Beer festival continues to grow

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This article was published 19/04/2023 (930 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local breweries will be front and centre as the Sunset Rotary Club of Brandon prepares to host its annual beer tasting festival Saturday.

Sheri Connery, a Rotary club member and event chairperson, said that when the fundraiser started, she didn’t envision it growing so much, from 20 to 25 brews sampled at the first event to more than 100 items to taste this year.

“I thought that it would become more popular, [but] I didn’t imagine it quite this size,” Connery said.

Connery and other organizers bought the beer for the first sampling event, but now brewery representatives and distributors provide the drinks. With the help of sponsors, that means most of the club’s costs for hosting the event are covered, so it can redirect all of the ticket money to local charities.

Event attendees will get to sample Manitoba brewers like Little Brown Jug, Dastardly Villain and Barn Hammer, Canadian brewers and some international beers, too.

“We have a little bit of everything,” Connery said.

Even closer to home, Black Wheat Brewing and Section 6 Brewing Company, both based in Brandon, will be represented at the beer tasting, as will the Neepawa-based Farmery Estate Brewery.

This will be the first Sunset Rotary Club tasting where the city’s newest brewery, Section 6, will offer samples of its products, having stuck to selling T-shirts at a smaller event hosted by the club last September, before Section 6 even opened its Princess Avenue tap room.

Section 6 co-owner Sid Stevenson agreed the beer tasting is an important way to get exposure for their products, which are now sold in Brandon Liquor Marts and beer vendors and headed for shelves in western Manitoba and Winnipeg.

But Stevenson added it’s also a good way to connect with craft beer enthusiasts.

“The people that attend the beer festivals are the ones that just love craft beer, local product,” Stevenson said. “So it’s really nice just to be able to go to these things and have a sampling, talk to people about our product and introduce ourselves.”

Farmery has been part of the annual beer tasting since the beginning, with the brewery having taken part in the first iteration early on in its creation. Co-owner Chris Warwaruk recalled that not only was Farmery new, but there was a growing interest in craft brewing.

“I think the biggest takeaway for us in starting out, especially at the Brandon beer festival, was the excitement that people knew that something was different and they wanted to learn more about it,” Warwaruk said.

Farmery has since grown and diversified its products. Its premium lager will still have its place at the tasting, but Farmery will also sample its Centennial Corvette Pale Ale that will feature a special label in honour of the HMCS Chippawa Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division based in Winnipeg, one of its ginger beers, its new IPA and its Farmhouse Ale.

“This is a perfect opportunity to find and discover a new favourite,” Warwaruk said.

The tasting will be held in the Imperial Ballroom at the Victoria Inn from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

The $35 ticket price includes the beer samples and a light meal. Proceeds from the event go to the YWCA Westman Women’s Shelter and other local charities.

Tickets are on sale at city Liquor Marts. While tickets will be available at the door, Connery warns buying them then is a risk as recent tastings have been sold out. She advises buying them in advance.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com