Searching For The Perfect Brew(ery) - A Road Trip To Calgary

All work and no play isn’t a hard-and-fast rule with this crew. They’re inclined to lean towards the sentiment that it makes Joe dull and kills innovation, invention and inspiration, or towards being boringly predictable, which is an anomaly coming from an accountant, especially one who’s co-parenting a three-month-old baby.

When Emily finalised the departure date and time, it was a matter of hurriedly flinging a few garments into our bags; accommodation reservations would be made on the fly. Everything depended on Miss Maeva, her sleeping patterns, boob times or nappy changes. 

The Tesla had not yet been taken for a long spin. A road trip would be the perfect opportunity to test the electronics and the baby’s tolerance. No sooner were we securely belted than Miss Maeva fell asleep, and we swept swiftly through the Prairies.

Our first stop on the road trip was Calgary. Emily entered our destination, and the Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Company in Calgary’s Brewing District immediately caught our eye, setting the tone for our adventure.

On Google Maps, all the charging stations lit up, marking our pit stops. Perfectly timed, they were. They gave us ample opportunity to freshen up, have a coffee, and grab a snack. The quickest route would take us through places with the quaintest names, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, and Medicine Hat.   

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Moose Jaw has a history of tunnelling. According to one story, the tunnels were started by disgruntled Chinese railway workers in 1908, after several were attacked and killed at the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) yards. The Chinese moved underground and lived there for years. Later, during Prohibition, bootleggers took over the network of passages and tunnels. It is believed that Al Capone, the notorious gangster, frequented the city and its tunnel network in his dodgy dealings. Fact or fiction? Who knows. A trip to these tunnels may reveal all.

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Medicine Hat, Alberta

The City of Medicine Hat derives its name from the Blackfoot term Saamis, which refers to the headdress of eagle feathers worn by a medicine man. They camped and summoned the spirits to appear where the town would be founded.

Historically, Medicine Hat has been known for its large natural gas fields. Rudyard Kipling, who travelled across Canada by train in 1907 with his wife, spoke eloquently about the area’s natural gas on the front page of the Medicine Hat News, saying: “This part of the country seems to have All Hell for a basement, and the only trap door appears to be in Medicine Hat.”

Because of the oil reserves, the city is known as “The Gas City”.

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From 18 to 19 June 2022, Swift Current hosts the Windscape Kite Festival, a vibrant, family-friendly event showcasing North America's unique kites, which I found fascinating.

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Calgary, known as Cowtown, grew rapidly thanks to its oil industry roots, with landmarks such as the Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Pacific Railway Headquarters reflecting its western culture and history.

Calgary is well known for:

Calgary reminds me a little of Johannesburg—a bustling commercial city with a large population of businesspeople and oilmen (and women). The fringe businesses cater to the entertainment of many thousands of people who settle there to work in the oilfields and in affiliated companies, e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, trade, finance, business services, health and education. I believe the city is diversifying now that fossil fuel exploration is in decline.

While Joe went off to do some bidness, Emily, Maeva, and I put on our walking boots and stepped out onto the “towpath”, designated for walkers and cyclists, running along the embankment of the Bow River, the lifeblood of the city. We crossed the red bridge in search of coffee at one of the numerous restaurants in the sprawling park hugging the river. While I strolled with Maeva, Emily could run to her heart’s content, doubling back to find us.  

Emily completed two runs: one 5km normal run and the other an adrenaline-fuelled 10km sprint. On this infamous walk, I, on the other hand, got as far as the first bridge when Maeva made it clear she was having none of this and let her displeasure be heard by all and sundry. I rocked her and soothed as best I could, but decided to slink home after a concerned gentleman sternly enquired,

“Are you the child’s mother? Hmm. Is she warm enough?”  

In a flat spin, I could only splutter, “I’m her Grandmother!” With that, he dismissed me. Not altogether convinced I wasn't a kidnapper, I thought. I scuttled home, baby in one arm, pushing an uncooperative pram with the other hand.

By the time Emily found us at the hotel, we were all hysterical. Poor child thought she'd lost her baby, who would forever live under a bridge in Calgary with her simple-minded Grandmama! 

Fortunately, our love of food, Joe’s penchant for a beer, and Emily’s FOMO meant we were able to calm the troubled waters. A good brew followed by excellent food was what was called for. Baby Maeva drifted into a peaceful slumber once she’d latched on to her food, allowing us to go off to find the things we all love.

We spent two days exploring Calgary’s eateries and brewhouses, shops, art galleries, the public library and coffee shops in the bustling downtown, where the tolling of the tram’s bell and the clack of inner-city trains signal a well-oiled transport system. The city’s eclectic architecture is fascinating, and I liked the skyline at night, when lights spotlighted some iconic buildings.

On our first visit, we stayed at the Hilton Downtown, and on our return journey, we stayed at the modern Alt Hotel. Both hotels were central to where we wanted to be. The rooms were well-appointed, and the sunrise’s golden glow on the Public Library from our rooms at the Hilton was spectacular. From the Alt Hotel, we could hop, skip, and jump to the path snaking along the Bow River.

Some of the breweries and restaurants we visited included the exciting Raindog Bar and the industrial-looking Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Company. We managed to secure a table at the ever-popular OEB. We caught up with Emily’s delightful cousin and her husband, and we had pizza at UNA's. I know I’ve missed out on many interesting watering holes and eateries, but I do suffer the occasional grey moment.

Armistice Day is celebrated annually with the familiar poppies, which were everywhere in the city. White crosses commemorating fallen soldiers were a stark reminder of WWII and the many millions of lives sacrificed for our freedom. Today we're fighting an invisible enemy, COVID.

We were just 80 km from the Rocky Mountains. According to reliable sources, Calgary is on the tick list for outdoor lovers, who come from all over to test their skills at everything from white-water rafting to ice fishing and bobsledding.

We had one more stop on our road trip. We strapped Maeva into her car seat and headed towards the snow-capped Rockies for a weekend in Banff. Meanwhile, Maeva was the poster child for sleep, eat, nappy, giggle, smile, sleep, and again.