1. Half Pints Brewing Co.
2. Farmery
3. Fort Garry

Since opening in August 2006, Half Pints Brewing Company has come a long way.

“The acceptance of what we do is considerably different now,” explains David Rudge, brewmaster and president of the company. “People’s attitudes now are very different from the attitudes people had towards us when we first started.”

What started out as a dream has quickly become a favourite among beer drinkers.

“This is my hobby taken way too far, basically,” Rudge says. After building from the ground up with only two employees, the company now employs 12 people full-time. The independently owned brewery’s popularity has accelerated recently, Rudge adds, citing the growing demand for craft beer in the city.

“People want to know where their money’s going,” he explains, noting that while the brewery is frequented by beer aficionados, newcomers need not be intimidated.

“We like to recommend for people that are ‘afraid’ to try other beers a trading wheel beer like our St. James Pale Ale - it’s a starting point.”

For the more adventurous beer drinkers, Rudge recommends stopping by the brewery for Test Batch Tuesdays.

While it’s clear that Half Pints is different from other breweries, what exactly makes it stand out is still up for discussion.

“I think it’s a little bit more about us just having fun and hoping that other people get that,” Rudge says. “We don’t have any restrictions on us. We’re here to brew beer for ourselves first, and everything else just sort of falls into place.”

“When we started out, we said ‘you’ll see.’ Now people are seeing.”

Part of the series: The Uniter 30

Published in Volume 69, Number 15 of The Uniter (January 7, 2015)