THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1807
Issue #1807 – Posted on: 12 – September – 2025
BUSHWAKKER SEASONAL SUDS STATUS. There are still some bottles of MORK’S MEAD available in our offsale as part of our End of Summer Mead Release. Our seasonally available GOSE TO THE FINISH, SUMMER WHEAT, TANGERINE DRAGON FRUIT ALE, BOMBAY IPA and ENIGMA PALE ALE are currently pouring on tap and are in our offsale. There is also a batch of HARVEST OKTOBERFEST LAGER working its way through the brewery!
Although the 25th Queen City Marathon is now in the books, you can still celebrate their silver anniversary by enjoying a pint our GOSE TO THE FINISH Queen City Marathon 25th Anniversary Ale! This German-style blonde ale is gently tart and brewed with special ingredients including; wheat, coriander and a touch of pink Himalayan salt! We have a limited quantity available on tap and you can also enjoy a pint at Tommy’s Speakeatery, The Lobby, Pumpjacks Cathedral, The Knotted Thistle and O’Hanlon’s. It’s a city wide celebration of the QCM!
A firkin of love! Congratulations to Gennie and Patrick on your new wedding engagement. Patrick was one of the volunteer firkin bearers at last week’s First Firkin Friday monthly keg tapping event. Gennie had little problem wielding the huge wooden maul and tapping the firkin with explosive power. Best of luck to Patrick with his upcoming duties as husband!
The Bushwakker Local Arts Wall September Featured Artist is KYLE DUCKERIN!
Kyle is an artist from Regina who was born in 1985 on the island of Victoria, British Columbia. Kyle went to the University of Regina and during that time showed sculptures; twice at the Fifth Parallel Gallery in the Riddell and also at the Cathedral Arts Festival. In 2013, Kyle participated in the Department of Visual Arts Graduating Exhibition showcasing a piece that used two paintings and sculpted spruce. After completing both a degree in Visual Arts and Literary Arts, Kyle focused on surrealism and abstraction in painting by using human and humanoid form with geometric abstraction.
In preparation for this particular exhibition at The Bushwakker, Kyle has utilized a style with inspiration from such artists as Group of Seven, Ruth Pawson, Van Gogh, Peter Doig and interpretations of these styles.
Enjoy Kyle’s vibrant works all this month!
Tickets are approximately 70% sold to our upcoming 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 beers lead by Certified Cicerone and Certified Prud’ homme Beer Specialist, Gary de Pape. Less than 20 tickets now remain. $24.95 each. Call 306-359-7276 to get yours!
Last chance! It’s almost time to bid farewell to the delicious summer smoky goodness before we switch to our new autumn seasonal menu! Our converted 800-litre English beer tank smoker has certainly created some delicious smoked dishes over the last few months. Hurry in and savour the smoke one last time! View our limited time summer smokin’ menu at https://bushwakker.com/full-
With the Dewdney Avenue Revitalization Project nearly the end of its two-year run, customers are really looking forward to experiencing our beautiful southern exposure patio overseeing the breath taking view of the railyard area development. You can view what it would be like by viewing the following video at https://www.facebook.com/reel/1408411540246748 We do remind everyone that you can easily get to us by using the rear entrance to the building and parking in the new free parking lot right across Cornwall Street. The construction is slated for completion this November. Just three months to go! #bushwakkerbrewpub #inconvenientlylocatedondewdney
Our HOME RIDER GAME WEEKEND SPECIAL DINING FEATURE for Friday, September 12th & 13th is an ALOUETTES BURGER & A PINT. 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!
SEPTEMBER PREMIUM WINE FEATURES: This month’s featured wines hail from France! The Red is AVENUE SYRAH GRENACHE and the White is the popular blend, LA VIELLE FERME. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept. 13: RIDERS HOST THE ALOUETTES. Saturday night football in Regina! Kickoff is at 5:00 PM which gives you plenty of time to swing by The Bushwakker before or after the game and enjoy our decadent ALOUETTE BURGER & A PINT special. Park in the free massive parking lot nearby and then take the free 8th Avenue shuttle to and from the game. Come “devour” the competition!
Sept. 15: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. THE MINISTRY OF GROOVE. Energetic 1970’s jazz funk and more. Love those horns! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Sept. 17: Wednesday Folk Night. OOOO LA LA STRINGS. Acoustic folk rock act makes their Bushwakker debut as a trio! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Sept. 18: SCIENCE PUB – Energy Transition – A Long and Winding Road. Our wildly popular Science Pub Series returns for a 13th incredible season! Enjoy lectures on scientific topics of general interest in our Arizona Room over fine craft beer and award-winning pub cuisine. The room opens at 5:00 PM. Avoid disappointment and come down early for dinner and a pint before the presentation which begins at 7:00 PM.
This month’s lecture is presented by Dr. Phillip Choi from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Regina. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the excess amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, currently at a level of 425 parts per million (ppm), causes climate change. The high level of CO2 is due to the burning of fossil fuels over the past century. Therefore, reducing fossil fuels use and shifting to more sustainable energy sources seem to be a sensible way to alleviate climate change. Such action is termed as energy transition. And it requires significant economic restructuring, a lengthy process, and leads to lifestyle changes and new waste management processes for handling different types of wastes. Ensuring energy security while pursuing energy transition is a major challenge for many national governments.
Sept. 20: BUSHWAKKER BLUEGRASS BASH! Given the positive response our previous Saturday afternoon music events have received, we thought we’d try another one! Enjoy a Free Saturday Afternoon Bluegrass Music Event showcasing three talented and popular Saskatchewan acts! Plan to arrive early in order to get a good seat! 1:00 PM.
The Complete Guide to IPA Styles
By: Chris Guest
There has been enough written on the IPA beer style in recent years to fit into a mammoth, epic tome that could fill an entire library shelf.
However, with so much fragmentation occurring within the uber-popular style over the course of the past few years (with seemingly more cropping up on a day-to-day basis), there has never been a complete guide to the IPA style.
With this piece, we hope to elucidate and elaborate on the style by describing and exploring each and every IPA style that you’re likely to find on the market currently. Read on to enjoy the colorful and widely varied IPA scene in craft beer.
Beer Judge Certification Program Styles
First off, let’s delve into the IPA styles that are listed in the Beer Judge Certification Program’s (BJCP) 2015 style guidelines, which is the program’s most recent style listings.
American IPA
This is the “classic” example of what one would think of when describing an IPA to someone with no prior knowledge of the style. A medium-gold to light amber beer with a healthy amount of white to off-white head, hops are the star of the show – though note that the classic American IPA can also showcase low to medium-low malt aromas of caramel, toast and grain.
According to the BJCP, the American IPA is “a decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale, showcasing modern American or New World hop varieties. The balance is hop-forward, with a clean fermentation profile, dryish finish, and clean, supporting malt allowing a creative range of hop character to shine through.”
Indeed, the through-line for almost all of these IPA styles will be a focus on how hops are used, what type of hops, the quantity of hops employed during the brewing process, when the hops were added, etc.
Just know that without the American IPA style, all of the other styles mentioned in this piece would not exist.
Specialty IPA
Specialty IPA is a blanket term used by the BJCP to reference any IPA that is not a standard American IPA. Since the rise of New England IPAs into the national consciousness occurred after 2015, there is no specific reference to them in any BJCP literature, so they are deemed Specialty IPAs. (Much more on the New England IPA and its brethren coming later).
Furthermore, any combination of these IPA styles, say a Double Black Rye IPA like Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack, is deemed as a Specialty IPA as well.
Each of the following styles are regarded as BJCP Specialty IPAs: Belgian IPA, Black IPA, Brown IPA, Red IPA, White IPA and Rye IPA.
Belgian IPA
This IPA style features a fruity and spicy aroma and flavor due to the use of Belgian yeast. Often evincing grassy aromas from hops and caramelly, grainy notes from sturdy malt usage, the Belgian IPA serves as a perfect brew for those looking to bridge the gap between the powerhouse hop quotient of an IPA and the complex yet delicate nature of yeasty Belgian-style brews.
Black IPA/Brown IPA
Quite rare these days, both Black and Brown IPAs are maltier than their lighter-colored counterparts, though the Black IPA’s malt flavor should only be “gentle and supportive, not a major flavor component.”
Black IPAs should be dry and fruity with a dark brown or fully black color. The flavor here should be unmistakably IPA though dark malt flavors of caramal, toffee, chocolate or coffee may be present.
Brown IPAs are simply a stronger and more bitter version of an American Brown Ale, with the typical hop-forward elements expected of an IPA coupled with a robust dark fruit malt character.
Red IPA/White IPA
Much like Black and Brown IPAs, these two interestingly colored IPAs are uncommon in today’s saturated IPA scene, though you see these two styles slightly more often than their darker mates.
To sum it up swiftly, Red IPAs are a stronger and hoppier version of an American Amber Ale. Though quite similar in flavor to a standard American IPA, the use of medium or dark crystal malts provides a toasty or dark fruit flavor to the standard hoppy elements.
Similarly, a White IPA is a combination of a witbier with a standard IPA. This typically pale, hazy IPA hybrid offers up typical Belgian aromas and flavors of bananas, cloves and coriander alongside a healthy dosing of hops.
Rye IPA
This modern IPA showcases American and New World hop varieties alongside the spicy, piquant notes provided by rye malt varieties.
Color-wise, a Rye IPA should range from medium-gold to a light reddish-amber color that is fairly similar in look to an American Amber Ale.
Seeing as hazy, unfiltered IPAs have risen to forefront of craft beer fans’ minds, Rye IPAs have fallen out of favor, though they still make a rare appearance on the tap lists of enterprising and boundary-pushing breweries.
English IPA
Another quite rare style on this side of the Atlantic, the English IPA holds onto the standard hoppy aroma and flavor of all IPAs, though the malt level should be much more pronounced (medium-low to medium).
According to the BJCP guidelines, the characteristic ingredient in English IPAs is pale alt malt – a rather surprising choice for most IPAs but not for the malt-focused English IPA, which showcases its differences between U.S. versions.
Double IPA
Double IPAs are also found in the BJCP Style Guidelines and are simply stronger versions of American IPAs or New England IPAs. Typically above 7.5-8 percent ABV, these brews are usually strong sippers that are flush with a plethora of tremendous hop notes throughout the pour.
Just as with the regular-strength IPA, Doubles can have a cornucopia of sub-styles as well.
Non-BJCP Styles
That concludes the styles included in the BJCP’s 2015 Style Guidelines. As you can see, it’s missing a wide variety of styles. Let’s delve into those style that the BJCP didn’t cover (or didn’t exist in 2015).
Triple IPA
An even stronger Double IPA, these fairly uncommon brews are usually quite time-consuming and quite an impressive amount of raw materials are required. As such, these double-digit-ABV brews are usually only produced on special occasions at breweries.
Expect a true surge of hop aromas and flavors – ranging from citrus, stone fruit, pine, resin and more.
New England IPA/Hazy IPA/Unfiltered IPA
Here comes the big one. This style took the craft beer world by storm over the past few years and has now been the No. 1 style at the Great American Beer Festival for two straight years – supplanting the original American IPA for supremacy.
As you can see, there are numerous interchangeable names for this omnipresent brew, but it seems that New England IPA tends to be the most popular among beer connoisseurs, though the catch-all term “hazy” has found its way into the popular lexicon as well.
New England IPAs were first created in New England by The Alchemist in Stowe, Vermont with Heady Topper. Typified by a nearly opaque appearance and an absolute rush of tremendous hop flavors and aromas, New England IPAs juicy hop profile (juicy being another popular catch-all term in the IPA world) makes it one of the most popular styles in the world.
Milkshake IPA
An offshoot of the New England IPA style, this ultra-hazy brew was first invented by Jean Broillet IV of Tired Hands Brewing Co. in Ardmore, Philadelphia in collaboration with Omnipollo of Sweden.
This thick and viscous IPA style is brewed with lactose sugar and oats along with a wide range of adjuncts – as far-flung as marshmallows and graham crackers and as IPA-standard as citrus fruits – to provide a pillowy, pleasant mouthfeel that serves as a perfect hop delivery method for IPA fans.
Dry Hopped IPA/Double Dry Hopped IPA/Triple Dry Hopped IPA
According to the Oxford Companion of Beer, the dry-hopping technique is defined as “a cold infusion technique that not only intensifies hop aromatics in beer but also adds aromatics that are substantially different from those achieved by late hopping.”
Furthermore, the technique’s sole purpose is to “infuse beer with additional fresh hop flavor and aroma.” As such, this technique has skyrocketed in popularity, as all hopheads are constantly seeking extraordinarily fresh hop flavor and aroma.
This technique can be employed across the entire spectrum of IPA styles, but it deserves a mention on its own – as well as with its souped-up derivatives DDH (double dry hopped) and TDH (triple dry hopped).
Single Hop IPA
As its name would suggest, this IPA style serves as a showcase for specific hop varietals. While this might seem as if it would be too one-note, breweries are so talented these days that they are able to pull enormous flavor from just one hop variety.
SMASH IPA
An extension and further streamlining of the Single Hop IPA, SMASH IPA stands for “Single malt and single hop” IPA. The lack of malt additions means the beer is pretty much a blank canvas for the hop varietals – serving as perhaps the purest method to pick out specific flavors and aromas in a particular hop.
Fruit IPA
This might not necessarily be its own standalone style, but IPAs with additions of fruit are among the most common you’ll find on store shelves.
The common adjuncts are citrus fruits such as oranges and tangerines, though passion fruit and guava are also extremely – thanks in no small part to the popularity of the “POG” substyle of IPA (passion fruit, orange, guava).
Of course, citrus is not the only fruit you’ll find in IPAs, as many different fruits serve as an excellent accompaniment to powerhouse hop flavors.
West Coast IPA
What was once the standard-bearer for the IPA style has now become a sub-style on its own. While West Coast IPAs typically describe standard American IPAs in that they are almost always crystal clear, an orangey golden color, and provide piney, resiny and dank hop flavors.
Of course, because of the meteoric rise of New England IPAs, the more old-school American IPA is having to differentiate itself with this catchy new name for itself.
The West Coast IPA immediately brings to mind surf, sand and good vibes – and it follows up on it with a bright, clear and inviting pour that still deserves credit for its pioneering spirit in the beer world.
Session IPA
This light, easy-drinking style should be reminiscent of a standard American IPA or more newfangled West Coast IPA with a far lower alcohol content and a light (bordering on thin) mouthfeel.
These crystal-clear IPAs were all the rage for a time, but have since fallen somewhat out of favor as more and more breweries explore hard seltzer options.
Sour IPA
A rather recent entry into the world of fascinating IPA style experiments and hybrids, Sour IPAs serve as a branch of the New England IPA tree. These hazy brews typically feature hot new hop varietals, a pillowy mouthfeel and, most importantly, the addition of lactobacillus for the sour part of the equation.
This style also often features lactose, wheat or oats – making it also quite close in relation to the Milkshake IPA. This style was first given its “official” name in early 2015 by Epic Brewing of Salt Lake City with the brewery’s famed Tart ‘n Juicy Sour IPA.
Since then, the style has taken off, with myriad breweries producing these tart, juicy and hoppy concoctions.
Wild IPA
This exceedingly rare style features a wild yeast strain, much like an American Wild Ale, but still holds onto the tremendous hoppy elements that make an IPA stand out from other styles. This style could also be called a “funky” or “farmhouse IPA.” Very few of these have been made, so this seems to be an area where brewers will look to experiment with (and engage beer fans with) in the future.
Brut IPA
This style was incredibly popular between 2018 and late 2019, but has since faded from view. The meteoric rise and precipitous decline for the Brut IPA showcases just how much competition there is in the craft beer scene.
This bone-dry, slightly hazy and light, yellow-colored IPA uses an enzyme that leaves little to no residual sugar, meaning it is almost always a healthier alternative than standard IPAs. Its flavor can be described as sharp, as the lack of sugar allows the flavors to truly “pop” against the quite creamy mouthfeel.
This interesting IPA isn’t made as frequently as it was just over a year ago, but hopefully that will change shortly.
High Density Hop Charged
This recent innovation in IPA production creates the most hoppy brews imaginable. Pioneered at IPA-innovating brewery Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, New York, the team there had this to say about HDHC’s:
“We wanted to explore unnecessarily large hop additions using our new experimental Citra hop product, Citra Cryo and regular Citra pellets. HDHC is an acronym to denote this combo and it stands for High-Density Hop Charge due to the extra high hopping rate. We are going for the biggest baddest aromatics we can and it represents around 15 lbs/bbl but with our combo of hop products it’s as smooth as ever.”
TIME OUT – The Buffalo Theory
One afternoon at Cheers Pub, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here’s how it went:
“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this…
A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”
Truer words were never spoken Mr. Clavin!
