Calgary breweries hopping on craft soda bandwagon - Action News
Home WebMail Sunday, November 10, 2024, 11:01 PM | Calgary | 0.4°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Calgary

Calgary breweries hopping on craft soda bandwagon

Beer not your thing? Fret not Calgary's craft breweries have something else bubbling up to the surface.

Owners and operators say sales and availability of craft sodas are steadily increasing

Craft sodas are starting to trend on the Calgary craft brewery scene at places like Dandy and at Annex Ale Project. (Axel Tardieu/Radio-Canada)

Calgary's craft breweries arebubbling up something other than their typical concoctions.

At Annex Ale Project,in southeast Calgary, soda flavours like root beer, Saskatoon lemonadeand craft cola are on the menu alongside the more traditional brews.

The brewery is just one of several in the city that is getting in on thecraft soda scene.

"We want to basically take the craft ideals behind craft beer and apply that to sodas," saidAndrew Bullied, director of brewing operations at Annex Ale Project.

"We're trying to basically bring sodas back to being this homemade and artisanal thing."

Annex Ale Project has sold non-alcoholic drinks since 2016.

Andrew Bullied, director of brewing operations at Annex Ale Project, said the brewery is focused on bringing sodas back to being homemade and artisanal. (Axel Tardieu/Radio-Canada)

Beer is still its main business, Bullied said. But the craft sodas which are handmade and made with whole ingredients whenever possible now make up a quarter of the brewery's sales.

It's caught on at other breweries, too. After a customer survey, the Dandy Brewing Company started making soda this summer andnow sells the productat 25 locations.

"People look to craft beers for ingenuity and what's coming next, and there's an expectation of quality," said Ben Leon, Dandyco-owner.

"That procedure and everything is the best it can be at a craft brewery but it doesn't have to just be beer."

Moreconsumers are looking for alternative options when they go to restaurants, in part because it's now more sociallyacceptable to seek non-alcoholic options "for a variety of reasons," said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhouse University in Halifax.

Annex Ale Project is one Calgary brewery in the business of selling craft sodas, offering flavours like craft cola, Saskatoon lemonade, ginger beer and root beer. (Axel Tardieu/CBC)

It's smart for businesses to expand and carry non-alcoholic options so they do not lose the patronage of those who do not consume alcohol,Charlebois said, adding that such options are more common in Europe.

Leopold's Taverncarries a number of locally-produced craft sodas and regional manager David Sauvehas noticed an uptick in interest.

"We're just a gathering spotwe're a spot for the community to come together and spend time,hang out and have fun and feel like a part of the mix," Sauve said.

"Having options for everyone is super important to us."

With files from Axel Tardieu