I recently made the trip to Southern Alberta for one of Alberta Ale Trail’s seventeen curated craft beer itineraries—the Ice Cream Ale Trail.
by Daniela Zenari
A collaboration between Alberta Ale Trails and Savour Alberta South, this tour along Highway 3, designed with families in mind—features craft breweries and ice cream shops that showcase local ingredients.
I discovered a community of people who show such care in developing their craft and help each other along the way.
I expected a lot of good beer and ice cream, but what I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the heart of the south. I couldn’t help but feel that southern hospitality. I was especially grateful for it when I forgot my computer charger, and the hotel gave me a spare. To keep. Talk about going above and beyond.
The tour starts at Zucchini Blossom in Medicine Hat, the sunniest city in Canada. Zucchini Blossom has been open for over 20 years, and its owner, Kristine Dalzell, has sourced ingredients locally from the start. She played a role in the early stages of Savour Alberta South, which connects local producers with restaurant owners, cementing close relationships with local farms, including El Dorado Vegetable Farms and Neubauer Farms. So close that the Neubauers called her up this year to ask what she wants planted for her menu.
Kristine Dalzell in tea-lean mode at Zucchini Blossom
The menu has options for any diet, from fresh salads, sandwiches and soups to pizza. I had the Fruity Porchetta sandwich with a rhubarb chutney. I’m not usually the biggest fan of rhubarb, but this sandwich was divine. I had the cheese pull of my dreams. After travelling, I was ravenous, and this sandwich hit all the right spots.
Next stop: dessert at Camp Ice Cream. Everything is made in-house, right down to their waffle cones. They use real cream and no preservatives or artificial flavours. It’s totally worth the effort for the taste. They offer all the standard flavours, but the rest of the menu, and their flavours of the month, are anything but standard. From the real strawberries in the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry to the individually toasted marshmallows in the Burnt Marshmallow, each flavour is made with care and attention. I didn’t think I could love it more until I learned why they are called Camp Ice Cream. One dollar of every pint sold goes towards kids’ summer camps in Southern Alberta.
Camp Ice Cream, Medicine Hat.
Then, we were on our way to Medicine Hat Brewing Company for dinner. With over 20 beers on tap and beer cocktails that piqued my interest, it wasn’t easy to decide on a drink. They made it a little easier by offering four-ounce flights of eight. As an indecisive girly, I strongly believe more breweries should do this.
Medicine Hat Brewing Company, Medicine Hat
The flight came out on a wooden Alberta-shaped board. The die-hard beer lovers might hate me for it, but I love a fruity beer, so my personal faves were the Blueberry Vanilla Ale and the Range Road Radler, a saskatoon berry Radler that was dangerously drinkable. To save face with the beer fans, I must say that I was surprised at how much I liked the Oktoberfest Lager. It’s caramelly, slightly hoppy and refreshing.
I thought choosing drinks was hard, but the food was even harder, with a terrific menu that featured their beers as an ingredient. It made me wish I could get a flight of food. A couple of my tour mates ordered the Pomegranate and Sin Bin Red Ale BBQ Glazed Brisket and could not stop raving about how delicious it was. Needless to say, I have to go back to try the brisket and beer cocktails.
Thankfully, our last stop of the night was only for cocktails, according to the itinerary: The Whiskey District. A local hot spot with a great patio where they do their super popular Whiskey Pod Dinner Series in the winter.
Aaron Zeeman, Deanna Tokamp, Brittney Lagasse, Michael Collins of The Whiskey District
As we waited for our drinks, the head chef, Aaron Zeeman, came to the table with a big smile and buzzing energy, “We have a three-course meal planned for you—an appie, a main and a dessert, but we’re just a little behind because we had a really busy service.”
“Don’t worry, just do your best, have a few bites,” said Deanna, the manager. “You’re not at your grandma’s table, you don’t have to eat it all.”
When the first dish came out, I wanted to will my stomach to digest faster, because I knew I was about to have an experience. Each dish was meticulously plated, as if we were in a fine-dining restaurant. And for how good they looked, they tasted even better. The cook’s faces beamed as they brought out the courses. They were brimming with excitement to showcase their culinary skills.
The entrée was osso buco. “This dish was the first collaboration Michael and I worked on together for Tourism Medicine Hat’s Farm to Fork Feature,” chef Aaron told me later. If this experience was any indication of what they offer for the Dinner Series, it’s worth the trip.
The next morning, before hitting the road, we rolled up to the Poolhouse Café and Roastery for coffee and snacks. It was bright and busy, with the tantalizing aromas of fresh-roasted coffee. A big glass window into the roasting room showcases their manual roaster from the 80’s as the focal point, and large canvas bags of green coffee beans leaning against the walls around the roaster. I ordered the Honey-Co, like a latte but with fresh local honey and coconut oil. I still can’t get over how delicious this coffee was. Despite being made with oat milk, the honey and the coconut oil gave it a decadent, creamy richness that felt indulgent.
The coffee roaster at Poolhouse Cafe and Roastery, Medicine Hat
Katrina and Josh Borrows own Pool-house, formerly known as Madhatter Coffee Roastery, one of Alberta’s first coffee roasters, and opened by Katrina’s uncle. They rebranded and eventually moved to a new location across the street. Their community spirit extends beyond the café’s doors. The new space was built around the roaster, and moving it was a community effort. “A bunch of local people, firefighters, customers, all kinds of people, said, ‘I’ll help.’ Which was really fun,” said Katrina.
On the way to Lethbridge, we stopped off at Coulee Café in Taber to try the house-made menu by executive chef D’Arcy Letourneau. He has formed partnerships with local producers to source fresh food, and a chalkboard lists all of them. Well, there are two chalkboards because they ran out of space on the first one. Look forward to The Farm at Coulee Café, an intimate dinner service starting August 25.
Executive chef D’Arcy Letourneau at Coulee Cafe, Taber
Read part two of Daniela’s adventures on the Ice Cream Ale Trail
