CREATE - The Podcast

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with Ian Binmore, Co-Founder of Bow River Brewing in Calgary, Alberta.  Ian’s passion for craft beer began in the 1980’s when he was a student in California.  As a member of a homebrewing group called the Maltose Falcons he was introduced to unique beer styles before the idea of craft beer was even close to mainstream.

Ian graduated to become a Petroleum Engineer and had a career that allowed him to travel around the world.  Along the way, his passion for unique beer continued to grow, “wherever I went I would try the beers and especially seek out the small breweries.  I learned a lot this way about beer from all over - especially North America and Europe”.

Once Ian retired from the Oil & Gas Industry he decided to follow his passion and built Bow River Brewing with his wife Beatrice.  They wanted a brewery that combined great beer, good music and a comfortable, open atmosphere.  “I get a real thrill hearing customers laughing and sharing stories together over a pint.”

We discuss how being an engineer was an asset when it came to building the brewery, as well as developing unique recipes as a brewer.  “There are a lot of engineers in craft beer because brewing - like good engineering - requires both technical understanding and a vision to create great results”.

The current pandemic has been a challenge for Ian and his team and they look forward to seeing their guests enjoying the taproom again soon.  It was great to learn about Ian’s journey and his passion for beer - I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Bow River Brewing : website | twitter | instagram |

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with Ty Hinton - Founder of Sydewynder Hops, and Vice President of the Alberta Hops Producers Association.  We discuss his experience in the craft beer community that led him to his current venture of growing hops locally, and what he thinks the future of hops in Alberta can be.

After HIgh School, Ty moved to California to play baseball and study Motion Pictures and Television in Chico.   Chico is also home of Sierra Nevada Brewing (considered by many as the pioneers of hoppy craft beer) which inspired his passion for beer at a young age.  After moving back to Canada, Ty had various jobs in the beer industry before getting into farming, which he says “allowed me to understand that not just any hop will do.”

Hop farming is not common in Alberta and Ty understands that there will be challenges in creating a viable local industry.  “Right now we can really only provide brewers with fresh hops, meaning they can only use them in September.”  To overcome this challenge, Ty is hoping to grow so that he can justify the purchase of equipment that will allow him to supply brewers with his hops year-round.

We discuss mentors in his life, including his dad who “worked extremely hard but was always there when I needed him”.  He also talks about his old baseball coach who taught him to “improve on one aspect of your game everyday” - which is the advice he applies to his business on a daily basis.

 I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Ty Hinton / Sidewynder Hops : website | twitter | instagram | LinkedIn

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with my friend Phil Brian, Director of Brewing Bearhill Brewing Co. - the company behind Jasper Brewing, Banff Ave Brewing, Campio Brewing, Last Best Brewing & Distilling and Albeerta Provisions.

We start off by discussing Phil's life in Australia growing up - why he wanted to become an engineer as a kid - and how he realized that dream.  He explains how he became passionate about beer - a passion that led him to work alongside his mentor Dr. Chuck Hahn while still getting his education.

Phil is currently living his favorite experiment - living in Canada!  After doing zero research, Phil decided to move to Canada in 2011.  As he said to his friend before leaving, “I think I should move to Canada - I need more mountains in my life.”

On the podcast, Phil enlightens me on where he thinks the beer industry is headed and what he believes new entries into the community can do to succeed.  We also chat about some of his hobbies that keep him sane - cycling, woodworking, cooking, and eating!

A conversation with Phil wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t enter at least one rabbit hole.  Want to know about Phil’s strangest habit - “obsessing over urban form, urban design, economics and the effects on everyday life.”?  Of course, you do - and that’s why you’re tuning in to the podcast!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Phil Brian/Bearhill : website | twitter | instagram | facebook

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with Scott Messenger to discuss his new book “Tapping The West - How Alberta’s Craft Beer Industry Bubbled Out Of An Economy Gone Flat”.

Scott’s journey as a beer writer* started in 2016 with his blog entitled “One Year of Alberta Beer”.  His goal was to drink a unique Alberta-based beer everyday for a beer!  Spoiler alert - he didn’t achieve his goal - which is probably a good thing for both his liver and his family life.  After the attempt, he realized that there was a really cool story to tell about the beer community and decided to write his book.

Scott does a great job explaining the beer industry and how we arrived at this point in our history.  What makes the book really interesting though is the conversations with people who have helped to build the industry, allowing the reader inside access to the human side of our community.

I asked him about his plans for the future and he said he might have another book about beer in him!  That’s assuming that his wife and kids let him write it.  The “research” involved in writing beer-related books makes it hard to hold down a full-time job and maintain a happy family life.

Tapping The West is a great book and I was grateful that Scott took the time to meet up and discuss it on the podcast - I hope you enjoy the conversation.

*Scott doesn’t consider himself a beer writer - but I would say the fact that he literally wrote a book on beer qualifies him as one!

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Scott Messenger: website | twitter | instagram | buy the book

On today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with Kevin and Graham with One For The Road Brewing - a non-alcoholic brewery based out of Calgary, Alberta.  We discuss the rise of non-alcoholic beer in the craft beer industry - or, as Graham would prefer to call it “AnyBeer”.  As in “a beer for Anytime, Anywhere and Anyone”.

Graham started the company as a passion project and to satisfy his own desire for really good beer with no alcohol.  He wanted people like himself who choose not to drink to feel included and not have to miss out on a tasty pint after a bike ride!

Kevin joined his friend Graham to help grow the company.  He was attracted to the beer as a way to encourage a healthy lifestyle.  Kevin still loves all kinds of beer - and as he puts it “alcohol is not a bad thing, but there are scenarios where the right choice does not involve alcohol”.

The pair realizes that they have some real challenges ahead of them to end the stigma of non-alcoholic beer.  The major obstacle being consumers and industry peers asking “what’s the point” of beer with no alcohol?  They plan to win people over by “making good beer and having the beer do the work”.

Graham and Kevin have ambitious plans and would love to see their beer available around the world someday.  It’s great to see people working hard to make our community as inclusive as possible - I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

One For The Road Brewing: website | instagram | 

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met with the two newest members of Village Brewery - Jeff Popeil (their newly appointed President) and Fraser Abbott, (Vice President Marketing & Community).  We discuss the brewery’s legacy and what the future looks like, as Village Brewing prepares to celebrate 10 years of brewing beer in Calgary!

Jeff’s diverse background includes experience in the food industry with Tropicana Pepsico and the Campbell Soup Company, to working with Beakerhead Creative Society as their President.  This range of experience will all come into play with Village and makes him a great fit to be their new President.  For Jeff, this new chapter in his life is very personal, as he put it, “Village is more than just a company - to me, it represents a philosophy.”

I’ve known Fraser Abbott for a few years and I was excited when I found out that he was joining Village.  Fraser and Jim Button (Village Brewing Co-Founder) have been friends for a long time and I think that Fraser will bring a certain intangible quality to the brewery that Jim is famous for.  As Fraser commented, “Our main task is to find ways to build on this impressive foundational legacy and continue to lead.”  No pressure Fraser!!\

Like many companies, Village Brewing is working through some challenging times.  I am grateful that Jeff and Fraser took time to share their stories with me - I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Alberta Small Brewers Association: website | twitter | instagram | facebook |

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with Blair Berdusco to discuss the Alberta Small Brewers Association and its role in shaping the future of Alberta’s craft beer community.

Blair has a unique background that makes her an ideal person to lead the Alberta Small Brewers Association (ASBA).  Among her past positions, Blair has worked with the Alberta Government and a large lobby group for Oil & Gas.  When I asked her about her passions she said, “I am fascinated by government, stakeholders, and member engagement.”  Well Blair - I guess you’ve found a home then!

The main purpose of ASBA is to bring awareness to Alberta Craft Beer, and to create a community that is accessible and welcoming for consumers.  In her role, Blair is motivated by helping to solve the issues that keep their members up at night.  She admires the passion that people in the industry have for their work - “They love what they do, and that makes everything I do much easier and more gratifying.”

There are a number of challenges that the industry faces, and we discussed many of them on the podcast.  Among these challenges are - educating consumers on the difference between “Manufactured in Alberta” vs “Made in Alberta”, encouraging diversity in the industry, and overcoming the barriers of inter-provincial trade.

It was great to learn more about Blair and how she is making a difference in our community and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

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Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

Alberta Small Brewers Association: website | twitter | instagram | facebook |

For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I sat down with Euan Thomson - Founder and CEO of RAFT Beer Labs in Calgary, Alberta.  Basically, Euan is a science nerd that makes sure beer doesn’t taste funky!

Euan grew up in Nova Scotia and moved to Calgary as a young boy with dreams of becoming a paleontologist.  As Euan grew older, his love for science remained, but his passion for dinosaurs was replaced with craft beer as he experienced the delightful flavors of The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company, Big Rock Brewery, and Wild Rose Brewery.

While attending the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Euan was able to combine his interests in helping Alley Kat Brewing Company improve its quality control measures.  As Euan explains, “Alley Kat showed me that there was a demand for people with my skill set.”  

Through a series of fortunate events, Euan soon found himself working for Phillips Brewing and Malting Company in Victoria, BC.  As Phillips Lab Manager, Euan was able to further develop his skill set.  Recently Euan returned to Calgary and created RAFT Beer Labs with a mission to help craft breweries increase their market share.  

Outside of work, Euan and his wife are passionate about social activism.  Currently, they are rallying Alberta companies to support harm reduction initiatives - which he discusses on the podcast.

Euan is a great person and making a positive impact in our community - I hope you enjoy the conversation! 

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Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram

RAFT Beer Labs: website | twitter | instagram | facebook |

Andrew and Damon, the brothers behind Common Crown Brewing, join The ABF Podcast to share the story of their journey that has resulted in being recognized as the 2020 Canadian Brewery of The Year!

Their interest in brewing beer started years ago with Damon’s passion for home brewing.  Always a loving brother, Damon was nice enough to let Andrew help pay for the equipment and clean kegs so that he felt like he was contributing.  Their love for making beer grew, and in 2014 the brothers made the decision to start a brewery.  

From the beginning, they knew they would need help to make their vision a reality and visited some of the new startups that were opening in Calgary at the time.  The brothers recall how critical breweries like The Dandy Brewing Company, Tool Shed Brewing, and Village Brewery were to their early success.  At one point Damon remembers saying to Andrew, “If everyone is like this then starting a brewery is not something we should do - it’s something we have to do.”  Finally, in November of 2016, Common Crown poured their first pint and the dream became a reality.  

Because the brothers didn’t have experience in the beer industry, they knew that they needed to build a strong team to succeed.  With their Tagline of “Team One”, Damon and Andrew have built a strong culture with buy-in from people in all areas of the company from production to packaging and sales.  Their goal is to continue to make beer that is true to style and that everyone who is part of the Common Crown team can be proud of.  

Common Crown Brewing is an important part of Alberta’s beer community and well-deserving of their title as the 2020 Canadian Brewery of the Year.  

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Alberta Beer Festivals: website | Twitter | Instagram

Common Crown Brewing: website | Twitter | Instagram | facebook