It has been just over 36 hours since news broke that Calgary’s Banded Peak Brewing was being purchased by AB-Inbev (ABI), the world’s largest brewing corporation. Details on the deal remain scant (and likely will for a long time). The… Continue Reading →
This is not your father’s near beer. The world of craft beer has recently been turning its attention to how to make zero or low alcohol beer actually taste good. And it might be working, sorta. For years those not… Continue Reading →
There was some idle discussion on social media over the holiday break about the state of Alberta beer writing. More specifically there was some suggestion that area beer writers are reluctant to write negative reviews. I am not sure the… Continue Reading →
There have been four brewery closures in Alberta in the last six months. In recent weeks I have had multiple conversations with people worried that this is a signal that the beer industry is falling back. It’s not. And here… Continue Reading →
It has become clear over the past 48 hours that Lethbridge’s Coulee Brewing has ceased production at its brewery. Details remain sketchy, but it is clear Coulee is ending its production brands. I have been unable to communicate with anyone… Continue Reading →
Yesterday the Alberta Court of Appeal issued its long awaited decision (at least by guys like me) on the appeal of Steam Whistle’s and Great Western Brewing’s lawsuit over the former beer mark-up policies. In short, the justices uphold the… Continue Reading →
I woke up this morning to the annual Edmonton Journal Readers’ Choice Awards choking up the space in my Monday paper. (Yes, I still subscribe to the hard copy edition – call me old because, well, I’m old.) Normally I… Continue Reading →
I recently in the same night got to try two celebrity beer. (Well one is definitely a celebrity, the other just among us Alberta beer geeks). It was an interesting contrast. Everyone knows Wayne Gretzky. Best hockey player that ever… Continue Reading →
In the explosion that has been the Alberta beer scene in the last four years, Edmonton has been a bit of a library nook, i.e., rather quiet. While Calgary exploded with dozens of new breweries, Edmonton picked up one or… Continue Reading →
News popped into the public yesterday that Two Sergeants Brewing has closed its doors permanently. They had previously announced in mid-September a temporary closure to “restructure”. This marks the second Alberta brewery closure in the past few weeks, following on… Continue Reading →