You can find New Level Brewing at Calgary and Edmonton Beer Festivals. “We’re big fans of the Alberta Beer Fest. The best way to get a customer is to have them try your beer. That’s the great thing about festivals. No matter how big you think you’re getting, there are always tons of people who have never heard of you.” Ross is particularly proud of working with local charities who help people in need. “For Pride Week, we made a special Pride beer and a portion of the process went to Calgary Outlink, a non-profit that helps LGBTQ+ youth in distress. For International Women’s Day, one of our female team members designed a lavender IPA. A portion of the proceeds for that will go to the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter,” said Ross.
New Level beers are available at restaurants, bars and grocery stores across Alberta with limited availability in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The beers are also available in new craft specialty stores, Sobeys, Safeway and the Liquor Depot. Ross believes the craft beer industry is fighting to be taken as seriously as wine. “While I view that as important, it’s had the unintentional side effect of making beer perhaps too serious and slightly pre- tentious. It’s a double-edged sword. It helps liquor stores and restaurants take their beer selection as seriously as their wine selection. On the other side, there’s a lot of gatekeeping involved in what a true craft beer is. It makes the beer a little more conservative and maybe a little less accessible to the average person who just wants to enjoy a beer. You don’t need to know an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge about beer to just enjoy a beer,” said Ross.
Music continues to be important in the life of the brewery. “We also work with the local musical culture, especially punk rock and heavy metal. We sponsor metal shows and we’ll make them a custom beer and do a beer release to support that art community,” said Ross. “Our branding and theme are pretty different, and our beers are out there in terms of flavour profile. You won’t try our beer and forget about them. You may love them or you may hate them but you will remember us and you will remember our name,” Ross concluded.
51
50
JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
Made with FlippingBook Annual report