This afternoon was the official opening of Yellowhead Brewing Company, located on 105 Street in downtown Edmonton. They launched themselves with a media event highlighted by an official blessing by the local priest (blessing brewhouses is a German tradition). I popped in to see what was up, and to get a first sample of their beer.
I found it interesting that they are linking themselves to Edmonton’s past. Their promotional material says that the original Yellowhead Brewing was opened in1894 on the site of what is now the Royal Glenora Club by Thomas Cairns and was a few years later moved to the Ross flats and renamed Edmonton Brewing. When I returned home I checked my history books, and they corroborate most of the story. Cairns did, indeed, open a brewery in 1894 in the river valley, but the books I have say it was named Edmonton Brewing and Malting from the start. Not sure what the discrepancy is there, but it is premature to make a conclusion. I will follow up with the brewery on that matter.
[UPDATE! I am now told by the guys from the brewery that Yellowhead was the name of the beer brewed by Edmonton Brewing and Malting, not the name of the brewery. The material is confusing on this point, but that sounds more historically accurate.]
But I imagine the question you are all asking is “what about the beer?”. Well, as promised it is a German-style lager in a true sense of the word. In the glass it is a medium gold beer with a soft, white head. Gentle pilsner malt sweetness dominates the aroma, with a noted grassy hop nose. The taste is clean and pleasant – offering a German malt upfront and a moderate hop bitterness in the back. A floral, grassy hop lingers after the swallow.
I enjoy the hop qualities to this beer quite a bit. They are moderate – this is not a pilsner – but they are distinct and refreshing. I guessed it was a blend of Hallertauer and Saaz hops, which was confirmed by brewmaster Scott Harris. Pilsner malt makes up the bulk of the grain bill with 2 types of specialty malts (Harris wouldn’t divulge that part of the secret).
The second glass went down easier than the first, which is always a good sign. It is a decent quaffing lager, superior to the macro-brewer offerings. It reminds me of Creemore Springs. At the moment the body might be a bit thin, and could use a bump up of malt finish, but give them time.
Harris is educated in Germany at Doemens Technicum, one of the elite brewing schools in Europe. He appears to be fastidious and detailed in his brewing approach, and so I expect he will tweak the recipe a touch over the next few weeks to give it a more rounded impression.
For those of you wanting to try it soon, your best bet is to wander over to the brewery, where they are selling 500 ml bottles. They hope to have some tap accounts in the next few weeks. I will try to keep you posted.
May 20, 2010 at 1:02 PM
I’m very happy to see a new brewery in town, and I’m especially happy to see that beautiful facility finally up and running again! I can’t believe all that shiny brewmaking equipment has just been sitting there for several years. Hopefully Yellowhead will fare better than Maverick – from the sounds of it, the beer already tastes better than Maverick ever did. Looking forward to the updates!
September 4, 2010 at 3:06 PM
I tried a bottle of the Yellowhead lager in late May and found it lacking (as Mr. Foster noted) in the malt finish. You could taste that it wasn’t just an adjunct macrolager, but the ‘beery-ness’ wasn’t quite there to completely separate itself from that style.
Today I was at the downtown farmer’s market and saw the backdoor was open at Yellowhead, so of course, I poked my head in. A jovial fellow named Pete invited me in for a quick looksy and a taste.
I am pleased to report that Scott Harris has implemented the minor tweaks to the recipe that the BeerGuy hinted at in his article. Pete said they are now mashing at a different temperature, and to me, that appears to have boosted the body of the beer. I am not a lager aficionado by any stretch, but I’d say the Yellowhead has become a very tasty, highly drinkable, all-malt delight.
At $3 a bottle down at the brewery, I recommend any thirsty travelers stop by for a visit when they’re in the neighbourhood!
Cheers,
Scott
September 4, 2010 at 5:28 PM
Scott,
Great timing! I myself was just thinking this week I should pop by and see if the new batch was in bottles yet. Now I MUST go. Thanks for the heads up.
Jason
September 5, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Okay, two good beer tips in the past week. Does this mean you’ll put me on the payroll to replace those unreliable “sources” you were planning to fire. LOL! Kidding, of course. Keep up the great work.
Scott
October 22, 2010 at 12:04 PM
What is the deal with Yellowhead? I’ve bought a dozen bottles apx and enjoyed them all. I’ve also started sending bottles out east on some trades. Bunch of questions:
How is it selling around the city in bottles?
When will the new batch be bottled?
Are they planning on brewing another style?
Does anyone care about this place? I see nothing in the news, internet, etc. I don’t live downtown so I don’t have a clue if there is a buzz. And if there is a buzz – how good is a buzz of one style production?
October 22, 2010 at 12:13 PM
Jeff,
Good questions about Yellowhead. They are still quite new and so struggling to create some presence for themselves. I don’t work for the brewery (obviously) so can only offer you what I have been told by the brewery staff and others in town.
1. They are focusing on draught sales. Bottles are only being sold at the brewery and a couple of other locations (e.g. Sherbrooke). They have to HAND-bottle every bottle, so it is quite the chore. Draught sales seem to be on a slow growth trend.
2. I keep asking the same question about the next batch. I will let you know when I know.
3. There is something in the works about a second beer. They were chatting me up about it last weekend at SHABAM. They are deciding what to do next.
4. Buzz is hard to come by in this town. As far as I know I am the only commentator to write about them so far – aside from some initial “blessing the brewery” new coverage. They don’t do themselves any favours by not having a website of their own. But buzz isn’t everything. Slow, steady growth can work too.
But I hear your point. They are only 6 months old at this point, and so there are probably plenty of kinks to work out.
I hope this answers your questions.
Jason
December 15, 2010 at 4:20 PM
Yellowhead lager is amazing!
I am a big supporter of local craft beer and if I was in marketing, I would really push this to the local pubs and especially the more mainstream ones (hudsons and or Canadian Brewhouse), as well as places like Original Joes who currently provide local craft beer (ie Alleykat).
I would also try to run a website, with descriptions, history, inside looks at the brewery and also recognize the vendors who sell their product.
So far I have seen the beer at Sherbrooke (of course) and at Ric’s Grill (who are conveniently accross the street). They need More vendors!!!!!!!
Next party I host will feature a Yellowhead keg (hopefully).
I would be really sad if this fine brewery closed its doors.
Support local craft breweries people, or we’ll be forced to drink flavorless adjunct macrobeers!!!!
-Squared
January 18, 2011 at 3:54 PM
I agree – they are really hurting themselves by not having a website.
I would love to go down and try the beer and have a little look around – does anyone know the hours? I tried to call but no answer.
Also I heard they have a space that you can book – does anyone know anything about this?
Thanks!
January 18, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Tiffany,
Supposedly they have regular hours during weekdays, but I must admit the couple of times I tried popping by, there was no one there. It is a bit of a roll of the dice. But to be fair, there really are only 2 full time staff right now – a sales guy and a brewer (with some part time helpers), so staffing a hospitality room is not high on their list.
Yes, they have a space you can rent. At the moment (last I heard) there was no kitchen, but they were renovating to build one. Call the brewery (yes, I know you have tried) to book it.
Good luck and thank you for supporting local craft beer.
Jason