Canada’s craft beer industry is larger and more vibrant than the U.S. There, I said it. I have said it before (like here and here), but every time I run the statistics on the number of breweries, I am struck… Continue Reading →
Longtime followers of my work will know that I keep a database of every brewery in Canada. I don’t guarantee that it is perfect, but I trust it is likely the most complete compendium of breweries in the country. Periodically,… Continue Reading →
In normal times, when my day job wasn’t consuming all my writing energy, I would have posted a few times about the first ever Prairie Beer Awards. I would have talked about them before the competition, shared my experiences as… Continue Reading →
Should beer consumers care about the political affiliations of the people who make their favourite quaff? What should they do when they discover that they might differ in political perspectives from their local brewery? These are questions I have been… Continue Reading →
Yesterday, as part of a sprawling omnibus bill (Bill 80), the Alberta government announced some legislative changes that will loosen liquor rules in the province, specifically allowing homemade alcohol at private events and the creation of “entertainment districts” where alcohol… Continue Reading →
By now it is obvious to almost everyone in the industry that Edmonton’s Yellowhead Brewing is closed. This announcement is not a scoop but, oddly, I appear to be the first person to say those words in print. Whispers and… Continue Reading →
After a seven-month delay caused by COVID, we were able to finally move forward with the 2021 edition of the Alberta Beer Awards in September, and results were announced at the Awards Gala in Red Deer last night. 465 entries… Continue Reading →
The 2021 Canadian Brewing Awards were announced last weekend and prairie (and Yukon) breweries performed very well, picking up 43 medals and dominating in the major hardware, scooping up both Beer of the Year and Brewery of the Year. You… Continue Reading →
In what seems to be a series of firsts around the Edmonton area in the last few months, Sherwood Park has just added its name to the list of towns who have their first-ever brewery. 70 Acre Brewing opened its… Continue Reading →
Alberta’s first homegrown big beer brand was not Trad, or Drummond, or Uncle Ben’s, or even Lethbridge Pils or Bohemian Maid. It was Calgary Beer, formally known as Calgary Export Lager, which was first brewed in 1892. Alas Calgary Beer… Continue Reading →