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All posts for the month May, 2014

 

Meander River Logo

 

Meander River Farm and Brewery is the latest brewery to open in our region. Owned and operated by the Bailey family, Meander River Farm is located in Ashdale, NS, 20km from Windsor. The Baileys have been operating the farm for several years, growing livestock, as well as lavender and hops, with both of these crops used in beers by Garrison Brewing Co. We spoke with Alan Bailey regarding the brewery, and he was kind enough to answer our questions.

ACBB: Is there something specific that got you into the world of craft beer?
Alan: I have been homebrewing since the late 70’s – when bottles exploded as often as not, graduating to all grain brewing about 5 years ago… but it really just stems from something that I enjoy doing and educating my friends about. I like beer and I especially like beer that I make. There is something very gratifying about that.

What made you decide to take the step into brewing professionally?
It really completes the circle on the farm – we raise livestock pigs clear land and fertilize as they go, we come behind and plant hops, now the hops go into the beer, the spent grain is fed to the animals and the brewery waste water is used to irrigate the hops – so full circle. But beer has been a dream and passion of my wife and I for as long as we have been together – longer than we have been apart…

What steps have you taken so far getting everything up and running?
Wow – way too many to mention – but we first floated the idea about 2 years ago – we planned for over a year and have been in execution for about 9 months. In spite of our planning we still ran into lots of challenges – but we were determined.

Do you have any partners in the brewery?
No, the brewery is family owned presently.

Brewery Tanks

Meander River’s Brewery Tanks. Courtesy of Campbell Bailey of Meander River Farm and Brewery

What size/type of system will you be brewing on?
3 bbl from Stout Tanks and Kettles in Portland Oregon… When we were first in the market for a system, DME (Diversified Metal Engineering, based in Charlottetown, PEI) was only selling 5bbl and up… I  understand that they may be in the smaller market now. It is a single infusion mash set up with a RIMS module.  We have 2 jacketed fermentors at present – but room and hopes for additional tank expansion in the future.

Will you be the primary brewer, or will you be employing one?
I will be the primary brewer for now. But I want my wife, son and daughter to all be capable of creating a brew and running the brewery. I am also looking forward to working with other brewers because the I have lots to learn and lots to share.

What are your plans for distribution?
We will be selling growlers and kegs directly from the brewery retail store, and hope to establish 2 or 3 tap accounts. Because we are so small – we want to ensure we can keep the tap accounts flowing – so we are being careful not to overextend ourselves. We plan to be active in the community at local events as well.

Do you have any beer bars/restaurants in the area lined up to serve your beers?
We have a verbal agreement with the Spitfire Arms Pub in Windsor to serve our beer there. They are open to doing something special at the launch – but again still tentative as to when that will be – but hopefully in May. We hope to have other draft taps in the province, but are intentionally going slow to ensure we can produce enough volume to keep the taps flowing – no point in having draft contracts we can’t live up to.

Can you tell me about the beer style(s) you plan on brewing?
Our plans are for traditional American style ales… we grow hops on the farm – so look forward for some seasonals that showcase the hops. We want to establish at least 2 always available styles – and then expand our seasonal beers to utilize some of the ingredients on our and other local farms. Our first offering is a Pale Ale. At 6.5%ABV and 55 IBU’s it is at the high end of the Pale Ale style and the lower end of the IPA style, but we are planning a big IPA to coincide with our hop harvest in September. We’re calling this initial offering Lunchbox Pale Ale for some sentimental reasons (full story on the website) – but we are shooting for a beer that is appealing to both the seasoned craft beer audience and those making the transition to craft beer.

Brewing up the Lunchbox Pale Ale

Brewing up the Lunchbox Pale Ale. Courtesy of Campbell Bailey of Meander River Farm and Brewery

Have you had any assistance from other breweries/people in Atlantic Canada?
There are many excellent brewers in the Maritimes – but I have developed a tremendous respect for Daniel Girard – Garrison’s brewmaster. In my mind, he is a true brewmaster – at a level I will never claim to be, and can only ever aspire to. His passion and creativity for the craft is truly amazing. Also, Jeremy at Big Spruce has been a great resource of information and advice.

With the recent increase in the number of new breweries in Atlantic Canada, what will make Meander River different from the rest?
We are focused on the agri-tourism and experiential tourism market. We think our farm currently differentiates us from the rest in NS anyway – I haven’t been to Barnone in PEI – but from what I see on Facebook – I would say they have similar goals.

Where do you hope to see Meander River in the next 2-3 years?
We are certainly not about world domination of the beer market – we want to be a brewery that our local community can get behind and support and want to have a strong presence in our local area. We see ourselves max-ing out at about 750 – 1000 hL a year. No plans to go any bigger.

Do you personally have a favorite beer style, beer, brewery?
IPA. 3 Fields Harvest. Garrison.

Will you be attending any farmers markets to sell growlers?
It is not our intent at this time to attend farmers markets. We are planning to participate in local community events and festivals to raise awareness.

Have you got a launch date for the brewery?
Yes, we will be opening for business next Saturday, May 17th. We will be open 10am-5pm. We will be selling kegs and growlers (1L refillable bottles are $5, fill is $6, and will fill bottles from other breweries), payment options will be cash, debit, and credit. We’ll be publishing all the details about the 17th throughout the week next week, as there will be some special offers/events on the day – folks will need to stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for that.

 

Thank you to Alan and the Bailey clan for their time. Something special that they are doing is offering the public a chance to buy into their future: following the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model, they are selling annual shares in the brewery. Be sure to check out their webpage for more details on these attractive awards! We are happy to welcome them to the vibrant Atlantic Canada Beer family, and wish them all of the best on their May 17th opening.

Happy Friday everyone, another big week in craft beer in our region, so let’s get right to it.

• Last month, we reported on the announcement of a collaboration beer between Picaroons and Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery for this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards in Fredericton. We now have a few more details on the beer, as both breweries just brewed the beer earlier this week. Brewers Andrew Estabrooks (Picaroons) and Mike Lackey (Great Lakes) decided on an American IPA they’ve named Eastbound and Down IPA; it’s brewed with Maritime Malt made from New Brunswick-grown Newdale barley and “a number of delicious hop varieties” (including Citra and Sorachi Ace) often featured in Great Lakes beers. We can also confirm that a California Common yeast was pitched for fermentation, rather than the Ringwood strain commonly employed by Picaroons. Both breweries were linked via Skype on their brew day since they weren’t able to physically brew together. Look for the beer to be released at the end of May when the CBAs are here; it will be available for growler fills at the Brewtique, and in restaurants and bars in the area.

• Speaking of Picaroons, they’re joining up with The Shadow Lawn Inn in Rothesay, NB for a special beer-pairing dinner on Saturday, May 3rd. This “Offaly Good Dinner” includes six carefully-selected courses by Chef Markian, each of which is paired with a different hand-picked Picaroons beer. Tickets are $75 (tax and gratuity included); call (506) 847-7539 to reserve, or send them an email.

• If you’re in the Sackville area today and have always wondered what makes PEI Brewing Co. beers tick, now’s your chance to find out! Ducky’s Bar is hosting a “Meet & Greet” with PEIBC brewer Karen Allen at 5:00 pm. Karen will be on hand for about an hour to answer questions and provide info on their beers, four of which will be on tap: Blueberry Ale, Sir John A’s Honey Wheat, Cole’s Cream Ale, and Beach Chair Lager. Be sure to keep an eye on their News page for behind-the-scenes updates directly from the brewers.

• Beginning today, White Point Beach Resort  is hosting a Beer and BBQ weekend. Boxing Rock and Hell Bay will be taking over White Point’s taps all weekend long, with Boxing Rock bringing their Hunky Dory, Temptation Red Ale and The Vicar’s Cross  and seasonals Crafty Jack English Ale and Alewife’s Revenge, and Hell Bay will have three more beers to complete the lineup. Boxing Rock is kicking off the fun Saturday afternoon at 1:00, with a guided tasting and virtual brewery tour. At 4pm, Hell Bay and the White Point culinary team will be doing some pairing of their beer with barbecued treats. Both tastings are included with an overnight stay.

• Progress continues at the soon-to-open Railcar Brewing Company in Florenceville-Bristol, as owner/brewer Mitch Biggar has confirmed that he has been busy putting on the final touches – cleaning, painting, sanitizing, and receiving new equipment, with currently eight 50-gallon (~187 L) fermentors being installed. With some test batches being brewed this weekend, we hope to see the brewery open for growler fills by the end of this month! Look for a grand-opening party to follow shortly thereafter, probably sometime in the summer.

• Living in Moncton? If so, you’ve probably been drinking Grimross Belgian Rye IPA at the Tide & Boar over the past few months. If that has left you wanting more Grimross beer, good news… owner/brewer Stephen Dixon confirmed that he has delivered some of his Pugnacious Porter, a 5% Belgian-style Porter conditioned on pure cocoa and whole vanilla beans, to the Tide & Boar this week, so look for it soon.

• The Rockbottom Brewpub SMaSH India Pale Lager that we mentioned in late March has been tapped at the brewpub in Halifax. Brewed solely with Superior Pale Ale Malt and Galaxy hops (including multiple dry-hop additions), Intergalactic SMaSH’d Lager finished at 7.1% ABV and 70 IBUs (calc). Get down to the brewpub to give it a try, it won’t be around for long!

• A reminder that The Stubborn Goat is keeping up their Cask Friday event, when they have a special beer tapped each Friday at 4pm. This week’s  is Big Spruce’s Cereal Killer Sideways, their Oatmeal Stout, fortified with Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch.

• The Chronicle Herald has a nice article about Jeff and Kari of Bad Apple Brewhouse, on their history, as well plans for the future. It also mentions an upcoming Mosaic Double IPA, which will be released around Father’s Day, that will serve as a fundraiser towards the Brigadoon Children’s Camp Society. We’ll have more details on the beer closer to release time.

In closing, we thought we should mention another story reported by The Chronicle Herald concerning a 21-metre Labatt blimp that crashed northeast of Saint John. Nice to see that Big Beer is finally starting to evacuate Atlantic Canada, what with the increasing number and quality of local craft breweries!