I visited Grande Prairie a couple of weeks ago to attend a music festival (first ever Bear Creek Folk Festival – great time!). Being who I am I took some time out to visit the two new breweries in town,… Continue Reading →
When I started this website over 6 years ago (!!) it was with two explicit functions. First,it was an outlet for writing, observations and ramblings that couldn’t fit into my regular columns. Second, and most importantly, it was going to… Continue Reading →
It takes serious commitment to be a homebrewer in Moldova, a former Soviet Republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. But Vlad Covali was up to the challenge. “There was no brewery supplier,” he reflects. “We had to go to farmers… Continue Reading →
Earlier this summer in a couple of my columns I mused about the expanded use of the term “session” and whether it really was appropriate. You can read the Beer 101 column here or, if you prefer the Planet S/Prairie… Continue Reading →
A few weeks back I was perusing the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines (yes, I do that for fun) and reflecting how many styles are anchored in a particular region. Not just the obvious of Germany, England and Belgium, but also… Continue Reading →
Following their launch a couple months ago, Edmonton’s new tiny brewery, Bent Stick, has followed up their initial releases with a “farmhouse series”, a collection of three interpretations of the earthy, spicy style. I must say going with a farmhouse… Continue Reading →
The list of small town Alberta breweries continues to grow. The latest is Dog Island Brewing (link is to their Facebook page – no website yet) in the northern town of Slave Lake (about 2 hours north of Edmonton; population… Continue Reading →
I think Winnipeg may be the site of Canada’s quietest beer explosion. A spate of breweries have just opened (including Barn Hammer and Peg Brewing) or are about to (such as Torque Brewing), but no one has been talking about… Continue Reading →
In a brewery, sometimes stuff (use whichever synonym for that you wish) happens. The question is what you do with it. In the case of Lacombe’s Blindman Brewing had to answer that very question a little while ago. When brewing… Continue Reading →
I have quickly gotten used to being surprised when I hear the location of a new brewery on the prairies. It seems it doesn’t matter how small or large the town, there is an opportunity to brew beer for the… Continue Reading →