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Winnipeg brewer creating an IPA for Canadian cyclocross championships festival

The organizers of the Canadian cyclocross championships and festival have added an important ingredient to their event: beer. The Half Pints Brewing Company, a Winnipeg-based brewer, will make a beer just for the three-­day cyclocross festival that will run from Oct. 24 to 26 in Manitoba's capital.

Half Pints Dead Ringer Belgian IPA
Half Pints Dead Ringer Belgian IPA
Half Pints Dead Ringer Belgian IPA. Photo: Mark Reimer

The organizers of the Canadian cyclocross championships and festival have added an important ingredient to their event: beer. The Half Pints Brewing Company, a Winnipeg-based brewer, will make a beer just for the three-­day cyclocross festival that will run from Oct. 24 to 26 in Manitoba’s capital. The beer is a Belgian IPA called Dead Ringer. The name was inspired by the tradition of spectators ringing cowbells at races for encouragement. The label is nicely macabre—which is fitting as the event is roughly a week before Halloween—with a skeleton wearing a cycling cap and ringing a cowbell.

“The hoppy pine and citrus components of an American IPA converge with the fruity and peppery Belgian yeast during fermentation,” said Dave Rudge, Half Pints brewmaster, of the beer. “The result is a hoppy smooth ale that is both complex and quaffable.”

Chris Huebner, the co-director of the ‘cross festival, shared more on the connection between cyclocross and beer. “To have a Belgian IPA brewed by one of the country’s top craft brewers is a perfect reflection of both the Belgian roots of the sport and the enthusiastic, party-loving crowd that is responsible for the recent explosion of cyclocross in North America,” he said.

As the CX bike and the brew have a link, so does the brewery and cycling. “Having previously supported cycling­-related events such as Bike Week Winnipeg, Biking to the Viking and the University of Winnipeg BikeLab, we are a company with a strong connection to the cycling community and we jumped at the opportunity to brew a beer for this amazing competition,” said Zach Mesman, Half Pints general manager.

Dead Ringer will be served at the Half Pints Beer garden, located near the CX course’s sand pit, throughout the championship weekend. The event will be held at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. The beer will also be available in select locations in the week leading up to the event.

Andrea Tetrault
Andrea Tétrault, designer of the Dead Ringer label and promotions and marketing director for the Shimano Canadian cyclocross championships, taps the inaugural keg. Photo: Mark Reimer