THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1844
Our Belgian-style Witbier and Blackberry Grapefruit Ale are both fine quenching patio sippers! A couple of our Dewdney Avenue neighbours will be unveiling their brand new patios very soon. Although we love our southern exposure, that big ol’ dusty Bushwakker mountain of dirt kicks up quite a bit of dust in the prairie wind. Just not sure it is time for a Bushwakker patio…yet!
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 and a firkin of SUPER PRIDE DRY-HOPPED E.S.B. working their way through the brewery!
Our WEEKEND SPECIAL DINING FEATURE for May29th & 30th is a SMOKED BBQ BEEF RIB DINNER. 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!
The weather is finally warming up and is a great time to jump on the Hop Circuit! Get your free map and take a hike or ride 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! Let’s go!
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 soon. 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!
UPCOMING EVENTS
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.
June is Jazz month and the annual JazzFest Regina music festival is back! Both the festival opening and closing shows will be presented at YOUR Bushwakker. Tickets are now available for TERRAPLANE on Thursday, June 18 and The KRISTIN KORB JAZZ TRIO who will deliver a jazz tribute to The Eurythmics on Monday, June 22. Jeff “Redbeard” Corbett from 91.3 CJTR Regina Community Radio will be the events’ emcee. Stop by The Bushwakker or visit https://jazzfestregina.ca/ Show starts at 7:00 PM. Rush seating only.
Non-Alcoholic vs. Alcohol-Free Beer: What’s the Difference?
By: Jodi Villa
The world of beer is getting a makeover. Shelf space once dominated by lagers and IPAs is now shared with 0.00% stouts, dealcoholized pilsners, and craft “no-and-low” offerings. However, not all “no-alc” beers mean the same thing”no-alc” can mean different things for different beers, and that distinction matters to consumers, brewers, and regulators. So, what is the difference between “non-alcoholic” beer and “alcohol-free” beer in the U.S.? To answer this, the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has separate, legal classifications for “non-alcoholic” (NA) and “alcohol-free” (AF) malt beverages.
Per the TTB, a beverage may be labeled “non-alcoholic” only if it contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). If the term “non-alcoholic” is used on the label, it must be accompanied by the phrase, “contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume,” placed immediately adjacent in a readily legible manner. A non-alcoholic malt beverage cannot simply be labeled as “beer,” “lager,” “ale,” etc.; it must carry the appropriate class/type descriptors like malt beverage, near beer, or cereal beverage.
While the “non-alcoholic” designation allows for up to 0.5% ABV, a product can only be legally labeled “alcohol-free” if it contains no alcohol at all (i.e. 0.00% ABV with no measurable alcohol present). No tolerances are permitted for this claim, and a laboratory analysis must confirm the absence of detectable alcohol before the claim is approved. Like non-alcoholic products, alcohol-free beverages must also use appropriate malt beverage class/type designations on the label, rather than ordinary style names like stout or porter.
How to Make Beer Without Making Alcohol
There are several ways of producing NA beers, and these methods generally fall into two categories: biological, such as arrested fermentation or the use of specialty yeasts, resulting in almost no alcohol being produced during the fermentation process; and physical, including the use of thermal or membrane systems, where the alcoholic compounds are physically removed from the beer after fermentation. These methods result in a beverage with a trace of alcohol, and many well-known brands are producing and selling a variety of great-tasting NA beers.
Making an AF beer, however, is more difficult. AF beers have historically been made using vacuum distillation, or by adding alcohol-free beer flavors to water. Beyond these methods, innovation is ongoing.
Vacuum distillation can be used to gently remove alcohol from fully fermented beer at low temperatures, which protects the flavor, aroma, and body that would normally degrade if the beer were distilled at normal boiling temperatures (173°F / 78°C for ethanol). Vacuum distillation preserves flavor better than high-heat methods, is energy efficient due to lower temperatures, and allows for the recovery of the removed alcohol, which can be repurposed. While vacuum distillation is able to achieve products with 0.0% ABV and can be labeled as alcohol-free, the equipment required for physical removal of alcohol can be expensive, and other costs are involved, such as steam, clean-in-place systems, CO2, and water. Adding the vacuum distillation process to an existing brewery can involve extensive engineering and space planning; and while the potable alcohol by-product can be collected for other uses, such as hard seltzers and craft cocktails, proper licensing, such as obtaining a distiller’s permit from the TTB, is required if the brewer chooses to use or capture and resell alcohol from the dealcoholizing unit. Additionally, insurance and fire codes must be consulted to make sure alcohol storage is allowed on the brewer’s premises. Finally, if the by-product is diluted with water and flushed down the drain, it must be in accordance with local disposal guidelines.
Alcohol-free “beer” can also be produced without brewing at all, by simply combining water with malt-, hop-, or beer-like flavorings. This approach, sometimes used for low-cost products or for creating 0.00% ABV options, avoids fermentation entirely, meaning no alcohol ever needs to be removed. Manufacturers may blend carbonated water with malt extracts, natural or artificial flavor compounds, hop oils, sweeteners, and colorants to mimic the aroma and taste of beer. This method can achieve a completely alcohol-free beverage, but could lack the complexity, mouthfeel, foam, and fermentation-derived character of traditionally brewed beer, functioning more like a flavored soft drink modeled after beer, and offering a simple and inexpensive alternative for consumers who want the taste of beer without any alcohol exposure at all.
Alcohol-Free Craft Beer Without Compromises
More recently, Ceria Brewing Company has been producing AF beers using their patented brewing method, which utilizes standard brewing equipment and ingredients.
Ceria Brewing’s patented alcohol-free technology refers to a proprietary brewing method developed by the company’s co-founder and brewmaster (Keith Villa, PhD) that allows for the rapid production of true 0.00% ABV craft beers with full flavor, body, aroma, and head retention, something many traditional methods struggle to deliver in alcohol-free form. Ceria’s patented process enables the brewery to achieve no detectable alcohol in their products while still maintaining many of the sensory characteristics of traditional beer that are usually lost in standard non-alcoholic brewing or dealcoholization methods. Utilizing standard brewing equipment and ingredients, Ceria’s approach differs from typical non-alcoholic methods because it was invented specifically to create a full-bodied craft-style beer with 0.00% ABV, rather than simply removing alcohol after normal fermentation or relying on conventional low-alcohol brewing techniques.
Regardless of the method of production, tunnel pasteurization is essential for NA/AF beers because it ensures microbial stability and safety in a product that lacks alcohol’s natural preservative effects. In NA/AF beer, even tiny amounts of remaining yeast or bacteria can continue fermenting, which can create unexpected alcohol, off-flavors, or excess carbonation. Non-pasteurized NA/AF beers can cause cans or bottles to rupture. If there is residual live yeast in the beer, it can ferment in the container, resulting in an alcoholic product. By gently holding the finished beer at a specific temperature over time to neutralize these microorganisms, pasteurization keeps NA/AF beers shelf-stable, consistent in flavor, and reliably at their intended ABV, making it a critical step for quality and consumer safety.
An Option for Everyone
The NA/AF beer market is one of the fastest-growing segments in beer, and current estimates show double-digit year-over-year gains. The NA/AF beer market is responding to changing consumer preferences such as wellness and “sober-curious” lifestyles; and this is being reflected in improved product quality, an increasing number of beer styles and increased availability of NA/AF beers. In addition, without the alcohol (or, with a trace amount in the case of NA beers), these beers can actually be good for you in that there are potential antioxidant and cardiovascular effects. Some studies show non-alcoholic beer contains polyphenols and other compounds from malt and hops that can exert antioxidant effects and may positively influence markers of cardiovascular health. NA/AF beers, which are often lower in calories than alcoholic beers, are sometimes used as post-exercise refreshments, as some research suggests they may boost rehydration and reduce inflammation.
Aside from the theoretical benefits of NA/AF beers, there are also the clearly established benefits of cutting back on overall alcohol consumption. People report improved sleep, more productive mornings and reduced anxiety when cutting out alcohol; alcohol-free beer provides a convenient replacement that can support those changes. Also, with the rise of NA/AF beers, people who abstain from or moderate alcohol can still join social rituals (pubs, celebrations, concerts) without feeling left out.
The rise of non-alcoholic and alcohol-free adult beverages is more than a fad. It is a structural shift in how people think about drinking; and continued investment from large brewers and craft innovation will likely keep improving quality and flavor. New innovations in flavors and techniques, targeted products and changing social norms have turned a once-niche segment into one of the fastest-growing parts of the beer market. For consumers the choices are expanding. You can keep the ritual of a beer in hand while choosing health, safety, or sobriety; but always read the label if you desire or need absolute zero alcohol.
TIME OUT – Mr. Popular
Dave is a good worker, social and nice, but he keeps missing all company events. Eventually, his boss calls him to his office demanding an explanation why Dave can’t be a team player and come. “I’m sorry Boss,” Said Dave, “I’m just so busy with all the people I already know, sometimes it seems I know everyone there is to know. Anyone famous at least.” “What do you mean?!?” Asks the boss with derision. “Who can you possibly know?” “Name someone famous,” shrugged Dave, “I’ll bet you I know him.” Amused, his boss called his bluff, “OK, Dave, how about… Tom Cruise? You know Tom Cruise, Dave?” He smirks. “Oh yeah boss, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it.” So Dave and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise’s door, and Tom Cruise shouts, “Dave! What’s happening? Great to see you! Come on in for a beer!” Though impressed, Dave’s boss is still skeptical. After they leave Cruise’s house, he tells Dave that he thinks him knowing Cruise was just lucky. “No, no, just name anyone else,” Dave says. “President Trump,” his boss quickly retorts. “Yup,” Dave says, “Old buddies, let’s fly out to Washington,” and off they go. At the White House, Trump spots Dave on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, “Dave, what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend come on in, let’s have a beer first and catch up.” Well, the boss is very shaken by now but still not totally convinced. After they leave the White House grounds he expresses his doubts to Dave, who again implores him to name anyone else. “The Pope,” his boss replies. “Sure!” says Dave. “I’ve known the Pope for years.” So off they fly to Rome. Dave and his boss are assembled with the masses at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square when Dave says, “This will never work. I can’t catch the Pope’s eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go upstairs and I’ll come out on the balcony with the Pope.” He disappears into the crowd headed towards the Vatican. Sure enough, half an hour later Dave emerges with the Pope on the balcony, but by the time Dave returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics.
Making his way to his boss’s side, Dave asks him, “What happened?” His boss looks up and says, “It was the final straw… you and the Pope came out on to the balcony and the man next to me said, ‘Who the heck is that on the balcony with Dave?'”
Even the most devout enjoy a nice refreshing barley sandwich during this hot time of year!
