THE WAKKER WEEKLY

Issue #1594 – Posted on: 16-August-2021

BREWERY “HOP”PENINGS! Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our Summer Wheat is back on tap and in our offsale cooler after a two year hiatus. Our Mango Radler and even a few two litre bottles of Sarsaparilla are currently available in our offsale cooler. Our brand new Pink Guavabuster Ale is also on tap and in our offsale cooler. There are also many other beers available including a West Coast IPA, Irish Red Ale, Brown, Blonde, Pilsener, Vienna, Pale Ale and a Porter. Growler fills and keg fills are also available!

After a two year hiatus, our SUMMER WHEAT is finally back on tap and in our offsale cooler. An unfiltered, cloudy, straw-coloured German style wheat beer. Light and refreshing with a dry body and estery character. Summer would not be the same without it!

On Saturday, August 14^th the Green & White is back in Mosaic Stadium to host the Hamilton Tiger Cats at 8:00 PM. Be sure to stop by The Bushwakker before, after or even during the game and enjoy our gourmet TABBY BURGER & A PINT Special for only $21.95. Come “devour” the competition!

Our GUEST TAP is once again flowing! We are currently pouring the OAT SESSION ALE from Black Bridge Brewing in Swift Current. Up next is a HOPPY WIT from Saskatoon’s 9 Mile Legacy Brewing. This will be followed by a POMEGRANATE PALE ALE from High Key Brewing.

In addition to taking our beer home in glass bottles and 2 litre jugs direct from our pub, you can find a varying selection of 650 ml bottles of Bushwakker beer in ALL SIX REGINA SLGA stores.

Our August PREMIUM WINE FEATURES celebrate Canadian wines! The red is Ontario’s Don’t Poke The Bear Cabernet Baco Noir. The white is B.C.’s Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.

This Weekend’s Special Dining Feature on August 13thand 14th is ENGLISH BANGERS & MASHED for $19.95. Our Saturday CLASSIC STEAK & A PINT SPECIAL will also be available. Our Monday and Wednesday WINGS & A PINT SPECIAL and Tuesday PIZZA & A PINT SPECIAL are also a great value deal.

The Bushwakker LOCAL ARTIST WALL for the month of August features the work of mother and son artists, KATHY & LEE HANCOCK. Kathy Hancock is a Regina watercolour & multimedia artist. She likes to hug trees and big rocks and is grounded and energized by nature. She loves and is inspired by the painting styles and artworks of Emily Carr, Monet and Lisa Riehl. She began Kathy’s Kard Shoppe online during the Covid shutdown. She is a member of the Aurora Artist Guild, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Regina and the Regina Senior Centre Watercolor Group. In the summer of 2021 she did a fundraiser for Last Mountain regional Park with some of the funds sold donated to LMRP where her family’s cottage is located. SGI purchased many of her paintings.

Lee Hancock aka “NerdbotPhoto” is a Regina based photographer originally rooted in the world of automotive photography. Over the years he has grown into other genres and has taken a love for photographing Saskatchewan scenery including our dark starry skies, sunsets and storms. This small presentation is a mix of some old and new photographs printed and framed in different mediums to accent the images. Enjoy their colourful works all this month!

We are hiring! Greater seating capacity and the return to normal hours of operation means we are looking for more experienced cooks and serving staff. Stop by and see us with your resume today or apply at https://bushwakker.com/apply/

It was great to host a SEA OF GREEN once again at The Bushwakker last week! Plenty of folks were enjoying our popular gourmet Game Day Burger & a Pint Special named in honour of the visiting team. We look forward to seeing our many Rider fan customers for the August 14^th game against Hamilton as well as the August 21^st game against Ottawa!

Our new Bushwakker Online Ordering Page is now live on our website! You can order everything from our food menu as well as our Bushwakker brews and even select the time you’d like to pick up your order. Visit https://bushwakker.com/shop-2021/ and give it a try! Of course, you can continue to place your orders by calling us at 306-359-7276. We still love to hear your friendly voices. Thanks for your support everyone!

BUSHWAKKER “PHASE THREE NEW NORMAL” NOTES

We are open Monday – Thursday from 11:00 AM – midnight. The kitchen closes at 10:30 PM and last call is at11:15 PM. On Fridays and Saturdays we are open from 11:00 AM until 1:00 AM. The kitchen is open until 11:30 PM and last call will be at 12:15 AM. We will open on Sundays in September. We are very appreciative of the considerable increase in the number of our takeout food orders. Call us at 306-359-7276 or visit our online ordering page at https://bushwakker.com/shop-2021/

Reservations are accepted and encouraged. We accept a limited number of reservations as late as 6:00 PM every day except Fridays. Fridays we accept reservations as late as 3:00 PM. Call us at 306-359-7276 to secure your table. We are now also able to accommodate larger groups. Our two banquet rooms are also available for private parties. Call Kelly at 306-359-7276 to book either our main floor Arizona Room or basement Clubroom.

Please continue to practice safe health measures. 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 these continually evolving times together. Try to support local businesses whenever possible. Be vigilant in your resolve to protect yourselves which in turn will protect others.

Breweries, Volunteers Prepare for First Saskatchewan Roughriders Game Day in 628 days

By Kelly Skjerven Global News

August 6, 2021

From pre-game beverages and snacks to fan experience, staff at local breweries and game day volunteers are busy preparing for the return of Saskatchewan Roughriders game days.

The Roughriders will take the field for their first game in 628 days on Friday after COVID-19 forced the league to cancel the 2020 season.

Pile O’ Bones Brewery just opened down the block from Mosaic Stadium in August 2019, only having a slice of what game day in Rider Nation is like.

“Everyone that can work is going to be working, just because it’s been so long without a packed house that we’re not totally sure what to expect. But we’re excited,” taproom manager Kristin Valgardson said.

“This is pretty monumental for us, being as close as we are to (the) stadium,” Valgardson added.

Kitchen staff at Pile O’ Bones are also busy, adding an extra day of prep work in anticipation of a big crowd on Friday night.

Everything on the menu is made from scratch on Mondays, but kitchen manager Ginger Braaten said crews in the kitchen have been prepping food Wednesday and Thursday for hungry fans.

Kith & Kin at Pile O’ Bones opened in May, so this will be their first big event, however Braaten said staff have extensive catering background and are used to serving large events.

“I think opening during a pandemic was a huge challenge, our soft opening was cancelled due to restrictions, so we opened with hot takeout and slowly progressed from there. I would say this is kind of the epitome of our opening. It’s the largest event we’ve hosted,” Braaten told Global News.

Pile O’ Bones will be serving up a number items on their menu to commemorate game day, including pretzel bites and buttermilk chicken sliders.

Meanwhile, staff at Bushwakker Brewpub are just as busy preparing veteran and new staff for the return of game day rush.

Bushwakker will be bringing back its game day special of a pint and burger honouring the visiting team.

“We’ll come up with a very special burger in honour of the visiting team and invite all the Rider fans to come down and devour the competition,” Grant Frew, Bar manager at Bushwakker said.

“This is an event that we’ve been hosting for almost our 30 years of business, a very longstanding tradition. The return to the games and returning to our burger and pint day special, I think gives people a feeling of optimism and hope,” Frew said.

Frew added that there is also fear lingering in the background of what the fallout may be of having 33,000 fans in the stands together.

With the province removing all restrictions on July 11, there will be no mandatory masking or physical distancing at the game.

There are 503 active COVID-19 cases in the province after 56 were added on Thursday.

“Returning to Phase 3 and having a full house on a ‘Rider game is — I’ve used this word before — but it’s a surreal feeling. But we’re very excited; we’ll have all of our tables open including our banquet room for extra seating,” Frew said.

Mosaic Stadium volunteers are also gearing for the big game on Friday night.

Volunteers had a practice run during the Green and White Scrimmage on July 24.

“When we did the Green and White Scrimmage, watching (volunteers) walk in and the smiles on their faces, and the fans’ faces when they walked in, too — everybody’s faces just lit up and it was a really good precursor and lead-up to the game on Friday night,” said Rob Harrison, volunteer and guest experience manager.

There are about 230 volunteers in total with 180 to 200 helping fans out during home games.

Harrison added Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) custodial staff will be taking extra care of cleaning and sanitizing the stadium and high touch areas.

“We suggest everybody wears a mask, it just helps keep everybody safer, but if you happen to forget yours at home or you didn’t think you wanted to wear one and you decide you do, we’ll have them available at guest services for people as well,” Harrison said.

“Again, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the game, in their own way, safely and comfortably.”

TIME OUT

A panda walks into a bar, sits down, and orders a sandwich. He eats, pulls out a gun, and shoots the waiter dead. As the panda stands up to go, the bartender shouts, “Hey! Where are you going? You just shot my waiter and you didn’t pay for the food!” The panda yells back, “Hey man, I’m a panda. Look it up!” The bartender opens his dictionary to panda, “A tree climbing mammal of Asian origin, characterized by distinct black and white coloring. Eats, shoots, and leaves.”

An old beer joke, but still a funny beer joke. Thanks Matt Groening!