The first couple months of 2025 have been action packed in the Alberta beer world. In addition to being blindsided by sudden changes to mark-up policy and coping with the many lunatic (and increasingly imperialistic) tariff actions of President Donald Trump, the industry has seen a noticeable amount of churn. Some of the news is good, some bad.

Let’s start with the good.

New Life for former Biera Space

I want to lead with the news that the Biera space in the Ritchie neighbourhood in Edmonton (you can read about its closure here) has not remained vacant for long. Biera closed its doors in December and in early April Campio Ritchie will officially open its doors. The new operation will be the second Edmonton location for the Bearhill Group, which currently operates four brewpubs in Banff, Calgary, Jasper, and downtown Edmonton. This feels like a really good fit to me. Bearhill are experienced at operating full service restaurants with a brewery component, and will find a way to use the space well. I expect they will make some changes to the space while maintaining its elegant feel.

Owner Brett Ireland indicates they will be installing a canning line and using the Biera brewhouse to both expand their production of existing Campio beer and to experiment with one-off and exclusives for that location. The food will be similar to the original Campio.

On the business front, I find it interesting that Bearhill is coming in as a full tenant. Greg Zeschuk, Blind Enthusiasm owner, retains ownership of both the space and the brewhouse. Retaining the space is obvious, since it is part of the larger Ritchie Market owned by Zeschuk, but I am intrigued by the decision to hold ownership of the brewing equipment as well. I think it makes sense for both parties. I just note it is a rather unique arrangement.

Two New Small Breweries

The next two tidbits officially date back to late 2024, but this is the first opportunity I have had to profile them. Alberta has two new, locally-focused breweries.

First up is the official opening of Brewsmith in Calgary. It is the first brewery in the northwest part of the city. It aims to be a small, community-focused restaurant and tap room. Of note is the head brewer is Calgary brewing mainstay Colin Baldner, formerly at Dandy. Their goal is to offer a couple anchor beer supplemented by a constantly rotating of small batch offerings. The brewhouse is small and they will have limited packaged product distribution. They officially opened their doors in November, which in my database makes them a 2024 opening, but they remain an early 2025 highlight.

Next is a new brewery I stumbled across when examining a recent AGLC liquor suppliers report (as one does to bide their time). Apparently Nodding Donkey Brewing quietly opened its doors in November as well. This is the first Drayton Valley brewery to appear. It was started by two spouses who are longtime homebrewers who decided to make the jump. A tap room and a full service restaurant anchor the operation. I have not seen any packaged product as of yet. Will report more when I know.

Now the bad news, which unfortunately outweighs the good news.

Three Fewer Breweries

The upside of new breweries has been outpaced, unfortunately with the loss of three breweries in early 2025.

I am declaring Evil Corporation Brewing in Calgary closed. It had been struggling for a number of months, with the owner even putting out a call for support earlier last fall indicating they needed to sell 40,000 beer before the end of 2024. I don’t think they got there. While there are still vestiges of their presence online, nothing has been updated since December and their production license has been removed from the AGLC lists.

I have also confirmed that Familia Brewing has also shuttered its operations. Familia was one of the hybrid breweries that have begun appearing in the Alberta market. Their business model was to mostly contract their production with one of the larger contracting operations and then operate a VERY small brewhouse and tap room in the Village at Pigeon Lake in central Alberta. This approach gave them access to a manufacturer’s license and all the distribution rights that come with it while keeping overhead low. Unfortunately for Familia, the plan did not play out as hoped and they have closed the brewery.

You may have missed the opening of the third brewery that is now closed. On Edge Brewing opened in late 2023 in the former Situation Brewing space just off Whyte Avenue in Edmonton. As Situation had sold off the original brewhouse, they operated with a smaller, electric system to serve the needs of the restaurant, which had an odd Indian-North American fusion feel. There has been no formal announcement, but the restaurant is locked up.

The Likely End of Apex Predator

Apex Predator posted a cryptic social media post a week or so ago indicating big changes were afoot. I have attempted, without success, to get clarification on its meaning. Here is an excerpt from the Instagram post:

Operating independently in Yellowhead County has become increasingly unsustainable due to rising costs, supply chain challenges, and economic pressures—including Trump-era tariffs and Canadian counter-tariffs. These external forces are driving up costs on everything from raw ingredients to packaging, making it impossible for a small, independent brewery to compete at scale. To ensure Apex Brewing’s legacy endures, we are partnering with a trusted brewery in Southern Alberta allowing us to access bulk purchasing power, reduce costs, and continue brewing the same great beer you love. Importantly, it enables us to support jobs in Alberta, strengthen our local supplier network, and remain competitive in an ever-evolving craft beer market. Our taproom will close March 29th, marking the end of a memorable era.

Without any direct information from the brewery, I am left to speculate what it means. I do have additional information that the entire brewery location is up for sale, which strongly suggests that production will cease. So, my guess is that Apex has decided to stop producing beer and has arranged with another brewery to make their beer for them. In short, I think they are becoming a contract brewery. Common Crown made the same move last year. There is a possibility they have sold the operation to another brewery, but I have no evidence for that at this time. Either way, my conclusion is that Apex Predator will soon stop being an active beer producer in Alberta, even if the brand survives.

This is a shame. They were one of the first breweries in the big wave of openings back in 2015. They have endured many challenges, including having to change their name to avoid a trademark fight. And they were a trailblazer in buildng the business model of locating in a small centre trying to make a mark across the province. Plus Andrew is a good guy.

Olds College Temporary Suspension

The final bit of news is that a couple weeks ago Olds College announced that they are temporarily suspending intakes to the Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations Diploma for the 2025-26 academic year. The program opened in 2013 and has been a key partner in the rapid expansion of craft brewing in western Canada in the past decade, graduating hundreds of brewers over the years. It has become a key source of new brewing knowledge and staff.

While the decision is temporary, it must raise concerns for people in the industry. The consequences of the program’s closure will reverberate across the industry. Of course, craft beer is in a state of slow contraction (read here for details), so the market for new brewers has reduced proportionately, so adding dozens of new graduates at this time isn’t ideal. But colleges are not about immediate market concerns. They are about educating the next generation of brewers (in this case), so need to take a long term view.

For now the brewery continues to operate, as there are two cohorts of students still active in the program. However, if the pause is made permanent, it is likely the brewery would close as well, given its existence is to support the diploma program.

I will keep an eye on this file and keep people updated.