You have likely heard the news. Co-founder of Village Brewing in Calgary, Jim Button, passed away on January 19. He was 59. His life and contributions to community deserve to be recognized. Others who knew him better than I may be more aptly suited to offer homage, but I feel very strongly that onbeer.org needs to honour him in my humble way.

One story will tell you what kind of man Jim Button was. Not long after Village opened I was in Calgary for a couple of days and I called Jim to see if I could arrange a visit at the brewery (my first). He enthusiastically agreed and proposed a time. When I arrived, he toured me around the brewery, introducing me to everyone working there. We retired upstairs for a beer to talk, and to my surprise the erstwhile taproom was full of people. He had invited me at a time when he knew others would be gathering. He didn’t want to talk about Village Brewing. He wanted me to meet all these amazing people. He introduced me to four guys with a crazy plan to start a nano-sized brewery. Those guys happened to be the founders of Dandy Brewing. He then introduced me to a woman working on an arts project with which Jim was collaborating. I met few other people that afternoon about whom my memory is fuzzy, but I left a couple hours later spinning (and not just from the beer) at the range of people he had just connected me with.

I hadn’t just completed a tour of Village Brewing. I had toured the communities that Jim was bringing together with beer as the conduit. That is who Jim Button was.

His optimism, good humour and enthusiasm were infectious. He was generous and passionate about people, community and family. I only knew him through beer and our interactions only sporadic, but I can say all of these things about him without hesitance.

What I want to make sure is not lost about Jim Button is his importance to building beer in Alberta. We often talk about pioneers like Ed McNally, trailblazers such as Neil Herbst and the Lanigan family, and innovators like Greg Zeschuk. Jim Button deserves equal mention.

Village opened in 2012, which were pretty tough times for breweries in Alberta. There were just over a dozen open at the time. Yet Village found a way to make a mark, and quickly. They didn’t do it with splashy marketing, out-there beer styles or gimmicks. They made clean, accessible beer and anchored the company’s vision in community.

Everyone talks about how craft breweries are connected to community. Often it is mostly words and good intentions. Jim showed how you can not just be a part of a community but create new ones. Jim and his co-founders infused community into Village that was unlike anything seen in this province before. He helped build the brewery not through good branding (although they had that too), but through living their values and including everyone on the ride.

I think one of Jim Button’s legacies may surprise even him. Village demonstrated that you can build a successful brewery by creating real human connections with people and creating space where people feel included. I think I see that ethos playing out in many of the newer breweries today, especially in the province’s smaller towns. The beer doesn’t have to be the only thing doing the talking (although it has to be in the conversation). The people behind the beer are just as crucial as the beer itself.

I know many people in the Alberta beer industry are saddened at the news of his passing. I am one. RIP, Jim.

[Featured Photo courtesy of Village Brewing.]