A new microbrewery is in the works for Grande Prairie. Grain Bin Brewing Co. is set to open later this month. One of its directors Dalen Landis says plans have been in the works for a couple of years now, since the province changed its liquor laws to remove the minimum volume requirements. That’s key for doing contract brewing – making an exclusive beer for a client.
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“Nobody has asked the AGLC about doing private events like weddings and sporting events, or festivals; that’s not something that has been offered in Alberta before, and we wanted to make sure that it was something that we could commit to before we told people that’s what we’re planning on doing.”
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They also benefited from a recent city decision to add commercial beer manufacturing facilities to Grande Prairie’s land use bylaw. The brewery is located in the Richmond Industrial Park, a spot that Landis says is ideal for what they have planned.
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“We’re not going to have a tap room at this point. You can come in to our location, you can buy beer, you can get your growler filled and we can give you a sample, but we’re not going to have a spot where you can sit down after work and have a beer. We found that there’s a lot of places already in town that offer a pretty good environment [already].”
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Landis says it can be difficult and expensive to get a tap in a bar, so instead they’ll be focusing more on the contract brewing, which can also be done for local establishments. They will also have their own seasonal beers, and will be getting the public to vote on what they’d like to see brewed.
Grain Bin Brewing is promoting itself through an Indiegogo fundraising page, which has perks for its early supporters.