Edmonton beer lovers are being invited to sample some strange suds this winter as part of an event being put on by a newly-formed entity aimed at promoting local brewers.
Bryan Launier, the co-owner of Analog Brewing Company, said the as-of-yet unnamed brewers’ collective is putting on the Wyrd Bier Adventure this month as one of its first events.
“Around this time (of year), it’s a little bit quieter around the taprooms,” he said of why the event is taking place during the coldest part of the year.
He said the Wyrd Bier Adventure is meant to encourage people to visit local breweries “and experience some very odd beers in the process.”
From Jan. 9 to Feb. 10, participating taprooms will be offering visitors a unique beer. The first 250 people to visit at least eight participating breweries will be getting a small gift. Visitors will also be given a “passport” they can have stamped at each brewery they visit. If they visit all participating breweries, they will be entered into a draw for what is currently a top secret grand prize.
Launier said beer aficionados would need to visit each taproom to find out what their weird beer is but revealed the brew he came up with is something he would describe as a “vermicelli or pho beer” that incorporates rice noodles.
Launier said he is excited about the newly-formed brewers’ collective and hopes the Wyrd Bier Adventure is just the first example of brewers working together to promote one another.
“The Edmonton craft beer community is incredibly collaborative,” he said. “We’re a small community and we’ve always gotten along.
“A lot of these people are people I hang out with on weekends… These are friends.”
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Launier added that he hopes the event will also serve to bring the craft beer community together even more than now.
“The Alberta craft beer scene is entirely something unique,” he said.
“We’re looking out for one another.”
The 11 taprooms participating in the Wyrd Bier Adventure are:
- Alley Kat Brewing Co.
- Analog Brewing Company
- Arcadia Brewing Co.
- Asymmetrical Brewing
- Bent Stick Brewing Co.
- Irrational Brewing Co.
- Longroof Brewing Co.
- Omen Brewing
- Talking Dog Brewing
- The Growlery Beer Co.
- Town Square Brewing Co.