“A raven and a wolf walk into a bar…” It might sound like the beginning of a good joke, but actually RavenWolf is serious business. Specifically RavenWolf Brewing is the newest brewery in the town of Spruce Grove just west of Edmonton.

RavenWolf opened in April, just on the cusp of the spring COVID restrictions, just a few months after Talking Dog Brewing (read their profile here) who got to claim the mantle as Spruce Grove’s first-ever brewery. But in this case second is just as good as being first as the two breweries have very different approaches to beer and very different personalities. I did a profile of RavenWolf on my CBC Radioactive column back in May, which you can listen to here.

RavenWolf is the creation of spouses Randal and Jan Gillett. Randal has been a 20-plus year homebrewer with a longstanding dream of going pro (full disclosure: I know Randal very well due to our mutual involvement over the years in the Edmonton Homebrewers Guild). He actually made an attempt to do so a few years ago but that project fell apart and Randal starting thinking that his hopes for owning a brewery were not to be. The Gillett’s started talking retirement and what mischief they could get into somewhere warm and sunny.

But Randal just couldn’t get a brewery out of his mind, so one day a couple years back Jan turned to him and said “let’s do it – together!” As longtime Spruce Grove residents, that was the only possible location for their dream brewery. “We live and work here”, says Jan. “We built RavenWolf to be in the community, from the community and for the community”.

The initial plan was to make the tap room the central focus of the operation. “It is supposed to be where people can go to share a beer, talk and connect,” says Randal. Most of the beer would be sold in or from the tap room, with some select tap accounts around town. However, like so many breweries, COVID-19 forced a change in plans. They have started canning their core line-up to help keep beer moving during restrictions. However, their hope is that upon a return to normal operations the tap room will remain a central focus.

It is an appealing decor, with lots of wood, cozy colours and lighting and a distinct nautical theme. Plus the big secret of their tap room is the food. While the kitchen is small and thus the menu fairly limited, as it turns out Jan is an experienced and excellent chef. Their handful of dishes are a step beyond most tap room fare. Jan is particularly famous for her jerk chicken.

The name is unusual, but for the Gilletts it is a natural fit. “Ravens and wolves are quite connected”, says Randal. “They are often found together. Both are resourceful”. Randal also points to their significance in Scandinavian folklore, which links to his heritage. “The name just seems to fit what we are trying to do”. It doesn’t hurt that as a brand it does attract some attention.

The beer coming off their 12-hectolitre brewhouse is all Randal (although he employs a full time head brewer while he still holds down his management job at the local lumber mill). “I make the beer I like to make. It is assertive and flavourful”. The initial anchor beer all come from Randal’s homebrew recipes, well-honed over the years by repeated brewing. “I also want to make sure there is a range of beer at all times so everyone can have something they enjoy”. The core line-up consists of four beer – Riona’s Irish Red, Grove City Kolsch, SOS Smoked Oatmeal Stout and Skol IPA – with a regular list of rotating seasonals to fill out the roster.

If you live in the Edmonton area you are likely to find cans of RavenWolf in good beer stores, but my advice is make the 30 minute drive west and experience their beer in the habitat in which they were intended.