Brewers call for rule changes as industry enjoys boom
As demand for craft beer in Saskatchewan grows, some local producers would like to see changes in how the province regulates the industry.
“I think Saskatchewan as an industry is still 10 or 15 years behind other, more established regions,” said Shawn Moen, co-owner of Saskatoon’s 9 Mile Legacy Brewing Company.
A review of the province’s craft liquor regulations by accounting firm Meyers Norris Penny LLP is underway. Moen had a few suggestions about changes that could help the industry.
First on his list would be the ability to sell pints at his brewery without having to become a fully licensed brew pub with a full food menu. Currently, 9 Mile can give out free samples, but can’t sell glasses of beer. He gave the example of Vancouver, where micro breweries such as 49th Parallel can have a small tasting area but don’t need to build an entire kitchen.
“It makes your brewery a destination,” Moen said.
He also called for a change in the markup structure. Currently, anyone brewing 5,000 hectolitres or less per year is a microbrewery. When production reaches 5,001 hectolitres, a company becomes a regional brewery and is subject to markup rules much closer to the huge national brewing companies, Moen said, making it very difficult to compete.
He again referred to B.C. as an example of how he would like to see things done. In that province, the rates increase every 1,000 hectolitres on a graduated scale.
“Tha t makes it a lot easier to plan for expansion,” he said.
Jordan Evans, brewmaster for the Saskatoon Brewery, said he wants the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) to make it easier for his company to get bottles into retail spaces.
To do so now, he would have to ship bottles to Regina to an SLGA warehouse. The problem for Evans is the warehouse isn’t refrigerated. His craft beer is unpasteurized, meaning it needs to stay cold.
“Either SLGA gets refrigerated storage, or if I could direct sell to specialty stores like Co-op or Sobeys,” Evans said.
Evans said SLGA does a pretty good job currently, despite the changes he’d like to see.
“They’re as accommodating as they can be,” he said.
There is huge potential for craft brewers in the province, according to Moen. He said he was a little worried early on about how willing people would be to try new things. He told a story about his hometown of Cabri, where it was faux pas to drink anything other than Pilsner.
To his surprise, people all over the province have embraced his beers and others like them.
“As people are starting to get to know the product, and get a taste for differently made beer, they’re really enthusiastic,” he said.
The percentage of beer sales that are craft products is still comparatively low in the province, according to Moen.
“We’re not that different in Saskatchewan. We just don’t know what we don’t know. We haven’t been exposed to the broad range available in a place like Vancouver,” he said.
The industry is buoyed by the quality of product being produced in the province and it’s important someone trying something new has a good experience, he said.
“Some people might only try a different beer once or twice, and if it’s weird or not good they aren’t going to try anything else. So we need quality producers and quality products in this province and we’re definitely getting them,” Moen said.