THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1835
Issue #1835 – Posted on: 27 – March – 2026
Last Call! Our tank of Pickard’s Oatmeal Cream stout is now empty but you can still find a limited number of take home bottles available in our offsale cooler. The Blood Orange Blonde Ale tank is also running low. If you’re feeling dark and roasty or tutti-frutti you’d best head down to YOUR Bushwakker right smartly!
BUSHWAKKER SEASONAL BEER STATUS Our seasonally available BARON BOCK, BLOOD ORANGE BLONDE ALE and 35th ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE HONEY IRISH RED ALE are currently available. There are also a batches of CHINOOK ESB and BLACKBERRY GRAPEFUIT ALE working its way through the brewery!
Our WEEKEND SPECIAL DINING FEATURE for March 27th & 28th is a CHICKEN STEW BREAD BOWL. 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!
MARCH WINE FEATURES: Our March featured Red is CASTILLO DE ENERIZ GARNACHA from Spain and the White is LEFT FIELD PINOT GRIS from New Zealand. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
One of the comforting dishes appearing on our new Seasonal Menu is our TRADITIONAL BUSHWAKKER CLUBHOUSE! Three slices of toasted multigrain with real turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese and roasted garlic aioli. Served with choice of side. Other delicious throwback delights include: Classic Bushwakker Potato Skins, Chef Mike’s Pizza, a Loaded Prime Rib Burger, Baked Alaska and Cottage Pie too!
Our annual Bushwakker Brewer’s Dinner has just been announced. This year we are going to put our 800 litre converted beer tank smoker to the test. Get ready for a decadent multi-course evening that truly reflects our pride in our products! Call 306-359-7276 to get your tickets.
Bushwakker 2026 Brewer’s Dinner – The Art of Smoke & Beer: An Adventure of Fire, Flavour and Fermentation!
1st Course
Pale Ale Smoked Chicken Ravioli
Delicate house-made ravioli infused with Regina Pale Ale, generously filled with tender chicken slow-smoked in our custom 800-litre converted beer tank smoker. Nestled in a vibrant herb tomato sauce, this dish is elevated with RPA-marinated mushrooms and a flourish of fresh local microgreens, delivering balanced smoke, acidity and garden freshness.
Paired with: Chinook Extra Special Bitter – a bold, hop-forward British style ale to complement and enhance the savoury depth of the dish.
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2nd Course
Northern Smoked Diefenbaker Trout
Locally sourced fresh trout gently house-smoked to highlight its natural richness. Served atop a mixed spring greens salad accented with tri-coloured tomatoes, pea shoots, curly green onions, dill herb goat cheese and thin sliced cucumber ribbons. Finished with a bright Northern Lights Lager vinaigrette, pickled fennel and an artisan crispy lentil cracker for texture and contrast.
Paired with: Blackberry Grapefruit Sour – a vibrant Bushwakker debut, bursting with citrus and berry notes to refresh the palate.
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3rd Course
New York Irish Red Ale Roast
Succulent CAB Black Angus New York strip roast is house-smoked to perfection, then finished with a rich Dungarvon Irish Red Ale gravy. Accompanied by a silky smoked carrot and yam purée, crispy parmesan fingerling potatoes and fresh broccolini, this course delivers depth, warmth and refined comfort.
Paired with: Baron Bock – a rich yet smooth, malty lager that enhances the roast’s caramelized and smoky character.
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4th Course
Deconstructed Smoked Tiramisu
A modern interpretation of the classic dessert! Featuring lightly smoked mascarpone and cream cheese, layered with Cheryl’s Blonde Ale – infused sponge cake and a rich mocha cookie crumble. Each element invites exploration of subtle smoke and balanced sweetness.
Paired with: Coffee Porter – deep, roasted notes of coffee and chocolate echo the dessert’s richness whilst adding a smooth, lingering finish.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar. 30: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. CALL ME MILDY. Original jumpin’ blues, diggin’ rock and sweet reggae too! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Apr. 1: MONTHLY ALES HOMEBREWING CLUB MEETING. If you are interested in delving into the world of homebrewing or are just looking to brush up on your brewing skills then the ALES Club is for you! The April presentation topic are: BIG BEERS and BIG BREW DAY! Come to the Bushwakker basement clubroom at 7:00 PM and discover what the ALES Club can offer you. New members are always welcome!
Apr. 1: Wednesday Folk Night. JUDD & JUDD’S BROTHER. This is no April Fool’s Day joke! Folk roots duo featuring gritty vocal stylings and mandolin picking from Judd and some rich harmony and guitar work from his brother. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Apr. 3: FIRST FIRKIN FESTIVE FISH FRIDAY! The biggest day of the year for famous Fish & Chips will also see the tapping of a firkin of CASCADE DRY-HOPPED DUNGARVON IRISH RED ALE which will make for an excellent pairing! Lots of folks choose to join us for lunch or supper and many prefer to call ahead and get an order for pick-up. Our FESTIVE FISH FRIDAY HOTLINE opens at 9:30 AM that day so call 306-359-7276 to place your order and pick-up time! Our Chocolate Mini Egg Cheesecake and Carrot Cake Cheesecake will also be available as is tradition!
Raising a Glass to Fish and Chips, a Beer-Battered British Icon
By:Tim McKirdy
No dish sings “Rule, Britannia!” quite as proudly as a plate of fish and chips. As British as rain delays at Wimbledon and double-decker London buses, the combination of golden, crispy, battered fish, and chunky chips (like French fries, only better), is enjoyed in every corner of the United Kingdom.
Traditionally served in fish and chip shops, called “chippies,” the dish also finds a home in village pubs, chain restaurants, and fancy gastropubs. When this writer worked as an apprentice chef at a five-star London hotel, the most popular dish on the bar menu (by far) was the fish and chips.
According to Professor John K. Walton, historian and author of “Fish and Chips and the British Working Class,” Londoners first cooked battered fish at around the same time Queen Victoria took the throne, in 1837. Fried “chipped” potatoes were invented some 40 years later in Lancashire, a county in the northwest of England. It’s not known who first combined the two ingredients, but the dish’s origins are believed to date to some time in the 1870s.
The secret to the dish lies within perfecting the batter. The ideal preparation sees a fillet of meaty white fish, such as cod, haddock, or pollock, served in a batter that’s light but crispy, fried but not greasy, and as golden as a pint of British ale.
Indeed, beer is a key ingredient in well-made fish and chips. Adding beer to a batter made from flour and water boosts flavor and provides a “lighter, crispier” coating, Gordon Ramsay explains in a 2005 episode of “The F Word.”
Bottom of Form
“Different beers produce slightly different results regarding the coloration of the final batter mix, and also the flavor,” says Andy Gray, the trade marketing manager of Seafish, a public body that supports the U.K. seafood industry. A blonde-style beer produces a “slightly sweeter batter mix,” Gray explains, while darker beers produce a “bitter-beer style flavor.”
The batter also protects the fish during cooking. As the mixture crisps, it forms a shell around the fish, locking in moisture and steam-cooking the fillet. “The quick frying methods used today and the high-quality oils used by fish and chip shops, mean that very little oil, if any, gets into the actual fish,” Gray says.
Heston Blumenthal, the chef and owner of three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (two Michelin stars), says the key to a crispy batter is carbonation. Blumenthal adds beer at the last minute, and advises against mixing too much so that bubbles aren’t lost. (A lumpy batter also provides an interesting texture, Blumenthal says.)
He adds his batter to a syphon and injects with carbon dioxide cartridges before chilling it. Carbon dioxide is much more soluble in chilled liquid, he explains, and cooling provides “more gas, more bubbles, and a crisper, lighter batter.”
Blumenthal also pioneered a method for cooking the “fluffiest, crispiest chips imaginable.” His triple-cooked chips see potatoes washed of starch, simmered in lightly salted water until almost cooked, confited at 250 degrees Fahrenheit, then crisped to a satisfying crunch in hot oil (around 365 degrees Fahrenheit).
At “chippies” and fine-dining establishments, chefs take certain liberties with the dish. Some fish and chip shops opt to fry their chips in beef dripping instead of oil. Many serve it with tartar sauce or mushy peas — a mint- and vinegar-spiked pea puree. No matter where you are in the country, chips are almost always seasoned with salt and malt vinegar.
Glaswegians enjoy their fish and chips with a side of pickled onions, while Manchester locals sauce with a splash of gravy. Birmingham residents enjoy with a curry-flavored dipping sauce and Londoners opt for mayonnaise.
Brits honor the dish on the first Friday of every June, when they celebrate National Fish and Chips Day. According to a 2014 survey, over a third of U.K. residents eat fish and chips more than once a month.
TIME OUT – The Penguin & the Seal
A penguin grows tired of the cold winters in Alaska. So he buys a used Corvette and heads south for warmer weather. About five hundred miles into the trip the Corvette starts to overheat.
He stops in a small town and finds a mechanic to get the issue fixed. The mechanic says he is not going to be able to look at the car for an hour, so the Penguin asks him if there is any place to eat while he waits. The mechanic says there is a great fish and chips right around the corner.
So, the penguin leaves and gets a nice lunch. An hour has passed and he heads back to the repair shop. The mechanic has the car on a lift, so the penguin asks the mechanic if he found the issue.
The mechanic says, “It looks like you blew a seal.” The penguin wipes the side of his mouth and says, “No, that’s just tartar sauce.”
A special firkin tapping of ale and the biggest day of the entire year for Fish & Chips sales will be taking place on Good Friday! Enjoy a beautiful pairing at 5:30 PM on April 3rd.
