Moonlight Bay Brewing
Brendon Opseth/Owner, Brewer
1. What was the first beer you had that made you realize craft beer was going to be a bigger part of your life?
The first Craft Beer I had that made me realize there was more to “beer” than just Bud Light, was Grasshopper from Big Rock Brewery, not sure what the reason was I ordered it that day, but it just stood out to me on the menu. I can still see where I was sitting with friends, they thought I was crazy. From there the proverbial “rabbit hole” opened for me, and there was no turning back.
2. What is your favourite style to brew and why?
Im not sure I have a “favourite” style to brew. I just love being in front of the brewhouse, that’s my happy place. But if I had to… I make a mean Dark Lager, but I'm pretty biased.
3. If you were stranded on an island (with a working refrigerator that automatically replenished itself) and you could only have one beer for the rest of your life in that fridge, which would it be?
Oh man, don’t tempt me with a good time. White Raven from Apex Predator all day. That beer is amazing.
4. What is your favourite music to listen to in the brewery?
Country plays almost all day. But we mix in some Classic Rock every now and then.
5. Which other brewery has inspired you the most? Why?
Rafter R Brewing in Maple Creek. Ryan is my “Master Sifu” he taught me everything I know about beer and brewing when we worked together at Ribstone Creek. Without his wealth of knowledge and passion for the brewing industry, who knows where id be right now.
6. Single hop beer - which hop are you using?
Motueka, love that hop. Haven’t done a SMASH beer yet, maybe this will spur one.
7. What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone who thinks they want to get into the craft beer industry?
Use, and stand by the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid. Don’t overthink it, make good beer, and they will come. Don’t get too big for your boots, and always stay humble. It still hasn’t set in yet that people come to our brewery to drink my beer, and they enjoy it! I brewed at home and give it away for free!
8. Dogs or cats?
Dogs, although we had 2 cats at one point who were awesome. No animals in our house anymore, unless you count our almost 4 year old Maverick, he keeps us busy.
9. Why did you choose to start a craft brewery in Wainwright?
The old adage from Robots comes to me for this question. “See a need, fill a need”. The next closest town that had a brewery was Edgerton, with them selling to 4th Meridian and moving to Lloyd, there wasn’t a place to go that was "local" anymore. The people in town are amazing, they’ve welcomed us in with open arms. Im super happy to call Wainwright home for Moonlight Bay Brewing, having the Military Base here also helps quite a bit. We have a revolving door of people coming in to Wainwright that want to experience great local beer, and to have a brewery in town gets them excited.
10.What would you consider the “hidden gem” of your brewery and/or taproom
Hidden gem, that’s a tough one. We like to say we are super laid back, but that’s most taprooms and breweries in Alberta, we don’t really have a “schtick”, although we do have a bear rug, a coyote pelt, and a kangaroo pelt on the wall, some fish, we are outdoorsy so we based the brewery around that.
Next time you are in Wainwright, make sure you stop by and check out Moonlight Bay Brewing.