This is a review for 7Degrees Beer School. An event put on by 7 Degrees Liquor, held on a Friday evening at Iconoclast Coffee. Tickets were $50 and booked through Eventbrite.
During the evening we sampled 13 beers from 13 different Alberta breweries. Local beer was the theme for the night. (Monthly events feature other beers or they offer wine school as well).
There was a good selection of beer, many of which I'd not tried before. We started with lighter lagers, moved to ambers & IPAs and finished with some dark stouts. There was really something for every taste. I tried one beer by Wild Rose Brewing, a kettle sour ale called Cowbell that I can see being my summer beer this year! Each sample was served at approx. 3 oz. Which may not seem like a lot but after 13...
There were approx. 30 people in attendance. We sat at three long tables and got to know our neighbours a little bit. Clean glasses were provided for each tasting so we ended up doing a lot of passing glass ware up and down the tables. It wasn't a big deal in the casual environment. I thought Iconoclast was a good venue for the event; a little funky with an cool vibe.
The information provided during the evening was useful. There was a rep. there from Alley Kat brewing and from 7Degrees. They were both knowledgable (especially to a girl who knows next to nothing about beer). It was sometimes difficult to hear their 'spiel' between each sample. Especially as the night moved on and people were getting chatty. If you're going for a serious beer education you might not be satisfied. If you're going out for some fun with friends, you'll enjoy yourself.
I was mainly disappointed with the 'appetizers'. There were baby carrots & snap peas from the grocery store on the table. Half way through the tasting event, a small charcuterie plate was delivered to each person (a couple meat and cheese selections with baguette). Now, I know presentation isn't everything but eating from a paper plate kind of killed the quality of the food experience. Also, I would suggest eating before hand. It's definitely not enough food to match the amount of beer I was drinking.
Finally, they offered each person a $5 voucher to be used in the 7Degrees liquor store. Unfortunately I haven't made my way over there yet.
Overall, it was a fun experience with a bit of education thrown in. I thought it was overvalued at $50+. I would have given it 4 stars if the cost better reflected my expectations. read more