Craft breweries get chance to sell beer at Edmonton events and venues

Craft breweries from Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., have gained a foothold in a contract to provide beer to the Expo Centre and the Edmonton Convention Centre. 

Explore Edmonton, which runs the city-owned facilities, announced Friday that beer from Sea Change Brewing, Campio, Alley Kat, Jasper Brewing Company, and Troubled Monk will be sold at licensed events, along with products from Labatt Brewing, the organizations' official partner for the next 12 months. 

Large multinational beer companies are usually awarded sponsorship contracts, as they have the capacity to provide promotional and marketing support for events. 

Smaller operators are shut out because Alberta regulations grant exclusive sales rights to event sponsors. 

When Explore Edmonton issued a request for proposal earlier this year, small craft breweries were invited to apply. The RFP closed at the end of January.

It then took months of discussions with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) and Labatt to figure out how to make this arrangement comply with the rules, said Arlindo Gomes, vice-president of business development and venue management with Explore Edmonton. 

"We had to … try to understand what are the possible ways we could still have a a partnership with a company like Labatt and still facilitate the support for local products," Gomes said. "We were able to accomplish that."

Campio Brewing runs a popular brewery and restaurant in downtown Edmonton, and sells some of its products in cans through liquor stores. 

General manager Ray Burton says the agreement with Explore Edmonton offers an opportunity usually not available to a brewery Campio's size. 

"Typically there's exclusivity involved," he said. "So we're really excited that wasn't the case, not only to showcase our product, but to have other local craft breweries involved and just showcase the scene and the amazing products that the Edmonton craft beer scene have to offer."

Explore Edmonton has also added liquor from small-scale distilleries like Strathcona Spirits, Fort Distillery and Rig Hand to its product list. 

Gomes is happy with the outcome but suggests AGLC may want to review regulations to make it easier for other organizations that want to follow Explore Edmonton's example. 

"Certainly there is an opportunity for regulations to be reviewed and perhaps you know updated to a point where it allows for greater flexibility in this regard," Gomes said.