For Canadian craft breweries, especially those with brewpubs, things tend to slow down during the colder months. Those considering how they can attract more customers in wintertime might want to check out what one craft brewery in Manitoba is doing to stave off the winter doldrums.
Interlake Brewing Company offers a range of craft beers and runs a popular brewpub in Gimli, about 90 kilometres north of Winnipeg in Manitoba’s Interlake region. Located a stone’s throw away from Lake Winnipeg, business at the brewpub is always brisk during summer, but less so during the winter months, as one could expect in a tourist beach town like Gimli.
The young married couple who owns Interlake Brewing, Graeme Maclean and Kristin MacCary, have come up with innovative ways to embrace winter, not only to bolster their business, but also to help support their community. This includes seasonal beverage offerings, fun activities like outdoor curling and tapping into Gimli’s reputation as an ice-fishing mecca.
“The advice we got when we first opened was just close down in the winter, like what a lot of businesses here still do. We don’t want to do that. We want to be part of the community all year long, just like many of our customers,” said MacCary. “Winter is longer than summer, so we really need to lean into the off-season. Offering community-driven events and experiences and giving people something to do, not just something to eat or drink, is a huge component of our business that people here need in the winter.”
Rooftop attractions
One of those experiences has been outdoor milk jug curling, a winter activity where frozen milk containers replace curling stones on a sheet of ice. Last winter, MacCary and Maclean decided to keep the brewpub’s rooftop patio open year-round and built a small ice sheet for customers willing to give milk jug curling a try. To ensure their safety, patrons didn’t step onto the ice itself, but instead either tossed the milk jugs or pushed them out with a broom. The curling proved to be a big hit with patrons.
“We definitely had a lot of people coming in just to check it out, and they had a blast,” said Maclean. “People were saying, ‘Well, there’s nothing more Canadian than curling above a brewery next to a frozen lake.’” The curious included out-of-town tourists, many of them avid ice fishers from south of the border. “People who perhaps didn’t have any experience curling were interested in trying it, and this was a way for them to kind of see what it’s about in a fun, relaxed way,” said MacCary.
The patio at Interlake Brewing also featured some novel ice bars constructed out of winter snow accumulating on the rooftop. “We had quite a bit of snow last season, so we were able to push it around and sculpt it into a few different things,” said Maclean. “We placed several of them around the roof, so people could stand and socialize in different areas up there.”
The ice bars were a convenient place for patrons to set their food and drink while trying milk jug curling or just taking in the view of the interesting goings-on on nearby Lake Winnipeg. “You’re overlooking the lake and see a village of ice fishing shacks on the ice and lots of snowmobiles whizzing around and all that stuff. It’s just a really nice atmosphere,” said Maclean.
The outdoor patio attracted folks angling for pickerel underneath the ice as well as snowmobilers traversing trails on the frozen lake. “We are in a prime location for them to hop off the ice and come in to get a drink or a snack and warm up for a bit before they go back out,” MacCary said, adding many snowmobilers opted for the rooftop because it meant they didn’t have to remove their heavy gear. “Especially on a nice day, if they’re dressed for it, they almost preferred to just eat outside,” she said.
Interlake Brewing is keeping its rooftop patio going again this winter and plans to create the curling rink again, weather permitting. Like last year, the patio features a heated covered area as well as heated washrooms to help keep customers comfortable. Maclean says frigid winter weather common on the Prairies can make it challenging to operate an outdoor venue, which is why the rooftop patio was only open during milder periods last season.
“It gets to be pretty complicated, with the weather the way it is. If it’s going to be brutally cold, there’s not a whole lot we can do,” said Maclean. “In winter, you have to be flexible and ready to adapt. That could mean moving furniture around or bringing in extra staff, if the weather suddenly improves and it turns out to be a gorgeous day.” MacCary added, “You can’t really trust the weather predictions, so we always have a backup plan.”
Leaning into ice fishing
Interlake Brewing’s strategy of embracing winter also involves ice fishing, a strong ecotourism attraction that seems to grow every year as Gimli’s reputation for fishing excellence spreads.
“It’s a lot of locals who’ve been doing it out there a very long time mixed with a lot of travellers, people from the United States or other parts of Manitoba or other provinces, coming in and experiencing some of the best ice fishing you’ll find,” said Maclean. All those people and their ice fishing shacks form a veritable village out on the ice, complete with cleared ice roads and road signs.
“We have some time on our hands in the winter. It’s not like the summer, where it’s go, go, go. We were brainstorming some ways to have some fun [in] the winter. Curling was one, and ice fishing is just such an obvious complementary opportunity for us,” said Maclean. “In the winter, it really is the fishing that keeps this place moving. Foot traffic in February would be pretty much non-existent if ice fishing wasn’t such a major component of the culture here,” said MacCary.
People were saying, ‘Well, there’s nothing more Canadian than curling above a brewery next to a frozen lake.’
Graeme Maclean, Interlake Brewing
Maclean and MacCary started catering to the ice fishing industry in earnest last winter, when they chose to set up a place where people could buy bait and other supplies. “We opened a retail store in January and had live minnows for sale. That was a new product that we were able to offer, realizing what a boon the ice fishing brings to this town and us being in a position where we are the closest business to the ice offering live minnows,” said MacCary.
“As soon as the word got out, people were coming in at all hours looking to get minnows from us. We also sold hot coffee, fresh sandwiches, snacks and basic fishing gear that people could grab on their way out to the lake.” Maclean and MacCary also decided to use the business’s branded minivan to deliver provisions right out to the ice fishing village. “Everybody seemed to really appreciate the fresh food. It added to their experience to get hot, beer-battered pickerel while they’re fishing for pickerel,” said MacCary.
“We think it’s this kind of stuff that is really authentic to this place in particular.” Maclean added, “Lake Winnipeg is one of the biggest sources of pickerel in the country, so it’s been really fun to highlight that in our menu.” The brewpub will be among the local vendors providing food and drink offerings during Gimli Ice Fest, an annual event held the first weekend of March that celebrates the community’s culture and distinctive approach to winter.
Interlake Brewing continues to look at ways to expand its winter-centred offerings. One is setting up its own branded ice fishing shack for the season and utilizing it during Gimli Ice Fest and other key weekends. Another is a “Winterlake Weekend” event was planned for January to feature fun activities, live music and food and drink specials. “Think of it as a chalet party, Manitoba-style,” said MacCary.
Interlake Brewing recently purchased the building where it was leasing space for its brewpub. It includes a three-bedroom residential suite, which Maclean and MacCary plan to use as an Airbnb rental unit, enabling the business to continue growing its brand while expanding its offerings. “It’s perfect for families and groups, and we will be creating packages that include the ice shack rental, brewery tour, etc. We have lots of big plans on the horizon now that we have control of the building,” said MacCary.
Winter sports like hockey are another important aspect of Gimli’s culture, with large contingents of players, coaches and parents regularly descending on the community to participate in tournaments. MacCary and Maclean strive to tap into that by getting the word out to teams and parents that their brewpub, with its ample space, family-friendly atmosphere and wide diversity of food and drink offerings, is a great place in town to come and eat.
Building partnerships
Interlake Brewing’s owners believe there is strength in numbers, which is why they’ve been busy forming partnerships with other Gimli businesses aiming to make the most of winter. The goal is to provide more events and attractions that benefit residents and visitors alike once the summer crowds dissipate. MacCary, who recently joined the board of the Gimli Chamber of Commerce, says one example is a pub crawl following the town’s annual Christmas parade in December that she helped organize.
“It hasn’t been done before, and it’s something I think the other bars may have been reluctant to do in the past. We thought, there are five bars in town, so why not do a pub crawl and get everyone involved?” said MacCary. “By collaborating this way, we can all benefit. I see a lot more potential for that happening in the future. I think we’re all really excited about pumping business up in the off-season.”
The advice we got when we first opened was just close down in the winter, like what a lot of businesses here still do. We don’t want to do that. We want to be part of the community all year long, just like many of our customers.
Kristin MacCary, Interlake Brewing
Interlake Brewing emphasizes local ingredients in its beer-making, and in November, it teamed up with some like-minded craft breweries for the inaugural Forage Fest, an event hosted by the brewpub aimed at boosting winter tourism in Gimli. For the event, Maclean and MacCary, and seven of their brewing industry friends, showcased beers inspired by and including flavourful ingredients that can be foraged in Manitoba, like spruce tips, highbush cranberries, chaga mushrooms, saskatoon berries, dill and others.
“I think it’s good for the craft beverage industry, but it’s also good for the town because it’s bringing in a lot of people who perhaps only think about Gimli as a summer town and don’t think about it as having a lot going on otherwise,” said MacCary. “People seem pretty excited about it. We can see how it could grow in the future into being a full weekend event and maybe getting some other businesses to lean into this theme as well.”
Like many craft breweries, Interlake Brewing produces seasonal beer offerings that broaden taste experiences for their customers. Night Walk, a porter introduced last winter, is on tap once again, and Maclean and MacCary are also hoping to unveil a new strong, dark Scottish ale befitting the season later this winter.
The brewpub also offers a slate of classic warming cocktails, such as apple cider with cinnamon whisky, or hot chocolate or coffee with Irish cream liqueur, for customers coming in from the cold.
