I spend a lot of time in pubs. Not a surprise. But while I find myself in a wide range of places at times, I gravitate to pubs that have the right atmosphere and a great (or at least intelligent)… Continue Reading →
Calgary is about to have a new brewpub, even if they don’t know it yet. Prairie Dog Brewing Company is working on building a destination brewpub near the downtown core. It is the creature of four partners, Gerad Coles, Tyler… Continue Reading →
On Wednesday I got a couple of media calls asking me about the problem of “soggy barley”. (You can watch the CBC-Edmonton interview here – it starts at 18:59). At first I wasn’t sure what they were referring to, but… Continue Reading →
This morning my plan was to publish the latest in my series of new brewery profiles (I am trying to catch up with the wave). But then I read Jason van Rassel’s thoughtful piece about the state of brewing in… Continue Reading →
It may only be a short drive, but Canmore is a long distance from the office towers of downtown Calgary. Just ask Brian Dunn, co-founder of the soon-to-open Canmore Brewing. A couple years ago Dunn had grown tired of working… Continue Reading →
2016 marks my 25th year of homebrewing. It is an odd admission mostly because it makes me admit that I am older, balder and fatter than I would like. But, still, I feel like it is an anniversary worth marking…. Continue Reading →
I will say this for Ryan Ferguson, Mark Ferguson (no relation) and Darren Kester. They are not idle dreamers. The three friends grew up together in the Three Hills area (about an hour northeast of Calgary) and today are the… Continue Reading →
Talking to all the new breweries opening up on the prairies, as I have been trying to do in recent weeks, I come across a lot of different start-up strategies and a variety of visions for the brewery. But when… Continue Reading →
The most-talked-about but least understood beer happening in Edmonton is the impending opening of Blind Enthusiasm. The soon-to-be brewery kind of defies categorization. It will be a brewpub. But it is more than that. It will also be Canada’s first… Continue Reading →
Welcome to the second installment of Random Acts of Beerness, my occasional effort to update people on beer happenings on the prairies in a rather random, haphazard way (read here for an explanation of its origins). Your Guide to the… Continue Reading →