The Regional Guide to Canadian Craft Breweries

The Alley Kat Brewing Company, based in Edmonton, Alberta, has been in operation since 1995. The brewery was founded by Neil Herbst, who was teaching homebrewing classes at the University of Alberta and decided to turn brewing into a full-time business. Alley Kat's catchy slogan "real beer for cool cats" reflects a departure from traditional marketing. This edgy style is reflected in some of their unconventional brews. Alley Kat Amber (label pictured left) is, according to Stephen Beaumont's The Great Canadian Beer Guide, "a beautifully balanced brown ale with notes of chocolate, raisin and allspice". I'll have a pint of that! Other Alley Kat beers include Old Deuteronomy Barley Wine (10% alcohol!), Full Moon Pale Ale, Aprikat, an apricot flavoured fuit beer and Charlie Flint's Original Lager. To get a sense of Alley Kat's stylistic approach to brewing and learn more about their beers, visit www.alleykatbeer.com.

Like many regional craft breweries, the Great Western Brewing Company came about as a direct result of the continuing rationalization of Canada's multi-national brewing industry. In 1990, when the Molson machine swallowed up Carling O'Keefe, Carling's regional Saskatoon, Saskatchewan brewery was deemed by Molson to be redundant. Sixteen brewery employees banded together and negotiated a purchase price for the brewery and in March of 1991, Great Western Brewery was born. The Carling-O'Keefe roots are still evident in Great Western's mass-market beer styles. Although it's a bit of a stretch to refer to GB's beers as "craft-brewed", the brewery offers some fine and highly drinkable varieties. On offer are Brewhouse Pilsener, Premium Light, Premium Lager, Natural Draft, Natural Ice and, arguably the most distintive of the lot, Great Western Gold which is slightly hoppy with a hint of caramel flavour. To find out more about Great Western Brewing, visit www.greatwesternbrewing.com.

The Big Rock Brewery, located in Calgary, Alberta, is another example of a successful Canadian craft-brewing pioneer. Big Rock was founded by Ed McNally in 1984. McNally had been a director of the Western Barley Growers Association in the early 1980's and was influenced by the success of Fritz Maytag's San Francisco based Anchor Brewing Company. Given McNally's knowlegde of the local barley trade, he set out to establish a regional craft brewery based on Maytag's success in the States. Big Rock's flagship beers have changed little during it's twenty-plus year history. Big Rock Traditional Ale is a copper coloured, nutty tasting English style session-ale (highly drinkable). Grasshopper Wheat Ale is a slightly sour and citrusy summer beer. My personal favourite is the strong (at 7% alcohol) McNally Extra Irish Ale, described in Michael Jackson's New World Guide to Beer as "strong, full-bodied and smooth". I'll drink to that. Big Rock currently produces eight distinct varieties available bottled and on tap in select pubs. Visit Big Rock at www.bigrockbeer.com.