The Best Breweries in Calgary by Category

With more than forty 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. To see all of our reviews and stories, visit our community education series here, or click on the links provided for each brewery below.

BEST BREWERIES IN CALGARY FOR BEER FREAKS.

We certainly don’t want to leave out the average beer drinker, but these breweries are making beer that the hardcore beer-judging-cicerone types will approve of. 

STONY SLOPE

Voted as the best new brewery in Alberta for 2023 at the Alberta Beer Awards, Stony Slope makes rare and in most cases forgotten styles of beer such as Finnish Sahti and Lithuanian Raw Ale. They have a small but impressively tasty food menu as well. 

THE ESTABLISHMENT 

2021 Canadian Brewery of the Year, 2021 and 2023 Alberta Brewery of the Year. Need we say more? These folks are known and respected city wide as likely the best brewery in Calgary. 

TAILGUNNER

Having been open for less than two years, it amazes us how many people still haven’t heard about Tailgunner. They specialise in decoction brewing and their Sentinel Munich Helles was in our top three for best Calgary beers in 2023. The Bratwurst is pretty good too. 

33 ACRES

A favourite Vancouver brewery, 33 Acres has a satellite brewery here and it features some super impressive beers. 

BEST BREWERIES FOR FAMILIES 

Getting out for a beer with your family can be difficult but here are three Calgary breweries that have lots of kid friendly spaces and snacks. To see all the family safe breweries in Calgary, checkout our ‘Kid Friendly’ Brewery Map. 

RAILYARD

With a massive kid friendly space, lots of fun games and snacks, Railyard is one of the most fun family friendly breweries in Calgary.

CITIZEN

As one of the only breweries located on the northside of Calgary, Citizen is always busy with families from the neighbourhood.  

BEST OF KIN 

Best of Kin Social has a family friendly vibe with some great food items and a large menu. 

BEST BREWERIES FOR DOG OWNERS 

As far as we know, these are the only three breweries in Calgary that allow you to bring a dog inside (on leash). To see whether your local brewery allows dogs, check out our Dog Friendly brewery map here. 

BOW RIVER 

Bow River Brewing allows dogs inside and outside on the patio. They offer a nice selection of quality crafted brews and some beer friendly snacks.

COLD GARDEN

This place is pretty much an indoor dog park that offers almost 20 beers on tap. 

FOUR DOGS

Four Dogs was designed for dogs with nooks and beds abound. 

BEST BREWERIES FOR PEOPLE WATCHING 

These venues always seem to be busy, or are located in areas that see a high volume of walking traffic, making them a great place to visit for a beer without feeling like you are the only person there. 

TROLLEY no. 5

Located on the Red Mile, Trolley 5 makes some great beer, has a huge menu and is a nice place to watch sports and people stroll by on 17th Ave. 

WILD ROSE 

We have never gone to Wild Rose and been the only people there. They have some great food too. 

TWO HOUSE

Located in Sunalta, Two House is a huge kid friendly spot that has pizza and beer.

BEST BREWERIES WITH FULL MENUS 

A lot of breweries offer quick snacks, but very few have full menus with a wide selection of options, here are some of the best. 

EIGHTY EIGHT 

Portland Street Pizza, which is located inside the brewery, is some of the best pie in town, it also doesn’t hurt that 88 makes some of the best beer in town too. 

BOTTLESCREW BILLS

A Calgary landmark that converted to a brewery a couple years ago, Bottlescrew Bills has something for everyone on both the food and beer menu. 

TOOL SHED

Award winning barbecue and tasty brews. Tool Shed Brewing is a Calgary institution. 

BEST BREWERIES FOR A VARIETY OTHER THAN BEER 

OL’ BEAUTIFUL 

With ciders, iced teas, sours, slushies and seltzers to go along with a wide array of easy-drinking and fun beer, Ol’ B is a great spot to spend a Friday night, especially if you like tacos. review coming soon

VAYCAY 

A brewery, a distillery and a restaurant all under one roof makes Vaycay a spot where any group can enjoy their time out. 

YYCTOURS offers Calgary's best craft beer tours that are a great way to experience the local scene and are designed for any level of beer drinker. If beer is not your thing, YYCTOURS also offers a Calgary Wine and Grape Tour and a Calgary Distillery Tour.

Cheers!