Yellowhead Brewery

I would give zero stars if I could. Terrible customer service. Have a wedding booked for a year away and my fiancé got layed off due to the crap Alberta economy and now we have to relocate. They will not refund the deposit and said they will go ahead and book the spot with another couple AND keep our deposit. For a small local business I can’t believe this is how they conduct themselves. Zero empathy at all. The spot is over a YEAR away and like they said they will book the spot. Just incredibly greedy. Really scared to think of what the actual wedding experience would be like with them.
My advice, don’t book anything at the yellowhead brewery. God forbid something tragic happens and you are unable to hold the event. They don’t care about anything but money. Pathetic.

This review is for the Brewery Tour.
The tour costs $ 10 per person and I reserved spots for 5 people to join the public 45min tour at 530pm on Fridays. I had a group of Australians visiting; therefore, I thought it would be a neat activity to check out.
However, when we arrived they were clueless about our reservation and had to join a rather large brewery tour.
Mike was hosting his very first tour of the brewery as most staff were out of town for an event. The tour consisted of four samples of different beers, a walk around the building, and some schmoozing with the other your goers.
The building is quite magnificent with all its quirks and I do enjoy the decorations of sharkz in the brewery.
Yet, I felt like $ 10 was a bit expensive for what was included in the brewery tour. There should be more included for that price.
Definitely just a one time thing to do in Edmonton. If the tour had some more spice, I might consider bringing other visitors on the tour in the future.
Venue wise, I am definitely interested in their banquet space that can be used for events. I will have to look into it to find out more information.

My fiancé wanted to look at wedding venues thats how we first found the brewery. It is beautiful! But sadly wont fit enough people. However that didn’t stop is from trying put Sunday brunch. First the place is awesome. The service and atmosphere is great. If your a beer drinker I hear $ 4 pints is a great deal. I am not a beer guy so ya sure! The food is good. But the omelettes are what are really good. It was disappointing they didnt really seem to refill the buffet but all in all it was decent. Almost better just to sit and hang with friends for a light meal than plan to fill your belly 3.5 outta 5

This place is really great for special event rentals (which is the only reason I’ve visited). The brunch food they make is amazingly delicious (I loved the variations on eggs benedict that they served as well as the yogurt and museli and fruit and…
The booth can be a little awkward if you’re in the corner and need to ask everyone to move in order to get out. But otherwise the space is lovely. The aesthetic is gorgeous and while the pillars might occasionally block a sightline to the stage or something, the venue is really great in general.

Had a Christmas event there last week. Very beautiful historic building. The food was amazing, and the hand-​crafted beer was better. Plenty of room to dance and the music was good. Great tour of the brewery as well. I would have given 5 stars if not for the snobbery and prissiness of the serving staff and manager Ido. Would recomend to all.

Disappointing.
Booked a brewery tour with Ido, and felt like we were imposing on them the whole time. Yes, liquor laws only allow a small 3 ounce tasting glass on the tour, but getting beer before or after was like pulling teeth.
I booked months ahead of time, and they were very unprepared. So unprepared, that they had a wedding rehearsal at the same time, didn’t have bar staff to serve drinks at all, and asked us to leave because the wedding rehearsal thought we were talking too loud. Oh, and awkwardly cash only.
I’m unsure if they are familiar with how brewery tours work, or tasting rooms in general for that matter.
Good beer, sad brewery.

There’s nothing I love more than original brick walls and worn wooden floors, which is why the Yellowhead Brewery is one of the coolest places to have a drink in downtown Edmonton!
I went here for the first time for a Fruit Loop event, which meant live music, drag queen performances, a silent auction, and pop-​up shops! It was a pretty good time, although I wish there was other options around that area, for when you get tired of all the drunk people bumping into you and spilling your expensive cocktails.
I’d definitely come back for another go though!

I was married here in 2014. I was so excited about this venue — it was different, intimate, and fit right in with the rustic décor theme I was going for. Everything did turn out beautifully — we hired day-​of services and they were a great help, decorating our venue even better than we could have imagined, coordinating our ceremony and packing all of our decorations perfectly.
But there were some negatives I would like to pass on. I found the coordinator to be very hot and cold. One day, he would be wonderful and ready and willing to assist me with everything I needed. The next, he was very cold towards the whole wedding and my planning process and made my day feel insignificant, the last thing any bride wants to feel. I felt like I was inconveniencing him with my questions leading up to the day, and he never responded to my emails, but if I called, I was mostly rushed off the phone. I get that to him, my wedding is just another day on a long calendar of events, but I feel like if you are going to be in this industry, you better love it and treat each bride as though her day is special — especially when we are paying large sums of monies to make sure it is so.
I also ask you brides to be careful in respect of invoicing — we noticed we were charged over and above, but because we noticed and sent in our concern immediately, we were reimbursed with ease. So yes, just go into your final meeting with a number so you can be sure you are not being hosed.
My last negative would be the floor is REALLY dirty. Some of my guests wanted to dance in barefeet, and did, and left with their feet absolutely black. When I mentioned this, I was told there was nothing they can do due to the floor being concrete — which makes sense, but just wanted to make you all aware, as a lot of people enjoy letting loose and taking off their shoes — not so much an option here, especially for small toddlers. The kids attending our wedding left with dirt on their faces, clothes and everywhere else.
But besides all that, everything was great. The food was spectacular, the ambiance was exactly what I was hoping for, and the bar staff was GREAT. Very personable, very friendly to all of our guests. It was also VERY cost friendly for a downtown venue.
Overall, we would recommend this venue to other brides with these few pointers to keep in mind. Make sure you keep the aforementioned coordinator in line — I think he is much more willing to respond to brides who are organized, persistent and demand the respect you deserve. It is the most important day of your life after all — and don’t let anyone lead you to believe otherwise!

Pretty cool venue where the tour gives you much insight into the building, name of the beer and the overall process for that good stuff. Plenty of tables both big and small to accommodate all sizes of parties. The beer is great, but they only served one kind of beer was on tap. Nice stage, nice dance floor, a whole heck of a lot of fun.

My review is for the event space, and the catering and bar service that goes along with that.
I had my wedding there — I picked the venue because of it’s very cool and unique atmosphere, and due to all the great reviews I read about it. The reviews are right. The staff knows what they are doing. The food was amazing — we opted for family style and it was absolutely beautiful. My guests loved the beer and the gorgeous blond wood tables. Bar staff was amazing and every step of my planning was meticulously organized with Ido (the coordinator at Yellowhead).
If I could do my entire wedding over again a million times, I would hold it at the Yellowhead every single time.

Because we had meetings right after lunch, we didn’t have a beer — but we had a great lunch of Bratwurst though! We both had the special (elk) and enjoyed their soup and especially their potato salad — just needed some blue sky overhead to be the perfect picnic! (Ok and a beer too!)

Let me open by saying that a prissy staff member can really ruin the ambience quickly (and I’m not talking about servers, because she was lovely). We were hesitant to come back to Yellowhead after an experience with a very rude, over groomed man whose name begins with I. One Saturday afternoon we walked into Yellowhead in our wanderings as the door was open and there was no signage. We were met shortly (no pun intended) by said man who admonished us, voice high, heels clicking and arms waving, basically saying ‘what are you doing here, don’t you know we’re closed for a wedding reception??!’ He was so unbelievably rude to us out of nowhere that another, older man working with him rushed up to us afterward to apologize and to let us know when they were open and when our very presence wouldn’t cause a certain someone to have an emotional meltdown.
Anyhow. Now the happy ending to this story. After this experience we put Yellowhead lower on the list of places to check out (just above Mercers Tavern) for the same reason. As fate would have it a Groupon for Yellowhead came up and I thought, why not.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food in their wee tasting room. They were serving bratwurst, and the lamb bratwurst was just outstanding. Wonderful salubrious flavour without that overwhelming musky taste of lamb that usually puts me off lamb anything. I also enjoyed their gazpacho very much, a refreshing side. My bf initially lamented the lack of fries but loved his side salad with aged cheddar, I didn’t even get a taste! Homemade toppings included sauerkraut on the regular bratwurst, and marinated eggplant on the lamb bratwurst. Nice touch.
The Yellowhead lager is nothing to write home about, but is inoffensive. I like lager and I appreciate that Yellowhead is quite clean with no nasty aftertaste like so many common Canadian or American lager, but it doesn’t really leave any outstanding impressions. I’ve heard it called «beer flavoured water» by more than one person.
Mr I was there, I wasn’t sure it was him but I thought so because he was so overcoiffed, but my bf recognized him immediately. In bad form he brought his laptop into the tasting room (which was busy) and then was the first person to be served while 15 other people continued to wait. I think he’s so worried about his image that he fails to recognize the image he is projecting. Sadly I think several young pubs suffer with management-​level staff who lack humility and manners — if you are rude and act like you are too good for your customers, why would they come back?

We had our wedding reception here a few weekends ago and couldn’t be happier. I’m not saying it is a contest, but we won! Without being biased because it was my own, I can honestly say that this was the best wedding reception I’ve ever attended; and that is backed up by the comments of the guests. Why was it so good?
ATMOSPHERE: You can have your reception at the standard hall, but then you have to work extra hard (or pay extra cash — and I am CHEAP) to make it look less hall-​like. The brewery is old brick and wood. Everyone said it was the coolest venue they have ever been to for a wedding and really fit our personalities.
FOOD: In a word, WOW!!! I’ve probably been to over 20 wedding in my life and I can’t remember a single good meal… but boy, do I remember the bad ones; rubber chicken and cold veges too often. Once again, I’ve never heard so many compliments regarding the food, and most of the guests started off with, «This was better than I’ve had at the best restaurants.» With most venues you have to have someone cater and bring in the food which means either buffet (with the last person left with buns and salad) or slow service. And you get a meal cooked somewhere else and brought there in warming trays. The in-​house staff at the Yellowhead did the impossible — they provided wedding reception food that was above and beyone anything I’ve ever experienced — not just at a reception, but at most fine dining establishments. I could get specific about the menu (we went with just two meats and a HUGE assortment of veges) but I don’t want you to start drooling on your keyboard. From the appetizers served by the staff, to the meal, everything was delicious. We went with a «family style» dinner which meant everyone got their meals at the same time and it was served piping hot. I can’t go on enough about how great that food was.
SERVICE: With a built in bar, and attentive staff, service went without a single hiccup.
PRICE: As mentioned, I’m cheap. When you say «wedding», everyone has their hands out. I can’t believe the prices of some of the other venues we approached. With the help of the brewery’s contact person, Ido, we were able to do what we wanted, and keep it from getting out of control. His suggestions were spot on and really paid off when the bill came. Trust this guy!
While we were limited to the size of the venue, it turned out to be the perfect size. We had about 90 people, and at first I was worried that we would be cramped, but the tables (of sizes ranging from 5 to 12) we placed to maximize the area and in the end we had LOTS of room — so my fears were needless. After dinner, they cleared away two tables, and with the stage we had a large dance floor.
I can’t express enough how great the reception was, and a big part was the venue, as well as the planning of Ido and his staff.
If you want a unique venue that is as far from the standard hall as you can get, book this place early. I get a feeling that word-​of-​mouth is going to make this place very popular.
Oh, and their brew is DELICIOUS… and this is coming from a guy who likes his beer something serious!

What a great loft space for a pint, some banter, or to take in a live show. I did just that last weekend for the first time at the Yellowhead Brewery. I really enjoyed the feel and the flexibility of the space and the comfortable ambiance. It’s a Great space for a show or to have a few pints.
From what I gather the space is open sunday nights for industry night and then kind of serves as a flex-​space if you need a venue. I gather the brewery uses it for promo’s and a place to tap a few kegs of their tasty home brew.
The other deets? Great staff. Classy joint. Close to parking and the LRT.
The food was top-​notch. I had some of the Bison chili, bites of my ladyfriend’s pulled pork sandwich, and a taste of the pork meatballs. This ain’t your deep-​fried standard supermarket snack tray fare.
Do they ever do brewery tours? That would be neat. As well as a tasting? i’ll have to keep my eyes peeled…

I love this place! I think it’s one of the last secret gems in Edmonton. Yellowhead Brewery not only produces one of my favourite beers, but they have one of my favourite spaces in the city.
Every Sunday night is Industry Night, so I came by here with some Unilocalers last Sunday. One of my favourite beers on tap? Check. Live band? Surprisingly and amazingly awesome. (There’s nothing I like more than a Chromeo dance party!) Oh, and super duper delicious appies — that was the best bonus. I’ve been craving a saucy meatball ever since then.
Props to the servers, too. The place was packed with people but food and drink still came by on the regular.
I’ve got a new Sunday night spot!

Hung out for an hour out here tonight, a Sunday night, with live music, cheap beer ($ 3.75/pint) and delicious looking noshes. There’s very little to complain about the hour I spent here. Although they’re only open on Sunday nights, it’s a great place to come for a beer and chat up with friends. It can be a pretty decent date place too!
I just tried one food item, the pulled pork mini sandwich. It was pretty delicious and juicy. The brewery has an amazing space to host events, parties or just have a live band perform. I would think that this place could easily host 80 – 100 people. Also, near the entrance in the west side of the building, there’s a bit of a nook with nice leather chairs and tables slightly away from all the action and with a lovely view of 105^th Street right below.
I’m not someone who’s very much into lagers except that they go down easy and are malleable in terms of pairing with various kinds of foods. However, with nice music and good company this place is a lovely find. Opened only on Sunday nights and possibly accepting cash only (I didn’t have to pay, but I didn’t see a machine out there) come here to hang out.
APPENDED ON 02/​01/​2012:
Based on a message from the business, a couple of small things:
1.) They actually have a capacity to accommodate 145 people in their space!
2.) It’s a cash-​only bar with ATM facilities within.