To celebrate the grand opening of their new location on 109 St, the owners of the Urban Diner have arranged for an Alberta first. Two kegs of Yukon’s Lead Dog Ale have been shipped down from Whitehorse and are exclusive… Continue Reading →
Regular readers will remember that I was in Winnipeg last month and spent some time hanging out out with Dave from Half Pints. Well, one of the burdens of being a beer writer is that you actually have to write… Continue Reading →
My latest Vue Weekly column is a review of Creemore Spring’s Traditional Pilsner, recently available in Alberta in cans. I was nervous about trying this, the second permanent beer in Creemore’s line up. I enjoy their Premium Lager quite a… Continue Reading →
Last weekend at SHABAM, Big Rock served up a new edition of its long-gone Magpie Rye Ale. It still maintained a subtle touch of rye sharpness, and, if my memory serves me, is a lighter in body than the original… Continue Reading →
I have been around beer for a long time. I have judged it, sampled it, quaffed it, paired it, compared it, even dumped it occasionally. I have definitely been brewing it for 20 years. But this week I learned something.I… Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Unity Brew – the beer designed collaboratively by all of Alberta’s brewers with the proceeds going to charity (mostly the Kidney Foundation). The brew day was a blast, and the cause… Continue Reading →
The first annual SHABAM beer and art festival wrapped up on Saturday evening. I did my CBC column live from SHABAM on Friday afternoon. It gives a good run-down of how it was set up and its potential as an… Continue Reading →
It is not often when a pioneer of the American craft brewing industry comes to Alberta. And it is even rarer that a person gets a chance to have a specially designed dinner with said pioneer. But that is what… Continue Reading →
A quick note to do two things: FIRST, the next Sugar Bowl / Alley Kat Cask Night is going to be Thursday October 21. 5:00 as usual. Not sure on the beer, but I was lobbying Neil to try to… Continue Reading →
Edmonton’s elder microbrewery, Alley Kat, has quietly been releasing some new seasonal offerings over the past couple weeks, so I have sampled them all recently andthought I should offer a quick run down for you. Pumpkin Pi is out for… Continue Reading →