By now it is obvious to almost everyone in the industry that Edmonton’s Yellowhead Brewing is closed. This announcement is not a scoop but, oddly, I appear to be the first person to say those words in print. Whispers and rumours about its closure have been circulating since spring of 2020. And yet, even today, no one can confirm that the closure is actually permanent or just an extended hiatus, even though it is increasingly looking like the former.

I first started tracking this story in May 2020, and even drafted up a blog post announcing it. I chose not to run it because I got conflicting stories. At the time I spoke with former Yellowhead staff who said the brewery had closed its doors for good. Others in the industry suggested the same. And then I spoke with owner Gene Dub who said that the closure was temporary due to COVID. He said they ceased production at the time and temporarily laid off all employees because their business was mostly keg sales, but would re-open when it again made sense. I held off on the story.

I reached out to Dub again in the fall of 2020. Things had (for the moment) partially re-opened and yet there was still no sign of life at the brewery on 105 Street. He repeated that he fully planned on re-opening the brewery once their events space (a key revenue generator for the brewery) could be fully operational.

The next wave hit and then the so-called, ill-fated, and definitely ill-advised “best summer ever” came and went. Still no Yellowhead. Now we have the vaccine passport/non-passport program and the space remains dark. So I am calling it. Yellowhead is closed. Probably for good (but you never know).

To be honest I didn’t call Dub this time. I feel the passage of time has made what is happening abundantly clear. And even if he does have plans to re-open the brewery (after all he still owns the building and everything in it), whatever he creates – even if by the same name – after almost two years it will be a different entity. And, frankly, if he does I am not sure he should call it Yellowhead as that brand is likely irredeemably damaged due to its long absence.

As of the date of writing there has been no formal announcement from the brewery. No news story marking its passing. No sign on the door. Nothing. Silence.

I find that very sad.

The end of Yellowhead deserves more than this. Its history has been a bit complicated, but it deserves a place in Edmonton’s (and Alberta’s) craft beer history. Beer has been brewed on that site since 2006 with opening of the doomed Maverick Brewing (an operation beset with organizational dysfunction and a fatal problem with diacetyl). Yellowhead opened in 2010 to great promise. It was Alberta’s 8th brewery (showing how far the province has come in a decade).

It was (and is) in an absolute gem of a space – an historic brick building in the heart of Edmonton’s downtown, and with Dub as both landlord and owner it had the potential for stability and profitability (that didn’t play out as planned). Its links to Edmonton’s beer history (named after the beer made by Edmonton’s first brewery in 1894) was a nice touch. However, the brewhouse was oversized and the inability to accommodate a decent bottling line was a huge liability. It was opening at the cusp of the craft beer revolution in the province, so the future seemed bright.

The brewery never lived up to its potential, for reasons I won’t go into here. But for a few years it was a mainstay of the craft beer scene in town.

Its demise will likely be met with a shrug by most, given Alberta now has more than 120 breweries we can experience and because its relevance had dimmed even before COVID. I think that is a bit of a shame. It is a legitimate part of our beer history and it helped shape Alberta’s beer industry.

I believe something beer-related will emerge in that space. The brewing equipment is still there and the location is inviting. Maybe a brewpub (although Campio next door complicates that business model)? Maybe the sizeable brewhouse makes it a candidate for a brewery looking to expand? I imagine Dub, a smart and creative businessperson, has some ideas up his sleeve.

Only time will tell about the future of that location. For now let me be the first to officially say, RIP Yellowhead.