By John Allaire L ike most soon-to- be entrepreneurs, Cooke decided that it was time to work toward putting money in his own pocket, rather than lining big corporate coffers. Living in Ontario, but realizing he had a strong support system back in his native Saskatchewan, he seized the opportunity to move back to the Prairies and work toward making dreams become reality. “I hadn’t lived in Saskatchewan for quite some time,” Cooke explains. “When I moved back to start this venture, it was basically because I had a large circle of friends and family to make this a reality.” The strong support not only came in the form of capital investment, but also in the physical demands of starting up a bricks- and-mortar business. Cooke ensured that his digs were sizeable enough and the tanks large enough to facilitate growth, rather than having to relocate or retro-fit. Their tanks are currently running at about 60%-70% capacity and the building itself could with- stand business growth of around 3-4 times the current size. “We’re not huge by any means, but when people walk in, they may think ‘these guys are massive.’. We’re a 50 hectolitre brew house compared to a lot of other craft breweries that are 5-10 hectolitres. So it can look daunting at first glance.” Capacity issues may be a challenge a little further down the road. For now, Cooke explains that the craft beer scene in Saskatchewan is growing, but not exponentially, like on the west coast or in Ontario. “It’s definitely growing, but I think “I knew tradesmen in the mechanical industries, electrical, plumbing… it was absolutely key for building the plant.”
we’re about five years behind the curve. We looked at what was happening in Ontario about five years ago, there were breweries and a brewing scene, but it gets to a point where it does explode. Alberta’s exploding right now. Like, from three to sixty breweries in three years! In Saskatchewan, I think we’re around a dozen breweries in the province now… we were number two for craft brewing in the province. It’s going, but not exploding.” This five-year lag translates intodifficulties infinding local ingredi- ents and suppliers for craft beer production.WhileSaskatchewan is known for its grains and agriculture, the harvesting of grains specifically formaltinghas not yet taken a foothold. Cookepoints out that there are currently a couple of farms that are starting to malt, but the demand hasn’t caused any more than a ripple on the agricultural side. “We definitely try and buy Canadian first, but some of our recipes are German oriented…we use as much Canadian malt as we can. We sprinkle in a few German specialty malts here and there. We do buy German hops almost exclusive- ly. It’s just the type of beer we are brewing.”
Those imported hops are used for brewing District’s popular German Pilsner Lager.
It’s a very accessible beer that pours a brilliant gold with moderate carbonation.
German noble hops balance with Prairie 2-row malt for a uniquely refreshing approach to this style. Hopping with Czech Saaz late in the process lends the beer its classically delicate aroma. Cooke describes, “It’s essentially the type of Pilsner you’d get if you were drinking in a biergarten in Bavaria… not bitter like some of the Northern German pilsners. It’s a little thinner, meaning that the hop bitterness is a little more clear.”
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2017
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