Category Archives: Alberta

Big Rock Gopher Lager Coming In June

CALGARY, ABBig Rock Brewery has announced the impending release of a new beer, Gopher Lager.

In a press release, the beer is described as an “all malt lager made with Alberta two-row barley, choice imported hops and a special lager yeast, leading to its clean, crisp flavour”. Quoted in the Calgary Sun, Big Rock spokeswoman Tara Nychkalo adds that Gopher will be “a lager with lighter flavour and will complement our products”.

Big Rock Gopher Lager will be released in June.

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New Seasonal Beer & Mixed Pack Coming Soon From Wild Rose

CALGARY, ABWild Rose Brewery is getting set to add a new beer to their seasonal rotation. AF23 Pale Ale will be released on May 7th on draught only, and marketing manager Tina Wolfe tells the Calgary Sun that it will be “really hoppy, with nice big flavours”.

Also coming soon from the brewery is a Wild Rose Sampler 12 Pack, which will contain two bottles each of Velvet Fog, WRaspberry Ale, SOB, WRed Ale, Brown Ale and IPA. Launching around the same time will be 12 packs of Velvet Fog and WRaspberry Ale.

Alley Kat Brewberry Blueberry Ale

EDMONTON, ABAlley Kat Brewing has just released a new summer seasonal beer, Brewberry Blueberry Ale.

Brewed using blueberries from the Canadian Fruitful Tree Company in British Columbia, Brewberry is described by the brewery as follows:

Brewberry blueberry ale is a wheat ale that is brewed with an addition of blueberries to the fermented beer. The result is a light straw colour ale with a very slight purple cast from the blueberries and carries a thick white head. The aroma is of fresh blueberries and this follows through to the fl avour. The finish is fairly dry and slightly tart. All-in-all, a great patio beer for those sunny Alberta summer days.

Alley Kat Brewberry Blueberry Ale is available now in six packs of 341 ml bottles as well as on draught, and can be found at premium liquor stores and select pubs and bars throughout Alberta.

Edmonton Homebrewers Guild Aurora Brewing Challenge 2010

EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Homebrewers Guild is now accepting entries for the Aurora Brewing Challenge (ABC), an annual homebrewing competition that they’ve held since 1999.

ABC is a qualifying event for the Canadian Brewer of the Year award, and is the only Canadian competition selected as one of 14 North American qualifying events for the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing.

Submissions are due by May 21, 2010. For more details, see the ABC website.

Banff Avenue Brewing Aiming For Summer Opening

BANFF, AB – Edmonton-based beer journalist Jason Foster has reported via his On Beer blog that a new brewpub is currently under construction in Banff.

Banff Avenue Brewing will be the second brewpub from Brett Ireland, owner of Jasper Brewing, giving him the unique role of owning brewpubs in two of Canada’s most notable national parks.

According to Foster’s report, Ireland and his team are currently testing recipes to see how they react to Banff’s water. If all goes as planned, Banff Avenue Brewing will be open in June.

Sherbrooke Liquor Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash

EDMONTON, ABSherbrooke Liquor, one of Canada’s best beer shops, has released the latest in a series of limited edition house brand beers, Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash, which has been brewed for them by Alley Kat Brewing.

Here’s the description from the Sherbrooke website:

From the darkest reaches of the Carpathian Mountains comes an elixir concocted by a man who stared into the true face of evil and lived to tell about it. Van Helsings’ All Natural Mouthwash is the cure for what ails you. It helps to ward off things that go bump in the night, and goes great with pasta! Fortunately the kind and talented folks at the Alley Kat Brewing Company were able to reproduce this miracle liquid for us decent citizens of Edmonton. And yes, that’s a whole garlic clove sitting there in the bottle. So much for keeping secret ingredients a secret…

Wild Rose Czech Pilz Returns

CALGARY, AB – Wild Rose Brewery is set to release this year’s batch of their spring seasonal, Wild Rose Czech Pilz, this coming Friday, March 12th. This will be the second year that Czech Pilz is part of the brewery’s seasonal program after it’s debut last year.

From the press release:

Once again, this lager has been crafted to satisfy. With a distinct hop aroma and flavour, Wild Rose Czech Pilz entices with its easy drinkability. Canadian Superior Pilsener malt cleverly mingles with a generous blend of Saaz and Vanguard hops to create a pure and natural European-style Pilsener. The alcohol is 5.5% alc./vol.

When asked about how this brew of Czech Pilz differs from last year’s interpretation, Wild Rose Brewer, David Neilly says, “This year we used Vanguard as the bittering hop compared to Hallertau hops.” Despite the success and popularity of last year’s brew, Neilly wanted to make the 2010 batch even better, “by using a new Bohemian yeast and by changing the hop profile our Czech Pilz will be drier and more crisp than ever before.”

The 2010 edition of Wild Rose Czech Pilz will be officially launched on Friday at the Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom. Two different cask versions of the beer will be available, both featuring the addition of a different type of hops, and it will also be available in the distinctive 500 ml swing-top bottles used by Wild Rose for all of their seasonal beers.

Alley Kat Smoked Porter Kicks Off 15th Anniversary Series

EDMONTON, AB – In celebration of their 15th anniversary in 2010, Alley Kat Brewing will be releasing a series of limited edition beers throughout the year.

The first is Alley Kat Smoked Porter, described as:

A robust porter using malt that we smoked at the brewery using applewood.  The result is a classic roasty porter with smoky notes throughout the aroma, flavour and finish.

Alley Kat Smoked Porter will be official launched with a tasting at the brewery on Friday March 12th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Only 250 cases of 650 ml bottles will be produced.

Wild Rose Imperial IPA Returning for 2010

CALGARY, ABWild Rose Brewery is bringing back the seasonal Imperial IPA for another year. The new batch will be released on Friday, February 5th with the tapping of a cask at the brewery’s weekly “Wild Fridays” event, starting at 4:00 PM in the Wild Rose Taproom.

Here are the notes provided by the brewery:

Wild Rose Brewery’s Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) is created in the traditional Double IPA style, but with a unique Albertan twist.

Extremely hoppy with floral notes of pine and citrus, our Imperial IPA expertly blends Cascade, Centennial and Columbus hops with the finest Alberta two-row barley and crystal malts.

Described as an India Pale Ale “on steroids,” Double IPAs are robust and malty with a higher alcohol and a very intense hop flavour.

Kohler Brewing To Launch This Spring

EDMONTON, ABKohler Brewing is a new operation set to launch in Edmonton this spring.

The company recently held a tasting featuring three different lagers crafted by brewmaster Eric Buehner, and based on public input, they will be selecting one of the three to be their flagship Kohler Lager. The beer will be brewed under contract at to-be-determined brewery, with an aim to distribute it in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Reports from the tasting suggest that Kohler is going for a mainstream Canadian lager for their first brand. No word on whether they plan to expand into further beers, or if they will be looking to open their own brewery in the future.

(source: On Tap blog)