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The Inspiration for, and First Year of, Good Cheer Brewing
Join us Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30, for a special edition of Tuesday Talks exploring the Canadian history that inspired Good Cheer Brewing, kick off a week-long celebration of our first year in Calgary, and try some new beers brewed for the season of Good Cheer - the coldest, longest nights of winter.
Good Cheer Brewing is inspired by stories of people coming together to survive harsh winters and, eventually, to thrive in harsh landscapes. It’s an idea that is very personal to me because I wouldn’t be here if my ancestors didn’t find a way to create communities that gave their lives meaning.
The same is likely true for many of you. Canada is a nation built around hearths during long, cold winter nights.
I’ll tell the story of Samuel de Champlain’s Order of Good Cheer, and a far less-known story about how an independent Icelandic republic lasted for twelve years in the middle of what is now called Manitoba. I’ll also share the story of the first year of Good Cheer Brewing, talk about (and pour!) some special beers we’re releasing to celebrate one year of serving Calgarians, and our plans for year 2.
Why these stories?
Good Cheer Brewing is named after the Order of Good Cheer. It’s an idea that goes back to the year 1606 in what is now Quebec. Every two weeks, a different French settler took charge of a feast and tried to outdo the last with a big party in a dining room. There’s an echo of that name in my own. Vadeboncoeur was a soldiers’ nom de guerre from the mid-1600s that translates as “go with a good heart” or “go courageously.” It only exists because of the community Champlain built.
The other story comes from my mother’s side. I am a descendent of Icelandic immigrants who left Iceland at a time of extreme hardship. The Icelanders didn’t have a special Order but they did have the tradition of gathering in the baðstofa, a candlelight gathering that helped make life worth living during centuries of harsh farming conditions and oppressive foreign rule. One person would read by candlelight while others would weave, knit, or simply listen.
I think about these rooms when I think about what I want Good Cheer to be. A gathering place to listen to stories, practice crafts, and celebrate that which makes life worth living - one another. It’s December in Calgary. The nights are getting longer. Let’s give each other a good reason to go out and be a part of something.
Join me and the wonderful Good Cheer staff to hear the stories that inspired this adventure, where we hope to go next, and try some special beers we brewed for the long winter nights ahead.
This event is free, but for $10 you’ll get to choose a (tasty) special gift and for $18 you can choose two… (you can also just buy them, but that would be less mysterious and more expensive).
Join us on Tuesday, December 1 to celebrate Good Cheer Brewing’s first year in Calgary, and the come together as our ancestors have been doing for centuries during the long winter nights.
Join us Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30, for a special edition of Tuesday Talks exploring the Canadian history that inspired Good Cheer Brewing, kick off a week-long celebration of our first year in Calgary, and try some new beers brewed for the season of Good Cheer - the coldest, longest nights of winter.
Good Cheer Brewing is inspired by stories of people coming together to survive harsh winters and, eventually, to thrive in harsh landscapes. It’s an idea that is very personal to me because I wouldn’t be here if my ancestors didn’t find a way to create communities that gave their lives meaning.
The same is likely true for many of you. Canada is a nation built around hearths during long, cold winter nights.
I’ll tell the story of Samuel de Champlain’s Order of Good Cheer, and a far less-known story about how an independent Icelandic republic lasted for twelve years in the middle of what is now called Manitoba. I’ll also share the story of the first year of Good Cheer Brewing, talk about (and pour!) some special beers we’re releasing to celebrate one year of serving Calgarians, and our plans for year 2.
Why these stories?
Good Cheer Brewing is named after the Order of Good Cheer. It’s an idea that goes back to the year 1606 in what is now Quebec. Every two weeks, a different French settler took charge of a feast and tried to outdo the last with a big party in a dining room. There’s an echo of that name in my own. Vadeboncoeur was a soldiers’ nom de guerre from the mid-1600s that translates as “go with a good heart” or “go courageously.” It only exists because of the community Champlain built.
The other story comes from my mother’s side. I am a descendent of Icelandic immigrants who left Iceland at a time of extreme hardship. The Icelanders didn’t have a special Order but they did have the tradition of gathering in the baðstofa, a candlelight gathering that helped make life worth living during centuries of harsh farming conditions and oppressive foreign rule. One person would read by candlelight while others would weave, knit, or simply listen.
I think about these rooms when I think about what I want Good Cheer to be. A gathering place to listen to stories, practice crafts, and celebrate that which makes life worth living - one another. It’s December in Calgary. The nights are getting longer. Let’s give each other a good reason to go out and be a part of something.
Join me and the wonderful Good Cheer staff to hear the stories that inspired this adventure, where we hope to go next, and try some special beers we brewed for the long winter nights ahead.
This event is free, but for $10 you’ll get to choose a (tasty) special gift and for $18 you can choose two… (you can also just buy them, but that would be less mysterious and more expensive).
Join us on Tuesday, December 1 to celebrate Good Cheer Brewing’s first year in Calgary, and the come together as our ancestors have been doing for centuries during the long winter nights.