[Daveography]

Edmonton brewpubs face bylaw and zoning hurdles
A new company will soon brew and serving beer just off Whyte Avenue, but city bylaws could make it difficult for other brewpubs to set up in Edmonton.

Situation Brewing Company will hold a grand opening for their new location on Gateway Boulevard and 81 Avenue on May 25. The company will be part brewery, part restaurant and aims to give customers a look behind the curtain on how their beer is made.

Full Story (Metro Edmonton)

 

[Daveography]

For small Edmonton breweries, a draft of change is blowing
Edmonton took a small step toward making it easier for brew pubs and microbreweries to set up in popular shopping districts Wednesday.

“Excellent news” for the craft beer crowd, said Wayne Sheridan, who opened the brew pub Situation Brewing last month just off Whyte Avenue.

There a bit of a sweet smell every couple days when the beer is boiling, he said. But so far no one has complained. “It’s really not an intrusive thing.”

Edmonton’s current zoning bylaws relegate breweries to industrial areas, a place perhaps fitting for the large-scale breweries that were the only ones allowed in Alberta before 2013. But provincial rules changed.

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

Mark Suits: Alley Kat hits the back alley with experimental brews
Edmonton’s Alley Kat Brewing is preparing to launch a new series of experimental beers called Back Alley Brews and I am excited about it. Experimentation and creativity are hallmarks of craft brewing and keep us beer-lovers coming back for more.

Alley Kat’s Neil Herbst says they have always done a fair amount of experimentation, but most of those creations haven’t made it out of the brewery.

“The thought is to let others try those experimental beers along with us. Some of these Back Alley Brews will be highly experimental, some will be our spin on regular beer styles, so I expect a wide variety of beers.”

The first Back Alley Brew will be a spruce beer made with added hops and lots of fresh spruce tips.

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

Alberta brewers hope tax mark-up won't leave them tapped out
Alberta’s smaller brewers say a dramatic increase in the province’s tax take could leave them, and consumers, crying in their beer.

On Tuesday, the NDP government announced it would be setting a $1.25 per litre markup for beer sold in Alberta regardless of the producer’s size or location, effective Aug. 5.

That eliminates a sliding markup scale announced last fall that had some small players, such as Calgary’s Village Brewery, paying 10 cents a litre.

Theoretically, that could translate into a $2 hike in the cost of a six-pack of beer produced by smaller breweries, though brewers say that’s unlikely.

But the government said that change will be followed by a yet-to-be announced grant for Alberta’s smaller brewers meant to offset that markup hike.

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

Yellowhead Brewery launches music artist sponsorship program
An Edmonton brewery is crafting a new approach to charitable giving geared toward music and beer enthusiasts alike.

Ian McIntosh, director of operations at Yellowhead Brewery, said he was inspired by his own experiences as a musician for the folk-rock band Owls By Nature.

“We did some international touring … and it was great,” he said, adding that bands struggle for funding. “I would have loved to have a beer sponsorship.”

The Yellowhead Certified Program will sponsor local bands in exchange for their performances at charity concerts. Sponsorship packages include merchandising, discounted beer at events and industry advice.

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

Mark Suits: Edmonton's Bent Stick Brewing launches its first two beers
Edmonton beer-lovers have two more locally brewed beers to sample now that Bent Stick Brewing has released its first two brews, Brick is Red and Swap the Hops. The brewery is small and will only be selling its beers in 650 ml bottles at select locations. Check the brewery’s Facebook page or your favourite craft beer store for availability.

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

Alberta's brewers catching up to craft beer demand
Albertans drink a lot of beer but have few craft breweries.

But some say that's about to change.

A new report from Beer Canada, the industry’s trade group, shows Albertans had Canada’s third highest rate of beer consumption behind only Newfoundland and Quebec.

Yet that hasn’t translated into a big growth in local brewers.

Alberta had 40 brewers as of 2015, the same number as Nova Scotia, a province with less than a quarter as many people.

British Columbia, with about 500,000 more people than Alberta, has 120 breweries by comparison.

Ben Rix, one of four co-founders of the recently launched Bent Stick Brewing company in Edmonton, said it's regulatory barriers have stood in the way of growth.

Rix and his co-workers all worked at Alley Kat Brewing before the government changed rules in 2013, allowing brewers to be licensed without requiring them to produce large volumes.

Full Story (Metro Edmonton)

 

[Daveography]

‘I will not be lectured’: Notley responds to Saskatchewan government on Alberta beer tax
EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says her Saskatchewan counterpart Brad Wall should pick up the phone if he has a problem with her province’s new beer rules.

Notley says criticism of her policy is another, in her words, “political drive-by” from Wall and she refuses to be lectured by him.

“I will not be lectured about any efforts that our government might take in the future in order to support our small brewers, our economic diversification, our workers and our industries,” Notley said.

Notley was responding to criticism levelled last week by Wall’s government over Alberta’s new pricing plan for beer.

Full Story (Global Edmonton)

 

[Daveography]

Alberta offers up to $20M in grants to small brewers as markup set to begin
CALGARY - Alberta's small beer brewers will get up to $20 million a year in grants, helping to offset a looming hike in the markup on all beer sold in the province.

Finance Minister Joe Ceci says the goal is to level the industry playing field, help grow Alberta's industry and create jobs.

Under the program, brewers who produce less than 30 million litres per year will get money on a sliding scale based on the amount of sales.

Full Story (Metro Edmonton)

NDP government unveils grant program for Alberta craft brewers
A new provincial grant program could see $20 million annually handed back to Alberta brewers to expand their businesses and grow the local craft beer sector.

Under the terms of the Alberta Small Brewers Development Program — announced by Finance Minister Joe Ceci at an event in Calgary on Thursday — any brewer who produces no more than 300,000 hectolitres of Alberta-made beer annually will be eligible to apply for the grant, which will be allocated monthly based on sales volumes.

Ceci said the government estimates it could hand out $20 million annually, though he anticipates only $12 million will be utilized this year due to the program’s late start date. He said the province’s 37 small brewers will receive letters Thursday with details about the program, and could receive their first cheque next week if they apply by Aug. 3.

“This program will drive opportunity through job creation and growth in industries, and investment in the liquor manufacturing sector in our province,” Ceci said. “We’re really excited about taking this important step that is going to help this small but growing industry get even better.”

Full Story (Edmonton Journal)

 

[Daveography]

Edmonton breweries an urban oasis in tough job market
The growth of Alberta’s craft brewing scene despite recession elsewhere has not gone unnoticed.

The niche industry was propped up as a success story in the province’s throne speech last week, being singled out by government as an “emerging sector.”

That came as no surprise to Ian McIntosh, the director of operations at Edmonton’s Yellowhead Brewery.

“When we started in 2009, there was only one other brewery in town. I think we started with four people and at our last staff party, we had 22,” McIntosh told Metro. “I think it is becoming a bit of an industry, it’s definitely growing and I think it’s a good thing.”

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/03/06/edmonton-breweries-thrive-in-tough-economy.html

 

[Daveography]

Edmonton's craft distilleries hope for help despite legal challenges
Edmonton’s “very fledgling” craft distilling industry is pouring a shot of optimism this week, after the province hinted they could see the controversial grants given to small breweries extended to them.

But not everyone in the liquor sector — or in constitutional law — is happy about finance minister Joe Ceci's announcement last Thursday that the province will “build on the success of our craft brewing program and work to model a similar program for Alberta’s craft distillers” this year.

The idea immediately raised alarm bells for the Canadian Constitution Foundation, which is suing the province over its craft brewery incentives (see sidebar) — on behalf of alcohol importers and out-of-province beer-makers.

“If it is like the beer program, it would be subject to all the same criticisms,” said staff lawyer Derek James in a phone interview. “A protectionist tariff violates the constitution, the supreme law of the land.

“They say they’re doing it for all the right reasons: they’re going to protect local industry, which makes sense. But it frightens me when a government feels it’s above the law."

But the local distilling industry praised the announcement, despite the lack of details made public.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...t-distilleries-hope-for-help-controversy.html

 

[Daveography]

Alberta's craft breweries have tripled in 3 years — with dozens more on tap
The number of craft breweries in Alberta has tripled over the last three years, and the trend is expected to continue, with at least 30 new breweries being planned in Alberta this year, say industry insiders.

"Alberta farmers grow some of the world's most sought after barley and agricultural products. It only makes sense to grow the brewing industry right here and support good jobs from grain to glass," said Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci, who was in Red Deer for the province's first Alberta Craft Brewing Convention on Wednesday.

He was highlighting the $25 million earmarked for the Alberta Small Brewers Development Program announced in the 2017 budget.

Terry Rock, executive director of the Alberta Small Brewers Association, said the province has 54 brewing licenses now compared to 18 in 2014.

"It's a real economic diversification story that Albertans should be proud of," said Rock, one of hundreds who attended the convention.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/craft-beer-boom-alberta-1.4046807

 

[Daveography]

New zoning to promote microbreweries
Edmonton could see craft beer options expand with a set of zoning tweaks to allow microbreweries, wineries and distilleries to open in any commercial zone. Several business owners complained their operations were confined to industrial zones, far from the foot traffic that makes these small-scale production and sampling sites viable.

The new regulations would let them open on Whyte Avenue or 124 Street, and they would be exempt from the location restrictions that prevent two liquor stores from opening side by side.

These “should be part of the culture of a modern city. I would hope people pick up on it and we needed to make sure we weren’t getting in the way,” said Coun. Ben Henderson, adding the changes still need approval from full council to take effect.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/urban-planning-committee

 

[Daveography]

Door opening to more brew pubs after Edmonton slashes red tape
Red tape has been cleared, which means Edmontonians will soon be able to quaff a couple in more parts of town. City council’s Urban Planning Committee did it as a favour to fans of drinking establishments.

“We’ve opened up the opportunities and zoning opportunities for small microbreweries and micro-distilleries so that they can now operate in more kinds of zones than they would have been able to operate in before,” Coun. Ben Henderson said.

“In the past, they were really limited to industrial zones and this allows it to mix in to commercial and other zones and do so in a way that comes up with a set of rules that makes sure they’re a good news story and they’re not creating nuisance.”

There’s no word yet on where these places will pop up to allow you to pour a cold one, but that should become apparent after city council looks at the plan at a public hearing.

http://globalnews.ca/news/3511221/door-opening-to-more-brew-pubs-after-edmonton-slashes-red-tape/

 

[Daveography]

Changes brewing to allow alcohol producers in popular Edmonton streets
A few tweaks to city rules could allow for more microbreweries, distilleries and wineries to open up on Edmonton’s popular shopping streets — something Shayna Hansen calls a “great idea.”

“It would liven things up. How could it not?” said Hansen, the co-owner of Hansen Distillery, located in an industrial area in west Edmonton.

But distilleries can’t open just yet along popular streets or shopping complexes. That’s because the current rules in Edmonton’s bylaw mean distilleries, breweries and wineries are generally confined to the city’s industrial zones, most of which are far-flung.

“We were limited to where we could actually be,” Hansen said, regarding the current rules. “We’re not close to downtown but it’s still a very nice space”

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...siders-boosting-spirits-in-the-city-core.html