I gave up three or four years ago trying to write a profile for every new brewery on the prairies and generally keep people apprised of the news. It became too big a job as the industry exploded across the three provinces. But as I look back at the summer there was a fair bit that happened. Breweries came, breweries went. So I thought I might provide a little rundown.

The Goings

First, the closures. The rumour mill has been going crazy for months about X or Y brewery about to close. Onbeer doesn’t report rumours, so I will not be sharing those here. However, I have confirmed three brewery closures in Alberta in the past three months or so. This brings to five the total number of breweries who have closed their doors during COVID. Here are the three brief obituaries:

North 57 Kitchen and Brewery (Fort McMurray): This brewpub was an ill-fated attempt to re-open the shuttered Wood Buffalo Brewing who never recovered from the 2016 fire which devastated the city. They opened in the early stages of the COVID pandemic, which likely didn’t help matters. The location was always suspect – no one hangs out in downtown Fort Mac – and you could say the beer deserved to be convicted. At least in the can, the beer was sub-standard and quality control apparently non-existent. Fort Mac deserves a brewery, but this wasn’t the one.

Outcast Brewing (Calgary): This spunky little brewery quietly closed its doors in late spring, but talk surrounding it at first was that it was temporary. Alas, by mid-summer it was clear Outcast was no more. I am saddened by this one as owners Patrick Schnarr and his wife are good people and were really trying to create something small and interesting. While I was always skeptical of his Slushie series (you can read a review here), he did find a way to make some tasty, interesting beer. Maybe he will resurface somewhere someday.

Polar Park Brewing (Edmonton): What to say about Polar Park? I first mentioned them in a blog post in 2016, a full three years before their official opening in 2019 (they missed 20 target opening dates). That might give a hint. Over-extended and overly ambitious might be apt descriptors. They had a gorgeous and potentially lucrative location just off bustling Whyte Avenue in an historic building that used to house an iconic bakery. But the location was also their albatross. It took forever to renovate and within a year of opening COVID struck, making the entire second-floor event space a white elephant. The brewhouse design never made sense to me, and while the beer was fine, it didn’t stand out enough to make a mark in an increasingly crowded Alberta market. And the years of delays took their toll. They had an estimated 25-35 investors, including Edmonton Oiler alumni, and so were just way too over-extended. At some point the bill needs to be paid. Unfortunate outcome.

The Comings

There have also been a couple openings in the last couple months. Once again rumours abound about additional breweries opening in the next couple months, and I have confirmed many will exist soon but “almost existence” isn’t enough for onbeer, so they will have to wait. However, this is who has actually opened their doors.

Best of Kin Brewing (Calgary): This is the most recent of new breweries, opening their doors just in the last week. Best of Kin has been a contract brewery since 2019 as they sought space and built a bricks-and-mortar brewery. Created by two brothers, Ryan and Collin Mortson, they have named the brewery in honour of their late father, whom they say they “lost too soon”. It will be interesting how the beer morphs now that they have their own space. They have a lager, a “lagered-ale” and a hazy IPA as their initial line-up, supplemented by seasonals.

Broken Table Brewing (Nisku): You can be forgiven if you missed the launch of this new brewery near the Edmonton airport. Broken Table is one guy – Terrance Hoggan – who is pursuing is brewing dream after a career working at the airport. He may be unlike any other brewer we have seen in Alberta. First, he makes only 250 litres at a time. Second, he is thoroughly committed to bottle-conditioning every beer he makes. He hasn’t done a big public launch as his beer is currently only available at The Coop Liquor in Leduc, although he does have plans for a taproom. I only learned of him by perusing the AGLC list of new licenses. I followed up and did a profile on my CBC column during the summer, which you can listen to here.

Detention Brewing (Rosalind): Okay I am cheating a bit on this one, as Detention opened their doors in March, but I am such a fan of their story and location I wanted to highlight it here regardless. Detention may have just broken the Alberta record for the smallest town with a brewery. Rosalind, southeast of Camrose has a population of 188, which beats the previous record of 236 in Lundbreck where Oldman Brewing is located (I have not confirmed current populations). Further, Detention has re-purposed the local school, Rosalind Centralized School, which closed in 2013. The brewhouse is in the gymnasium and the taproom in the chemistry lab. How cool is that? I haven’t made a trip out there yet, but plan to very soon.

So, a little insight into some of the latest developments in the Alberta beer scene. While I don’t promise to keep everyone updated on all the news in the region, I still do want to comment on some of the significant developments when I can.