Battle of the Craft

What craft style are you? Finding out which profile fits your tolerance of taste can open up new and exciting beer styles to enjoy. Take a look at Calgary’s four beer profiles and see which beers floats and froths your palate.

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What is Crisp & Light? Crisp & Light beers show a good balance of malt and hop flavours such as lightly toasted bread, cereal, citrus and apple with light hints of sweet spices.

What beers fall into this category? Some of our local Alberta beers that fit this category are – Ol’ Beautiful Okami Kasu, Banded Mount Crushmore, Fahr Pilsner, The Establishment Brewing Company My Best Friend’s GIrl Kolsch.

How and when should I have it? These beers are great on their own or with food, remember to take time to pour it in a glass, this allows the carbonation to dissipate in the glass instead of your stomach allowing you more space for another beer or food to go with it. These beer are superb after energy expending activities such as a game of baseball or gardening.

What pairs well with this profile? Some food pairing suggestions for these Crisp & Light beers are chicken shawarmas, nachos, pepperoni pizza or a toasted ham & cheese sandwich.

What is Hazy & Hoppy? The hazy New England IPAs and hoppy West Coast IPAs align with this profile along with some of the German wheat ales which have a hazy appearance as they are unfiltered.

Hazy New England IPAs can have a more rounded fruit salad flavour from the hop additions along with a balanced toasted cereal notes from the malt. In comparison the hoppy west coast IPAs have more noted crisp citrus, pine and grapefruit flavours.

What beers fall into this category? Some of our local Alberta beers that fit this category are – Cabin Super Saturation New England Pale Ale, Eighty Eight Brewing Co. Night Gallery Hazy NEPA, Last Best Tokyo Drift IPA and Eighty Eight Brewing Co. Hi-Fu Hazy IPA.

How and when should I have it? These beers are great on their own or with food, remember to take time to pour it in a glass, this allows the carbonation to dissipate in the glass instead of your stomach allowing you more space for another beer or food to go with it.

What pairs well with this profile? Some food pairing suggestions for these Hazy & Hoppy beers are a slightly warmed up generously sized piece of carrot cake is awesome with Super Saturation NE Pale Ale. Other pairings that work with the beers listed here are fried calamari, shake & bake chicken and fresh oysters.

What is Dark & Malty? Stouts, porters, brown, amber and red ales are all here and they vary in flavour from toasty malt, roasted nuts, campfire toast, coffee, dark chocolate and caramel. These full flavoured beers often form part of the recipe for some of our favourite foods – beer battered fish & chips, meat pies and stews.

What beers fall into this category? Some of our local Alberta beers that fit this category are – Village Blacksmith, Wild Rose Barrack Brown,  Brewsters Hammer Head Red Ale and Dandy In the Underworld Stout.

How and when should I have it? These beers are great on their own or with food, remember to take time to pour it in a glass, this allows the carbonation to dissipate in the glass instead of your stomach allowing you more space for another beer or food to go with it.

What pairs well with this profile? The Dark & Malty beers can be very full bodied, almost a meal on their own, they are a perfect pairing with beer battered fish and chips, seafood chowder, lamb stew and the Hawk Tail Milk Stout is a superb pairing with chocolate steamed pudding.

What is Fruity & Sour? Sour beers are often balanced with the sweetness of fruit additions, sour beers with their lactic acid traits are very refreshing on their own and a great palate cleanser during the course of a meal. Beer styles in this profile category are the Belgian sours – Gueuze / Fruit Lambic / Flanders Red Ales, also Gose and Berliner Weisse are here as well.

What beers fall into this category? Some of our local Alberta beers that fit this category are – Wild Rose Velvet Fog, Wild Rose Wraspberry, Establishment Jam Rock, New Level Pinball Wizard Raspberry Sour and Zero Issue Innsmouth Mango-Passionfruit Sour.

How and when should I have it? These beers are great on their own or with food, remember to take time to pour it in a glass, this allows the carbonation to dissipate in the glass instead of your stomach allowing you more space for another beer or food to go with it.

What pairs well with this profile? Fruity & Sour beers are superb with a range of foods from meat and cheese charcuterie platters, Sichuan hot & sour soups, loaded baked potatoes and awesome with goat cheese, the acidity and carbonation combining to cleanse the palate, ready for the next bite.

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