Brewing love: Beer Guy

by Peter Bailey

The couple that brews together, stays together.

I thought this one evening in the before times, when we gathered in the taproom of Endeavour Brewing in St. Albert to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary. Family and friends packed elbow to elbow, talking and laughing loudly across long, narrow tables, sharing beers—‘Here, try the saison, so good’—hugging, high-fiving. Remember this? Oh my god I miss it.

I looked towards the bar and there behind the beer taps were Endeavour co-owners, Matt and Georgia Atkins. They looked like proud parents, beaming at each other and the cheerful crowd. And in a way, they are parents, married for 19 years, birthing the brewery in 2018 and seeing their baby grow into a delightful youth. They had fallen in love with craft beer culture at a Houston brewery and vowed to bring that culture home. Looking around the busy taproom I knew they had been successful, creating a community space full of conversation fuelled by great craft beer.

The loss of community when shared spaces like taprooms had to close has been one of the toughest hits from Covid-19. Community is a common thread that runs through craft beer, and it is especially notable at breweries with couples in charge. Partners Andrew Bullied and Erica O’Gorman founded Annex Ales to make people happy by bringing them together in a community space. Launching in 2016, they told Haydon Dewes (now of Cabin Brewing) that, “we feel that we can effect change by making beer.” Born Colorado Brewing co-founders Wade Brown and Erin McQuitty say “community is the backbone of everything we do” and that their taproom “is a place where strangers become friends over good brews.”

For many couples, the pandemic has meant working from home and sharing the same workspace, gaining an appreciation for what their partners do all day (‘Did you know you pace a lot? Like, a LOT.’). I know now that when my wife said she spends all day in meetings she was not kidding. This is old hat to brewing couples like Patrick Schnarr and Krysten Arlt of Outcast Brewing. Like other beer couples, they have different but complementary roles, with Patrick the brewer and Krysten the taproom manager. But with three young kids, working together is more like working apart as they stagger hours so one of them is always at the brewery and one is always at home with the kids. Parker and Andrea Pysyk of S.Y.C. Brewing say “you get to know your partner in a different way by working together”. Andrea notes they both “have more grey hairs but also more wrinkles from laughing”. Wade and Erin of Born Colorado Brewing told me working together means, “you see the best and worst in each other, which makes us closer as a couple”. Matt and Georgia of Endeavour said, “Starting our business was the most difficult thing either of us have ever done. We rely on each other. Most days we are best friends, other days…well, we make up quickly.”

Building a brewery together is a test which not all relationships pass. There’s the happy story of Neil and Lavonne Herbst, whose marriage survived and thrived during the 25 years they co-owned Alley Kat Brewing. Jason and Laurie Griffiths of Folding Mountain have been together 23 years. But there’s also the story of a Calgary-area couple who broke up under the strain of brewery-owning. All the couples I talked to said it isn’t easy but they have no regrets. Parker at Outcast said, “It isn’t as fun as you’d think and it’s going to be hard. But do it.” Matt at Endeavour gave some advice: “Be prepared for a lot of struggles but perseverance is the key. Eventually you will win. The best part of owning a brewery is seeing people come in, make new friends and try new beers. It is worth it.”

Love is brewing six pack
Alberta beer couples recommend love potions sure to win the heart of your Valentine.

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S.Y.C. Good as Gold Dortmunder Lager, Edmonton Parker and Andrea Pysyk, part-owners and co-founders, picked this as their favourite of all the dozens of great beers S.Y.C. has produced over the years. The Dortmunder style balances the sweetness and malt of the Helles style with the hop crispness of the Pilsner style. Good as Gold hits the balance perfectly – a malty, golden lager with spicy hop bite.

Folding Mountain Afternoon Social Hazy IPA, Hinton Jason and Laurie Griffiths. Jason is co-owner and co-founder, Laurie a designer who helped design the spectacular Folding Mountain Taproom. Jason suggests this bright and tropical hazy IPA will remind you of raising a glass on a sunny afternoon with the best of friends, sharing stories and laughter. Cross your fingers and hope that time will come again.

Born Colorado Arm Candy Milk Stout, Calgary Wade Brown and Erin McQuitty, co-founders and co-owners. Popular since day one, Arm Candy won the Gold Medal at the 2020 Alberta Brewing Awards as the best stout in Alberta. Arm Candy is a creamy, medium-bodied milk stout with notes of chocolate and espresso and a touch of sweetness from the added milk sugar (lactose).

Annex Zenosyne North American Black Ale, Calgary Andrew Bullied and Erica O’Gorman, co-founders and co-owners. Zenosyne is the sense that time keeps going faster, entirely appropriate as the name for a Covid-era beer. A black ale or Cascadian dark ale balances dark maltiness with hop bitterness. Zenosyne is dark in colour with a light body and features fruit and pine on the nose with a subtle roasty taste.

Outcast The Forgetful Brewer Double IPA, Calgary Patrick Schnarr and Krysten Arlt, co-founders and co-owners. The story of the name comes from when Patrick had a lot on his plate as a new father and forgot to order enough malt for a batch of Outcast’s breakfast stout. He did have copious hops at hand, so brewed this monster of a double IPA, redolent of grapefruit and pine and hiding its 8.2% ABV dangerously well.

Endeavour Daily Jolt Porter, St. Albert Matt and Georgia Atkins, co-founders and co-owners, share a love of the outdoors. The name Daly Jolt comes from a time hiking the Iceline Trail in Yoho near the Daly Glacier when they got caught in a serious thunderstorm, with a bolt of lightning striking nearby gave them a jolt. Daly Jolt is nicely balanced, with a complex malt profile plus a touch of citrusy hops.