Beer Guy: March April 2018

Free the Beer

by Peter Bailey

“Maybe choose some terrific Alberta craft beer instead.”
– Premier Rachel Notley, announcing a ban on BC wine.

They’re calling it the War of the Rosés. BC wine vs Alberta bitumen. Don’t be smug, beer drinkers, the Premier hinted BC beer might be next. Fair warning; I’ll give up my BC IPA when you take it from my cold, dead hands.

Some question Premier Notley’s choice of wine as a retaliatory measure. But alcohol and politics have always made a potent brew. The Reinheitsgebot, or Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516, ensured quality German beer, but it also acted as a trade barrier, keeping other European beer out of the German market. Canada’s Constitution Act, 1867, states that “All Articles of the Growth, Produce, or Manufacture of any one of the Provinces shall be admitted free into each of the other Provinces.”

Yet, 150 years later, barriers impede the free flow of beer and wine between provinces.

There’s hope. In 2012 Gerard Comeau struck a blow for freedom by driving from his home in New Brunswick into Quebec to save a few bucks on beer. In what is known as the Free the Beer case, Comeau was charged with illegally importing beer. Comeau believed he did nothing wrong; “You’re a Canadian citizen and the Constitution gives you the right to go buy your merchandise wherever you like in the country and take it home.”

In 2016 a New Brunswick court agreed with him. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada and in December 2017 government lawyers from across Canada argued against the lower court ruling, with New Brunswick arguing the ruling “threatens the very basis of Canadian federalism.”

On the other side, the Court heard from advocates in favour of liberalizing interprovincial trade, including the Alberta Small Brewers Association.

Closer to home, the War of the Licence Plates between Alberta and Saskatchewan ended when the Saskatchewan Government said their complaint about Saskatchewan companies not being able to bid on Alberta construction projects was actually all about Alberta’s ‘discriminatory beer pricing’.

I guess, in the end, everything is about beer.

What Saskatchewan referred to are changes made by the Notley government to the tax markup on beer sold in Alberta. Initially they created a graduated mark-up based on the size of the brewery before moving to a uniform mark-up rate of $1.25 per litre. That’s uniform, as in level playing field. As well, smaller Alberta breweries can apply for a grant that offsets the mark-up. The mark-up change is one of a series of regulatory and policy changes made first by the Redford government and accelerated by the Notley government. Redford removed the minimum brewing capacity regulation in 2011. Following the 2015 election Notley changed mark-ups, allowed for brewery tap rooms, permitted beer sales at farmers’ markets and assisted with marketing efforts. Municipal governments in Calgary and Edmonton followed suit, making it easier for breweries to open and to locate in busy commercial zones.

Perhaps what galls Saskatchewan is all this government intervention has worked. In 2012 there were only 10 breweries in Alberta. At the start of 2018 there were between 60 and 70 operating or soon to open Alberta breweries. Over half of the breweries have opened in the last two years. So, take Premier Notley’s advice — choose some terrific Alberta craft beer, then raise a glass and say, “Thanks Rachel.”

New Brew Six Pack

Dozens of breweries have opened all over Alberta in the last two years. Check out CM these new kids on the block at brewery tap rooms or better beer stores in Edmonton and area.

Hell’s Basement Brewery: Ryes Against the Machine, Medicine Hat Opened August 2016. With their brewery name lifted from Rudyard Kipling (“all hell for a basement”) and one of the most punny beer names anywhere, the six Hell’s Basement founders seem a clever bunch. Here rye adds a spicy touch to a brown ale and a nod to local farming heritage.

Coulee Brew Co: House of Pilsner, Lethbridge Opened January 2016. In 1901 Fritz Sick, a German immigrant, founded Lethbridge Brewing. He began brewing Old Style Pilsner in 1926, and it was brewed in Lethbridge until 1991. Coulee makes a clever reference back to Pil with this beer, reimagining the classic German-style Pilsener for today.

Brauerei Fahr: Fahr Away Hefeweizen, Turner Valley Opened February 2018. Brauerei Fahr is the brainchild of Jochen Fahr, PhD, a former German biotech engineer, who aims to brew classic German beer in picturesque Turner Valley. His hefeweizen is sweet but balanced, with Weihenstephan yeast imparting banana and clove aromas.

Citizen Brewing: North West Pale Ale, Calgary Opened September 2017. One of a handful of stylish Calgary craft breweries that opened in 2017, with a 50 seat tasting room with great food from their food truck just outside. Their quaffable American pale ale has enough hoppy punch to pair nicely with a burger or cubano sandwich.

Siding 14 Brewing: Brakeman Brown Ale, Ponoka Opened June 2017. Field to glass — that’s the exciting concept behind Siding 14. A barley farmer, hop farmer and a brewer walk into a bar… The barley comes from just north of Ponoka, the hops from Penticton. Their brown ale shows off that Alberta barley — malty, biscuit goodness.

Town Square Brewing: Cornerstone IPA, Edmonton Opened November 2017. Town Square is located in Edmonton, in that mysterious land south of the Henday, near Summerside. They call themselves a community-based craft brewery, where people can come together to discuss ideas… (wait, this sounds like a library branch!). Cornerstone is a juicy IPA in the modern mode, hopped with Citra.