There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Alberta’s craft beer scene was an ephemeral thing, less of a physical space and more of a collection of like-minded people who occasionally found themselves in the same place or at the same event.
Alberta’s craft beer boom is changing that, as companies build breweries that aren’t just manufacturing sites, but destinations for people to visit and socialize over pints in on-site taprooms.
Nowhere has that phenomenon taken off more than in Calgary, a city that’s home to more than 30 breweries and where a cluster of nine taprooms dubbed the Barley Belt has become a magnet for beer lovers. Edmontonians could be forgiven for casting an envious eye at Calgary — furtively, of course — but our city is building its own taproom culture.
In the meantime, the calibre of beer being made here is nothing to scoff at: Edmonton’s craft beer pioneer, Alley Kat Brewing, was named Brewer of the Year at the 2019 Alberta Beer Awards, an honour given to the company whose beers won the most medals in the competition. In 2018, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing won the title in just its first year of operation.
“What’s happening in Calgary is pretty exciting, but I wouldn’t worry about numbers. I’d worry about quality, and I’m happy tosay the beer being brewed in this city is pretty good,” Alley Kat co-owner Neil Herbst says.
The addition of more local breweries and taprooms is about enriching and growing a craft beer culture that already has some strong roots, thanks to local establishments that embraced it in the early days, like the Next Act Pub, the Sugar- bowl and Sherbrooke Liquor, named Retailer of the Year at the Beer Awards.
Beer is a social drink: At their most basic, taprooms are venues for people to gather and enjoy beer together. For breweries, they’re opportunities to show o their beer when it’s most fresh, to pilot new or experimental small-batch beers and to talk to customers about what they’re drinking.
“You go to a taproom to soak up a little bit of the culture of a brewery,” Herbst says.