THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1635 – Posted on: 30-May-2022
BREWERY “HOPP”ENINGS: Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports our new seasonally available fruit beer, JUST PEACHY BLONDE ALE is now available on tap, in our offsale and for growler fills too. A batch of KAI’S MUNICH HELLES is also 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 big, beautiful and bright Bushwakker sign came back last week! Much thanks to our master handyman, Remi Cote, for his wonderful restoration work. His next Bushwakker project will be refinishing our huge wooden front doors!
Our SASK CRAFT GUEST TAP is currently pouring the OH BEEHAVE HONEY BLONDE from Regina’s Warehouse Brewing. Next up is a CHOCOLATE STOUT from Pile O’ Bones Brewing. This will followed by the IT’S KINDA FLAKEY IPA from Black Bridge Brewery.
This Weekend’s May 27th & 28th Special Dining Features is CHICKEN CHASSEUR 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.
MAY PREMIUM WINE FEATURES This month’s featured wines are certified organic from the VILLA TERESA WINERY in Italy. The red is a MERLOT and the white is a PINOT GRIGIO. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre. Both wines are very dry.
Poetry Power! Culture is indeed alive and kickin’ in Regina! A great crowd was on for last Saturday’s POETRY & A PINT event. Much thanks to the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the featured poets and all of you who joined us to make this event a success. The line-up of very talented local poets were (L-R) Bruce Rice, Carol Rose GoldenEagle (SK Poet Laureate), George Grassick, Gillian Harding-Russell, Courtney Bates-Hardy and Erik Mehisen.
The Regina HOP CIRCUIT is back for a third year running from the May Long Weekend until the Labour Day Long Weekend. Check out the 2022 Hop Circuit video at Hop Circuit 2022_v5 (vimeo.com) Grab a map and visit all six participating breweries and receive a 2022 commemorative beer glass. Download the free app at Hop Circuit « Tourism Regina to make your experience even slicker!
FINAL WEEKEND! SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE MAY FUNDRAISER. We are offering our Hot Plate & a Pint fundraising feature where $10 from each combo will be donated to the Saskatchewan Ukrainian Congress to assist the Ukrainian people both here at home and in the mother country. Local artist, Kathy Hancock, has also donated postcards of her Ukrainian Sunflower (the national flower of Ukraine) which will be included with each meal purchase. Posters are also available and proceeds will be donated to the Ukrainian Congress. A Full Hot Plate & a Pint is $37.95 and a Half Hot Plate & a Half Pint is $31.95. Includes perogies, beer bread, house-made cabbage rolls, sauerkraut and koubassa from the Ukrainian Co-op and a Bushwakker beer of your choice!
NEW FOR THE MONTH OF MAY! You will be entered to win a UKRAINIAN SUNFLOWER PACKAGE including a handmade “Coming Together” vase by Tracy Hurlburt and poster print by Kathy Hancock. Additional draw tickets are available. Posters are also available for purchase and proceeds will be donated to the Ukrainian Congress.
May 30: Monday Night Jazz & Blues. HENDRICKSEN ‘N SON. Father and son duo deliver Broadway show tunes and jazz standards. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
May 31: RIDERS VS BOMBERS. We sure hope the player’s strike is over quick. Hopefully the first home exhibition game of this Grey Cup in Regina year will finally be here this Tuesday at 6:30 PM! Be sure to stop by before the game and enjoy our gourmet WINNIPEG BURGER & A PINT SPECIAL. Come “devour” the competition! Good luck in the 2022 season Team Green!
June 1: Wednesday Folk Night. RON LOOS BIRTHDAY BASH. Come celebrate another spin around the sun with this poignant storyteller and local guitar hero. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
June 1: ALES CLUB MONTHLY MEETING. Last meeting of the season! If you are interested in learning more about the art of homebrewing then come sit in on a meeting with some of the most passionate homebrewers in the city. This month’s presentation topics focus on food and beer pairing, smoked foods and the Pilsner beer style. All skill levels are welcome from the novice to the veteran home brewer. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month in the Bushwakker basement clubroom. 7:00 PM. Next meeting will be Wednesday, September 7th.
June 3: FIRST FIRKIN FRIDAY. Enjoy the pomp and circumstance of this longstanding Bushwakker monthly tradition! A piper from The Regina Police Services Pipes & Drums leads a small keg (the firkin) of special ale throughout the pub in a procession. A guest volunteer tapper is selected to wield the handmade wooden maul affectionately named, The Mighty Firkin Wakker, and attempts to tap the keg in one mighty blow! This month’s firkin offering will be a never-before-presented brew celebrating the official launch of patio season in Saskatchewan! The suds-soaking spectacular takes place at 5:30 PM.
BUSHWAKKER “NEW NORMAL” NOTES
We are open Monday – Thursday from 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM. The kitchen closes at 9:00 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 10:00 PM and last call is at 10:15 PM.
The government of Saskatchewan announced that the mandatory indoor masking health restriction will be lifted on March 1st. Bushwakker staff will continue to wear masks for the time being.
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!
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.
The Almighty Trappist Ale
By: Jim Dykstra
Few beers remain holier in the eyes of the drinker than Trappist ale. Revered for their heavenly attributes, these beers find beauty in simplicity, serving as a reflection of their makers. While the Trappist monks who brew these illustrious ales live under the straightforward Rule of St. Benedict – known for the Latin mottos “pax” (peace) and “ora et labora” (pray and work) ‒ there remains considerable confusion around the subject of these holy brewers and their creations. From henceforth, we shall codify the history and habits of the nuns and monks, as well as the range of blessed elixirs that emanate from their abbeys.
Trappists are followers of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO: Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae). The OCSO is a Catholic religious order made up of “cloistered contemplative monastics” (monks and nuns) who follow the Rule of St. Benedict. Written in the sixth century, St. Benedict’s work guides Trappists by outlining the principles of ‒ and rules for ‒ monastic life. Monks are referred to as “Trappists” and nuns “Trappistines.”
The name “Trappist” was born in the Cistercian abbey of La Trappe, located in Soligny, France (not to be confused with the Dutch La Trappe beer line by Trappist Brewery Koningshoeven). In 1664, La Trappe’s abbot decided that the Cistercian order had become too liberal and reformed the abbey rules to follow a stricter order. These days, the rules are a bit more relaxed, but the core tenets remain.
The “Strict Observance” refers to the aim of following St. Benedict’s Rule after taking the three vows he describes: stability, fidelity to monastic life and obedience.
A common misconception is that these monks have taken a vow of silence, but the truth is that Benedict simply discouraged chit-chat because it interrupts a disciple’s “quietude and receptivity, and may tempt one to exercise one’s own will instead of the will of God.” Thus, a Trappist will only speak when necessary. Forbidden speech includes that which leads to “unkind amusement or laughter.” So, while Trappists may smile sublimely after imbibing an ale, they likely won’t be telling too many jokes.
Unsurprisingly, Trappist monks and nuns have developed their own unique form of sign language, which more or less makes up for their lack of speech. Mealtime is quiet, too, so rather than passing their compliments to the chef and creator after a meal, a monk or nun might give a thumbs-up, or the monastic equivalent.
As for what Trappists eat, they mostly stick to a vegetarian diet, choosing to consume fruits, veggies, beans and grain. Some may branch into pescatarianism (eating fish), but they strictly abstain from “four-footed animals.”
Generally, the Trappists eat what they can grow themselves and drink what they can collect on their own … or brew themselves.
Monks of different orders have brewed beer for their own consumption since the Middle Ages, choosing hearty ales that help tide them over during fasts. These ales would also serve to support the community and provide a reliably clean source of hydration.
For Trappists, the brewing tradition is said to have begun with the original French La Trappe Abbey, which is on record as having a brewery as early as 1685. From there, Trappist breweries spread throughout Europe, though many original monastery brewhouses have since been destroyed in Europe’s numerous wars.
You’ve more than likely had a Trappist beer before, but what gives it the holy prefix?
Trappist beer is a beer brewed by a Trappist brewery, allowing it to bear the mark of an “Authentic Trappist Product,” as determined by the International Trappist Association. There are around 170 Trappist monasteries in the world, with about two-thirds in Europe, and the rest split fairly evenly between Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Of these monasteries, only 12 produce and sell beer and can display the Authentic Trappist Product logo – six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S.
Among these 12, there’s a newcomer to the group ‒ the U.K.’s first true Trappist ale. Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire, England, was accredited by the ITA earlier this year, and has just begun selling Tynt Meadow, a 7.4 percent ABV English Strong Ale with a full body and notes of chocolate and rich fruit in nose and flavor, with a peppery, boozy finish.
TIME OUT
A policeman was rushed to the hospital with an inflamed appendix. The doctors operated and advised him that all was well. However, the policeman kept feeling something pulling at his pubic hairs.
Worried that it might be a second surgery and the doctors hadn’t told him about it, he finally got enough energy to pull his hospital gown up enough so he could look at what was making him so uncomfortable. Taped firmly across his pubic hair and private parts were three wide strips of adhesive tape, the kind that doesn’t come off easily — if at all.
Written on the tape in large black letters was the sentence, “Get well soon from the nurse in the Land Rover you booked for speeding last week.”
