SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2017
When the customer loves the finely crafted beer you brew so much that there’s a demand for bigger can sizes, you’re doing something right. The Black Bridge Brewery in Swift Current, Saskatchewan brews beer – now in 473 millilitre proper pint cans – that’s born in wide open spaces. The crisp, clean and dry Wheat Burst, the rustic, woody and balanced Rye Ale, and the black, roasted and creamy Milk Stout are testaments to the icon which inspired the brewery’s name. In Canada’s west where grain is gold and milk is money, bridges represent commerce and community. “The name Black Bridge Brewery,” it reads at BlackBridgeBrewery.ca , “comes from the name of a small iron bridge a few kilometers south of Swift Current, in the rolling south west Saskatchewan prairies. The bridge is well-known among residents of Swift Current and has long been the subject of myths, stories of hauntings, afternoons spent fishing in the Swift Current creek, which flows beneath, and countless wedding and family photo shoots.” In only five years, Black Bridge Brewery has grown from a dream shared by husband and wife co-founders and owners, Clayton and Kari Stenson, into a household name in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2017
By David MacDonald A s far as they see it – and you can see really far in the prairies – it’s ironic that Canada’s breadbasket was more or less an emerging market for the craft brewing industry when they started to put together their business plan. “Our motivation to begin the process of developing a plan for the brewery started in 2012 because we felt that Saskatchewan was missing out on having world-class craft beer made locally,” Kari said. “It was a booming industry in the United States, B.C., and Ontario at the time and not surprisingly, we were not the only local Saskatchewan folks to think that we were missing out on something that we were supplying a lot of the ingredients for as an agricultural giant. But at the time, there were only a handful of other people opening brew- eries.” Clayton said that research for the business plan took approx- imately a year – but that was only the beginning. “Once we had financials in place,” he explained, “we secured property to build and began purchasing the equipment and commis- sioning setup,” which, according to Kari, took another year. “We have the unique opportunity to open people’s eyes and taste buds to the variety and quality of locally- produced beer.” “The craft brew scene is so new and exciting here in Sa katchewan right now,” Clayton added. “We have the unique opportunity to open people’s eyes and taste buds to the variety and quality of locally- produced beer.” The property Black Bridge Brewery secured at 295 Alexan- der Drive in Swift Current is setup for variety and quality. “The entire brewery is 6500 square feet and we house a 20HL brew house and six fermenters. We have an automatic canning line for packaging along with room for storage,” Clayton said. Clayton and Kari were eager to give craft beer enthusiasts outside Saskatchewan and Manitoba a better sense of what’s being canned, as it were, on Alexander Drive. They explained that while Black Bridge Brewery beers are available in the can in-store and on-tap at reputable establishments throughout the Prairie Provinces – exclud- ing Alberta, for now – they never want their core brands and seasonal favourites to become just another can on the shelf. “Consistent, understandable labels and logos are extremely important to us,” Clayton said. “We try very hard to maintain consistent labels for our core branded beer and seasonally packed beers. Standing out on the shelf is always a difficult task so we try and have easy to read labels for the consumer.”
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SEPTEMBER 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
definite aromas of juicy citrus and a light pine.”
Black Bridge Brewery’s five core branded beers are taste- fully and thoughtfully canned.
Pseudo Lager is a lighter, refreshing craft ale, Clayton explained. “It’s 4.5 percent and the addition of Noble and American hop varieties lend a subtle woody and grassy essence to the beer. This session ale starts out with the aroma of sweet malt and finishes very dry and crisp.” “And our newest core brand,” he continued, “is Wheat Burst. It’s also 5.3 percent and has a fruity profile with aromas of juicy pineapple and guava – it’s a beer that promises to make any hop lover salivate,” he laughed. “The additions of El Dorado and Mosaic Hops lend refreshing flavors with minimal bitterness. It’s crisp, clean and dry.” Kari explained how every ingredient that goes into Black Bridge Brewery beer is important. “Our ingredients come from all over North America and some from Europe,” she said. “Each beer is unique because of the variety available to brewers in malts, hops and yeast. This variety allows each brewery to develop unique beers that represent their inter- pretations. Fresh, quality products are the most important thing for us when looking for ingredients.”
“We felt that Saskatchewan was missing out on having world-class craft beer made locally.” “The IPA! is 6.5 percent and it’s inspired by the over-the- top IPAs that flow like water throughout the Pacific Northwest,” Kari explained as she guided me over the phone through the Our Beers page at BlackBridgeBrewery.ca. “Aromas of grapefruit and tangerine lead into an abundance of fresh pine and tropical fruit notes followed by a crisp, resinous bitterness. The complex hop profile is supported by a firm malt presence to create an incredibly flavorful and well-bal- anced IPA.” The 5.3 percent Milk Stout, I was told with gusto, took home the bronze at the 2015 and silver at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards. “The roasted barley and coffee flavours build the foundation of this creamy sweet stout,” Kari said. “It pours a dark ruby-black with the aroma of chocolate and dried fruit. Milk sugar in your stout is like cream in your coffee: dark and delicious. Saskatchewan’s great milk stout will change your perception about what a stout can be.” The Rye Ale is also 5.3 percent and “pours a golden orange colour,” Kari continued. “It’s dry hopped with Centennial hops and balanced by a light, grainy malt character and has
The ingredients, according to Clayton, are only as good as the process. “Take our barleywine,” he said.
“It’s barrel-aged for 10 months in recently emptied red wine barrels. It begins with a beautiful port and wet oak aroma which translates into a luscious, warming mouthfeel. It’s lightly carbonated with a strong amount of bitterness to balance out the bold dark cherry, red wine and brandy flavours.”
Black Bridge Brewery has had many successes experimenting with recipes outside of their five core branded beers. Previous limited releases include the Year One IPA, the Wee Heavy, and the Smoked Porter. “Our taproom features our five core brands on tap along with four rotating seasonal beers,” Kari explained. “You can purchase beer to take home, or have a pint either inside or out on the patio.” On the seasonal side of things, Black Bridge Brewery is now featuring: Uno IPA, a 5.8 percent unfil- tered beer with a light malt base available in cans and both 20 and 50 litre kegs; Belgian Golden Strong Ale is an 11.3 percent ale with a complex fruity aroma and a dry white wine finish available in 750 millilitre bottles; Saison is an 8.6 percent unfil- tered, bottle conditioned brew with very dry clove and rose flower aromas and a lightly spiced pear taste available in 750 millilitre bottles; and Folklore Imperial Stout is an 11 percent full bodied stout brewed with licorice root and molasses and aged in American white oak barrels which, Kari highlighted, gives the beer vanilla under- tones that pair nicely with the roasted malt, bitter coca and black licorice flavours. “Our sour beer program is something we are very excited about.” “Our sour beer program is something we are very excited about,” Clayton added. “We began by cultivating our very own house strain for the sour beers and it has taken off successfully. Black Bridge plans on releasing the sour beer within the next four months. It will be available in 500 millilitre bottles within Saskatchewan only.” If your taste buds are the sorts that like to mingle, Kari has good news for you: “The Milk Stout and Blue Cheese go well together; the IPA! goes great with a spicy curry; the Pseudo Lager pairs well with lighter flavored foods like salads, sushi or bratwurst; and Wheat Burst is great with a mild cheddar cheese, or a lemon cheesecake.”
“Fresh, quality products are the most important thing for us when looking for ingredients.” For Clayton and Kari, the biggest challenge in the craft brewing industry is con- nected to its rewards. “Keeping up can be tough. Brewing interesting beers and staying in-tune with the trends is a never- ending job; luckily researching for us involves trying a lot of new beer – so that isn’t all that bad,” Clayton laughed.
BLACK BRIDGE CREWERY
306.773.4404
295 Alexander Drive P.O. Box 445 Swift Current, SK. S9H 3W3
www.blackbridgebrewery.ca
as spotlighted in the SEPTEMBER 2017 issue of SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
www.spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
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