THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1649 – Posted on: 05-September-2022
BREWERY “HOPP”ENINGS: Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports that our new LEMON LIME TART ALE, SUMMER WHEAT and KAI’S MUNICH HELLES are currently available on tap, in our offsale and for growler fills too. A batch of PONCE DE LEON BLACKBERRY RASPBERRY WHEAT beer as well as HARVEST OKTOBERFEST LAGER are making their way through the brewery. In addition to taking our beer home in glass bottles and 2 litre jugs direct from our brewpub, you can find a varying selection of 650 ml bottles of Bushwakker beer in a number of REGINA SLGA stores.
LABOUR DAY LONG WEEKEND THREE-DAY BURGER BATTLE. We welcome our many Manitoba friends who make their annual pilgrimage to the Bushwakker and Mosaic stadium this long weekend. This is the only weekend of the year where you can choose from either our Winnipeg Burger & a Pint feature or our Saskatchewan Burger & a Pint feature. History has shown that the burger which sells the best prior to the game is a strong indicator as to which team will win the Labour Day Classic! May the best burger win!
Thank you Regina! Of the dozen wins we received in the 2022 “Best of Food” Regina Awards, the BEST SOUP win certainly pleased our kitchen staff. Like most items prepared in our kitchen, our soups are made from scratch and are definitely a labour of love. In addition to our frequently changing Soup Du Jour offerings our longstanding Chicken, Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo is our signature soup which is bursting flavour and available every day. Enjoy it with a house-made herb biscuit or even a slice of beer bread!
This Weekend’s Special Dining Feature is our Winnipeg Burger & a Pint feature and Saskatchewan Burger & a Pint feature. 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 SASK CRAFT GUEST TAP is currently pouring the PINEAPPLE WHEAT BURST from Swift Current’s Black Bridge Brewing. Next up is a TANGERINE SOUR from Regina’s Malty National Brewing.
SEPTEMBER PREMIUM WINE FEATURES This month’s wine features are the organic EL ABUELA WINES from Spain. The red is a Tempranillo/Monastrell and the white is a Verdejo/Sauvignon Blanc. Both are $7.95 for a glass and $21.95 for a half litre.
Final weekend! The Regina HOP CIRCUIT is back 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!
Sept. 2: 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 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 special end-of-summer treat, LEMON LIME VANILLA CREAMSICLE ALE! The suds-soaking spectacular takes place at 5:30 PM.
Sept. 5: OPEN LABOUR DAY MONDAY. From noon to nine. Sorry, no band tonight. Join us for either our SASK BURGER or WINNIPEG BURGER Specials in a more “relaxed” atmosphere.
Sept. 7: MONTHLY ALES CLUB MEETING. After a two month summer break, one of the country’s top ranked homebrewing clubs is set to reconvene for another exciting brewing season. The September meeting is historically the largest meeting of the year. This month’s topic will be AMBER ALES and BEER SLANG. If you are interested in getting into the art of home brewing or would like to improve your skills, come to the Bushwakker basement clubroom at 7:00 PM and discover what the ALES Club can offer you. New members are always welcome!
Sept. 7: Wednesday Folk Night. KATHERINE FISCHER. London, Ontario folk artist on a cross Canada tour. Featured on Amazon Music’s “Best of Folk 2020” playlist. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
CURRENT HOURS OF OPERATION AND RESERVATIONS 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.
POSTPONED! We were planning on resuming our Sunday hours this month but we are not alone in the challenge of finding enough staff to operate seven days a week. Many people left the hospitality sector during the onset of the pandemic and never returned. Our next Sunday opening will be on GREY CUP SUNDAY and we hope to be open the following four Sundays during the Christmas season.
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 two banquet rooms are also available for private party rentals. Call Kelly at 306-359-7276 to book either our main floor Arizona Room or basement Clubroom.
Are Craft Beer Companies Really More Sustainable?
Research finds big beer companies like Budweiser and Molson Coors outperform craft beer on environmental sustainability. Small breweries are stepping up.
BY ALEX ROBINSON
Stephen Tyson and Yves St. Amand spent years managing bars and restaurants in Toronto before deciding to blend their professional experience in beer and hospitality with their passion for sustainability.
They are now building what they say will be Canada’s first carbon-negative brewery, in Peterborough, Ontario. Just as concerns over the climate crisis were mounting, the popularity of craft beer exploded. Craft beer now makes up around a quarter of the American beer market, and a growing number of brewers have started focusing on shrinking their environmental footprints. The process of brewing beer is notorious for being energy- and water-intensive, but sustainability hasn’t always been a priority for many brewers in their first years of operations.
That’s a trend Karbon Brewing is hoping to reverse by designing a brewery with sustainability in mind at every step.
“I really like the challenge of flipping the focus from ‘How do we become this big brand by selling the most beer possible, and then worrying about sustainability?’ to ‘Let’s put sustainability first’ and ‘How do we do a brewery right?’” says Bernardo Zamora, Karbon’s brewmaster.
A big question will be how to scale Karbon’s production while maintaining its green brewing chops. Zamora may be comforted to know that sustainability experts say large, well-established beer companies tend to lead the pack when it comes to sustainability within the industry. As more consumers look to local micro-breweries, they may be surprised to learn that it isn’t always the most sustainable route.
“The larger brewers, from an environmental sustainability perspective, in general, outperform craft brewers. They’re producing fewer product types and have very efficient systems,” says Barry Ness, an associate professor at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies in Sweden.
In a 2018 paper, Ness analyzed 70 craft breweries and found that those that opened decades ago tended to prioritize sustainability more than others. “It showed that maybe you need to get to a certain stage of growth … before you can start working on sustainability initiatives,” he says.
In Canada, Ronald Morrison, a sustainability consultant who offers his services to craft breweries, says many smaller breweries aren’t tracking metrics like their water-to-beer ratio. This is an important first step in figuring out where there’s room for improvement. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” he says, adding that American craft breweries tend to be a bit more advanced on sustainability than Canadian ones. According to a trade association called Beer Canada, the Canadian breweries that have been tracking those metrics have cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 57.3% and energy use by 48.1% since 1990.
In stark contrast to some of North America’s largest food companies, the three largest beer companies by sales in the United States – AB InBev (which owns Budweiser), Molson Coors and Constellation Brands (which owns Corona) – all at least partially track and disclose emissions that come from their supply chains (in addition to those of their operations and energy use).
According to AB InBev’s 2021 ESG report, the company reduced its overall emissions from a 2017 baseline by almost 14% and has pledged to be net-zero by 2040. Molson Coors plans to reduce emissions from its direct operations and its supply chain by 50% and 20%, respectively, by 2025 (from a 2016 baseline).
TIME OUT– Understanding English Hospitality
An American tourist in London decides to skip his tour group and explore the city on his own. He wanders around, seeing the sights, and occasionally stopping at a quaint pub to soak up the local culture, chat with the lads, and have a pint or two.
After a while, he finds himself in a very high class neighbourhood…..big, stately residences… no pubs, no stores, no restaurants, and worst of all…NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS!
He really, really has to go, after consuming all those pints. He finds a narrow side street, with high walls surrounding the adjacent buildings and decides to use the wall to solve his problem.
As he is unzipping, he is tapped on the shoulder by a London Bobby, who says, “I say, sir, you simply cannot do that here, you know.”
“I’m very sorry, officer,” replies the American, “but I really, really HAVE TO GO, and I just can’t find a public restroom.”
“Ah, yes,” said the bobby…”Just follow me”. He leads him to a back “delivery alley”, then along a wall to a gate, which he opens. “In there,” points the bobby. “Whiz away sir, anywhere you want.”
The fellow enters and finds himself in the most beautiful garden he has ever seen. Manicured grass lawns, statuary, fountains, sculpted hedges, and huge beds of gorgeous flowers all in perfect bloom. Since he has the cop’s blessing, he unburdens himself and is greatly relieved.
As he goes back through the gate, he says to the bobby, “That was really decent of you… is that what you call ‘English Hospitality’?”
“No, sir” replies the bobby, “that is what we call the Russian Embassy.”
