4th Meridian buys Ribstone Creek, restores brand

When it comes to craft beer, the Hoffmans have the hops.

The 4th Meridian Brewing Company family just got a whole lot bigger as the locally-owned and operated brewers recently purchased Ribstone Creek Brewery and will bring the brand’s line of awardwinning beer back online after the company ceased operations last November.

The 4th Meridian Brewing Company was started by Brad and Helen Hoffman as a family-owned shop outside of Lloydminster in 2016.

Their current location/taproom, located at Unit 6 2626 50 Ave., opened in August of 2017 and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Ribstone Creek was one of the early breweries to start in Alberta, so they’re quite well established and had some award-winning products,” said Helen.

“When we heard they were down a brewer and eventually looking to close, we thought we could figure something out and find a way to keep them going.”

Negotiations began in the summer and with the final deal done, the Hoffman’s purchased all Ribstone Creek assets, brands and recipes. Carrying on the legacy left by the brewery in the town of Edgerton is also important to Helen and Brad.

“I really want to express to the minister it’s more than just Netcare (Alberta) and it’s more than just eHealth (Sask) —it’s all file sharing,” explained Richer.

“So we want to expand on that a little bit.”

Lastly, he said the planned relocation of the renal dialysis unit to Prairie North Plaza has hit a roadblock.

“We all felt that’s all done, but it’s not. The last we heard, the Prairie North Plaza, where it

“Ribstone Creek is an acclaimed brewery with award-winning products. They put East Central Alberta on the map of the craft beer world, and we didn’t want to see them go. We look forward to moving operations to Lloydminster, getting Ribstone products back on the market and picking up where they left off in Edgerton,” stated the business in a press release.

With the purchase comes expansion, which is something Brad is looking forward to.

“We’re definitely looking for a new space right now to grow what we already have here, and run with two lines of beer,” he said.

“It’s going to be nice having more space and being able to do more beer, and brewing all was to go 10 years ago, is an unacceptable location,” he told seniors.

He said the advisory council learned in December it is not an acceptable location anymore following a facility inspection.

“We don’t know why,” he said.

Dr. Raf Sayeed, who was at the seniors’ meeting, provided an answer directed at Richer.

“I can tell you why, because it’s too far from medical services. They just strung us along,” the time will be great.

“We are looking to hire staff to help us with the expansion, too, as we think we’ll need that.”

Not only have the Hoffmans been growing their business over the years, they’ve also been growing their family.

When the business first opened in 2016 the couple was still riding the wedding wave, and since then, they’ve had two kids, threeyear-old Julia and 16-month-old Eric, who quickly became a part of the taproom’s charm.

“It’s been a ride,” said Helen with a laugh.

“It’s good, and I’m happy we have the capability to run our own business and be here day-to-day, while also having our kids he said.

“The ideal location, Paul, is where the administration is in the hospital where David Fang used to have his office. It’s three-quarters empty.”

Sayeed said you cannot have a medical facility with a highrisk medical procedure if you have a cardiac arrest.

Besides, he noted there’s a shortage of doctors at Prairie North and “you need nurses.”

“Somebody came up with this idea it’s going around us and have flexible schedules that allow us to accommodate our children as well as the business.

“It’s been fun to grow here. We’ve met so many people that knew us before we had kids and seen us through the early stages of having kids, and now here we are today.” to go there. They strung us along and they knew all along that was not the location. That’s not the location. It doesn’t belong there. You have to have specialized medical services available at short notice,” Sayeed stressed.

“We definitely added another level of organization to our life when Julia was born,” added Brad.

Since opening its doors, the 4th Meridian taproom has become a popular spot for craft beer lovers and social butterflies of all ages.

Whether it’s a Wednesday open mic night or a community street party, the 4th Meridian is always kidfriendly, pet-friendly, and welcoming.

Richer says his group planned to ask the minister why the delay now, at the ninth hour.

“Anyway, we’re saying we need your intervention and we need it (dialysis unit) in the right place wherever that is.”