The Pacific Northwest has always had something going on. A new brewery opening its doors in a converted warehouse. A distillery doing something unexpected with local botanicals. A roaster sourcing single-origin beans from somewhere you've never heard of and making you care about it.
The problem is it's all a bit scattered. Word of mouth, Instagram algorithms, stumbling across something by accident. There's no one place that pulls it together.
That's what this is.
The Northwest Edit is our regular look at what's worth knowing about across the BC and Alberta craft scene. New openings, seasonal releases, the people behind the brands and the stories that don't make it onto anyone's feed. We'll keep it honest, keep it specific and keep it rooted in the culture we actually care about.
No sponsored content. No filler. Just the things worth your attention.
What we're watching
Craft culture moves fast. Here's what's caught our eye lately.
The seasonal release calendar is starting to fill up across the Island and the Lower Mainland. Spring always brings out the experimental side of BC's brewing community -- hazy IPAs giving way to something lighter, more sessionable, built for the patio rather than the fireside. Watch this space as we start featuring the drops worth knowing about.
Victoria's independent coffee scene continues to quietly punch above its weight. The concentration of quality roasters in a city this size is genuinely unusual -- and the culture around it, the early morning ritual of it, is something the rest of Canada doesn't fully appreciate yet.
Alberta's craft distilling scene is the one most people outside the province are sleeping on. The grain-to-glass movement in Calgary and Edmonton has produced some genuinely world-class spirits over the last five years with almost no national profile. We'll be shining a light on those stories.
On the radar
A few things we're keeping an eye on as the season changes. New partner conversations happening across Victoria. The first NWCC drops taking shape. And a growing list of independent businesses across BC and AB who are doing things the right way and deserve more people knowing about it.
If you're building something in the craft space and think it belongs in this column, get in touch. We're always listening.
Until next time
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