two days and do a pop up. The town goes nuts for it. The restaurants can’t believe it. In a small town, they’re expecting 30 people and they get 1000 people through there.” One of the biggest challenges the brewery faces today is interprovincial trade. The brewery strug - gles to get their beer exported to other prov - inces, although beers from any other province can be found in local liquor stores. “Our Alberta Small Growers Association has been fighting this for two years. We have a lot of fans Canada wide who would love to have our beer.” Dog Island Brewing runs 18 taps with nine core beers. “Then we have rotating beers, depending on the season and what’s around. We do fruit beers and some sours.”
sions had to be made about effluent waste and getting rid of spent grain. The doors opened at Dog Island Brewing on October 28, 2016. “The town really took to it from the first day. The taproom has been the hub of Slave Lake and for any tourists that come here, it is the first spot they want to come to and enjoy a pint. We’re on the biggest lake in Alberta” With the lake in the background, naming the brewery was the easy part. “There is one island on the lake that is a fair-sized island – called Dog Island.” The brewery is the only one within about 300+ km. Ben and his partner built their own pilot brewery. “We opened the doors with a little 55 gallon electric setup. Since we were electricians, electric was the way to go for us. We didn’t have to worry about gas or being outdoors. And we still use that system today for test batches.” The team expanded the brewery to include a 20 barrel, fully automated brewery and 4 double size tanks. “We just ordered two more triple size tanks - so we can make a lot of beer.” Currently, the brewery employs 12 staff, includ - ing four people in the back, a tap room manager, secretary and serving staff. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, food is not being served at this time. The culture at the brewery is laid back and do it yourself. “Since we’re so remote and since we’re all trades people when something has to be fixed or maintained, we chip in and do it ourselves. And we really take advantage of the summers. Winters here are a little bit longer than other places.” The team might take off on a nice Wednesday to go fishing or play golf and catch up on a rainy weekend. In the past, the brewery has hosted food trucks and participated in pop-ups with restaurants from Edmonton. “We distribute a lot of beer to Edmonton. So, we know a lot of small restaurant owners who support craft breweries. A lot of these restaurants like to come to Slave Lake for
“We have a lot of fans Canada wide who would love to have our beer.”
The Hulk S.M.A.S.H is another customer favorite. “S.M.A.S.H is an acronym for single malt and single hop. We try different malts and differ - ent hops all the time. That one has been really popular in our taproom so that beer is going to get scaled up to a big system and then we will can it and get it out as well.” Other beers include the Dog Island Blonde, a 1965 Old Town Porter, the Foggy Dew NEPA, Lip Pointer DIPA, and more. The town of Slave Lake has embraced the brewery, from 18-year-olds celebrating their first beer to old timers. “We have every type of person coming here. A neighbor of mine who’s 87 years old, comes in, sits down and just likes to enjoy a pint.”
“We have every type of person coming here. A neighbor of mine who’s 87 years old, comes in, sits down and just likes to enjoy a pint.”
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SEPTEMBER 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2020
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