CALGARY- A Banff brewing company is hoping their new ale will help bring plains bison back to Banff National Park.
The Homeward Bison Pale Ale is a charity beer created by Banff Ave. Brewing Co., a popular brew pub in the townsite.
The beer will be sold at 10 separate locations across Banff, as well as one in Lake Louise.
Part of the proceeds from the ale go to the Bison Belong Initiative, a group that wants to see the iconic species reintroduced into the Alberta mountain park. It’s already a big hit with Albertans.
“It goes down really smooth. Kind of light, a little bit hoppy. A great beer all around.”
The head brewer at Banff Ave. Brew Co. says developing the beer wasn’t even a question. He says he’d love to see bison once again roaming the area.
“I do a lot of hiking and walking out there and to run in to a herd of bison, that would be incredible to see and just fascinating,” said Kent Paterson.
Last year, Parks Canada finalized a draft plan for a five year pilot project that would start by introducing a small herd of 30 to 50 animals into the backcountry.
In the end it’s hoped the population will sit at 1,000 bison.
“They were here for thousands of years. There’s evidence of them everywhere and we would just love to be part of the legacy of bringing them back,” said Julia Lynx of Bison Belong.
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The proposal hasn’t sat well with everyone, however. Opponents have raised a number of concerns, including how the animals will be transported.
READ MORE: Parks Canada seeks feedback on plan to bring bison back to Banff
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The project has not yet been given the green light.
For those who’d like to try the charity ale, it’s available for the next few months.
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