20 CAAR COMMUNICATOR The craft beer scene in Saskatchewan is vibrant and diverse, with several breweries making a mark with their unique brews. As of 2024, there are about 20 breweries and distilleries in the province. And because everything truly depends on one’s taste, there’s probably a beer for everyone’s discerning tastebuds. CAAR is shining a spotlight on Saskatchewan’s craft beers with the Science of the Six-Pack opening event at the 2024 CAAR Connect Convention. Six local breweries will compete to be crowned the best-tasting beer by convention attendees, who will learn about the malt barley industry and about each of the breweries selected to compete. (See Page 23 for more on this can’t-miss event.) Presented in no particular order—except the first one because the writer loves his sour beer: Nokomis Craft Ales are renowned for their range of sour beers, including the Liquid Whisper, what the company calls a hopped barrel-aged sour that will be judged at the event. This dry-hopped beer is tart but with refreshing notes of citrus and stone fruit. Like many a craft beer operation, Nokomis started small, as a one-person operation in 2014, in a facility no larger than a single-car garage, which seems small until you consider that the rural farming community of 400 or so people that is Nokomis is only 2.61 km² in size. Its beers are ingrained with a special flavour thanks to the town’s renowned aquifer water and regionally grown barley. Along with its cereal grains, the brewery uses a wide range of the province’s fruit and native plants and brewing traditions. Located in Regina, Pile O’Bones Brewing has a wide range of beers, ciders, and special cocktails and offers its delicious Vienna Lager, an easy-to-drink mild European style that is malt-forward and a bit toasty. The brewery’s name comes from the history of the Regina area. Indigenous hunters in the area would, after taking the flesh and hide of the long bison, stack the animal’s bones into large piles as a means to honour the creature’s spirit. The area was known as the Oskana Kasastcki by the Indigenous peoples, roughly translating to “bone piles.” Later, when European explorers came to the area, they translated it to “Pile of Bones.” The Romanized Oskana became Wascana before it was renamed to the Latin word for “queen”—Regina—in 1882 in honour of Queen Victoria. Black Bridge Brewery will showcase its intriguing Milk Stout, which is black, and creamy thanks to barley that is roasted and unmalted. The brewery’s name is derived from a real, small iron bridge located a few kilometres south of Swift Current. While the local landmark spans a creek below it, when not used as a fishing area or for a graduation or wedding photo locale, it is also supposed to be a haunted area. When married owners Kari and Clayton Stenson were considering a name for the brewery, they wanted something that represented longevity, was a beloved icon for all those family, graduation, and wedding shoots, and was representative of their values: downto-earth, strong, honest, and proud to represent Saskatchewan brewing. Bushwakker Brewing Company offers up its Cyclone Barleywine. Barleywine? Sounds intriguing. It’s a rich, malty ale featuring a nutty, caramel NOT ALL BEERS ARE CREATED EQUAL Keeping it local with an eye on ingredients and historical flair is what keeps the Saskatchewan craft beer scene hopping. Andrew Joseph, Editor BEER COMPANIES The Science of the Six-Pack competition features six Saskatchewan beers (from l): Beer! from Rebellion Brewery; Liquid Whisper from Nokomis Craft Ales; Vienna Lager from Pile O’ Vones Brewing; Cyclone Barleywine from Bushwakker Brewing Company; Bavarian Dark Lager from District Brewing Company; and Milk Stout from Black Bridge Brewing. Photo courtesy of Terry Andryo.
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