THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1843
Issue #1843 – Posted on: 22 – May – 2026
The 2026 Regina Hop Circuit in now officially underway! Grab your free map and take a hike or your bike and visit all six participating Regina craft breweries this summer. Collect a stamp on your map at all six locations and receive a free 2026 Hop Circuit commemorative glass!
BUSHWAKKER SEASONAL BEER STATUS Our seasonally available HONEY THISTLE WIT, BLACKBERRY GRAPEFRUIT ALE, CHINOOK E.S.B., BARON BOCK and 35th ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE HONEY IRISH RED ALE are currently available. There is also a batch of UPENDI PINEAPPLE PASSION FRUIT SOUR working its way through the brewery!
Our WEEKEND SPECIAL DINING FEATURE for May 22nd & 23rd is CLASSIC CHICKEN CORDON BLEU. 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!
Last week saw scorching temperatures, snow and incredibly powerful winds. Much thanks for your co-operation when we had to ask you to use our back doors on that particularly windy day when we were concerned our front doors might catch a big gust and turn into a sail! Only in Saskatchewan!
Enjoy it while you still can! Our current Seasonal Menu will soon be at an end. We’ll be switching to a new summer seasonal menu in the coming weeks. So enjoy these delicious throwback delights while they are still available: Chef Mike Favourite Pizza, Classic Bushwakker Potato Skins, Baked Alaska, a traditional Bushwakker Clubhouse, Loaded Prime Rib Burger and our Cottage Pie too!
We are currently seeking day and evening line cooks for both our hot and cold side. We have a scratch kitchen with a brigade-style set up. Group benefits offered after six months. Positions are full time. Must have minimum two years line cooking experience. References requested and required. Drop off your resume or email it to Kelly@bushwakker.com today!
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 25: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. THE CAMPBELL COMBO COLLECTIVE. Young talented jazz group is back to deliver some great jazz standards – their way! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
May 27: Wednesday Folk Night. NARROW GATE. Popular group delivers folk, jazz, pop and gospel delivered on string bass, mandolin, guitar, accordion, keyboards, flugel horn, drums, flute and vocals. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
June 1: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES. Newer Blues band comprised of veteran musicians is back for another fine performance! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
June 3: MONTHLY ALES HOMEBREWING CLUB MEETING. Final club meeting of the 2025/2026 brewing season! The June presentation topics are: BEER & FOOD PAIRINGS and BRING WHAT YOU WANT! Come to the Bushwakker basement clubroom at 7:00 PM and discover what the ALES Club can offer you. New members are always welcome!
June 3: Wednesday Folk Night. DR. BIRD & BLUE BEAT. Rocksteady/Reggae/Ska band provides soulful beats for your dancing feet. Back after a 13 year Bushwakker hiatus! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
June 5: FIRST FIRKIN FRIDAY – Special Pride Month Edition! Don’t miss this decades-old Bushwakker monthly tradition. A piper from The Regina Police Services Pipes & Drums leads a keg (the firkin) of special ale throughout the pub in a very colourful procession. A guest volunteer tapper is selected to wield the handmade wooden maul affectionately named, The Mighty Firkin Wakker, and attempts to tap the keg in one mighty blow! Our June Pride month firkin offering is a SUPER PRIDE DRY HOPPED CHINOOK E.S.B. The beautifully complex and elegant suds-soaking spectacular takes place at 5:30 PM.
Refresh Your Palate with the Best Beers for Spring
From The Growler Guys
One day you’re in a parka, craving a barrel-aged imperial stout; the next, the sun comes out and leaves you dreaming about a crisp Mexican lager. Welcome to spring. It can be a confusing time for any beer lover’s palate, but our team is here to help with a list of the best beers for early spring.
At The Growler Guys, we call this “Shoulder Season.” In our experience, you’re not quite ready for the light, refreshing beers of July, but the heavy winter warmers are starting to feel like a bit too much. That’s where the spring transition beer comes in. It has enough body to stand up to an evening chill, but it’s bright enough to celebrate the coming bloom. Keep reading as we guide you to our top picks for early spring beers.
What Are Spring Transition Beers?
Spring transition beers are specific styles that bridge the gap between heavy winter ales and crisp summer lagers. These shoulder-season brews provide a warming malt foundation balanced by bright, floral hop flavours or refreshing carbonation. Common examples include Maibocks, Saisons, Schwarzbiers, and Pale Ales, which offer enough complexity for chilly evenings while remaining light enough for sunny afternoons.
The Best Styles to Broaden Your Palate This Spring
When the weather shifts, these brews provide the perfect balance to help you savour the season. Based on our first-hand knowledge of tap rotations, here are the styles we recommend right now.
Maibock and Helles Lager
We can’t talk about spring seasonal craft beer without talking about the Maibock. This pale German lager is traditionally brewed to celebrate the arrival of May. It has the sturdy, malty backbone of a winter lager but is lighter in color with a more pronounced floral hop profile that mirrors the blooming world outside.
If a Maibock still feels too heavy for an early spring beer, try a Munich Helles. This brew is the gold standard for drinkability. With just a touch more bready malt sweetness than your standard pilsner, it’s perfect for a 50-degree afternoon.
West Coast IPAs
Cold IPAs and heavy double IPAs rule the winter. But as spring blooms, there’s a shift toward fruity and floral West Coast IPAs. It’s not quite juice-bomb hazy territory yet, but hoppy beers are perfect for spring. The hops bring a sunny aromatic profile, while that classic piney bitterness provides a crisp finish to cleanse the palate. It’s a refreshing wake-up call for your taste buds after a long winter of dark malts.
Porters and Black Lagers
The sun may be staying out past 5:00 pm, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep living on the dark side. Schwarzbiers (black lagers) and robust porters are perfect transition beers for early spring. Think of Schwarzbier as a wolf in sheep’s clothing—it may look like a stout, but it drinks like a lager. There are notes of chocolate and roasted coffee, but it has a light body and a dry, snappy finish. It’s perfect for chilly spring evening fire pits.
Saisons
If there’s one beer style that screams spring, it’s the Saison. These brews are carbonated, spicy, and incredibly complex. Their refreshing profile is why they were historically brewed by Belgian farmers for the warm spring and summer months. Saisons use yeast strains that produce phenols and esters that taste like cracked black pepper and citrus zest. They’re bone-dry and effervescent, which makes them perfect with light spring fare like asparagus and lemon-herbed chicken.
Gose and Berliner Weiss
Also on the list of great beers for early spring? Gose. This traditional German sour is brewed with coriander and sea salt. That saltiness adds a refreshing mineral quality, making the brew so incredibly crisp. Meanwhile, the tart flavour adds a zesty brightness that matches the season’s energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a transition beer?
A transition beer is a beer style that balances the heavy, malty characteristics of winter brews with the high carbonation and crispness of summer lagers. They’re designed for days where it may be 60°F in the sun but 50°F in the shade.
Why is the Maibock considered the official beer of spring?
The Maibock (or Heller Bock) was traditionally brewed by German monks for the month of May. It’s brewed with lighter-coloured malts than a traditional winter bock, giving it a deep gold color. With an ABV of 6.3% – 7.5%, it’ll keep you warm, but it also has a more pronounced floral hop presence to match the spring air.
Should I still be drinking dark beer in the spring?
Absolutely! Instead of a thick, syrupy Imperial Stout, though, you may want to try a Schwarzbier or a dry Irish stout. These brews have those roasted, chocolatey notes you’re looking for, but with a much lighter body and drier finish, so they don’t feel quite as heavy.
TIME OUT – The Love Doctors
One night a man and a woman are both at a bar knocking back a few beers. They start talking and come to realize that they’re both doctors. After about an hour, the man says to the woman, “Hey, how about if we sleep together tonight. No strings attached. It’ll just be one night of fun.” The woman doctor agrees to it. So they go back to her place and he goes in the bedroom. She goes in the bathroom and starts scrubbing up like she’s about to go into the operating room. She scrubs for a good 10 minutes. Finally she goes in the bedroom and they have intercourse. Afterwards, the man says to the woman, “You’re a surgeon, aren’t you?” “Yeah, how did you know?” The man says, “I could tell by the way you scrubbed up before we started.” “Oh, that makes sense”, says the woman. “You’re an anaesthesiologist aren’t you?” “Yeah”, says the man, a bit surprised. “How did you know?” “Because I didn’t feel a thing.”
The famous “Guinness is Good for You” campaign, which began in the 1920s, was based on clever marketing and pub-goer testimonials rather than clinical proof. The company leaned into the public’s perception of stout as a strengthening tonic, eventually building a massive advertising empire around the slogan.
