Lakes of beer: Beer Guy

Albertans: I’m goin’ to the lake this weekend. Me: Oh yeah? Which lake?

by Peter Bailey

I’m always on the lookout for a good lake. I grew up on the shore of Lake Huron. I mean, literally on the shore—I could hear waves lapping on the beach from my bed at night. Summers were spent hanging at the town beach and sailing my little knockoff Laser sailboat. Then in 1981 my dad announced we were moving to Edmonton. We sold the sailboat as my dad assured me there were no lakes in Alberta. Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but he wasn’t entirely wrong.

It isn’t really fair. Ontario has four Great Lakes, Alberta none. Saskatchewan has 100,000 lakes. B.C. has the Okanagan lakes and an ocean. Maybe Premier Kenney should hold a referendum on lake equalization.

We may not have the lakes, but we do have the beers—including easy drinking pilsners and other lagers. Historically, early brewing in eastern Canada came from the British tradition of hearty ales and heavy porters, led by British immigrants like John Molson, Alexander Keith and John Labatt. Western Canadian brewing came later, from the European lager tradition, led by German immigrants like Fritz Sick. In 1901 Sick founded Lethbridge Brewing. Sick would go on to produce bestselling Old Style Pilsner and help make lager the beer of western Canada.

By the 1970s lager had taken over Canada, becoming somewhat of a monopoly, with little choice for beer drinkers. The craft beer revolution was in part an effort to overthrow the lager tyranny in favour of tasty beer like pale ales, IPAs and porters and stouts. Today some say the needle has moved too far, with too much emphasis on ever bigger and more extreme beers. Sometimes one just needs a cold, refreshing lager for a day at the lake. Recently there’s been an uptick in interest in traditional beer styles—back to hoppy IPAs and refreshing pilsners.

Snake Lake Brewing head brewer Octavio Pauley told me he has seen a resurgence in craft breweries making lagers and more people drinking them. He says he prefers lagers, “especially when they are easy drinking yet full of flavour. They don’t have to be the yellow swill that we once knew lagers to be.” Lagers are easy to drink but hard to make. If you want to test the skills of a brewer, try their pilsner. Pauley notes that he enjoys making lager as “it takes a little more finesse and time to make.” Pauley’s Kinabik Pilsner won the Gold Medal for Pilsner at the 2020 Alberta Beer Awards, so he’s walking the talk on quality lager.

A century after Fritz Sick came to Alberta, Jochen Fahr left Germany for Alberta, coming to Calgary for university. He earned a PhD in biomedical engineering but coming from a brewing family, beer was in his blood and his brewing hobby became his profession. Fahr launched Brauerei Fahr in Turner Valley in 2015, making traditional, quality German beers in Canada using Alberta malts and German hops. With IPAs ruling the roost, I thought at the time Fahr’s quest was quixotic, but the current vogue for quality craft lagers may mean he is on the right track. And this summer while we’re staying close to home, why not take a virtual trip to Bavaria by enjoying an authentic German pilsner made right here in Alberta?

Beach beers six pack

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SYC Accidental Beach Pale Ale, Edmonton We make do in Edmonton. No lake? We put a fake one in a mall. Also, submarines. No waterfall? We pumped water off a bridge. No beach? A sandbar rose out of the river in 2017 and we called it the Accidental Beach. This summer, SYC brings back their beery homage to the Brigadoon of beaches, a bright, tart, hazy pale ale conditioned on sea salt and lime zest.

Endeavour Lost Flip Flop Saison, St. Albert For years, people have headed to St. Albert to walk the wooded paths, ply the waters of Big Lake and frankly, to drink beer. From the ‘40s through the ‘60s, the Bruin Inn was the one place men and woman could imbibe together. Today, Endeavour’s taproom patio is a great spot for a pint of refreshing saison, hopped with Citra and Sorachi for a summery citrus kiss.

Dog Island Sandy Ass Pale Ale, Slave Lake Two and a half hours north of Edmonton is Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta’s third-largest lake. Devonshire Beach just outside the town of Slave Lake might just be the best beach in Alberta. In town you’ll find the area’s only craft brewery, complete with a family-friendly taproom. Pick up one of Dog Island’s beach-friendly brews, including their refreshing pale ale made with Ella hops.

Folding Mountain Sunwade Hazy IPA, Hinton Ontario may have the Great Lakes, but Alberta has the Rockies, and there’s nothing prettier than a mountain lake. On your way to Jasper, a must stop is Folding Mountain, which may have the nicest taproom in Alberta, now with an expanded patio. Try their sunny, juicy Sunwade Hazy IPA that comes with a tart grapefruit kick thanks to Mosaic, Ekuanot, and Azacca hops.

Snake Lake Kinabik Pilsner, Sylvan Lake Sylvan Lake was originally named Snake Lake, from the Cree name Kinabik, after the many garter snakes that swarmed the lake’s shores. The snakes have moved on over the years, I’m assured. Kinabik is made with a blend of Alberta and German malts, aggressively hopped with Hallertau and Saaz, fermented as coolly as possible and lagered for 3-6 weeks. A classic beach brew.

Fahr Pils, Turner Valley A drive to Waterton Lakes via the Cowboy Trail (Highway 22) should be a bucket list road trip for any Albertan. Stop at Turner Valley just south of Calgary and visit craft distillers Eau Claire and almost next door, Brauerie Fahr. The Fahr Pils is a southern German, Black Forest-style pilsner, balanced between crisp bitterness and smooth malt body.