YYCTOURS Is Calgary's Only Locally Owned and Operated Craft Tour Provider.
YYCTOURS
Calgary Brewery Tour - Calgary Brewery Reviews
The Establishment Brewing Co.
May 25, 2023
Whenever we make a stop at the Establishment, we know we are in for some of the best beer in the country. Voted Best Brewery in Canada (and Alberta) in 2021 (UPDATE- The Establishment also just won Alberta Brewery of the Year in 2023) , the Establishment does it all. From lagers all the way up to barrel-aged mixed fermentation styles.
​
With 17 styles on tap, it was hard to decide what to select, luckily, there were a couple of us on this outing, so we got to try a little more variety. ​I decided to stick to an amber flight and try some of the classic styles, while my partner in crime went for the sour/mixed fermentation flight.
​
Beers at the Establishment are a little bit more pricey than other spots, but nothing that can't be justified by the quality of the product. ​Interesting note, on May 26, 2023, The Establishment brewed their 1000th beer!
First in the Amber flight was #5 'Middle Child' Czech Amber Lager (the Czech name of the style is polotmavý ležák. Polotmavý means semi-dark or half-dark color, while ležák means lager). Next was #6 'Takeaway' an American Amber Ale, third was #8 'Wide Awake', a coffee California Common in conjunction with Rosso Coffee Roasters of Calgary. Lastly was # 9 'Pocket Calculator' Doppelbock.
​
Czech lagers leave a lot of room for judging with parameters for hop character being low to significant. Here, the Czech Saaz hops provided a slight bitter finish and moderate aroma.
​
The California Common was absolutely perfect and the best beer on my flight. Maybe it was just me, but it reminded me of a Coffee Crisp chocolate bar. Traditionally, as with any American style of beer, you can expect heavy hops, but on this one, they weren't there, which worked pleasantly well with the coffee.
The Doppelbock was 10% ABV which is true to the style guidelines, as we covered in the new YYCTOURS Education series on Doppelbocks here.
Now, with little room left, onto the sour flight.
If you are one of those people that think a 'sour is just a sour' I invite you to stop in and try #13 Jam Rock, #14 Tropicalia, #15 The Great Gig in the Sky and #16 Mythological Beauty. All were excellent examples and our notes include the Great Gig is really good which is contrary to what you might expect from a chocolate raspberry beer, Tropicalia was an insanely delicious blend of passion fruit, orange, and guava, while Mythological Beauty was absolutely the best sour I have had in a while. Maybe that is because they used a blend of four different barrel-aged beers chosen to give a rich, malty base with relatively low acidity to balance the tartness of the plums. They say you can expect a complex blend of black pepper, stone fruit, and a fantastical amount of funk.
​
Establishment was voted best in Canada for a very good reason. They make excellent high quality product and should be a stop on any Calgary Brewery Tour.
​
YYCTOURS also offer Charters if you would like to plan your own event and just need a van and a driver.
To see more Calgary brewery reviews, click here.