Almost every time Matt Hamill hands a bottle of local craft beer to his dad, John, they can’t help but smile.
They didn’t brew the beer. They didn’t bottle it, make the label, or sell it, but without the Hamill family, that beer would simply not be the same.
Five years ago, they saw an opportunity and seized it. At the family farm they’ve owned and operated since 1929, and with barely as a rotation crop, they had a product they figured would be useful to the then slowly growing local beer industry.
Today, the craft beer industry, particularly in central Alberta, has exploded. And at the centre of it, in this region, are the Hamills.
Red Shed Malting, their small local malthouse just outside of Red Deer, supplies much of the local beer industry with malt from their barely.
Last week, they were recognized with the Community Builder Award-Partner at the 2020 Alberta Beer Awards for the second year in a row.
“It’s huge, because it’s voted on by the other breweries. Just to get your recognition, directly from them, is an absolute honour,” said Hamill, one of five family members involved in the company.
“We love working with these guys and we love trying to build the Alberta beer community. We’re definitely all in it together. It really means a lot to see they appreciate what we’re doing and the hard work is helping.”
They also received gold medal recognition in the trendy beer of the year category. They helped make a hoppy kviek ale in collaboration with three local breweries, Red Hart Brewing, Undercurrent Brewing and Belly Hop Brewing, along with the Craft Beer Nation retail outlet.
Hamill said that win, in particular, was special. As the awards night progressed on social media, more and more beers that they had some part in, kept collecting awards.
“The family and a few of the breweries were on a Zoom chat during the awards and we were cheering all the time.
“It was a huge awards night for central Alberta and we had customers around the province that were picking up awards for beers that have some of our malt in them,” Hamill said.
“We were smiling the whole night. It was really neat.”
Beyond producing only a limited amount of malt each year, what also sets Red Shed apart is that they are currently the only malt roaster in Canada.
“If we roast for a different time or temperature, we can make it taste like home baking, or chocolate, or coffee, or a whole bunch of different flavours,” Hamill said.
Several local beers won awards at the 2020 Alberta Beer Awards
* Blindman Brewing (24-2 Brett Stock Ale, silver, best of show)
* Snake Lake Brewing Company (Kinabik Pilsner, gold, German/Czech Style Pilsner)
* Sawback Brewing Co. (Saison Series No. 1, silver, Belgian Ale)
* Blindman Brewing (Triphammer Robust Porter, silver, porter)
* Siding 14 Brewing Company (Coal Pusher Stout, silver, stout)
* Red Hart Brewing (Irish Red, silver, Amber Ale)
* Undercurrent Brewing (Finn’s Rasberry Porter, gold, fruit beer)
* Snake Lake Brewing (Ice Cutter Vanilla Latte Stout, silver, spiced beer)
* Troubled Monk (Mary Samsonite, bronze, Wild/Natural Fermentation Beer with Fruit)
* Snake Lake Brewing (sidewinder IPA, bronze, New England Style Ale)
* Troubled Monk (Ginger Ale, bronze, root beer/ginger ale).