Ye gods! Vexations and challenges about for everybody running a business in Manitoba in April 2025.

Brad sits down with beercrank.ca’s Cody Lobreau to discuss challenges to the Manitoba Beer Industry, and the fresh challenges awaiting in a world of fresh and vicarious tariffs.

Thanks to our host, Section 6 Brewing of Brandon.

Also mentioned, yet another honour for the gang at Dauphin’s Obsolete Brewing, and Morden’s Rendezvous has a new ownership group and a new approach.

Just a brief rant about beers and bullies.

Buying local is always better.

But now’s the time to point to an inescapable fact. The vast majority of beer is controlled by multinational corporations, many headquarted in America.

Manitoba’s brewers stand at the ready, to help you replace that multinational controlled lager with something local, made from Canadian if not local ingredients.

When you buy a Corporate Beer, very little of your money creates local jobs or stays here.

When you by local, you help your neighbours who brew your beer, and the folks who grow the inputs.

This podcast has always argued that local is better.

Now, more then ever….it is time to rally around the taps at your local brewer.

Around 4:30 pm on September 1, 2023, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba sent out one torpedo of an email to every taproom in the Brewery industry in this province:  You’re all classified as age restricted.  In two weeks time, you can’t have kids in your establishments.

The timing was funky, the rule changes essentially an act of passive aggression.  Those breweries who had built reputations as family-friendly establishments now have two weeks to plead their case to be rated with general licence, like your neighborhood eatery.

In any case, Brad rants and moves the cast into “Explicit” territory with a few well placed profanities.

Read the Free Press story:

Liquor licence changes prioritize reducing risk of selling, serving to minors

…and we’re back!

Today the Beercast finds that the beer choices at certain sports venue aren’t what they could be…but one team as gone “all in” on local brews.  Andrew Collier of the Winnipeg Goldeyes (www.goldeyes.com) talks about how the club decided to feature nothing but draft and cans brewed in Manitoba.  He talks about their Craft Beer Corner, Craft Beer Voucher program (5 beer, 5 ticket vouchers for 95 bucks) and their upcoming Ballpark Brewfest at the park, July 22.  Plus thoughts on the current state of relations between other local sports teams and local brewers, on beer festivals, and the baseball cap gets doffed to Manitoba brewers who took home national awards this past month. All this in the time it takes to ride the bus back from the game.

BTW, this summer I’m looking for a Manitoba beer that can replace that Big Corporate Beer in your in-laws’ cooler.  To be honest, the Beercast wants to debate whether local producers should even try.  Touch base at @mbbeercast on twitter (before it dissolves), or send your thoughts to beerme@manitobabeercast.com.  No prizes on this one…just hoping to fan the flames on this question.

Spring 2021 sees the return of Manitoba brewery taprooms, as the Liquor, Gaming & Cannabis Authority will allow them to re-open.  However they have to play by the same rules as restaurants and beverage rooms.

We quickly rip through the rules (prepare to have dinner at the taproom).

Also, hats off to Devil May Care for their blog post, where they apologize for dissing pilsners all this time, and launch Brightwater New Zealand Pilsner.

Follow us on twitter at @mbbeercast.  Our email is beerme@manitobabeercast.com.  The web site is manitobabeercast.com.

Episode 3 of the Beercast features an interview with Cody Lobreau of beercrank.ca.

Cody started reviewing the beers at his local Liquor Mart in the golden age of blogging, and the Beercrank continues to be a great resource for Beerheads.  (It also features the best section on the web for non-alcoholic brews).

The episode also features a quick squint at the re-opening of two breweries in Winnipeg under the Manitoba government’s restaurant regulations.  Also, Brad sings the praises of Half Pints’ classic coffee beer, Stir Stick Stout.

Follow us on twitter at @mbbeercast.  Our email is beerme@manitobabeercast.com.  The web site is manitobabeercast.com.