Summer in the City kicks off this Friday afternoon, and to be perfectly honest, many people may have trouble focusing on work.
Audrey Harder is the Board Chair of Summer in the City, and she has a helpful suggestion:
“Just call it quits early on Friday and head to the patio with your staff and have a party there!”
Located in front of the SCU Main Stage, the Summer in the City Patio Party is a fully licensed, family-friendly afternoon destination with free admission.
“The Patio Party is one of my favourite areas to go and sit and listen to local musicians, have a beverage, and cool off a little bit,” shares Harder. “With thousands of people on the street, you meet so many you want to say hi to, you have that hustle and bustle, but in the middle of all that action we have a great patio where you can sit down, have a drink, and enjoy a moment off your feet.”
She’s particularly pleased about a new partnership this year on the patio.
“Trans Canada Brewing Company has joined us, helping raise funds for Summer in the City as well as the Steinbach Arts Council. It's their first time with us, and we’re so excited to have them here!”
Jen Elson is Brand & Partnership Leader at Trans Canada Brewing Company. She says that when people visit the TCB bar at the Patio Party, they can expect a smiling face, good draught beer, and people who are keen to talk about the beer being poured.
“Working alongside Summer in the City gives us a great opportunity to meet people in Steinbach,” says Elson.
Scott Sawatzky is Head Brewer with Trans Canada Brewing Company. He says TCB opened six years ago when legislation loosened up.
“There was a bit of a craft beer boom in the province, a lot of breweries opened at the time, and we were one of the originals.”
Trans Canada Brewing Company’s flagship beers have a strong presence across the southeast, making the Bluebeary Ale, Lamp Lighter Amber Ale, and Portager Bohemian Pilsner a familiar sight. But Sawatzky says that while they’re always brewing these core beers, they’re also constantly developing new ideas.
“Today we're filling a bunch of barrels – we have some gin barrels, tequila barrels, whiskey barrels, wine barrels we’ll be aging beer in. We've tapped our own maple trees to extract syrup to brew with coffee. We’re always looking for new ideas. That's the real fun of the job – I get to exercise my creativity.”
At the patio bar, TCB will be pouring their well-known Bluebeary Ale, and their flagship Portager Pilsner, which Sawatzky says is made with hops imported directly from the Czech Republic.
“It’s a very traditional style lager, definitely one of my favourite beers we produce here.”
Alongside these familiar brews, Sawatzky says they’ll be bringing something new to the patio as well.
“We’re working on a new beer, a light lager that we’re proud to showcase at Summer in the City.”
“Steinbach was dry for such a long time,” reflects Elson. “So it’s great that TCB can come have a presence downtown at the festival and create connection and community here in your backyard.”
“We’re very proud of what we do, and we like to share that with people,” adds Sawatzky. “It's fun to be out there experiencing people's reactions to what we've created. And the local community is very important to us. We’re a local business, and we want to be out there at these events as much as possible.”
As Head Brewer, Sawatzky is passionate about how TCB’s beer is served.
“We like to show up with draught beer. The beer we’ll be serving in Steinbach hasn’t even been kegged yet – we'll be pulling it fresh from the tanks – making sure we bring the freshest beer possible.”
With fresh beer on tap, and local artists on stage nearby, Harder says Patio Party peeps can expect a second-to-none experience, and won’t have to go hungry either.
“The Patio Party does not hinder you from having snacks – so hit up a food truck, bring your meal back to the patio, buy a drink, and enjoy the show! On the way, meet all your friends and invite them to come with you and have a blast enjoying the music.”
The patio’s located in front of the SCU Main Stage, and it’s open from 1-5 pm on both Friday and Saturday afternoons.
See a full schedule of performers here: https://summerinthecity.ca/experiences/schedule/
