THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1517 – Posted on: 24-Feb-2020
BUSHWAKKER NEWS
NEWS FROM THE BREWERY! Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our seasonally available DOUBLE HONEY IMPERIAL IRISH RED ALE, SASKADIAN BLACK IPA, ARCTIC DARK MUNICH DUNKEL and RASPBERRY BLONDE ALE are currently on tap. There are also batches of TWO SON’S MILK STOUT, SWEET TART CHERRY DRY STOUT, PREMIUM PALE ALE and BARON BOCK working their way through the brewery.
Our February Valentine’s month Premium Wine Features include THE LONG LITTLE DOG white wine from France ($7.95 for a glass and $21.95 for a half litre) and the GNARLY HEAD old vine zinfandel from California ($8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.)
Our GUEST TAP is currently pouring a DUNKELWEIZEN from Saskatoon’s High Key Brewing. Next up is a DOUBLE IPA from Black Bridge Brewing and then a RASPEBERRY KIWI SOUR IPA from Malty National Brewing.
THE BUSHWAKKER GOODNESS IS SPREADING! ALL SIX REGINA SLGA stores offer a varied selection of Bushwakker beers in 650 ml bottles. Regina’s Metro Liquor also offers a selection of our bottled beers.
BUSHWAKKER EVENTS
Feb. 22: SASK SAMPLER. The biggest Bushwakker Folk Night of the year! Up-and-coming folk artists from across the province strut their stuff vying for a spot on the Regina Folk Festival, Ness Creek Music Festival and Gateway Music Festival stages. Enjoy performances from: Big Day, Lancelot Knight, Kara Golemba, Dump Babes, MechaDroid and Son Howler! It’s not Folk Band Warz but it is a great night of Saskatchewan musical talent. Cover charge in effect. 7:00 PM.
Feb. 23: BUSHWAKKER MONTHLY SUNDAY BOOK SIGNING SERIES. Celebrating Saskatchewan Authors. Join us for a brief presentation by our featured authors and an opportunity to buy an autographed copy! The February edition will feature two local published writers, C.D. Breadner and Edward Willett. 3:00 PM.
Feb. 24: Monday Night Jazz & Blues – special Mid-Summer Blues Festival Week edition. SHANE & ETHAN REOCH. Popular talented father & son blues duo returns! 8:00 PM.
Feb. 26: Wednesday Night Folk – special Mid-Winter Blues Festival Week edition. AZARIAH. Four-piece blues act lays down some traditional, soulful, rockin’ blues. 8:00 PM.
Feb. 29: SATURDAY AFTERNOON BLUES SHOWCASE. Presented in conjunction with The Regina Delta Blues Association and The Mid-Winter Blues Festival Week, our Saturday afternoon showcase is a great way to warm up for the festival finale later that evening. Enjoy two exciting blues bands beginning at 1:30 PM including: The Treefellers as well as Billy Hughes & the Instigators who will deliver a special tribute to the Plains Hotel famous Saturday jams. Hosted by Jeff “Redbeard” Corbett of 91.3FM CJTR. Be sure to try a slice of Redbeard’s signature chocolate cheesecake too! We will also be presenting live blues music at 8:00 PM on the Monday and Wednesday evening earlier that week.
Mar. 2: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. THE JAZZ BAND-ITS. The largest band to grace our stage delivers big band, jazz and swing. 8:00 PM.
Mar. 4: Wednesday Folk Night. EARLY SPRING SINGER/ SONGWRITER SHOWCASE. Featuring; Trent Leggott, Regan Hinchcliffe, Albert Strange Man, William John Stewart, John Deschamps, Nathan Davis, Cecil Armistead & Neil Child. 8:00 PM.
Mar. 4: MONTHLY ALES MEETING. Come sit in on a meeting with some of the most passionate home brewers in the city! If you are toying with the idea of getting into homebrewing or would like to improve your skills, then the ALES Club is for you. New members are always welcome. This month’s presentation topic is SOURS. 8:00 PM in the Bushwakker Clubroom.
Mar. 6: FIRST FIRKIN FRIDAY. A decades old monthly tradition where a firkin (small keg) of fresh ale is paraded throughout the pub led by a piper from the Regina Police Services Pipes & Drums band. A volunteer is then selected to tap the firkin. A suds-soaking spectacle normally ensues and the volunteer and all those in the immediate proximity receive a beer bath! This month’s firkin offering is a CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT. 5:30 PM.
Mar. 9: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT. Veteran Regina act delivers great standards and adult contemporary tunes. 8:00 PM.
Mar. 11: Wednesday Folk Night. SUN ZOOM SPARX deliver a potent mixture of rock, funk, jazz fusion and psychedelia, peppered with monster riffs, Krautrock grooves, mid-70s ambience and left field curveballs. 8:00 PM.
Mar. 16: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. TDC INC. Great rock, funk, blues and jazz! 8:00 PM.
Mar. 17: ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY. The big event falls on a Tuesday this year! Bushwakker head brewer, Michael Gaetz, will create a delicious firkin of our extremely popular Irish Coffee Stout to kick off the celebration at 5:30. Guinness will take on O’Hara’s Irish Stout in a rematch. The bartender’s fingers will be stained green from pouring pints of Shamrock Ale. Magner’s Cloudy Lemon Apple Cider, Paddy’s Irish Whiskey and Writer’s Tears Red Head Single Malt Irish Whiskey will be available. The traditional Irish food features will be delicious and everyone will be enjoying fine traditional Irish dancing from The Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance as well as pipes and drums from The Regina Police Services Pipes & Drums. Regina’s most danceable Celtic act, The Tilted Kilts will also grace the Bushwakker stage that evening. And don’t miss the world premiere of the Tilted Kilt shooter! $5 cover charge.
Jim Koch & Sam Calagione Talk 2020 Trends
By: The Beer Connoisseur
When The Boston Beer Co and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery announced their merger in the summer of 2019, it came as seismic news in the craft brewing community. While mergers are common occurrences in a craft landscape pockmarked with acquisitions, the two names involved were heavy hitters: Jim Koch of Boston Beer and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head.
With 2020 upon us, we sat down with Koch and Calagione to discuss the pending trends for the new year as well as to reflect on what the year 2019 meant for the industry. The brewing giants provided plenty of insight on what proved to be an interesting year for the industry.
Though their companies’ merger was a major topic of discussion, the two legendary brewers also delved into the overall industry picture while providing some ideas about future collaboration and innovation in their own companies – and within the industry at large.
“Not only are Dogfish Head and Boston Beer two original American breweries, but Jim Koch and I worked hard with other leading craft brewery founders and the Brewers Association to develop and champion what defines independent American brewers. This merger better positions Dogfish Head and our co-workers to continue growing within this definition for many years to come,” Calagione said in a release after the announcement of the merger.
Both figureheads were happy to discuss the striking similarities between their two companies as well as what 2020 will bring for them.
What are some of the biggest beer trends consumers can expect in 2020?
Sam Calagione: The biggest trend consumers will experience in 2020 is lower-calorie, lower-carb craft beers that still feature interesting flavors. This movement is something that really caught fire in 2019, and I think we’re going to see even more options next year. With millennial drinkers so focused on maintaining active, balanced lifestyles that include both exercising and enjoying flavorful, well-differentiated craft beers, the lower-calorie, lower-carb area is simply one that brewers cannot overlook. Beyond that, Hazy IPAs are not going away and sour, wild beers will continue to rise in popularity in 2020. On a percentage basis, sours are growing faster than IPAs, and Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale is now the best-selling sour beer in America.
Jim Koch: I think we’ll also see brewers push the boundaries of beer to challenge drinkers’ expectations and stand out on the crowded shelves. Whether through ingredients or brewing methods, these unique ways of attracting consumers can entice people to experiment with an unknown small brand or reappraise legacy brands.
Are there too many beers in the market today? Is beer selection saturated? Is this good or bad for the consumer?
Jim: As a brewer and a beer drinker, I’ve always said: there can – and never will be – enough beer. We are at a point where we’re back to pre-Prohibition numbers of breweries, but only so many have the bandwidth for distribution beyond taprooms. This is contributing to the loyalty dilemma but helping to keep craft beer alive among discerning drinkers.
Sam: There is an abundance of choice for consumers, which can be both good and bad. It’s good because folks can go out and explore all kinds of beery goodness! It’s bad because consumers often cannot tell where their beers are coming from or who is making them. Many international conglomerates have blurred the lines between the various brands they market as craft beers, putting the identity and integrity of the independent craft beer community and our products at risk.
How has the success of hard seltzers and cannabis impacted the beer industry, and how is it impacting beer companies ’ business decisions in 2020?
Sam: I do think both have an impact on overall beer sales. I think strong craft beer brands can grow in this challenging environment with the right focus on innovation, being well-differentiated and being militant about quality and consistency.
Jim: Who would have thought a few years ago that The Boston Beer Company would play in hard seltzer? Truly was an innovation we explored as an alternative for drinkers – and we’re happy we took the chance on it when we did as one of the first to market. We know hard seltzer isn’t the only alcoholic beverage drinkers choose, but more and more, drinkers are looking for great-tasting and refreshing options that aren’t high in calories, sugar or carbs, which is exactly where Truly fits. We’ll continue to innovate within this lifestyle space with beers like SeaQuench and Slightly Mighty, but in the past two years, the hard seltzer category has grown more than 830 percent and more than 220 percent in 2019 alone. Hard seltzer sales have now surpassed all IPA sales, one of craft beer’s most popular styles, demonstrating the shift in drinker preference, which Truly is capitalizing on.
Considering the popularity of craft beer, most consumers don’t realize that wine continues to outperform beer in terms of gross sales. Why is this happening and how can the beer industry overcome this trend?
Sam: At Dogfish, we have always been focused on making beers that are as complex and food-friendly as the world’s finest wines. Also, there is far more diversity in flavor, styles and ingredients in the beer world than there is in the wine world. As a community of breweries, we collectively need to do a better job promoting these facts and benefits to consumers.
TIME OUT
Two old ladies, Sunny and Tina, were outside their nursing home having a smoke, when it started to rain.
Tina pulled out a condom, cut off the end, put it over her cigarette, and continued smoking.
Sunny: “What’s that?”
Tina: “A condom.”
Sunny: “Where’d you get it?”
Tina: “You can get them at any chemist”
The next day, Sunny hobbled into the local chemist and announced to the pharmacist that she wanted to buy a pack of condoms.
The guy looked at her strangely (she was, after all, in her eighties), but politely asked what brand she preferred.
“Doesn’t matter,” she replied, “as long as it fits on a Camel.”
The pharmacist fainted.
Our February 21st – 23rd Weekend Special Dining Feature is Beef and Pork Tourtiere. $16.95
Soup & Sandwich Special is $13.95. All hot specials are $16.95, except where noted, & include a serving of soup du jour, house, or Caesar salad.
Friday February 21 – 2020
Soup – Potato Bacon
Sandwich – Dagwood
Hot Special – Chicken & Shishito Pepper Pappardelle
Beer Pairing – Arctic Dark
Saturday February 22 & Sunday February 23 – 2020
Soup – Bushwakker
Sandwich – Kimchi Chicken Sandwich
Hot Special – Steak & a Pint. $21.95
Monday February 24 – 2020
Soup – Creamy Butternut Squash
Sandwich – Loaded Prime Rib Dip
Hot Special – Teriyaki Veggie Stir-Fry
Beer Pairing – Regina Pale Ale
Evening Feature – Wings & a Pint Night
Tuesday February 25 – 2020
Soup – Beef Vegetable
Pizza Feature – Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Hot Special – Fried Chicken w/ Sausage Gravy
Beer Pairing – Sodbuster Brown Ale
Evening Feature – Pizza & a Pint Night
Wednesday February 26 – 2020
Soup – Chicken Tortilla
Sandwich – Coffee Rubbed Steak Quesadilla
Hot Special – Pulled Pork Tacos
Beer Pairing – Arctic Dark
Evening Feature – Wings & a Pint Night
Thursday February 27 – 2020
Soup – Sausage and Bean
Sandwich – Shrimp Po’Boy
Hot Special – Chicken Gumbo
Beer Pairing – Chico IPA
Friday February 28 – 2020
Soup – Washington Chowder
Sandwich – Hot Brown
Hot Special – Five Alarm Chili w/ Cornbread
Beer Pairing – Stubblejumper Pilsner
Saturday February 29 & Sunday March 1 – 2020
Soup – Bushwakker
Sandwich – Chicken Caesar Wrap
Hot Special – Steak & a Pint. $21.95
We strive to ensure all weekly specials and soups are made available. Product shortages or unforeseen circumstances may result in modification or even substitution of certain featured menu items.
