Outstanding in their Field: Annex Ale Project

We think that Annex Ale Project from Calgary, Alberta is Outstanding in their Field for their dedication to sustainability, and personal accountability. 'No gods, no masters' is much more than a fun slogan emblazoned on their merch. The real meaning is a guiding principle of the business and culture, and is designed so that each person who reads it will be empowered to make change and do good through their own personal efforts without needing the threat of a higher authority to do the right thing. We love that they promote each individual is more than a cog in a machine, and each person is responsible for their actions.

Annex is a strong believer in Extended Producer Responsibility, and is committed to minimizing their packing waste - both from contractors supplying the brewery, and from their taproom going into the community at large. Having a grain silo onsite not only reduces the carbon footprint of their malt deliveries (as they now need fewer deliveries throughout each year,) but also cuts back on the amount individual malt bags used, many of which are plastic based and have no end of life plan in place.
Continuing on their initiatives of creating cradle to cradle design for their packaging materials, they're currently helping pilot a PakTech reuse/recycling program, as most municipal recycling facilities are not currently equipped to accept them and they were being put into landfills.

We caught up with Andrew Bullied - Co-Owner and Brewery Operations Lead, to find out why Annex is focused on caring for the planet they brew on, and what their team gained from a (now long ago) tour of Hamill Farms and Red Shed Malting

How was the tour of Red Shed Malting and Hamill Farms?
Our team was thrilled to get out to Red Shed to learn about barley farming and the malting process. Joe was an excellent guide, and it was very uplifting to see such a high level of participation from everyone in the family. Also, us city folks don't get to climb all over combines very often, so that's always exciting.

What value do you see in using craft malt?
Two of our points of culture at Annex are quality and innovation. Red Shed malts high quality locally grown malt in small batches. We know it's always fresh, consistent and it routinely performs very highly in our brewhouse. We love that we can get flavours from the malt that we believe to be highly unique to Alberta small brewing. This is particularly true in the biscuit and amber malts which we love.

Why do you choose to work with local suppliers?
We know from the experience with our customers how much people enjoy localism, and we think there is a lot of value in being able to extend that story as far up our supply chain as possible. Alberta Farmers deserve as much of our support as we can give them.

What's brewing right now?
Currently we have a Biere de Garde in our foudre that we brewed in collaboration with Red Shed. It's slowly developing some really interesting complexity and we can't wait to share that with everyone this summer or fall.

Annex Ale Project:
Metes & Bounds Extra Pale Ale

Our XPA walks the boundary between an unmistakably aromatic IPA and a finely balanced Pale Ale.

It doesn’t walk alone: peach and apricot hop essence are backed by warm caramel and biscuit malts.

Look: deep golden, with a head of off white rocky foam

Smell: warm biscuit aromas, with a light scent of fresh stone fruits (peach, apricot)

Taste: A light honey sweetness, with notes of white grapes, apricots, and a balanced bitterness that clears the palate for another sip!

Mouthfeel: Medium body, moderate carbonation, and it's downright delicious!

Fun Fact: One of John Hamill's favourite beers!

Morgan Flegg

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