Barley Brothers boast best brews

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This article was published 25/09/2013 (4422 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg will be getting its first-ever craft beer pub on Oct. 25.

Barley Brothers is expected to set up shop at 655 Empress St., formerly a Kelsey’s Restaurant.
What makes Barley Brothers unique from other pubs is that the venue plans to only sell craft beer.

“I spent about six months to almost a year actually thinking about bringing craft beer to Winnipeg, because the craze is an ever-strengthening trend across North America,” Barley Brothers owner Noel Bernier said. “So I thought that’s what Winnipeg was ready for, and it had to be the right project.”

Bernier said Barley Brothers will have 72 taps, and all of those beers are going to come from microbreweries all across North America.

“We’re not going to have beer that’s produced by Molson or Budweiser or all those other big brands,” said Paulo Brochado, general manager of Barley Brothers. “Most of our beers are going to be made by breweries all over Canada, and a few from the (United) States.”

Barley Brothers will also serve food. Brochado described the menu consisting of Canadian and German fare.

“We’re going to have sausages made in-house,” Brochado said. “Then we’ll serve regular menu items: steaks, hamburgers, and so on.”

Brochado said craft-beer pubs are quite common outside Manitoba, and the reason it took so long for the first one to appear in the province is because it’s considered difficult to get licensed.

“If you go outside Manitoba, the brew pubs produce and sell their own beer. In our case, there’s not a lot of craft beer in Manitoba, and to bring craft beer from outside the province is hard,” Brochado explained.

There may not be a lot of craft beer in Winnipeg, but a locally-owned craft brewery in Winnipeg will definitely be on tap at Barley Brothers when the pub opens in October.

Half Pints Brewing Company (550 Roseberry St.), Winnipeg’s only craft brewery, has been operating for eight years. Co-owner David Rudge is passionate about making high-quality beer, and is excited to provide his product to Barley Brothers.

“I know the fellows are looking to avoid being a pub where they’ve got 70 taps and having 50 of those taps be from the big breweries,” Rudge said. “I think this pub is giving us a little bit of recognition for our hard work.”

For more information about Barley Brothers, visit the Facebook page or call 204-947-5434.

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