“Springtime in Alberta
Chills me to the bone.”
–Ian Tyson
Don’t yell at me, but I love the winter. And the longer and snowier the better. Hockey is the best sport to watch, (Go Oilers!) and skiing is the best sport to do. I will not be taking questions. This past winter I skied 80 days, Nordic in and around Edmonton, some alpine in the Rockies and several multi-day backcountry (alpine touring) trips in B.C.
But all good things must come to an end. Sure, you can continue skiing into May, but even a diehard like me recognizes that spring skiing is less about the skiing and more about the vibes—and the beer. Sunshine Village goes out with a bang with the 97th annual Slush Cup closing out the May long weekend and the season. In my 1970’s Ontario youth we called the weekend, May Two-Four, referring to the widespread purchase and consumption of two-fours of beer to celebrate the start of summer. At the Ontario Beer Store those 24s were a choice of Molson Canadian or Export, Labatt Blue or 5 and, for the eccentrics, Carling O’Keefe Black Label or OV, all in brown stubbies.
Nowadays, when après-ski ends, it’s replaced by après-hike and bike. For my wife and I, this often means stopping in at a Happy Beer Street brewery after a long bike ride or walking to the Hop Pocket breweries in our neighbourhood. We love similar excursions while travelling, like the ride along and across the river in Kamloops to Bright Eye Brewing or the ride on Victoria’s Galloping Goose trail over to Driftwood Brewing in Esquimalt.
Off the bikes and onto our own two feet, there is the tried-and-true pub crawl. The legendary band Spirit of the West immortalized a North Vancouver pub crawl in their classic song, The Crawl: “Well, we’re good old boys, we come from the North Shore / Drinkers and carousers the likes you’ve never seen.”
You may have your own version of The Crawl in your past. Or your present. Across the pond in Britain and Ireland, a notch above the crawl is the pub walk, which generally means an actual walk or hike in a rural setting, ending at the delightful English institution of the country pub. But a pub walk can be urban too. Last fall, my wife and I took the Long Walk in Galway, Ireland, out along the seaside Salthill Promenade to the Oslo, the home of Galway’s first microbrewery, Galway Bay Brewery. Steve Earle sings about finding his Galway Girl walking the Long Walk: “And I knew right then, I’d be takin’ a whirl / ’Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl.”
Back home, Banff native Kendall Hunter takes the idea of beer and hiking a step further with her fun and handy guidebook, Beer Hiking Canadian Rockies. Hunter details 30 hikes in Alberta and B.C. that end at or near craft breweries. The hikes in the Foothills (Calgary), the Rockies and the Kootenays range from easy walks like the three km stroll on Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton to strenuous climbs like the eight km (748 vertical metre) to the Ha Ling summit in Canmore.
Veteran hikers and beer drinkers alike can debate Hunter’s beer and hike picks over pints at their favourite mountain and not-so mountain breweries this summer. You can also find other delightful beer bikes and walks in the Alberta and B.C. Ale Trails websites, Alberta at albertaaletrail.ca and B.C. at bcaletrail.ca. See you on the trails!
Hike and bike six pack
Take a walk or ride your bike to find these outdoorsy beers at these breweries in Alberta and B.C. Or find them at fine beer shops around town to pack along for your next adventure.
Click images to zoom
Alley Kat Brewing, Arctic Aurora Cold IPA, Edmonton
“Basically Hiking” says Alley Kat owner Cameron French’s t-shirt. Cameron is a big outdoors fan—camping, hiking and competing in trail race ultramarathons. Five years ago Alley Kat partnered with Edmonton-based outdoor gear maker Kuma, co-branding beers and supporting community. Cameron picks Arctic Aurora as a great camping beer, a smooth, easy-drinking IPA brewed as a lager.
Endeavour Brewing, Devil’s Thumb Cascadian Dark Ale, St. Albert
Endeavour owners Matt and Georgia Atkins created a brewery to match their passion for the outdoors, particularly hiking in the mountains (the Endeavour logo is the tread of a hiking boot). Many beers are named after favourite hikes and hiking memories. The roasty and hoppy Devil’s Thumb Dark Ale is named for the arduous Devil’s Thumb trail above the Beehive at Lake Louise.
Cabin Brewing / Camp Brewing, Happy Campers Hazy IPA, Calgary and Langley, B.C.
Alberta’s Brewery of the Year and B.C.’s Brewery of the Year, both outdoors-oriented, got together to create a beer designed with the campfire in mind, with the goal to make the mountains feel closer. This juicy IPA features heaps of hops, including Citra, Mosaic and Krush, which bring a luxurious tropical hop backbone to the beer.
Canmore Brewing, Highline Lager, Canmore
Think outside. “There is no box” is painted on the wall at the Canmore Brewing taproom, signalling to everyone what the brewery is all about. Award-winning Highline Lager is named for Canmore’s Highline Trail, an epic local mountain biking and hiking trail. Highline traverses the slopes of the Ehagay Nakoda Range from the base of the Three Sisters to the shadow of Ha Ling Peak.
Folding Mountain Brewing, Raspberry Blonde Ale, Hinton
Bright, light and crisp, brewed with a Rocky Mountain spring in mind. A blonde ale with a hint of tart and sweetness from the added raspberry, with just enough fruit to keep things interesting without getting in the way of the beer itself. With extensive walking, mountain biking and cross-country ski trails, Hinton is worth a stop, not just as a layover on the way to Jasper.
Whitetooth Brewing, Blower Pow IPA, Golden, B.C.
Our helicopter ride from Golden into Amiskwi Lodge in the B.C. backcountry this past winter was delayed due to fog. Silver lining: tacos and fantastic beers at Whitetooth Brewing while we waited. Blower pow refers to the dry, billowing, deep Champagne powder snow Golden is famous for. Blower Pow IPA was Whitetooth’s first IPA, well-hopped in the Pacific Northwest style.
