Canadian Craft News
Welcome to the YYCTOURS Calgary Craft Community Education section. Here we hope to share with you not only what great events, craft beer, wine and spirits can be found in Calgary and Alberta, but also a little bit of information on the product or style history, judging definitions and more.
2025 Archives
Our 2025 archives document a year of incredible expansion for the Alberta craft scene. As Calgary solidified its reputation as a premier destination for beer and spirits enthusiasts, we tracked the latest brewery expansions, milestones, and the emergence of new local craft trends. These articles provide an insider’s look at the evolving tastes of the local craft community and the continued passion that defines every YYCTOURS experience
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2024 Archives
Explore our 2024 coverage, a landmark year for the Calgary craft community. This archive highlights the award-winning excellence of Alberta’s breweries and distilleries, featuring local winners from the Canadian Brewing Awards and the World Beer Cup. From new taproom openings to deep dives into traditional brewing styles, these stories showcase why Calgary continues to lead the way in craft beer, wine, and spirits innovation
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The Calgary Still With a 100-year old History
When Bridgeland Distillery owners Daniel Plenzik and Jacques Tremblay decided they wanted to start making world-award winning spirits, they knew they had to invest in top-quality equipment. Having crafted stills for esteemed distilleries like Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, and even Wayne Gretzky Estates, Vendome Copper and Brass Works was an obvious choice.
2023 Archives
Welcome to the YYCTOURS 2023 Archives. This represents our founding year documenting the Calgary craft beer history and our first Calgary Brewery Tour. From the Alberta beer awards to deep dives into the brewing process, these articles capture the roots of our journey. Explore the foundations of our tours and meet the pioneers that make the Alberta beer, wine, and spirits scene world-class.
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Calgary's best breweries by category
With nearly 50 taprooms where you can grab a fresh local brew in Calgary it can be tough to know where to go next. Luckily, YYCTOURS is on a quest to visit every brewery in Calgary in one year. Although we have not completed our missions, and with three new venues set to open by spring of 2024, we thought we would put together a quick list by category of some of the breweries we have been to so far.
Calgary's First Winery
The term ‘Urban Winery’ is something that not many Calgarians, or people in general are familiar with. In Europe, they are everywhere, including inside Paris's Eiffel Tower, but in Canada, there are only three. One in Toronto, one in Vancouver and one right here in Calgary which is always the first stop on Calgary’s only Wine and Grape Tour.
Bridgeland Distillery in Calgary is Quickly Gaining Attention on the World Stage
As Calgary's craft scene continues to flourish, Bridgeland Distillery remains a shining example of innovation, quality, and community spirit. With Jacques Tremblay and Daniel Plenzik at the helm, the future looks bright for this dynamic distillery, as it continues to push the boundaries of spirits production and celebrate the rich tapestry of Calgary's culture.
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Award Winning Beer in Calgary - Alberta Beer Award Winners Edition - 2023 Archive
Alberta Beer Week just wrapped up with the Alberta Brewery Awards on October 18. YYCTOURS Calgary Brewery Tours takes a look at all the winners and gives you the full rundown.
What are Hops?
Everyone has heard of hops, but what exactly are they and why do they matter in beer?In this article, YYCTOURS takes an in-depth look at hops and shares how they are used and what kind of hops you can expect to find in your favourite beer styles on a Calgary Brewery Tour.
New Calgary Brewery Openings Create Several New 'Brewery Districts'.
in 2023 there was no shortage of new breweries opening in Alberta, and Calgary was had more than most of the province. With the creation of these new breweries comes opportunity for enthusiasts to visit new clusters with at least three breweries all within walking distance.
Baltic Porter- A quick History and Judging Tutorial
Shout out to Medicine Hat Brewing and the Establishment Brewing companies for their recent medal wins at the Canadian Brewing Awards in June 2023. Here, YYCTOURS continues our educational series by breaking down how to judge a Baltic Porter and why it is evaluated differently than most beers.
Finding the Good in Evil
2025 update * Evil Corporation Brewery in Closed
YYCTOURS stopped into the newly opened Evil Corporation Brewing in Calgary. Their 'barless' concept packed with hidden messaging and visuals throughout, delivers both thought inducing content on the battle between good and evil and devilishly good beer.
Kölsch - The Beer World's Version of a Hybrid
YYCTOURS breaks down the Calgary Brewery winners at the 2023 Canadian Brewing Awards and shares some quick history and information on what makes an award winning beer. This time we take a look at the 2021 Canadian Brewery of the Year The Establishment Brewing Co's My Best Friend's Girl - Kölsch Style Ale.
On YYCTOURS Calgary Brewery Tours you can almost be sure to run into some wheat based beer along the way. With Alberta Wheat being sought after world wide, Calgary's brewers don't have to go far to add some quality wheat into their creations. The History of beer likely started with wheat and more than 6,000 years later, it is still a major ingredient in many styles.
We asked Ai to write us a story on the German Purity Law of 1516's impact on beer today. Many of the beers you drink in Calgary fit under this law, but what exactly is it and why did it come to be? Our Calgary Brewery Tours are always packed with this kind of information so make sure you grab a group of friends and head out on one of our tours to learn more about Reinheitsgebot and beer in general while drinking some of the best beer in the city.
We take a quick look at the 2023 Canadian Gold medal Winner for Oatmeal Stout. Meta Brewery of Calgary actually won two gold medals this year! This tutorial shares insight on what certified beer judges are looking for when they evaluate an Oatmeal Stout.
We take a quick look at the 2023 Canadian Gold medal Winner for North American Style Pale Ale and let you know what the BJCP classifies as a Pale Ale.
American IPA
We take a quick look at the 2021 BJCP Guidelines and share with you what the judges are looking for when they hand out medals for American Style IPA.
Festbier - Traditional German Beer in Calgary
Festbier is the official beer served at Oktoberfest, but that wasn't always the case. We enjoyed Calgary brewery Project Vast's Festbier so much we had to write about it.
Thirsty?
Reading about the craft scene is one thing, but tasting it is another. We’ve spent years building relationships with Calgary’s best brewers, vintners, and distillers so you can go behind the scenes and experience the passion in person. Whether you’re a hop-head, a wine lover, or a spirits connoisseur, there’s a seat on the bus with your name on it