The seed of the Homegrown Short Film Showcase was planted in the taproom of one of Calgary’s newest and coziest microbreweries.
Nestled in the quiet neighbourhood of Haysboro, on Elbow Drive just North of Southland, the brewery is a quaint yet bright jewel in the Haysboro Plaza strip mall.
Stonyslope Brewing Company came from the mind of Conrad Meers, a devout student of brewing beer recipes that are generations old.
“I wanted to do medieval-style beers,” Says Conrad as he walks me through his inspiration for brewing one of the oldest styles of beers on record.
“Our flagship is Sahti. It’s the way beer was made in Finland a thousand, even twelve hundred years ago.”
Conrad jokes that he can write a dissertation on the beer – I believe him – but he gives me the tasting notes of where the idea for brewing this recipe started.
“Years back I started homebrewing and I’ve been brewing some version of (Sahti) since. I really sort of dialed in the recipe for it.”
Through an intricate and unique brewing process, and ingredients that include juniper branches and bread yeast instead of brewing yeast, the final product is a hearty drink that tastes a bit like spiced banana bread.
But resurrecting Sahti was just the beginning. Along with bringing back old favourites from the medieval period, Conrad also keeps trendy hits on tap, like a smooth Hefeweizen, a zinging sour, and a hazy and juicy IPA.
The Stonyslope taproom is ever-changing, always making room for more delicious alchemy – triggered by Conrad’s attention span, “You know, whenever I want to stop wanting to drink it, it’s like okay, time to go.”
Upon opening on St. Patrick’s day, March of 2023, Stonyslope made a big splash in the Calgary Brewery scene, winning New Brewery of the Year, a Silver Medal for its King’s Gambit Porter, and a Gold Medal for the flagship Sahti.
“It was on the burn pile and we were like ‘No, no! We’re taking all of that!’”
Conrad’s fascination with breathing new life into things of the past doesn’t stop at the libations. One of the first things you’ll notice when entering the Stonyslope is the beautiful wood accents on the walls, bar and tables. Like the recipes for their beers, all this wood was reclaimed from generations past.
“My dad and I, we had this idea,” says Conrad, referring to building furniture and fixtures from an old demolished farmhouse on his family’s land.
“We bounced back and forth and how we could execute (the idea) and we just did it. On the bar fronts all of the all the slats, that’s reclaimed lumber that we took off of the ceiling when we were doing the demolition. It’s all strapping from the ceiling”
“The wainscoting on the wall is reclaimed wood – It was all meant to be burnt. It was in like the burn pile, we were like no, no, we’re taking all of that!”
The great attention to detail in designing the interior decor reflects their love for the brewery and our beautiful province. From the design on the taproom floor showing the flowing curves of the Elbow River to the silhouette of the mountains in the washroom showing the view of the Rockies from Calgary, the interior reads like a poem, an ode to Alberta’s landscape.
“There’s always going to be a foraging component to Stonyslope.”
The connection between Stonyslope and Homegrown goes beyond their love for art and film. It starts with their shared commitment to supporting local everything.
“There’s always going to be a foraging component to Stonyslope,” says Conrad, “But the other major aspect was what we can’t make and grow and source ourselves, we want to get local.”
“So, all of the barley we use comes from Origin Malting out in Strathmore and Red Shed Malting up in Red Deer and Hogarth Malt in Olds, and that was always important for those ingredients to be local.
Their food offerings, created by Mikaya, are also local, “We make our own bread and we make our own pickles. The produce for that we try and get from the farmer’s markets and we work a lot with Innisfail Growers.”
“I would like to bring in more focus on the local arts.”
Planted in Alberta soil, watered with beer, and tended to by friendly staff, Homegrown has sprouted and continues to grow safely within Stonyslope’s walls. The secret ingredient for its continued growth is a love for art.
“2023 we were very busy just getting things off the ground,” says Conrad. “But here in ‘24, I would like to bring in more focus on on the local arts. This is right up our alley and honestly really fits into what we’re wanting the direction of the taproom to go this year.”
“I think It’s going to be really cool seeing all of the local talent that under voiced and under appreciated. Really excited to see what people have to offer!”
You can find Stonyslope on their INSTAGRAM. Their Menu and what’s on tap on their WEBSITE. Weekly SUNDAY BRUNCH is always fresh and new.
