Rebellion Brewing Co: Creative Brewing is at the Heart of the Community in Regina, Saskatchewan

Rebellion Brewing Co in Regina, Saskatchewan, isn’t just about delicious beers (though their IPAs are legendary!), it’s a vibrant hub where locals connect, relax, and celebrate. ‍‍‍ Discover how Rebellion Brewery fosters a sense of belonging and fuels Regina’s lively spirit.

It takes time for communities to develop and grow. They rarely erupt in a dazzling fireworks display, but usually appear as a slow-burning campfire that offers warmth and safety for those who surround it.

In Regina, Saskatchewan, that warmth and support have developed in an unlikely place, led by a man known for his sleeveless tops, flowing mullet, and pink camouflage pants standing behind the bar of Rebellion Brewery.

I was introduced to Mark Heise after visiting the city’s Food Truck Wars, a weekend food truck festival that takes place in a large lot in the Warehouse District in Saskatchewan’s capital city. I’d been drawn to the Rebellion Brewery tent by the heart-melting smile of Homeboy, a 140 lb pit bull with a personality so bright and a heart so warm that even his streams of dog drool couldn’t keep me from giving his chin a scratch.

As I enjoyed a can of Rebellion’s Majestic Milkshake IPA, a hazy, creamy beer light on hoppy flavour, but thick enough to give my inside’s a hug, I was approached by Stephanie Robb, one of the brewery’s sales staff.

Steph was keen to chat about Rebellion and showed an obvious passion for both the company’s product and Rebellion’s place in the community.

A History of Rebellion

Rebellion Brewing Company was launched by Heise on a framework of passion for craft beer and the collaboration of a dedicated collective of homebrew clubs in both the city of Regina and across the province.

A quick glimpse of Mark’s LinkedIn profile unveils a man who bucks the traditional trends and prefers to pave his own path.

His title is listed as “Dude” at Rebellion Brewing Co., and his bio simply states, “I’m a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.”

While this simple description is an accurate portrayal of his personality, it shoots far short of Heise’s accomplishments.

Heise began his career in accounting and IT within the Saskatchewan government. In the early 2000s, Saskatchewan was not known as a brewer-friendly province. Homebrewers faced many obstacles while trying to get their products into the public’s hands.

The tools that Heise learned from his craft in the white-collar world helped him to navigate government and grant programs, lobby legislators, and help to open up the industry to an entire new generation of micro-breweries in Saskatchewan.

In 2014, Heise, along with his wife and a team of beer experts, launched Rebellion Brewery with the goal of bringing quality craft beer created from scratch to the Regina culinary scene. In Heise’s words, the goal of Rebellion Brewery was to “make a comfortable, welcoming environment where anyone can enjoy a good beer.”

The brewery’s future-focused approach led Heise to set up shop at 1901 Dewdney Ave in Regina’s rough and tumble warehouse district. The neighbourhood is part of a major redevelopment in Saskatchewan that is taking many of the city’s older, under-used areas and creating exciting new communities where walkable and community-focused living are at the heart.

That’s truly the perfect environment for a brewery that has supported many of Saskatchewan’s inclusive festivals, including PRIDE!, which had been running just the day prior.

The BEER! at Rebellion

Sitting at the long, wrap-around bar at Rebellion’s taproom, I was impressed by how open and welcoming the environment was. The deep bar area was bustling with bartenders pouring fresh pints and explaining the nuances of Rebellion’s vast collection of brews to an eclectic and seemingly endless stream of patrons zipping over from the nearby Food Truck Wars.

Behind the counter, Mark sidled up towards my friend Jodi, who was showing me around the city, and introduced us to some of the brewery’s award-winning pours.

“Our head brewer is Vanessa Owen,” Heise said, pointing to a soft-spoken woman with a sly smile, making her way from the taproom’s attached brew house. Mark continued, “her tireless commitment and passion for good beer inspires us all every day.”

Vanessa is believed to be the only female brewer in Saskatchewan. She has been the brewmaster at Rebellion since the brewery first opened.

The beer at Rebellion reflects the diverse community in which Rebellion resides. They refer to their process as a “start-to-finish brewery” that uses whole hops rather than pellets while also using real tea to make their signature hard iced tea.

Wandering through the brewhouse’s backroom, it was clear to see that even the canning and labelling of the beer takes place on-site.

Strolling outside, we walked by a small garden packed with haskap berry and sour cherry trees that are used for some of the breweries small batch experimental brews. The brewery used to grow their own hops as well, but, unfortunately a bad winter decimated their crop.

As Jodi and I made our way back to the bar, Mark had already poured us a collection of some of Rebellion’s signature beers. They ranged from traditional pours like their popular BEER! and Cerveza pours to popular craft brews like their Milkshape IPA, which was a personal favourite of mine.

Owens’ creativity flows in a way that defies many typical craft beer houses. And it seems that nothing is off-the-table when it comes to experimentation. Her one-of-a-kind Dill Pickle Beer is an example. The brew is the perfect pairing for Saskatchewan’s signature dish, perogies.

As I sipped their Hazy IPA, I was met with a light flavour and delightful citrus notes. This could make for an ideal summer sipper if only I could buy it in my home province of Ontario.

I asked Mark about Rebellion’s most popular beer, and I was completely surprised when he told me that it was their unique Lentil Beer. This simple, light, and tasty beer can’t be labelled as a Gluten-free beer due to the regulation process around the cleaning of brew tanks, but it’s as close as you can get.

And it’s the ideal signature for one of Saskatchewan’s most popular breweries. After all, Saskatchewan is the largest exporter of lentils in the world.

Rebellion has won several honours at prestigious beer awards, adding to this pioneering brewhouse’s fame. Their Amber won the Best Amber in 2022 at the World Beer Cup, and their Cherry Lambic won the Best Sour in Canada award in 2023. Their sour isn’t on the menu. But, they still have a few cans kicking around if you ask for it when you visit.

Food At Rebellion Brewery

While I didn’t have the opportunity to taste the food at Rebellion myself, Jodi had a great deal of experience with their menu and raved about it as “possibly the best Mexican cuisine in Regina.”

The kitchen is run by Tropezon, a Mexican/Canadian fusion restaurant that focuses on simple yet delicious Mexican-style pub fare. Dishes such as their “Dirty Fries” and wood-fired Mexican Pizza topped with taco fillings and a Chipotle crema sound absolutely amazing.

Community-Focused and Accessible

Rebellion Brewery is as welcoming and inviting as any brewery that I’ve ever visited. Their community focus and accessible, inclusive values create the type of environment that truly helps form the support pillars for how a community flourishes.

Their beers and community spirit are a testament to the pride of both Heise’s hometown of Regina and his love for the province of Saskatchewan. You can find nods to this heritage both in the flavours of Rebellion’s brews and in their names, such as the malty German amber “Bunnyhug,” named after the province’s unique nickname for the classic hoodie.

In fact, the brewery is so unpretentious that its recipe book is open for any curious eyes right at the front of the brewery, creating an opportunity for up-and-coming brewmasters to create their own products, just like the homebrewer collective that inspired Heise to create Rebellion in the first place.

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Disclosure: My visit to Regina and Rebellion Brewing Co was in partnership with Tourism Saskatchewan. All opinions remain my own.