REGINA – As if you needed another reason to enjoy a cold one: Friday marks International Beer Day.
It turns out the number of beer lovers in Saskatchewan is on the rise, at least if the amount of breweries opening in recent years is any indication.
The tap room manager at Rebellion Brewing in Regina, Chelsea Humble, said a lot of the growth can be attributed to the demand for more variety.
“I think people are becoming aware of the options and the differences between craft and macro-breweries…and that’s led to more demand.” she explained.
Compared to only a few years ago, the number of breweries in Regina has grown significantly.
He had brewing equipment delivered on Friday and said there’s room to be adventurous with the flavours of beer in Saskatchewan.
“If you’re thinking of European beers, you’re thinking of things that have been brewed the same way for hundreds of years. We don’t have that in Saskatchewan so we can make new exciting beers all the time.”
However, the process of opening a brewery has proved challenging at times in the province.
A professor of beer economics at the University of Regina, Jason Childs, said legislation has improved in recent years to try and remove red tape for businesses.
“Until relatively recently in the province it was very, very difficult for a microbrewery to set up and sell its own product particularly for consumption away from the brewery,” he added.
Childs said it makes sense for legislation to support the beer industry, given the amount of barley and wheat produced in Saskatchewan.
According to beercanada.com there’s been a 30 per cent increase in the number of licensed breweries operating in the prairies between 2013 and 2014.
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