I suspect it won’t be as shocking and disturbing as the Regina Riots of the On To Ottawa Trek in the 1930s, but Saskatchewan’s capital city is about to witness a new kind of rebellion. Rebellion Brewing, that is.

Rebellion is the brainchild of four partners, including Mark Heise – a long time homebrewer and loyal commenter here at onbeer.org. The brewery has been at least a couple of years in the planning. The brewhouse will be delivered next week and after installation and testing they hope to have the first batches ready to sell by early fall.

In a conversation recently with Heise a couple of things immediately stand out about their approach. First, they officially have a brewpub license, but don’t intend to operate a full-scale pub/restaurant. Consider it more of a stepped-up tap room. Heise says they went down this direction because it is simpler and Saskatchewan laws allow brewpubs to direct distribute to other restaurants and bars. “Our emphasis is going to be on Regina-area pubs and restaurants, as well as traffic through the brewery” says Heise.

That is the second thing that stands out. While most small craft brewers emphasize local, Rebellion seems to take it to the next level. “I am a huge, huge believer in you need the freshest beer possible and so we are going to push the whole local advantage for fresh beer” he says. “There is a lot of room to grow the market here and so why not take advantage of that?” They will solely self-distribute, eschewing the SLGA warehouse system, which Heise says is not ideal for ensuring beer is sold in its best condition. This also means no bottles; keg and growler sales only.

“Even I get tired of people talking local, local, local,” says Heise. We are trying to walk the walk, you have to be embedded in the community”. Rebellion’s vision is a brewery deeply linked to the social life 0f Regina, linking its beer directly to Regina residents and their activities.

Their commitment to local is a long term project. When asked about medium term plans, he dismissed any consideration of expanding out of province, arguing there is no need. “Look at Sherbrooke [Liquor], they have 2000 beer. Why be the 2001st beer? How do I stand out? I’d rather take advantage of the space here and try to push to its limits”. Heise does offer the solace that they will ship the occasional keg to “craft-themed” pubs in Calgary, Winnipeg and Edmonton.

The brewery will be located on Dewdney Avenue, about three blocks from Bushwakker. Rebellion’s opening will create something of a mini-brewery district for Regina.  In addition to their own product, they will have a regular rotating guest tap. The brwery itself will be comprised of a 20 hectolitre brewhouse with 10 fermenters and two bright tanks.

As for the beer, it has something of a multidimensional feel. Brewing exclusively ales, their five mainstay beer are designed for the realities of the Saskatchewan market.  “Our regular beer – a blond ale, an amber ale, a Belgian witbier, an oatmeal stout and an IPA – are designed with Saskatchewan in mind. We recognize there are still people new to craft beer here, so you need accessibility, but I feel you don’t need to sacfrice flavour.”

“Our mission is about leading our customers on an exploration of flavours and enjoyment. Speaks to our background of tasting, and teaching how to be a judge. We want to be a leader in the market – in a Saskatchewan market. Are we leading edge globally? Not really.” Heise says the regular beer will have something for everyone. The Blonde will be reachable, while the IPA will be more assertive.

But beer geeks, fear not. There will be plenty for you too. There will be a mead on offer year-round. “And we plan to bottle some specialty stuff – big meads, sour ales, barrel aging, that kind of thing.” The specialty program will start immediately. Heise reports the brewery is designed with space for barrel racks. They also plan to make kombucha and their own sodas.

If all goes well with installation and testing, Heise hopes the first batches will roll out in early fall. Stayed tuned, Regina. I think you are going to enjoy this rebellion.