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More than twenty of Manitoba’s finest local beer and spirit producers will converge on Fort Gibraltar this weekend for the eight annual Winnipeg Beer Festival. Together, they will showcase over 60 different locally made products, ranging from meads to spirits and, of course, beers in all shapes, sizes and varieties.
“It’s a great community,” says festival organizer Shawn Brandson. “They help each other out and we wanted to have a venue to showcase their wonderful products.
Brandson notes that while the festival began under the premise of handing out awards, the producers quickly tapped into the notion that this event was less about the competition and more about the collaboration and, more importantly, camaraderie.
“This festival is... where people will have something new that they’ve been sampling,” explains Brandson. “They may bring a keg or something that isn’t available quite yet that people can sample and feature.”
“What’s neat is that you have the makers, you have the owners or the breweries there one-on-one and you can say you enjoy this style of beer or this kind of beer, [and] chances are they’ll point you to another booth and say, ‘Try this!’ or ‘I have an example of that.’ Everyone’s working towards a common goal of promoting local.”
The supportive environment that the Winnipeg Beer Festival provides is a microcosm of the wider community that exists throughout the rest of the year. “Many of these breweries have taprooms where you can go in and sample the different beers,” Brandson says, noting that this is an experience that can also be found at the festival. “What’s interesting about the taprooms too is that many of the taprooms have beers from other brewers there. They just want to share the different styles with their friends. So, you make it a great night out going to the different taprooms or a taproom tour.”
The positive, supportive atmosphere that the Winnipeg Beer Festival provides means that producers return each year to promote their wares, a trip made easier by the fact that the festival does not charge vendors to take part. Brandson notes that this approach helps up-and-coming producers to get attention amidst the established brands that make up Winnipeg’s craft beer scene. “This expansion has given them an opportunity to go commercial and to showcase things,” says Brandson, noting that it also gives producers a better opportunity to promote their products to a wider Canadian market.
The Winnipeg Beer Festival takes place beginning at 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 10. Tickets and more information can be found at the festival’s website. Classic 107 listeners can get a $10 discount on tickets when they use the promo code 107 at checkout.