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Showing posts with label Hops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hops. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Two Cowboys: Getting Back to Beer Basics with Glacier Hops Ranch in Whitefish, Montana, USA

The Original

Sometimes, the way it's always been done is not necessarily the best way. Maybe, it is better to do it the way it was intended. For example, perhaps, our brewers are flavouring our beer wrong. There may be a better way. The way it used to be done, with fresh hops.

Heritage and culture are vital ingredients in identity. Communities are built around identities. Acceptable behaviours, a shared set of values, the types of food people eat, their behaviours, mannerisms, and the beverages they drink, are all part of what makes a community different from the next.



Glacier Hops Ranch and Hopzoil

Black Rock Brewing, NZ Challenge

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Over the last few years, the craft brewing industry, the world over, has been challenging traditional norms in brewing and beer. Rules that may not be as traditional as many would have us think. Partly, because some of the true heritage of brewing was destroyed during the last century through market consolidation, over the top "identity" positioning, and through excessive regulation and prohibition movements.

The activity of brewing and drinking beer has gone from being in disrepute or simply being outlawed and over-regulated with a few providers of generally produced "bland" beverages, to becoming part of a cultural reawakening with a loyal community and following. The good news is that people are brewing again and drinking more craft beer. We are now benefitting from flavour experiences denied to most of us until quite recently here in Alberta. Unfortunately, not all are good. Many are getting better, which is encouraging. It can get much better.

This poses an interesting question. What was the intended flavour of beer before it all went wonky in the western world? If we should step back in time, one or two centuries, what would beer have tasted like, and if we could have tasted it, would we have like it?

As with all "old" and traditional recipes of a beverage, baking or dish preparation, the quality and state of the ingredients are essentially what determines its character. The method holds the key to success. You should not really mess with either. As far as technique goes, it can take a lifetime to perfect.

Here in lies the challenge. Can we brew beer with fresh ingredients? Yes, we can. Not many people have had the privilege to have tasted fresh beer, brewed with fresh malt and fresh hops. It is possible. We had it. It is amazing! Beer, as we know, has a limited lifespan. It is essentially liquid bread that goes stale over time, accelerated by exposure to light, oxygen. Some styles require maturation. Even in these cases, fresh ingredients make all the difference.

So, just how fresh can we get with ingredients for our beer.? We are brewing today with malt and hops that both went through preservation procedures that are of the oldest and most trusted methods in the world. Both are dried and shipped to brewers all over. In the case of hops, it fundamentally alters the characteristics of the ingredient, as we've learned from Tom Britz at Glacier Hops Farms. He's been on a mission to find another way to keep hops "pure" for the brewing process.

He's developed a non-destructive way to extract the hops parts we use for brewing through distillation. It opens up all kinds of possibilities that holds the promise of fresher and more authentic tasting beer. The question we were left with was, "does it taste better?".

The verdict: "For sure!" We are a fan, and we are so much a fan that we think it is going to change the beer world - for the next century, maybe. For next year, for sure!

Observations


Hops Oil (the way it is done by Glacier Hops Ranch under the brand name Hopzoil) is a pure essential oil made from fresh hops, steam-distilled right out of the field at harvest time. They are using a proprietary process to capture all of the fresh, intense, essential oils found only in fresh hops - the good stuff that is mostly destroyed through drying - and leaving all the biomass behind.

As we know, dry-hopping can be frustrating and expensive during the brewing process. Brewers that tried Tom's oil have learned that by using Hopzoil, they can reduce filtration losses, along with reduced labour, freight, and storage costs, and increase yield and aroma, leading to more profit out of every batch of beer brewed. This means it makes good business sense.

Does it make the beer better? Hopzoil™ provides an intense freshness that cannot be replicated with dried processed hops. The result captures the complex “fresh hop” aroma and flavour. This means that you can get a year-round freshly hopped beer taste for your beer. A taste that lasts longer than when you would have dry-hopped.

We tried it. It is a beautiful product, and in the Two Cowboys opinion, you need to buckle-up. This is going to change the (beer) world. We are glad to be part of the story.

Hendrik van Wyk 
Hops Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.



Photos

Hops Prair

Hops Cowboy!

Many Cowboys

Beer Mobile

Better Beer

Nice Beer. Yeah,  Right!



Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Two Cowboys: Elevating Craft 2018 at the Montana Brewers Association in Missoula, MT, USA

Maturing Beer


Can beer and brewing mature? It is an industry that is as old as civilization itself. However, in North America and Canada, the market is going through substantial growth as entrepreneurs and brewers are allowed back into the market to make, create and explore the incredible life of craft beer and brewing commercially.

With it comes success, challenges and above all, an opportunity for innovation.


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We attended the Montana Brewer Association's Elevating Craft Conference last week (2018).

What a pleasant surprise to see how their industry is growing and maturing where the euphoria of new licenses has worn off, and people are now more serious about their craft and the business of beer.

After two decades of craft beer, better businesses are succeeding, and an ample amount of good (great) beer is produced and consumed. Craft beer consumption in the USA continues to grow as a segment of the market. Still, there are up to two new breweries opening daily in the USA. This continues to be serious stuff!

Even more encouraging is to see how the Montana Brewer Association and its stakeholders are working together to grow the opportunity of great beer from a regulatory, educational, marketing and positioning perspective. Is it becoming easier to brew in Montana and elsewhere in the USA? Not necessarily, but people are learning how best to do it as small businesses, and slowly making their mark in numbers across the country.

The conference covered several aspects of the business of beer that should interest every brewer and brewery owner. From how to clean and inspect your keg stem to how to establish a brewing laboratory for managing the quality of your processes and products. It was indeed education and is definitely an event to consider attending if you are in the industry or the area and love the business of brewing beer.

We've seen that Canada, and in particular the Alberta Province, is still mainly going through the growing pains of establishing their craft beer industry. They have a lot to learn from markets adjacent such as Montana.

In general, the good news is that Provincial Governments in Canada are relaxing regulations for people to do craft beer. Unfortunately, while doing it, they are dressing up their contributions as the second coming to Canadian producers and beer drinkers. Not so fast, we say. In Canada, fledgeling breweries struggle to put out quality products (we know, we've drunk a lot of bad beer, already) and to remain afloat without grants, protectionism and handouts (some would say, what is new in Canada, eh?).

The very people that crow about their contributions to "help" craft is the ones in the way of craft beer and brewing's success. We are all for "free your beer". There should be a free and open market with opportunities for entrepreneurs to make the best products they can and to succeed in their businesses because they are doing a good job, not because some bureaucrat anointed them for success with a license and a grant.

The focus should be on good beer and sound principles for managing a beer business. This was the overwhelming theme of the conference and our takeaway from the event. Once the beard dress-up and bureaucratic meddling subside, the business of beer is a serious business. The breweries with a customer focus, good marketing, local presence and with a quality product are the ones that should and do succeed in Montana.

Observations


Two presentations stood out for us. John Holl, the Senior Editor of Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine, made a point about the need for breweries to tell their stories. In doing so, they can build customer loyalty and become intimate with their customers. This was music to our ears as we work to tell more stories of breweries and beer in the places we visit as the Traveling Cowboys.

The second presentation that caught our attention was one by Tom Britz from Glacier Hops Ranch. You heard it right. They have hops ranches in Montana! He is pioneering the production and use of freshly distilled hops oil for application in craft beer. It is an exciting story that we have to pursue further. Stay tuned for more on this new "revolution" in hopping beer.

We appreciate the invite from Matt Leow (Executive Director, Montana Craft Brewers Association), and the opportunity to attend the conference. We will be back for sure. We love the people we met and enjoyed the beer!

Now, how many breweries are there in Montana that we still need to visit? Stay thirsty my friends!

Hendrik van Wyk 

Hops Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.

Photos


Sustenance

Keynote

Medical Stuff

Great Montana Beer

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Two Cowboys: We are Starting a Beervolition To Take Back Our Beer, Thanks to WilliamsWarn Personal Brewing Solutions in Hastings, New Zealand

Fresher Beer


Everyone for fresh beer, raise your hands! Let's start a "Beervolition" and take back our beer!

If you know anything about beer, you know that the best beer is fresh beer. It doesn't matter what style of beer you like or where in the world you're drinking. It has to be nice, cold and fresh.

Fresh means, within seven days of brewing. Once the beer makes it into a bottle or a can, it is 5 times removed from what the taste should be. That is why you enjoy an on-tap draft beer more than the half dozen stubbies you bought from the local liquor store.

The Two Cowboys are so much in support of the fresh beer movement that we searched and finally found a company that is revolutionizing the hands-on brewing industry. These Kiwis make it easy and more affordable to enjoy your own fresh beer without having to spend 6 hours in the garage every weekend.

After 5000 years of brewing, WilliamsWarn created the technology to allow us, and you to brew the perfect beer. We call it simplified and personalized, affordable, fresh beer brewing perfection. The Kiwis got it right. Again!

See the story in the following video:


WilliamsWarn is a sponsor of ours. We teamed up with them to take back our beer and drink fresh beer. We are showcasing their business, promoting their products and helping them distribute in North America. Most importantly we are helping beer lovers brew and enjoy a fresher beer at home, for your licensed premises, Brewpub, Microbrewery or at your workplace.

At the same time, we are telling the stories of the people making, enjoying and promoting fresh beer, thanks to WilliamsWarn's support of the Two Cowboys & A Camera.

Here is a small collection of stories so far from our WilliamsWarn Fresh Beer journey. See more on our YouTube Channel.

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WilliamsWarn Stories


Beervolition Episode 1: Take Back Your Beer!


Learning from Ian Williams

Alan Sherwood - Personal Brewing

Claddagh Irish Pub - Brewpub

Al's Deli - Deli Brewing

Brewstation - Microbrewery


Tuesday, May 9, 2017

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

We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. Please support us and get VIP privileges like early access to content and special offers. Alternatively, please sponsor us: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com. It helps us to promote our local people, businesses, and events and to keep entertaining you.


Photos


Here for the Beer

Where is this?

The V-Dub Bus

Coolbox Brigade

Our People

Wrong Glasses

Education is Important

Just Beautiful

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Two Cowboys: No Longer Paying for Other's Sins with WilliamsWarn's BrewKegs from Hastings, New Zealand

Make Something


When you bake bread you don't start by planting the wheat for the flour.

Rather, you set off to the local grocery or supply store to buy good quality flour. You trust the farmer and milling company to provide you with a quality base ingredient for your baking. The retailers' distribution makes it accessible. All you need to do is take it a few steps further with yeast and flavoring ingredients for a magnificently freshly baked bread.

If that is too complicated, there are even suppliers that will provide you with the frozen dough. All you have to do is pop it into the oven. Now you can do this with beer and cider too thanks to WilliamsWarn.


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"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

The principle is that there is a value chain in any production process whereby the materials are transformed from one stage to the next by adding value until it is eventually consumed. In some instances, it is advantageous to control the entire value chain. The truth is that very few industries in the modern world still do it. It is costly, labor intensive, uncompetitive and inconvenient.

For example, for bread, the farmer plants the grain. The milling company adds value by milling, bleaching, and packaging. The food producer makes the dough and adds flavoring. The baker bakes it, brands it and the retailer distributes. The same applies to the brewing industry. The farmer plants the barley, wheat, and hops. The maltster malts. The yeast producer produces yeast. The ingredients manufacturer makes dry malts, hops, and liquid malt extracts. The brewer brews, carbonates, clarifies, brands and packages for the retailer. Some of the roles and steps in the chain may be combined. It is often done under the pretentious banner of "craft". Mostly, the value chain remains intact, and it is done more for marketing and brand differentiation.

The brewing and distilling industries are coming to terms with an increasingly fragmented value chain. New malting companies and ingredient producers are coming to market and equipment manufacturers like WilliamsWarn are simplifying the brewing processes. The traditional players in these industries have mostly been "shielded" by decades of regulation. A few dominantly large corporations succeeded (and some still do) in working in concert with lawmakers to maintain the status quo and make it difficult for new entrants.

For decades there's been an incentive for the value-chain to remain obscured from consumers through prohibition. Except for an adventurous few homebrewers, moonshiners and bootleggers, most people had no real understanding of how-to, or an incentive to brew their own beer, cider or distill their own liquor. It was labeled as a very difficult "art" or "illegal".

All this is about to change dramatically, for good reasons.

Beer Liberty


Maybe it is the emerging "hipster" value of a growing group of Generation X'ers that are yearning for authenticity or simply a rebellious libertarian streak to take back control of one's destiny. There is definitely a growing movement by more people questioning the logic that the only way to enjoy the sixth food group is through a government sanctioned licensed and excessively taxed supply chain.

There must be an easier and more empowering way to beer drinking pleasure. People have been doing it for thousands of years. Why is it so hard, now? If you knew that freshly brewed beer tastes better, is more healthy, significantly cheaper and easy to do, you will be brewing yourself. It is now possible to enjoy your beverage from the best ingredients in the world, without the government dipping their tax finger in your pint. Here's how.

If you can cook a sausage, you can brew a beer (don't tell your dress-up "craft brewing" hipster friends that you know their secret). It is time to exercise autonomy, freedom of choice, voluntarily associate, apply individual judgment and self-ownership. You can take back control of your beverage. Grow a beard. Un-invite your legislator and stop paying taxes for others' sins. Claim liberty by brewing your own beer.

If you still need a further financial incentive consider this. On 5 August 2016, the Government of Alberta directed the AGLC (Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission) to apply a standard markup rate of $1.25/L to all regular beers sold in Alberta (www.aglc.ca). Whichever way you look at this, it is the government putting their hand in your beer pocket and yanking a massive 30+% (one-third!) from your beverage budget. Add to this the manufacturing margins (which is a pitiful tax hand-back to breweries in the form of a grant), federal excise duty, recycling fees, refundable deposits, retailer and distributor margins, licenses, permits, inspections and to top it all off, GST! It is surprising that the CO2 from brewing is not also taxed through the most recent carbon (tax) levy political plaything.

Are we missing something or is someone actually giving us an incentive to brew our own beer?

Take Control


When we embarked on our journey over a year ago, we had a significant goal in mind. Empower people to take ownership of their own destiny by making something. Give inspiration by showing how others are doing it and tell of the benefits they get from being producers.

If there was ever a case to make something, then it is as simple as brewing your own beer for as little as $1.80 a litre in 4 - 6 days. WilliamsWarn and the ingredients producers make it possible. It is legal to brew and enjoy your own beer in Canada as long as you don't sell it to your friends.

Here's the real bonus. It tastes a great deal better, like home baked bread!

People have come together for thousands of years around a meal and a beverage. Through the levying of compulsory and coercive money collection (taxation) and overbearing legislative authority, the government has increasingly invited themselves to the gathering. It is time to uninvite them.

We are doing it, and you can do it too by producing your own food, and brewing your own beer.

Hendrik van Wyk
Beer Cowboy

P.S. Here is a nice resource if you want to try your hand at distilling: Mile Hi Distilling.

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. 

If you Sponsor us on Patreon: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com we can do a lot more for you, your business, event or community.

Photos


Beer Club

Shortcut

Ready to Brew

Choices!


Thursday, January 19, 2017

Two Cowboys: Our Own Fresh Beer From the WilliamsWarn One Vessel Brewing Innovators in Hastings, NZ

Fresher Beer

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

Canada is not one of the top beer drinking nations. Surprised?

It is Canada's most popular beverage by far but we're not drinking enough as a nation. According to our trusted informant at Wikipedia, Canada is ranked 39th in the world with around 63 liters of beer per person per year. New Zealand, Australia, and the United States are all out-drinking the Canucks.

We were wondering why?



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Society owes an enormous debt to beer. Because of beer, we have civilization. Yes, there are health and nutritional benefits to consider. It is the social benefits of drinking beer that has helped to substantially advance civility.

Beer may just have kept us from wiping out each other. Over time, it became much more pleasurable and life-prolonging to meet our foes in battle at a game and then have a "cold-one" afterward. If you know the Canadian Hockey culture, then you will completely grasp its significance. Instead of death by axe and sword on the battlefield, it became puck and stick on the ice, finished with a beer. In the warmer climates, the principle is the same. It all comes down to having a beer after the game. It keeps everyone alive and in good spirits for the next round.

How is it then that Canadians, a sporting nation like any other, are not consuming their allotment in beer? The answer is simple. A lack of "fresh" beer!

Beer oxidizes over time. When it does, it gets a "papery" or flattened-out flavour. Beer doesn't “spoil,” or become unsafe to drink, just less pleasant. How long your beer will remain drinkable depends on many factors. The conditions under which you store it, the style and whether it is canned or bottled all contribute to its expeditious deterioration. Light and oxygen are the enemies of beer.

If your beer has gone from the brewery to a hot truck, to a cold storage facility, to the floor of your local grocery store, it loses flavour more quickly. As a general rule beer keeps the longest when stored at a constant cool temperature and handling is kept to a minimum. The best beer is fresh beer consumed within seven days from brewing, which hasn't been moved, touched and even bottled. Here's the elephant in the room: "Breweries know this! That is why your draft tastes better than the bottle."

It made us think about how we can regularly get our hands on truly fresh beer, short of pulling a heist on the brewery or bribing the local brewmaster?

We tried brewing our own beer. The results were less than stellar, and we abandoned the mission for the local grocery store six-pack after a month of trying. We made friends with our local brewmaster and picked up a keg from the brewery. We sourced some CO2 gas from the local beer gas guy. Hooked it all up to a kegerator from China and pulled the lever. A mouth full of foam is all we managed after fiddling with the regulators for a week.

The only strategy that has worked consistently so far is a significant investment in Growlers that we get refilled every other day at the local brewery. Even this is hit and miss depending on the age of the beer in the keg they sell.

Observations


We kept looking for a better solution, and I think we've found it with Ian Williams and the folks at WilliamsWarn. They cracked the code and solved our fresh beer problem. It is something that has since turned our beer world literally upside down.

WilliamsWarn has an appliance (like a coffee machine) that makes fresh beer on tap. And, it does it better than our local brewmaster (don't tell him yet). Here's the real surprise. You can do it all yourself, at home, from the best ingredients in the world, with nearly no specialist knowledge.

The folks at WilliamsWarn generously hosted us in Hastings at their assembly plant to give us a good look at their new BrewKegs and stocked us up on fresh beer. Our real surprise was to see how these BrewKegs is revolutionizing craft brewing in brewpubs, delicatessens, and restaurants all over New Zealand.

Let's just say, North America and Canada's nearly 5,000 craft breweries better buckle up. Fresh beer is in town. Prepare for your world to be challenged.

We are going to track and enjoy it every step of the way.

Hendrik van Wyk
Brewkeg Brewmaster in Training Cowboy

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We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com we can do a lot more for you, your business, event or community.

Photos


Hand Crafted

The Future of Beer

Kiwi Ingenuity

Buckle Up

Simple

Best Beer Friends

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Grizzly Paw, Canmore

Grizzly Paw Brewing Company

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

Beer is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the fifth millennium BC. Where there was civilization, there was beer. Where there is a community, there usually is a craft brewer. The community of Canmore is no exception, it has its very own brewery, the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company.


The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company is a brewery, and a brewpub located on Canmore’s Main Street, in the Canadian Rockies. While Grizzly Paw owner Niall Fraser was living in Sydney, Australia he got the idea of opening a brewing company during his frequent visits to “The Rocks” in Sydney for a pint of beer.

When Niall arrived home in 1992 he started looking for a suitable place to build his own brewpub. During a mini vacation to the Bow Valley Niall found the place where his brewery was to be located: Canmore. On April 29th, 1996, The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company opened its doors to the Bow Valley’s beer drinkers. It was one of the first craft breweries allowed in Alberta, and Canmore was privileged to have it.

The Grizzly Paw brews the community's beer.

Impressions

The first thing that makes an impression when you visit the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company's brewery, is its awesome building. It is located right next to the Transcanada motorway. You cannot miss it. The building's impressive peaks mimic the iconic mountain peaks of the Bow Valley's Three Sisters.


Kristina (Sales and Marketing) greeted us at the door on a cold winters morning with a team of enthusiastic colleagues that were ready to show us around.

The founder, Niall wasn't available to tell us how it all began. Instead, Robert (CEO) and Fred (Operations) enthusiastically showed us what they do while they shared their own personal journey of getting involved with beer, and how they came to join the Grizzly Paw's operations. 

What makes the Grizzly Paw unique is its following in the community of Canmore, and also in Alberta at large. The doors are open at the brewery for anyone to see how it is done. Locals work in the business. Everyone is involved in making something. We even found a lost Kiwi, Willy (Our Tour Guide) telling us how he managed to smuggle in some New Zealand hops that they used in a special edition brew. You can taste some of these special brews every Friday evening at the Grizzly Paw Pub.

The pub on Main Street is where all the festivities take place. It is a famous meeting place and easy to spot as you enter the downtown area. "Meet you at the Grizzly", is a saying that easily rolls off the tongue of anyone that is a little familiar with the town and the area. After a hard day of skiing or mountain biking (or producing), the Grizzly's beer is all you need to recover (or fake recovery).

While we "scouted" the location the day before (we had to have a few cold ones to oil the wheels for production), I looked up at the ceiling and saw something intriguing. There were mugs hanging from the ceiling, each with a unique number. 

We asked the barman what the story is, and he introduced us the the mug club. It is a neat idea. It ensures you have your own numbered mug for your beverages when at the pub. The mug stays at the pub, and only you get to use it. It truly speaks of the role the pub and brewery plays in the community by encouraging people to return regularly to have a Grizzly in their own mug. 


It was only when we interviewed Doug (GM of the Pub) that it really hit home for us, when he explained that mug club members buy beers for others, and leave surprise tokens in mugs. They pay it forward. This is a really neat idea. It gives me yet another excuse to visit the pub. I have to go and check if someone bought me a beer!

The Grizzly Paw is a business and brand that became part of the community of Canmore over two decades. It is encouraging to see how a producer's vision (Niall, the Founder) grew into something that ended up defining a large part of the identity of the community of Canmore. 

Craft breweries play an important role in defining community. It brings people together. It is after all a happy place for the people that live and work in the town. Sadly, large corporations are realizing the value of these craft breweries and are quickly gobbling up the businesses, and destroying the community loyalty to the brand. Hopefully, that won't happen with the Grizzly Paw. 

If it does, Canmore will lose a little part of its soul. Luckily, it never takes long for the next crafty entrepreneur to step up and make something delicious. Beer is the foundation of civilization, a large part of the identity of a community, and it will continue to be for as long as you have hard working producers making things.

Thank you to the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company's team for showing us just how beer is made in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. Cheers!

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer and Committed Beer Lover

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Photos

Many people have passed through this watering hole in the mountains.

Join the pint club. Somewhere in there is a beer for me.

Introspection.

Heaven can't wait...

The four sisters of temptation.