When the July 2024 wildfires hit, we were working on two projects in Jasper – the Jasper Activity Centre and The Maligne Range (which was set to open just a day after the fires caused the town’s evacuation). You can read about those projects in part 2 and 3 of this series.
The Maligne Range is owned by Bearhill Brewing and Distilling, the ownership group behind Last Best Brewing & Distilling in Calgary, Campio Brewing Co. in Edmonton, Banff Ave Brewing Co. in Banff, and the one that started it all – Jasper Brewing Co. in Jasper.
Jasper Brewing Co. opened its doors in 2005 as Canada’s first National Park Brewery. Now, twenty years later, it has become much more than a pub – it’s a community hub fondly known to the locals as ‘the brewpub,’ where Jasperites gather, celebrate, eat good food and drink well-crafted Alberta beer.
Three of Jasper Brewing Co.’s founders are born-and-raised Jasper locals, meaning the brewpub is an especially significant place to Bearhill. Not to mention the rest of the community, who have made two decades worth of memories within its walls.
So, when the wildfires hit, it meant the Bearhill group had a lot to lose – homes, a community hub, and a business that was so new, it hadn’t even opened its doors.
When the smoke cleared and locals were allowed back into the town to assess the damage, there was good news and bad news.
The good news? The Maligne Range was still standing, but had sustained smoke damage.
The bad news? The Brewpub had sustained so much smoke and water damage that it would need to undergo a significant restoration.
– An Instagram post from Jasper Brewing Co., which credited first responders with saving the building.
The brewpub went into a brief ‘hi-beer-nation’ (like their bear friends, as they said), and the restoration work began.
The restoration required the brewpub to be almost entirely stripped down – from the brewing equipment, all the way down to tearing cement out from the basement.
Amidst the major work that had to be done, we were also working against the clock with tourism season fast-approaching. The goal was to reopen the brewpub for May Long Weekend – the first major weekend in the tourism season – which, if it was missed, would have financial implications, not only on the brewpub, but also the many university students the brewpub employs, who depend on the summer season earnings to carry them through the school year.
Fortunately, the brewpub opened on schedule and has since been welcoming tourists and locals alike through its doors.
Since its reopening, many of our Carlson team members have enjoyed a pint (or two) at the pub, including our Chief Commercial Officer, Gordon Rauscher. When he came back, he reflected on the vastness of the devastation in Jasper National Park.
“Without being there, it’s hard to fathom the extent of the fires,” said Gordon. “There were miles and miles of burned trees, and even though a lot of the area that burned in the Jasper townsite has been cleaned up, there are large holes in the ground where house basements used to be. It’s hard to understand without seeing it in person.”
He also shared that, sitting in the brewpub with locals who had lost it all, yet were still in such good spirits, highlighted how important this community hub actually is.
“The brewpub is this fantastic space with its own incredible story, where we could sit and listen to stories of resident recoveries – or recoveries in progress. It really helped me see the role the brewpub plays within the larger story of Jasper’s recovery.”
This is the final story in the four-part series profiling Jasper, and we would like to end the series with this: Jasper is open for business. While it is a community in recovery, it is also a community that is ready to provide visitors the special experience it’s known around the world for. So please, if you can, go to Jasper. And have a pint or two of Jasper the Bear Ale for us.
Whether your project is large or small, complex or straightforward, we bring decades of experience, care, and craftsmanship to every build.
