#abbeers

You can find cans of Olds College beer, with their distinctive agriculture-themed labels, in liquor stores across Alberta but they're not there to compete with the province's craft brewers. They could, though, given the quality and lower price point. 

But since the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations program started in 2013, the ambition behind the beer has been more than commercial success. 

According to Peter Johnston-Berresford, the point of taking on nearly 30 brewing students a year (roughly 1 in 4 are women) was to help differentiate the college, home to 1 of 3 brewing schools in Canada (including Niagara College and Kwantlan Polytechnic University). 

More than that, though, says the straight-shooting instructor and program coordinator, the intention was to help save the family farm. 

"The idea of making liquor and calling it a program is like, 'are you spoofin’ me?'" says Johnston-Berresford, instructor and program coordinator. But the college's board, senior management and the provincial government were "incredibly receptive," he says. Likely, they saw the opportunity from his perspective.

"I taught in agriculture for more than 30 years. I hate knowing that rural Canada is dying because only 1 in 10 kids goes back to the farm. I think: no farms, no food, no future, you know? 

“So I see brewing as an extension of value-adding in this province," he adds, drawing a parallel to the unrealized potential of our crude oil. 

In light of that, he sees plenty of room for growth in craft beer outside of Edmonton and Calgary, the current epicenters of the boom. "Every single community should have a brewery,” he says, “creating community-sourced products that are consumed locally.

"It ties in with self-sufficiency and sustainability. So instead of being dependent on one damn commodity, we can start doing things with commodities we tend to ignore and create value in other ways."

It might seem easy to write off such comments as a pitch for the program that employs him, but Johnston-Berresford doesn't need the help. 

There's a waiting list for entry into the courses, which have put students and grads into Alberta breweries including Last Best, Bench Creek, Situation, Alley Kat, Village, Big Rock and more. It has attracted students from as far away as Quebec and Japan.

Industry has also validated Olds College's efforts, stepping forward with donations of equipment. Praxair contributed a gas-mixing system, for example, and Cask provided canning equipment. 

Johnston-Beresford has another advantage many post-secondaries lack: stuff to sell for profit that can be reinvested in the program (even if it only covers about 5% of costs; students contribute the rest).

He estimates that as many as 75,000 litres are produced annually in the 100,000L-capacity production/teaching brewery (pictured above). About 30% is sold through the college’s retail store (pictured below), including core brands (see them in the reviews later) and the best of the students’ creations.

Every student, in fact, is expected to make a beer good enough to sell or be entered into local competitions. One has earned accolades so far: a pecan brown ale named best rookie beer at the 2014 Calgary International Beer Festival. 

Long term, however, the market performance of those beers may prove to be one of the most important signs of students’ potential --– and of them being transformed from the home-brewer they tend to start as to the pros that will strengthen an industry that could strengthen the provincial economy.

"That's the ultimate vindicating step,” says Johnston-Berresford. “If people are prepared to spend money on the beer that you're making, well, that says something."

Previous photos courtesy of Peter Johnston-Berresford.

4 Olds College Brewery beers you should try

Hay City 5% ABV 

This German wheat beer anchors the "easy" end of the college's flavour spectrum. Gold as midday sunshine, it features a light, pleasing malt flavour and an even sweetness, accented with the banana and vanilla that help define the style. To remind you of its craftiness, Hay City wraps up with a touch of hops on the aftertaste.

Prairie Gold 6.5% ABV 

This is a big but nicely balanced American-style IPA. The colour of a veteran penny, it features hearty malt complemented by pronounced butterscotch sweetness. Coupled with this is a piney scent, hops of a strong grapefruit persuasion, and a bright, clean, grassy aftertaste. My favourite of the 4 -- in fact, one of my favourite Alberta IPAs to date. 

Aggie Ale 5% ABV 

Johnston-Berresford places this deep-red ale on the challenging end of the core offerings from Olds College. You get a better sense of that as the beer warms. Cold, there’s balance between the roast malt and the citrus hop, each one pronounced as if eager to be noticed. Not so cold, things get as busy as a fruit and nut chocolate bar, which its flavours resemble. But like the classic confection, it works.

Old Skhool 5.4% ABV