Awhile ago I went on a little rant about a certain culinary magazine that published an article about northern Albertan restaurants in which not a single one was north of Edmonton. As a northerner, it offends me when people say there is nothing good about our part of the world. We northerners love our food. I’m going to start with the beer. Which, quite honestly, is pretty darn good.
Number One
This award winning brewery in the town of Slave Lake has a liquor licence that designates them as a "Community Hub" (a new class established in 2017) and that is just what it is, a gathering place for neighbours old and young. The place will remind you of Cheers where everybody knows your name. Except it's got the true craft brewery feel, a bit industrial, a lot trendy- and instead of Cliff and Norm, you will find Ken and Jim and often Mark seated at the long locally crafted communal table.Named after the nearby island where sled dogs were historically kept in summer, Dog Island uses a local artist to create their labels. Every beer is named after something local, such as "RIse from the Ashes" Amber which refers to the massive wildfires that destroyed a significant portion of the town, or "SandyAss" Pale Ale which denotes the long stretch of clean sandy beach along the lake.
True to their punny hashtag #slavetothebrew, they concentrate on the consistent production of a high quality beer. They are justifiably proud of their hoppy Saints and Sinners IPA which recently tied with Bench Creek's White Raven in a blind taste test. Admittedly, the tasters were me, Glenn, Len and Sheila. But we know our beers. So trust us. Other solid offerings include 1965 Old Town Porter, the light and fruity Dibs Berry wheat beer, the juicy, hazy Foggy Dew NEPA and the 8.5% Lip Pointer. Go to their website and you will find both their "here for a good time" seasonals and their "here for a long time" classics.
Their taproom is currently open Thursdays to Saturday 4-8. Sometimes there are food trucks. Or you can bring your own food. But bring enough to share-because it's that kind of place.
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| Best community hub |
Apex Predator
Edson
Located in a metal shed in the middle of nowhere, Apex Predator (formerly Bench Creek) were the pioneers of northern craft beer and they have maintained a standard of excellence to which other small town brewers aspire. After losing their name in a trademark dispute, they have worked hard on rebranding and have not lost their solid reputation, especially with their distinctive, award winning White Raven, strong on the hops but with a good hit of citrus and notes of pine. To me, a sip of White Raven is just like a taste of the northern woods. It tastes like home.
They have other great beers as well such as their Dead Woodsman Pale Ale and my current favourite, Whisky Gap, a strong red English Ale fermented with grapes and aged in a bourbon barrel. Oh sorry. You didn't get any? It was a single batch offering brewed for their third anniversary. That is the thing about craft beers- there are so many seasonal specialties, you just have to go back over and over again to see what is available. Such a hardship.
The taproom and wilderness patio features a small food menu including a charcuterie board and pickle plate and a warm pretzel. It is family and dog friendly. On our last visit and family of five and their dog were playing some kind of bean bag toss on the deck. It is only open in the summer but you can drop by for a growler all year, or go to basically any decent liquor store.
Edson
Located in a metal shed in the middle of nowhere, Apex Predator (formerly Bench Creek) were the pioneers of northern craft beer and they have maintained a standard of excellence to which other small town brewers aspire. After losing their name in a trademark dispute, they have worked hard on rebranding and have not lost their solid reputation, especially with their distinctive, award winning White Raven, strong on the hops but with a good hit of citrus and notes of pine. To me, a sip of White Raven is just like a taste of the northern woods. It tastes like home.
They have other great beers as well such as their Dead Woodsman Pale Ale and my current favourite, Whisky Gap, a strong red English Ale fermented with grapes and aged in a bourbon barrel. Oh sorry. You didn't get any? It was a single batch offering brewed for their third anniversary. That is the thing about craft beers- there are so many seasonal specialties, you just have to go back over and over again to see what is available. Such a hardship.
The taproom and wilderness patio features a small food menu including a charcuterie board and pickle plate and a warm pretzel. It is family and dog friendly. On our last visit and family of five and their dog were playing some kind of bean bag toss on the deck. It is only open in the summer but you can drop by for a growler all year, or go to basically any decent liquor store.
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Best craft beer bathroom in Alberta.
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Number Three
What a treat this brand new beer house is! Open for just a couple of months, this lovely family friendly new building with its high ceilings and original artistic metal work features a great patio, a tasteful interior, great beers and a solid food menu. It's the best of the north-unexpected, local and welcoming. My only complaint about the venue was the overabundance of screens showing various sporting events. I am sure some patrons love it but I am not a fan.
When we visited it was "student night" and there were quite a few kids from the local Fairview College there with their laptops. They had some kind of special going. They also host regular events at their location.
The beers: every one we tried was very good. These included the Heilan Haze Hefeweizen, the NK IPA which was juicy and flavourful, the nicely named Summer End Saison and the Oatmeal Stout with was very smooth and not too sweet with a nice oatmeal taste. We ordered off the menu and were not disappointed. It features fried goat cheese, pulled pork poutine with a gravy made from their own stout, salads, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and desserts- all delicious and well priced.
This place is worth the trip!
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Most beautiful original art.
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We first sampled Peace River Brewing's product a couple of years ago at an Edmonton Beer Festival. They were very enthusiastic but their beer was a bit amateurish. I am happy to report that they have matured. Their beers are great and their taproom is all that a taproom should be- funky, fun and full of locals enjoying themselves. The decor features cute little wooden tables, industrial lighting, and a collection of growlers from all over hanging above the bar. There are lots of delicious food offerings including hummus and naan, a soft pretzel with mustard, a grazing plate, mini meat pies and more.
The beers we tried included Our Little Smoky, named after the eponymous river. It's a little tangy and tastes like you’re sitting in front of a campfire without being too overpowering.The Singing Black Bear Stout leans more to the ale than the oatmeal. Tastes Pink IPA is citrusy and bitter without overwhelming hoppiness. Ginger Binger was low on the ginger, a little immature. Pales in comparison to something like Crabbies but maybe that was the goal.
Overall we really like this place and it is a great addition to the Peace River scene.
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Trendiest tasting room.
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Number Five
Folding Mountain
Hinton
While not technically north of Edmonton, Folding Mountain gets a mention by virtue of its northerly wilderness location. Locally owned Folding Mountain is more of a restaurant that makes its own beers than a brewery and that's okay with me. Capitalizing on the tourist traffic to Jasper, this newish and well decorated spot is just Highway 23 km southwest of Hinton. It has a big patio with mountain views that is popular with locals and tourists and it's busy all hours. It's not far from some great hiking and our family cabin so we have made many a visit and have never been disappointed.
Folding Mountain has a decent menu with imaginative and reasonably priced daily specials- on our most recent visit we tried the jalapeno chicken grilled cheese. It has a comprehensive list of brews, none of which are terrible and none of which are amazing. Their recent Summer Margarita Gose is a tart and refreshing little summer beer, while their Elevation Imperial Red scores some flavour points for its malty intensity. I am interested in following their new "Forage" series which features locally foraged ingredients. Their Rosehip Kolsch is the first in that line.
Their slogan "Venture Forth" is apt for this location and I suggest you do venture forth to Folding Mountain Brewing if you haven't done so yet.
Hinton
While not technically north of Edmonton, Folding Mountain gets a mention by virtue of its northerly wilderness location. Locally owned Folding Mountain is more of a restaurant that makes its own beers than a brewery and that's okay with me. Capitalizing on the tourist traffic to Jasper, this newish and well decorated spot is just Highway 23 km southwest of Hinton. It has a big patio with mountain views that is popular with locals and tourists and it's busy all hours. It's not far from some great hiking and our family cabin so we have made many a visit and have never been disappointed.
Folding Mountain has a decent menu with imaginative and reasonably priced daily specials- on our most recent visit we tried the jalapeno chicken grilled cheese. It has a comprehensive list of brews, none of which are terrible and none of which are amazing. Their recent Summer Margarita Gose is a tart and refreshing little summer beer, while their Elevation Imperial Red scores some flavour points for its malty intensity. I am interested in following their new "Forage" series which features locally foraged ingredients. Their Rosehip Kolsch is the first in that line.
Their slogan "Venture Forth" is apt for this location and I suggest you do venture forth to Folding Mountain Brewing if you haven't done so yet.
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Busiest brewpub.
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Brand new on the market and operating out of an agricultural shed on a farm near Rycroft, these guys will let you sample their product if you let them know in advance you are coming. Currently on offer in cans in select outlets, their beer is very respectable.
We will be visiting there soon.
Situated in an industrial park, the utilitarian tasting room has all the ambiance of a Kal Tire outlet. It features concrete floors, large windows and metal chairs and tables and a few pieces of interesting modern art. There are some picnic tables on a gravel patio behind a fence outside. We sampled their cleverly named Landlocked IPA which was neither particularly juicy or hoppy, the smooth and malty Participant ESB, the Smoked Red which was far too smoky with no other discernible flavours, and the Tamarack Stout which did not have the expected hints of conifer. A larger selection could be found in the fridge. We took home the mango saison and it was fruity and refreshing.
Grain Bin says it is a "consumer driven craft brewery" with a "small batch mindset". Their interesting democracy project encourages patrons to vote on what kind of beer to brew next and they follow through. A bit more on the experimental side than in the exploration of developing a solid line of quality product but it is great to see this kind of creativity.
Food? A wall menu advertises hot dogs and prepackaged tuna snack packages. Ironic, or just not trying? Or maybe they don't know what they are aiming for. Or maybe they understand Grande Prairie more than I do, because I just don't get it.
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| Most "meh" northern brewery. |
Truly and deservedly last, I cannot say anything to recommend this brewery. While its mission is admirable- fresh beers, brewed with local ingredients, the product does not deliver. It does not have a taproom, just a retail outlet where you can buy t-shirts, hoodies, hats and some canned beer and you can also taste samples. The girl working there told us they just brewed beer and bottled beer for other folks.. The owners "went a different direction" than other breweries. I am not sure what that direction is. We tasted their "most popular" beer, the Mercury lager which is a bit on the malty side. Their IPA had neither hops nor citrus. The Mercury "radler" at 2.5% ABV was certainly light, tasting more like a cross between a pop and a cooler than anything else. The Harvest Hefeweizen did not taste like a hefeweizen although it probably had the most flavour of all the GP Brewing beers. The Downtown Honeybrown was bland, with no honey and no warm nuttiness.
It is cheap though- $10 for a growler. Maybe that's what they were going for. Cheap.
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| Nothing to see here. Move along. |
For the size and wealth of Grande Prairie, the craft beer scene is sadly lacking. Maybe in a town with so much money, the entrepreneurial craft beer spirit is just not there.
Still on our list are the northeastern breweries of Fat Unicorn in Plamondon and Lakeland Brewing in St. Paul. Let me know if there is something else we're missing!
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