Had lunch at the Wild Rose today on this beautiful 76 F day. Food was very good as was the Oatmeal Stout. Earlier we swung by the Co-op on Kensington (which has all their beer in a cold room) and found some interesting BA beers/strong ales. Picked up a WCIPA from Annex that was packaged 7-3-25. I highly recommend both places. Cheers! Tom
I honestly forgot that Wild Rose even existed! Probably some of the most middle of the road beer you can find. I think they have a restaurant too, so might do in a pinch for dinner and drinks, but please don't judge Alberta beer of you only go to Wild Rose! lol I really can't recommend the Establishment enough. They have a large selection of different styles, and they are all great. Great vibe and staff as well. Have fun!
You should definitely try to make it to Cabin! Luna & Fuego should still be there, which is a stout aged in cognac barrels. Fantastic stuff. They sometimes have a few of their anniversary beers for sale, which have been barleywines, wheatwines, Belgian-style ales, etc. It's not far from others mentioned above.
Tool shed is known for its barbecue, they make decent beer but it's not anything to write home about. In a very industrial area, sort of out of the way but not too bad. Big Rock is a classic, but I've never actually been to drink there-- just went for some BJCP judging/testing previously. It's a pretty big space that's also out of the way and has more of a restaurant/sports bar vibe than a brewery vibe. They probably have a decent selection of beers since they do dabble in some experimentals outside of core offerings like their Trad and Grasshopper Wheat Ale (pro-tip, if you're ordering the Traditional Ale, just call it "Trad" in AB).
Im in Medicine Hat, but go to Calgary often enough. Stonyslope is a great brewery if you want to check out some Scandinavian types of beer....awesome Mac & cheese too....and homemade pickles. The Sahti and Danish Table beer are a couple of favorites. Love me some Tool Shed BBQ.....Brewsmith is awesome as well....only 3 beers that are regular, 12 taps that continually rotate. My wife (especially) and I also do like Wild Rose....I personally think the beer is very decent and theres always something new there....its usually a pretty popular brewery. Vacay is right around the corner in the Barracks area as well. If you are up on the North side of the airport, Railyard is an excellent brewery to check out too! In Calgary, there are over 40 breweries I believe (?), you really cannot go wrong!
