Today I met up with Rob Engman, President of Taps Media.  Rob is in Calgary with his team hosting the Canadian Brewing Awards & Conference.

I’ve been lucky to have spent some time with Rob over the past few days and have learnt about his journey as an entrepreneur.  Aside from the Canada Beer Awards, Rob produces beer festivals in Ontario and is the Founder of Sawdust City Brewing Company.

Rob has built an incredible company and has an amazing story - I know you will enjoy our conversation!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Canadian Brewing Awards: website 

Sawdust City Brewing Company: website | instagram

I met up with my friends Mike Garth and Don Saviak to talk about how things are shaping up for this weekend’s Cooking With Beer Seminars at the Calgary International Beerfest.  Mike and Don will be hosting the seminars - so if you like beer and BBQ, you should probably join them!

Before the podcast, we sat down to eat meat and drink beer.  The goal was to decide what beer they would pair with Don's amazing BBQ (some days, I really love my job)!  

On the podcast, we talk about the festival and everything else they have lined up for the summer.  These guys are so much fun - check out our conversation today and meet them in person at this weekend’s Calgary International Beerfest!

A special thanks to Alberta Pork for helping to make the Cooking With Beer Seminars possible this year.  The ABF Team has been working with Alberta Pork for many years now - they are great people who support our community any chance they have!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Village Brewing: website | instagram

All Beef Catering & Smokehouse: website | instagram

On today’s podcast, I met up with my friends Vern Raincock and Chris Heier about how they are involved in the Brew For Ukraine Project.

Vern has been an important part of this worldwide project from the beginning.  When he asked Chris and the team from Half Hitch Brewing in Cochrane to brew a beer they were happy to show their support.

On March 15th, in partnership with some amazing companies in the Canadian brewing scene, Half Hitch brewed a batch of Pravda’s Putin Huylo Golden Strong Ale. Pravda provided Half Hitch with its recipe and high-resolution graphics of its labels to recreate their famous brew.

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Half Hitch Brewing: website | instagram

Brew For Ukraine: website | instagram

On today’s podcast, I met up with my friend Peter Keith, Co-Founder of Meuwly’s in Edmonton, Alberta.  We discuss how Peter and his partners built Meuwly’s - taking the typical model of how a business “should'' be built and doing the exact opposite! 

Meuwly’s is all about showcasing the amazing food producers and artisans in and around their community.  They aim to reconnect their customers with the stories behind the foods they enjoy.  Peter hopes to see their products on the shelves of all the top food boutiques in Alberta and eventually across Canada.

I first met Peter last year in Jasper where we were doing a seminar together and we quickly became friends.  He’s passionate about what he does, and I know that you’ll enjoy the conversation!

“I try to use the idea of community-building as a personal compass.  Will this decision create something good; will it bring people together?”  Peter Keith

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Meuwly’s Artisan Food Market: website | instagram

Peter Keith: website | instagram

I was in Hamilton, Ontario and had to go check out Collective Arts Brewing to see what all the fuss is about - and now I get what all the fuss is about!

After a tour of the facility, I met up with TK to learn more about her journey that brought her to Collective Arts.  She describes the culture that they have created and what makes them unique.  Their passion for sharing artists’ stories is inspiring.  As a beer lover, thankfully this passion goes into the beer and spirits they produce too!

“We highlight people first - always. We lend our platform to different communities that need a voice.”

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Collective Arts Brewing: website | instagram

On the podcast, I met up with Laura and Jay - two of the Co-Founders of Prairie Dog Brewing in Calgary, Alberta.  There are some breweries that make amazing beer and have a neat little restaurant attached -  and there are amazing restaurants with a cute little brewery attached.  Prairie Dog chose to do the best of both - they built an amazing brewery and an amazing BBQ restaurant in the same building!  If you love BBQ and beer - this is your destination.

Laura was my guest for one of the last podcasts I did before this whole Covid thing - hard to believe that was 2 years ago!  It was nice to sit down for a beer to see how they are doing and what they did to survive the pandemic.  The good news is that the crew is still together -  and they’re just as passionate about BBQ and beer as they were when they opened!

Laura and Jay are great examples of what makes our community awesome - I hope you enjoy the conversation…

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Prairie Dog Brewing: website | instagram

My friend Rob Sawchuck grew up in Lloydminster, Alberta and after years in the Calgary area, he has returned to build Border City Brewing with his lifelong friends!  I’ve worked with Rob on a few projects and always admire his vision and attention to detail.  I’ve been watching him build the brewery from an idea into a reality and now that he has beer to drink I thought I would check in to see where he’s at on his journey.  

On the podcast, Rob talks about the challenges of starting a brewery in the middle of a global pandemic and what his vision is for the brand - I hope that you enjoy the conversation.  And by the way - the beer is amazing!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram
Border City Brewing Co: website | instagram

Jochen Fahr, Founder of Fahr Brewery, had the vision to make the best beer in the world!  In only a few short years, Fahr’s hefeweizen was awarded the best in the world - so mission accomplished.  I don’t think he’s quite done yet though - he has some big plans to expand the brewery and their distribution.  So what is Terra’s role at Fahr?  She is the glue that keeps the machine together!  One of Jochen’s greatest skills has been to stay focused on this vision while building a team that is able to contribute in really meaningful ways.  

It was great to have both Jochen and Terra on the podcast to get a well-rounded vision of where Fahr is heading - I hope that you enjoy the conversation!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | instagram

Fahr Brewery: website | instagram

Today I connected with my friend Graham Sherman to discuss Tool Shed’s new non-alcoholic beer called Zero People Skills.  The non-alcoholic beer category is booming and I wanted to learn a little bit more about why it is growing so quickly.  We also discuss how he’s healing after a crazy mountain bike accident he had last year.  Graham has always been a ball of energy and is so much fun to chat with - I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Emily Baadsvik is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wild Tea Kombucha, one of Canada’s premier kombucha producers since 2015.  Emily is also an Olympic Athlete and represented Canada in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia as a member of our Bobsleigh Team.

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Wild Tea Kombucha: website |  instagram