Alley Kat Brewing Company

Neil Herbst and a partner opened Alley Kat in Edmonton in 1994, and in 1995 his wife Lavonne bought out the partner; the name came from too much beer late at night and too many cats in the alley. It was Edmonton’s first craft brewery, and Herbst chaired the Alberta Small Brewers Association for 13 years. In 2020 the Herbsts sold the brewery to Zane Christensen and Cameron French, saying they wanted it to stay independent. Full Moon Pale Ale is the favourite; the core range also takes in Aprikat, an apricot ale, Scona Gold, a Kölsch, and Fish Bone, a New England IPA.