Saddledome Draft Beer Changes

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

i don't understand why big rock isn't the domes beer, isn't it local ? i sure loved the pale ale and honey brown back in the day (90's). Or is big rock not good anymore?

Well, the simple answer is they were outbid.

[Bandwagon Surfer]

Other stadiums I have been to have had both
• Stadium beer sold at the generic concessions - usually a mass market beer
• Local craft beer sold at brewery specific concessions - renting spaces to local vendors



I have always wondered why it is not like that here. I get that the people getting the stadium beer contract would prefer not to have competition from other vendors, but other stadiums have figured out how to make it work economically. As a fan it is so much nicer to have the choices available. The food from the vendors is usually great too.

[Canadianman]

Originally Posted by chedder

Village yes but Wild Rose is owned by Sleeman. I agree with your point though. I was super excited with banded peak in the dome until I found out they are owned by Labatt. So many great Iocals beers its too bad a few couldn't get into the rotation.

The fact that Labatt bought Banded Peak didn't change anything about their beer. It's still made locally, from the same ingredients, by the same people.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by the2bears

What is the basis for your comparison?

Taste tests done by nomadic Mongolian horsemen.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by speede5

Great Western has come a long way and are a nice prairie success story. In a world of bland off the shelf beer they have a decent product. Trying to please a rink full of consumers you need something palatable to the masses and local craft beer wouldn't fly.

If they bring in the O16 copper it is a decent option, we have it on tap at the MJ rink but not at the Riders stadium so I assume you will be stuck with O16 and Light.

You can get that in cans at a few places on the concourse.
Haven't seen it on tap though.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Canadianman

The fact that Labatt bought Banded Peak didn't change anything about their beer. It's still made locally, from the same ingredients, by the same people.

For the true beer snob, it's not only about the beer, it's equally about sticking it to large corporations. Which is why when local breweries sell to large companies somehow many people's taste changes overnight. It's kinda a funny attitude to have because the craft beer industry is responsible for the extinguishment of the life savings of many proprietors. Why can't we celebrate and continue to patronage the successful brands created that were sold to give craft brewers a profitable exit strategy?

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

I still can't believe people think that they were magically boosting the alcohol content of something extremely mass produced for one specific customer while risking massive regulatory impacts.

I don't think people believe that. What we believe is that the beer is so old and stale that evaporation, bacteria, and re-use of half empty servings has combined to create a symbiotic mini-ecosystem within the beer. Presto. Heroin beer. Makes total sense and you can't tell me otherwise.

[dufferdan]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

i don't understand why big rock isn't the domes beer, isn't it local ? i sure loved the pale ale and honey brown back in the day (90's). Or is big rock not good anymore?

For a contract like the Saddledome, you would need a pretty significant volume commitment. Big Rock has a pretty wide variety of beers and likely brews in smaller quantities per batch. So producing a large enough volume to supply the dome with a single or two beers is likely a challenge.

GW Brewing is the entity that bought the old Labatts brewery in Saskatoon I believe. Basically taken over by the workers on the buyout when Labatts closed it in the early/mid-90’s. As such, it has the large industrial scale fermenters and lagering tanks for larger volume batches. So it can easily handle a Saddledome style contract with two main beers, on light and one high-test.

I think the Original 16 is fine, far better than Bud or Canadian.

Interesting story about GW Brewing. I used to make my own beer. The guy that owned the shop I got my supplies at decided to partner with some buddies and make their own beer to sell. They came up with Brew Brothers Black Lager. Really good beer. GW had just formed and was contract brewing as well as getting their own stuff going, so Brew Brothers talked to them about contract brewing their Black Lager. As it turned out, the brewmaster was ex-Labatts. The BB team had to teach him how to brew an all-malt beer. About 50-60% of fermentables in Labatts and Molson beers are dextrose or corn sugar. He had never done an all malt beer on an industrial scale before.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by dufferdan

For a contract like the Saddledome, you would need a pretty significant volume commitment. Big Rock has a pretty wide variety of beers and likely brews in smaller quantities per batch. So producing a large enough volume to supply the dome with a single or two beers is likely a challenge.

GW Brewing is the entity that bought the old Labatts brewery in Saskatoon I believe. Basically taken over by the workers on the buyout when Labatts closed it in the early/mid-90’s. As such, it has the large industrial scale fermenters and lagering tanks for larger volume batches. So it can easily handle a Saddledome style contract with two main beers, on light and one high-test.

I think the Original 16 is fine, far better than Bud or Canadian.

Interesting story about GW Brewing. I used to make my own beer. The guy that owned the shop I got my supplies at decided to partner with some buddies and make their own beer to sell. They came up with Brew Brothers Black Lager. Really good beer. GW had just formed and was contract brewing as well as getting their own stuff going, so Brew Brothers talked to them about contract brewing their Black Lager. As it turned out, the brewmaster was ex-Labatts. The BB team had to teach him how to brew an all-malt beer. About 50-60% of fermentables in Labatts and Molson beers are dextrose or corn sugar. He had never done an all malt beer on an industrial scale before.

It was actually the Carling O'Keefe brewery in downtown. I think they had just been acquired by Molson and then shut down.

Labatt's was across the river and was just shut down. Same with Molson's in Regina.

[dufferdan]

Originally Posted by speede5

It was actually the Carling O'Keefe brewery in downtown. I think they had just been acquired by Molson and then shut down.

Labatt's was across the river and was just shut down. Same with Molson's in Regina.

Thanks fir the correction. My bad. Broader aspects of the discussion are still valid.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by 3thirty

They sell it on tap too still.

Do they? I'll have to try finding those taps tonight. I'm guessing potentially at the bar under/beside the stairs on the concourse that go up to the restaurant.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Do they? I'll have to try finding those taps tonight. I'm guessing potentially at the bar under/beside the stairs on the concourse that go up to the restaurant.

yeah the biggest location is I think where you are hinting at- near the largest Fanatic- they have a multi-tap banded peak setup


there are a few smaller stands scattered throughout

[McG]

Originally Posted by dufferdan

For a contract like the Saddledome, you would need a pretty significant volume commitment. Big Rock has a pretty wide variety of beers and likely brews in smaller quantities per batch. So producing a large enough volume to supply the dome with a single or two beers is likely a challenge.

GW Brewing is the entity that bought the old Labatts brewery in Saskatoon I believe. Basically taken over by the workers on the buyout when Labatts closed it in the early/mid-90’s. As such, it has the large industrial scale fermenters and lagering tanks for larger volume batches. So it can easily handle a Saddledome style contract with two main beers, on light and one high-test.

I think the Original 16 is fine, far better than Bud or Canadian.

Interesting story about GW Brewing. I used to make my own beer. The guy that owned the shop I got my supplies at decided to partner with some buddies and make their own beer to sell. They came up with Brew Brothers Black Lager. Really good beer. GW had just formed and was contract brewing as well as getting their own stuff going, so Brew Brothers talked to them about contract brewing their Black Lager. As it turned out, the brewmaster was ex-Labatts. The BB team had to teach him how to brew an all-malt beer. About 50-60% of fermentables in Labatts and Molson beers are dextrose or corn sugar. He had never done an all malt beer on an industrial scale before.

Good story! Thank you.

Especially with the darker malts, you can really enjoy the molasses pulling the darker flavours through the beer. Dextrose in particular is a cleaner taste, meaning that it doesn’t really add a lot of flavour. It makes sense that the Labatt’s guy knew how to make a lager!

[LowellK21]

Thought the Original 16 beer was pretty good. I'll take just about anything over Budlight, so I guess I'm a little jaded there

[GioforPM]

I had the pale ale outta a can. It was OK.

In Duttons they still have other stuff on tap as well. Stella, for example.

[dufferdan]

Originally Posted by McG

Good story! Thank you.

Especially with the darker malts, you can really enjoy the molasses pulling the darker flavours through the beer. Dextrose in particular is a cleaner taste, meaning that it doesn’t really add a lot of flavour. It makes sense that the Labatt’s guy knew how to make a lager!

I find too much dextrose results in very cidery overtones.

Had my first draft at the Saddledome in years last night. Clearly the pipes are clean. Wasn’t horrific at all. Normally I have a can from a vendor or go to the bar behind my seats for an Old Fashioned.

[McG]

Originally Posted by dufferdan

I find too much dextrose results in very cidery overtones.

Had my first draft at the Saddledome in years last night. Clearly the pipes are clean. Wasn’t horrific at all. Normally I have a can from a vendor or go to the bar behind my seats for an Old Fashioned.

So heroin beer demise is not a rumour?

[dufferdan]

Originally Posted by McG

So heroin beer demise is not a rumour?

Well, if the pipes aren’t kept clean, it will be back to heroin been within the season….


but some may appreciate that!


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