BrewHa 2.0
Waterfront BIA Hosts A Fall Brew Crawl
By Taylor Onski
After taking a few years off due to COVID and increased shipping expenses, and eliciting community feedback, Thunder Bay’s outdoor beer fest, BrewHa, is back and better than ever with BrewHa 2.0!
“We were approached by the Waterfront BIA to take over this initiative. So we started thinking about what we could do to rebrand or recalibrate it to what it was in the past,” says committee member Connor Remus.
What the committee came up with was a localized Waterfront bar crawl. Instead of going to one location for all the drinks, many of the local restaurants, bars, and businesses in the Waterfront District will offer a selection of out-of-town craft beer, ciders, or non-alcoholic craft beverages to try.
“Being able to bounce around from venue to venue makes it inclusive of our members,” says Remus. “I own Pocketchange, and we have that fun, edgy kind of Asian flair vibe. So without even blinking, I want Godspeed Brewery. It's in the east end of Toronto, and they do yuzu lagers and Japanese pilsners. It fits our vibe.”
This collaborative effort will not only offset shipping costs, but also directly benefits Waterfront businesses, as attendees will visit each establishment to try different offerings. “You'll have a passport to go around and get a two or three ounce pour sample. Once you finish the passport, you get to go back to the venue where you had your favorite beer and get a full pint,” says Remus. “It [gives you the] ability to go and try different sampled beers that are not the regular selection and see if there's something that you enjoy.”
While the committee is still deciding on a date and finalizing branding at the time of this interview, Remus is excited for BrewHa 2.0 to give back to the community and make a typical night out a little extra special.
“I love Thunder Bay, but I'm always trying to find something to do,” he says. “With BrewHa 2.0, it’s something I can mark on the calendar to bring a bunch of friends to and have a good time.”
For more information about BrewHa 2.0, visit waterfrontdistrict.ca.
