What’s up: Beer, Manitoba Museum, Sookram’s, mix and mingle

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/08/2025 (421 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Beer Festival

• Fort Gibraltar, 866 Rue St Joseph
• Sunday, 5-7 p.m. and 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Tickets $50 plus taxes and fees

The eighth annual Winnipeg Beer Festival is back this weekend, with a lineup of warm-weather brews as well as some fun small-batch surprises.

Two dozen producers will be on hand at Fort Gibraltar pouring samples of more than 70 lagers, ales and more, with most breweries bringing a mix of core pours and small-batch brews — some made special for the fest. Most of Winnipeg’s bricks-and-mortar breweries will be participating, including Barn Hammer Brewing Co., Brazen Brewing Co., Kilter Brewing Co., Little Brown Jug and Fort Garry Brewing Co. A number of contract breweries (such as Dastardly Villain Brewing Co. and FullGeek BrewLab) will also be on hand.

As for what’s being poured at the fest, don’t expect too many rich, boozy stouts or the like (although you never know what the locals have been secretly brewing); for the most part, the lineups shared on social media so far seem to be celebrating the warm summer days.

Good Neighbour Brewing Co., for example, will be pouring its staple House Lime and House Lite alongside a “surprise sour” and a small-batch, festival-only brew. Contract brewer Namesake Brewing will be pouring a number of summer-themed beers, including a lemon ginger sour and the Pump Fake pineapple India session ale. FullGeek, meanwhile, is offering two Mexican-inspired cervezas (one infused with lemon and the other with lime), as well as a grapefruit radler.

For those looking to sample drinks beyond beer, Winnipeg’s Patent 5 Distillery, Brat Cat Mead and Shrugging Doctor Beverage Co. will also be sampling their wares at Fort Gibraltar.

In addition to the beers, food can be purchased on-site, and certain products will be available for purchase to take home as well. The event also includes live music and more.

Tickets for each of the Winnipeg Beer Festival’s two time slots (5-7 p.m. and 7:30-9:30 p.m.) are $50 plus fees, and include all beer/drinks samples; for more information and to buy tickets see Winnipeg Beer Festival. The event runs rain or shine.

— Ben Sigurdson

 

Summer at the Manitoba Museum

• Manitoba Museum, 190 Main St.
• Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tickets start at $24 for adults at my.manitobamuseum.ca

There are approximately 26 days left before school starts again (not that we’re counting), so get out of the house while you can and take advantage of the museum’s excellent summer programs. They run until Sept. 1, which, as luck would have it, is also the date to which the Canada Strong Pass — which offers discounted admission to the museum — is valid.

Kick off your day with a scavenger hunt, looking for Little Narwhal, who is lost somewhere in the museum. Pick up worksheets in the Welcome Gallery, next to the bison diorama, and keep your eyes peeled so you can tick as many things as possible off your list.

The museum’s rotation of activities run daily from 1 to 4 p.m.

Step back in time on Mondays and Thursdays to the Cretaceous Period and compare dinosaur fossils to modern bird specimens. Explore how they evolved before searching through the sand in the museum’s special Dino Dig to find the skull and deadly claws of the fearsome Deinonychus.

Become a detective on Tuesdays and Fridays and examine the evidence left behind by people who lived in different historical periods in Manitoba. Learn the methods used by real-life archaeologists and get your hands on tools made thousands of years ago.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, the Nonsuch Gallery will host fact sessions about whales, where you’ll learn all there is to know about their biology, habitat and challenges facing their welfare.

Looking for an awesome Arctic adventure? Then head to the Arctic/Sub-Arctic Gallery on Tuesdays and Saturdays to learn about northern wildlife, examine artifacts and play traditional Inuit games. You can also visit Parks Canada’s interactive booth to explore how caribou shape Wapusk National Park’s ecosystem.

If you’re tired out by all that activity then get off your feet for a well-deserved break at the Planetarium, which will be showing three films daily: Voyage of the Stars 10:45 a.m. and again at 1 p.m., Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories at 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. and The Milky Way — Live at 2 p.m.

Visit the website for more info.

— AV Kitching

 

No Sleep Till Sookram’s

• Sookram’s Brewery, 479-B Warsaw Ave.
• Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Free

People keep talking about South Osborne as the new Osborne Village. But what about that little enclave between Pembina Highway and the train tracks just beside Confusion Corner? With two whole breweries now, it seems deserving in a city like Winnipeg of some Instagram foodie influencer designating this “best kept secret” with a marketable name.

Little Osborne, Osborne Annex, Osborne Outpost.

Anyway: its two breweries, Low Life and Sookram’s, have been hosting more and more cultural events, giving this hamlet a growing sense of identity. Case in point: Fourth Quarter Records, which continues to be at the forefront of Winnipeg’s hip-hop scene, hosts a live music showcase tonight at Sookram’s.

They’ve assembled a lineup of leading local hip-hop lights, including Ed Riley, LLEWE and Dill the Giant — who audiences can watch as they enjoy the bodega mini-market, with taste offerings from SnackXclusive, Intergalactic Sauces and Tot Wheels. (Fourth Quarter also seems to be sharing the DJ responsibilities with Frenchie’s Records.)

As for the live performers: Riley brings a charming lo-fi, acoustic vibe to his R&B stylings, reminiscent of Steve Lacy. LLEWE, from what we’ve heard from his more limited releases, makes emotional trap anthems with Caribbean elements.

Meanwhile, Dill, who broke onto the scene as one-third of the 3peat trio, has made leaps and bounds as a solo artist in recent years. A few months ago, he released Ali Wan Kenobi Meets Mace Win Dill. The 20-minute collaboration with local producer Ali Wan Kenobi is without track breaks, running together like a DJ set.

— Conrad Sweatman

 

Mix and Mingle for the Autistic and Neurodivergent Community

• Devil May Care Brewing Company, 155-A Fort St.
• Monday, 7 p.m.
• Free

If you’re a member of the autistic or neurodivergent community and are looking to meet new people, make new friends or maybe even find romance, this Mix and Mingle event is for you.

Hosted by the aptly named Meaningful Connections for the Autistic and Neurodivergent Community, a local group that creates these kinds of opportunities, this event promises to be a chill evening where you can play some games and relax at Devil May Care’s downtown location.

This event is free, but those interested are asked to RSVP at the event page on Facebook or by emailing meaningfulconnectionswpg@gmail.com. Note that this event is 18+.

— Jen Zoratti