There have been some fascinating developments in the craft beer industry in Alberta in the first eight months of 2024. In many ways it has been quieter than i initially expected, but what changes there have been have been both surprising and complicated. I thought I would offer a quick run down of what I have learned since my last Alberta industry-focused post back in February (which you can read here).

More Brewery Closures

Closings continue to dominant the news. By my count nine breweries have closed their doors in 2024, including six since my last post. Of course, I may be missing a couple as, a lot of the time, breweries don’t announce their closure – they just quietly disappear. Keeping track of the operational status of 150 or so breweries is no easy task. Nine was the total number of closures in 2023, so we are, unfortunately, destined to surpass that mark this year.

Some of the closures have been straightforward. Assymetrical Brewing in Edmonton (as reported last time), Siding 14 in Ponoka, Battle River Brewing in Camrose and Calgary’s Heathen’s Gluten Free Brewery and Rapid Ascent Brewery all simply shut their doors. Others have been more complicated, and thus more difficult to ascertain what is going on. Revival Brewcade changed ownership and branding and is now Burn Block Social Club. Elite Brewing briefly became Paradise Beverage Company, but that gambit didn’t last long and so is now officially filed under “closed”.

The last two are more complex. In the spring, Common Crown Brewing handed the keys of their brewery to Strathmore’s Origin Brewing, who are undergoing an expansion. The company is still operational and contracting its beer and hopes to open a new taproom shortly. So, under my definition, they are officially listed as closed – as they do not have a bricks and mortar facility nor an AGLC production license – but you can still buy their beer. This is a fascinating turn of events for the 2020 Canadian Brewing Awards Brewery of the Year.

Just before summer, OT Brewing in Calgary also ceased production. We have since learned that Brauerei Fahr has purchased the company and will be taking over production of their brands. The OT license in Calgary has been suspended, so I suspect production will be amalgamated in Diamond Valley.

There are also some troubling signs at a couple of other breweries. Last week Evil Corporation Brewing send out a plea on social media to customers reporting they are having trouble keeping their doors open. They report that they “need to sell an equivalent of 16,000 beers in the immediate term and 40,000 beers by the end of this year” to keep operating. And this week, Arcadia Brewing announced the end of its Time for Kindness initiative, which was launched back in March as an effort to restructure and refocus the brewery, bring in some capital, and – importantly – ramp up its efforts at supporting local community groups and people in need. That they have had to wind it up so quickly is disappointing and concerning.

Brewery Openings

Things have been much quieter on the new brewery front. In fact in 2024 – as of the date of writing – there have been ZERO new breweries open. Burn Block officially counts as a new brewery on my database, but they are really a re-purposing. I know there are a handful of new entrants that are close to opening, but none have yet cut the red ribbon. There are always rumours and stories that swirl around the industry about upstarts, breweries in development and the like. I am old enough to know that it doesn’t count as a brewery until beer is coming out of fermenters.

I can say that two breweries recently received their manufacturer’s license, so that may be close enough to merit mentioning. Southbound Brewing will soon be the latest edition to Happy Beer Street in Edmonton, having received the government green light in late July. And McLeod River Brewing Company will soon be open in Edson (license granted at end of May), becoming a close neighbour to Apex Brewing just outside of town. I know there are at least a couple more under construction but will leave them off for now since their timelines are still unpredictable. Finally B.C.’s Old Yale Brewing has announced construction of a third (and first Alberta) location in Beaumont, just on the south edge of Edmonton. Opening sometime in 2025, so I will believe it when I see it.

Finally, I should update the situation at Tool Shed, which I reported on in February. The company has undergone a financial restructuring and reports they have exited insolvency. I am not privy to the details of the matter, and nor would I really understand them even if I were, but for the moment the Tool Shed ship seems stable and moving full steam ahead.