I have been saying for a while now that something is shifting in the Edmonton beer scene. It may be most noticeable when one walks down Whyte Avenue, Edmonton’s hippest street. Whyte is chock full of bars and nightclubs and it is one of the few spots in town where a vibrant nightlife is found (although of late it may be TOO vibrant for those not wanting to be harassed by drunk frat boys). For beer, however. The pickings are slim. The local breweries struggle to get any kind of presence in the area, and imports are restricted to the usuals.

At least until recently. There has been a quiet re-working of some of the beer offerings on Whyte. Boring beer still reigns, but there are now at least a couple of oases where a beer denizen can rest their weary feet for a pint or two. My Vue Weekly column last week looked at three beer-focused pubs – the refurbished Next Act, the upscale Pour House and the eclectic Wunderbar. In a post on the weekend, I also highlight Continental Treat – which hadn’t hit my radar until after I wrote the Whyte Avenue piece.

For local beer folks, the column isn’t telling you anything you don’t know. I wrote the piece (and post it here) for two reasons. One, maybe, must maybe, some beer curious people on Whyte decided to stop into one of those places instead of the tied-houses, and thus experience some good beer. Second, lots of visitors to Edmonton moan about the lack of beer selection in Edmonton pubs (a fair critique). This might give them a couple of places to try on a tourist-y day or evening out.

Read the Vue Weekly Whyte Avenue article here.