With my CBC columns recently, I have been trying to catch people up on the growth in Alberta’s beer scene. Before Christmas I did a piece on the quiet growth of breweries in central Alberta.

Most people won’t have heard of these breweries, with one or two exceptions. This is because for the most part they are focused on serving their local community and/or are quite new and therefore still quite small. But I felt there was a legitimate need to talk about them. You can listen to my CBC Radioactive column here.

There is a surprising diversity in both the business models involved and the styles the are making. Let’s do a quick tour around the small town central Alberta breweries. And to be clear for the moment I am excluding the exploding beer scene in Red Deer.

Let’s start with Camrose, which has two, very different breweries these days.

The old timer, which is weird to say, is Norseman Brewing, which has been around for eight years. They are a low-key brewpub and they have never packaged to sell outside the hotel in which they are connected (and jointedly owned by). Norseman has quietly put out decent beer that has steadily improved in quality over the years.

The other Camrose brewery is Battle River Brewing who have only been open for just over a year. They do happen to can a couple of their beer (which can be found in Edmonton) you are better off going to the tap room to try their full offerings. A very small operation, basically a one-person show in Ryan Pearson. On the column I highlight their unusual Kentucky Common Ale, which is a rare beer in these parts.

And then there is Ponoka with Siding 14. I did a profile of Siding 14 when they first opened in 2017, so don’t need to say much here (if you read here). But I will remind everyone their goal is to be a grain (and hop) to glass brewery, with the owners also owning a barley farm and a hop farm.

I can’t mention central Alberta without highlighting the most famous brewery in the region, Blindman Brewing in Lacombe. Sure, most people have tried their beer, but how many of you have been to their tap room to experience their tap room only offerings? Huh? Maybe try that.

And then finally there is the newest rural central Alberta brewery, Valley Brewing in Drumheller. They just opened up in the summer of 2019. Very small and locally focused, you mostly need to travel to the badlands to find them. However, they do can a couple of their beer which makes its way to Edmonton. On air we tried the Namesake Hazy IPA, which was a decent example of a hazy IPA.

As the Alberta beer scene goes, Calgary, Edmonton and other places get all the press, and for good reason. But we should stop once in a while to check out some of the smaller, lower key breweries that are operating in the province. Because, in many ways, these small local breweries appealing to their town or region are the catalysts that will really change Alberta beer drinkers’ preferences. If we can win over the beer drinkers of Camrose or Stettler, then we really have won over the market.