News From Ambers World

2011-03-25T10:20:00.000-06:00

LIVING SOCIAL DEALS!!!

Holy crow. Have we been inundated. Tour times will be available on the website shortly, we seem to have overwhelmed the new page.

More as it comes available.

Russia finally to treat beer as alcohol

2011-02-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Russia finally to treat beer as alcohol

Heart study endorses moderate drinking

2011-02-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Heart study endorses moderate drinking

2011-02-07T12:24:00.004-07:00

Bub's Lunch Pail Ale is now... Lunch Pail Ale. It is the same great beer you have come love, we have just changed the name, label and box... beacsue change is a good thing. Look for Lunch Pail Ale on liquor store shelves near you.

2011-01-19T15:50:00.002-07:00

2010-12-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

retreived from: http://albertaventure.com/2010/12/the-bruising-business-of-brewing-in-alberta/

The bruising business of brewing in Alberta: Tapped Out

by Jason Foster // Photography by Bluefish

Tall Cool One: Gene Dub inside his Yellowhead brewing company
Gene Dub knows how to win. He looks the part, too, with his silver hair, dark-rimmed glasses and made-to-measure suits.

The successful Edmonton businessman and internationally renowned architect has built both a personal and professional reputation around his ability to tackle difficult situations, be it the refurbishment of the dilapidated McLeod building in downtown Edmonton to the reinvention of the old City Market location on 97 Street. But the tricky business of craft brewing in Alberta is a puzzle that even he is finding difficult to solve.

Yellowhead Brewing, Dub’s attempt to crack the beer market in Alberta, opened this past spring. But despite its prime location in a stately historic building – owned by Dub – on 105 Street in the heart of downtown Edmonton, the brewery has struggled to get off the ground. “My experience trying to shepherd Yellowhead into existence has not been smooth,” he says. “Every second day you ask yourself why you didn’t lease the facility and let someone else have the headaches. But, then you drink a beer and you understand.”

Beer has become more than just another business for Dub. Brewing in Alberta, Dub explains, “is a labour of love,” and that’s a sentiment echoed by every small brewer in Alberta. It has to be, given the challenges that anyone who operates a brewery, particularly a small operation like Dub’s, has to face. Neil Herbst, the owner and brewmaster of Edmonton’s Alley Kat Brewery, calls this climate “the Alberta Disadvantage,” and after 15 years in business he understands it better than most. “It makes no sense to set up in Alberta.”

This might seem like a preposterous statement to make, given both the province’s business climate and the enthusiasm that its residents show towards the consumption of beer. After all, only the residents of Quebec, Newfoundland and Yukon down more beer each year than the 91 litres that every adult Albertan puts away. When one combines those demographic realities with the rise of a more sophisticated beer drinking culture across North America in which qualities like flavour and workmanship take precedence over volume and price, the business of craft brewing in Alberta ought to be an easy one.

The numbers, though, tell a much different story. Despite these apparent advantages, Alberta has just nine microbreweries and three brewpubs (bars allowed to produce beer for on-site sale only). Yet right next door in B.C. there are 34 microbreweries and 28 brewpubs, which gives the province more than four times the number of breweries than Alberta on a per-capita basis. Even tiny Nova Scotia dwarfs Alberta’s industry, with six breweries and seven brewpubs serving a population one-quarter the size.

What’s going on here, then? Alley Kat’s Herbst thinks the situation can be explained, at least in part, by Alberta’s unique culture. “Alberta is cautious,” he explains. “It is difficult to bring people around to an interest in local beer. We like our chains here because they are safe and reliable. We know what we are going to get.”

Tina Wolfe, the marketing manager at Calgary’s Wild Rose Brewery, suggests that much of the challenge for small operations like hers comes down to name recognition. “The biggest thing we battle is consumers not knowing beer other than the national brands. We don’t have the budgets of the big guys.” Trying to gain brand recognition without significant resources is a widespread problem among small brewers.

There is also a hesitance to carry local products on the part of Alberta’s pubs and restaurants. Patrick Devaney, the owner of a chain of independent Edmonton pubs that includes Sherlock Holmes and the Rose and Crown, says there is a limited interest in local beer. “There is always the group that wants microbrews, wants to support local companies, but they are a small percentage, maybe five per cent of the clientele.” Devaney has tried putting local beer on tap in his pubs, “but it didn’t work – no demand for it. It didn’t sell.” Why? “Maybe they weren’t advertised enough. Customers don’t know them. You have to have a media presence and they don’t have the budget for that.”

Devaney says that imports are more popular in his pubs than local beer, a point underscored by Alley Kat’s Herbst. “Perception is that import means high quality, while there is still a sentiment that if it’s from here it can’t be any good.” Herbst argues that the rise of imports came before the new wave of craft breweries, meaning imports squeezed out some of the potential space for local breweries.

This reluctance by Albertans to embrace local beer makers is unusual. In Quebec, for example, the pride that people take in consuming local beer is palpable. Stéphane Ostiguy, co-owner of Dieu du Ciel microbrewery in Montreal sums up his community’s passion: “We believe strongly in local. Local food. Local beer. Local culture.” It is that commitment to all things local that Ostiguy credits for his operation’s success, and similar sentiments can be found across most of the country, from Vancouver to Halifax and most places – Alberta excluded – in between.

There are more than just cultural factors at play here, Alberta brewers say. Government policy also shapes the beer industry. Beer is a highly regulated and taxed industry, a vestige of the post-prohibition era. Likewise, governments enact strict controls on who can operate a brewery and where and how they sell their product. Not only are the rules related to the production and distribution of beer complex and multi-layered, but they often differ from province to province. Worse still for smaller producers, these rules can often make it difficult to do business. For example, Alberta places a minimum annual production quota on any new brewery of 250,000 litres (about 733,000 bottles) and a 500,000-litre minimum capacity. This can be a formidable hurdle for a new brewery with no established market. In contrast B.C., Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia place no minimum requirements on new applicants.

All provinces offer a retail tax (sometimes called government “mark-up”) discount to small brewers as a way to make them more cost competitive. The rates vary, as do the implementation of the rules, but the Alberta regime receives mixed reviews. “The taxation rate for small volume breweries is favourable,” says Yellowhead’s Dub. Herbst agrees, but adds a caveat. The differential tax “helps with the economies of scale to keep our pricing competitive, but it isn’t ramped up. If you hit 20,000 hectolitres (two million litres), all of your production gets marked up at [the higher rate].” Herbst is referring to the fact that the tax rate is not graduated, which means that once a brewery hits the 20,000 hectolitre threshold it must pay the higher tax rate for the entire production volume rather than merely the amount in excess of the threshold. “It makes the 20,001st hectolitre very expensive,” he explains, noting that it creates a significant disincentive for breweries to grow beyond a certain level.

But perhaps the single most difficult hurdle that small breweries must overcome is Alberta’s privatized distribution and retail system. There is both good and bad in the system, and Wild Rose Brewery’s Wolfe believes that it “goes both ways.” “There is more choice here than any other province,” she explains. “There are more imports here. If the consumer is open to imports, they may become more open to drinking locally brewed craft beer.” But there is an equally large downside to Alberta’s unique approach to the sale and distribution of liquor. “The flipside is there is flat out way more competition – competing for shelf space against tens of thousands of potential [competing products],” Wolfe explains.

For smaller producers in Alberta, the act of selling beer is an exercise in persistence and patience that requires going from store to store, talking each of them into stocking your product. In other provinces, the government-run system guarantees single entry access for local breweries. Alberta’s craft brewers don’t even get the benefit of home-field advantage, either. “Getting my beer into B.C. is a pain in the ass,” Herbst explains. “However, for a brewery set up anywhere else in Canada [trying to get into Alberta], the paperwork takes less than 15 minutes, no limits on approval.”

The Alberta government admits privatization has caused problems for small brewers. “The privatized model makes it tougher for microbreweries,” says Vanda Killeen, communications officer for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC). “In B.C. stores you see signs for local [producers], they are front and centre. With our model we don’t get involved in marketing and help promote the product. They are all on their own.” Couldn’t the government work to create a more supportive environment for small brewers? “That’s not really our job,” Killeen says. >

There’s also a darker side of Alberta’s hypercompetitive beer market. A conversation with any craft brewer in Alberta about getting taps in bars – the most lucrative part of the beer market – quickly becomes a frustrated tirade against the cutthroat tactics used by competitors. For their part, pub owners argue they have limited space for new tap options. “Our biggest problem is there are so many beers out there and we only have so many taps,” says Devaney, who has between 14 and 17 taps in each of his pubs but only one “free tap” with which to experiment with new beer. The others, he explains, are committed to existing product.

But a beer industry insider and former sales representative for one of the large breweries (who spoke on condition of anonymity) argues that there is much more than that going on. Breweries regularly offer “inducements” to pub and liquor store owners, he says, to get them to carry their product and keep competitors out, a practice that’s commonly referred to as “greasing.” “We would pay to install tap lines, drop off free kegs at the back door, and even give cash to keep or steal an account.” Another common practice is called “buying down product,” which means reimbursing the retailer a portion of its cost either through promotional items, free product or cash.

Much of the demand for “grease” is driven by pub and liquor store owners looking for a way to reduce their costs, but the insider says the system was set up to protect the interests of the big breweries. He says that most of this greasing is “completely illegal,” and that “everybody does it,” but the big breweries, with their much deeper pockets, are far better armed in this war of gifts and graft. Where a representative for a bigger company might get a budget of anywhere from $80,000 to $120,000 a year for greasing, for example, all a small brewer can offer are a few branded glasses and some beer mats.

While the Gaming and Liquor Regulation clearly prohibits any kind of inducements by breweries, the AGLC was unable to clarify how it interprets these rules and denied that it is aware of any contraventions. Still, the insider’s account is confirmed by others in the industry. Herbst, for one, argues the rules around inducements are not enforced. “The province doesn’t police it. They don’t care. If you are going to have a rule but not enforce it, why have a rule?” For his part, the insider can’t see why there are rules in the first place. “Is it ALGC’s job to worry about what a few breweries are doing to win business? They should be worried about underage drinking, over-serving and problems like that.”

Back at Yellowhead Brewing, Gene Dub and his small staff of two continue to build their fledgling brewery one pint at a time. They know that the road to success is littered with obstacles, and that there’s unlikely to be a pot of gold waiting for them at the end if they do make it. In order to succeed they will need to be determined, creative and refuse to take no for an answer, just like the smattering of successful small breweries that has come before them. And while Dub has seen his share of success over the course of his professional career, he knows that just about everything would have to break right in order for his brewery to become the next big thing. Still, he seems to have made his peace with the challenges that lie ahead. “We will never be a Big Rock,” he concedes, “but we just might be happier because of it.”

2010-11-15T17:18:00.002-07:00

BUY LOCAL!!!!!!! :)

2010-11-13T14:58:00.002-07:00

From the Edmonton Journal

http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/columnists/story.html?id=d9cdcb67-f8d7-4086-9731-9bcc520d2f6f

Shop local movement boosts our parochial talents
Todd Babiak, Edmonton Journal
Published: 3:05 am
In every West Coast American town from California to Alaska, there is at least one craft brewery; drinking the local beer, or beers, is a point of pride but it's also less-than-pride.

It's reasonable behaviour. Big Rock is in every bar and restaurant in Calgary. Both Amber's and Alley Kat, here in Edmonton, taste just as good. Probably better. They've won national and international awards. They're no more expensive than Big Rock, and have travelled fewer kilometres -- though compared to imported beer, provincially and nationally, Big Rock is a fine choice.

So why is it such a dear struggle to find Amber's and Alley Kat on tap, or even in bottles, in their hometown?

"Edmonton's different," said Jim Gibbon, of Amber's Brewing Company on 78th Avenue and 99th Street. "We have this strange fear of seeming parochial. Buying local seems below us. We assume it's worse than anything from outside the city. Instead of seeming more special, it's less special."

His argument, while unprovable, carries a certain spiritual truth. But I suggest it represents an Edmonton psychological ailment that is slowly fading. The power centres and malls are as busy as ever, maybe busier than ever, and we seem just as flattered when an international brand such as Victoria's Secret or Restoration Hardware opens a store in one of our malls -- they've heard of us and everything! -- but local-ness, Edmontonness, is developing a shape and a flavour, an identity, a swagger.

Jessie Radies, one of the busiest women in the city, owns The Blue Pear restaurant and helps lead the Live Local initiative, a collection of Edmonton independent restaurants and retailers. Her car is less than awesome. She struggles to secure family time. Yet she takes any call to explain why spending our money locally is an intelligent choice economically, socially and environmentally, an argument she's been making for 10 years.

"The money stays in our community," she said at The Blue Pear this week, where her staff was making cheese in-house for dinner. "The economic impact, on Edmonton, is three times greater when you make a local choice."

November is "Shop Local First" month. Ideally, we intercept our now-natural desire to drive halfway to Leduc for an internationally branded Christmas present made in Asia, for Mexican produce, for hamburger patties, for a cup of middling drive-thru coffee, for a romantic dinner date. Instead, we choose a local, independent business, one of those Edmonton places.

Not because it's the right thing to do, like a spoonful of Castor oil, but because the skirts, onions, beef, coffee and grilled lamb sirloin served with goat cheese gnocchi conceived and constructed in Edmonton with local soil, fire and imagination are simply better.

Of course, chain stores are a foundation of our economy, and reflexive snottiness about them is unhelpful. They're major employers, even if the profits are sent to New York and Almhult. But they won't miss you. I checked this week; the parking lots are full.

While it might seem untoward for the City of Edmonton and the government of Alberta to favour one type of business over another, our governments have been exceedingly welcoming to gigantic multinational corporations in recent years; consider the gift of infrastructure at South Edmonton Commons.

There is a small thing they could do, to round up the local creators.

Since 1997, the territorial government of the Yukon and the Yukon Chamber of Commerce have run a very successful and very economical program out of Whitehorse called Created in the Yukon. It's a snowflake logo (cold, yes, but unique as well) affixed to products using a sticker and a tag. Businesses that sell Created in the Yukon products receive window displays.

Anything created by a Yukon artist, artisan or craftsperson is clearly and lovingly marked.

"It covers visual, literary and performing arts, home crafts, jams and jellies, a huge array of products that I couldn't list for you," said Garnet Muething, with the Yukon department of culture and tourism.

"We hear from visitors to the territory looking for unique products, and we want to bridge that gap between consumer and creator. Yukoners, too, love the program, for themselves and when they want to send something to their friends and family outside the territory."

A Created in Edmonton or, perhaps, a Created in Alberta program, simple to develop cheap to administer, would bring together all the disparate elements of the still-nascent "live local" movement, if only by pointing consumers in the right direction.

The potters' guilds, the Handmade Mafia, the farmers' markets artisans in Old Strathcona and, on Saturday, in Winston Churchill Square, novelists, poets, painters and farmers have events between now and Christmas. Bringing them all together, as Radies has done with restaurants and retailers, with a common identification program, might steer a few of us back to the main streets and community halls of the city.

It's so much more pleasant than sitting in traffic. We can walk into the pub for a glass of Amber's or Alley Kat during breaks between buying a novel for Gunther, a hand-knitted sweater for Little Chloe, a vase for Mom and a package of artisan sausage for dirty old Uncle Steve: all imagined and built, brilliantly, here in this parochial town.

Twitter: @babiak

tbabiak@edmontonjournal.com

2010-11-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

From Jason Foster

http://www.onbeer.org/2010/10/wham-bam-shabam/

Wham, Bam, SHABAM
The first annual SHABAM beer and art festival wrapped up on Saturday evening. I did my CBC column live from SHABAM on Friday afternoon. It gives a good run-down of how it was set up and its potential as an event. I also highlight a couple of special things that were exclusive to the festival, such as the release of Unity Brew and the new Glen Sherbrooke scotch barrel-aged beer. You can listen to the column here.

However, as the column aired about 90 minutes after the opening of the event, I couldn’t really offer an overall assessment of its success as an event. To be honest, when I was there it was pretty dead, and I left a bit worried that the event would flop. Having talked to a few people who were there later on Friday and on Saturday, plus a conversation or two with some of the breweries, I feel better that – particularly on Saturday – SHABAM caught its sea legs. A couple thousand people did finally work their way through the hall, and there were even some modest lines on Saturday.

Here are my observations after the first incarnation of the event. It has potential. The crowd was older, for the most part, and so more serious about trying beer rather than guzzling it. The atmosphere was right – relaxed with space and time to taste the beer and talk with the brewery about the beer, meaning beer education was possible. Plus most of the breweries were wise enough to staff their booths with staff knowledgeable about the beer, rather than just possessing a god-given gift of impressive cleavage. The art-to-beer mix may have been off, as it felt more like an art festival with beer tasting attached rather than a beer festival, but I am not going to complain about offering people a chance to purchase some local art.

My main concern might be the overall lack of beer range available. Most of Alberta’s brewers were there, which is fantastic. However, a few more breweries or new and adventurous beer would have increased the novelty quotient. The only brewery who took that part seriously was Alley Kat, who made a point of bringing a cask each night to offer a unique treat. Big Rock also brought back its long-lost Magpie, which was a nice touch as well.

Next year I would like to see a few more breweries – maybe other Prairie and honourary Prairie brewers, and in particular have each bring something unique, special, experimental or otherwise not available elsewhere. I would happily fork out $15 plus sample tickets to try a dozen or so beer not available anywhere else.

This is constructive advice to the organizers. I would like to see this event happen again. The charity angle will keep it grounded and admirable. Tweaking the beer side will make it a more attractive event for the beer-curious. Sorry drunk guys – this event isn’t for you.

2010-10-04T16:27:00.002-06:00

Oktoberfest

The Good, The Bad & The Brewski

Somewhere in the world right now, it’s beer thirty.

Though healthy chicks are typically washing a meal down with water from the tap, every once in a Blue Moon – pun intended – we crave something else from the tap. I’m talking about washing it down with an ice, cold beer.

Established in 1810 to celebrate prince Ludwig & Princess Therese’s marriage in Bavaria, Oktoberfest has gone from a local wedding party to a global excuse to drink your face off.

With beer flowing like Niagara Falls at fairgrounds, restaurants and even house parties, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in it one way or another. Who can deny that a beer, a pretzel, and lederhosen are great fun?

Well, before you grab the beer bong and regress to your sorority days, you may want to know the pros and cons of our favorite Autumnal alcoholic beverage.

The Pros of Beer

* Beer is fat-free

* Beer is a low sugar beverage (not like that margarita you’ve been eyeballing)

* Beer has no cholesterol

* Since most beer contains malted barley, it is a source of soluble fiber, aiding in healthy bowel function and slowing digestion and absorption of food. You may be surprised to know that a liter of beer contains an average of 20-percent of the recommended daily intake of fiber, while some can provide up to 60-percent!

* Moderate consumption of beer has been shown to reduce stress and the chances of heart disease. I repeat, moderate!

* Beer contains significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, and is chock-full of vitamin B

The Cons of Beer

* One 12-ounce serving of "regular" (150 calories) beer per night adds more than 1,000 calories a week to a diet, working out to an extra 15 pounds per year. One light beer per night adds 10 pounds.

* There are about seven calories per gram of alcohol, so the higher the alcohol content, the more caloric it is. Just to give you an idea of how high that is in relation to other foods, there are four calories per gram of carbohydrates or protein, and nine calories per gram of fat.

* Even though beer contains no sugar, the alcohol affects your blood sugar levels causing them to drop more rapidly. This can cause low energy and stimulate your appetite, thereby causing you to overeat like a piggy.

* Why do we get a beer belly? Remember that beer has all sorts of vitamins. Well, because alcohol interferes with the body's absorption of vitamins and minerals, it can lessen the body's ability to burn stored fat. And since alcohol is detoxified by the liver, metabolizing excess quantities of alcohol causes the liver to swell, thereby filling with fat.

* Alcohol destroys vitamin C and vitamin B complex. So look for beers that have not filtered out the vitamin B, as those will help in combating the negative effects of alcohol, ie. Hangovers?

* Most beers contain wheat and barley so those with Celiacs Disease, or a sensitivity to gluten, have to chill on conventional brews (see below). They can wreak havoc in their bodies causing side effects that vary from uncomfortable gas to difficulty breathing.

There you have it. Beer definitely has some good attributes, but it’s important to know the negative aspects. If you’re going to indulge, be sure to choose your brews wisely. Gluten-free beers are less bloating, those with lower alcohol levels are less caloric, and those that still have vitamin B will make you feel less crappy.

There are so many great new organic, gluten-free and healthier beers on the market. While they may be a bit pricier then a PBR, remember, you get what you pay for.

Never forget, bitches: Drinking in moderation is always the key! 

Happy Oktoberfest! Viel Vergnügen!

Carolyn Scott-Hamilton
An avid traveler and crusader for health nuts around the world, Carolyn Scott-Hamilton is the executive producer, creator, host and writer of The Healthy Voyager web series & radio show, site, blog, brand and social network. Check out www.healthyvoyager.com.

2010-09-23T16:31:00.002-06:00

FROM SEPTEMBER'S McLEANS MAGAZINE!!!!!

Every hoser’s nightmare

The U.S. microbrew industry is on the rise, eclipsing Canada’s not just in size, but taste, too
by Stephanie Findlay on Thursday, September 16, 2010 12:00pm - 1 Comment

Morry Gash/AP/CP

Canadians may not be quite the beer connoisseurs we make ourselves out to be. The most popular place to sample some of the tastiest new ales? America (former land of the watery beer). The craft beer market has been growing steadily in Canada and the U.S., but south of the border is where it’s really booming. According to the Brewers Association, 1,595 craft breweries were in operation last year in the U.S., the highest total since before Prohibition.

“In terms of flavour, Canadian beer is not as avant-garde as the States,” says Ian Coutts, author of Brew North, a new book chronicling Canada’s beer history. Coutts says that Americans are more daring with the flavours they use and their production processes. However, he says the adoption of American craft beer isn’t just about the taste. Population density is another factor that favours U.S. microbrewers. “If you have a micro in a place like California, you have 35 million people within a day’s truck ride of your brewery,” says Coutts.

But John Bowden, executive director of the first annual Toronto Beer Week, says that population aside, there have been two other factors that have stunted the industry’s growth in Canada. First, there are more restrictive distribution channels compared to the United States, and, second, provinces didn’t give special tax cuts or grants to help fund the industry until recently. Yet things are changing now that consumers are demanding more local products. Bowden, who also works in sales and marketing at the Great Lakes Brewery in Toronto, says that craft beer is “by far the fastest-growing alcohol beverage segment.” In the last year, Great Lakes’ sales shot up 40 per cent, he says.

As for the first Toronto Beer Week—to be held late September—Bowden says, “I don’t think even a couple of years ago we would have been able to pull something like this off.” Successful craft beer festivals have also been held in Montreal and Vancouver. The only question is, will Canadians be able to swallow the fact that American brew is the real winner?
Tags: beer, Brewers Association, microbrewers

2010-09-08T21:18:00.001-06:00

Micro brew-ha-ha part 2
By Mark Suits Sat, Sep 4 2010 COMMENTS(4) On Tap

Now that Edmonton beer-lovers are all riled up over the Liquor Depot vs. Big Rock dispute, let's take a look at how easy or hard it is to pick up or sip Edmonton-brewed beer right here in Edmonton.

My experience has been that it's not always easy to find an Edmonton-brewed beer in Edmonton. If you are eating at a restaurant it is almost impossible to sip one of the many fine beers brewed in Edmonton or other craft beers. Compared to other cities I have recently visited the situation in Edmonton is quite shameful.

In San Fransisco for example everywhere we went that sold beer had iconic local brew Anchor Steam available. This included restaurants, pubs and the ritzy Top of the Mark. We just got back from southern California and sipping a local brew no problem. At the Los Angeles Angels baseball game many local and craft brews were on tap and this is the land of Bud Light. Rexall Place, more probably the Oilers, could take a page out of their book and offer hockey fans a chance to sample the local brews. Surely out of all the many beer taps at Rexall there could be a few for the locals. The same could be said for Edmonton cultural venue's as well. Recently at the Winspear, I had an intermission bev and was able to sip a craft brew, but it was from B.C. There were no Edmonton beers.

As I said this situation is shameful. Edmonton endeavours that want and receive local support should do the same and support Edmonton brewers.

Beer lovers can also support their local breweries by drinking local, the beer is fresher and it has a smaller carbon footprint because it hasn't been shipped across the country or from further away.

If your local watering hole, restaurant or beer store doesn't have the Edmonton brand you're looking for, ask them to stock it.

Soon I will be putting together and Edmonton Beer Map with locations the offer Edmonton beers. Stay tuned and in the meantime drink local.

Cheers

2010-08-30T15:28:00.004-06:00

Our new website: Complete with online store....
September Only, 15% discount for all UofA, GrantMacEwan, NAIT, Athabasca and and any other post secondary students...

Dont forget that Police, EMT, FIRE and Armed Forces always get an extra 10...

www.ambersbrewing.com

2010-08-21T11:32:00.002-06:00

New, next week, At Earl's Whitemud Crossing

Amber's Australian Mountain Pepper Berry Lager....

Stop in and give it a try, Support Local Beverages....

2010-08-21T11:25:00.002-06:00

More Local Coverage

http://www.seemagazine.com/article/city-life/lifestyle/suds-in-the-city-4466/

Suds In The City
Locals carving out a niche in the beer business, one drinker at a time.

Published July 22, 2010 by Maurice Tougas in Lifestyle

It is a market dominated by brewing behemoths, multinational giants who have a take-no-prisoners attitude, it’s a wonder that anyone would go into the beer making business.

But if you don’t consider Molson or Budweiser to be your competition, the challenge isn’t quite so daunting. Turns out, there are plenty of beer drinkers our there, enough that a couple of Edmonton microbrewers are making a go of it, and a third has thrown its bottle cap into the ring.

alley kat

Now celebrating its 15th year, Alley Kat has carved out a craft-beer niche for itself, starting in Edmonton and now province-wide. To celebrate its anniversary, Alley Kat has been releasing a new beer every two or three months.

“They’re a little more edgy in terms of style, a little more experimental,” says Neil Herbst, co-owner of Alley Kat along with his wife, Lavonne. “We’ve done smoked porter, Belgium-style triple, a ginger beer ...”

Clearly, Alley Kat isn’t afraid to experiment, without going overboard and producing something that won’t fit in the Alberta marketplace. Alley Kat products can be found in 230 locations in Alberta and, of all places, South Korea.

“We’ve been very happy with the growth (of the company),” says Herbst. “This last year we haven’t grown as much as previous years, but we’re still well on the positive side.”

An avid home brewer, the idea of developing a microbrewery fermented in the back of Herbst’s head for several years. When his government job vanished, Herbst seized the opportunity to take a package and turn his micro dream into reality.

Although successful by microbrewery standards, Alley Kat is a mere amoeba in the sea compared to the brewing giants who rule the foamy seas. But Herbst doesn’t really consider the Molson’s and Budweiser’s of the world to be competition, except for their ability to lock up locations.

“A lot of what we do is not really competitive. We don’t overlap a lot.”

When you’re up against companies that spend hundreds of millions on promotions compared to, well, zero, that’s pretty much the only attitude you can take. Besides, the companies appeal to different market niches.

“They’re (Alley Kat drinkers) people who are looking for beer with flavour. They’re essentially connoisseurs, although I don’t think the beer people would see themselves as quite that uppity.”

This is not to say that the two markets are mutually exclusive.

“A lot of times people treat themselves. They might be drinking Bud Light as a kind of lawnmower beer, but if they’re having company over or they’re down for one beer in the evening, they’ll upgrade to our beers.”

Alley Kat employs 10 from its 9929-60th Ave. location, and produces four craft-brewed, flavourful beers — Aprikat (apricot flavoured beer), Alley Kat Amber brown ale, Charlie Flint’s organic lager and Full Moon pale ale. Past seasonal beers, produced for a short time only, include such intriguingly named products as Razzykat Raspberry Ale and Olde Deuteronomy. The current summer seasonal is called Brewberry, and it is available at the Blue Chair cafe among other locations. The Sugarbowl recently hosted a cask ale night, and Slow Food Edmonton’s annual Beer and Boar BBQ takes place on Aug. 8 at the brewery.

amber’s

Jim Gibbon got the idea for what would Amber Brewing when he was in the MBA program at the University of Alberta. Today, his Amber Brewing produces four brews and a grog (a lime cooler)

“I thought Edmonton needed a very, very pro-Edmonton brewery. Alley Kat has been around for 15 years, and they’re wonderful. But I just wanted to do something that is a little more Edmonton based,” says Gibbon, a bred-to-the-bone Edmontonian whose family has been in the city for several generations.

Buying the equipment from a defunct microbrewery that had been sitting idle for about eight years, Gibbon moved to the equipment to its present location at 9926-78th Ave. and set up shop. Cementing the link to Edmonton, one of his first products was Lunch Pail Ale, featuring the Edmonton-born-and-bred cartoon character Bub Slug, complete with a drawing of the High Level Bridge waterfall on the label.

Gord Demaniuk is Amber’s brew master. A former brewer with the big breweries, Demaniuk found himself out of work when the big boys merged and cut employees. He started his own brewery in Canmore, called Bow Valley, which, despite winning awards, failed. Eventually he met up with Gibbon, and was hired on earlier this year to refine the existing product line and ensure consistency. For example, he thought Sap Vampire Maple Lager was a little too sweet, so he changed the formula so it now has just a hint of maple ... and, in keeping with the product’s name, is now red.

“I’ve added my touch to a lot of them,” says Demaniuk. “What I wanted to do was broaden its appeal.”

Gibbon says Amber products are not “aggressively flavoured, just differently flavored.”

Gibbon says Amber has a beer for every meal of the day — the Sap Maple Lager is the breakfast beer, the Lunch Pail Ale is, clearly, for lunch, and the multi-award-winning, best-selling is Australian Mountain Pepper Berry Lager is what’s for dinner.

Gibbon estimates his product can be found in about a third of Alberta’s liquor stores. As well, Amber makes beers specifically for restaurants, like, the “cinnamon and cardamon” brew available in the five restaurants in the New Asian Village group.

“We have some really good places that are carrying us,” says Gibbon, who is also Amber’s only salesman. Slow and steady is the only way to grow a microbrewery, he says.

“Look at Maverick,” he says, referring to the splashy but now defunct microbrewery. “They had three salesmen, two microbrewers and all this staff, and they were gone in 18 months.

“We’re fighting like crazy, but we’re getting there.”

yellowhead

Yellowhead Brewery may be Edmonton’s baby microbrewer, but they’re working with big boy equipment.

Emerging from the ruins of the short-lived Maverick brewery, brew master Scott Harris has inherited massive equipment with a capacity to produce a million litres a year, so there’s no concern about outgrowing their space any time soon.

Yellowhead, backed by Edmonton architect Gene Dub, opened officially in May with a blessing, a European tradition brought over by its Edmonton-born, German-trained brew master. The blessing might just scare away the bad vibes left over from Maverick, the microbrewer that tried to go macro in a hurry.

The gleaming brewery, the workings of which are visible from street level, is located in a heritage building downtown on 105th Street and 102nd Avenue that dates back to 1914.

Like Amber, slow growth is the business plan of Yellowhead, which adopted its name from Edmonton’s first brewery, established in 1894.

“We’re just trying to establish one flagship brand right now,” explains Yellowhead rep Leon Hunter. “We just one to focus on one, easily recognizable product.”

Brew master Harris got his training in Germany at Domens Tecknicum, a brewing institute. The taste of Yellowhead, which he describes as “a good, crisp, clean lager beer” is his creation.

Making the beer is one thing, getting it into stores and bars is another. In keeping with their go-slow approach, Yellowhead is available only in a five select liquor stores, and only in 500 ml. European-style bottles that sell for about four dollars. The primary focus, Hunter says, is getting the beer on tap in bars and restaurants.

Ultimately, Yellowhead would like to emulate the success of Big Rock, the Calgary brewer that was once a microbrewer, but is now definitely a big-time player. But for now, the company is concentrating on becoming known in Edmonton, and they’re doing that one beer drinker at a time; they’re participating in Sip!, a new beverage and food venue at Capital Ex. The brew has found its way into local restaurants Culina, and Skinny Legs and Cowgirls.

“For a small, independent microbrewer, that’s the kind of people we are targeting first, people that would support a local upstart,” says Hunter.

2010-08-20T15:51:00.000-06:00

2010-07-12T20:53:00.000-06:00

2010-07-12T20:51:00.002-06:00

2010-07-12T20:46:00.000-06:00

2010-06-23T21:20:00.001-06:00

2010-06-09T21:21:00.001-06:00

Our new banners
Bronze - Best Domestic Lager
Bronze - Specialty Beer
Both for our Australian Mountain pepper Berry
Bronze - People's Choice...
... For Sap

2010-06-05T00:05:00.002-06:00

More Calary Beerfest..

2010-06-04T23:49:00.001-06:00

Calgary Beerfest

2010-04-28T17:31:00.003-06:00

A recent email exchange for those interested:

I am a relatively new vegetarian and I just found out last night that breweries often use meat products in processing beer.
Do you use any meat products in your processing?
Thanks for your time and consideration.

There are no meats or meat by-products in our beer.
The items you are concerned about are “finings” which are used to clarify the beer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finings
Many of the people that hear about this process hear about “Isinglass” which is a fish by-product
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isinglass
or about Gelatin which is a mammal by-products
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin(this is where the historical idea of sending old horses to the glue factory came from since gelatines were derived from hides and bones and used to make glue)
We do not use these products.
To the best of my knowledge, we use NO animal products or by-products.

Please feel free to contact me with any other issues or concerns you may have.

Jim

2010-04-20T01:52:00.004-06:00

Wow, It has been awhile, so much going on...

So much to talk about...

So let's Start with these both are TAP ONLY and available around Edmonton...

Make sure you go to BeerFest, we are sampling BOTH...

2010-01-05T21:33:00.001-07:00

In Memorandum.

Anthony Sheppard
SHEPPARD, Anthony Norris December 6, 1935 - December 29, 2009 On Tuesday, December 29, 2009, Anthony (Tony) Sheppard of Edmonton passed away peacefully at the age of 74. Tony will always be dearly missed and fondly remembered by Emily, his wife of 46 years; son, Grant (Leslie); and two daughters, Shelly (Scott) Zurfluh and Lara (John Pierce). The legacy of his powerful and loving spirit will be carried on through his much adored grandchildren, Sara, Shelby, Adam, Ashleigh, Logan and a granddaughter expected to arrive early in the New Year. Tony also leaves behind his brothers, Roy (Elva) and Gary (Marlene); and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends that will always remember his kind heart and willingness to give all of himself to those in his life. Tony is predeceased by his father, Thomas Lowe Sheppard; mother, Margaret 'Daisy' Sheppard; stepfather, Cy Barker; brother, William 'Bill'; and sister-in-law, Helen. Throughout his fifty-three year career in the Insurance Brokerage industry, Tony was well respected for his honesty, integrity and knowledge, as well as his willingness to assist a friend or competitor in need. Tony was an avid supporter of the underdog and was passionately committed to the welfare of his community. He demonstrated this through affiliations with numerous charitable, political and community organizations. Tony loved people and lived life to the fullest. He treasured his time at the lake with his family and friends, and he and his wife enjoyed travelling throughout the world. Tony left the world and those whose lives he touched better than how he found them. He will live on in our hearts and our minds. Reverend Vic Perron will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2010 at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 12810 - 111 Avenue, Edmonton, AB. A private interment is to follow at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, 5420 - 106 Street, Edmonton, AB. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tony's memory to the Cross Cancer Institute for liver research, 11560 University Avenue, NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, or to the Little Bits Therapeutic Riding Association, Box 29016 Lendrum Post Office, Edmonton, AB, T6H 5Z6. To send condolences please visit www.connelly-mckinley.com Connelly-McKinley Funeral Homes Downtown Chapel (780) 422-2222 Over 100 Years of Service

Taken from:
http://www.legacy.com/CAN/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStoryPrint&PersonID=138010486

2009-11-24T10:51:00.003-07:00

What a crazy month for press coverage...

This is TAPS magazine.... Can't ask for more than that!

2009-11-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Hicks once again proves his sense of good taste!!!

2009-11-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

I can't belevie we have not uploaded this yet

2009-11-19T12:21:00.002-07:00

We are the official beer of the New Asian Village in Sherwood Park.

Here are the labels we designed. Go try it out. It is a beautiful facility and the food is fantastic....

2009-11-17T23:51:00.001-07:00

On Tap at Koutouki's on 124th Street....

2009-11-17T23:40:00.005-07:00

Amber's Brewing is in Vendor Magazine

http://www.vendormagazine.ca/

Kenmount Road Chocolate Stout is in Vendor Magazine

2009-11-17T11:22:00.002-07:00

Now appearing at select Liquor depot Sites

Look at these beautiful shelves... Alberta owned and operated microbreweries are starting to appear more and more in your local stores. Thanks to the guys at the Ellerslie Liquor Depot for sending in this gorgeous photo.

Now where shall we put the stout? :)

2009-10-28T23:39:00.002-06:00

We almost missed this historic date....

From the CBC:

http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/rights_freedoms/clips/1801/

Women become persons
Broadcast Date: June 11, 1938On this day in 1929, women are finally declared "persons" under Canadian law. The historic legal victory is due to the persistence of five Alberta women — Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. The battle started in 1916. From Murphy's very first day as a judge, lawyers had challenged her rulings because she is not a "person" under Canadian law. By 1927, the women have garnered support all across Canada. They petition the nation's Supreme Court. After five weeks of debate, the appeal is unanimously denied. Shocked, the women take the fight to the Privy Council of the British government; in those days Canada's highest court. On Oct. 18, 1929, they win. In this CBC Radio clip from June 11, 1938, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King unveils a plaque commemorating the women activists in what became known as the "Persons Case." Nellie McClung, one of the only two surviving of the "Famous Five," speaks of the historic struggle. National Archives photo, June 11, 1938: Rt. Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King and guests unveil a plaque commemorating the women. [Front, L-R]: Mrs. Muir Edwards, daughter-in-law of Henrietta Muir Edwards; Mrs. J.C. Kenwood, daughter of Judge Emily Murphy; Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King; Mrs. Nellie McClung. [Rear, L-R]: Senators Iva Campbell Fallis, Cairine Wilson.

2009-10-18T22:00:00.002-06:00

We sponsored Miss dEdmonton....

First Miss dEdmonton Crowned!
Under a blood-red spotlight and with a bouquet of black roses the winner of the first-ever Miss dEdmonton Contest was crowned on October 13th. Joey Tramer massacred the competition with her combination of gruesomely gorgeous good looks, a terrifying command of Halloween knowledge, her ability to make even a painting bleed, and a scream that could raise the dead.
It was a battle to the undeath as the contestants competed for prizes from Amber’s Brewing, amokphoto, Ghoul Friday, Hallowindow, and Rowena – and for the ultimate honour of the crown, corset and converse from Karrie’s Costumes, Sweet Carousel and Divine. The judging panel consisted of Scott Mckeen from the Edmonton Journal, Angelika Gawronski from Shaw TV, and Mike Kendrick for the Gateway at the University of Alberta. Out of the three rounds and five finalists, only the vampire contestant named Darkrose achieved the coveted perfect score of 6-6-6 for her combination of poetry with sword-fighting.
Now that Miss dEdmonton has been unearthed the Halloween season can truly begin!
The new Miss dEdmonton will cut the inaugural intestine at the River City Zombie Committee’s Zombie Prom II – happening this Friday October 16th. It will start at 7:00PM in McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona, and then lurch along Whyte Avenue to Downtown. For the un-un-dead makeup demonstrations will be taking place starting at 5:00PM in the Arts Barns. So show up early in your finest tatters, let the makeup wizards work their macabre magic, and then stagger over to join the Zombie Hordes!
If the Zombie Walk wasn’t enough, Miss dEdmonton will be taking in DEDfest: Hellberta’s Horror Festival – running all weekend at the Metro Cinema theatre in the Citadel. And if horror really isn’t your style then you can join the denizens of dEdmonton at ABC Headstart’s Scarecrow Festival – now in it’s 17th year at the Edmonton Expo Centre this weekend.
A big thanks to all the contestants!

downloaded from: http://dedmonton.com/

2009-09-18T10:04:00.001-06:00

EDMONTON EARTH DAY

THIS SATURDAY September 19th, from 12 - 6, Earth Day will be held in its "Recycled" form. The 20th Anniversary Event is leaving its old home of Hawrelak Park and going to McIntyre (Gazebo) Park beside the Old Strathcona's Farmers market, and also down the street on 104st and 85th avenue - Adventure park, where the Kid's Fringe normally hangs out.

Locations: McIntyre Park - 104st and 83rd Avenue
Adventure Park - 104st and 85 Avenue

The two parks are quite different in their focus.

McIntyre Park

People can celebrated Alberta Arts Days Festival in McIntyre Park (Gazebo Park). This Earth Day area has mainstage entertainment featuring Wendy Walker; Peter Puffin ( an environmental children's entertainer ); Hong De Lion Dance Troupe; Bob Jahrig & Marc Ladouceur; Dale Ladouceur and the Broke Ensemble; Incanto; and John Spearn. Between sets we will also have Tai Chi demonstrations and Yoga demonstrations. (on going demonstrations will also occur in the Wholistic Demonstration area in Adventure Park.

People will have an opportunity to participate in Junk Wars, where, hosted by Recycle Artist when they create their own recycled art masterpiece, they can enter their name into a draw for a gift certificate from The Paint Spot.(free)

They can also make their own piece of paper in the paper making area with Recycle Artist Julie Drew. Created with old paper and blue jeans this activity can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike ($2 charge applied to cover Julie's materials)

Performance Recycled Art Troupe "Garbaganza" will be wandering back and forth between the two sites showing off their fashions created with "Recycled Items".

Have questions about Solar Power? Want to learn about some other methods that people have been living a Greener Lifestyle in Edmonton. Visit our Technology area in McIntyre Park to talk to the experts.

Adventure Park

The majority of our exhibits are in this area. You will find:

80'x80' Big Green Tent. The tent is White, but inside you will find the City of Edmonton Department of the Environment, numerous environmental and advocacy exhibitors; ideas for Eco-Renos and Green Building and The Talking Corner, where you can ask representatives from most of the major political parties, about their positions with regards to the environment.

Outside the tent in Adventure Park you will find...the Children's Eco Adventures Area with Cartoonigans, The Fools Guild, Wonderstuff and more...

A wholistic tent where you can learn information about a variety of wholistic practises. If you are in the area bring your drum and take part in a drum circle at 2 pm, see yoga and tai chi demonstrations etc.

Edmonton Bicycle Commuters are also hosting a free bike lock up, and those people who bring their bikes have an opportunity to win a Build Your Own Bike, along with the EBC bike mechanic.

Lots to see. Lots to do. Lots to learn.

Join us for the 20th Anniversary of Edmonton Earth Day, and share some ideas as to how we can all "Walk a little lighter on the Earth."

For more information email edmontonearthday@shaw.ca
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/earthdayedm

2009-09-08T22:41:00.002-06:00

We are in Avenue Magazine, Edmonton

For the Love of Beer
Local microbreweries give insight into what it takes to survive and thrive in a cutthroat industry
words by Lynsey Franksphotography by Amy Senecal
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-->“It smells like Saturday morning at grandma’s,” says Jim Gibbon, co-founder of Amber’s Brewing Co., as he reaches into a barrel of pressed malt. He munches on the nutty grain that’s something like a breakfast cereal, “Try some.” Its sweet scent wafts through the microbrewery’s 11,000-square-foot space, signalling that a new batch is in process. The method of flattening the malt and running hot water through it opens the grains, extracting their natural sugars to produce wort, a primary ingredient in beer.A buzzer interrupts the microbrewery’s steady hum. It’s Murray, the friendly farmer here to pick up the recycled malt to feed to his cattle. For Alberta microbreweries like Amber’s, “support local” is a strict philosophy. But while there’s much communal backscratching, there’s also a struggle for expansion beneath the surface of it all. The proper term for microbreweries is craft breweries, meaning that the process is done by hand — from measuring to mixing. Microbreweries are small, but it isn’t just size that sets them apart from big breweries, it’s process. Large breweries use a continuous brewing, whereas microbreweries, working with chemical- and preservative-free ingredients, do batch brewing — one batch at a time. “We make a batch of beer, so every batch is almost like a vintage, and it takes skill to ensure that they are consistent,” explains Neil Herbst, who co-owns Edmonton’s oldest existing microbrewery, Alley Kat Brewing, with his wife, Lavonne. Herbst says this artisanal form of beer-making gives every batch of beer a unique, fresh taste that keeps it interesting. Herbst’s company also strives to support local initiatives: The malt comes from Alix, Alberta and the filtered water is 100-per-cent from Edmonton. Even the labels and boxes are printed on the prairies. Discounting chain brew pubs, Alley Kat, Amber’s and Roughneck Brewing Co., located in Calmar, make up the craft brewery population of the Edmonton area. (Over the years, other companies have come and gone, the latest being Maverick Brewing, which, due to a financial roadblock, was tapped dry in 2007 after just two years of business.) Three is a paltry number, especially when compared to the Vancouver area, which has over 10 microbreweries, according to the British Columbia Beer Guide. And it’s not just the total number of microbreweries that is meagre. The staff at each is small, too. Amber’s Brewing employs a team of three, each of them wearing a variety of hats. “I’m a repairman today,” jokes brewmaster Joe Parrell, climbing down from a vat. “Later, I will be dragging cardboard to the blue bin.” “We want people to drink beer because it tastes good, not because you can buy a pack of 24 for 20 dollars,” explains Gibbon, who created Amber’s in 2007 as part of an MBA project when he was a student at the University of Alberta. “We want to give people another option, to taste something different.” In trying to get ahead of the larger breweries, microbreweries have to rely on taste, not shiny, holographic cans or free T-shirts. “It’s always a battle with the big guys,” says Gibbon. “We don’t have massive marketing budgets to plaster across the TV and radio. But once people taste it … that’s the trick.” Few Edmonton drinking venues serve craft beer, but Original Joe’s is an example of local support. “It’s nice to give the customer something different to try,” says Derek Doke, president of the western Canadian franchise restaurant. “Once our customers sample these beers they often will abandon what I call the ‘television’ beer brand and switch to a much more interesting and flavourful micro brand. We think it resonates well with our customer base and we enjoy supporting the local guy.” Gibbon says getting the product on tap at local pubs and restaurants can be a challenge. Jim Pettinger, purchasing agent for Sherbrooke Liquor Store, a rare champion of craft beer, has heard from microbreweries that most local venues won’t stock their beers. “It’s supposed to be a completely level playing field,” he says. “The bigger guys seem to be buying their way into the chains.” The best and most lucrative form of distribution is to be on tap. According to Gibbon, it’s the bread and butter — a necessity for microbreweries to stay afloat. It’s illegal for drinking establishments to receive payments from the breweries in exchange for tap space. “It lays it out pretty clearly in our regulations,” says Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) spokesperson Christine Wronko. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Act states, in short, that no liquor supplier may directly or indirectly give anything of value to a liquor licensee. Wronko says that if Pettinger’s speculations were true, a fine could be issued based on the seriousness of the offence. “We haven’t heard of this happening recently. But we would ask these individuals to come forward to the AGLC for further investigation.” Before the liquor industry was privatized 15 years ago, there was much less options available for beer drinkers in the province. Alberta went from having about 4,000 items available to almost 14,000. Pettinger says the more local presence in stores, the better. Rather than one local brand, Albertans could have a local section. Yet, that increased appetite for neighbourhood product never quite materialized. “In Alberta, you’re competing not just with beer, but with 14 to 15 thousand products that are available in the province,” he says. “Alberta is the most expensive place to buy alcohol in the country. It’s a mixed blessing, because there is far more product available in Alberta, but that comes at a price.” Local breweries aren’t trying to appeal to the mainstream crowd, Pettinger says, so the companies can be adventurous in what they’re doing and create a more unique product. For an example of such craftiness triumphing, look no further than Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery. “I have enormous respect for Big Rock,” says Gibbon. “I think they really set the bar on how a local brewery can be.” Big Rock was born out of then-60-year-old Ed McNally’s boredom with big-market lagers. Twenty-five years later, his home brewery has gone public, producing over 1.5 million litres a month. In comparison, Alley Kat produces about 30,000 litres monthly, while Roughneck produces about 25,000 litres and Amber’s about 20,000. Edmonton’s microbreweries clearly have a long way to go before they’re distributed nationally and enjoyed on a large scale. That leaves one wondering why they continue to toil when there are so many factors working against them. The answer is simple: For the love of beer. “We were sort of beer geeks,” says Herbst of Alley Kat. “We loved drinking beer, making beer, and loved everything about beer.” His dedication translates into more than one million bottles filled in the past year, including five standard brands, a raspberry mead and a very popular seasonal pumpkin pie beer. At Amber’s, each of its five fire-brewed beers has a story to go with it. For example, the Australian Mountain Pepper Berry emerged when Gibbon’s sister-in-law stumbled across a bush tucker, a tasty sundried blueberry in Australia. The prized discovery is now a peppery and fruity ingredient shipped to them regularly from Tasmania. It tastes like nothing else. “People don’t realize what a craft brewery is,” says Glenn Molson, sales and marketing manager of Roughneck Brewing, who notes the obvious pun of beer being in his genes. “It’s a time commitment to go out and knock on enough doors and put beer on enough palates, but the rest should look after itself if you have a good product.”

2009-09-08T22:12:00.003-06:00

We are in the Gateway again...

Room with a view and a side of fries
Arts & Entertainment
Dining Review

-->
September 3, 2009 - 7:58am
Lucas Wagner tries on food critic hat, gives Room at the Top 1.5 thumbs up Lucas Wagner, Online Editor
Room At The TopSeventh floor, SUB
After months of renovations, Room at the Top (née RATT, a nickname eschewed in favour of one without negative connotations) has finally opened its elevator doors to campus. Situated as always on SUB’s seventh floor, the campus bar has always been a favourite of students — leading many to wonder that if it ain’t broke, why remodel it?
On first look, however, the revamp seems worth it. The oft-trodden floor has been replaced with polished concrete — and while potentially more dangerous, it’s a definite improvement on the old RATT’s grungy carpeting. There’s a new paint scheme, along with a completely remodeled bar; but the most noticeable, and most appreciable improvement is the square tables. Gone are the unwieldy round tables of RATT past. While King Arthur may not be a fan, I find the new tables (along with new, unsunken chairs) to be a godsend. Overall, the Room’s dining environment, while not completely perfect, is a definite improvement over the RATT of years previous.
Fittingly, the menu has undergone renovations of its own. While you’ll recognize quite a few items from the old RATT (some with different names; the Room at the Top Classic is merely the RATT Classic with three more syllables), there’s quite a few additions. The Beef Dip is a welcome newcomer to the “Something Else” category, even if the au jus was a bit lacking. There’s a whole host of vegetarian options cribbed from the Dewey’s menu, including the delightfully esoteric sweet potato fries and vegan chili — though it’s a shame there’s no meaty cousin. Existing menu items have been improved as well: the potato wedges are now much lighter and fluffier — if only I could say the same for the fries, which continue to run the gamut from limp and weak to exceedingly hard and crunchy.
There are many more beers on tap now, including my personal favourite from Amber’s Brewing, Bub’s Lunch Pail Ale. (There’re plans to have a different Amber’s beer on tap every month.) Additionally, there’s the SU’s yet-to-be-named “Brand X” beer, which I’ve personally given the groan-worthy nickname of “Students’ Brew-nion.”
Overall, the new Room at the Top is a hearty change for the better. While some may decry the venerable bar’s move away from tradition, I’ve come to appreciate the changes that have been made. There’s much in the new Room that’s evolutionary, not revolutionary — and frankly, I’m happy that they haven’t done anything ridiculous like add a buffet or hookah bar. The prices are still reasonably affordable, and the location’s still convenient, and those are what make Room at the Top the reliable campus establishment that it is.

http://www.gateway.ualberta.ca/articles/arts-entertainment/2009/09/03/room-with-a-view-and-a-side-fries

2009-09-03T16:55:00.010-06:00

OUR RUAMBER WINNER!!

And the story behind his entry:

John R. discovered a little known play called "The Merry Devil of Edmonton", written in 1608. John copied the title page, morrphing it into an Ad for Amber's and then eventually into a Beer label for a "new" brew.

The Label

Other Entries

Best Poem:

Amber is a golden Ale,
Sliding down my throat,
lightly bubbles tickle.

....Lorraine

Best Recipe:
You will find the delicate flavour of the Pepper Berry in the beer is enhanced by the Szechuan Peppercorns and the aroma from the broth in the bowl is fantastic.

2 Bottles Ambers Pepper Berry Beer

1 Beer Bottle of Water

1 Large Carrot

2 Stalks Celery

1 Small Onion

2 t honey

1 t salt

Poaching Liquid

Put all ingredients into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Let sit for 1/2 hour. Strain all vegetables out and reserve the liquid. Put back in the pot. This makes quite a bit of broth and the extra may be frozen for a later time or if you are doing four portions you will use all of the broth.

1 - 6oz piece of Salmon

Dry the salmon off between two pieces of paper towel.Season the salmon with ground Szechuan Peppercorns and salt. Make sure to press the seasoning onto the fish quite well so that it sticks when poaching.

Bring the strained poaching liquid up to a slow boil. Place the fish gently into the liquid and turn off the heat. Let the fish sit in the liquid with the heat off for 8 minutes (this produces a piece of fish that is approximately medium rare in doneness. If you want you fish to be done to a higher degree just leave it in the poaching liquid a little longer.).

In a wide mouthed bowl place 6 to 7 pieces of boiled nugget potato, 3 cherry tomatoes (that have been placed into the boiling potato water for the last 2 minutes of the potatos cook time). Gently remove the salmon from the poaching liquid and place on top of the potatoes. Pour 3 ounces of the poaching liquid into the bottom of the bowl. Garnish with 3 or 4 pieces of your favourite cooked vegetable such as Asparagus or Fennel.

Serve and Enjoy.

...Kirk

Best Song:

... Samantha

Best Use of a Keg:

...Jessica

Best Superhero:

Best Amber Imitation:

...Erika

Best Label we could never, ever use:

...John

2009-08-26T23:42:00.001-06:00

WOO HOO!!!!

Room at the Top undergoes summer facelift
News
SU News

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August 26, 2009 - 10:18pm
Simon Yackulic, News Staff
Returning students will notice big changes this school year when venturing to the seventh floor of SUB.Students’ Union Vice President (Operations & Finance) Zach Fentiman is confident that this summer’s improvements to the SU-run Room at the Top have revitalized a prominent campus landmark.
“I think it has got more style now, [there is] more energy now,” Fentiman explained, gesturing behind him to Room at the Top’s shiny newly-finished counters and acid-washed concrete floors. “It’s ready for students. It’s not old and depressed—a dive bar. It’s a legitimate place for people to hangout with friends and drink or eat or whatever else while on campus.”
Room at the Top re-opened in mid-August after undergoing substantial renovations during the summer. According to an outline presented to council, the refurbishing cost totalled $68,000 with the largest chunk of the funding going to revamp the bar itself, which cost $24,320.
What was previously ‘illegitimate’ about Room at the Top may not be clear—Fentiman concedes that it was clearly a profitable venue in the past—but what has been clear so far is that the new design hasn’t scared away clientele. And with the new lights, bar, floor, and seating comes an expanded food and beverage palette to serve the cravings of Edmonton students.
“Beer-wise, the beer [selection] has been expanded,” Fentiman noted as the server delivered a pint of wheat ale. “So obviously we have grasshopper on tap [...] and there’s 16 taps on there now.”
Of particular interest is the inclusion of Amber’s, a local brewery operated by U of A alumni Jim Gibbon. Amber’s has been given one tap with which they plan to rotate and showcase their many flavours of micro-brewed ale.
“What Amber’s has proposed is that every month they’re going to rotate what’s on there. So right now it’s Bub’s Lunch Pail Ale, and [after September] it’s going to be something different,” Fentiman enthused.Another beer to watch is the lager currently going under the pseudonym of “Brand X,” (actually Molson Black Label). Going for $4 a pint or $12 a jug, the establishment is to hold a re-naming contest this fall for “Brand X” to give its name a more local flavour.
Along with marketing “Brand X” and Amber’s, Fentiman clarified that the re-configured Room at the Top will try to attract students with fair prices on all its beer. Prices will range, per pint, from $4.75 for some domestic to $6.50 for imports.
“We’re trying to keep our beer prices as competitive as possible,” Fentiman said.
Even with student unemployment during the summer at higher than usual levels due to the recession, Room at the Top management still aims to capitalize on their prime campus location to maintain profitability during the upcoming school year. Fentiman outlined the management team’s feeling that in order to remain on top, Room at the Top will need to encourage university students to stay on campus when they meet to socialize with their classmates.
“What we are hoping is, with the new feel and new configurations to the menu and improved customer service standards, all that stuff, is that even though there might be less of a pie, hopefully more of a share comes to us.”

http://www.gateway.ualberta.ca/articles/news/2009/08/26/room-top-undergoes-summer-facelift

2009-08-21T00:14:00.002-06:00

We are on tap at the Hotel Selkirk...

http://www.hotelselkirk.com/pages/HotelSelkirk_Services/MahoganyBar.aspx

But don't forget your kegs on 1905 street!!!!

2009-08-21T00:07:00.004-06:00

Some KRCS Images

2009-08-20T23:56:00.003-06:00

We served at Dine Kalyna, in Vegreville.

We had a wonderful time

then we made sales calls

in vegreville and Mundare...

2009-08-20T23:44:00.002-06:00

Edmonton Stories Movie

2009-08-17T23:49:00.000-06:00

Graham Hicks is what Edmonton is all about...

From the Sun August 17th

Edmonton people - Peter Lewis, Angus Watt, Peter Johner, Anna Muze, Jim Gibbons, Lucio Gelmini
PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE•Peter Lewis is, I believe, the only Fringe vendor to have been at every single Fringe, selling his wife Toti's unique prints. An artist himself (the High Level Bridge waterfall was his baby), ask Peter about his and Toti's involvement with The Tour de France. He can entertain you for hours.•Replacing Allan Bleiken as honourary Alberta consul for the Netherlands is financial advisor Angus Watt. Ambassador Wim Geerts will be in town Sept. 9 to oversee the succession.•Retired and loving it is chef Peter Johner. It's been three years since he sold Packrat Louie to Cory Smith, Jodh Singh and friends. Peter now has a thriving custom-chocolates craft business happening - a one-man operation at certain times of the year - at his Peter Johner's Chocolate Chalet in the country near Devon. Peter's long-time maitre d' Anna Muze has re-invented herself as owner of the excellent west-end Italian eatery Il Forno. •

We mentioned Edmonton's Amber microbrewery (Bub's Lunch Pail Ale, Amber's Pale Ale, the delicious Australian Mountain Pepperberry Lager) the other day. Owner Jim Gibbons is holding the RUAmber contest, inviting slogans, video-clips, anything creative to do with Amber's beers, with prizes and what not. More info ambersbrewing.com.•

Kudos to my friend and joke contributer Lucio Gelmini, head of the chemistry department at Grant MacEwan College. He puts on rip-roarin' chemistry demos for junior and high schools all year, asking for only donations to add to his pledges for the Edmonton Weekend to end Breast Cancer walk that happened earlier this month. Raised over $10,000.

2009-08-04T11:23:00.003-06:00

We are on Edmonton Stories

http://www.edmontonstories.ca/story/ambers-brewing

2009-07-16T23:46:00.009-06:00

Capital Ex Parade 2009

Our Team

Lining Up...

Team dEdmonton

The Crowd

The Bear

Finish line (Art Gallery of Alberta)

Some crowd video at the big corner...

2009-07-15T13:43:00.000-06:00

We Are in the Cap Ex Parade...

Look for us!

2009-07-01T00:03:00.000-06:00

We served for a Party at Regent Signs

2009-06-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

ATTENTION, INTERNETS: WIN FREE BEER (& more)

Well, I hope you’re proud of yourself, internet. I’m sure you all think you’re very clever for keeping the R U Amber contest from Amber’s Brewing Company off the radar and away from me, in the hopes that you get to claim what brewery owner Jim Gibbon calls “the best August in history” for yourselves. But I’m on to you. And I’m not mad. Mostly just disappointed.
(In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like I should tell you that I would probably take a bullet for the folks at Amber’s, not because I know any of them AT ALL, but because they are David Adjey-style VISIONARIES who combined two of my favorite things – maple syrup and beer – to create another of my favorite things: their Sap Vampire Maple Lager.)
So anyway, the deal with Amber’s web centric contest is this: you have to create something, anything that shows why you embody the spirit of Amber, the fetching, free-spirited, motorbike-riding gal featured on the contest site’s main page. Then, make a video of your creation and submit it via either email or by uploading to youtube. If your entry is deemed best, you win a bevy of local prizes: your face featured on a limited run of Amber’s Pale Ale, dinners from Fife n Dekel, Koutouki, Culina, and Skinny Legs and Cowgirls, tickets to the Theatre Network and the Varscona, two month use of a scooter from Top Gear, two dozen cupcakes from Flirt Cupcakes, a cut, colour and products from The Beauty Parlour – and so many more local prizes, we couldn’t possibly list them all here. Check the website for details - and yes, one winner will get everything listed.

http://theedmontonian.com/?tag=ambers-brewing

2009-06-13T13:36:00.000-06:00

We are the official beer of ZOMBIEFEST!!!!

Needless to Say Sap Vampire was the big seller.

2009-06-04T09:08:00.002-06:00

Are You Amber (RUAMBER)? is off and running!

Do you represent all that is Amber? Send in your video, poem, drawing, whatever... See if you can win.

2009-06-01T22:38:00.002-06:00

Another opinion of GROG

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Aurora Brewing Challenge
This week was the Aurora Brewing Challenge - the annual BJCP sanctioned beer competition hosted by the Edmonton Homebrewer's Guild, and the only MCAP qualifier in Canada. (Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing) Nick the Mighty Brewer and I did quite well, taking 8 medals and second place in the Brewer of the Year completion. The winner really threw in a ton of beer, and deserved the win. Best of show was won by a fellow who entered only one beer - but it was a very good one, obviously. Jenn took part in the ladies auxiliary competition, judging themed beers made with rosemary. Ours didn't place in that competition, but as a consolation prize, we took a medal with it in the main competition, ahead of any of the others.Long story short, that is the end of the competitive brewing season, and I am beered out. Also, if you live in Alberta and you want a tasty cooler product, drink the coolers from Ambers Brewing. They are incredible. Way way way better than every other cooler on the market...

retreived from: http://jnoetl.blogspot.com/2009/05/aurora-brewing-challenge.html

2009-06-01T22:32:00.002-06:00

Placement for the Aurora Brewers Challenge

http://www.ehg.ca/node/862
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2009-05-26T13:32:00.001-06:00

AWESOME

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

2009-05-22T00:06:00.001-06:00

Mercury Opera took used Amber's for their latest poster...

Support the Pierogi Fest...

2009-05-21T23:58:00.004-06:00

1st Issue Release Party...

2009-05-12T14:02:00.003-06:00

We are in ALBERTA VENTURE!!!
(http://www.albertaventure.com/)

The Wild Rose Basket

Barbecue and picnic season is upon us. Send a gift basket with treats from around the province. Include some Cattle Boyz barbecue sauce, a set of tongs, a gift certificate to a local farmers’ market, a jar of Brassica mustard and a copy of Good Friends, Great Grilling, by Alberta publisher Company’s Coming. Top it off with Amber Brewing Company’s Sap Vampire Maple Lager or a bottle of Field Stone bumbleberry fruit wine. ~$135

http://www.albertaventure.com/?p=3242&year=2009

2009-05-11T09:48:00.006-06:00

We had another wonderful event in the event room....

Here are some pictures...

All of these pictures were taken by ALICIA....

Have a look at her other images at

http://soulus.deviantart.com/gallery/
alicia [soulus420@gmail.com]

2009-05-07T14:18:00.000-06:00

JUNIOR CHAMBER International

Where: Amber's Brewing Company, 9926-78 Avenue

When: Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Cocktails & Networking at 6:30 p.m.
Speaker at 7:00 p.m.
Networking to follow

COST: Free for JCI Members; $10 for Guests

Tammy Ward, MGI Inspires

Power of People: Teamwork & Communication

Power of People: teamwork & communication - A highly interactive team activity exploring: enhanced communication; power of listening to understand; shared leadership; building engagement; empowerment & team synergy; ego & competition; impact of trust & respect in building commitment.

BIO:

Tammy Ward brings over 10 years of corporate leadership experience in the IT world to her world of Team building, Leadership development, coaching and facilitation. Tammy believes in the power of people working well together as well as acknowledges the challenges and realities involved to enable this teamwork. Tammy works with MGI, a company which specializes in experiential training focused on the behavioural and systemic evolution of teams and organizations. MGI has been inspiring purpose, performance, & productivity through meaningful fun in Western Canada and beyond for 25 years.

Upcoming Speakers include: Jim Rakievivh - CEO McCoy Corporation, Les Hewitt, CEO- Power of Focus, Dave Mowat CEO - ATB

We encourage all members to contact us should you have any suggestions on speakers or topics you believe would benefit the membership. Email ideas to president@jciedmonton.com

2009-04-29T13:09:00.000-06:00

We are in Marc Suit's Journal BLOG

Beer connection to Journal comics

By Mark Suits 03-26-2009 COMMENTS(0) On Tap

Filed under: Betty Bub Slug Bib's Lunch Pail Ale Amber's

In the middle of March The Journal began running a new strip on its comics page and it has quite a connection to Edmonton and beer.

Betty is drawn by Gerry Rasmussen and written by Gary Delainey both Edmontonians.

The pair are familiar to longtime Journal readers as the creators of Bub Slug, a homegrown hit with comic fans from 1985 to 1989. In 1990, they sent Bub off to a comic syndicate, but it was Bub's wife Betty who grabbed the syndicate's attention.

That's the Edmonton connection, here's where the beer connection comes in.

Bub, in his earlier incarnartion, was Edmonton's favourite waterfall maintenance man. Edmonton's Amber's Brewing brews a beer named after the loveable lug. The brew is Bub's Lunch Pail Ale.

The packaging is cleverly made to look like a lunch pail too!

The beer is a nicely hopped pale ale with a malty, caramel flavour, some floral elements and a smooth satisfying finish.

Now you can read and Edmonton comic strip in your Edmonton newspaper and drink a beer brewed in Edmonton named after one of Edmonton's comic strip icons.

Cheers

2009-04-23T23:17:00.005-06:00

We were on Global Television. They asked about our recycling efforts...

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/multimedia/video/embedded.html?v=OiTntBMWf2XRbO88LjN47lSVX0h2SybX&z=news/videos/index&s=ej_news.com&sa=canedmonton&WIDTH=311&HEIGHT=300

2009-04-15T21:16:00.003-06:00

A Quick Response and what happened with `The Calendar`

in 30 seconds

Greenpeace approached us about appearing in a recycling calendar with some of Alberta`s `Green` companies and they told us the City of Edmonton was already taking part. We thought it would be interesting so we allowed them to use the brewery for some shots - we were guaranteed approval of any images before inclusion (we have that right by law regardless).

They came to the brewery, they took some shots, they left.

Several weeks later they showed up with a completed Calendar. We were taken aback and refused to sign off on our inclusion in the calendar for two reasons:
1) it included many inappropriate images (very little clothes) that were designed only to shock and titilate.
2) we had been misled. It was not a `recycling` calendar but a VERY different calendar which would lead people to believe that we agreed with its primary message.

We asked them to remove our image from the calendar and they refused.

We do not have the kind of funds required to take them to court to withdraw the calendar (or at least the page with our image on it) and, frankly, that would have been pointless since Greenpeace has disavowed ALL involvment.

So we left it to fade into oblivion until the Edmonton Journal decided to bring it to people`s attention. They made it clear that The City of Edmonton was unhappy and (without contacting us) made it look like we approved of the overall message. So we contacted the Journal to do a follow up on our side but we were informed that it was unlikely since that wasn`t very interesting.

Thankfuly Global Edmonton interviewed us and allowed us to tell our side.
Here is a link to the page:
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/edmonton/video/index.html
click on Noon News Hour April 15th

We hope this clears things up.

Please do not send any more threatening letters.

2009-04-14T17:24:00.004-06:00

From the Edmonton Journal

City might sue over anti-tarsands calendar

Reuse Centre image obtained without official permission, GM says

By Jennifer Fong, The Edmonton JournalApril 14, 2009Comments (15)

The cover shot of the fundraising Stop the Tarsands calendar has drawn some controversy.
Photograph by: Supplied, Edmonton Journal

The city of Edmonton is considering legal action after officials discovered the Edmonton Reuse Centre, a city facility, is featured in an anti-oilsands calendar created by local environmental activists.

"We're quite disappointed in the misleading approach that was taken," said Lorna Rosen, general manager of city of Edmonton asset management and public works. "We're reviewing our procedures and we're also examining the legal options." The calendar in question was created as a fundraising initiative for Stop the Tar Sands, a campaign supported by a number of local environmental groups, including Greenpeace. The campaign's goal, according to the Greenpeace website, is to lobby the Alberta government to halt new oilsands development.

The calendar cover features a model, wearing only black underwear, smeared head to toe with what appears to be oil. She's holding what's supposed to look like a duck. In the background is the Stop the Tar Sands logo.

Inside, more scantily clad models pose at or for local businesses and organizations, including University of Alberta radio station CJSR, Amber's Brewing Co., and the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Association. Blurbs describe each featured establishment and its environmental connections.

The month of May features a photo of a woman, dressed only in a swath of white cloth, posing among the Reuse Centre's blue bins.

Fraser Porter, a Stop the Tar Sands campaign volunteer who spearheaded the calendar project with fellow volunteer Amy Goudie, said the calendar was meant to spark discussions about sustainable businesses and the development of a green economy, and to motivate Edmontonians to support local environmental initiatives.

She said staff at the Reuse Centre were "great to talk to and to deal with." Told city officials were concerned about the anti-oilsands link, she said, "I feel bad for the people at the Reuse Centre now." Rosen said volunteer staff at the Reuse Centre were approached to participate in what was described as a locally produced "eco-calendar" last year, and were told they would be able to approve all photos taken before publication. A release was to also be signed, she said, but "none of that happened." The photo shoot took place at the centre after hours. "It wasn't mentioned at all that ... it would be a calendar with the theme of stopping the oilsands," Rosen said.

"This calendar isn't an environmental calendar. It's a calendar with an agenda," Rosen said. "The city of Edmonton has a long, proud history, particularly in waste management services, of being extremely environmental and being environmentally conscious. Our actions speak very, very loudly, and for a group that has political motivation to use our stellar reputation against it, that doesn't sit well with me." Porter declined to comment on whether centre staff had requested to sign a release or whether they sought approval of the photos taken.

So far, Porter said, those who have seen the calendar are less bothered by the product than about the impact of the oilsands on the environment.

"The calendar cover is not pretty," Porter said.

"People were fine after they got past the cover. They thought it was hip, sexy, fun." About 300 copies of the calendar were made, with around 100 still available for $20 apiece at Earth's General Store, clothing store Lucid Lifestyles, Amber's Brewery, and the Greenpeace warehouse.

The project has almost broken even, Porter said, but so far has generated no profit that could benefit the Stop the Tar Sands campaign.

City councillors Tony Caterina and Don Iveson were surprised to hear about the calendar when they were contacted by The Journal.

"I don't know if the city of Edmonton would be prepared to take a position in implied support to Greenpeace and their actions at this point," Caterina said.

jfong@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journa

2009-04-01T15:13:00.003-06:00

BUBS LINCH PAIL ALE IS GOING ON TAP AT THE LIONS'S HEAD!!!!!!!

2009-03-17T12:54:00.002-06:00

Now Appearing on CityTv...

A commercial for Wunderbar. Watch carefully....

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2009-03-17T12:45:00.005-06:00

Can you spot us?

We appear in Sherbrooke Liquor's beer ad...

here is Sherbrooke's Address

http://www.sherbrookeliquor.com/

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2009-03-17T09:22:00.003-06:00

We were on Morning television...

Brigit Ryan was here and everything...

http://www.btedmonton.ca/

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2009-02-21T10:36:00.003-07:00

Another year another GREAT party with Team Edmonton

http://www.teamedmonton.ca/

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2009-02-05T00:40:00.004-07:00

We were in the UofA gateway...

What a great article. Here it is including a shot of the full page centre spread...

2009-02-05T00:34:00.001-07:00

Come to a fund raiser at Amber's

2009-01-27T12:06:00.001-07:00

A Blog review...

retreived from: http://dustmybroom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10815:friday-night-blues-and-beer-143&catid=36:friday-night-blues-and-beer

And here is the text.

Friday Night Blues and Beer #143

Written by Darcey
Friday, 23 January 2009 12:42
The Beer: I was rummaging around my beer stash and came across this forgotten jem - say hello to a Maple Lager from Amber's Brewing Company in Edmonton, Alberta (home of the world's best beer). She pours a clear and brilliant amber with a slim white head. The carbonation consists of small and delicate bubbles of great joy pelting the underside of the lacing vying to be free. The aroma is like butter on a sore week, slicing through the pain, bringing maple goodness and accentuating our proud Canadian spirit. Love, perseverance with just a touch of Belgian waffles. Going down she is sweet on the tongue with maple sugarness and finishes with a slight after taste of bark but hey - it is a maple beer. I wouldn't have it everyday but I would keep it around to impress our American visitors. Contains 5.30% alcohol content. Two thumbs up but as always get a second opinion.

2009-01-24T08:56:00.004-07:00

We sampled at the ROXY Theatre for the most recent production of "Hey Ladies..."

We sampled the new MORA and the Kenmount Road Chocolate Stout in honour of St. Valentine's Day.

http://theatrenetwork.ca/our-shows.php?id=179

2009-01-21T13:05:00.003-07:00

Juan Santos is here

It is a wonderful COLOMBIAN RUM made with real Colombian Coffee and Cane sugar. It is amazing...

It should start appearing at local liquor stores over the next few weeks..

CSPC COde is 734844

2009-01-20T23:27:00.002-07:00

GUESS WHAT? Amber's MORA Andean Blackberry Craft Coolertm is finally in bottles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will be offering single bottles for sale at the brewery while we test the levels of pulp.

Remember "We don't apologize for real fruit" so "Flip before you sip".

2009-01-20T23:18:00.004-07:00

We are in the Gateway!!!!

Here is the image in all its glory (retrieved from http://www.thegatewayonline.ca/articles/news/2009/01/19/dewey-s-offer-local-brew )

And here is the text version: Dewey’s to offer local brew
Amber’s Brewing ale available Thursday, Friday only
Arah Slack, News Writer
Beer connoisseurs at the University of Alberta will now be able to find two new local microbrews from Amber’s Brewing Co on tap at Dewey’s lounge. Beer taps at the student coffee house can pour draught from this Edmonton-based brewing company, which was founded by U of A alumnus Jim Gibbon and brewmaster Joe Parrel.
“I wanted a brewery that was all about Edmonton,” Gibbons said of his decision to approach Dewey’s manager Katherine Xue about bringing Amber’s to campus.
“We want to have a lifelong relationship with the U of A. I’ve spent over half my life there.”
With so many years spent roaming the grounds of campus, it’s no wonder that their signature Bub’s Lunch Pail Ale is named after a comic called Bub Slug that was printed in the Gateway in 1976.
This quintessentially Edmonton character and campus heritage expresses why Gibbons wanted to start his brewery here. Xue is also looking forward to the relationship as she aims to offer unique products, like Amber’s, and other student-oriented incentives at Dewey’s.
But despite the excitement of the company’s homecoming, both parties agreed upon the challenges of expanding a microbrew business to campus, where Dewey’s has weathered some business concerns of its own.
Two of Amber’s craft beers, Bub’s Pail Ale and Sap Vampire Maple Lager, are on the new second bar Xue has opened in Dewey’s, located in the area previously known as the Powerplant. The second bar will only be open on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Additionally, the mezzanine portion in the Powerplant area of Dewey’s is about to be annexed by the University for storage, and Xue is concerned about the business loss from suddenly losing a 100 person capacity of seating.
“In order for a local beer to be popular, we really need the seating space, as well as student interest,” she noted.
While Gibbons would like to see the bar open more often, Dewey’s has neither the staff nor the business potential to maintain service.
The two draughts, however, are a unique addition, and Xue says she wants to provide students with something special at a lesser cost than the imported beers. The real test will be to see how much the campus population consistently likes the beers, and if it will persuade them to frequent the bar at those chosen times.
Gibbons is excited nonetheless to see Amber’s brews on campus.
“They’ve given us a shot, and now it’s up to us to do a great job.”

2009-01-19T00:29:00.004-07:00

Here is St. Cripsin's in Action

It was a pretty interesting night in the brewery...

2009-01-16T21:40:00.005-07:00

For those that love BUB!!!

Here is one of the comics from the Edmonton Journal...

Here is a larger version hidden on our beervulture.com site.
www.beervulture.com/ABImages/Bubs-MrPlywood.jpg

2009-01-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the feedback on the show

From the Edmonton journal

Music and movement come closer

BY TOM MURRAY, FREELANCEJANUARY 16, 2009

It's hard enough to keep your mind on the job during a musical performance without having your collaborator crawl all over you while you're in the midst of it.

That's exactly what clarinetist and composer Don Ross of the St. Crispin's Chamber Ensemble has been dealing with in rehearsals for tonight's performance at Amber's Brewery with dancer Eryn Tempest.

"It's an odd experience," he admits, "even a little scary at first, but I've learned to trust Eryn's judgment on it -- she's quite co-ordinated."

You could even say that the unabashed physicality has an unintended artistic side-effect.

"When I have Eryn on my shoulders for an extended period of time," Ross notes in a deadpan voice, "my (musical) phrases tend to get a lot shorter as I run out of breath."

Such are the vagaries of a musician's life. Still, Ross is enthusiastic about his continuing collaboration with Tempest, a pairing that has both questioning the boundaries between dance and music, audience and performer, even the idea of what constitutes an acceptable venue. Their selection of Amber's Brewery -- part of the Canadian Music Centre's New Music in New Places series -- is certainly an oddball one, but Ross thinks the

industrial ambience of the building suits the performance well. It was also a plus that he was able to actually incorporate the feel of the place into his music.

Ross spent a morning during the brewery's bottling process with his mini-disk recorder capturing various sounds from the production of ale.

"I recorded lots of great stuff, like the bottling itself; the machine that puts glue on the label was a particular favourite," he says. "These sounds have their own rhythm, so I've put them together and I'm letting them play out as a collage during one piece."

Amb(er)ience is just one of six pieces programmed for the evening. Also included is a reprise of Tempest and Ross's take on John Yau's poem Borrowed Love Poems -- first performed by the duo at last year's Works Festival and Explorations New Music Series -- as well as Andre Cormier's Messe Blanche, which makes use of sounds gathered from the Taksim market in Istanbul.

Improvisation is also a key factor at many points, but what particularly excites Ross is the way Tempest nudges him into taking chances onstage.

"Eryn really pushes me on these things," he admits. "It's worked out quite well, though; I've been doing things I've never done. She's getting me up and teaching me movements.

"Sometimes we're separate, sometimes we're tangled up; it's an unusual relationship and an unusual show heightened by an unusual venue."

St. Crispin's Chamber Ensemble with Eryn Tempest takes place tonight at 8 p.m. at Amber's Brewery, 9926 78th Ave. Admission is free.

Two clarinet players are also featured in Alberta Baroque Ensemble's first performance of the year this Sunday.

Clarinetists David Quinn and Dan Sutherland will be special guests of the ensemble, performing Telemann's Concerto for Two Clarinets in D Minor, while oboists Lidia Khaner and Beth Levia team up for Albinoni's Concerto for Two Oboes in C Major. The four will then join together for Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Oboes and Two Clarinets in C Major.

The concert takes place at 3 p.m. at Robertson-Wesley United Church, 10209 123rd St. Tickets are $23 adult and $18 student/senior, available at the Gramophone, Tix on the Square, 780-420-1757 or at the door. For more information call 780-467-6531 between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

2009-01-08T22:22:00.004-07:00

St. Crispin's at Amber's This Weekend.

2009-01-08T00:10:00.002-07:00

I have been asked to post the new "Amber's etown ales" image.

Go here for more info...
http://beervulture.com/aea.html

2009-01-07T23:58:00.002-07:00

Please stop by to see what is up and Coming!!!

Time: January 16, 2009 at 6pm
Location: Amber's Brewing Company
Street: 9926 78 Ave NW
City/Town: Edmonton, AB
Website or Map: http://eccsociety.com/modul...
Contact Info: (403) 220-7403
Event Type: Prairie Region, NMNP
Organized By: John Reid, Prairie Regional Director

2009-01-07T23:52:00.003-07:00

We were in the papers...

Sun, January 4, 2009 Toast of the town
Heady year and bright future for Edmonton-based Amber's Brewing Co.

Owner of Amber's Brewery, Jim Gibbon, and brewmaster Joe Parrell cap off a successful year. (Jordan Verlage, Sun Media)

The local beer industry is about to get a whole lot sudsier in 2009 as a burgeoning Edmonton-based company prepares to double its production.

Amber's Brewing Co., which launched its signature Bub's Lunch Pail Ale a year ago, is toasting a heady 2008 that has ushered in a bubbly future.

"It's amazing. We're growing so fast, we can't really keep up right now," owner Jim Gibbon told Sun Media from the microbrewery's southside facility at 9926 78 Ave.

"We've gone from the problem of not having enough sales to cover our production capabilities to not having enough production capabilities to cover our sales."

The growth spurt comes amid the ongoing economic slowdown, perhaps proving that beer sales really are recession-proof.

It also comes in the wake of Gibbon's decision not to use sex and provocative advertising to sell his beer.

"No boobs in Amber's," he quipped, noting that that's not the image he had in mind for his brew. Rather, the beer has been marketed as uniquely Edmontonian.

Bub's Lunch Pail Ale, for instance, features syndicated comic-strip character Bub Slug on its label.

Slug, created by Edmonton cartoonists Gary Delainey and Gerry Rasmussen, is pictured on the label smiling in front of the High Level Bridge and Great Divide Waterfall with Edmonton's skyline in the background.

"A blue-collar guy with a hard hat, proud of where he's from," Gibbon explained of the famous waterfall maintenance man currently appearing in the Betty comic strip that runs daily in the Edmonton Sun and other newspapers around the globe.

The hometown microbrewery's rapid growth over its first full year of business was punctuated last month when the Liquor Depot chain opted to start carrying Bub's Lunch Pail Ale.

"That takes us from 40 stores across Alberta to 220 stores across Alberta overnight," said Gibbon, a fourth-generation Edmontonian.

Amber's, currently the purveyor of seven types of craft beers, is also bolstering its tap presence in bars and restaurants across the city. Late last week, two taps were installed at Dewey's on the University of Alberta campus.

"In this industry, taps are gold. In other words, a person who will put your beer on tap and sell it to the public is gold," Gibbon said, noting it's no easy task to displace an established beer maker. "It takes a long time to get even a single tap."

And if all goes well in the new year, the barley-pop firm will soon start selling a sampler six-pack of its offerings across Canada under the trademarked Amber's E-Town Ales.

It all points to the need for increased capacity, which is why Amber's is in the midst of releasing $30 shares and hunting for secured investors. Minimum buy-ins are expected to be around $15,000.

"We'd like to find 20 or 30 people in Edmonton that realize the stock market is a disaster right now, so pull a few of those dollars out of the stock market and throw it into a local company," Gibbon said.

"It's called a private placement. We're going to use the money to upgrade our equipment, hire new staff and go to phase two."

Gibbon realizes that the next year will bring some new challenges. But for now, the optimist says his glass is half full.

Visit ambersbrewing.com for more information.

2008-12-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

Mark Suits taste tested our latest...

Thursday January 8, 2009

Taste test - Kenmount Road Chocolate Stout

By Mark Suits 12-16-2008 COMMENTS(0) On Tap

Filed under: amber's Brewing Company stout

Kenmount Road Chocolate Stout
Amber's Brewing
Edmonton
5.6 % alcohol, 341 ml bottles, twist-off cap

You would be a happy beer lover on Christmas Day if you found this fine brew under the tree.

The beer pours very dark brown to black with a medium density foamy brown head.

The aroma is a mellow collection of roasted malt and chocolate with a hit of coffee smokiness.

Initially the taste is sweet, giving way to a bitterness that disolves into malty, molasses elemets which fade to a lingering finish with a bit more chocolate and roastiness.

As I said before this is a fine brew, very smooth with certain creaminess.

Something not to be overlooked with the beer is that it's brewed right here in Edmonton. I believe beer lovers should try to support our local brewers. Also, beer vendors (bars and stores) should be making the local brews available.

Cheers

2008-12-12T22:14:00.001-07:00

We were on CBC Edmonton AM about our Green Plan...

Here is the interview...

http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/media/video/newsatsix/2008111212-11_living_green_for_web_75675.ram

2008-12-05T23:44:00.000-07:00

Graham Hicks mentioned us in the Sun again...

"COMING TO A LIQUOR STORE NEAR YOU

Good news for Jim Gibbon's Amber's Brewing.

The Liquor Barn and Liquor Depot chain will carry the Old Strathcona micro-brewery's Bub's Lunch Pail Ale.

The biggest problem any microbrewery faces is placing product into more than just a few speciality beer stores. Amber's offers some five outstanding beers, including a chocolate stout for Christmas. All are available at the brewery door, 9926 78 Avenue."

Here is the original
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Hicks_Graham/2008/12/05/7639321-sun.html

2008-10-26T20:56:00.002-06:00

We were at the Edmonton Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival

And boy did we enjoy ourselves. We met some wonderful people served some wonderful beverages and samples some wonderful food.

Here is a link to the show...
http://www.rockymountainwine.com/edmonton.html

and our video from the show (for anyone that has ever wanted to see what it looks like behind the taps...

2008-10-14T22:07:00.002-06:00

Joe appeared in The October 14th UNLIMITED Magazine

Save The Ales

Beer is not your dad’s boring business anymore

Photograph by Laughing Dog Photography Tuesday, 14 October 2008

Joe Parrell, 32
Amber’s Brewing Co., Edmonton
In a stroke of luck, Parrell walked away from his quality control job at the century-old Molson’s brewery in Edmonton in the summer of 2007 just hours before it shut its doors permanently. He rolled into this new upstart microbrewery, where he and Jim Gibbon run the small operation.

“At Molson’s I never had the chance to do the creative side of brewing. Now I do everything. Instead of going to meetings and talking about what needs to be done, here you just do it.”

Australian Mountain Pepper Berry Ale is one of the most unique beers in Canada. Made with a small, spicy blueberry-like fruit from Down Under, it is a pale golden beer with a grainy, peppery aroma. The flavour is subtle with a touch of fruit and spice and a sharp, dry finish. A beer that grows on you over time.

http://www.unlimitedmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=420

2008-09-26T23:33:00.000-06:00

We were at the Edmonton Beerfest at the SHAW Conference Centre...

http://www.internationalbeerfest.com/

Here we are being interviewed at the Festival By Theo of 'What's eating Theo" fame...
http://www.citytv.com/edmonton/yourcity_55690.aspx

2008-09-09T00:33:00.001-06:00

We are on the Recycle Alberta Website

Taken from: http://www.recycle.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=162

Think Green Success Story: Edmonton Brewery Eliminates Wastefeature sponsored by Waste Management of Canada Corp. back to top
Amber’s Brewing Company is getting rid of their garbage container. The Edmonton microbrewery’s efforts at recycling have been so successful that they have decided that an industrial garbage service is no longer needed. They already recycle as much as possible, in particular a huge amount of cardboard and shipping plastics. Beverage containers from the lunch room are collected by the Winnifred Stewart Society as a fundraiser – the society keeps the deposit refunds. The only thing Amber’s is still trying to deal with is a small amount of food waste (lunch leftovers and coffee grounds), which they would happily provide to somebody who would like to compost them. Amber’s street sign is made of recycled material. In fact, it is a recycled steel door that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. It is now a lovingly hand‑painted sign. The door sign is made of a piece of stainless steel that was recycled when the brewery disassembled one of their tanks. Solar energy will provide power for lighting the door sign in the near future. The brewery is housed in a building with enormous south-facing windows. This means that artificial indoor lighting is rarely required, which makes for a naturally bright atmosphere. To save water, low-flow toilets were installed. Electric overhead door lifters were disconnected to go back to the “good old days” where doors were opened using a little elbow grease (no longer eating up standby “phantom loads” of power, either). All heat exchange water is stored while cooling, which makes it possible to recycle the heat. It is a two‑step process: the first portion of the water goes into a hot liquid tank for use in the next brewing batch, the second portion of the water is pumped into a secondary tank next to the visitor area, where the heat radiates out and helps to keep the room warm. Amber’s packages its product in recycled bottles, thereby saving lots of energy. They will only bottle in glass – theirs is one brew that will not be found in PET or aluminum containers. To reduce their CO2 footprint, as much malt as possible is purchased in Alberta. When spent, the malt is provided to local ranchers for livestock feed. To top it all off, most of Amber’s beer deliveries use a standard fuel/electric hybrid vehicle.Please contact

info@ambersbrewing.com

2008-08-22T22:23:00.000-06:00

We were available at the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival....

Here are some pictures we are borrowing from FLICKR. We are using links to keep everything legal...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gleam26/2804203121/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gleam26/2804204857/

2008-08-01T00:15:00.000-06:00

We were serving at Sips! at Klondike Days

Some images stolen from our friends' Facebook

2008-07-31T00:07:00.001-06:00

We were picked on CBC radio's "Wine of the week"

Wine pick for July 31, 2008 (Runs 4:37)Our wine columnist Gurvinder Bhatia is departing from his usual practice and recommending a beer. This one comes from an Edmonton brewery. It's Amber's Sap Vampire Maple Lager, $12.99 for a pack of 6.

2008-07-20T23:02:00.000-06:00

Graham Hicks From the Edmonton Sun, July 20, 2008

BEER HUNTERS HEAVEN
SIP! echoes Taste of Edmonton, with a difference.
In a quiet corner of Hall A during Capital EX, its emphasis is on speciality appetizers (pricey at $5 each) developed by Northlands' flourishing kitchen, and samplings ($2 per mini-glass) of a broad range of unusual alcoholic beverages.
At Art of Conversation XXVII on Thursday evening, the beer hunter in Hicks on Six emerged.
Best of this show was Amber Brewery's Australian Mountain Pepper Lager, a brew Jim Gibbon makes in town with a tarty touch and a delightful after-bite.
Runners-up, the American Great White beer saved by the Sherbrooke Liquor Store for its beer club members, and Black Velvet - half Guinness, half champagne.
The appetizers were superb, beef, lamb, and legume fusion dishes, matched to sauces and veggie garnishes.
Great desserts too, I was told. I didn't try them. Dessert doesn't go well with beer.
Hicks (hic) on Six did not drive home!

2008-07-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

Here is the video of space cowboy setting the record...

Here is the original
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqLxLE002S4

2008-07-13T21:42:00.000-06:00

Were are the official beer of the "Edmonton Street Performers Festival"

And, as a result a WORLD RECORD was set with OUR KEGS!!!!!!

Space Cowboy lifted a record weight (4 kegs) with a sword in his throat...

Here is a picture

Here is the picture in situ from the site:
http://www.edmontonstreetfest.com/web_version/content.html

2008-06-26T23:10:00.002-06:00

A World Of Pure Imagination

Amber’s takes SEE on a Willy Wonka tour of their brewery: beer ca taste like pancakes?Published June 26, 2008 by Melissa Priestley in Food & Drink

Come With Me, And You’ll See It’s no Chocolate Factory, but the beers coming out of Amber’s are as magical as anything Willy Wonka ever invented.

Upon walking into Amber’s, my first thought is “Where’s the brewery?” As my eyes adjust from the blazing summer sun to the filtered interior, I’m hailed by brewmaster Joe Parrell, who saunters up to me with a good-natured grin.
Amber’s Brewing Company (9926-78 Ave) was born a couple years ago as a two-person operation manned by Parrell and owner Jim Gibbon. They created their first beer through contract with Alley Kat. Last summer they found their new digs in an old Chinese noodle factory, Wing’s Foods, and renovated the entire facility. And Amber’s lineup of craft-brewed beers have been appearing in more and more places around Edmonton ever since.
As we walk amongst gleaming stainless steel tanks and valves, Parrell intersperses his descriptions of beer production with candid stories of the growing pains he experienced as the new brewery took shape.
“I wish you could have seen this place last year—it was a disaster!” he laughs, describing the place as a mess of cords, wires, nuts, and bolts. “I was constantly finding pieces, organizing piles of stuff.... It was like the biggest jigsaw puzzle I’ve ever done.”
He points out a sawed-off pipe jutting out of the ceiling next to a large steel tank and explains that it used to be a container for liquid sugar. “We thought the line was empty,” Parrell says, “so we cut it.” They all too quickly discovered that it wasn’t empty at all. “It ran for three days! We carried thousands of buckets of sugar out to the back. On the first day there were only a couple wasps around. By the third day, there were hundreds. Brewing school doesn’t prepare you for that kind of thing!” (The space has since been converted into a chillout area, complete with vintage chairs and lava lamps.)
As we walk around the mash tun, Parrell notes his previous experience working for Molson was wholly different from what working at Amber’s is like. “I learned more at Amber’s in three months than I did in my whole time at Molson,” he says. “There, everything was automated—you just pushed a few buttons and the beer was made. But here, we climb around on the equipment like it’s monkey bars.”
Most microbreweries follow a similar do-it-yourself approach, as the cost of opening a brewery with shiny new robotic equipment is simply prohibitive. Amber’s uses equipment from the retired microbrewery Flanagan and Sons; their bottling machine comes from the original Coca-Cola plant in Atlanta, Georgia. (As soon as I see that baby blue monstrosity I’m in love: I’m a sucker for anything vintage.) However, even the bottling line was not without its share of trials. On its first test run, Parnell and Gibbon discovered it was designed for the classic stubby Coke bottles, so it had to be modified to fit the modern, sleeker beer bottle. The machine also takes a good 30 to 40 minutes to get going. Parrell describes it as an old man: “it takes him a while to get out of bed in the morning, but when he finally does he’s ready to go.”
We move to the makeshift bar in the middle of the room, where I sample their lineup. I had tried the Australian Mountain Pepper Berry before, which has a unique, powerfully peppery flavour that builds at the back of your palate. It was one of their first brews, released just before the Pale Ale, which is refreshing, crisp, and very good for summer sipping.
I also tried Bub’s Lunch Pail Ale, made with water from the High Level Bridge waterfall. (Don’t worry, it’s clean drinking water, not scummy river water. I checked.) It’s more of an English-style ale and is dangerously smooth, with a small bite of citrusy hops at the end.
With an interesting name and even more interesting flavour, the Sap Vampire Maple Lager is memorable, even if it doesn’t suit your taste. This beer is liquid pancakes. I’m not joking—it’s straight up Aunt Jemima’s, and after a couple of sips, my craving for bacon becomes insatiable. (Why do I always discover breakfast beer while visiting breweries?)
We finish off with Grog, something I hesitate to call a “cooler” as this word has unfortunately become synonymous with mass-produced, hyper-marketed bitchpops favoured by the high school crowd. Grog far outshines anything in the cooler category, tasting like something derived from real fruit. It even has some pulp floating in it. With aromas of fresh limes and a well-balanced palate, it’s a drink you can indulge in without feeling guilty (or underage).
Amber’s may still be in its infancy, but the beer is already good and will only get better with time. And if you need a final reason to check them out, Amber’s is eco-friendly: they have implemented an effective, all-inclusive recycling program and have even gotten rid of their industrial garbage bin.
Ah, guilt-free alcohol

2008-06-13T23:48:00.003-06:00

We were serving at the Edmonton Festival of Beer

http://www.edmontonsfestivalofbeer.com/

And here is a video (we are not in it...)

2008-05-23T22:40:00.001-06:00

Support Keri's Tournament...

http://www.keristournament.com/index.html

2008-05-01T22:49:00.000-06:00

We are in food for thought magazine!!!!!!

News From Ambers World

Russia finally to treat beer as alcohol

Heart study endorses moderate drinking

Best Song:

... Samantha

Best Use of a Keg:

Beer connection to Journal comics

Music and movement come closer

Toast of the town

Heady year and bright future for Edmonton-based Amber's Brewing Co.

Save The Ales

Beer is not your dad’s boring business anymore