Here are a few great Calgary distilleries and craft breweries to check out this spring

Calgary has no shortage of breweries and distilleries for people looking for a bit more than just a night out at a regular pub. While the craft brewing and distilling industry is thriving in the city and you can’t go wrong with any choice, each one has its own perks and drinks to explore. Calgary has everything from breweries that allow dogs to spots with old-school arcade games and everything in between. From high-end to more casual, we reached out to our readers to find out their favourite places to visit in the city, while adding a few of our own.

Here are a few great distilleries and craft breweries to check out this spring.

BREWERIES

Cold Garden: Located at 1100 11 St. SE, Cold Garden is a micro-brewery that operates with the belief that beer is for everyone. This has led Cold Garden to produce a variety of different styles of beers. As an added bonus: Cold Garden also allows dogs at the brewery.

Tool Shed: Located at 801 30 St. NE, #9, Tool Shed is not only a brewery, it also has a variety of BBQ meats to go along with its craft beer. Over the years, multiple Tool Shed beers have won several awards at the Alberta Beer Awards.

Revival Brewcade: Located at 1217B 9 Ave. SE, Revival is the place to go if you like beer and playing old-school games in an arcade setting. With games such as pinball, Simpsons Arcade, and SNES and Sega minis, there’s plenty of gaming and drinking to be done.

New Level Brewing: Located at 7005 Fairmount Drive SE, unit 4140, New Level Brewing is what happens when you mix heavy metal and brewing. This brewery combines intriguing flavours to create a variety of beers all named with heavy metal-style themes. Music and games are a bonus.

Eighty-eight Brewing: Located in Inglewood at 1070 – 2600 Portland St. SE, Eighty-eight Brewing is themed after the ‘88 Calgary Olympics with plenty of beers on tap and in the fridge for everyone to enjoy. While they don’t offer their own food they partner with Mixtape to offer sandwiches and allow people to bring in food from elsewhere.

Citizen Brewing: Located at 227 35 Ave. NE, Citizen Brewing features a large variety of beers themed after Mexican styles or Pacific Northwest Styles. Citizen Brewing also has a number of community initiatives it supports. They also have great food.

Establishment Brewing: Located at 4407 1 St. SE, Establishment Brewing won both Canadian and Albertan Brewery of the Year in 2021. Boasting an upscale vibe with a casual atmosphere, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at this popular brewery that keeps winning accolades for good reason.

Annex Ale: Located at 4323 1 St. SE, Annex Ale says their beer is for beer drinkers and big thinkers, with beer that’s unconventional and the product of experimentation. While they’ve got Italian beers, golden ales, and IPAs, Annex Ale also has a soda shop connected to it where they make root beer, ginger beer, Saskatoon lemonade, and classic cola.

DISTILLERIES

Last Best: Located at 607 11 Ave. SW, Last Best is not only a brewery but a distillery as well. Taking its name from a historical initiative called “The Last Best West,” they produce their own high-end gin along with their beers of varying flavours and styles.

Confluence Distilling: Located at 507 36 Ave. SE, Confluence specializes as a craft distillery. They use local flavours and ingredients to make unique craft cocktails and spirits. Confluence has a wide variety of cocktails and spirits from Moscow Mules to Mai Tai’s to Daquaris. Yum!

Burwood: Located at 4127 6 St. NE, Burwood is a distillery that crafts its spirits by hand and sources local ingredients to make them. While Burwood offers bottles to take their spirits home, they also have a lounge for visitors to come in and enjoy a drink or two on location. The founders struck out to create a unique experience by handcrafting everything from the ground up.

Bridgeland Distillery: Located at 77 Edmonton Trail NE, Bridgeland specializes in brandy and whiskey. Bridgeland Distillery has won six awards at the Alberta Spirits Awards and 10 medals at the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition. Additionally, it has won Alberta Distillery of the Year.

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