THE WAKKER WEEKLY – Issue #1858
Issue #1858 – Posted on: 04 – Sept. – 2026
A monumental couple of days for the Bushwakker brewing team last week! Following the severe damage caused to our basement brewery due to the June 17th massive city water break in front of our building, our first lager and first ale have now been brewed and are happily fermenting away! Although there is much more repair work to be done in our basement, the brewery is repaired and finally once again fully operational! Many busy brew days are coming for these gents as they play catch-up so we don’t run out of beer later in the autumn. They got this!
BUSHWAKKER SEASONAL BEER STATUS Our seasonally available UPENDI PINEAPPLE PASSION FRUIT SOUR, HONEY THISTLE WIT, CHINOOK E.S.B. and BARON BOCK are currently available. Bottles of our famous BLACKBERRY MEAD are still available in our offsale as part of our 2026 Summer Mead Release but they are almost gone. A batch of CARA CARA ORANGE ALE is now working its way through the brewery as is a firkin of Labour Day Classic Blue Bomber-inspired BLUEBERRY GOLDEN ALE which will be tapped at 5:30 at the September 4th edition of First Firkin Friday.
Our LABOUR DAY CLASSIC WEEKEND THREE-DAY BURGER BATTLE FEATURE for September 4th, 5th and Sunday, September 6th is a BOMBER BURGER & A PINT as well as a RIDER 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!
Our Summer Seasonal BBQ Menu is rolling right along! One of the most decadent dishes is the BRISKET ON A BUN. Slow house-smoked beef brisket glazed with chipotle honey BBQ sauce on a sesame brioche bun. Topped with smoked gouda, pickled red onions and creamy apple coleslaw. Served with your choice of tossed salad, our award-winning fries or a bowl of our soup du jour!
Our Arizona Room private banquet room is now once again available for private party rentals. The room seats up to 50 people and features plenty of Chicago style warehouse character with large windows, a pressed tin ceiling and plenty of plants too! Contact info@bushwakker.com to secure the room for your next gathering today!
The annual Summer Hop Circuit is winding down and the stockpile of commemorative glasses is almost depleted as we approach the Labour Day Long Weekend! Last chance to pick up your free passport map and take a hike or ride your bike and visit all six participating Regina craft breweries! Collect a stamp at all six locations and receive your free 2026 Hop Circuit glass! Get out there and enjoy the tail end of another beautiful Queen City summer with some sensational Saskatchewan suds!
SEPTEMBER WINE FEATURES: The Red is the PAUL MAS MERLOT from France and the White is the VILLA MARIA EARTH GARDEN SERIES SAUVIGNON BLANC from New Zealand. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half-litre.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept. 4: FIRST FIRKIN FRIDAY! Don’t miss our 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 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! This month’s Blue Bomber Labour Day Classic-inspired firkin offering is a BLUEBERRY GOLDEN ALE! The suds-soaking spectacular takes place at 5:30 PM. Come “quaff” the competition!
Sept. 4, 5 & 6: LABOUR DAY CLASSIC WEEKEND BURGER BATTLE. We once again welcome our many Manitoba friends who return to Mosaic stadium for one of the CFL’s biggest games of the year. History has shown on a number of occasions that the burger which sells the best prior to the game is a strong indicator as to which team will win the Labour Day Classic. Will it be the Rider Burger or the Bomber Burger? Let your taste buds decide!
Sept. 6: OPEN LABOUR DAY CLASSIC SUNDAY. We open at noon and kickoff is at 5:00 PM. Third and final day to enjoy our RIDER BURGER & A PINT or our BOMBER BURGER & A PINT game weekend special. May the best burger and best team win!
Sept. 7: OPEN LABOUR DAY MONDAY. From noon to 9:00 PM. Sorry, no band tonight. Stop by for a pint and a meal and relax as you slowly accept the reality that another sacred Saskatchewan summer is coming to an end!
Sept. 9: Wednesday Folk Night. VINTAGE VOLTAGE. Popular folk, rock and gospel act is back for an encore performance! 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Sept. 12: DISTRICT FEST! Dewdney Avenue & The Yards become the backdrop for a full-day celebration of the “soul of the city” and everyone’s invited! Live entertainment until 10:00 PM. Local businesses. Family activities. A Local Tap Patio. The Banjo Bowl will also be on the big screen!
Saskatchewan marks up SLGA sales of U.S. liquor
By Grace Miller – Global News Regina
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced that the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority will raise the cost of U.S. liquor sold by the provincial distributor by 50 per cent for retailers on Sept. 8, matching U.S. tariffs on Canadian liquor.
Some say liquor stores, bars, and restaurants buying American booze at the raised rate will not be the only ones claiming the extra cost.
“It’s still to be determined whether it’s going to be reflected once the remaining stock sells out that we’re able to buy,” says Alex Wasylenko, manager of the Sutherland Beer and Wine Store.
“The weeks that follow, that’s gonna be the time to tell what’s gonna happen with the prices on the shelves.”
Wasylenko has been urging people to buy Canadian since the trade war began and said that won’t change in the weeks to come.
“We have to adapt with it because there’s more and more consumers that are changing their choice of products they’d like to buy and they’re showing a greater interest in where their products are coming from,” said Wasylenko.
Businesses are still open to stocking shelves with U.S. liquor and Wasylenko says he thinks most will continue to.
“If people are set on coming home with a certain product, we will have that for them, but when it comes to the prices it’s still to be determined if that entire 50 per cent is going to be passed along to the customer or how it’s going to be broken up,” said Wasylenko.
He says customers who choose to buy Canadian will likely be influenced by increased costs on top of the rising cost of living.
“Canadians are thinking with their wallet in all their shopping decisions and we’ve seen lots of people that have been changing their regular options based on prices alone,” says Wasylenko.
Economist Jason Childs says U.S. producers may take on some of the costs as customers and businesses become fed up with the markup.
“Some producers have lowered their prices in order to try and maintain that market and to maintain the customer base,” said Childs.
“Once people switch and find a substitute that they like, then you’ve got to get them to switch back again once all the nonsense is over with.”
Childs says a change in customers’ choice of spending will have an impact on business.
“We’ve seen that alcohol sales per capita in Saskatoon and Canada as a whole have started to come down and notably so, right? And so we’ve got this shift that’s happening around alcohol. And I think … what we’re seeing with the U.S. right now might exacerbate that problem,” said Childs.
Some Saskatchewan retailers are also worried customers will simply walk away. Hospitality Saskatchewan president Jim Bence says he has noticed spending patterns are down.
“Some of this we can pass on to the consumer. Some of it we can’t. So we’ll see operators eating the costs,” says Bence.
“We understand as operators that we’ll have to trim our expenses wherever we can, try not to pass on too much of the increases to the consumer and find that balance, so that consumers still feel comfortable with going out, but then not putting them in a position where they might never go out again.”
Bence said no matter how the industry is impacted, he thinks Saskatchewan businesses will be in a better position than they are now.
TIME OUT – The American/Canadian Liquor Comparison
American Bourbon: Like a loud date in a sports car—heavy, sweet, and talks a big game about 80 proof, but mostly just leaves a sticky mess in your lap. Canadian Whisky: Like a quiet lumberjack in the dark—sneaks up from behind at 90 proof, doesn’t ask for consent, and makes you walk funny the next day.
What’s the difference between American moonshine and a one-night stand? One burns your throat, makes you regret your life choices, and blinds you temporarily; the other is moonshine.
Why is Canadian Club like a real raunchy date? It is smooth going down in a dark booth, but by morning your head is pounding and you are apologizing to furniture you don’t remember meeting
Thinking of boycotting American booze? You may have heard a rumour Crown Royal will now be made in the U.S.A. The well-known Canadian whisky will still be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada although parent company Diageo has indeed moved some U.S. – bound bottling operations to the United States.
