THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1617 – Posted on: 24-January-2022
BREWERY “HOP”PENINGS! Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our famous Blackberry Mead is still available in our offsale but is no longer available on tap. Our seasonal Orangerine Fruit Beer is on tap and in our offsale!
Our GUEST TAP is currently pouring a SMOKED PORTER from Swift Current’s Black Bridge Brewery. Next up is THE FRESHMAN NEW ENGLAND 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 a number of REGINA SLGA stores.
JANUARY PREMIUM WINE FEATURES. This month’s featured wines are from the Trapiche Winery in Argentina. The red is a Reserve Malbec and the white is a Reserve Pinot Grigio. Both are $7.95 for a glass and $21.95 for a half litre.
This Weekend’s January 21st & 22nd Special Dining Feature is BEEF BOURGUIGNON 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 great value deals.
Our BUSHWAKKER 31ST BIRTHDAY event is this Saturday! Thank you for your incredible enthusiastic support over THREE DECADES! Stop by for a free slice of CHOCOLATE PORTER BIRTHDAY CAKE. We will also acknowledge Robbie Burns’ birthday by putting every Single Malt Scotch on sale today. Come toast the Bush and the Bard on a budget!
BUSHWAKKER “NEW NORMAL” NOTES
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. Fridays and Saturdays we are open from 11:00 AM until Midnight. The kitchen is open until 10:30 PM and last call is at 11:15 PM.
The government of Saskatchewan announced on January 12th, 2022 that the Mandatory Masking and Proof of Vaccination mandates for all pubs and restaurants would remain in place until the end of February. 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. Proof of Vaccination is also required for offsale beer purchases.
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.
Jan. 24: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. AZARIAH. POSTPONED. Driving blues, funk and rock from this seasoned blues act. 8:00 – 10:00 PM.
Jan. 26: Wednesday Folk Night. HUMMINGBIRD CROSSING. Traditional and modern bluegrass, gospel and folk. 8:00 – 10:00 PM.
Last year’s inaugural BEV DAY was such a success that we will make a weekend out of it this year! Come enjoy the favourite food and drink our late co-founder loved.
The Rise of Functional Beers
By: Seth Levy
As a beer connoisseur, I wonder why I drink. Often, it’s for the flavor. Sometimes, it’s for the buzz. Not infrequently, there’s some utilitarian reason: a hot toddy for a cold, or a cold lager after a long bike ride. From a historical perspective, drinking beer for the flavor is a surprisingly recent phenomenon. Throughout the long, complicated history of beer consumption, utilitarian motivations appeared much more frequently than connoisseurship. But all old things become new again, and modern brewers are returning to the utilitarian roots of beer, producing innovative brews that combine function and flavor. In our exploration of the world of “Functional Beers,” we’ll ask what beer could be good for, explore some innovative beers and trends, and confront the constraints functional brewers face.
Functional claims: A Federal perspective
In researching this article, I spoke to many brewers. Each conversation began with a disclaimer including some variation of, “I’m not allowed to say beer is good for you.” Caitlin Landsberg, of Sufferfest, said it best: “I will never tell you that alcohol is good for you!”
Beer-related interviews are typically jovial affairs, but the source of this concern is a serious one. The US Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) regulates the “beverage alcohol” industry, and expressly prohibits “‘Health-related statements’ defined as”… any statement related to health and includes statements of a curative or therapeutic nature that, expressly or by implication, suggest a relationship between the consumption of alcohol, malt beverages, or any substance found within the malt beverage, and health benefits or effects on health. The TTB spends no less than 9 paragraphs of the Code of Federal Regulations expounding on this, so, you can tell it’s a serious matter. For the record, none of the brewers mentioned in this article made any claims, either directly, or by implication, related to purported health benefits of their products.
How we got here is beyond the scope of this article. I will point out that a puritanical attitude, and the legacy of Prohibition, continue to haunt the industry.
Defining a Functional Beer
What exactly is a “functional beer?” Doubtless, every beer whets our whistles (and pays the salaries of beer writers) and therefore has a function. According to Caitlin Landsberg, “When I launched Sufferfest, I had the idea of ‘four plus one.’ You know, water, yeast, hops, malt, plus…something else. It’s that 5th thing that adds a special character.” This concept of a “5th element” is a useful, working definition of a functional beer, and, as we’ll learn, this “5th element” need not even be an ingredient at all!
TIME OUT- Random Insights on Life
1.When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably in prison.
2.To me, “drink responsibly” means don’t spill it.
3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.
4. It’s the start of a brand new day, and I’m off like a herd of turtles.
5. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.
6. When I say, “The other day,” I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.
7. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.
