Since opening its original location on 17 Avenue in 2012, National has been instrumental in promoting the craft beer scene to Calgarians. With 72 beers on tap from across North America and a high-quality food menu, National struck a chord with Calgarians and has since expanded to four locations across the city.
On the corner of 17 Avenue and 5 Street, where it all started, general manager Chris Joyce says National was influenced by the west coast beer scene. Originally hailing from Victoria, he was more than familiar with what was going on there and in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland: Pubs brewing their own beer and selling other locally made suds. He wanted to advance the sale of locally made brews in Calgary. “It’s not an unheard concept to think locally. It’s this new concept, but I have a sneaking suspicion humans have been doing that for a long time,” says Chris.
Apart from the success and expansion of National, his big payoff has been witnessing the explosion in Alberta breweries since the pub and restaurant first opened its doors. “When we first built this menu, we struggled to get 72 North American craft beers on tap,” Chris explains. “A lot of the beers were from the east coast, the States and a few from B.C. Now, we have 30 taps that are Alberta beers. It’s grown so fast.”
The electronic, flight-schedule styled beer menu above the long bar attests to that. It might take several roll-overs before customers can comprehend all the beers available. Along with stocking kegs of various styles from local beer heroes like Village Brewery, Last Best and Big Rock, National lays claim to being the first to promote Calgary’s Tool Shed and the ones that launched Victoria’s Phillips brewery into Alberta.
