Calgary has seen a huge growth of craft breweries over the last few years, with dozens of new breweries popping up nearly every year. With more Calgarian’s than ever getting into craft beer, that trend is not likely to die down any time soon. But where does a new drinker, or visitor, start?
We’ve compiled a list of 10 of the most interesting craft breweries in Calgary to work your way through as an introduction to the new world of Calgary craft beer.
Annex Ale Project
In just a few short years, Annex Ale’s have managed to make their mark on the Alberta beer scene. They have a winning combination of creative beer, beautiful taproom and excellent non-alcoholic options like their house made sodas.
Born Colorado Brewing
Like the name suggests, the founder and head brewer of Born Colorado is from Colorado, but fits naturally into Calgary. They are located in what’s now known as the “Barley belt”, a collection of breweries huddled together in Calgary (that also includes others on this list like Annex Ales, Cabin Brewing and Village).
Cabin Brewing
There’s a very minimalist 80’s vibe walking into Cabin brewing, which makes it immediately stand out from the pack. It’s cozy, modern and yet oddly familiar. This also happens to be the right place to go if you’re into IPA and Pale Ales, as they have plenty of those on tap!
Cold Garden Beverage Company
Cold Gardendoesn’t take itself too seriously, and has a little fun with their beer styles. You’ll find a random mix of styles any day of the week, which somehow just works. They also happen to serve flights on shotskis which is super fun.
Dandy Brewing Co.
Dandy Brewing has the distinction of being one of the early craft breweries in the city. They have the luxury of having time on their side, and have grown a strong lineup of core beers alongside cocktails and a creative food menu in their tasting room.
Inner City Brewing
One of the newer kids in town, Inner City has a big space and a creative mindset. While they keep a good number of core beers in the lineup, they also run two infusion lines which they use weekly to make weird experiments like Rhubarb pie, popcorn and Fettuccini Alfredo.
Last Best Brewing
Another long standing Calgary brewery, Last Best is worth the visit to see who helped kick off the craft beer trend. They continue to remain relevant in the scene, and have even expanded into the distilling space.
Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Company
Right next door to Cool Garden is Ol’ Beautiful, which makes this a perfect double ticket. They have a well designed taproom, and an excellent Japanese Ale that is worth the trip by itself.
Village Brewery
Village Brewery has been around since 2011, which for Calgary is practically ancient! They have a strong focus on community involvement, with 10% of all beer proceeds going to fund community charity causes.
Zero Issue Brewing
And finally we have the “nerd” brewery of Calgary. Zero Issue takes inspiration from sci-fi, comics and video games both in their aesthetic and in the naming of their beer. It helps that the beer is pretty damn good too.
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