'World-class' micro brewery coming to The Forks

The Forks is hoping people will soon find a new kind of craft at its marketplace — beer.

A request for proposals (RFP) for a craft brewery was issued Wednesday by the Forks North Portage Partnership, which owns and manages the popular tourist site.

The 1,750-square-foot brewery would be on the market's main floor and would have a tasting room and cold storage. The plan calls for fewer than 5,000 barrels of beer to be made annually on site, but other local craft brews would also be available to the public.

"We are not looking for concepts that include a food program. The purpose of the new facility is to brew world-class beer, and to sell it on-site to The Forks' four million annual visitors," Clare MacKay, vice president of corporate and community initiatives for the partnership stated in the RFP call.

"We are anticipating a massive growler program, and a quaint tap room to draw beer aficionados from far and wide.

"[We] are building Winnipeg's next iconic building," McKay added. "Envisioned as a vertical structure with three levels
to accommodate storage, production and point of sale, the brewery plugs into The Forks Market building at its most prominent end, greeting visitors as they enter the site. This tri-level, semi-translucent landmark will serve as a monument to craft brewing.

"We have commissioned a distinctive design that will be impossible to ignore, and we are looking for a brewer who will be actively engaged in educating the public through activities such as beer pairing sessions and high-quality brewery tours."

Paul Jordan, CEO of the partnership, said the idea was first proposed about a year ago by brewers.

"We have about six or seven unsolicited calls right now, which is what spurred us into this whole project. But we're going out to the world now with the RFP and see who's out there," he said.

Jordan hopes to begin construction of the new micro-brewery in the spring, with an opening in 2016.