BOOZE
LAGERPALOOZA: THE BEER FESTIVAL FOR COOL CATS By Don Tse
T
he craft beer industry was built on ale. Made with top-fermenting yeast, ales are (generally) more flavourful and ferment more quickly than lagers, so they stand out better from mass-market beer and more of it can be made in the limited number of tanks owned by small breweries. But as craft beer has gained broader acceptance, tastes have changed. More palates in the craft beer world now appreciate the (generally) cleaner, subtler, but sometimes more complex, flavours of lagers. Brewing technology has also changed, making it easier for small breweries to make lager faster and control the fermentation process with the type of precision previously reserved for large breweries. On April 1, two Calgary breweries will celebrate lagers with Lagerpalooza. Two sessions (an afternoon and an evening session) will be held at neighboring Annex Ale Project (4323 1st St. S.E.; annexales.com) and Establishment Brewing (4407 1 St. S.E.; establishmentbrewing.ca). Ticketholders will gain admission to both venues, get two beers (extra beers can be purchased) in a commemorative glass they can keep and enjoy live entertainment.
Sixteen beers, all lagers, will be available, all made by the two breweries, though each has also collaborated with two breweries on two of their respective beers. “The consistent necessity for all great lagers is time. Usually, time is the resource craft breweries lack,” says Andrew Bullied, cofounder of Annex. “We have used our winter lull to devote an immense amount of time, effort and care to these beers. The results will be an exciting event that highlights the commitment of time to exploring different aspects and variations of a particular brewing style.” “Lagers are the cool cats of the beer world. Literally … fermented cold, and slow. They chill out at those cold temps and create very clean, crisp flavours that let the delicate high-quality ingredients (malt, hops) to shine through,” says Mike Foniok, co-founder and head brewer of Establishment. “These classic styles are all about fine balance of delicate flavours, exemplifying the highest quality ingredients and meticulous process. With little flavour to hide behind from a brewing perspective, brewing a clean lager is often revered as one of the hardest styles to pull off technically, and brewers take great pride in creating a clean,
well-made lager.” For their collaboration lagers, Establishment has partnered with Luppolo Brewing of Vancouver and Calgary’s Dandy Brewing, while Annex has partnered with 4 Winds Brewing of Delta and Calgary’s Tailgunner Brewing. Tailgunner has earned a reputation as being Calgary’s lager champion and recently hosted its own Lager Fest on Feb. 24 featuring 12 local lagers. “Lager beers are known for their replay value,” says Blake Enemark, head brewer of Tailgunner, referring to the high drinkability of lagers. Festivals like his Lager Fest and the upcoming Lagerpalooza are “a good opportunity to compare, contrast and explore what kinds of lagers are out there,” he says. “We want to push what people can expect of lagers and showcase high-quality beers,” says Erica O’Gorman, Co-Founder of Annex and Lagerpalooza organizer. Don Tse has sampled over 26,000 different beers. He is the Official Beer Taster for Craft Beer Importers Canada Inc. and Far Out Exporters Inc. which work with many of Alberta’s breweries. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
MARCH 2023 • theyyscene.com 13
29 March 2023.indd 13
2023-03-06 6:08 PM