Beer is Community: Beer Guy

Beer is Community

by Peter Bailey

There were no good old days,
These are the good old days.
–The Libertines

Hey, remember that fun time in that New Orleans bar five years ago? I know I’m not the only one wallowing in nostalgia during the pandemic, pestering people with memories of the BC (Before Covid) times. Arcadia Brewing owner Darren McGeown will have none of it. Be present, live in the moment, make right now the good old times. “These are scary times,” McGeown acknowledges, “but it feels like things are simpler. We’re not as go, go, go at the moment. We’re definitely appreciating the people around us.” Like so many local entrepreneurs in craft beer and hospitality, McGeown isn’t going to let a little thing like a global health crisis break him. As Chumbawamba sang—they get knocked down, they get up again, you are never gonna keep them down.

From Northern Ireland, McGeown retains his Irish optimism. I met him in 2012 when he founded the first Arcadia bar on the site of the legendary Bruin Inn in St. Albert. Alas, that location is star-crossed, the site of many failed cafés and bars. Undeterred, McGeown quickly made Arcadia a community space, hosting open mic nights and hanging local art on the walls. Just over a year later McGeown had to close Arcadia but he vowed to reopen in a new location. In 2014 he did indeed open a new Arcadia in a tiny space on 124 Street in Edmonton. With trivia nights, live music, cask events, a vegan menu, exclusively Alberta craft beer and a lot of hustle and work, McGeown made Arcadia a success.

He made real the dream he’d had when he was six years old, sitting in an Irish pub with his parents: “I was hooked at a young age. I loved the atmosphere, the comradery, the joy—everything.” It’s not about the beer, the building or the food, it’s about people and the magic that happens when we get together. He vowed to create a place where strangers could come together and create a community. A huge fan of the British band The Libertines, he borrowed their idea of Arcadia, a pastoral utopia where harmony reigns, for the name of his community-focussed pub.

Now McGeown is on to his next dream. He closed Arcadia the pub in March as the pandemic hit, with plans to open Arcadia the brewpub in October. Arcadia will be located in the Manchester Square development in Westmount. Beer will be brewed onsite in a small 3.5 hectolitre system and may feature lower-alcohol, sessionable beers. The menu will be stadium food—panini, hot dogs and nachos. Covid has made opening a pub a dicey proposition, but McGeown is committed to the concept, which will have 31 seats on the main floor, 37 seats upstairs and 12 seats on a small patio. McGeown believes in the power of the people, with the pandemic encouraging people to drink local like never before, supporting local breweries and the people who run them.

If karma means anything, it will mean success for Arcadia Brewing, for not only does McGeown build community inside his pubs, he devotes much time and effort to charitable work. From the start of Arcadia he has raised funds and run events like winter coat and water drives, block parties and the Be More Kind Day for the Boyle Street Community Centre. Inside or outside Arcadia, the goal remains the same—bringing people together, connecting people who weren’t connected before. As Joe Strummer, another musical hero of McGeown’s, said, ‘Without people, you’re nothing.’
Great beers from new breweries in Edmonton and nearby. Pick them up at beer shops like Sherbrooke or Keg n Cork, or even better, drop by the brewery. They’ll be happy to see you.

Community six pack

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Arcadia Whistling Pig, 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.

Rural Routes L.A. Vice Hefeweizen, Leduc Braden and Chelsea Folk launched Rural Routes in L.A. (Leduc, Alberta!) at the end of 2018 as a complete brewpub with a full food menu. The Folks made a nimble pivot to curbside and canning because of the pandemic. Their hefeweizen smells like banana bread, tastes of creamy malt with a touch of bitterness and is can-conditioned to create abundant carbonation.

Sturgeon Combine Cream Ale, Morinville Josh Watson, Kerry Lamoureux, and DJ Halpin hoped to make their brewery a community hang out but the pandemic caused a shift in plans. In April they launched as a growler-only takeout brewery and were rewarded with a sellout on day one. They make approachable beers for everyone, like their cream ale, made with local malt from Hammer Malt in Westlock.

Foxtail Next Chapter IPA, Edmonton Launched in 2019 by Michael Fox-Junker, Edmonton’s Foxtail looks to make quality versions of classic styles. Fans of big West Coast IPA, they amped up their first IPA with more hops (Moteuka, Ekuanot, Azacca and Amarillo). Using both Pacific Northwest and Southern Hemisphere hops gets them traditional piney bitterness balanced with new world citrusy fruit.

Hawk Tail Rye Milk Stout, Rimbey Located in the pleasant farm town of Rimbey, right in the middle of prime grain growing country, Hawk Tail was launched in December 2018. The taproom is worth the drive, one of the nicest in Alberta, with big windows looking out at fields of grain. The Rye Milk Stout is as black as a prairie night, tasting of coffee and chocolate with a subtle hint of rye spice.

Red Hart Irish Red Ale, Red Deer Red Hart launched in early 2019 just outside Red Deer with a focus on British-style beer. Their Irish Red is a delicious amber ale, showcasing the biscuity, caramel flavour of local malt from Red Shed Malting. Silver medal winner for amber ale at the 2020 Alberta Beer Awards.