Hub Town Brewing Co. took a big gulp of this year's Readers' Choice Awards and finished feeling more refreshed than ever.
The Okotoks business claimed seven accolades in this year's contest, including golds for microbrewery, bar or pub, patio, place to people watch, live music venue and business owners as well as bronze for place for a picnic.
Co-owner Lisa Watts said she and husband/business partner Mark do their best to cater to their customers' needs.
"I think the best way to describe it is we try super hard to hear what people want," she said. "We do everything in our power to make it happen.
"When they said they like the patio, we do everything in our power to make that patio inviting, somewhere that people want to be. And, if they like our microbrewery, if they like our beer, that means we've put in everything, every ounce that we have into giving them what they want."
Apart from its ice cold ales, Hub Town is often known for its lively patio which brings food trucks, summer corn hole tournaments and winter curling bonspiels to Elizabeth Street.
"We're actually on the verge of revamping it again in preparation for the fall," Lisa said of the patio. "Early in the winter, hopefully in December, we'll start converting everything so that we have our curling rink back on to the front patio again.
"We're getting more fireplaces so that it's more cozy and we'll surround the curling rink with our tables so it's a little more inclusive to doing a league, some tournaments and having some fun."
The microbrewery's summer-long corn hole league was so successful there are now plans to enter provincial and national league competitions and tournaments, Lisa said. Hub Town also offers cribbage and dart leagues, even guitar lessons. They've seen a significant increase in the number of people involved in the various activities they offer, according to Lisa, perhaps because people are actively looking for a reason to get out, socialize and meet new people.
"We're doing everything we can to make sure they've got something to do," she said. "People are saying they want a reason to come out other than just the beer, so we're hearing them."
