Calgary's Village Brewery revamps its taproom

Familiar but different. Village Brewery has undergone a transformation to bring its taproom a new design that provides a spot to gather and commune over a beer. With the transformation, Village hopes to offer customers a comfortable and welcoming space to enjoy events, concerts, and more. On top of this renovation, Village will open an additional transformable event space above the taproom later this spring. This space, with views of the brewery, will be open to host events and gatherings of all kinds.

We spoke with Village Brewery brand manager Jackson Stuart about the changes and what to expect at the new and improved Village Brewery.

Tell us about the Village transformation.

The space, which has undergone a complete transformation, was designed by local award-winning studio Sarah Ward Interiors to be an approachable and easygoing place to gather and commune. The interior is composed of humble and hand-crafted materials (like plywood, concrete, and pegboard) elevated with smart design alongside industrial lighting fixtures and amusing accessories to add a layer of elective interest to the space. It will fan the familiar feeling of gathering over beers that Village has been known for, but this head-to-toe renovation is about what’s next: creating endless opportunities for the next generation of Village Brewery with expanded space for everything from casual meet-ups to concerts and exhibitions to elegant long-table dinners.

What are some of your favourite features about the new space?

We are very excited to have a completely renovated space designed by Sarah Ward Interiors. The taproom is on the main floor and a fully transformable event space is on the second floor (opening in early June), designed to gather community members in all forms from concerts, art shows, meetings, and weddings. We have a brand new full food menu created by Chef Don Saviak of ABC Outpost Kitchen, which is a bbq-inspired menu curated to pair with our selection of craft beers and ciders.

Can you share some of the menu highlights?

The beer menu features everything from the essential Blonde, blacksmith and Wit, to the exploratory Binge Watch New Zealand Pale Ale and Pet Peeve Italian Pilsner. Rotating taps also give us an opportunity to provide experiences that cannot be found anywhere else, including an exclusive blueberry sour, a Nitro-infused version of Village Blacksmith, and a Hard Ice Tea that you won’t find anywhere else.

What was the vision for this space?

The vision was to evolve the Village taproom experience in a way that is still the familiar warm and welcoming atmosphere that people know Village for, with a contemporized experience - brand new beer, updated merch pieces, full food experience!

How has Village grown over the years?

Village’s ethos has always been about gathering over a beer (or two). Over the years we have found new ways to accomplish that and new communities to reach. This new space is another opportunity for us to connect to the community while sharing a beer.