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

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.

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

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

Now Appearing on CityTv...

A commercial for Wunderbar. Watch carefully....


















.

Can you spot us?

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



here is Sherbrooke's Address

http://www.sherbrookeliquor.com/











.

We were on Morning television...

Brigit Ryan was here and everything...

http://www.btedmonton.ca/











.

Another year another GREAT party with Team Edmonton

http://www.teamedmonton.ca/




.
.
.

We were in the UofA gateway...

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

Come to a fund raiser at Amber's

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.

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

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

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".

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.”

Here is St. Cripsin's in Action

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

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

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.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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/

We were serving at Sips! at Klondike Days

Some images stolen from our friends' Facebook

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

We were serving at the Edmonton Festival of Beer

http://www.edmontonsfestivalofbeer.com/


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

Support Keri's Tournament...





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

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http://www.yeastwranglers.ca/CYW/Newsletters/Vol2_Iss1.pdf

Dr. Beer

Joe Parrell will cure what ales you

Caitlin Crawshaw, edmontonjournal.com

Published: Wednesday, November 14 2007

Most partying college kids joke that while they're bound to fail biochem, they'll pass Beer 101 with flying colours.

But Joe Parrell isn't, well, your average Joe. He excelled at both and has since developed a career in beer from a solid background in biochemistry and a love of fine lagers that precedes his university days.

"I know that when I was younger, all of the university students loved to party, but even before that, my dad used to home-brew all the time, so I used to be his test guinea pig," laughs the 31-year-old, who'd "work with him to get a nice balance in the beer."

Beer makes for a bubbling career.

Ryan Jackson/Edmonton Journal

He admits, "I might've been a little underage."

These days, Parrell is the brew master at Amber's Brewing Company, a brand-new Edmonton microbrewery blocks away from the Whyte Avenue drinking district. How new? Parrell and brewery owner Jim Gibbon finished their first batch - a pale ale - just weeks ago.

Brewing is as much an art form (yes, there is taste-testing involved) as a science, Parrell explains. Each part of the process - from the choice of hops to how the beer is brewed - can affect the flavour. The entire brewery must be kept clear of beer spoilers like bacteria and spores which, even in small traces, can ruin the batch.

As an employee at a craft brewery (a fancy word for microbrewery), Parrell has been involved in a wide variety of operations. He's helped prepare the warehouse for the brewery equipment, manage the bottling - even help with some of the plumbing and electrical when needed.

The brewery is worlds away from the government food lab where Parrell began his career, but also very different from his job at the city's now-defunct Molson plant, where he worked after completing training with London's Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

"The big guys have their recipes, the processors have been in place for a long time," he explains. "But here you get to develop your own recipes, you fill it from the start, you fix your process, you sell yourself. When you make it yourself, it's a lot easier to sell yourself. You know what you put into it."

And the public is buying in, says Parrell. People are eager to try new recipes.

"The big guys - Bud, Molson, Coors, Labatt - they've been around forever and they have their market share, but it seems to be declining. What's growing is this kind of brewing because people want to try something different. When you get craft brewing you get traditional beers, pale ales, Belgian styles - you can brew whatever. And people drink it and you keep exploring."

Here is the Original:

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/ed/story.html?id=4c62f22c-dfd1-4149-95ff-6b8f661cdc9f&k=6283

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U of A Business Alumni Magazine