Jul. 13, 2011 - Issue #821: The Beer Issue

Welcome to the BEER Issue

Welcome to our first ever BEER issue!

A few months ago, I had a conversation with a beer educator based in Vancouver. Twelve years ago, they were living in Edmonton and wanted to kickstart beer appreciation in town. So they hosted a few tastings, tried to get restaurants to consider beer dinners, pleaded with liquor stores to bring in more craft beer. They worked hard to promote good beer in town.

Nothing doing. They got very frustrated with the lack of openness among Edmonton beer drinkers, and they eventually drifted to Vancouver's burgeoning scene.

I have been doing my own version of beer education and awareness (including here in these fine pages) for about five years. In fact Vue was my first gig. I don't know if the editors knew it at the time, but they were leaders in recognizing that beer had potential in this town. When I started, my humble bi-weekly column was a lonely, solitary voice for good beer. Today our city offers a variety pack of beer venues, locations, events and clubs. As a homebrewer, beer writer and educator, it warms my mash tun to think of it all.

I don't wish to overstate the growth of Edmonton's beer scene—we have a long way to go to match up with Vancouver, Toronto or Montréal, let alone the beer meccas of Portland or Denver. But, damn it, we've come a long way, baby!

With that caveat, let's spend a few moments basking in all the good beer in Edmonton. There is a little something for everyone in town, even those of you who aren't so sure about beer.

Edmonton has quietly developed an impressive stable of microbreweries: we now can boast four Edmonton region brewers—fewer than only the behemoths of Montréal, Vancouver and Toronto. What I like is that each has its own personality: veteran Alley Kat is about high quality and offers a range of styles to fit any palate, including the adventurous Big Bottle series; Amber's Brewing is about being local and different, presenting a very "Edmonton" face to its quirky pepper berry and maple syrup labels; upstart Yellowhead brews a single beer, a golden lager crafted with exacting traditional German methods; Calmar's Roughneck offers a pair of English-inspired beers designed to maximize balance.

On the brewpub side, we could use some work, however, with only the Brewsters chain to satiate us. To all you budding entrepreneurs out there, here is an untapped market, just waiting for someone to step in and satisfy thirsty Edmontonians.

Want a delicious craft beer to match with your fine dining experience? A few years ago Edmonton's quality restaurants offered a beer selection that I would describe—charitably—as anemic. Today more than a few restaurants can claim a beer selection that deserves the term "beer menu." While it is still spotty—plenty of restaurateurs lag pathetically behind when it comes to their perceptions of beer and fine dining—it is now possible to go out for dinner and receive beer options as numerous as wine. Urban Diner, Sugar Bowl, Manor Café and Continental Treat deserve particular mention.

Until recently, a slightly middle-aging beer geek like myself mostly had to explore their beer adventures at home. That's because while Alberta has long had the best liquor store beer selection in the country—a selection that has increased exponentially in the past three years—there were no pubs or bars offering anything closely resembling decent draught beer. Why spend $8 for a can of Guinness, when you can sample three different stouts at home for the same price?

Edmonton's pub owners should still, on the whole, be embarrassed by their lemming-like offerings. Come on, do I really need six pubs on one street offering the exact same taps? Ever heard of market differentiation? However, I have grown more optimistic on this front in the last year or so. Without question the market leaders here are the Sugar Bowl with its hip Euro-café feel, and the keeping-it-real ethos of Wunderbar. But there are increasing numbers of pubs and cafés that have figured out that a real beer selection means a more diverse customer base that knows how to exercise loyalty. Slowly, ever so slowly, I feel I can branch out my locations for a pint or two with friends.

Recent developments that are particularly encouraging to me are the spontaneous growth in beer aficionado events. The monthly cask nights (one at Sugar Bowl, the other at Next Act) have quickly become not-to-miss traditions in town. We are also seeing a smattering of beer dinners, beer tastings and real beer festivals appear. And now we have the launch of Beer Geeks Anonymous, a club that hopes to further beer appreciation with its monthly gatherings. Plus, we shouldn't forget that Edmonton is home to one of Canada's oldest, largest and most vibrant homebrew clubs, the Edmonton Homebrewers' Guild. You could fill up your beer social calendar pretty easily these days.
And, yes, I promised you beer skeptics something too. Here it is: with more types of beer and more places to drink them, you are more likely to stumble across something you actually like. The world of beer is broad, with flavours for every palate. It's just that, until recently, too many of those flavours were unavailable in Edmonton.

Why do I think this is happening? In short, because of you. Beer drinkers in town are demanding good beer and slowly, oh so slowly, the pub, restaurant and liquor store owners are responding. Keep it up and more good things will flow. Like more good beer.

But, fellow beer-ians, our work is not done. Did you know Calgary recently opened a new beer bar with 105 beers on tap? We cannot allow such an act to go un-matched. Continue to rise up and demand craft beer. You have nothing to lose but your boring macro-lagers!

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