Over the past few years, Alberta has been blessed with a serious influx of amazing breweries and micro-breweries that have each brought their own unique charm and flavour to our province’s food and beverage scene. Many of us have had the privilege of gaining a refined taste in beer recently, and those big brands simply won’t cut it anymore. If you’re like us and you’re always on the hunt for new and exciting local beer, we’ve got a brewery for you today that you need to add to your Alberta brew bucket list ASAP.
We’re excited to introduce you to Valley Brewing, located in the iconic town of Drumheller. Drumheller has several claims to fame, many of which are dinosaur-related. They’ve got the World’s Largest Dinosaur, the iconic Dinosaur Provincial Park, and some of the most uniquely gorgeous terrain in the province. But, what they also have is a delightful little brewery that some customers happily road trip from out of town to visit. We’re not exaggerating. Just give their reviews a gander.
Customers rave about the massive selection, incredible vibes, welcoming environment, and delicious beer. Valley Brewing is Drumheller’s first and only micro-brewery, so you better believe that they’ve got a large and loyal customer base. Honestly, we’d be more accurate to call it a cult following at this point. The location can be found in downtown Drumheller, and they’ve got an amazing heated and shaded patio for you to kick back on while you throw back a beer or three. There are seven main beers on tap at all times, as well as several additional, ever-changing seasonal taps.
These beers are brewed and served in the Badlands for you to enjoy. The owners pride themselves on using locally grown, sustainable products, and they brew in a wide range of styles, including light, dark, simple, complex, dry, sour, hoppy, and the list goes on. They’re aware that they’re located in a tourist destination, so they aim to give the people something to remember with unique and interesting flavours.
The tasting room is homey, warm, and inviting. It’s got a lovely, modern vibe to it that people can’t seem to get enough of. If you visit in the summer months, you better be on that patio. You’ll find their lovely green space, as well, which is connected to Munchie Park. Now that you’ve got a general picture of the place let’s talk about the drinks.
We’ll start by saying that if you’re not looking to drink pints, they also offer cider and beer cocktails, as well as some non-alcoholic options. There’s always a large selection that you can buy to take home in growlers, or you can settle in and enjoy the atmosphere along with your delicious beer.
Their year-round beers include the Capstone Pilsner, Devils Row Coffee Lager, discover Mixed Berry Ale, Full Steam Copper Lager, Namesake Hazy IPA, Prairie Icon Farmhouse Ale, Virtue Juicy Pake Ale, and the Wayne Light Lager. These are all jam-packed with flavour and really cover the full spectrum, so you can definitely get something to suit your taste and craving. Now, let’s talk about the seasonal taps.
As we said, the seasonal taps are ever-changing. Still, right now, you can find the Luminary Pilsney, May Day Blackberry + Lemon Sour, May Day Cherry Sour, May Day Orange + Vanilla Sour, May Day Peach + Pineapple + Mango Sour, and the May Day Strawberry Rhubarb Sour, to name a few.
These creative beers are delicious and will definitely have you coming back for more. The only issue is choosing which to try first. Luckily, you don’t have to. You can order a flight and sample multiple beers at once.
Britanny Burr is a freelance writer and a contributor to Great West Media. This story was written for the 2023/24 Cool Winter Guide advertising feature. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.
