Beer lovers rejoice! Downtown has a new brewery as the Mercer Warehouse welcomes The Den by The Growlery.
The Den, which is the second location for Edmonton-based brewmasters of The Growlery, is only the second brewery in the heart of the city.
“We were totally on board because we want to help revitalize downtown,” said co-founder Kevin Danard. “Historically, if you look at what breweries do, they’re a good catalyst and tend to promote other breweries moving in.”
Danard and his business partner Jeff Pollock were able to open The Den with support from the Edmonton Downtown Business Association’s Retail Attraction Program. It is one of five businesses to take part in the program, which aimed to revitalize retail downtown.
The Den by the Growlery is a wonderful new model that pours beers by The Growlery but has also partnered with numerous other local breweries.
“We feel like we’re always talking about community…and that we’re friends in the craft beer industry,” said Danard. “So, we’re showing people that we’re friends in the industry by doing this. We’re sharing what we have in order to help other breweries.”
Danard and his partner had purchased new tanks to create beer downtown but when they couldn’t find a suitable space to produce on site, they moved the tanks to their Blatchford location and those tanks will be used to brew beer exclusively for The Den.
“We wanted to show other breweries that maybe you don’t need a full production space,” said Danard.
Sixteen beers will be on tap rotating at The Den, as well as three slushie drink taps, and non-alcoholic options. For food, they provide a selection of locally made snacks from Edmonton producers like: Zwick’s Pretzels, El Gringo Foods, Mezos Roastery and YEG Smoked Meats. They also plan to introduce a pickle flight to provide some creative options.
The Den also has merchandise for sale like glasses, t-shirts and hats. No time to stay? Well, if you can resist the inviting space, they have off-sales and will do growler fills to take home.
The Den by the Growlery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 – 10 p.m. Please note, while The Growlery’s main tap room is kid friendly, The Den is minor prohibited.