gold colour. A thin creamy that sits atop the beer like a veil. All the signs of a good old American pale ale, perfect for a hophead seeking a new sessional.

The rye, however, pleasantly ramps up the malt. It's rye toast, of course, but with a skim of marmalade - the suggestion of sweetness that quickly gets overtaken by a citrusy, lingering bitterness.

Hey, that sounds like Holden Caulfield, come to think of it (he had his moments of humanity, I recall). Expect a medium-dry finish, a little like our anti-hero's acerbic wit. Anyway, don’t let me be “holden” you back - this one’s on Brewsters’ seasonal menu for a limited time.

#beer #craftbeer #beerreviews #craftbeerreviews #yegbeer #edmonton #yeg #lethbridge #reddeer #pilsener #paleale #wheatale #brewstersbreingcompany #troubledmonkbrewery #theoreticallybrewing #hops #malt #jaromir jagr

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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Sweet and sour - or mead and, well, a sour

Whenever I feature an Alberta brewery that hasn't yet appeared on these pages, I'm relieved.

I believe I'm on track to achieve my goal of trying every brewery operating in the province in 2016, having covered about 25 of nearly 40 so far, but only because I've picked nearby, low-hanging (but nonetheless delicious) fruit. Those remaining aren't easy to find in Edmonton, if at all, beckoning instead from the beer tree's higher branches.

Also, recent coverage by Metro Edmonton and CBC radio’s Edmonton AM of this blog has me feeling on the hook to make good on this project. Once, I was comfortable saying that that my failure would speak to the strength of the industry. Now I think it would be bittersweet if, come Dec. 31, I was left reflecting on a year of great local beer, but not quite enough of it.

So, though I may tempt fate by focusing on sour and sweet in this post, I push on this week with Grande Prairie's Grain Bin (thank you to Linda Hoang for bringing some back from a recent trip) and Fallentimber Meadery of the foothills. Both are One Year of Alberta Beer first timers, and so 2 steps closer to picking every branch clean.

Democracy! (Strawberry Rhubarb Sour) Grain Bin Brewing Co. Grande Prairie

To me, the sour as a style seems to be emerging as a sandbox for Alberta brewers eager to experiment. Wild Rose has Cowbell, a beer without peer in Alberta. Blindman has its fun and creatively challenging sour series. Grain Bin has Democracy, a sour both tempered and egged on by strawberry and rhubarb.

Tinged with pink and flecked with white particulate matter chunky enough to make me wonder if it's supposed to be there, Democracy smells of strawberry and green apple.

For flavour, it's a close cousin to the backyard sour cherry, the edge bevelled by the essence of dried strawberry, which persists alongside traces grassy malt. Rhubarb, with a kind of vegetable juiciness, keeps the experiment from going gimmicky by leaning too hard on the berry. The finish is dry as a puff of grain dust, which, almost inconceivably, and somewhat oddly, is detectable.

Like it or not (I admit I struggle with most sours), this beer is a good example of how breweries are taking chances in markets that could be expected, for size alone (Grande Prairie population: 55,000), to be less receptive. But Democracy!, in beer and governance alike, is about choice and everyone wants that, no matter where they are.

Hopped Mead Fallentimber Meadery 7.9% ABV

I've been avoiding mead. One reason is that I thought, "Well, it's not beer." Another is that I'd associated it with dudes who dress up in armour and need to "slake their thirst" during meat-heavy feasts that follow fake battles with broadswords. I don’t believe I would enjoy that.

But whatever. I saw it in the liquor store and realized that here's another Alberta craft, uh, drink maker, taking a chance on something different, broadswords be damned. I figured I could get behind that and now I'm grateful that I did.

Closer in character to wine than beer, Fallentimber's hopped mead is beautiful pale gold with a celebratory champagne fizz. It rewards patient smelling and momentary concentration with the scent of Chardonnay grape, newly split pine and candy cane peppermint.

During the tasting, things get only slightly Arthurian while the honey and hops stage a contest of chivalry, and trade turns leading the way. First up is a bouquet of sweetness comprising clover, lavender, lilac and wild rose (Fallentimber bees forage nearby fields of wildflowers).

After a sharp dash of pepper, the hops step forward, earthier and mintier than might be expected of Cascade and Chinook. At the finish, the two take a bow together, not unlike with a rich and malty IPA.

No, mead is not beer. But neither is it exclusive to modern day knights at play. In terms of drinkability, Fallentimber is producing something as accessible as nearly anything being made by Alberta's craft brewers today.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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2 fabulous Alberta beers, thanks to Germany

Something I love about my city and province is that they're capable of tricking me now and then into feeling like I'm not actually in my city or province.

This is because they’re wonderful multicultural places, built from bits of elsewhere. Finding restaurants, art exhibits and cultural festivals with the power to temporarily whisk you away is easy. Happily, there's beer that does this too (and not in the obvious way).

This week, those beers include a cheery weissbier from Edmonton's Yellowhead and an old-country ale made modern by Fahr of Turner Valley. No, Germany isn't exotic, but it's home to one of the world's greatest brewing traditions (and most prolific - they made 94 million hectolitres in 2013, more than double the U.K.). For a reprieve from routine right in your own backyard, it does nicely.

So, willkommen to refreshment. No need to pack a bag (a growler will do).

Yellowhead Brewery 8 Days a Wheat Hefeweizen 5% ABV

Whenever I visit my parents these days, they ask if I've brought an Alberta beer to taste.

Mom is getting good at it - as if she's secretly studying the Beer Judge Certification Program guide. After noting a smell of citrus, ripe banana and fresh dough on this unfiltered golden ale (a style said only to have been perfected in Bavaria - evidence of wheat beer brewing in Germany goes back to the bronze age), she picks up cloves and banana.

"And nutmeg," she said. "You won't like that. You don't like it when I put nutmeg in anything."

She may be right about my nutmeg aversion but I don't detect it. The beer is too gentle for that spice's bite. Instead, I get mild sweetness and buttery smoothness of fresh croissant. The orange adds zip accented by the coriander and leads to a dry finish and pleasant, blunt bitterness.

For me, this my favourite Yellowhead beer yet.

I think Dad liked it, too, though the mellow citrus caught him off guard initially. "Then after the first couple of sips it tastes like beer," he said, reassured, before adding, "I'm probably the wrong guy to be asking this stuff." He finished his glass without complaint or further comment, which I take as his equivalent of endorsement.

Brauerei Fahr Old Fahrt Altbier 5.5% ABV

Occasionally, a beer comes along that reminds me I've only collected my bags and stepped out the airport doors into the great wide world of beer. It reaffirms the fact that the only thing I know for sure is that there's so much more to learn.

Fahr Brauerei's cheekily named Old Fahrt altbier (yes, that terrible pun was intended) is one of those beers. Even the brewer, Jochen Fahr, struggles to describe it, settling for "An altbier is everything a kolsch is not." Which means, generally speaking, it isn't simple.

Specifically speaking, it's a collection of small surprises that add up to something I've never tasted in Alberta or elsewhere. First, this dark brown beer pours a head like a root beer float, tan and chunky, leaving behind lacey glyphs. The scent features little malt, being instead closer to sun-warmed, cut grass and earthy hops. It is vaguely agricultural.

The malt flavour also surprised me for such a dark beer, offering soft tones of toast, biscuit and nut but no trace of chocolate or coffee. It’s described on the Fahr website as featuring a hint of dark stone fruits. I didn’t taste that. For me it's the subtle must of papaya and interestingly, peppery celery, both a good match for the grassy hops. At the end, OF is dry and earthy, bitter but smooth.

I like Fahr's description of his unique, easy-drinking beer, defining it by what it's not and leaving the rest to the drinker to puzzle out. It has a welcoming foreignness, a little like you encounter when travelling. It may take a little time to fully embrace the lack of the familiar but once you do you're free to get on with the great pleasure of exploring.

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oneyearalbertabeer · 8 years

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3 beers discovered during the great beer fridge clean out of summer 2016

Cleaning out a fridge is rarely a pleasant a task. What treasures lie hidden among the secret meetings of mould, the softening vegetables, the cold cuts with their suspicious sheen? Nothing good.

The beer fridge is different. Recently, I dealt with a collection of singles that had inexplicably gone neglected (I can get carried away at the liquor store on this project) and was rewarded with a stunning IPA from Bench Creek, a lager with a twist from Big Rock, and a sturdy brown ale from Wild Rose.

If every job was as enjoyable as that chore, I'd get a lot of stuff done. And the kitchen fridge would probably be immaculate.

White Raven Bench Creek Brewing 6.5% ABV

Let's start by calling White Raven a beautiful IPA in every way. It's a lovely mahogany colour with a pillowy, off-white head, stiff like meringue and nearly as persistent. Pine and citrus hops compete to produce an aroma of invigorating freshness.

The flavour is balanced as precisely as a pendulum swing. At one end is exceptional malt richness, accented by soft honey and toffee sweetness and easy-going guava. The swing back to the finish reintroduces the hops, bearing citrus, mint and reasonable bitterness.

The can describes the white raven as a rare bird. Two gold medals earned at the 2016 Canadian International Beer Awards in May, certainly help set this Bench Creek IPA apart from the flock.

Mosaic Lager Big Rock Brewery 5.5% ABV

I suspect this is a love-it-or-leave-it kind of beer. My brother buys a Big Rock mix pack to get at the Purple Gas and hands the Mosaic Lager over to me. He can't get get past the India pale lager's 70 IBUs.

I'm grateful for the gift because I love the crispness of this limited-edition, incredibly hop-forward brew. In scent and flavour, there's something bossy about the character of this clear golden lager, making the malt subservient.

(And maybe brewmaster Jody Hammell, too, who explains, "I ferment it low and slow then age it until the beer tells me it's ready. I don't put a time frame on it. It puts the time frame on me.")

That character, however, isn’t one dimensional. Mosaic hops are versatile, bred for aromas including fruit, bubblegum and all kinds of fruit. That's why the scent isn't just grapefruit, but crabapple, passionfruit, mint and a hint of sour. The result is a big, palate-cleansing bitterness.

And yet there’s still a malt profile. Look for it in the warmer, bottom half of the glass where you'll find caramel, though not enough to call this a conventionally balanced beer. But I don't feel like that is the point with this lager. It's meant to dazzle, unconcerned that some, like my brother, might be blind to its virtues.

Barracks Brown Wild Rose Brewery 5% ABV

Canadian Brown ale, as Wild Rose describes Barracks Brown, is not included in the Beer Judge Certification Program style guide, which means we're on our own. What makes it Canadian? I see a few similarities between it and Canada:

Barracks borrows from the red of the maple leaf, for example, its colour leaning more toward a deep ruby than plain brown.

The cumulonimbus mass of its puffy white head recalls spectacular and quintessentially Prairie thunderstorms.

Canada is a nation built on diversity. Barracks's strength is its mosaic of flavours: roast malt, sweetened espresso, a touch of bright citrus.

Like Canadians tend to be, the brewers seem considerate and conscientious, keeping drinkers' best interests in mind by recommending they try their beer at 8 - 12 C, when it's at its most flavourful.

This beer respects the preciousness of summer, just like we do, and works to accommodate it. Though dark as midnight in December, it's light enough to qualify as a warm-weather patio beer.

Canada isn't flashy. We rarely seem worried about being the world's best at anything. Culturally, the country may be as complex as any Western nation, but it still seems an uncomplicated, comfortable place to call home. To me, Barracks Brown seems an appropriate beer to raise in toast to all of that.

#beer #yycbeer #bigrockbrewery #wildrosebrewing #benchcreekbrewing #alberta #albertabeer #albertacraftbeer #craftbeer #beerreviews #craftbeerreviews #edson #calgary #lager #IPA #brownale

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