Beer festivals i ALBERTA AND AREA
BY DAVID NUTTALL
t may come as surprise to many, but apart from what was initially a royal wedding celebration in Bavaria in 1810 (Oktoberfest), and a couple of other events worldwide, beer festivals as we know them today really began in the latter part of the 20th century. In Alberta, they only arrived this century, yet even though we may have come late to the game, we are starting to make up for it in numbers. Thanks to the rapidly growing number of breweries in the province, every month of the year now has some celebration going on with beer involved. These festivals come in all shapes and sizes. The big ones are the best known; running for multiple days and attracting tens of thousands of people enjoying several hundred beers. There are also large festivals that include wine and spirits as well. Even the biggest fairs, The Calgary Stampede and Edmonton’s K-Days, now have craft beer on their grounds. You’ll also find numerous neighbourhood and small-town events, usually one day affairs, along with those hosted by beer-focused restaurants and pubs, liquor stores, or sponsored by larger breweries. Beer Weeks have recently become popular as a way for a region to hold multiple events during their duration. Plus, thanks to Alberta’s large population with German heritage, you’ll find all sorts of Oktoberfests taking place in September through October. Of course, local breweries will hold their own events, many having a charitable aspect. Likewise, look for beer runs, tap takeovers, and other events as beer tourism itself has become a growing industry. A year’s selection of Alberta’s festivals (plus two in B.C.) which feature beer are listed below. Some exact dates have not been set at time of writing; in that case the month they last appeared is cited. If you enjoy beer, make sure you attend as many as you can! As always, check out websites and social media for more information.
David has worked in liquor since the late 1980s. He is a freelance writer, beer judge, speaker, and since 2014, has run Brew Ed monthly beer education classes in Calgary. Follow @abfbrewed.
34 Culinaire | April 2020
April 2020 Capitol Hill Brewfest Capitol Hill Community Centre, Calgary capitolhillcommunity.ca April 17–18, 2020 Okanagan Fest-of-Ale Penticton, B.C. festofale.ca
April and October/ November 2020 South Yeast Brewfest Acadia Recreation Complex Calgary acadiaca.com/brewfest April and October 2020 NorthYeast BrewFest Crossroads Community Association, Calgary crossroadsyyc.com/event/ northyeastbrewfest May 1–2, 2020 Calgary International Beerfest BMO Centre, Stampede Park albertabeerfestivals.com/ festivals May 29–30, 2020 Edmonton Craft Beer Festival The Edmonton Expo Centre albertabeerfestivals.com/ festivals June 1–7, 2020 YYC Beer Week, Calgary yycbeerweek.com June 2020 Olds Craft Beer Festival Olds Cow Palace oldsbeerfest.com
July 2–12, 2020 Calgary Stampede Stampede Park calgarystampede.com
July and September 2020 Big Rock Barn Burner Big Rock Brewery, Calgary bigrockbeer.com July 16–26, 2020 Taste of Edmonton Churchill Square tasteofedm.ca July 17–26, 2020 K-Days 2020 Edmonton EXPO Centre & Exhibition Grounds k-days.com July 2020 Sun n’ Cerveza Kensington, Calgary kensingtonyyc.com August 6–9, 2020 Taste of Calgary Eau Claire Market Plaza tasteofcalgary.com August 2020 (pending) Barley Belt Tap Tour Barley Belt, Calgary barleybeltyyc.com August 21, 2020 Barley & Smoke ENMAX Park, Calgary barleysmoke.ca
August 23, 2020 Phillip’s Brewing Brewery & The Beast—Festival of Meat Fort Calgary breweryandthebeast.com/ calgary
