Every year we run our famous Beer School and always want to make it an unforgettable experience for our beer lovers. This year is no different and we will be unveiling more great news as we get closer to the event.
Edmonton’s International Beer Fest and Liquor Depot are very happy to announce Patrick McMurray as one of our Beer School teacher at this years festival. We are looking forward to having Patrick McMurray teach us about oysters, oyster shucking and beer pairing.
Patrick McMurray
Patrick is a World Champion Oyster Shucker, and author of a book on oysters, entitled “Consider the Oyster – A Shucker’s Field Guide.” He is the proud owner of Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill restaurant in downtown Toronto. Patrick has been bringing oysters and fresh fish to the city for the past 7 years for all to enjoy.
You can check out more at: Shucker Paddy
Stay tuned to find out when and how to sign up for this incredible experience!
If you love beer, a visit to BeerFest is a must. You get to drink loads of beer of various brands, in the company of fellow beer lovers. Just pay the entrance fee and you can drink beer to your heart’s delight! However, to ensure you enjoy yourself and don’t end up doing something you will regret after all that beer, here is a quick beer festival survival guide to help you.
1. An empty stomach won’t help you enjoy more brews. Eat a meal before you start the beer binge or your enjoyment will last only a few beer rounds. However, don’t eat any spicy foods as they will only destroy your ability to properly taste a mug of beer.
2. Hydrate yourself! Drink lots of water, your day at the beer festival will be very long and hot!
3. Take your time. You have come to the beer festival to enjoy yourself and your beer. Pace yourself and enjoy as many types and mugs of beer as possible. Don’t drink uncontrollably, relax and just taste the beer and either dump it or take your time to drink it. The festival lasts for hours. No one’s racing – just relax and enjoy your day!
4. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Shoes matter a lot as seating is limited. You will spend lots of time moving from one beer booth to the next, so wear comfortable shoes.
5. Bring cash. Cash is important to buy some things with so many beer vendors and food to try. Though some vendors accept credit cards and the festival might have ATMs, it’s more convenient if you carry some cash.
6. Take notes. You never know; you may find some beer you like and no matter how strong your memory is, you won’t remember the names after all the beers, so carry some way of remembering. I like to take cell phone photos of the bottle to help me, but you may prefer the old-fashioned pen and paper method.
7. “If lost please send to.” If you traveled from out of town, it’s also a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel or sleep accommodations. That way at the end of the night, you know where to have the taxi deliver you. Large amounts of beer can sometimes affect the memory.
8. Take lots of photos. Last, but not least, a camera is a must at any beer festival. You get to see many crazy things worth clicking to remember. Share your pics with others to give them an idea of how great a beer festival actually is!
Survival Guide
Edmonton BeerFest International Beer Festival Craft Alberta Edmonton BeerFest
Buses will be running from International BeerFest to Urban Tavern nightly so that you can easily join in the party!
Launch Party – Thursday April 12
Help us kick off this year’s BeerFest at our Thursday night launch party!
VIP Vendor Reception: 7 – 9 pm
Official Launch Party: 9pm – close
Official Afterparty – Saturday April 14
Wrap up the weekend in the best way, with an awesome afterparty! There’s $4.50 Mill Street on tap and $3 highballs (10 pm – close) if you’ve had enough beer for the weekend.The party starts at 9pm with a live DJ!
All things beer! Edmonton’s Beer Fest 2017 presents Beer School, a compilation of classes all about beer. They’ll be in session all through out the day. Please read below for the schedule. Don’t miss out!
Friday, March 24, 2017
4:20 pm – 4:50 pm – Beer Tasting 101 with Sarah Kutryk
Learn to appreciate great spring/summer beers from a selection of local greats.
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm – Beer Tasting 101 with Sarah Kutryk
Learn to appreciate great spring/summer beers from a selection of local greats.
6:35 pm – 7:05 pm – Craft Beer Geography with AB Craft Beer Guide
Get the lay of the land on AB craft breweries and where you can find them.
8:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Beer Art Class with Angela Skaley, owner of Arty Party
Once again Beer School is proud to offer the “Make your own Beer Coaster” class hosted by Arty Party. You will create your very own coasters and sample some of the great beers we have to offer here at Beerfest.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm – Beerducation 201 with Cicerone Devyn Jones
Ale VS Lagers.
4:30 pm – 5:15 pm – Brewing Chemistry with Mill Street Brewery
Meet Mill Street Brew Master! Learn the tips, and get some sips!
6:20 pm – 6:50 pm – Craft Social Studies with Master Cicerone Michelle Tham
Learn about the history, the present, and the future of Goose Island with Michelle Tham.
7:50 pm – 8:20 pm – Craft Beer Geography with AB Craft Guide
Get the lay of the land on AB craft breweries and where you can find them.
We are looking forward to seeing you there. Get your tickets here.
This year’s highly anticipated event is quickly approaching us. You can expect nothing less than an unforgettable weekend not only full of great beer to taste, but we will be featuring specially selected and talented musicians for 2017. Read below for the scheduled lineup for this year’s event music entertainment. Also, get to know more about the musicians who will be taking the stage.
Friday, March 24
5:45–6:30 pm – Lucas Chaisson
https://lucaschaisson.com/ Click here for video
An honest and confident songwriter, Lucas Chaisson isn’t afraid to tread familiar ground with new eyes. Lucas’ latest release, Telling Time—produced by Grammy winner Colin Linden—made its debut at #2 on the CKUA Charts and remained in the Top 30 for over a month. Lucas was pleased to recently receive a 2015 WCMA nomination for “Roots Solo Recording of the Year” as well as a place on the Edmonton Music Prize Short-List.
Both of Lucas’ previous full-length recordings Growing Pains, and No Loitering, received Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for “Young Performer of the Year”. And, in November 2012, Lucas became one of only seven Alberta artists to win a Canadian Folk Music Award.
The strong songwriting showcased on his recordings, and his ability to make an emotional connection with his audience has garnered him the opportunity to play high profile venues such as the Edmonton, Calgary, Canmore, Vancouver Island and Winnipeg Folk Festivals. These strong showings have also led to performances at The Epcor Center for the Performing Arts, the Arden Theatre and numerous Folk Clubs and soft seat venues across Western Canada.
7:10–7:55 pm – Jay Gilday 
http://jaygilday.com/ Click here for video
As a songwriter, Jay threads together the colours of his own ancestral traditions: Dene spirituals, Irish ballads, Canadian folk and rock. He was raised in a family of accomplished musicians on the tundra of Yellowknife, where his music electrifies its never-ending days and nights.
Whether on the main stage of a summer festival or headlining a shadowy cabaret, Jay captivates. He is equally arresting as a solo performer, crooning over acoustic guitar and piano, as the front-man of an eight-piece rock band, baiting dance floors with infectious hooks and boundless energy.
What sets Jay apart is the unfailing authenticity that accompanies his rare talents. His craft is unfettered by pageantry or put-on, and the intensity of his delivery is a product of conviction, rather than coaching. Jay Gilday has a rare convergence of skills in the world of singer-songwriters.
His neatly trimmed and powerful turns of phrase, an ability to pull the listener into a particularly vivid experience, and a warm vocal instrument coupled with a dynamic instrumental foundation, make for a formidable and complete skill set.
8:35–9:20 pm – Miss Rae & Jimmy Guiboche 
http://missraemusic.com/ Click here for video
A woman of wanderlust, Miss Rae has taken a blues journey in her early twenties travelling throughout the southern states, following in the footsteps of Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf, and singing on porches and in venues under the Mississippi heat. She’s also lived and performed in Winnipeg, assembling the formidable Midnight Ramblers, and has crossed the waters to France, living in Paris for nearly two years. While in Paris, she performed at the 2015 Festival Jazz Sur Seine, among other notable shows. Now, at 25 years old, she returns to Canada, presently based in Edmonton, and is working on writing her sophomore album to be released in 2018.
Miss Rae is joined by veteran blues guitarist Jimmy Guiboche, who has spent over two decades earning his solid reputation as one of Alberta’s premier blues figures. He is known not only as a dependable sideman for prominent blues artists such as James Harman, Lazy Lester, Mojo Buford and the Prime Minister of the Blues, Dutch Mason, but also as bandleader for his own group, Jimmy and the Sleepers. His raw style is a throwback to another time, and has earned him solid respect as a mainstay on the Alberta blues scene.
Nurtured by crackling vinyl, living room jams and music festivals, Miss Rae bares her soul on stage. Fiery lyrics channel tales of former lives, while unveiling hushed histories riddled with hardships, valour and desire. She also explores her Métis / African heritage through song. Miss Rae has been compared to the bold voices of Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, Brittany Howard, and Amy Winehouse.
Saturday, March 25
photo by J McLaughlin
5:30–6:15 pm – John Guliak
https://johnguliak.com/ Click here for video
John Guliak is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has been performing original and traditional roots music for over 20 years. He’s been a part of the prairie folk scene for most of his musical career, and though he’s resided in many Canadian locales, Edmonton is where he is currently creating his richly compelling cracked-leather country. His live shows have been praised for their honesty and intensity, and there are very few Canadian Roots acts he hasn’t shared the stage with.
John’s music comes from a unique place, both physical and psychological. His songs reflect the poetic and political observations John has made while pursuing his musical journey. These experiences are portrayed through songs that lament the displacement of our rural populations to the inner cities of our major metropolitan areas while celebrating the cultures that persevere.
The songs that result have been compared to those of other uniquely Canadian voices such as Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen. His whiskey and cigarettes baritone, described in Nerve Magazine as, “one of those character voices that should almost be trademarked,” places him in the company of such singers as Merle Haggard, The Handsome Family’s Brent Sparks and Rufus Wainwright.
7:00–7:45 pm – Kimberley MacGregor 
https://kimberleymacgregor.com/ Click here for video
Kimberley MacGregor is a powerful performer and roots musician who writes music for humans. She unapologetically exposes universal emotions that people tend to conceal. “I especially want young women to hear my music—and be filled with strength and dignity—instead of the messages that are all too prevalent in the media,” says Kimberley.
In 2013, she launched her original songs into the world and took centre stage. She has since released two full-length albums and was awarded Female Artist of the Year at both the 2015 and 2016 Edmonton Music Awards. She lovingly crafts and passionately performs songs that will move your heart, change your mind and stomp your feet. Weaving seamlessly between blues, folk and rock, her common threads are strength, vulnerability and badassery, always sizzling with soul. Kimberley is working on a new album due out in 2017 with tours across Canada and Europe planned.
8:25–9:10 pm – The Fronts 
http://thefronts.ca/ Click here for video
With over 6 decades of combined musical experience, the Fronts journey into independent music is the sum total of 3 lifetimes worth of musical ideas, concepts, and collaboration that need to get out before it’s too late.
Based in Edmonton, the band consists of David Forster on Vocals and bass, Dominic Lacroix on Vocals & guitars, and Troy Hrushka on drums. Atmospheric, melodic, and driven by two powerhouse vocalists, this 3-piece delivers a near impossible depth of sonic delivery and song writing. Each member brings their own different influences to the band, which creates their unique sound—a cross of 80s and 90s moody shoe gazer rock, with a modern undertone.
We can’t wait to see you at this year’s Beerfest. Remember to purchase your tickets in advance. Edmonton’s International Beerfest has sold out consecutively for the past six years. Get your ticket today! Click here for tickets.
With football season approaching, you all know what that means: lots of parties and get togethers and the guys enjoying an ice cold brewski. In a recent article it discussed how beer can be such a great pairing with different varieties of food. What types of lager taste best with certain types of foods? Well, here’s your answers so you can plan your football bashes accordingly.
The first food to pair beer with is the inevitable sandwiches/ pizza combo. Any type will go with these types of foods as they just so happen to taste great with cheese. When it comes to pairing with sushi, always go for a 100% malt, as this is what will taste best with raw fish. As for chicken, pasta and seafood, light beer always goes best. Whichever lager you choose, it’s good to have guidelines to point you in the right direction of which type will go best.
When you pair a lager with snacks or meals, you want it to taste great with the food you are serving. You can pair the right type of beverage to your meal to ensure your guests are happiest and enjoying heir meal or snacks. Just like wine, lagers of all kinds have matching pairs as well!
