REGINA - Vanessa Owen has been a brewing master for years, crafting new beer to serve people around Regina.
What started out as a hobby in her basement turned into a successful career. Owen started crafting beer in her house because she felt the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) stores lacked a variety of beer.
Her interest in beer peaked even further as Owen became a beer judge. Eventually, Owen was told a new brewery was opening and submitted her resume, thinking there was a chance they would not take her seriously because of her lack of experience in breweries.
However, it turned out Owen was accepted for the job and now has helped craft beer for over 10 years.
Owen gave a breakdown of how beer is processed. After coming up with the idea of the beer, the brewery grinds up grains and mashes it in a mash tun. Then, the brewery filters it over to the kettle and boils it. During this process, a plant called hops will be added next. After, the brewery decides what yeast strain is going to be used.
The yeast comes from the University of Saskatchewan, and Owen said it’s called 'IntelliYeast.' The brewery used to have to get yeast all the way from Ontario, which can affect the quality of the yeast because cells can die if the yeast is not sitting at the right temperature as it gets shipped, said Owen.
After deciding which yeast strain to use, it gets fermented into fermentation tanks. That gets transferred over to a brite tank and is then carbonated. The beer is then packaged into cans or kegs and distributed.
During those years of crafting beer, Owen and her team at the Rebellion Brewing Company have crafted award-winning beer.
The brewery won gold in the 2022 World Beer Cup for its Amber beer entry for the category, and in a different year, they won bronze in the competition for their Flanders beer entry for that category.
Owen described the event as the "Olympics of beer." She added it made her team very proud that their beer is globally recognized.
The Rebellion Brewing Company also crafts new styles of beer each year and collaborates with different artists to help design the cans.
For their 10th year anniversary, the brewery partnered with artist Joel Hustak to design their Hang 10 beer cans. Hustak, an illustrator, has done illustrations for Star Wars before.
Owen said the artists are excited to have their artwork displayed on cans, and it’s something they can share with those close to them.
On top of crafting beer, Owen runs a club called the Beer Club. The club started in 2016 under a different name and was created because Owen felt women were not welcomed in spaces for beer drinking or were not comfortable learning about beer.
She points to the fact that there are not alot of women in the Regina brewing community. Owen feels women leave the community because they do not think it’s the right fit for them. However, Owen believes things are changing, and the beer industry needs to keep working towards these changes.
The club also donates money to local charities each year. During International Women’s Day on Mar. 8, the club does a collaboration brew day, where people from the club come down and brew beer together.
Each year, the club raises money from the beer made and picks a charity to donate to. In March of 2024, the club made a beer called Astro Comet, and the money raised went towards the SOFIA House. Overall, over $50,000 has been donated to various charities since the club's inception.
As for her future goals, Owen said she and her team have a lot of ideas and projects they are working on. Her goal is to make sure to craft beers that cater to everyone.
