THE WAKKER WEEKLY

Issue #1601 – Posted on: 04-October-2021

The Government of Saskatchewan has required starting Friday, October 1^st all customers wishing to enter a restaurant or bar in Saskatchewan will be required to provide proof of vaccination or a government recognized recent negative Covid test. We ask for your patience and understanding with our staff as we navigate through this new chapter of the pandemic together.

BREWERY “HOP”PENINGS! Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports a tank of Blood Orange Blonde Ale is making its way through the brewery. Our Summer Wheat and Pink GuavaBuster Ale are on tap and in our offsale cooler. Our Mango Radler and even some two litre bottles of Sarsaparilla are currently available in our offsale cooler. There are also many other Bushwakker beers available including a West Coast IPA, Irish Red Ale, Brown, Blonde, Pilsener, Vienna, Pale Ale and a Porter.

Growler fills are also available! Please note keg fills are not available at this time but customer orders for kegs of all Bushwakker ales will resume on Monday, October 4th. Our lagers need a bit more aging time before being ready for keg sales. We had to suspend our brewing for a number of weeks while we replaced the brewery boiler. The new boiler is performing great and we have certainly been putting it to work lately. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Our GUEST TAP is currently pouring an OATMEAL STOUT from Nokomis Craft Ales. Next up is a DOUBLE-HOPPED PINEAPPLE IPA from Saskatoon’s 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 October PREMIUM WINE FEATURES pay tribute to our Oktobestfest event and hail from Germany! The red is Dr. Zenzen Vino Noire. $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre. The white is Stubborn Ass. $7.95 for a glass and $21.95 for a half litre. Enjoy wihile quantities last.

Our Weekend Special on October 1^st and 2nd will be a BRAISED BRISKET w/ MAC n’ CHEESE & BAKED BEANS  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 October edition of First Firkin Friday will see a few surprises…we guarantee! We’ll pipe in and tap the firkin of Lumsden Valley Honey-Infused Irish Red Ale at 5:30 PM. Bring on the bagpipes, the procession and the pomp and circumstance!

 

Bushwakker Oktoberfest Week returns October 4 – 9. Be sure to try our very popular house-made schnitzel! This week of German-themed dining would more aptly be named SchnitzelFest! Enjoy one of our special bottled German beers, a nip of Jagermeister or  Berentzen German apple liqueur! Pairs nicely with a slice of Black Forest Cheesecake or even one of our jumbo house-made pretzels!

 

Saskatchewan is home to some of Canada’s best craft beers. Craft breweries have revitalized Saskatchewan communities and neighbourhoods, and become a vital part of the province’s economy and culture. Plan your tour and visit one of the many breweries listed at https://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/exploresask-craft-beer-flight   Check in to all 13 locations and get a custom designed Little Town Apparel t-shirt.

 

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.

 

BUSHWAKKER “PHASE THREE NEW NORMAL” NOTES

NEW! We are open Monday – Thursday from 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM. The kitchen closes at 9:30 PM and last call is at 10:15 PM. On Fridays and Saturdays our hours remain unchanged and 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. Live music fans can enjoy our Monday Night Jazz & Blues and Wednesday Folk Night performances from 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM.

On September 16th the government of Saskatchewan announced that mandatory masking would return immediately to all indoor spaces. We have found that our customers have been very respectful of this health order. Please be sure you are wearing a mask upon entering and leaving Bushwakker and even if you just need to get up to use the washroom. Masks are not required when you are seated and are eating or drinking. If you forget to bring a mask, we can provide you with a new one.

The government also announced a proof of vaccination or a government recognized recent negative Covid test will be required for in-house dining throughout the province beginning October 1, 2021. Don’t delay and get your vaccination passport activated today!

We are very appreciative of your business. We do apologize for some of the delays in service you may have been experiencing. As our new staff gain more experience we certainly expect our team to once again be the well-oiled machine you are accustomed to seeing. The new provincial health mandates will also present a few new challenges for our staff. We thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support.

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.

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By Jason Foster of onbeer.org

The 2021 Canadian Brewing Awards were announced last weekend and prairie (and Yukon) breweries performed very well, picking up 43 medals and dominating in the major hardware, scooping up both Beer of the Year and Brewery of the Year. You can see all the winners here. Twenty-seven different prairie breweries picked up medals, with 11 winning multiple awards.

The results continue a pattern of the region’s growing presence on the national (and international) beer scene. When I started this blog, the three prairie provinces lagged behind the big provinces of B.C., Ontario and Quebec, the quintessential sample glass to those provinces’ pints. Today breweries in the three provinces have reputations equal to some of the country’s most respected brands.

The biggest news is The Establishment Brewing Company’s win as the Brewery of the Year, which goes to the brewery which earns the most medals (actually the most points, but you get my point). The Calgary brewery won four medals, including two gold. This is the second straight year an Alberta brewery won this honour – Common Crown Brewing (also from Calgary) won last year.

Almost as big is Regina’s Rebellion Brewing picking up Beer of the Year (called Best of Show in other competitions) with their Cherry Lambic. They also won gold for their Hoppy Pollinator, their recent effort at a Braggot.

The results once again (for a second year) have Alberta winning the most medals per capita (amongst the four large provinces), with only B.C. (37) and Ontario (42) winning more medals overall. Alberta won more medals than Quebec (28). This is a marked shift from a few years ago, where Alberta was closer to the smaller provinces in medal hauls. In part this might be explained by the explosion in the number of breweries in Alberta – from a couple dozen a few years ago to 125 today. But it also speaks to the rapidly improving quality of Alberta beer.

The same can be said for Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The brewing scene in both provinces is smaller, of course, but winning 5 medals (Manitoba) and 4 medals (Saskatchewan) rate as significant results. And we cannot forget Yukon, which continues to punch above its weight with a gold medal win by Winterlong Brewing.

I have two primary observations about this year’s results. First, the range of styles where prairie breweries won medals is diverse, ranging from cream ale to Wheat Beer to sours and barrel-aged. I think this speaks to a growing range of offerings in the region. This makes sense, of course. More breweries will equal more styles being brewed. Still, we shouldn’t overlook that for years this region was known for its proclivity for fruit beer and blonde ales.

Second, I note how many medals came from the more esoteric end of the beer world. Here I am talking about the styles aimed at a more experienced palate, including Belgian styles, barrel-aged, mixed ferment, sours, smoked beer and so on. Thirteen of the 42 medals won by prairie breweries were in these categories, including a prairie sweep of Belgian-style Brett Beer and a near single-brewery sweep of American-style Sour Ale by Edmonton’s Trial & Ale Brewing. To put this in perspective, the prairies won 13 of the 45 medals up for grabs in these categories, or 29%.

This is noteworthy because just last year I did an analysis of historical results at the CBAs, examining each region’s relative areas of strength and weakness. The prairies have historically performed poorly in sour and Brett beer and barrel-aged beer, in particular. We must be careful to not extrapolate based on one year’s results, but the 2021 awards do give us a datapoint that this historical weakness may be shifting.

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TIME OUT  – So You Still Think You Know Everything

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.

“Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but alas, our nose and ears never stop growing.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite .

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

“Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand and “lollipop” with the right.

The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel oil that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

 

With our Oktobertfest Week quickly approaching, you’ll certainly want to do this once you’re seated at your table! Bring on the feast of German beer, wine, liqueurs and hearty cuisine!