THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1534 – Posted on: 22-June-2020
BUSHWAKKER NEWS
Much thanks to the many of you who came out to visit us during last week’s reopening! We are pleased to report that everything went very smoothly and we appreciate the many customer compliments we received regarding our enhanced cleaning practices and physical distancing measures. It was very important to us that you felt safe and comfortable in your Bushwakker and we are very happy to have met that goal. We discovered a few little items which we have improved upon but overall there were smiles all around from both customers and staff (even from under our masks!) It was like a big family reunion – in the new normal-style! Our revised menu was also well received and we are glad you found our cuisine changes to be positive overall.
Please remember that reservations will be accepted and are encouraged for any time and on any day so give us a call at 306-359-7276 to secure your table. Please note under current guidelines the maximum number of people who can be seated at the same table is limited to six. Larger reservations must occupy more than one table and maintain physical distancing between each table.
Our new hours of operation will be Monday to Saturday from 11:30 AM until 9:00 PM. We will be closed on Sundays. And for all of the folks who have enjoyed our food and beer to go over the last few weeks, don’t worry because those takeout services will definitely continue.
Please continue to practice your safe social distancing practices. Let’s bring on Phase Four! Remain connected to one another and to us! In addition to this weekly newsletter, we are very active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Check-in with us often as we navigate this new chapter together. Try to support local businesses whenever possible. Be vigilant in your resolve to protect yourselves which in turn will protect others.
Our redesigned Taco Salad is lighter and brighter and received much praise during our week one reopening.
Much thanks to Mark Heise for putting together this fun initiative encouraging local craft beer enthusiasts to visit a half dozen Queen City craft breweries in one interesting loop by bicycle or on foot.
NEWS FROM THE BREWERY! Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our seasonally available BARON BOCK, DOUBLE HONEY IMPERIAL IRISH RED ALE, ARCTIC DARK MUNICH DUNKEL, TWO SON’S MILK STOUT and SWEET TART CHERRY DRY STOUT are currently on tap. There are also batches of CHINOOK ESB, BLOOD ORANGE BLONDE ALE and PREMIUM PALE ALE working their way through the brewery.
Our June Premium Wine Features are from the INVISIBULL WINERY in British Columbia. The red is a Malbec and the white is their Sauvignon Blanc. Both are $7.95 for a glass and $21.95 for a half litre.
Our GUEST TAP is currently pouring an IRISH STOUT from the O’Hara’s Brewery in Ireland. Next up is the SUMAC HAZY PALE ALE from Saskatoon’s High Key Brewing.
So many folks expressed such heart-felt emotions upon the return of our award-winning nachos. Who knew this simple dish could bring so much joy to so many…even if it is only available in a personal-sized serving during these Phase Three times!
Two-litre bottles of Bushwakker Dungarvon Irish Red Ale, Cheryl’s Blonde Ale and Stubblejumper Pilsener are now available for home delivery with the help of fellow Regina craft brewers, Pile O’ Bones Brewing. To place your order, just visit www.saskbeerdelivery.ca Don’t forget all six Regina SLGA stores offer a selection of Bushwakker bottled beers.
The Theory of Lupulin Threshold Shift
By: Stephen Staples
What is Lupulin Threshold Shift, does it change your palate preferences, and can the phenomenon be reversed?
In 2005, legendary Russian River brewer and proprietor of a face that does not age, Vinnie Cilurzo, coined the term “Lupulin Threshold Shift” (LTS). The term describes how a person’s exposure to hoppy beers increases their tolerance of bitter flavours over time – increasing the threshold of what they find too bitter to enjoy. This, in turn, changes their perceptions and expectations of beers they may have previously revered.
Interestingly, Cilurzo presented the concept many years prior to keyboard heroes declaring that “Pliny is overrated.” Was this premonition a fortunate happenstance or a pre-emptive rebuttal to these remarks? We may never know. However, it was a time when double IPAs and other aggressively hoppy and bitter beers were far from the mainstream craft that they are today, so it was certainly a perceptive call.
Lupulin, of course, is the sticky yellow resin found in hop cones that contain both the acids and essential oils that are manipulated in the brewing process to infuse bitterness and hoppiness respectively into the finished beer (Hieronymous, 2012). Beer drinkers inflicted with this potentially devastating condition often discover the beers they once thought exceptional examples of hop-driven assertiveness appear pedestrian in comparison to bigger, bolder, hoppier beers that now seem more exciting.
For example, the progression of Lupulin Threshold Shift might look something like this. A beer connoisseur, who has enjoyed a fine example of a Helles for many years, suddenly finds the beer lacking – they can now only garner the same level of satisfaction from a more hoppy pils. Soon enough, their threshold has shifted again, and they are drinking pale ales. The LTS continues, and IPAs are required to hold their interest. The IBUs and hop-driven characteristics in their beers of choice continue to build and they rapidly discover they have run out of options for beers that achieve a level of hop aggressiveness that piques their interest – nearly every beer has become insipid and their hedonistic beer-style spiral is complete.
The LTS concept makes sense, particularly when parallels are drawn with spicy food. Most people do not pick up a West Coast American IPA for the first time and initially love it as the bitterness is too intense (though the aroma is often appealing). Similarly, most people cannot indulge in a Thai spicy curry as their first foray into spicy food. Essentially, these very bitter beers (and very spicy foods) need to be worked up to over a period of time with consistent exposure and increasing thresholds.
While the LTS has not been scientifically researched, the concept of spicy heat tolerance, a comparable notion, has been explored. For example, a 2012 study found that experience is the key factor for preference and tolerance of spicy food, as opposed to personality differences or physiological adaptation. This is the same with beer drinkers’ tolerances and thresholds of hops – experience and repeated exposure to hoppy beers lead to greater tolerance.
A broader study about how humans perceive smell (Keller and Vosshall, 2004) suggests that the impact of aroma (and, by extension, flavour) can change over time. This change occurs via adaptation, notably by increasing concentrations over time. While not exactly the same, the parallels with the concept and consequences of Lupulin Threshold Shift are striking.
Indeed, there is also plenty of anecdotal evidence to further support the concept. Googling “Lupulin Threshold Shift,” brings up a raft of posts from beer aficionados, lamenting the newfound insensitivity of their palates. It could be argued that the LTS is responsible for the consumer shift from pale ales to IPAs as the most popular style over the past decade. The misery experienced by beer drinkers when the LTS renders their former brews bland and unexciting is genuine.
Considering this tragic palate transformation, one question that many have posed is “can the phenomenon be reversed?” Sadly, no definitive answer can be given as no academic studies have been conducted on this important question. However, there have certainly been reports that Lupulin Threshold Shift can be put into reverse, including in my own experience.
When they said to wear a face mask, this probably isn’t what they had in mind.
TIME OUT – The Ring
An older, white-haired man walked into a jewellery store one Friday evening with a beautiful young gal at his side.
He told the jeweller he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend.
The jeweller looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring and showed it to him.
The old man said, “I don’t think you understand, I want something very special.”
At that statement, the jeweller went to his special stock and brought another ring over.
“Here’s a stunning ring at only $40,000.” the jeweller said. The young lady’s eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement.
The old man seeing this said, “We’ll take it!”
The jeweller asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, “By cheque. I know you need to make sure my cheque is good, so I’ll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I’ll pick the ring up Monday afternoon,” he said.
Monday morning, a very teed-off jeweller phoned the old man. “There’s no money in that account.”
“I know,” said the old man, “but can you imagine the weekend I had?”
Don’t mess with old people.
