Traveling Cowboys: Meeting Our Brewers and Distillers at Calgary International Beerfest Courtesy of ABF, Alberta, Canada

Our Beer

We wanted to know where our beer comes from. That is why we attended the 2017 Calgary International Beerfest courtesy of Bill Robinson from Alberta Beer Festivals.

This is not another blog post to get wax lyrical about the explosion of craft and micro brewing in Alberta. We are not going to contemplate the ever prevailing evils of big corporations or the AGLC's manipulation of the industry. We are also going to leave the hophead potshots for another time (only this time).

In this post, the Traveling Cowboys went searching for the makers. The people who brew our beer and distil our Whisky in Alberta - Our people.

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A convention and festival is an ideal opportunity for a business to exhibit its wares. It is a chance to get close to prospective and loyal customers. When we get an invitation to attend a fest we cannot contain our enthusiasm to see what's new. It is even better when a beer is involved.

Who doesn't like a road trip? We love traveling to see and meet the Brewers and Distillers of our Province. As a bonus, an event like this gives us a chance to "speed date" the newer producers and "speed taste" unique new beverage creations. We get to introduce ourselves, catch up with old friends and meet the "new babies" (With "new babies" we imply original beverage creations and concoctions from inspirational experimentations. There is no place for children in a beer hall.).

Observations

We discovered at the Calgary International Beerfest that it was crowded.

Yes, we know it is a very popular and an ever-growing event with more than forty thousand attendees over two half-days. What we mean with crowded is that we proudly saw how well represented our own Alberta producers were against the imports from other Provinces. Alberta producers are starting to carry their own weight when placed alongside the big names. We are slowly and gloriously starting to crowd out the corporations.

There was another very obvious distinction between the breweries in attendance. We like to distinguish between the "dress-ups" and the "show-ups." The "dress-ups" put effort into portraying the lifestyle. The "show-ups" are living it.

The dress-up booths have the band, the brand, the packaging and the script that hits the caramel notes, chocolate, sea breeze aromas and IBUs. The customary V-Dub bus is parked in front with the smiling Beertarts pouring drinks from its side, to complete the perfect portrayal of fake friendships, market segmented tastes, brand associations, and consumer preferences.

The show-ups brought their kegs on a wheelbarrow. The taps are in a toolbox. In the back, a bag of ice in a tin bath is chilling the beer. The brewer is the business. His personality is the brand. He pours your pint from a brew he mashed last week. To become his customer is to be counted as one of his friends. No one can recall the names of his beers, and it doesn't really matter. His passion for consistent perfection is what is important. He never disappoints. Hops grow in his beard. Everything he does and that comes with him is real and authentic.

This is how we know where our beer comes from. It comes from a brewer. Our people.

What truly sets some apart from others is the passion that comes from the maker. The authenticity of the people, their community involvement and the quality of the beer.

According to Bill Robinson, "People want to know who is responsible for what they are eating and drinking." We completely agree. It is good to know who they are.

Hendrik van Wyk

Beer Cowboy

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Photos

Here for the Beer

Where is this?

The V-Dub Bus

Coolbox Brigade

Our People

Wrong Glasses

Education is Important

Just Beautiful

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Dalene Meiring, Auckland - New Zealand

Artist: Dalene Meiring

(Learn: * Inspire: *** Amaze: * Live: ***)
(The Two Cowboys Subjective Rate-o-Meter.   )

"If you think you can do it, you can. Give it a try. You may just surprise yourself". Dalene Meiring

An ultimate Producer is a person that makes for utility, for meaning, and purpose. These are people that create useful articles that also communicate messages and emotions. Articles that inherit and exhibit an anthropomorphic essence. We call these people "Artists". They express themselves through mediums, and through production.  

Why strive for art and utility? Because art causes people to look a little closer at ourselves and our everyday. It offers an opportunity to look at social issues, people and their emotions, the environment, and everyday objects, life forms. The artist has the ability to bring out that which cannot be seen or felt easily, or which is often missed. They have the ability to express emotion through inanimate objects.

When a society sees and feels clearly, it has the opportunity for reflection, change in thought, and appreciation. It can cause people to re-examine themselves and their relation to life, people, and circumstances. The artists often feel a duty to unlock this meaning.

Articles with meaning are more likely to take on the identity of an owner. The maker makes the item with passion and soul. But it is the owner and user that fuses their mana or spirit with the creation when they use and appreciate its value. That leather bag, hat, or the character of a pair of well-worn boots, over time, becomes indistinguishable from its owner. The Producer and Artists set the table for this meaning. But, it is the consumer that unlocks the true value of expression and purpose. The one cannot exist without the other. 

When this perspective is appreciated, it is likely that we will carefully consider, seek and choose articles of quality, by Artists and Producers with exceptional ability and dedication. If we own articles with the potential to define us, we should choose more carefully.

Impressions

It was a sticky afternoon on Thursday the 11th of February when we met Dalene and Pieter Meiring at their house. February in Auckland, New Zealand is hot and humid. The cicadas were drilling through our microphones, as we sat down at the Meiring dining room table for the interview. 

Immediately, it became clear that Dalene as an individual is the same warm, welcoming, golden glow of a person, than she lays down with paint and her palette knife, on her canvases. “I paint for the love of expression and the passion of life and all the beauty in it,” says Dalene. When looking at her work, it is obvious that the emotions and sensations of serenity and tranquillity are what distinguishes her work. Dalene's art communicates with and grows on you. The more you look at it, the more personal it becomes.

What stood out in the conversation is her encouragement for people to give things a try. Make something. Make it until it feels right. Don't pay too much attention to convention. "Only you will know if it communicates what you want it to say."

We then met her husband Pieter downstairs in the garage where he was assembling their custom crafted jewellery for an order that just came in. They say that behind every successful artist, there is a driven and committed business person (or husband). Pieter is this entrepreneurial inspiration in the Meiring household. After 16 years and a successful career, he realized the value of spending more time with Dalene, of making something himself, and thus threw his weight behind a fledgeling jewellery brand - Jewellery with Soul - that is growing in leaps and bounds.

While Pieter was threading a necklace he kept his message simple: "You don't need a lot of money to start. Make something. If people like it, make more."

In this visit with Dalene and Pieter we found two inspirational people, with a clear passion for living life to its fullest, and who produces beautiful art. We've also realized again, the value of a garage. As with so many Producers, makers and creators, their garage is also the Meiring's sanctuary, factory and the heart of their operation. 

We cherish the moments we got to spend with Dalene and Pieter, and hope you will enjoy some of it captured in our photos and video above.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer

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