Alley Kat Press Release

I received the following press release this morning from Alley Kat's founder, Neil Herbst, and after reading through the one page document I felt like it was something everyone would enjoy reading, so I've posted it word for word. And as mentioned in a post last week, Alley Kat will be opening the doors to the brewery this Friday night between 5-7pm and the new Smoked Porter will be available for sampling.


Edmonton, AB: Edmonton’s Alley Kat Brewing Company turns 15 this year. It has been a rewarding if a somewhat roller-coaster of a ride.

Alley Kat started off with two employees and two brands of beer. Fifteen years later Alley Kat employs twelve people and produces four brands and various seasonal beers. Co-owner Neil Herbst notes that “in our first year of brewing we brewed the equivalent of about 200,000 bottles of beer. This year we will produce approximately 1.5 million bottles.”

“We originally provided beer to customers in Edmonton, literally delivering from the back of an old pick-up truck. Fifteen years later we’re selling our beers throughout Alberta, exporting to South Korea, and exploring the Ontario market,” says co-owner Lavonne Herbst. “Oh, and the pick-up truck is gone.”

“There have been lots of changes in the brewing industry since we started,” says Neil. “Breweries have come and gone, some have amalgamated, and Canada has lost all of its national brewers, but despite the upheaval we’ve found that, given the choice, Albertans prefer a top-quality locally brewed option.”

To celebrate 15 years of brewing excellence, Alley Kat is producing a series of “15th Anniversary” beers. These beers will be limited to 250 cases of 650ml bottles. A new Anniversary beer will be released every couple of months. The first will be a smoked porter followed by a Belgian style tripel and then a real ginger ale, with other beers still in the planning stages.

Alley Kat Brewing Company, Edmonton’s oldest microbrewery, opened in 1995 to critical acclaim. Since then the brewery has been awarded many international and national awards for its beers. Alley Kat Brewing Company is owned and operated by Neil and Lavonne Herbst of Edmonton. It produces Charlie Flint’s organic lager, Aprikat apricot wheat ale, Full Moon pale ale, Alley Kat Amber brown ale, Raspberry Mead, and various seasonal brews. Alley Kat beers and mead are available throughout Alberta and in Seoul, South Korea.