GrainsWest Winter 2021

Winter 2021 Grains West 32 Far Out and its Canadian brewers are effectively auditioning for a regular slot in this rotation. “Are we searching for Canadian beer on an ongoing basis?” said Rodgers. “We’re kind of not, but it’s a way for us to keep the market fresh with new items that people are yearning for.” If Canadian beer sells well, Phoenix will likely continue to purchase it every eight to 12 months with the potential of regular orders being placed by a major retailer. Michele also connected with Swedish beer importer Wicked Wine. When it launched in 2004, Wicked Wine was among hundreds of Swedish wine importers. An early switch to craft beer put the importer in a virtually untapped market. The business has primarily imported beer from the United States, but was eager to handle Canadian brews. Far Out co-operated with Wicked Wine, which submitted tenders to Systembolaget, Sweden’s alcohol marketing monopoly. The organization had recently begun to request Canadian Photo:CourtesyofAlleyKatBrewing Edmonton's Alley Kat Brewing Company hopes to expand its export opportunities. Pictured from left to right are employees Galen Kjargaard, Dale Stirling, Chase Gordon, Jim Buccino and Kevin Ryan. A top seasonal seller in Alberta, Alley Kat's RazzyKat was one of two craft beers exported to Sweden by Far Out Exporters in December 2020. craft beer. For a three-container tender open to North American spring seasonal beers, Far Out went with Edmonton’s Alley Kat Brewing RazzyKat raspberry sour and Calgary’s Inner City Brewing Sunnyside XPA. In part, the process is based on blind taste tests. “The really cool thing is, these Alberta breweries won in competition against breweries from across North America and took two of the three positions,” said Don. In mid-December, containers full of canned beer departed the breweries, labels tweaked to conform with Swedish labelling requirements. Trucked to the Port of Montreal, it then departed by boat for Stockholm. Though the bulk of the two Alberta container shipments will be purchased by the national monopoly for distribution to liquor outlets, a portion will be marketed to Wicked Wine’s bar and restaurant clientele. As in Australia, Far Out’s initial shipments will open the door to further tenders and the possibility of year-round FEATURE