The Hop-Edition

By: Joerg Factorine Second-Year Brewmaster Student      Since the Craft Beer Revolution started, brewers have realized they can add more flavours to beer. At first, it happened by trying new combinations of beer's fundamental ingredients: malts, hops and yeast strains. Although some styles had existed for centuries, they were rediscovered. Belgian beers inspired brewers to try some exotic additions, like fruits and other sugar sources, or even wild yeast and spontaneous fermentation. After an industry that was long dominated by simple tasting Lagers, revisiting the past sharpened the curiosity and imagination of brewers- and that was a path with no return.       “And if I add that, how will it taste?” “I can’t wait to try this.” That was the kind of thought that moved brewers to try new flavours. Fueled by the competition among new breweries, the creativity kept increasing, every new step achieved wasn’t enough, and the limits to dare have been expandi...

By: Jayde Gauley Second-Year Brewmaster Student  I’m from small town Saskatchewan, a population of around three-hundred people, with the nearest city about an hour and a half away. I am often the only one that shows up to a gathering with some sort of craft beer in hand. I also see this around the Olds College campus, the brewery students are asking "What is the new brew on tap?" and the other programs are drinking their Bud-Light. I wanted to know why it seemed like so many small-town people don’t stray away from big brands, and never seemed to try craft beer. I asked the people of my home town and surrounding communities a few different questions about craft beer to see why they thought this was. I had fourteen women and twelve men respond with age ranges from early twenties up to seventies, and the answers were actually pretty surprising. So, what did I find out? Do you prefer big brand beers or craft? Why?  Most of the men answered that they like big brand. T...

By: Mac Lenton Second-Year Brewmaster Student Today* I sat down with Mike Foniok, Head Brewer and Co-founder of The Establishment Brewing. After being open for just over a year, I wanted to chat with Mike and discuss how their brewery came to fruition, what they are currently working on, as well as to get his take on Alberta beer in general. Since opening in early 2019, The Establishment brewing has been one of the most successful new breweries to open in Alberta. The venue boasts a dynamic and spacious taproom which surely catches the eye and impresses consumers. Currently they have eight beer options on tap, varying from light -such their Pilsgnar German pilsner- to dark, with their Fat Sherpa porter. They even have hoppy beers with the very popular Afternoon Delight New England Pale Ale. If all of this wasn’t impressive enough they also offered two barrel aged sour beers on their opening day. As I have been a fan of The Establishment I figured it was worthy to sit down wi...

By: Kyle Mueller Second-year Brewmaster Student While most hipster craft beer advocates out there seem to jump on board any new beer trend that comes around lately, its always reassuring to go back to a classic beer style that screams “simpler times”. Old Yale Brewing, a legend in the Chilliwack, BC craft beer scene, has just that very beer. Since the start of Old Yale’s existence, they have tried to stay close to their Fraser Valley roots. Using Canada’s best drinking water and all-natural ingredients, they aim to achieve the same balance as the environment around them. Sasquatch, being one of their best sellers and winner of “Best Beer in Canada” 2014, is no different. Brewed with Pale malt as their base malt, supported by Oat, crystal, roasted and Chocolate malts and hopped with Magnum, this beer comes out swinging. Best served in a Guinness-style pint glass, aromatics of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and just a hint of caramel should be detectable. With a creamy full-bodie...

By: Anthony Page Second-year Brewmaster Student I found myself in the nearest specialty liquor supplier, scavenging for the newest, most hop intense, bittersweet and fruity thing I could possibly find when I saw it sitting there.  This was not the style I usually go for, but something about it drew me in.  As I usually go about on my Saturday afternoons in Calgary, I like to grab some beer prior to my once a week family dinner.  My brother in law will be there, and my father will crack a brew with us.  It’s always been a bit of a mission to broaden their horizons with new and interesting ales and lagers.  Of course, I have embarked on studying the art of brewing beer, so I should at least justify my path in schooling by wowing them with something remarkable.  There on the shelf were two six packs of beer I had heard about but had never strongly considered purchasing.  The brewery was fairly new in town, the previous style I had tried from them...

By: David Van De Walle Second-year Brewmaster Student Beer has been produced throughout history, but not for the same reason we produce beer today.  For much of it's early history, beer - or rather a fermented beverage closely resembling beer - has been consumed in large gatherings.  It was not the social aspect that that brought people together for beer, nor was it the large alcohol percentage that enticed them.  It was actually for health reasons that the consumption of beer began.  People found out long ago that when they consumed beer instead of water, they did not get as sick.  They did not understand the reasons why, but they did not question it, and continued the consumption of beer.  Little did they know that the yeast found in the beer out-competed the other harmful bacteria found in the water.  The yeast also increased the ethanol levels, and decreased the pH to levels that are harmful to other organisms.  The act of fermentati...

By: Varick Grasley Second-Year Brewmaster Student With the installation of Dry January and Sober February, there seems to be a trend in the desire for people to lower their intake of alcohol. According to Chris Furnari from Forbes.com (2020), 21% of Americans took part in sober January in 2020. Many people have limited or eliminated alcohol from their diet for health-related reasons, whether to decrease alcoholism, or for religious or financial purposes. Instead of switching to sugar filled sodas or carbonated water, people have started to explore the world of non-alcoholic or low alcoholic beers. In the United States, non-alcoholic beer sales increased by 39% in January 2020. This seems to indicate that people still want to enjoy a good tasting beer, just without the alcohol content. This trend can be seen in Europe as well. Edith Hancock from Thedrinksbusiness.com (2019) noted that sales of non-alcoholic beers have increased 60% in Ireland between 2017 and 2018 and up to an 8...