THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1624 – Posted on: 14-March-2022
BREWERY “HOPP”ENINGS: Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our seasonal UPENDI PINEAPPLE PASSION FRUIT ALE is now on tap and in our offsale. It is also available for growler fills. A batch of PONCE DE LEON BLACKBERRY/RASPBERRY ALE will soon be making its way through the brewery. 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.
Our SASK CRAFT GUEST TAP is currently pouring the CASHMERE SESSION IPA from Saskatoon’s High Key Brewing. Next up is the Nokomis Craft Ales OATMEAL STOUT.
Our Special Weekend Dining Feature this March 11th & 12th is a GREEK PLATTER for $22.95. 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.
MARCH PREMIUM WINE FEATURES. This month’s featured wines are the THREE THIEVES WINES from California. The red is a CABERNET SAUVIGNON and the white is a PINOT GRIGIO. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
LAST CHANCE! Best of Food Regina 2022 is here! Now is your opportunity to nominate your favourite restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops. Just head on over to prairiedogmag.com or visit https://prairiedogmag.com/best-of-food-2022/#// Nominations will be accepted until March 14, so don’t delay.
The Bushwakker LOCAL ARTIST WALL for the month of March features the works of Geanna Dunbar. Her artist biography is as follows:
Geanna Dunbar is Cree – Metis mixed media, spoken word artist and entrepreneur from Regina, Saskatchewan. She works in mixed media collage, sculpture, acrylic, street art, chalkboard, window painting, body piercing, tattooing and her poetry often reflects real life issues and art. With a special interest in sustainable art and interdisciplinary community collaboration, Geanna often sets personal challenges that help her grow and deepen her relationship with her environment and with others.
Her recent projects include a Cultural Tattooing Apprenticeship education involving traditional indigenous tattooing practices, Frost Fest features with urban canvas and snow sculpting exhibit with the Creative City Centre, The City of Regina and Regina BID.
Enjoy her unique works all this month!
Mar. 14: Monday Night Jazz & Blues – Special Edition. BLUE MOON MARQUEE. Presented in conjunction with The Regina Jazz Society. The biggest Bushwakker live music event in over two years! Blue Moon Marquee is a swinging blues band featuring A.W. Cardinal (vocals/guitar) and Jasmine Colette a.k.a. Badlands Jass (vocals/bass/drums) write and perform original compositions influenced by anything that swings, jumps or grooves. Jasmine Colette, the rhythm section, not only commands the upright bass but also brings the swing with her feet on the kick drum, snare, and high hat, all while singing harmonies. A.W. Cardinal is of the screaming and hollering blues tradition with distinctive thick and smoky vocals that barrel out like a raging bull. His guitar crackles with the swinging energy of jazz-tinged blues. Appreciated for their authenticity, Blue Moon Marquee has been nominated for a Maple Blues Award as best new artist of the year and has also been the most requested band on the International Jazz Festival circuit across Canada. Tickets are $20 each and are available at The Bushwakker Brewpub or by visitingwww.jazzregina.ca. Rush seating only. Plan to arrive early for dinner and to get a good seat! Note earlier start time. 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Mar. 16: Wednesday Folk Night. AMBERJACK. Talented duo delivers Celtic, Metis, Bluegrass, and Cape Breton music. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Mar. 17: ST. PATRICK’S DAY. Bushwakker head brewer, Michael Gaetz, will create a delicious keg of our extremely popular Irish Coffee Stout. The Guinness will be cascading, the bartender’s fingers will be stained green from pouring pints of Shamrock Ales, the Irish dancers will be laying down some serious hard shoe work on our wooden floor and the traditional Irish food features will be delicious.
Mar. 24: SCIENCE PUB – “Sask Health Care After Covid.” Our wildly popular Science Pub Series has returned for a ninth incredible season after a two year hiatus. Enjoy lectures on scientific topics of general interest in our Arizona Room over fine craft beer and award-winning pub cuisine. The room opens at 5:00 PM. Avoid disappointment and come down early for dinner and a pint before the presentation which begins at 7:00 PM. This month’s lecture will be presented by Tom McIntosh, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Politics and International Studies, University of Regina, Co-Director, Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit.
BUSHWAKKER “NEW NORMAL” NOTES
New Hours! We are open Monday – Thursday from 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM. The kitchen closes at 8:30 PM and last call is at 9:15 PM. Fridays and Saturdays we are open from 11:00 AM until 11:00 PM. The kitchen is open until 9:30 PM and last call is at 10:15 PM.
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. Our basement clubroom is also available for private parties. Call Kelly at 306-359-7276 for private room bookings.
The government of Saskatchewan announced that mandatory masking is no longer required in pubs and restaurants. Those who wish to continue wearing a mask are certainly welcome to do so. Hand sanitizer will be available and enhanced table cleaning protocols will continue. Our bar and serving staff will continue to wear masks for the time being. Reservations and takeout service will continue to be provided. If you wish to bring in a larger group, please call ahead at 306-359-7276 so we can designate the adequate space needed to avoid wait times and congestion in our front lobby.
Proof of Vaccination is no longer required for restaurant dining. However, we have received many customer comments stating they will be reluctant to visit us because of the recent health restriction changes. To put our vaccinated customers who may have immunodeficiency concerns, family health concerns or simply are not comfortable with the latest easing of health restrictions somewhat at ease, we will make our Arizona Room available to them. Customers choosing to sit in this room will be required to provide Proof of Vaccination and ID. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated customers are most certainly welcome at Bushwakker and are invited to sit in the main pub area. Thank you to our legion of Bushwakker fans for your continued enthusiastic support!
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.
Brewers Association Updates Beer Style Guidelines for 2022
From Brewers Journal Canada
The Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers—released its Beer Style Guidelines for 2022. The guidelines are reviewed and revised annually by the BA, and serve as a model resource for brewers, beer judges, and competition organizers, and celebrate the great diversity of beer around the world.
The Brewers Association has compiled beer style guidelines and descriptions since 1979 to aid brewers, drinkers, competition organizers, and judges alike. Categorizing such a complex beverage as beer is a difficult and multifaceted challenge. The Brewers Association relies on beer industry experts, physical beer analysis, and sources from commercial brewers from around the world as guides to craft this resource.
Although there are no new style additions this year, many significant revisions, clarifications, and hundreds of punctuation and grammar corrections were made, especially in the following categories and areas:
Experimental India Pale Ale
Many clarifications about categorizing beers
Session Beer
Session India Pale Ale
Standardized verbiage in Juicy or Hazy Styles
Traditional Belgian-Style Gueuze
Bohemian-Style Pilsener
American Lager categories
American-Style India Pale Lager
Specialty Beer
Chili Beer
A few examples of significant updates include adding several hybrid India Pale Ale styles to the Experimental IPA category; modernizing Session Beer and Session IPA to adjust the lower end of ABV downward to 0.5%, as brewer interest in lower ABV beers has increased rapidly over the past two years; and standardizing language on Juicy or Hazy Styles based on brewer and judge feedback and adding verbiage about “hop burn.”
“As the craft beer landscape continues to evolve, we want to ensure that our Beer Style Guidelines continue to be a trusted resource worldwide and are in stride with the innovation that continues to be brought forward,” said Chris Swersey, competition director, Brewers Association. “We took 2022 as a year to focus on housekeeping, to address some discrepancies within the exiting beer styles, and for a small number of significant updates to certain beer styles.”
The Beer Style Guidelines are a direct product and blend of historical significance, traditional authenticity, and popularity in the current craft beer consumer market. Adding in a style or modifying an existing style of beer is taken very seriously and can only be done after extensive expert consultation, research, and analysis of market factors. That process takes in an array of elements and can take a long period of time to complete. Another consideration when adding or modifying a style guideline is that commercially available examples are always in flux and may not be representative of historical versions or records of the style.
“With so many diverse beers being made, we rely on expert feedback to help identify categories that need an update to ensure the Beer Style Guidelines remain as current and relevant as possible,” said Swersey. “We are grateful for the feedback provided by drinkers, brewers and judges alike from around the world which helps us compile this trusted resource for the greater craft brewing community, and which in turn improves our shared understanding of international beer styles.”
TIME OUT
Kelly and his wife have been out till the wee hours celebrating St. Patty’s Day. Despite his wife’s protestations, Kelly decides to drive home.
Predictably, he’s unable to drive in a remotely straight line. His car jerks violently from side to side, until finally he’s stopped by the Garda.
“Kelly,” says the officer, “you’ve obviously had more than a bit too much.”
“Ah yes, ‘twas a grand evening!” Kelly admits.
“Well,” said the officer, “Did you realize you were weaving so violently that half a mile back your wife fell out of the car?”
“Oh thank God!” said Kelly. “I thought for sure I’d gone deaf.”
The Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance will perform at 5:30 as part of our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Plan to arrive early to get a good seat. Their pounding hard shoes hitting our wooden floor sounds like thunder!
