Corporation Brewpub.

Last night ended with a quick stop at Edmonton's one and only brewpub, Brewsters. It feels like your typical Alberta corporate restaurant only this restaurant has a gorgeous brewery built in the middle of it. I was accompanied by my friend Karl who used to serve, manage and even spent some time as the Brewmasters assistant at this particular location (Oliver Square).

Edmonton boasts a whopping five Brewsters locations, thirteen in total, the others being in Calgary and Regina, Saskatchewan (Regina being the birthplace). The Oliver location is actually the only Edmonton restaurant with an actual brewery, which apparently brews and shares a smaller amount of beer with the other locations. The rest of the beer being brewed in a large facility in Calgary and shipped around the province. They have an impressive amount of brews for such a small space, all available fresh from the tanks. Hand crafted by a talented German brewmaster. From what Karl tells me, this gent is the "creative brain" behind the Brewsters seasonal beers, and the most consistent brewer in the Alberta sector of Brewsters.

The restaurant itself is a cliche Alberta corporate eatery (this being a large building run by fresh faced post-teens, multiple dinning areas, two bars, Flat screen TV's everywhere, loud obnoxious pop music, and uninspired North American style bar food). But the beer....is actually decent.

I had the Brewsters sample platter consisting of five 5oz draft pours of my choice. I decided on: Czech Pilsner, Flying Frog Lager, Rig Pig Pale Ale, Lanigan's Irish Ale, and The Shaughnessy Stout. My seemingly 17 year old barkeep poured my platter, and I dove in. I brought a notebook with me to write stuff down, but between my conversation with Karl about beer and our current lives, I soon realized that my investigatory journalism skills are lacking and I was more into the drinking than the drink. Although, the beers that did stand out in my platter were 1) The Rig Pig Pale Ale. It had a potent hops punch right off the bat with a delightful full flavor and floral nose. Pale Amber in color, and a finish that decided to stick around for a while so you didn't lose interest in coming back for more. 2)The Shaughnessy Stout. Now, this stout isn't amazing, but its a smooth drink. A beginners stout if you will. Medium body with a nice mouth feel, not to complex. Creamy, dry and finishes fast and clean. The hops barely make an appearance. She's easy.

There are plenty more beers to try at Brewsters in the future. Next time I'l try to be more focus on the beer, but this trip was all about the good company. The sample platters are great when you want to try everything they have quickly, but the tiny glasses don't let the beers show their true colors. Its nearly impossible to agitate any life out of the brew, so getting a good deep breath of the aroma is tough. And they get warm fast, so if you want a crisp fresh drink at number 4 or 5 you must act fast.

Overall, since it's Edmonton's only brewpub you take what you can get. Try to block out the annoying kids and tv's in the background and admire the beautiful copper fermenting tanks behind the glass. The beer is fresh and extremely drinkable. They have a large patio in the summer so bring a friend and enjoy!