The local beer scene’s still hopping

With the bevy of breweries in Winnipeg and throughout the province, it’s easy to forget our craft beer scene is so darn young.

There are a few outliers, of course — Fort Garry Brewing Co. has been around in its current incarnation since 1994 (with a history going back even further), Half Pints Brewing Co. is celebrating its 16th anniversary on Aug. 6 (pop by their Roseberry Street brewery between 11 a.m.-11 p.m. for fun and special beers) and Farmery Estate Brewery came online about a decade ago.

The rest of them — roughly two dozen bricks-and-mortar breweries and brew pubs as well as about a dozen other contract brewers — have all emerged since 2016. Six years ago, it was such a thrill to be a beer lover and watch the first of the new wave of breweries open their doors (Barn Hammer Brewing Co. and the short-lived Peg Beer Co.).

Since then, the initial burst of craft breweries has become a slow but steady trickle of new openings every year, including in Brandon, Morden and Steinbach.

Nonsuch Brewing Co. head brewer Mark Borowski is one of many local brewers who got their start in home brewing. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

While the quality of these breweries’ releases was initially a bit all over the map, most have settled into a routine of producing beer that ranges from consistently good to excellent. For some it was trial by fire, but many of the local brewers had already cut their teeth in the home-brew circuit. Brewers at local spots such as Sookram’s, Nonsuch, Barn Hammer, Oxus and others first honed their craft on home-brew systems in their basements or garages. Brewing at a commercial level meant scaling up those recipes to deliver a hop-filled home run.

Beer lovers convened on Shaw Park, home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, for the first Ballpark Brewfest on July 23. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)

Speaking of home runs, last Saturday’s Ballpark Brewfest featured 18 Manitoba breweries, most of which have existing or forthcoming physical breweries (as opposed to contract brewers, contract brewers, which exist as a brand but brew out of a fellow brewery). Hundreds of beer lovers crammed the Shaw Park concourse to sample both core pours and limited-release, small batch brews from locals from miniature, sample-sized plastic beer mugs.

One noticeable trend was the number of fruit-infused beers being offered by brewers—beer made in all styles and with a wide range of fruit. More on that from me in Uncorked in this weekend’s Free Press.

And while it’s been a treat to see (and taste) the improvements being made by all the locals, it’s always interesting and helpful to get an expert outsider’s take on our craft beer scene for context; this blog, posted by an Alberta-based judge who judged at this year’s inaugural Prairie Beer Awards, held in Winnipeg earlier this year, offers valuable insight into the state of beer here in Manitoba (and Saskatchewan).

As for forthcoming developments in our province, this year should see plenty. Good Neighbour Brewing Co. will be wrapping up brewing out of Oxus’ Sanford Street facility and move production to its own facility, which will be located next to its tap room at 116 Sherbrook St. Devil May Care Brewing Co. (who have been brewing at Torque) is getting closer to opening its own brewery and tap room at 155 Fort Street. Interlake Brewing Co. (also been brewing at Oxus) is taking over the old Whitecaps Restaurant & Lounge in Gimli. And Brandon will get its second bricks-and-mortar brewery in the form of Section 6 at 1126 Princess Ave.

So, craft beer lovers, there’s plenty of reason to raise a glass to what is clearly a healthy and thriving scene full of passionate locals.

What are some of your favourite local craft breweries and/or beers? Send me an email and let me know.

Ben Sigurdson, drinks writer, literary editor

Iced drink with lime on a wooden surface's beside the Savour Manitoba magazine cover.

Tasty tidbits

The building where Cousin’s Deli once stood has gotten a fresh coat of paint and will be reopening as Yen’s Kitchen + Bar. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)

Cousin’s Deli & Lounge may be no more, but the space on Sherbrook Street that housed the longtime neighbourhood hangout spot won’t be quiet for long. A sign on the side of the building indicates the spot will be called Yen’s Kitchen + Bar, the Yen of the title being one of the owners of Cousin’s (and not to be confused with the recently closed Yen Kitchen on Portage Avenue.) If the online chatter is to be believed, the infamous Cousin’s veggie burger will remain on the menu.

Shrugging Doctor Beverage Co. nabbed some more hardware for its wares, this time at WineAlign’s 2022 National Wine Awards of Canada (at which Ben served as a judge). The local maker of cider, fruit wine and coolers nabbed silver medals for both its 2020 Carmine Jewel cherry wine and its apple cinnamon mead. Earlier this year, Shrugging Doctor nabbed a bronze medal for the cherry wine at the 2022 All Canadian Wine Championships.

Get your Korean corn dog fix at the recently opened Cheezy Tales storefront at 1855 Portage Ave. An online business during the pandemic, the bricks-and-mortar restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday. The menu features breaded and deep-fried hot dogs, fish cakes or mozzarella on a stick. Sweet and savoury toppings include potatoes, ramen, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, takoyaki sauce and salted caramel pistachios. Cheezy Tales also has a location in Calgary.

Le Burger Week returns for two weeks in September with a meat-free twist. The long-running national food festival announced this week that its 2022 iteration will be entirely vegan. “Over the years, we’ve noticed a strong demand for meat alternatives, such as vegetarian and vegan burgers,” co-founder Na’eem Adam said in a media release.

Stella’s Café & Bakery continues to expand its brunch empire.The local chain is preparing to open a new location in the McIvor Mall at 1795 Henderson Hwy., this summer, although an exact opening date has yet to be announced.

Recommended fare

Ben: I just finished reading Laurie Woolever’s terrific Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography. The longtime assistant and friend of Anthony Bourdain did an excellent job stitching together myriad voices (including family, chefs, co-workers and more) to reflect on the much-lauded chef, perpetual traveller and TV personality, who died by suicide in 2018. Because the book is roughly chronological and the ending inevitably tragic, it gets progressively tougher to read but is so worth it.

Quick shout out here to Banh Mi King, located near the University of Winnipeg at 510 Portage Ave. I was working downtown earlier this week (see “What’s Simmering” below) and its charbroiled pork sub served on fresh-baked baguette with homemade mayo, pickled daikon and carrots and more was absolutely epic. Long live the king.

Eva: I love steak tartare. It — along with street vendor hotdogs — became one of my favourite indulgences when I gave up vegetarianism more than a decade ago. (As a diet, it wasn’t a good fit for myriad personal reasons.) I don’t eat the raw beef dish very often, but if it’s on the menu you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to order it. I’ve had great tartare at Enoteca, Sous Sol and Segovia (RIP), and I can now add Bonnie Day to that list. The Wolseley restaurant’s addition of sesame oil really puts their iteration over the edge. We also tried the whipped feta, which our server aptly described as a “hug for your mouth.”

I’m hosting the Free Press Book Club in August, which dives into the hyperlocal murder mystery, And Then is Heard No More by author Raye Anderson. The novel follows RCMP sergeant Roxanne Calloway as she investigates the suspicious death of a Winnipeg theatre leader — a plot informed by Anderson’s real-life career in the local arts scene. The book club meets virtually once a month for a livestreamed Q&A session with the featured author.

What’s simmering

Free Press drinks writer Ben Sigurdson shovels spent malt from the mash tun with some help from Mark Borowski of Nonsuch Brewing Co. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Eva’s not the only one working on projects to celebrate the Free Press’s 150th anniversary. Ben spent Monday at Nonsuch Brewing Co., helping make a beer to help toast 150 years of all things Free Press. No spoilers, yet, other than the beer is coming this fall and delivers quite the kick.

Homemade

Henriette Mukesa tends two plots in the Rainbow Community Gardens at the University of Manitoba. The refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, uses what she grows to cook food that reminds her of home. She shared her cabbage salad recipe in this month’s instalment of Homemade.

Homemade is a regular recipe feature and a community cookbook project celebrating the Free Press’s 150th anniversary. Books will be available for purchase in the fall, keep an eye on our website for updates and join our Facebook group for recipe sharing and conversation.

The local beer scene’s still hopping

Tasty tidbits

Recommended fare

What’s simmering

Homemade

More stories to sink your teeth into...

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Dish

The local beer scene’s still hopping

Tasty tidbits

Recommended fare

What’s simmering

Homemade

More stories to sink your teeth into...

Dish

Download our News Break app