Your intrepid liquor reporter has once more survived the annual bacchanalia known as the Calgary Stampede, and I have craft beer to thank for it.
Regular readers may recall from past years that the Calgary Stampede has traditionally been a bleak and barren wasteland for the beer snobs of the world.
For the past 3 decades, Labatt has been the exclusive beer sponsor, so all Stampede venues were only able to carry products from Labatt’s parent company.
For those who may not be aware of the labyrinthine organization of the megabrewers of the world, Labatt is owned by the Belgian-based conglomerate AB Inbev, whose brands include Budweiser, Labatt, Corona, Stella, Becks, and a long list of others.
While the vast majority of these beers are brewed at the Labatt facility in Edmonton, having local Albertan macrobrew beer is not quite the same as the tiny craft brews that the beer snobs of the world revel in.
In what can only be described as a miracle, there was locally produced craft beer available at the Calgary Stampede this year.
Thanks are due to the legions of craft beer fans exerting public pressure on the Stampede Board to make this momentous occasion happen, and especially to the fine folks from Calgary’s own Tool Shed Brewing, who spearheaded the movement that the boozing public quickly got behind.
Many small brewers had been tenaciously hounding the Stampede Board for decades without success, but perhaps the stars aligned this year, and the beer-loving tourists visiting for the Calgary Stampede finally had the opportunity to sample the best beer our fair province has to offer.
Your humble narrator took one final ride on the Zipper before dashing off the midway into the lower level of the Big 4 building, where 23 of Alberta’s finest craft breweries were pouring their wares in a refreshingly air-conditioned pavilion.
While there may have been a few patrons trying to escape the heat wave out on the midway, your intrepid liquor reporter found himself surrounded by like-minded beer fans, all of whom were delighted for a local libation.
In a nod to local history, the craft beer pavilion was located in the Big 4 building. Local history buffs will recall the so-called Big 4 were the four original founders of the Stampede, namely Patrick Burns, A.E. Cross, George Lane, and Archibald McLean.
While all four of the founders of the Calgary Stampede were involved in ranching and cattle farming, A.E. Cross also holds the singular distinction of founding the Calgary Malting and Brewing Company, which was the first brewery west of Toronto.
You can still see the old brewery in Calgary’s historic Inglewood neighbourhood, where it has stood since 1893. The brewery was acquired by Carling O’Keefe in 1961, then by Molson in 1989. The brewery was permanently closed in 1994, and has remained vacant since.
It seems that local beer has come full circle at the Calgary Stampede, from its original founding by Calgary’s first brewery owner, to local craft beer being served in the building dedicated to those same founders.
Naturally, the only beer on tap way back in 1912 for the very first Calgary Stampede came from the Calgary Malting and Brewing Company, located just down the road in Inglewood.
This year, there were 23 Alberta craft brewers (and the giant Labatt megabrewer) pouring their wares, showcasing our world-class Alberta malting barley to the world.
The Cold Garden Beverage Company is perhaps the closest brewery to the Stampede Grounds, and is located just a few blocks from the old Calgary Malting and Brewing Company facility in Inglewood.
Located in an old welding shop beside the CP Rail tracks, Cold Garden is your intrepid liquor reporter’s go-to local brewery in the area, with an eclectically designed tasting room that is not only dog-friendly, but serves up some of the finest brews in Alberta.
My favourite is the Red-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, made in the style of an Irish Red Ale, which longtime readers will recall as a favourite of your humble narrator.
So, gentle reader, remember that the annual bacchanalia known as the Calgary Stampede is no longer about drinking a warm Bud Light in a plastic cup. Take the opportunity to class up your Stampede boozing by visiting the craft beer pavilion next year.
Or better yet, spend the next year getting acquainted with the Alberta craft brews that made this all possible!
