We shall miss you, pale ale friend.

We shall miss you, pale ale friend.

Normally when I do a news roundup I try to give the various breweries involved relatively equal billing. However this week it is a bit different. Upon hearing the news that Alley Kat is re-formulating its flagship Full Moon Pale Ale to become an IPA, I found myself with very mixed feelings. I find I can’t just simply report that tidbit in a bullet with all the rest. So, once I have done a run-down on the other news, I will offer my thoughts on Full Moon’s transformation.

But first some of the other beer happenings around the prairies, as usual in no particular order:

  • Big Rock released a surprising new beer to its Brewmaster’s Edition series with a collaboration beer with a Spanish brewery. Colaborador Español Farmhouse Ale was developed and brewed by Big Rock’s Paul Gautreau and Alberto Pancheco Martinez of Mateo & Bernabé & Friends, an artisanal brewery in Spain’s Rioja region. [edited to add the following:] As usual the day I publish a round-up someone announces something else. Today Big Rock released a limited-edition pack containing three barrel-aged beer. The three strong ales have been aged in different barrels, Bourbon, Sherry and Cognac. No word on the base beer involved.
  • Hog’s Head in St. Albert continue their furious pace of new releases. Last week Toboggan went on tap at their tap room. It is described as a darker-coloured pale ale aimed for winter. Then in a couple of weeks look for Death by Gingerbread Man, which as the name implies will have the character of gingerbread. It also will be a one-time, keg-only product.
  • A couple weeks back Grizzly Paw in Canmore released its winter seasonal, Hibernation Winter Ale. And then last week announced a very interesting new series. Called their Sour Beer Collection, it includes soured versions of their Indra Island IPA, Big Head Nut Brown and Barley Wine. All were aged in Kettle Valley Caboose wine casks to create the sour effect. All are available only at the brewery.
  • Tool Shed Brewing can now OFFICIALLY call itself a Calgary brewer, as late last week they officially got their production license from AGLC. Test batches are ongoing and Calgary-produced beer will be appearing in the new year.
  • BR colaboradorFor those of you in the Regina area this weekend, be sure to swing by the Bushwakker Brewpub as on December 6 they will be releasing their 2014 version of their very popular Blackberry Mead. This year’s is made with 400 pounds of Lumsden Valley honey and 84 pounds of blackberries. Last year’s version reportedly sold out in under two hours and some people waited in line all night to ensure they go their allotment.
  • While we are in Saskatchewan, Paddock Wood in Saskatoon has two new releases. First, their annual Winter Ale is now out and will be working its way across the prairies in due course. Remember, this is not a traditional winter ale, as it is brewed as a Belgian Dubbel. This year’s edition of Heartstopper chocolate stout is also ready for release.
  • Over in Winnipeg, we have a case of “sorry you missed it” and “better line up now if you don’t want to be sorry” at Half Pints. Ursa Minor, an Extra Pale Ale brewed with Galaxy & Nelson Sauvin hops came out a couple weeks ago but is already sold out. However, do not fear, next week, The Mighty Red, an Irish Red ale will be available at the brewery. It, too, will be a keg/growler option only.

And now I turn my attention to Full Moon. The new IPA version will be first available at the Next Act Pub on December 6 and at the brewery retail store starting next week. It will work its way into liquor stores in the new year as current stocks of the original version are bought up. The new version will be slightly higher in alcohol (5.5%) and will up the IBUs from 31 to 45.

Why my mixed feelings? Well, in a way I grew up on Full Moon. Not really, as I was already into craft beer before Full Moon existed. But Full Moon has been an anchor of my Edmonton-based beer drinking life. In the early 2000s is was one of the (very) few local beer you could find on tap in pubs. For many years it has been a reliable fallback for me; when I couldn’t decide what I wanted, the other offerings didn’t appeal or sometimes when I  just simply wanted to have something familiar and loyal. To this day I pick up a six-pack of Full Moon every once in a while, simply because I know it is a beer I can always rely on. Everyone needs a beer like that, and Full Moon was mine.

Welcome aboard, newbie!

Welcome aboard, newbie!

More than that, I believe strongly that Full Moon was one of the best pale ales brewed in the country. It found a way to create balanced flavour with distinguishing cascade hop character. It was, in many ways, a superior example of pale ale and even stood up well to American offerings in that style. At least that is my opinion.

Now, of course, I realize none of that has to change. It is still Full Moon after all, just a bit bulked up. I imagine many of its qualities will remain. I could choose to see this as more Full Moon to love. On that front we will have to wait and see.

I also get that Full Moon’s  (as pale ale) time had come. When Alley Kat owner Neil Herbst informed me of the switch he said that when Full Moon was introduced it was on the edgy end of the beer market – something bold and challenging – but over time the consumers’ palates have shifted and it has been overtaken by so many other assertive beer. In particular the rise of IPA as a popular style eclipsed what Full Moon was trying to do. I get that.

But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Mature beer markets have room for a wide range of beer. For every IPA there should be an equally good pale ale, just as for every stout there should be a brown ale. I don’t always want an IPA and in those moments a Full Moon Pale Ale might exactly hit the spot. ‘Tis a pity, really.

AKfullmoonold

Where it all started.

Further, I have some fears that Full Moon will go from a stand-out pale ale to a middling IPA. Of course, I haven’t tasted it yet so I this is pure conjecture, but with the shelves full of big citrusy, bitter IPAs from the U.S., especially the west coast, will Full Moon IPA get lost? I appreciate not everyone is a hop-head and many find those West Coast IPAs too intense, so maybe that will be the spot the new Full Moon will fill. I just know many IPA-natics can be quite harsh on anyone who dare suggest a beer needs more than lupulin.

Obviously time will tell. I guess for me the mixed feelings are part nostalgia, part wondering what my future go-to beer will be, and part pondering what this says about craft beer culture in these parts.

The good news for those of you who want one last fling with Full Moon Pale Ale, it will be on store shelves for a few more weeks.