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This taproom and brewery opened back in 2018 in the north end of Red Deer. They've always got something new brewing and their lineup of beers changes often. Belly Hop has experimented with different fruit bases to make various saisons. They also regularly offer a black ale, wheat stout, India pilsner and pale ale.
Blindman Brewing has been making beer in their Lacombe-based brewery since 2015. They make a wide variety of beers with a core lineup featuring a session ale, IPA and pilsner. They are the first brewery in Canada to develop a carbon capture and reuse technology, which aims to reduce more than 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2025.
2022 Alberta Beer Awards:
Cowtown Brewing is located in the scenic town of Didsbury, where a few Hollywood TV shows and movies have been filmed. The brewery is owned by Bhupinder Gill, a self-described farm boy and former oilfield worker. His Indian heritage comes through in the Bombay Chai Tea Beer, which was so well-received it inspired him to start a sister company: Baba Tea Co. Cowtown brews an assortment of other beers including an IPA, cream ale, honey lager and blonde ale.
Dark Woods Brewing was started by brothers Nick and Scott Bell, who were born and raised in Innisfail. They started brewing beer as a hobby and then decided to turn that hobby into a business when they opened the brewery in 2018. They brew a range of nine core beers with some seasonals and other beverages. They also sell several different types of in-house roasted coffee beans.
Founder Robert Bilton opened this brewery and gastro-pub in 2019. He chose the name to pay homage to his family's long history of homesteading in the Innisfail area, as well as highlighting his own welding company that has operated for over 25 years. Their beer portfolio is based on six core year-round types and a handful of seasonal offerings, such as a lime gose and marshmallow porter.
Hawk Tail seeks to create an immersive experience for beer lovers and non-enthusiasts alike at their cozy taproom in the town of Rimbey. You can enjoy one of their four signature series beers or something from their small batch series. Or try a beer-based cocktail paired with one of their grazing boards, which feature goodies like beer-candied nuts and beer-infused cream cheese. Open since 2018, they have become a welcome member of the local community and have partnered with local students to revitalize the Rimbey Elementary School's outdoor rink.
Many of Alberta's brewers learned their trade at Olds College. The agriculture and technology college's brewery is a social enterprise, with all revenue going towards supporting education and furthering their goal of training the next generation of Alberta brewers. The brewery has four core beers available year-round and a rotating set of limited editions, student creations and seasonal beers.
2022 Alberta Beer Awards:
Red Hart Brewing opened in 2019 in Red Deer County. Their name pays homage to the river that winds through Red Deer, both the original Indigenous name and the name given by early Scottish fur traders. They created Alberta's most hyper-local beer – all the ingredients came from within seven kilometres of the brewery. They have a handful of classic beer styles on tap as well as a rotating series of seasonals.
This taproom-focused brewery in Red Deer opened in 2018. They take their name from the Sawback Mountain Range that is the source of the Red Deer River – and also their beer. They offer several different beer styles, including a lager, blonde ale, west coast IPA and saison.
2022 Alberta Beer Awards:
In 2017, three oilfield workers left their jobs in the oil patch and transformed Sylvan Lake’s old Napa Auto Parts into Snake Lake Brewing. They currently offer a few different regular beers along with an intriguing choice of other beverages, like vodka lemonade and espresso martinis. If you visit them, make sure to try one of their interesting cocktails paired with tasty bar bites.
2022 Alberta Beer Awards:
Owners Charlie and Graeme Bredo initially planned to start small and go slow, but quickly realized they had to think bigger. Open since 2015 in Red Deer, Troubled Monk quickly expanded into a comprehensive line of beers, as well as sodas and spirits.
2022 Alberta beer Awards:
