The Bar Towel

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-menz ... ref=canada

I'm sure there are some other reasons as well why Alberta's beer scene stinks, I just can't figure out what they are. As for the Minhas scheme, I guess I'm just not surprised given the B.S. they paint themselves with.

I think it is a great article, it highlights how awful Minhas is.

As far as AB not having lots of craft breweries, it is still fairly rural, blue collar, sparsely populated, and does not embrace local culture. None of these things favour local craft breweries. However, the large centres have fantastic craft beer scenes, tons of options for pubs, restaurants and beer stores with good selection.

Like markaberrant said, the beer scene is Calgary, Edmonton and to a lesser degree Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, has exploded in the last 2 years. Calgary has about 10 bars either heavily serving craft as part of their offerings or focusing exclusively on the craft segment.

For example, just down the street from where I live, a new bar called Beer Revolution just opened (next to the 11th Ave Brewsters) that carries 24 taps. The beers rotate very frequently and have included Rogue, Pike, Fish, Birrifico del Ducato, Unibroue, Ayinger, Alley Kat, Wild Rose, Half Pints, Paddock Wood, Dead Frog, Phillips.....some of which have been seasonals. No macro, unless you count the ownership of Unibroue and Okanagan Springs. The place is packed every night. With the greater amount of offerings in stores and pubs, I've also noticed the average beer IQ of the local Calgarian has sky rocketed as well.

The number of breweries will follow. Up until now the tax breaks didn't help because the demand just wasn't there. That will change.

That is interesting, thanks. I get out to Calgary occasionally and still struggle, frankly, to identify decent places to go besides Bottlescrew Bill's and Hop Inn. If you could list some of the up and comers that would be great!

midlife crisis wrote:That is interesting, thanks. I get out to Calgary occasionally and still struggle, frankly, to identify decent places to go besides Bottlescrew Bill's and Hop Inn. If you could list some of the up and comers that would be great!

Yeah, that's a good idea. Lots of new places in good Ol' Cow Town. I'll put together some info for Calgary and post it in the Local Beer Guides section. Probably wont get around to it until mid-December when I have some free time, but it'll happen.

Also, some interesting comments regarding the Huffington Post article from Jason Foster over here.....

http://www.onbeer.org/2011/11/faux-craft-faux-albertan/

The suggestion of taxing the locals different than the imports would probably be a problem with NAFTA... they might be limited to other incentives like corporate income tax breaks.

more updates.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-menz ... a-business

I think I first heard of this guy when Labatt's shut down the Lakeport Brewery. He was in the news as wanting to buy it, but Labatt's would not sell to another brewer. I remember feeling sympathetic to his cause then.

I don't remember the details, but I do recall thinking that they were going to have a Canadian plant. As a beer can collector, I looked forward to getting the Boxer Beer can for the collection. I was somewhat baffled to find out it was an American can (I don't collect them). I certainly have not purchased it to try the beer itself, I'm pretty sure what it will be like.

These posted articles sure help round out the story.

The discount beer industry seems to attract a certain kind of sleaze. Steelback, Lakeport, Boxer...

Speaking of which, you should see the tacky monstrosity of a home Teresa Cascioli is building with her buyout money. It's probably bigger than the original brewery. I hear she is super secretive about it out of fear that it might get egged by former employees...