It is getting hard to keep up with all the beer happenings on the prairies these days. Slow down, all you brewers, you’re making me dizzy! (Just kidding. Keep ’em comin’).

So, even though it has only been less than three weeks since my last news update, I feel the need to do another to keep from falling behind all the flurry of activity. So, in no particular order:

• Big Rock continues its furious pace of new releases and one-offs. A couple weeks ago, they put out a new one-time mixed six-pack called Lumberjack Pack, with entirely  new beer. And quite the beer they are. It has a spruce tip infused amber ale (Spruce Goose Ale), a brown ale packed with 8 different adjuncts, including elderberry, juniper, dandelion root, birch, rose petals and honey (Hibernation Ale), and a dark winter ale infused with licorice and coffee (Twisted Antler Dark Ale). Right on the mixer’s heels last  week was the announcement of Cuvée Bru, the latest in the Alchemist Series. Cuvée Bru is a Druivenbier, meaning wine grapes have been added. More specifically, Big Rock added Pinot Gris grapes from the Naramata Bench winery Therapy. This lightly hopped concoction will likely remind people of champagne.

• Not to be outdone, Alley Kat has announced the return of Blue Dragon, which was originally the second in the Dragon Series. This new edition, to be released next Thursday (28th) at the brewery, is intended as a fundraiser for Movember. Blue Dragon, for those not keeping score, is single-hopped with Columbus.

• Village Brewing takes local to a whole new level with its Gardener Community Involved Ale, which it released a week or two ago. They proclaim it is made with 100% locally source malt and hops, with the hops actually coming from the farm of co-owner Tim Duffin and a variety of backyards in central Calgary. Released only in 1-litre mini-growlers, Village is hoping this is the spark to a much more ambitious urban farming initiative where greater numbers of gardeners grow ingredients for beer.

• Filed under bad news, is the announcement by Portage Ave BrewWorks and Kitchen that plans to open Winnipeg’s only brewpub has been delayed due to the loss of their selected location. They are now searching for a new spot and hope to open sometime in 2014.

With my luck around this stuff, within hours of posting this, other prairie brewers will make announcements, making me obsolete once again. At any rate, as of writing, this is the latest beer news from the region.