Sunshine may be sparse in Winnipeg this summer, but festivals certainly are not. The Winnipeg Folk Festival and Winnipeg Fringe Festival had record years proving that regardless of the weather, Winnipeggers are still determined to have a good time.

But as we resolutely hit the beer tents that dotted the festivities, one thing was obvious: We may be supporting these celebrations of summer, but our local companies are not.

The lack of representation by local breweries at our major festivals is a problem for a city that prides itself on being down-to-earth and community-centred. Nowhere was this more obvious than at Folk Fest where the only beer option available was the Alberta-based Big Rock Brewery or at the Fringe Festival where you could enjoy an east-coast Alexander Keith’s or an import. So where were our local favourites?

Dave Rudge, president of Half Pints Brewing Company, said it’s about recognition and, “Who dangles the biggest carrot.”

“Festivals look forward years in advance,” said Rudge, and Big Rock is entering the last year of its contract with the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Though it is something Half Pints has looked into for the future, Rudge said that kind of representation is not really possible for his company right now for reasons of size and production capacity. This might be a wise move, when one considers how much beer the 10,000 people attending the Folk Festival every day can consume in just one evening.

Large breweries too quickly impress our local festivals with things like “t-shirts and umbrellas.”

“[The festivals are] dominated by breweries that don’t even have Canadian concerns,” Rudge explained.

And it is hard for our small, local breweries to keep up with the demand that large festivals expect.

“We’re rarely invited to even dangle the carrot,” he said.

But that’s not to say that Rudge doesn’t hope this can change. You can find Half Pints at smaller events like the Royal Albert’s Canadian Air Guitar Championships and the Winnipeg Ska & Reggae festival this month. Fort Garry Brewing Company made an appearance at last year’s Folklorama when it introduced a limited edition brew, and it appeared at the annual event again this month.

Obviously, festivals look for large sponsors, and Big Rock and Alexander Keith’s have the ability to keep us well lubricated for the entirety of a hot summer event.

But wouldn’t it be nice to see a smaller Half Pints beer garden tucked behind the handmade village at Folk Fest next year? Or a Fort Garry tent on the edge of Old Market Square?

Our breweries may not be able to support all of us, but it would be a step in the right direction if our festivals started giving them the chance to at least be seen – and enjoyed – along with the music and arts we get to bask in all summer.

Devin Morrow is a politics graduate of the University of Winnipeg, and would like some more variety in her drinking options next summer.

Published in Volume 63, Number 30 of The Uniter (August 13, 2009)