It is hard to open a new brewery at the best of times. How about opening a brewpub during the COVID-19 pandemic?

That is exactly what Darren McGeown found himself doing last fall with the opening of Arcadia Brewing Company. He didn’t set out to complete such a Herculean task. He just wanted to open a friendly little taproom for thirsty Edmontonians. But, like the rest of us, he found himself coping as best he could.

He successfully opened his doors (briefly) in November and again last month when restrictions were lifted. I did a profile of Arcadia for my CBC column back in January, which you can listen to here. This post has been marinating in my busy-ness and distraction ever since.

McGeown is a familiar face on the Edmonton beer scene. Owner of Arcadia Pub on 124 Street, he spent five years curating an unbeatable tap menu of local beer. He was famous for driving around the province to pick-up kegs of one-off exclusives for the pub. The small, cozy, punk-themed pub was a hit with for people looking for good craft beer without pretense.

The name Arcadia comes from the English punk band The Libertines and for McGeown represents freedom from oppression (and good punk music). Arcadia is also a geographic region in Greece and has roots in middle-ages European mythology. So, there is a lot going on with that name.

McGeown loved operating the pub but wanted more. “It was great selling other people’s beer, but I wanted to create my own thing”. He had actually been thinking of his own brewery since opening Arcadia in 2015, but finally got serious last year. He closed the pub and dived full time into building the new Arcadia, located in the new Manchester Square development a few blocks away on 107 Avenue. The development is controversial for its faux European facades and European town square design. For his part McGeown loves the look. “I love the building”, he says. “I lived in Riga for a bit and it reminds me of old town Riga”.

The brewpub is all about community. McGeown wants to create a welcoming, safe place for people to come, have a beer or two over conversation and feel comfortable. “Arcadia is community based. I am trying to make it warm and exciting for people of all ages”, he says.

The inviting space continues to be a work in progress, with plans to adorn the walls with murals and paintings from local artists. A giant mural currently dominates the wall above the brewhouse, with more coming over the next few months. The space is friendly and quirky, including a few seats removed from the old Northlands Coliseum (upholstery appropriately cleaned, of course).

McGeown is passionate about the community and works tirelessly to give back, especially to those who need an extra hand. He volunteers at a range of community agencies and sponors a summer block party to support the work these groups do. He is also vocal about injustice in our community. He aims to make the brewpub a space for education nights to educate people about Black and Indigenous histories.

Right now Arcadia is a two-man operation, with McGeown handling operations and his brewer Shawn Nest captaining the tiny 400-litrebrewhouse. Best is heavy equipment technician (and Arcadia regular) turned mathematics student turned professional brewer.

The beer is all about accessibility.

“My family is from Ireland. I want to create something that tastes like a 7% IPA or NEPA but is 4.5 to 5.5%. I want the beer to be drinkable and accessible to public”. His head brewer, Shawn Nest, shares the vision. “All the beer are designed to be accessible. We want people to come often and have a pint or multiple pints. None are high alcohol. Instead they are supersessionable”.

They have created six core beer for the brewery: a hazy pale ale, a blonde ale, a kettle sour, a west coast IPA, a coffee kolsch, and, of course, a dry Irish stout. They will offer up some seasonals and one-offs to round out the tap list at any time.

The original plan was brewpub onsite sales and growlers exclusively. But, like most breweries, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a curve ball. “We opened the second week of November. We were open four days when a staff member tested positive so we had to close to get everyone tested. Then we re-opened and less than two weeks later the province shut down bars and restaurants. There was a lot of crying when that happened”, says McGeown. Handed with this difficult situation, they shifted strategies. They bought a small canning line to make it easier for people to purchase take-away. “Canning wasn’t in the works at first. We still plan for mostly in house”. Although McGeown says he is open to contracting larger batches of popular core beer for broader distribution, which he has been doing for a year now to increase brand recognition and create some cash flow.

COVID means McGeown has to wait to achieve his goal of a safe, friendly community at Arcadia, but he thinks it is worth the sacrifice. “Arcadia has always been about community and it always will be”, he says.