And there are plenty examples of those types of beers selling in rural Alberta. The Session Ale is very accommo- dating to those people that like the blonde light beer.” But not to worry. The IPA makes an appearance in the form of their “Longshadows India Pale Ale.” It’s an American-style IPA, stronger and more aromatic on the hop side. It leads the charge into their list of original-recipe craft brews with stronger flavours. They brew a smokey porter, a rotating saison that changes with the season, a kettle sour and a stout, to name a few. And similar to their labels, Blindman’s website will give the beer geeks all the stats they need to satisfy their palettes and their curiosity.
and flavour. “It has a very dry finish but still has a lot of flavour to it. It’s not a bitter beer. We use the hops to create flavour and aroma rather than extracting the bitterness,” Groendahl points out. “We focus on the flavour! We brew the beers we like to drink.” The Session Ale remains their best seller, to the point that they find it challenging to keep up with demand. Not sur- prising, as many new ‘craft converts’ tend toward the more accessible, less hoppy session-type ales as their gateway into bolder- tasting beers. Doef points out that they did their market research and concluded that a blonde lighter beer would fit nicely into their rural market. “It does sell.
“The spectrum of beers is so wide, and we love beers on the whole spectrum,” Doef explains. “People often ask why
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2018
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