Edmonton brewery embarks on sea change with Calgary expansion

Sea Change Brewing Co. is expanding to Calgary in the new year. (Shannon Johnston/CTV News Edmonton)

The term sea change refers to a profound or notable transformation, and that’s what the Edmonton brewery of the same verbiage plans on doing in the new year as it expands south to Calgary.

Sea Change Brewing Co. is a ubiquitous name in the Edmonton beer market, with most of their beers, like the famous Prairie Fairy or The Wolf, seen at dozens of establishments across the city.

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Travis Boa, the brewery’s general manager, has known original founder Ian McIntosh for 20 years. They began collaborating on beer 15 years ago when Boa started Yellowhead Brewing Company, bringing McIntosh on as a sales rep.

“We sort of came up in the music scene and he developed all these relationships around Edmonton just playing music and being a man about town,” said Boa in an interview with CTV News Edmonton.

Boa ended up having to leave Edmonton, moving to B.C., asking McIntosh to step into his shoes and take over Yellowhead.

While he took on Boa’s role, McIntosh had a bigger vision. He wanted to buy Yellowhead and brew his own beer, experimenting with different recipes.

Within six months, McIntosh approached the owner, making an arrangement to purchase Yellowhead. But the owner was unsure and allowed McIntosh to begin experimenting at the Yellowhead brewery, which was formerly housed in downtown Edmonton.

“He actually started Sea Change Brewing, contract brewing at Yellowhead,” said Boa.

From there, McIntosh opened Sea Change’s first location just off 99 Street and 62 Avenue.

“We call it OG,” said Boa. “He got this group together of musicians and artists and talented people, and they launched Sea Change at the OG location. It’s a really sweet little spot that created some of the best products we know like The Wolf and Prairie Fairy.”

He added that the two beers, a hazy pale ale and a blackberry wheat ale, are the top-selling craft beers in Alberta.

After some success, they opened a tap room in Beaumont just south of Edmonton. The OG location is still open though, serving beers with Vietnamese sandwiches.

Boa said something that sets Sea Change apart is being ingrained in the culture. He mentions throwing shows and working with charities and groups like Fruit Loop have celebrated the city.

“I think it makes a huge difference for us. It sets us apart from a lot of other breweries,” said Boa.

As Sea Change grew, it outgrew its brewing capacity, forcing operations to move to its current home on Happy Beer Street.

The Shiddy era

Coinciding with the move was the rebirth of Shiddy’s Distillery and its Rumpus Room which has become infamous for its boozy slushies and Flatboy burgers.

“We were so overwhelmed by how the community responded to the room itself, our design, the burgers,” said Boa. “Such large fanfare.”

The Rumpus Room is designed to be just that, a grandparent’s basement right out of the 70s or 80s, covered in wood paneling, grainy cartoons playing on old television sets.

“It’s such a light-hearted, fun thing,” said Boa.

McIntosh came up with the concept, inspired by the story of John P. Shiddy, who immigrated to Boston, Mass., from Ireland in 1895. Family history says the young immigrant took menial jobs like cleaning tobacco spit buckets.

Shiddy later founded the Shiddy Family Tobacco company and invented the first self-rolling cigarette.

The family later faced controversy with Shiddy’s son Junior becoming involved in the illegal moonshine trade during prohibition and suspicions of arson at the tobacco factory.

Shiddy later went on to redefine his family’s legacy, diversifying their businesses, opening amusement parks, diners, pubs and resorts as well as distilling moonshine. He died in 1992 while on a roller coaster at his own amusement park.

“If you come into the space, it’s like the whole family history all over the walls,” said Boa.

The perfect fit

Boa said they’ve been looking to expand to Calgary for some time but nothing clicked — until now.

The Sea Change location will be in the Beltline area, which Boa called the epicentre of the hospitality scene in Calgary.

“We want to engage in the community there and we’re big on cultural initiatives,” said Boa. “We want to throw great parties and be involved with music festivals and everything going on in that area, so it made sense for us.”

Sea Change took over the space in September, but it will be a while yet before they start slinging beers.

Boa said they are waiting on a couple of permits before they can start brewing and are still working on a special concept for the space that will serve Calgary’s beer-drinkers.

“It’s a very competitive market and we know we have to put our best foot forward,” he said. “We just want to make sure we get it right.”

If Sea Change’s presence in Edmonton is one way to measure, their success in Calgary is likely indisputable.