DAMN!! So much beer this year.

DAMN!!

It has been quite sometime since my last post but i have been feeling a bit of an itch to write one. So with that in mind let begin with how many breweries have erupted onto the craft beer scene here in Alberta, Canada. I mean in Calgary alone new breweries seem to be popping up every couple of months with no end in sight. I have been finding it difficult to keep up with the growth the brewery scene. Besides Calgary, province wide there has been substantial growth and it seems like every little town has one brewery or one is in the works. For those of you readers who do not live in Alberta, Canada you will not know this but there is a company who comes out with a craft beer brewery guide every quarter called the "Alberta Craft Beer Guide". I love this book because if I decide to go on a road trip I can plan accordingly and potentially stop at a brewery if I find the time. 

The best thing I have come to discover is that even though there are so many different breweries in the province not one of them is out to destroy their competition. As a matter of fact, they are willing to go above and beyond to help one another out. This is one of the many reasons I am really starting to love this industry and wanting to learn more about it. One thing I have also realized over the past 2 years is the increasing number of collaborations beers breweries are doing with one another and the quality of these collabs are incredible.

The Unity Brews

The beer above ↑↑↑↑↑ is a prime example of a collaboration, with the exemption that this is one that is pretty much a province wide collaboration. Might I add, this beer was fantastic. This Red Ale was a very Malt forward beer as I believe it used 5 different types of malt all coming from Maltsters within the province. This is actually an annual event and I have been hearing rumors the unity brew for this year is going to be some sort of IPA. I really hope they make a nice hop forward IPA and not be to bitter as I find it kills the flavor of the hops. I find it also find it quite undesirable as I hate the bitter after taste in my mouth.  
Unity Brew 2019 was to put it simply.... delicious! I was brewed by Brewster's Brewing Company, Calgary, Alberta. It turned out to be a great recipe that delivered a really smart beer. I said "smart beer" as a lot of people do not like IPA's and this one everyone can enjoy. This years brew was a Hazy IPA that was not supper hoppy but more of a juicy and floral with a smooth finish type IPA.
 Pictured below ↓↓↓↓↓

Lethbridge's Newest Brewery👍👌

Okay, so Lethbridge has 3 breweries, Coulee Brewing Company, Theoretical Brewing Company and the newest Spectrum Ale Works. I am a little biased here but I will say that Spectrum is my favorite brewery in the city as they deliver beer that is consistent and well...... good. The other two breweries are okay, I mean Coulee brew I would personally consider to be more of a restaurant and does not go out of its way to sell their beer. Theoretical, I have personally found to be a very eclectic brewery and the atmosphere as its not very welcoming or inviting, but most of all, inconsistent beer. 

Spectrum within there first 3 months has 10 beers on tap. No they do not have other breweries beer on tap they have their OWN beers on tap! Theoretical does not have this, and Coulees' beer just are not good enough to compare. 



One big difference between all the breweries is that Spectrum has an actual taproom that is nice and spacious with a large bar and a great atmosphere to have a nice social evening with friends. Oh and I almost forgot.... the most knowledgeable and friendly staff!!

My Facebook Group
When I first created my Facebook group "Craft beer 101" I never knew what it would/could grow into. I have been humbled quite a bit with the traction it has taken on. I thought it would be just a few of my friends who I knew were into craft beer. I was quite surprised when those friends started adding people they knew who like craft beer and so on and so on. As of right now the group has 137 members and growing... slowly. Moreover, the amount of sharing going on is awesome as there are people in the group from the United States and Europe (Netherlands) who are posting pictures of craft beer.  So if you are reading this and are in my group, thank you for sharing.

Question??

I have been contemplating setting up a bottle share, and my question is if you would recommend doing one and if so what are some rules to follow? 

(Answer in comments)

Highlights of the Past Year: 🙌👍👍