A rustic wooden exterior greets visitors to the Nokomis Craft Ales brewery. Nestled among the trees, craft beer enthusiasts enjoy a pint on the sunny south-facing deck. It’s here where thirsty travellers from across the province, and beyond, trek, experiencing the finest in handcrafted beer Saskatchewan offers.

Centrally located in Nokomis, home of “The Best Water in the West,” this small-batch brewery taps into the town’s pristine water. Jeff Allport, brewer and owner of Nokomis Craft Ales, moved to the town 10 years ago. After settling in the community, his dreams turned to reality, starting with what he dubs “an old-fashioned barnraising in the fall of 2013.”

This month marks the sixth anniversary for the small-town brewery, which opened its doors in August 2014. Each year in celebration, Nokomis Craft Ales brews a special batch of Hoppy Anniversary beer, a wheat ale created from the original recipe of its first batch of beer. Its anniversary beer uses ‘southern hemisphere’ hops, often from Australia. This year he chose a New Zealand hops to give the beer its signature hoppy flavour.

From humble beginnings, the brewery has grown. Starting with a modest 1,500-square-foot footprint, after two major renovations, the current 5,000-square-foot facility houses larger brewing tanks, a canning machine, a warehouse, and a plethora of specialized brewing and beer handling equipment.

Today, Allport and his staff of five produce about eight times more beer than they did during that inaugural year. Allport has streamlined the workflow too. Fifteen 2,000-litre tanks replaced the original three 1,000-litre tanks. Malted barley, once purchased by the bag and moved by hand, now fills a nearby 2,000-bushel grain bin. This year the company added a high capacity 2,000-litre brewhouse machine that converts raw ingredients into wort, to keep pace with the beer capacity of the cellar.

Nokomis Craft Ales started by selling its fresh beer in growlers from the brewery and at farmers’ markets in Saskatoon and Regina. As luck would have it, as its beer production increased, the liquor laws in Saskatchewan changed, allowing the company to distribute its beer direct to retail. Soon after, Allport added a canning machine, an upgrade that pleased his craft beer fans, and let them find Nokomis Craft Ales in stores throughout the province.

The brewing process takes about three weeks from start to finish. Allport staggers the beer varieties in the fermenters, ensuring a steady supply. Regular beers at Nokomis Craft Ales include Golden Ale, Pale Ale, Brown Ale and India Pale Ale.

Several seasonal, specialty and oneoff beers add variety and something new for each visit. Favoured among their clientele are the sours, or fermented fruit beers, often compared to a not-so-sweet-lemonade.

During the summer, Nokomis Craft Ales brews a Summer Sour and a Haskap Sour. Over the past two years, it’s produced 24,000 litres of the refreshing summer beverage, using 4,000 pounds of Saskatchewangrown Haskap berries. Allport also crafts specialty, barrel-aged beers, like their award-winning Imperial Stout, recognized with a bronze medal in the annual Canadian Brewing Awards. Recently, a couple of old cognac barrels made their way to the brewery, all the way from France. There are some exciting beers planned for these, so stay tuned!

Like other small businesses in Saskatchewan, COVID-19 impacted the craft beer industry hard. Prepandemic sales went from about 40 per cent in kegs for restaurants to 100 per cent canned for retail. It was a significant change that happened overnight. Thankfully, as the food industry recovers, there is a demand for kegs once again.

Nokomis Craft Ales are sold at the brewery as well as retail stores and on-tap throughout Saskatchewan. For a complete list of locations, visit the company’s website.

The brewery, located just off the junction of Highway 20 and 15 at the edge of Nokomis, is open Thursdays to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy a pint or flight of beer on the deck or purchase cans, bottles and growlers to go.

Its store also features local food products, like fresh farm eggs, sourdough bread, honey and more, plus premium coffee and a selection of Nokomis Craft Ales branded glassware and clothing.

Allport said that after tasting the beer from Nokomis Craft Ales in their favourite pub, many people like to visit the brewery. He is proud of the premium handcrafted beer he creates, loves to show it off to the people who appreciate the finer things in life.

So, this summer, if you’re looking for a unique experience close to home, head over to Nokomis Craft Ales and treat yourself to a beer. Cheers!

Keep up with the latest Nokomis Craft Ales news by following its Facebook www.facebook. com/nokomiscraftales and Instagram www.instagram.com/ nokomiscraftales pages, and checking its website, nokomiscraftales.com.

-Lowell Strauss