What Does a Brewery Do When the Water Runs Out?

This week Edmonton and area has been under a mandatory non-essential water ban due to a breakdown of the city’s largest water treatment plant. For most of us, it has only been slightly inconveniencing – I delayed laundry for a… Continue Reading →

A Tale of Two Beer Guys: A Pint-Sized Play about Unity Brew 2023

SCENE: Beerguy’s basement home office, a room with overfilled bookcases, scattered papers and commemorative beer glasses, bottles and other beer-related paraphernalia. Beerguy sits at his desk deleting Don Tse Tweet-puns and plotting revenge against JVR. A can of the 2023… Continue Reading →

The End of Full Moon, Other Big Changes at Alley Kat

I am here to mourn the passing of Alley Kat Full Moon Pale Ale. A few weeks ago Edmonton’s oldest craft brewery announced a series of line-up changes which included a decision to remove the iconic beer that played a… Continue Reading →

Go Ahead, Crush a SMaSH

Breweries are always trying something new. New hop varieties. New brewing techniques. New ways to name something IPA that is not an IPA. So one of the more interesting trends recently is SMaSH beer. SMaSH stands for Single Malt and… Continue Reading →

2020 Alberta Beer Awards Winners Announced

Tonight, via internet livestream, the winners of the 2020 Alberta Beer Awards were announced. The big winners were Cabin Brewing and Alley Kat Brewing, but there was plenty of celebration to go around. Forty-eight different breweries won medals, showing an… Continue Reading →

A Conversation with Alley Kat’s New Owners

There have been lots of questions and talk around the recent sale of Edmonton’s Alley Kat to a pair of St. Albert entrepreneurs. You can read the story of the sale here, and my analysis of what it might mean… Continue Reading →

What Does Alley Kat’s Sale Mean for the Industry?

The Alberta beer industry was rocked for the second time in a week the other day when Alley Kat Brewing announced it was being purchased by a pair of St. Albert-based entrepreneurs. Alley Kat is a mainstay of the Alberta… Continue Reading →

A Hop Association is Born

On Saturday afternoon Alberta witnessed the creation of something that I am pretty sure almost none of us coming a few years ago. I had the privilege to attend the launch of the Alberta Hop Producers Association. The group has… Continue Reading →

The Value of Blind Tasting and Other Lessons

This past weekend I served as the Head Judge for the Northern Lands Festival beer competition. For those who don’t know Northern Lands, it is a premiere beverage and food event profiled, exclusively, Canadian wine, craft beer and craft spirits… Continue Reading →

Random Acts of Beerness: Celebration Time!

I know the Xmas season is soon upon us, but it seems like prairie breweries are getting a head start on the festivities. There seem to be a lot of celebrations of various shapes and sizes happening, along with some… Continue Reading →

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YEG Hidden Gems Beer Pairing Dinner

November 7. The craft beer scene in Edmonton has been exploding in recent years with many new breweries and interesting beer being created. Come try a few of the city’s hidden beer gems, curated by beer writer and educator Jason Foster. Each beer will be paired with a dish specifically designed for the beer by Underground’s executive chef. It will be an evening of exploration, education and enjoyment!

Book an Event

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