In the midst of all the new IPAs and barrel-aged beer being promised by the prairies’ new breweries, it is a noticeable change of pace to talk to about a proposed brewery that is going to stick to traditional styles. No gimmicks. No experimentation.

That brewery is Brauerei Fahr. Owner/brewer Jochen Fahr has deep German brewing roots, and he has plans to stay very, very true to those roots. “My dad worked at a German brewery for 40 years. I had beer in my baby bottle in Germany” he says (I hope metaphorically). He grew up in Ebringen, Germany, a small village of 300 residents and his father worked at the Fürstenberg brewery in nearby Donaueschingen (for you Deutsche-philes). Fahr emigrated to Calgary in 2008 to attend university and has stayed. He completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2013, meaning he is one seriously smart dude.

Beer is his “passion” (to use his word). Even his academic work had beer-related consequences. He essentially worked with yeast to convert metabolic waste to create food for yeast cells. I will stop summarizing at this point as his research is WAY above my pay scale.

Brauerei Fahr will be a German brewery in the truest sense. “We will never produce an orange blossom cherry infused chocolate porter. We will have strict adherence to the Reinheitsgebot (Germany’s Beer Purity Law),” he says. “Even carbonation will not be not forced carbonation”. He intends on using traditional German brewing techniques throughout the process.

“Growing up in Germany I learned the real emphasis of making beer is to have process nailed down and make a beer that is balanced between all four flavour components,” Fahr observes. “My beer will highlight all four pillars – water, yeast, grain and hops”. And nothing more.

Given his approach, it is not surprising his beer will all be traditional German styles. He plans to start with three beer: Fahr Away Hefeweizen, A Little Too Fahr Pilsner and Old Fahrt Altbier. All three have been regulars in his homebrewery over the past couple years, winning him multiple medals in homebrew competitions across Canada, including winning Russell Brewing’s Golden Stag Home Brewing Competition, where the winner has their beer brewed at Russell’s B.C. brewery. That beer is now out, under the name Hochiitsbier (The Wedding Beer), a version of what will be Fahr’s hefeweizen.

He is also contemplating a regular rotation of seasonals, again in the German style. “I will do seasonals, not to start off but down the line. I see two seasonals, one in spring and one in fall. Things like bocks. When I feel brave I might try a Eisbock” says Fahr.

While Fahr lives in southwest Calgary, he plans on opening the brewery in Turner Valley, a town of 2500 about 60 km southwest of Calgary. He picked Turner Valley for a few reasons. “One is sentimental value for me. It reminded me 100% of where I grew up in Germany”. Another reason is the presence of Eau Claire Distillery, Alberta’s first craft distillery. His brewery will be located right across the street from the distillery in the centre of town. “It is beneficial to have a brewery right next to the distillery. It makes it a destination”.

The third reason connects to Fahr’s appreciation of breweries in Germany. “Old German breweries in smaller towns are in centre of town” he states. Historically in Germany “everything starts with a church. The farmer settles next to the church. The brewery delivers low alcohol beer, high carb beer. Then everything else builds up around that. The brewery is really connected o the town they are in”.

“I want to bring the traditional German village concept in place for 800 years out here in Alberta”.

Fahr also notes that the town leaders have been “very friendly towards me”, and are helping facilitate the brewery’s set-up. I love to support rural regions. I grew up there and know the challenges that are there. If I can help a rural town that has been struggling, it fits into the vision of my company”.

Fahr thinks the time is right to open a German-loyal brewery. “The trend toward IPA is fading”, Fahr says, arguing that consumers are looking for a more sessionable style of beer that still has flavour and quality – something German beer can provide. He also feels like Canadian brewers, in general, haven’t really figured out German styles. “They call it a hefe and it is not. It is a bit irksome for me”.

That said, Fahr is excited to join the Alberta beer community. “I like the sentiment of the breweries in Alberta, very collaborative. For the industry as a whole it is beneficial”.

He also aims to achieve important environmental goals. “Coming from the European experience where energy is really expensive and people do everything possible to reduce their footprint, I want to be a zero-emission brewery,” he says. “The goal is full trace-ability, all the way down the line”. He acknowledges that will take time, but is trying to design the brewery with that goal in mind.

Fahr is certain he will open “sometime in 2016”, but has a personal goal of April 23, 2016, the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot. He appreciates the symbolism in achieving that goal, even if he knows it might be ambitious, especially because he only started working on the project in January.

The opening date may still be in flux, but one thing is certain. When Brauerei Fahr opens its doors sometime next year, it will truly be a unique player in the market.