Finding hope in devastation, these Calgary brewers crafted a beer from the flowers that sprout after wildfires

Wildfire flames that jump from tree to tree and snake along the forest floor leave behind a seemingly desolate land covered in ash and charred stumps. But it doesn’t take long after the fire has passed for one of the first signs of life to emerge: a bright pink flower that sprouts and spreads quickly across the landscape.The plant is called fireweed and, as its name suggests, it is capable of thriving among the ruins of a wildfire as part of the first line of forest regeneration. It’s always been there, hiding beneath the surface, but only after a significant disruption to the ecosystem can it grow into a sturdy and tall plant that yields honey, and is fed on by bears and pollinators as the canopy rebuilds.