I got a lovely present recently. A close friend got their hands on one of the last remaining bottles of Jim’s Team Lager (pictured to the right) and decided it best belonged in my hands. I am quite thrilled to now have it in my possession and throw huge thanks to my friend.

Most of you likely never knew this beer existed, or what it is all about. So, let me fill you in. In February 2015, the Minhas Brewery hosted a fundraiser for then-Premier Jim Prentice. As part of their effort to support Prentice, they produced a limited run of a special beer, complete with Prentice’s visage on the bottle. The move was reminiscent of Big Rock’s homage back in the 1990s to Ralph Klein with Kleineken.

As the beer was intended solely for fundraiser attendees and other PC supporters, very few bottles survive, meaning one day this solitary bottle in my possession will have notable historical significance. That significance is, of course, increased given the events over the subsequent months when Mr. Prentice’s and the Conservatives’ reign over the province was brought to a screeching halt by Rachel Notley and her orange crush.

While I am careful about what I write on this beer-focused site, I have a deep interest in Alberta politics and so this little present has a great deal of personal significance for me, as well. I have no intentions of allowing it to leave my possession.

The Minhas Fundraiser poster

The beer itself, of course, is already over a year old – and in a clear bottle to boot! – meaning I have no intention of ever drinking it. It has already developed a slight haze and formed a thin layer of sediment.  I am certain the beer is not drinkable. But that isn’t the point. It is that the beer exists that makes it significant.

I wouldn’t be surprised, given the political turn of events last May, that Minhas would rather the beer (and their links to the Tories) slip quietly into the night. However, the past is the past. We cannot change it.

I realize this is not a particularly noteworthy post today, but I just wanted to share my little find in the hopes some readers find it interesting and, possibly, fitting that the bottle ended up in my hands.