Savour the Southeast is coming up this weekend.
For most people there, it’s an opportunity to try something new, to experience some new food or drinks that they might not have had before. There will be some great restaurants present with food for the public to try.
And there will be breweries, wineries and distilleries offering drinks to sample.
It’s become a must on the social calendar for a lot of people. They enjoy the opportunity to sample these different products at an event that benefits a great cause, this year it’s being put on by the Estevan Family Resource Centre for the first time. And there’ll be great music for people to listen to as well.
As someone who’s been a champion for craft beer and microbreweries since the tail end of my university days, Savour the Southeast puts me in my element. Granted, most of the beers there are ones I’ve consumed and praised previously. I can tell you about all of the great products offered by Rebellion, District, Black Bridge and Pile O’ Bones Brewing, among other Saskatchewan companies that have been regulars at Savour the Southeast in the last few years.
And it’s cool to talk to people who are new to the Saskatchewan craft beer scene about the different beers that they are sampling.
(I also know a thing or two about Saskatchewan vineyards, but Saskatchewan beer is my wheelhouse).
It remarkable to see how far the Saskatchewan beer scene has shifted this decade. Yes, this is a province where the beer consumption is dominated by the macro-breweries. Molson-Coors, Labatt’s and Anheuser-Busch products still account for the majority of this province’s beer sales. And they probably always will.
Ten years ago, the only Saskatchewan brewery that people knew about was Great Western. And their product lines were not exactly breaking new ground for consumers.
Even great Western has been expanding its options in the past few years.
Saskatchewan was late to the party when it comes to craft beer. While other provinces were starting to see a surge in the number of breweries in the 1990s and the early 2000s, we still had Great Western.
If you wanted a good craft beer, you had to purchase something from another province. And even then, we weren’t getting the best that other provinces had to offer.
Now Saskatchewan is crashing the craft beer party.
Saskatchewan is home to about 20 craft breweries. Regina seems to be doing the best – they have several that are producing great beer. In fact, last year Regina was selected by Expedia as one of the top 30 cities in the world for beer, thanks in large part to the ingredients needed for beer being in close proximity.
It’s certainly one of the best emerging markets for beer.
But you’ll also find craft breweries in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Yorkton, Swift Current and even Nokomis. Yes, Nokomis. A community smaller than Alameda has its own craft brewery. And they’re making great beer, too.
These Saskatchewan businesses are based in this province, employing the people of this province and using materials growing in this province.
You can’t say that about a certain Molson-Coors product that has traditional billed itself as Saskatchewan’s beer. You want to talk about Saskatchewan’s beer? Now it’s probably the Rebellion Lentil Cream Ale, thanks to its use of Saskatchewan lentils.
Last week was Saskatchewan Craft Beer Week. I marked it by enjoying a few of my favourite products, and enjoying a couple of new ones, too.
But it was a chance to celebrate how far this province has come.
There is still room for growth in the market. As more people are introduced to craft beer, as more come to enjoy the unique tastes and flavours, as more come to appreciate the innovation and creativity of the brew masters, you’re going to see more convert from their macro-breweries to craft beers.
There truly is a craft beer for everyone (at least those who drink). Sours, India pale ales and stouts might not be your thing, but maybe a blonde ale is for you.
And there are those who get into things like food pairings with their beers. I’m not one of them. I’m going to have a glass of a Nokomis Brown or a Pile Of Bones Peanut Butter Milk Stout (yes, that is a thing) because I like those beers, and I haven’t purchased one in a while.
So when you’re at Savour the Southeast, find something you haven’t tried before. Enjoy it. Maybe even talk about it. After all, much like how you can have a great conversation about great food, you can have a fun chat about a great beer.
One last thing to note on the beer front: no great beers have ever ended in the word “Light.”
And be sure that your exposure to something new at Savour extends beyond just beer. There’s lots of food and other drinks worth trying for the first time as well.
