A Letter to the Macro Beer Drinkers of the World

Beer Review: Okami Kasu Japanese Ale

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...

Critical Control Points in Brewing – Sourness in Beer

By: Casey Staple First-Year Brewmaster Student I find that a constant topic and debate in the craft brewing industry is, when is it ethical to sell a soured contaminated beer? It has been known that some small local breweries try to bluff it through the markets to make a dollar and salvage what may have been lost in production. It is very understandable as to why an operations manager, or even an owner, would do this. Who wants loss? No one new to the industry can afford to dump beer because of a little tartness in the batch. There are bills to pay, and in a situation of being in a current state of catch up because of sold out product, how can a manager justify empty shelf space in the busy, booming, cutthroat industry we are in today. As professionals in the Alberta brewing world, this is a legitimate problem we may face at some point. How we deal with this crossroad is up to us as brewers and managers. I believe that the first step towards releasing a consistent qualit...

The History of Healthy Beer

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...

Interview with Mike Foniok, Owner of The Establishment Brewing Company

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...

The Hop-Edition