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Craft Beer Commonwealth a unique new Central Alberta brewery to open at Gasoline Alley Farmers Market

Published

4 years ago

6 minute read

From the Craft Beer Commonwealth

NEW GASOLINE ALLEY BREWERY IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BREWERS AND FARMERS

FIRST BEER, A GRAND COLLABORATION FROM CENTRAL ALBERTA BREWERS IS ALREADY AVAILABLE

Red Deer County’s newest brewery has been built from the ground up to be a truly local, collaborative showcase of the Central Alberta beer scene. A joint venture between Lacombe’s Blindman Brewing, Red Deer County’s Red Hart Brewing, and Penhold’s Red Shed Malting, Craft Beer Commonwealth will be opening in late December in the new Gasoline Alley Farmers’ Market. The ground-breaking partnership between farmers and brewers offers a true farm-to-glass experience for beer lovers who want to support Central Alberta’s agricultural roots.

Craft Beer Commonwealth lives up to its namesake with a focus on cooperation. It will not only feature beers made in its own facility in the year-round famers’ market, but there will be selections from every brewery in Central Alberta on rotation. In fact, Commonwealth’s first beer – Landlock Ale – is a joint effort between each and every Central Alberta brewery, using only ingredients grown within 10 kilometers of Red Deer!

“Local is sometimes a bit of a buzz word, but now more than ever it really means something,” says Daelyn Hamill of Red Shed Malting. “This beer is a cooperative effort between multiple local businesses. It supports the local economy, helps Alberta farmers and is a great beer to celebrate harvest!”

The brand-new recipe redefines the pale ale style with a golden hue and resinous pine flavours evoking Alberta’s fields, parkland, and mountains. “Landlock Ale is Central Alberta’s beer,” says Ben Smithson, General Manager of Commonwealth. “Not only will it be available at the Commonwealth, but it’ll be on tap at all the local breweries.”

Breweries around the world have long been using Central Alberta’s famous malt barley in their recipes for good reason: this is one of the top barley-growing regions on the planet. Recently, Alberta-grown hops have also been making a big impression in the brewing industry. It is no wonder that Central Alberta has more craft breweries per capita than anywhere else in the Province. Craft Beer Commonwealth’s mission is to showcase the region’s growing beer prowess to locals and visitors alike. When the founders heard about the new year-round farmers’ market opening in Gasoline Alley, they knew it was the perfect location for the new brewery.

Ben Smithson, General Manager of Craft Beer Commonwealth

Ben Smithson, General Manager of Craft Beer Commonwealth

“Great beer requires great raw ingredients, so you have to keep a close connection to the farming community,” says Hans Doef of Blindman Brewing. “It is so fitting that we are opening in a farmers’ market.”

In fact, Gasoline Alley Farmers’ Market is Alberta Agriculture certified – which means that at minimum 80% of the product in the market must be locally produced. Commonwealth’s hyper-local focus helps the market meet that standard. The first functional brewery within an Alberta farmers’ market, Commonwealth will be joining a number of food vendors in the ‘Market Kitchen’ area which offers a family-friendly dining area, a large patio, and a large event space overlooking the whole market. Commonwealth will eventually be hosting corporate parties, weddings, small concerts, and meetings in that space once COVID restrictions are lifted. For now, the Market Kitchen food and beverage vendors will be open extended hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Background Information

  • Craft Beer Commonwealth is the result of a ground-breaking collaboration between Red Deer’s Red Hart Brewing, Lacombe’s Blindman Brewing, and Red Deer County’s Red Shed Malting. Their shared vision is to unify and showcase the thriving Central Alberta craft beer community by brewing beer featuring local expertise and ingredients.
  • Craft Beer Commonwealth’s taphouse is located within Gasoline Alley Farmers’ Market and features beverages on tap to be enjoyed at the market and available to take home in cans or growlers.
  • Small-batch brewing allows professional and aspiring guest brewers to experiment with different techniques and styles, and to collaborate with other brewers and ingredient producers – even fellow market vendors.
  • The rotating taps showcase the quality and variety available from Central Alberta’s finest local breweries and wineries.
  • Craft Beer Commonwealth also serves espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos made with coffee roasted right onsite at the market by Birdy Coffee Co.
  • With a large variety of local vendors and kitchens in the market, food-parings are a special part of the commonwealth experience.
  • An exciting private function space overlooking the market is available for holiday parties, corporate meetings, weddings, and other events.
  • The atmosphere is lively, family friendly and will often include live entertainment and performances during market opening hours.
  • Operating hours: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from early until late.

 

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USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has unveiled the Trump administration’s plan to tackle surging egg prices, focusing on chicken repopulation and biosecurity measures while rejecting mandatory vaccines for poultry. The move aims to counter the economic impact of mass culling under the Biden administration’s failed policies.

Key Details:

  • The USDA’s $1 billion plan includes biosecurity enhancements, rapid chicken repopulation, deregulation, and increased egg imports.
  • Rollins ruled out mandating avian flu vaccines after research showed inefficacy in countries like Mexico.
  • The administration is prioritizing securing farms against virus transmission while working on long-term solutions to stabilize egg prices.

Diving Deeper:

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, detailed the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to reducing skyrocketing egg prices, which she attributed to policy failures under former President Joe Biden. Rollins made it clear that President Donald Trump’s administration is focusing on restoring the poultry industry through chicken repopulation, strengthening biosecurity at farms, and removing unnecessary regulations that have stifled industry growth.

Rollins criticized Biden-era policies, noting that while the previous administration recognized the risks of avian flu, it failed to act decisively. “This has been going on now for two years. So it isn’t just regulation and all of the cost input increases and overregulation from the Biden administration, but it’s also not completely addressing the avian bird flu a couple years ago when it first hit,” she said. Under Biden, approximately 160 million chickens were culled, exacerbating supply shortages and sending prices soaring.

To address the crisis, the USDA’s plan includes five key pillars. First, the administration is investing in farm biosecurity, ensuring facilities are properly sealed to prevent virus transmission from wild fowl. Second, the repopulation of poultry flocks is being expedited by removing regulatory roadblocks. Third, the administration is pushing for deregulation in areas such as processing plant operations and California’s Proposition 12, which Rollins called “devastating” to the industry. Fourth, to alleviate immediate supply issues, the U.S. is negotiating egg imports from Turkey and other nations.

The final component of the plan, initially a proposed vaccine initiative, has been scrapped. Rollins stated that studies showed vaccinated poultry in Mexico still contracted avian flu at an alarming rate, making the approach ineffective. “I pulled that off the table,” she declared, adding that the administration is prioritizing research into alternative therapeutic solutions.

In addition to economic recovery efforts, Rollins praised President Trump’s recent address to Congress, highlighting his focus on American farmers and families. She also condemned congressional Democrats for their lack of support for crime victims’ families honored during the speech. “It is stunning,” Rollins said of their refusal to stand during key moments.

Looking ahead, Rollins reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to American farmers, emphasizing that Trump’s trade strategy is centered on protecting agricultural interests. “He is hyper-focused and passionately involved himself… fighting for our farmers, our ranchers, and entire agriculture community,” she said.

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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Friday that the Department of Agriculture has canceled a $600,000 federal grant intended for a study on menstrual cycles in transgender men. Rollins declared the decision part of broader efforts to end what she called “insanity” and restore common sense in government spending.

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  • The grant description outlined the study’s focus on menstruation, stating that most women experience around 450 menstrual cycles over their lifetime, while also emphasizing that “transgender men and people with masculine gender identities, intersex and non-binary persons may also menstruate.”

  • Researchers aimed to explore concerns related to menstruation, including the potential use of natural fibers, such as hemp, in feminine hygiene products.

  • The American Principles Project, a conservative nonprofit, first identified the study as part of a broader review of more than 340 federally funded grants during the Biden administration, which amounted to over $128 million.

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The Department of Agriculture’s decision to revoke the $600,000 grant marks another rollback of Biden-era initiatives under the new administration. The study, awarded to Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College, was originally slated to continue through April 2027, focusing on menstruation-related concerns, including the development of eco-friendly hygiene products.

A description of the study noted that menstruation typically begins around age 12 and continues until menopause, averaging around 450 cycles in a lifetime. The grant documentation also stated that menstruation is not limited to biological women, arguing that transgender men and other gender identities may also experience it.

Rollins took to social media platform X to confirm the cancellation, writing, “CANCELLED: $600,000 grant to study ‘menstrual cycles in transgender men.’” She credited the American Principles Project for uncovering the grant and added, “Keep sending us tips. THANK YOU, @approject! The insanity is ending and the restoration of America is underway.”

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