THE WAKKER WEEKLY
Issue #1697 – Posted on: 07-August-2023
BREWERY “HOPP”ENINGS! Bushwakker Head brewer, Michael Gaetz, reports that our seasonally available GRANNY’S BITTER, KAI’S MUNICH HELLES, HONEY THISTLE WIT, BOMBAY IPA and TANGERINE DREAM FRUIT and are currently available. Our FLEK’S CZECH DARK LAGER is currently working its way through the brewery.
After almost four years, our delicious GRANNY’S BITTER is back on tap and in our offsale for a limited time. This delicious English Session Bitter was one of our original six Bushwakker brews first introduced way back in 1991. It is named after our General Manager Emeritus, Elaine Robertson. She was definitely a “bitter granny” when her late husband, Bev, would take over her kitchen with his brewing buddies back in his amateur homebrewing days in the 1980’s. One could safely assume that without Elaine, the Bushwakker never would have come to fruition. She was the one who insisted the brewing could only continue if it no longer took place in her house. Thus began the long process where years later your Bushwakker Brewpub was born. Enjoy a pint of history today. Cheers Elaine!
This Weekend’s Special Dining Feature from August 4th to 6th is an OTTAWA BURGER & a PINT for $23.95. Our Saturday CLASSIC STEAK & A PINT SPECIAL as well as our Monday and Wednesday WINGS & A PINT SPECIAL and Tuesday PIZZA & A PINT SPECIAL are also great value deals.
The 2023 edition of the Regina Hop Circuit is now underway for a fourth incredible year! Visit all six participating Regina Craft Breweries in order to receive a special commemorative Hop Circuit glass. Grab a free Hop Circuit map and get out there and start biking or hiking to collect those stamps and redeem your prize!
Our SASK CRAFT GUEST TAP is currently pouring Saskatchewan Craft Brewers Association annual collaboration brew; a YUZU PALE ALE. Next up is the SO PITTED CRAB APPLE APRICOT CIDER from the Spot On Cidery from Outlook, SK. This will be followed by the GRAPEFRUIT RATTLER from Pile O’ Bones Brewing.
AUGUST PREMIUM WINE FEATURES: This month’s wine features are the WAKEFIELD CLARE VALLEY WINES from Southern Australia. The red wine is their CABERNET SAUVIGNON and the white wine is their DRY RIESLING. Both are $8.95 for a glass and $23.95 for a half litre.
Of the seven wins we recently received in the 2023 Best of Food Regina Awards, the BEST FRIES IN REGINA award is an exciting one! Who knew the humble potato could bring such comfort and joy? Especially when paired up with a fine Bushwakker burger and a fine Bushwakker brew! Our hand-chipped potatoes are a true reflection of what our executive chef often says; “It doesn’t have to be complicated in order for it to be good.” We serve them up hot and crisp and season them just right!
Last week’s Bushwakker Summer Staff Craft Market saw all sorts of creative items including baking, jewelry, microgreens, plants, bath bombs, garden delights and shiny things that jingle. Can’t wait for the return of the Holiday Christmas Market in just a few months!
UPCOMING BUSHWAKKER EVENTS
Aug. 4: 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 super summer refreshing firkin offering will be a RASPBERRY TANGERINE ALE! The suds-soaking spectacular takes place at 5:30 PM.
Aug 6: RIDERS VS. REDBLACKS. We will be open at noon on this game day Sunday. Enjoy our gourmet game day OTTAWA BURGER & A PINT SPECIAL before the 5:00 PM kickoff. Come “devour” the competition!
Aug. 7: CLOSED FOR SASKATCHEWAN DAY! Be sure to pick up a tall, cool Bushwakker brew or two from our offsale this long weekend!
Aug. 9: Wednesday Folk Night. FRESH BREATH: Don’t miss this dynamic Ontario duo who are finalists in the 2023 International Singer/Songwriters Association Awards. 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 midnight. The kitchen is open until 11:00 PM and last call is at 11:15 PM. Closed Sundays.
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.
Once-Booming Craft Beer Market Stalled At 0% Growth In 2022, Brewers Association Reports. Now What?
By: Don Tse
It was the first year craft beer had not grown market share.
Ignoring 2020, a year when almost every industry suffered anomalous results, craft beer had grown every year for as long as anyone can remember. But when Bart Watson, chief economist of the Brewers Association, took to the stage to present his state of the industry address at the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference, he reported that the streak was over. The Brewers Association, the trade group representing small and independent brewers, had determined that the craft beer achieved 0% growth in 2022.
“We’d certainly seen slower growth even prior to Covid,” says Watson. Craft beer had been growing by double-digit percentages year-over-year for decades, but this had slowed to single-digits since 2016 (in 2020, the industry actually shrank by 10% as the pandemic wreaked havoc on all hospitality-driven industries).
Craft beer has been growing at a slower rate since 2015.
At one time, the Brewers Association had a stated goal of craft beer representing 20% of the overall beer industry. But with the announcement of no growth in 2022, that percentage may have peaked at its current 13% by volume, though it does represent 25% of the beer market by dollars, since craft beer is generally more expensive than the beer sold by the large multi-national brewers.
As the leading advocate for small and independent brewers, the Brewers Association is shifting focus to improving market access for the approximately 10,000 craft brewers in America. For example, while wineries are legally allowed to mail their products direct to consumers, breweries cannot. And a complex web of state laws, many of which have not been amended since prohibition, present artificial barriers to small brewery success.
Until those regulatory changes can be made, brewers will need to examine their businesses in light of stagnant growth. “There are plenty of breweries that are still growing,” notes Watson. “But brewers might need to update their strategy, such as focusing on profitability rather than growth. Or they might have to alter the balance between distribution [of packaged product] and hospitality [within the brewery taproom].”
In November 2022, San Diego’s acclaimed The Lost Abbey announced that it would “right-size” to cut costs in response to changing market conditions. And in June 2023, San Francisco’s 127-year-old Anchor Brewing announced it would end national-wide distribution to focus on its home market in California. A month later, Anchor announced it would cease operations altogether. Considered to be icons in the craft beer community, the announcements by The Lost Abbey and Anchor Brewing sent shockwaves through the craft beer community.
TIME OUT – Luck o’ the Irish
An attractive blonde from Cork, Ireland arrived at the casino. She seemed a little intoxicated and bet twenty-thousand Euros on a single roll of the dice.
She said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I feel much luckier when I’m completely naked.”
With that, she stripped from the neck down, rolled the dice and with an Irish brogue yelled, “Come on, baby, Mama needs new clothes!”
As the dice came to a stop, she jumped up and down and squealed: “YES! YES! I WON, I WON!”
She hugged each of the dealers and then picked up her winnings (and her clothes) and quickly departed.
The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded. Finally, one of them asked,”What did she roll?”
The other answered, “I don’t know, I thought you were watching the dice.”
Deceptively clever.
