CANMORE – Brewing up support for the Legion Poppy Fund, Sheepdog Brewing is serving up a freshly brewed blonde ale for Remembrance Day.
The idea to create a Remembrance Day beer has been distilling in Sheepdog Brewing Company co-owner Allan Russell’s head for a long time.
“I’ve had the vision to do a Remembrance Day beer for a few years now,” Russell said. “I’ve got a lot of friends who are in the military.”
This year marks the first time Sheepdog Brewing has had a Remembrance Day beer, he said, adding that he hopes it will become an annual tradition.
The beer will help raise money for the Poppy Fund and was brewed with help from veterans living in the Bow Valley.
Russell served as a member of the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Third Battalion based out of Edmonton from 1998 to 2001.
“We don’t get together to often as veterans here in the Bow Valley,” Russell said, adding that brewing the beer served as a way to bring them closer together.
He said they enjoyed creating the blonde ale because it was a chance to chat, check-in and find out what people are up to.
Around nine veterans worked together to create the beer, Russell said. He hopes to see the number of participants grow each year.
“Hopefully we get some more veterans out to help,” Russell said. “It can be a get together brewing the beer."
Veterans Christopher Vincent and Stan Nachtigahl helped to brew the Remembrance Day beer.
It was the first time either of them had brewed beer, Nachtigahl said. They each had important roles in helping create the ale, he said with a grin, adding that he had the privilege of adding the hops, while Vincent emptied the grain and tackled the “manual labour.”
Nachtigahl estimates that around 50 veterans are living in the Bow Valley ranging from those who served in the Second World War to those who served in more recent events like Bosnia and Afghanistan.
“We did a call to arms one night and we had people coming out of the woodworks,” Nachtigahl said. “We’ve had a couple of get-togethers in the valley and this is another one of those things.”
There is a tradition of helping fellow veterans, Nachtigahl said, explaining that they continue to look after each other even when their service is over. The creation of the blonde ale is the continuing on of that practice.
“There’s a really integral community of veterans here [in the Bow Valley],” Vincent said.
It is important to honour veterans, Nachtigahl said because they gave Canada and other countries the freedoms they have today.
“I think standing on guard for your country and for what you believe in is why we pay homage to our veterans," he added.
Canada has a long history of the citizen-soldier, Vincent added, explaining that for generations military members were farmers, bankers and teachers who answered the “call to arms” in times of crisis.
“They helped create Canada to what it is today,” Vincent said. “It’s really important to remember them.”
It was a neat experience helping craft the Remembrance Day beer Vincent said, because Sheepdog Brewing reached out to American veterans who are brewers to get the hops for the beer.
The beer is blonde ale that uses the “Veterans Blend” hops. The hops are created by a group of veterans, Russell said, who partnered with Yakima Chief Hops to create the “Veterans Blend Hop.”
“It’s a nice light easy drinking beer,” Russell said, adding that it will come in around five per cent alcohol.
The beer will only be available at the Canmore Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3 and Exshaw Royal Canadian Legion Branch 179. The Sheepdog Brewing blonde ale will be officially released on Remembrance Day (Nov. 11), with 100 per cent of the profits will go to the Poppy Fund.
“I’m hoping we can sell it out all in one day,” Russell said with a grin.
