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Calgary Beer is Back! Calgary Craft Brewer reimagines one of Alberta’s most iconic brands

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From technology, to communication, all the way to beer, our world is changing more rapidly every day.  Who could have imagined how the brewing industry would be turned upside down by craftsmen and entreupreneurs who risk it all for their passion to create a better product right in their community?

In a world that used to be very predictable, everyday another new craft beer hits the market.  It’s hard to keep up, though many of us are doing our best.  Despite all the excitement around the new tastes and all the clever marketing needed to get those beers into our hands, we all know a few people who are ‘holding out’.  Maybe they don’t like change.  Maybe they don’t know where to start.  Maybe they’re perfectly fine with the same safe brew they’ve been tasting for their entire adult lives.  Maybe they should know one of Alberta’s finest craft brewers is bringing back a familiar brand, offering a ton of comfort and enjoyment, one sip at a time.

The renowned brand “Calgary Beer” is back!  And of all the craft brewers in Southern Alberta, Village Brewery is the natural choice to have taken on this “reimagined” project.  Village Brewery was established by seven veterans of the brewing business, all with an equal passion for beer, and for their community.  It made perfect sense for this group to recognize their roots by recreating some local history in the town they love so much.  Just in case you didn’t know, Village Brewery turns 10% of their profits, back to the Calgary community.

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When Village Brewery Re-launched Calgary Beer they were nice enough to make their Head Brewer Jeremy McLaughlin available for a few questions.

Here’s Jeremy McLaughlin.

1) Why are you bringing “Calgary” back?

The Calgary Beer brand is an important part of beer history in Calgary. It dates back to 1892 and the brand imagery is iconic and represents the origins of beer in Calgary. At Village Brewery, we have always been about supporting the community and bringing people together around beer. The idea of being able to produce something under this brand just fits so well with what we stand for at Village. It’s special to us because we were given an awesome opportunity to modernize both the label and the recipe for today’s craft beer fans.

2) Is this the exact same “Calgary” I drank many years ago?

Since the core ideology of this was to modernize the brand, we were not going to be using the same Export Lager style or name and decided to go with “Craft Lager”. We felt this would reach the audience that Village reaches already. The main distinction, in terms of ingredients, is a significant hop character (from Ella, Sabro and Enigma), which make up the flavour profiles of a lot of craft beer.

3) Talk about the “craft” version. The can looks fantastic by the way. Curious about that and the beer itself.

The beer is really something that we as a brewery were looking to explore, a Craft Lager or dry-hopped lager is very much in the realm of beer profiles that can be interesting to new craft drinkers but something that experienced craft connoisseur would find interesting as well. A breakdown on ingredients and vital stats should get the conversation started here:

-ABV is 5.00%
-IBU: 15
-Colour: Light Gold
-Clarity: Light/Moderate Haze -Malt: Rahr 2-Row

-Yeast: Escarpment’s Krispy Kveik
-Hops: Ella, Sabro and Enigma (all mainly used as a dry-hop). These are symbolic to the ideology of the project (modernization and reimagining, while paying respect). These hops are developed through breeding programs, which modernized historical varieties of hops.

The can design was by Jackson and includes 4 versions
-A vintage throw-back to the original design
-A modernized vintage design featuring design concepts that are popular in craft breweries today (line art)
-A more high design variation that is black with the bull image wrapping the can
-A minimalistic version featuring a red backdrop and a white horseshoe, focusing on clean and crisp presentation

4) What would you like Calgarians, Albertans, and lovers of beer to know?

With this project we were really hoping to target craft consumers, fans of the historical brand and newer consumers who had never experienced the historical brand.

All Alberta residents can purchase this limited edition lager by clicking this link.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Alberta

Snapshots of Alberta and Canadian trade with the US

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News release from the Alberta UCP

Alberta’s strong relationship with the U.S. is built on energy, trade, and jobs. These numbers highlight just how vital Alberta is to the U.S. economy—and why standing up for our energy sector matters now more than ever.
Alberta’s unmatched energy contributions supply over half of U.S. imported oil through a vast pipeline network—enough to circle the Earth 11 times. This is why protecting Alberta’s energy industry matters for North America’s prosperity.
Alberta’s energy exports fuel U.S. refineries across key states, creating over 25,000 jobs and turning billions of dollars’ worth of Alberta oil into essential products Americans rely on every day.
This snapshot of top U.S. exports to Canada highlights how vital our trade relationship is, with Alberta playing a key role as a major partner and market for American goods.
Energy leads U.S. imports from Canada, with Alberta’s resources powering industries across America and reinforcing our critical economic partnership.
This chart highlights how much Canadians buy from the U.S. compared to what Americans buy from Canada, with Canadians spending over seven times more per person on U.S. goods. Meanwhile, 904,000 American jobs depend on trade with Alberta, making our province a key economic partner.
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Alberta

New children’s book demonstrates how the everyday world is connected to natural resources

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From the Canadian Energy Centre

‘Today’s youth have the opportunity to lead us into the future with innovative solutions for environmental challenges’

After a 24-year career in oil sands land reclamation, author Tanya Richens is sharing her knowledge with young minds.

Her new book, From the Earth to Us: Discovering the Origins of Everyday Things, explores the relationship between natural resources and the things we use in everyday life, from computers and water bottles to batteries and solar panels.

“There is a gap in society’s understanding of where things come from. We are a society driven by consumerism and immediate gratification. We order something online, and it arrives on our doorstep the next day. We don’t stop to think about where it really came from or how it was made,” Richens says.

“There’s an ever-increasing societal position that mining is bad, and oil is even worse… But there’s a simple hypocrisy in those beliefs, since so many things in our lives are made from the raw materials that come from mining and oil and natural gas,” she says.

The book, illustrated by reclamation artist Shannon Carla King, follows young Hennessy Rose and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Riley on a trip to a children’s summer camp.

Hennessy’s mom is a guest speaker on the origin of everyday items and the relationship between humans and the earth. Through detailed explanations of items surrounding her, Hennessy’s mom teaches the kids how rocks, minerals, oil and gas from the earth are used to power and aid our lives, creating items such as building supplies, food and hair products, camping and sports equipment, and cell phones.

Author Tanya Richens poses with her two books for children about natural resources. Photo for Canadian Energy Centre

“I thought a simple and fun book explaining the raw materials needed to make everyday items would be valuable for all ages,” Richens says.

“When people feel personally connected to natural resources, they are more likely to promote sustainable practices. Today’s youth will have the opportunity to lead us into the future with innovative solutions for environmental challenges.”

Richens‘ career began with Alberta Environment, where she was a coordinator of reclamation approvals in the oil sands. She oversaw technical reviews of oil sands reclamation applications, communicated with statement of concern filers, coordinated public hearings and provided support for legislative changes.

She moved from government to Suncor Energy, ensuring the company’s compliance on reclamation projects and led initiatives to obtain reclamation certificates. She now works as an independent consultant.

Drawing on her wealth of experience in the field, Richens’ first book, Adventures in Land Reclamation: Exploring Jobs for a Greener Future, seeks to excite kids aged 9-12 years about jobs related to the environment and land reclamation.

Hoping to get From the Earth to Us into the hands of teachers, Richens is heading to the Edmonton Teachers Convention in late February. She says the book supports multiple learning outcomes in Alberta’s new science curriculum for grades 3, 4, 5 and 6.

“Ultimately, I’d like people to understand and acknowledge their individual part in the need for mining and oil and natural gas development. Until the naivety and hypocrisy in the world is addressed, I’m not sure that real environmental change is possible.”

Richens’ books can be purchased on her website at tcrenvironmental.com.

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