THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1804
Issue #1804 – Posted on: 22 – August – 2025
BUSHWAKKER SEASONAL SUDS STATUS. There are still bottles of MORK’S MEAD available in our offsale as part of our Summer Doubly Bubbly Mead Release. Our seasonally available SUMMER WHEAT, TANGERINE DRAGON FRUIT ALE, BOMBAY IPA, KAI’S MUNICH HELLES and ENIGMA PALE ALE are currently available. There is also a batch of GOSE TO THE FINISH Queen City Marathon 25th Anniversary Ale currently working its way through the brewery.
Special Firkin Tapping Alert! In exactly one week we will be releasing a brand new, one-time commemorative brew in celebration of the Queen City Marathon’s 25th anniversary! This is the first time we have ever brewed a Gose! This German-style blonde ale is gently tart and brewed with special ingredients including; wheat, coriander and a touch of pink Himalayan salt! A limited number of GOSE TO THE FINISH souvenir bottles will be made available. Don’t miss the August 29th firkin tapping ceremony complete with a piper and some QCM top brass and athletes too at 5:30 PM.
Special advance alert! Last Thursday’s BLIND BEER TASTING is now in the books and we are ready to present yet another specialty beer tasting event on Thursday, October 23rd featuring some newly introduced beautiful Belgian brews from the renowned BRASSERIE DE SILLY! Just released in Western Canada for the first time! Don’t miss this special tasting experience of seven unique beautiful Belgian brews lead by Certified Cicerone and Certified Prud’ homme Beer Specialist, Gary de Pape. Only 50 tickets available at $24.95 each. Call 306-359-7276 to get yours!
Holy smokin’ Pork Butts! Andrew is pretty pumped about how nicely our converted 800-litre English beer tank smoker is performing this summer! In addition to our Summer Smokin’ Seasonal Menu we are also offering different smoked specials every weekend. We have three more weeks of smoky goodness to go before we switch to a new autumn seasonal menu. Savour the smoke while you can! View our limited time summer smokin’ menu at https://bushwakker.com/full-
Boy oh boy! Who knew posting a nice social media image of the newly planted trees on Dewdney would spark such an uproar? Almost 100,000 views, over a thousand likes and a hundred colourful comments about the Dewdney Avenue Revitalization Project really demonstrated how passionate Queen City residents are about this 32 million dollar infrastructure and beautification investment. Check out the boisterous banter at https://www.facebook.com/
We had a great time last Saturday seeing Rider fans and Ti-Cat fans enjoying some friendly game day banter. Not sure the Riders and Bombers fans share that same level of respectful candour. We’ll soon see as our LABOUR DAY CLASSIC THREE DAY BURGER BATTLE is next weekend! Enjoy either our RIDER BURGER or BOMBER BURGER & A PINT special. May the best burger win!
SUMMER “DOUBLY-BUBBLY” MEAD RELEASE. Although the bottles of our famous BLACKBERRY MEAD sold out quick, for the first time ever this summer we have our original MORK’S MEAD bottles available! They are in limited supply so don’t delay in visiting us today! Mead on ice is twice as nice!
Our WEEKEND SPECIAL DINING FEATURE for August 22nd & 23rd is a SMOKED TOMAHAWK PORK CHOP WITH APPLE SCOTCH SAUCE. Our Saturday CLASSIC STEAK & A PINT SPECIAL as well as our Monday and Wednesday WINGS & A PINT SPECIAL and Tuesday PIZZA & A PINT SPECIAL are also great value deals. Please note you can also have a pop, lemonade, sarsaparilla, ice tea or coffee instead of a pint of beer if you wish!
AUGUST PREMIUM WINE FEATURES: The Red is ARROGANT FROG CABERNET/MERLOT from France and the White is THE BEACHHOUSE SAUVIGNON BLANC from South Africa. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Aug. 25: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. SUMMER BLUES SINGER/SONGWRITER SHOWCASE. Although Neil Child is known for his folk music skills, he has also dabbled in the blues. Join Neil and his small group of carefully curated songwriters for his SECOND blues showcase. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Aug. 27: Wednesday Folk Night. NARROW GATE. Folk, jazz, pop and gospel delivered on string bass, mandolin, guitar, accordion, keyboards, flugelhorn, drums, flute and vocals. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Aug. 29: QUEEN CITY MARATHON 25TH ANNIVERSARY BEER RELEASE & FRIKIN TAPPING. The Bushwakker has had a longstanding relationship with QCM for many years and we are delighted to work with them in presenting our first ever Gose German-style wheat beer. GOSE TO THE FINISH is a gently tart and refreshing brew which boasts coriander and Himalayan salt additions which make for the perfect post-run pint to replenish those electrolytes! Limited edition commemorative bottles will be available. Be sure to get your historic Regina Runner’s commemorative bottle. The keg will be piped-out and tapped at 5:30 PM.
Aug. 30, & 31: LABOUR DAY CLASSIC WEEKEND BURGER BATTLE. We open at noon on the football Sunday and kickoff is at 5:00 PM! We once again welcome our many Manitoba friends who return to Mosaic stadium to watch their beloved Blue & Gold get their licks from the Green & White before the favour is returned at The Banjo Bowl. The Labour Day Classic Weekend is the only opportunity of the entire year where football burger fans can show their support for their team by choosing their namesake burger. History has shown on a number of occasions that the burger which sells the best prior to the game is a strong indicator as to which team will win the Labour Day Classic. Will it be the Rider Burger or the Bomber Burger? May the best burger win!
Hop Circuit connects Regina’s myriad microbreweries and people
How Canada Wins: The Hop Circuit in Regina is a self-guided tour involving six craft breweries within walking distance — and a prize waiting at the end.
By Alec Salloum Published August 20, 2025
Grant Frew of Bushwakker stands outside the brewpub on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025 in Regina. Photo by KAYLE NEIS /Regina Leader-Post
It stands to reason that a province renowned for its agricultural production would have a stellar beer scene.
In Regina, the city is chock-full of local microbreweries. While a preponderance of pubs might lead to business-related rivalries in some centres, the Queen City’s brewers have found their own community amongst competitors who share the same passion.
It’s part of why an undertaking like the Hop Circuit has drawn so much attention in Regina. The self-guided walking tour comprises six craft breweries — Bushwakker Brewpub, Copperhead Brewing, District Brewing, Malty National Brewing, Pile O’ Bones Brewing and Rebellion Brewing — where participants can pick up a map and receive a stamp for sampling brews at each location. A fully stamped map is presented at your final stop for a prize: a piece of custom glassware.
The circuit runs from spring until the start of September, so pace yourself and participate in a responsible manner.
This year was a huge success, with glassware running out before season’s end.
“It’s really nice how the six breweries we can all come together and it doesn’t feel like you’re sitting with your competitors,” says Bushwakker bar manager Grant Frew. “You’re sitting with friends, with people that have the same goal of bringing craft beer to the masses in a fun way.
The term pub — as it relates to a beer-slinging establishment — is short for public house. Many of the breweries along the hop circuit fill that role as meeting places for denizens of the community.
Malty National, for example, leans into the Heritage neighbourhood by hosting block parties, zucchini growing contests and more. It’s become a spot where people can gather to engage in political debates, talk sports or compare notes on bad to great movies.
Frew credits Rebellion founder Mark Heise with helping create the Hop Circuit and keeping the microbreweries together as it has grown since 2021.
For Heise, local ingredients are a key part of Rebellion’s operation. In addition to using fresh hops from Saskatchewan, the brewery looked to do something different with the province’s crops.
“We also created a unique beer style for the world called lentil beer, which only makes sense, as the majority of worldwide lentil production comes from southern Saskatchewan,” says Heise.
Pile O’ Bones is Saskatchewan’s largest craft brewing operation in terms of volume produced. In addition to offering local beer and a social atmosphere, its Regina pub has pinball machines lining one wall, where members of a local pinball league compete and hone their skills.
Since the summer months are short, the hop circuit looks to get people out and about while the weather is nice, though the city’s Frost Festival did have a winter circuit too. With the summer weather, District and Copperhead offer circuit goers sunny patios in the city’s warehouse district off Dewdney Avenue.
Having run out of the glassware prizes this year, the six breweries are planning to order even more for the 2026 hop-circuit season.
Frew said he hopes the next round of glasses will offer a chance for artists in the city to submit ideas and make the whole event even more local.
TIME OUT
A marathon runner walks into a bar and the barman says…
“Hey why the long race?”
Don’t miss the official unveiling of the Bushwakker brewed Queen City Marathon 25th anniversary ale! On Friday, August 29th at 5:30 we’ll pipe-in and tap a keg of GOSE TO THE FINISH. A gently tart German-style brew made with wheat, coriander and pink Himalayan salt! Limited release commemorative bottles will also be on sale! Come taste some Regina running history!
