THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1817
Issue #1817 – Posted on: 21 – November – 2025
BUSHWAKKER SEASONAL SUDS STATUS.
Just two weeks to go until our annual Mead Day! Our Blackberry Mead Pre-Order page is now operational on our website for those wishing to secure our 2025 vintage without worry. Just visit https://bushwakker.com/
Our Bushwakker Blackberry Mead Countdown Clock is back! Much thanks to Bushwakker supervisor, Trevor Hlushko, for bringing our signature time device back to life! Our BLACKBERRY MEAD PRE-ORDER WEBPAGE IS NOW ACTIVE! Pre-order your mead and pick it up conveniently in the warmth of our pub back entrance at our Mead Pick-Up Desk! Free parking is available on the east side of Cornwall Street in our building’s customer parking lot. Then just enter through the back entrance of Bushwakker on Mead Day: Saturday, December 6th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. https://bushwakker.com/
Our 35th Bushwakker Scotch Tasting is now in the books! Much thanks to our loyal legion of enthusiastic scotch fans who come out year after year to discover delicious new whiskies with us. Hats off to the Regina Police Services Pipes & Drums and the Regina Highland Dance Association for injecting some true Scottish culture into the evening. 
Thanks to everyone who joined us at last Saturday’s sold out annual Scotch Tasting event! Small amounts of each scotch are still available if you missed getting a ticket or wish to revisit a favourite whiskey. Scores are below:
Bushwakker 35th Scotch Tasting Scores (out of 50 points)
1. Glengoyne 21 Year – 39.76
2. Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Batch #5 – 38.84
3. Bowmore 18 Year – 38.40
4. Glen Scotia 18 Year – 36.13
5. The Deveron 18 Year – 34.33
6. That Boutique-y Whisky Company Blended Grain Scotch 30 Year – 33.09
Our AUTUMN SEASONAL MENU is humming right along! Our six sensational decadent delights include: Beef Vindaloo Bowl, BBQ Chicken & Peach Flatbread, Pumpkin Gnocchi, Birria Tacos, Cajun Steak & Shrimp and Pumpkin Pie! View our limited time autumn menu at https://bushwakker.com/full-
Dewdney is not open yet…but close…we hope! We have been hearing plenty of rumours that Dewdney Avenue will open any day now. But the city reports the traffic lights still need to be installed (that’s correct, a full set of traffic lights on our corner with a pedestrian crossing too!) and CN is still working on the rail crossing warning system upgrades. So at best Dewdney will be open by the end of November. That means only nine more days to go! Yahoo!
Office Christmas Party Alert! We have two private rooms available for your upcoming festive gatherings which each accommodate up to 50 people. Our main floor Arizona Room features big windows and lots of plants while our basement Clubroom offers a unique view into the Bushwakker brewery. Contact info@bushwakker.com to secure your holiday room rental today!
Our WEEKEND SPECIAL DINING FEATURE for November 21st & 22nd is CHICKEN MOLE POBLANO. 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!
NOVEMBER PREMIUM WINE FEATURES: This month’s wine specials hail from South Africa! The Red is INCEPTION DEEP LAYERED RED (shiraz/petit verdot/mourvedre) and the White is THE WOLFTRAP WHITE (voignier/chenin blanc/grenache blanc.) Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Nov. 22: BUSHWAKKER WRITER’S CORNER EIGHTH EDITION AUTHOR READING. Join us for this annual event where we celebrate the talents of local authors. This year’s line-up includes; Bruce Rice, Iryn Tushabe, Melanie Schnell, Michael Trussler, and Suzy Krause. The event host will be local author, Shane Arbuthnott Enjoy our award-winning pub cuisine and in-house brewed beers as well as our special “writer-inspired” commemorative PEANUT BUTTER CONFETTI CHEESECAKE whilst making yourself cozy in the Writer’s Corner area found near the back of the brewpub. 3:00 PM.
Nov. 24: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES. Brand new Blues band comprised of veteran musicians is back for an encore performance! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM. 
Nov. 26: Wednesday Folk Night. SCHOOL OF ROCK. A full house is generally on hand to take in the energy, passion and talent demonstrated by this young group of student musicians. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Dec. 6: THE 31ST ANNUAL BUSHWAKKER BLACKBERRY MEAD RELEASE. A true Saskatchewan phenomenon! We spend all year making this Lumsden Valley honey nectar infused with juicy blackberries. Something this special takes quite a bit of time to ferment and mature. The result is an exotic elixir unlike any other. We open our doors at 11:00 AM and thousands of bottles are snapped up by the legion of devoted Bushwakker Blackberry Mead fans. The supply of mead on tap lasts throughout the month. Our official kick-off of the Bushwakker holiday season!
I Feel the Need for Mead
How to survive Bushwakker’s annual Mead Day.
Editor’s Note: As we prepare for another Bushwakker Blackberry Mead Release we look back upon this fun Regina Leader Post article which was published almost 14 years ago. Saturday, December 6th will see the 31st edition of Mead Day at The Bushwakker!
By ASHLEY MARTIN
Published Dec 06, 2011
REGINA, SASK – Dec. 3, 2011 – Emma Graney, Rachel Molnar, and Ashley Martin show off their mead tickets while waiting to get into Bushwakker in Regina, Sask. on Saturday Dec. 3, 2011. The brewpub makes a popular blackberry mead every December. (Michael Bell/Regina Leader-Post) QC Photo by Michael Bell /Regina Leader-Post
Last year — after standing in line for 2½ hours, only to be turned away as the last case of Bushwakker’s blackberry honey mead was sold — I vowed I wouldn’t do it again. But those were hasty words, inspired by a legion of greedy line-cutters. Of course I was going to line up for mead again — but I’d have to be smart about it.
Rachel Molnar, Emma Graney and I did a lot of planning before Mead Day.
Last year, getting there at 9 a.m. was not early enough. We had to get there earlier — but not unrealistically so (like the first man in line, who arrived at 3:20 a.m.).
But we didn’t want to chance getting there too late either, lest people were holding spots for their friends. Luckily, taking a cue from last year, Bushwakker devised a ticketing system to keep people honest.
Considering everything, we decided 6 a.m. was the magic hour.
A MEAD DAY TIMELINE
5 a.m. — I wake up before my alarm and gather supplies: snacks, sleeping bags, Mad Libs. I get dressed, putting on four pairs of pants, two long-sleeved T-shirts, two sweaters, a scarf, two toques, two pairs of socks and furry boots. Layering is key.
5:30 a.m. — Rachel promptly arrives to pick me up.
5:32 a.m. — I realize I’ve forgotten my coat, so we turn around.
5:48 a.m. — We arrive at Emma’s. Along the way, I realize I have no mitts. Luckily Emma has two extra pairs.
6:02 a.m. — We haul our sleeping bags, lawn chairs and bags of stuff over to Cornwall Street and assume our place in line. Despite the early hour, we are pretty far back, settling near the wooden ramp behind the building. The next guy is hauling a propane heater — turns out it looks warmer than it is.
6:34 a.m. — Emma, from Australia, is super bundled up and realizes, “This is what it’s like being a three-year-old in Canada.”
6:42 a.m. — Emma has a second realization: Lining up to buy booze is “really kind of ridiculous.”
7:05 a.m. — Rachel vows she’s not doing this again next year, then amends that statement: “… or, we have to be more prepared” for the cold.
7:13 a.m. — Rachel heads to the car to warm up.
7:52 a.m. — “If you didn’t know it was mead day, I wonder what you’d think when you drove by,” Emma ponders.
7:54 a.m. — Rachel returns from the car.
8 a.m. — Bushwakker head brewer Mitch Dalrymple spreads the news that in one hour they’ll hand out tickets to prevent cutting in line. “Hang onto it for dear life, because if you don’t have it, we’ll assume you’re a hanger-on,” he says. No ticket=no mead.
8:03 a.m. — My dad shows up to visit. The line extends down the block, so he leaves. I don’t invite him to sit with us because I have strong feelings about cutting in line.
8:08 a.m. — Emma says she’s only going to buy a six-pack. Rachel and I convince her to buy 12.
8:52 a.m. — Emma tells her husband in Newfoundland she’s lined up outside the pub: “He just thought I really wanted a beer.”
9:15 a.m. — Mitch comes out with the tickets. Everyone cheers.
9:21 a.m. — We have our tickets.
9:38 a.m. — Bushwakker staff hand out cups of hot chocolate. I wish they’d use paper instead of styrofoam, but I can’t complain about the cups’ contents.
10:27 a.m. — Following the lead of those around us, we pack up our sleeping bags and chairs and I sherpa them to the car. (I’m really good at carrying things.)
10:57 a.m. — The line jumps forward as the main doors open.
11:14 a.m. — We’re inside the building!
11:21 a.m. — I have my case of mead! We find a table.
11:27 a.m. — After removing layers of clothing and cleaning up my melty mascara, we taste success. At 12 ounces each, the glasses of mead are tiny compared to the pints of yore, but they are still delicious.
In a Cookie Monster voice, Emma says her first taste of mead is “num-num-nummy.”
Rachel is wistful: “It’s been a really long time. I think it’s even better than I remember.”
1:08 p.m. — The mead is officially sold out.
LINE LESSONS LEARNED
> Warm footwear is key.
> Boiled hand-warmers don’t work — opt for the packaged kind.
> Dress in layers.
> Arrive early: Being next to the building breaks the wind and garners you a seat for lunch.
> Use tarps, garbage bags and the like to insulate from the wind.
> Don’t drink anything, because bathrooms are few and far between.
> Consider bringing a barbecue or other portable heat source.
> Don’t wear mascara or you’ll look like a clown when it inevitably runs.
TIME OUT – More Conventional Wisdom
The biggest joke on mankind is that computers have begun asking humans to prove they aren’t a robot.
When a kid says “Daddy, I want mommy” that’s the kid version of “I’d like to speak to your supervisor.”
It’s weird being the same age as old people.
Just once, I want a username and password prompt to respond “CLOSE ENOUGH.”
Last night the internet stopped working so I spent a few hours with my family. They seem like good people.
If Adam and Eve were Cajuns they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple and saved us all a lot of trouble.
We celebrated last night with a couple of adult beverages …… Metamucil and Ensure.
Weight loss goal: To be able to clip my toenails and breathe at the same time.
After watching how some people wore their masks, I understand why contraception fails.
Some of my friends exercise every day. Meanwhile I am watching a show I don’t like because the remote fell on the floor.
Our BUSHWAKKER WRITER’S CORNER EIGHTH EDITION AUTHOR READING is this Saturday at 3:00 PM. Enjoy a slice of our special “writer-inspired” commemorative PEANUT BUTTER CONFETTI CHEESECAKE whilst listening to six local authors in the Writer’s Corner area found in the northwest corner of the brewpub.
