Calgary Breweries

[msommers]

As of right now, there are 32 breweries in Calgary! What a time to be alive.

What are some of your guys' favourites places? What specific beers?


I've tried a bunch, and nothing is glaringly bad. As someone who generally does not like sours that knocks out a few (most obviously Dandy), but these are the top picks for me:

- Citizen Brewery: Probably my favourite brewery in Calgary right now. Their place has a chill and welcoming vibe, food is very good, and consistently enjoy their BELMA AND LOUISE NEPA. During the summer they had a Hawaiian inspired beer I liked...can't remember the name sadly.

- '88 Brewing: Fun place albeit very busy and a bit small. Noble Pie is a legit fantastic pizza. I like the Hologram and Night Gallery.

- Last Best Brewing: Excellent food, only tried the Dirty Bird Lager because it's that good, and haven't bothered with others yet. Lots of space, which I appreciate.

- Railyard Brewing: Lots of space, food selection is really small albeit the pretzel was very good. Really liked the Belgian Cherry DIPA IPA and NEIPA IPA - New England.

[lasimmon]

My top places in town right now are probably:
- Establishment
- Born Colorado
- Banded Peak
- Zero Issue

I like a few beers from each. But really I can go to any tap room and find some good beers. Except a few places I am not a fan of (Annex, Cold Carden are 2)

[ThePenIsMightier]

I was massively impressed with Good Mood when I went there long before the pandemic started. Even beer styles I don't care for were well made and balanced, there. I'm concerned they may have changed the recipe for their Cream Ale as I've found it tastes different in the last six months and that's a shame, because it was my favorite.

Tool Shed is also great. I spoke to a very friendly shareholder there to learn more about their story. Their People Skills is much better than the rest of their beers, iMO.

________________
Near Calgary

Hub Town in Okotoks is a nice spot. All their beer is good with the 1882 Golden Ale standing above. Its production is slightly inconsistent, though. Always good, but sometimes slightly different.

Fahr in Turner Valley is spectacular. Total hole in the wall with zero ambiance, but fuck-me-schnell all their beer is near perfection!! It's also cheap to fill a growler. $60 punch pass fills SIX growlers!

Hard Knox in Black Diamond is also great. Their Grunt Work stands out as excellent. They do produce some experimental donkeys on occasion, but that's normal.

[ExtraSlow]

I have a connection to someone in the ownership group for Last Best (also Jasper, Banff Ave, Campio and Wood Buffalo). Actually like more of the beers from Banff Ave than Last Best, but agree the Dirty Bird is excellent.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Hard to pick specific favorite beers as they change but this is how I would rank them for me:

Favorites:

1) Cabin (probably most consistently my favorite and good snack food). They rarely put out a beer I don't like.
2) Establishment
3) Banded Peak - best beer I have ever had was their "Keep the Tips Up" but I haven't seen it in 2 years now.
4) Born Colorado (has got way better over time IMO)
5) 88 - Noble Pie is excellent and I love their Table Beer. Can be really hard to get a table so we usually go elsewhere.
6) Revival Brewcade (I don't know how much beer they actually brew themselves but I like playing the arcade games haha)

Honorable Mention: Uncommon cider - great cider but the place itself needs a lot of work. It might be nicer now, I haven't been in a while.

Good but I didn't love:

- Citizen
- Annex
- Dandy
- High Line
- Cold Garden - busy and extremely limited seating, but you can bring your own food
- Ol Beautiful - also can bring your own food
- Legend 7

Probably would not go back:

- Paddys (garbage IMO - packed with little kids and they were letting them play behind the bar, 1hr wait for average food, beers were not to my tastes). Been a few times, all similar experiences.
- Prairie Dog (pretty good food but did not care for the beers)
- Elite Brewing
- OT Brewing
- All the highly commercialized ones (Village, Mill St, Last Best, Brewsters, Big Rock, Wild Rose, etc.) I see these more as standard pubs at this point, which isn't necessarily bad if you need room for an event or something.

Haven't Been Yet

- Railyard (have had their canned beers and I like them)
- Zero Issue
- Probably several I am forgetting

If you ever head up North, there are some great breweries in the Red Deer / Sylvan / Lacombe area like Troubled Monk, Snake Lake, Blindman, etc.

[ExtraSlow]

Hawktail in Rimbey is niiocceee

[lasimmon]

If you like troubled monk in red deer give Red Hart, Bellyhop, or Sawback a try. All a touch above troubled monk who have sort of dropped the last while IMO.

[BavarianBeast]

Wildrose, without question!

Brownberry - Barracks Brown + Wraspberry Ale

Electric Ave

[ercchry]

Fahr for a properly brewed German beer is hard to beat. For non-beer, beer. Establishment’s Jamrock ftw. Ol’beautiful is solid all around, cold garden for dogs during the old times (pre-covid) was a good way to spend an afternoon... dandy for sours and some fancier food, it’s great that they all have their own place and not just duplicates of eat other... also the banded peak/born Colorado/cabin area is great for a crawl. Can break it up with some cocktails at confluence and wine at city and country too

[Brent.ff]

Blindman NEPA is potentially the best beer in the province in my mind.. has converted many a non-hops drinker. Also a huge fan of Establishment's Part Time Model.

[never]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Fahr for a properly brewed German beer is hard to beat.

This


And I recently had it and really enjoyed the balance and overall flavours of 88 Brewing's Wave Pool IPA.

[2Legit2Quit]

Cabin is my #1, Super Saturation is just so good, also why I'm on my second keg of it at the moment. I love just about anything they put out.

88 is probably a fallback for me, Night Gallery and Ringpop are right up my alley.

Beyond these 2 it's a flurry of trying various beers from all the other breweries, Collective beer market is great for trying new stuff.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If you guys prefer buying cans instead of going to the breweries, Oak & Vine (16th ave and Inglewood), CO-OP Liquor (most of them), and Alberta Beer Exchange (10th ave) have a ridiculously good selection of craft beers from all over AB/BC. It's almost overwhelming. Oak & Vine probably has the biggest selection (and they let you mix and match single cans) but they're all good.

[Kjonus]

My top 3
- Establishment
- Cabin
- Born Colorado

[Brent.ff]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

If you guys prefer buying cans instead of going to the breweries, Oak & Vine (16th ave and Inglewood), CO-OP Liquor (most of them), and Alberta Beer Exchange (10th ave) have a ridiculously good selection of craft beers from all over AB/BC. It's almost overwhelming. Oak & Vine probably has the biggest selection (and they let you mix and match single cans) but they're all good.

Coop sales are pretty much single handedly responsible for my beer tasting adventures

[SKR]

A guy who used to be my supervisor at work runs Heathen's Brewing. It's all gluten free which is a good option of you're the kind of person where gluten turns you inside out.

[Disoblige]

I'd only go to Prairie Dog Brewing if it was free.

Beer was watered down (had a flight so tried a bunch), and the BBQ was dry AF. I took 80% of the BBQ home and fed the dogs with it.

Seems like a good place for a work function though, and some OK appetizers/finger food.

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah I haven't been impressed with Prairie Dog either time I went.

[Tik-Tok]

I haven't actually been there since before covid, but it was pretty decent back then. That's too bad it went downhill (like most restaurants in Calgary)

[Pauly Boy]

In no particular order:

Fahr
Zero Issue
Banded Peak
Born Colorado

Been meaning to check out Cabin and Establishment but haven't got around to it yet.

Wildrose and Tool Shed were good pre-covid, haven't been in many moons though...

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Blindman NEPA is potentially the best beer in the province in my mind.. has converted many a non-hops drinker. Also a huge fan of Establishment's Part Time Model.

Blindman has some great stuff. Their 5 of Diamonds Pilsner is delicious as well.