The Beer Can opens for another summer season

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This article was published 01/06/2022 (1455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WEST BROADWAY

The Beer Can outdoor pub and restaurant, located outside the Granite Curling Club at 1 Granite Way, re-opened for its third consecutive year on Sunday, May 22.

Raj Maniar, The Beer Can’s general manager, said opening was wildly successful. The business had people waiting at the door, ready to come in for a noon pint, and The Beer Can team was consistently busy pouring brews and slinging food for the rest of the day.

“The sun was perfect. Everyone that came through was happy to be outdoors and drinking beer in the sun,” Maniar said. “It was also good to get my staff in. We were waiting for awhile because of the extra snow. We planned to be open May 1, and then the weather just didn’t co-operate.”

The Beer Can’s first location was on Main Street near the Fortune Building, where it operated in the pandemic summer of 2020. It moved to the Granite Curling Club last summer.

While visitors can expect the same assortment of 100 per cent local beers, as well as cocktails and wine, entertainment will look a bit different than last year.

“The first two years, with COVID and none of the bands being able to travel and most venues being closed, we felt it was on us to promote the local bands as much as possible,” Maniar said. “The vision was never to be a venue, but we did have local music almost every day to support the bands.”

The food has also changed. After offering tacos last summer, the menu leans more towards southern-American, Creole-inspired eats.

“We smoke our own brisket, have fried chicken sandwiches, chickpea salads and Creole skewers,” Maniar said. “There’s also a tofu burger, macaroni and cheese and we’ll be coming out with a vegan chili.”

This season will see local music on Thursdays, DJs on Wednesdays and other events not solely focused on music to support a wider variety of organizations and groups.

Everything the bar and restaurant uses is also still compostable, so The Beer Can’s carbon footprint at the site can be as small as possible, Maniar explained.

While most upcoming programming and events are being kept secret for now, there will be a couple of dog-themed events and Maniar is in contact with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra and people who run pavilions at Folklorama. There will also be beer, wine and kombucha seminars.

“It’s going to be similar to last year but slightly different, maybe a little more grown up,” Maniar said.

The Beer Can is open every day at noon, weather permitting, until midnight.

For more information, visit www.thebeercanwpg.com