Our Story

XhAle Brew Co.’s Founder Christina Owzarek is a Canadian immigrant, Australian expat, & forever citizen of the world. Dedicated to adventure, knowledge, growth, community success & craft beer, Christina has channeled these passions into starting a brewing brand which creates provocative beer for conscious thinkers & drinkers. It is a culmination of over a decade of craft beer travel & study, seven years of professional experience in industry - including being the first woman to teach in the Brewmasters program at Olds College - and a lifetime of trying to find her purpose.

Eri is a D&D dungeon master and music lover who also plays the roles of XhAle’s graphic designer and pal friday. Eri has been with XhAle since August 2020, has designed every XhAle can and piece of merchandise, and was the first paid employee. Their passion for the social benefit messaging and mandate of XhAle runs all the way to their core, and they are determined to make it manifest in all their designs, from XhAle’s overall visual brand through to every individual beer label campaign and promotional item.

​Born and raised on a family farm in Saskatchewan, Paul crawled out of a cabbage patch with a jar of sauerkraut in his hand and a perogy in his mouth.

After being tasked with growing 50 cabbages at the age of 5, a green thumb was always in his future. From planting crops to harvesting them, Paul has always had an intimate knowledge of the farming practices used today to create the main ingredient for the beers we enjoy.

Paul attended Montana State University – Northern and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Diesel Technology before making his way to Olds College to complete the Brewmaster and Brewing Operations diploma 10 years later. There he met Christina, and a passion for craft beverages ignited. While at Olds College Paul received a recognized BJCP rating and worked part time as an Assistant Maltster for Hogarth Malt, gaining the nickname “Hogarth” while at Olds.

He returned to Humboldt after Olds, had an attempt at opening a brewery, but then Paul found himself at a crossroads which led to XhAle, a relationship founded in knowledge, trust and growth.

You can find Paul spending his spare time walking on water in the winter ice fishing or attending ice fishing derbies, volunteering with The Matriarch’s Collective, collecting sugar teaspoons, golfing, trying to grow tomatoes hydroponically, making sauerkraut and his own summer sausage, or spending time with his amazing partner Kelsey.

Bea has 10+ years in the restaurant industry primarily being on the front end slinging beers and cocktails from golf courses to cocktail bars to craft beer halls- she's done it all! As an avid craft beer drinker, she contemplated going to Olds College for the Brewmasters Program, but Co-Owner Christina saw the potential in Bea with her knowledge of bartending and decided to bring her on as Calgary's new Beer Rep to give her hands on knowledge.

She is very passionate about all the morals and ideals of XhAle and is excited to see a change in the community by providing provocative beers!!

Craft Beer Enthusiast, Gamer Extraordinaire, and Doting Dad

Sebastien is an aging millennial that's survived a couple existential crises. He has a passion for beer and graduated from the Olds brewing program. He is also a big nerd getting lost in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, or planning his next big trip. As a proud Dad, Sebastien is embracing fatherhood with the same enthusiasm he applies to his hobbies—complete dedication and a lot of fun!

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When he’s not experimenting with flavors and recipe development or strategizing his next Magic: The Gathering game, you can find Sebastien capturing memories, snapping photos and sharing his love for photography, or cheering on his beloved Edmonton Oilers from the comfort of his couch (with a cold brew in hand, of course).

Whether he’s perfecting a homebrew recipe, playing the latest board game, or preparing for his growing family, Sebastien brings an infectious enthusiasm to everything he does. He’s ready to raise a glass (and maybe a few dice) to the next chapter of life!

Shivani Gibbs is a marketer, community builder, and advocate for equity in craft beer. At XhAle Brewing, she supports digital marketing and social media storytelling, helping share the brewery’s impact across issues of justice, inclusion, and community care.

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Shivani is the Community Engagement Manager at Triwood Community Association, where she leads programming and events that bring people together and strengthen local connections. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Federation of Calgary Communities, championing collaboration and inclusive leadership across the city.

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She’s passionate about making the craft beer space more inclusive, representative, and community-driven—one post, pour, and partnership at a time. A Hop Forward Society grant recipient, she also created a diverse imagery database that reflects who really fills Alberta’s taprooms.

Lynn Tajcnar (P.Eng), is a focused and organized project engineer with experience in major project execution, engineering design and project management for petrochemical facilities. A strong communicator, critical thinker and problem-solver, Lynn brings a practical approach to identification of issues and coordination of activities to resolve and solve them. Her talents have been utilised by Worley and Bantrel for projects completed by companies such as Brion, JACOS Limited, Shell, PetroCanada and Suncor. Lynn is a member of our newly formed Governance Group, and is also a private loan holder with XhAle. Lynn is a renowned volunteer with many cycling and running groups in Calgary, and is an avid and active member of the local craft beer scene as a homebrewer, taproom visitor, and industry events and community initiatives supporter.