Atlantic Canada Beer Blog

Good morning beer fans! Thirsty yet? If not, here’s some Atlantic Canadian beer news to get your beer-appetite going…

• Propeller Brewing ‏has released their latest One Hit Wonder beer, Summer Blonde Lagered Ale. Their latest growler-only beer is a light bodied beer, thanks to the Wheat, Pale, and Pilsner malts, and weighs in at 4.8%. Hopped with Centennial to 22 IBUs, the beer is well balanced, and very drinkable. Part of the smooth character of the beer is thanks to the particular conditioning process the beer went through: after its one-week primary fermentation, the ale was lagered for three weeks. It is available at both the Halifax and Dartmouth locations, but if it’s anything like previous One Hit Wonders, not for much longer! And there are just a handful of tickets left for tonight’s Prop’r Cask Night featuring a sausage feast from Agricola St Brasserie’s Chef Ludo Eveno. Your ticket gets you in the door for the food and beer, including a special cask prepared for the evening. Also part of Sausage Fest is Tuesday’s Brews & Brats Tap Takeover at Lion & Bright, featuring nothing but One Hit Wonders and other special one-off beer.

• Following their recent announcement concerning their expansion into Halifax at the old Hart & Thistle location on the waterfront, the Gahan House has announced that they’ve chosen their brewmaster for this location. Karen Allen has been brewing at the PEI Brewing Co. in Charlottetown for the past two and a half years, and was part of the first graduating class from the Niagara College Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. Karen has confirmed that the Halifax brewhouse will be used solely to brew specialty and seasonal batches, including trial batches for possible future releases from the PEIBC. The grand-opening will take place on September 4th, and will feature Business Lunch IPA, a sessionable, hoppy beer that the PEIBC has brewed in the past, this time dry-hopped heavily with a New Zealand hop variety, and a currently-unnamed high-ABV Belgian beer that “hopefully will be dry, funky, and have an earthy European hop aroma”, according to Allen. With a total of 17 taps on hand, there will be plenty of room to serve all PEIBC/Gahan brands, as well as additional offerings from other Atlantic Canadian breweries, Allen has confirmed. We’ll have more on the grand opening in the near future!

• Bad Apple Brewhouse has released their Barrel-aged Black & Tackle Russian Imperial Stout this week. This beer started out life as the 9% ABV Black & Tackle Russian Imperial Stout, and then spent a few months in whisky barrels from Glenora Distillery (producers of Glen Breton), picking up lots of vanilla and oak character, and increasing the alcohol to 11.5%. This release marks the first time Bad Apple beers are available in bottles in the four private beer stores in HRM: Bishop’s Cellar, Cristall Wine Merchants, Harvest Wines and Spirits, and Premier Wines & Spirits. Also look for Bad Apple American Pale Ale on tap at The Union Street Cafe/Wick Pub in Berwick, The Kings Arms in Kentville, and Roy’s Lounge at the Westin Halifax. Those that make the trip to Somerset will be rewarded with growler fills of both of these beers, plus the next exciting beer on its way through the brewery.

• Tickets are now on sale for the 2014 PEI Beer Festival, which will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5th and 6th at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel in Charlottetown. Friday will have an evening session from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, while Saturday will have both an afternoon and evening session, from 2:00 – 4:30 pm and 6:30 – 9:30 pm, respectively. With live entertainment, games, and a “Cask Contest”, it should be a great time! Tickets ($40+tax and fee for the evening sessions, $30+tax and fee for the afternoon session) can be purchased online, or in person at the brewery. There are also hotel/ticket packages available through the Delta; designated driver tickets will also be released in the near future. We plan on posting more details on the festival next week in a standalone post.

• Hammond River Brewing has re-released their Back in Black Oatmeal Stout. One of the original beers from their launch, this is an Oatmeal Stout with Star Anise added for a subtle licorice flavour, the beer weighs in at 5.2% ABV and 30 IBUs (all from East Kent Goldings). Currently on tap at Bourbon Quarter in Saint John, and the Barrel’s Head in Rothesay. Also keep an eye out for the last round of kegs (for this summer) of Blueberry Ale to hit the taps in the Saint John region (currently at Bourbon Quarter, other spots shortly). This light bodied beer is 5.4% ABV and 14 IBUs, and features loads of real blueberries for lots of flavour and aroma. And in a couple of weeks, locals can look forward to Hammond River’s last summer seasonal, a Watermelon Wheat. We’ll have more details on the beer when it becomes available.

• The PEI Brewing Co. has a new beer on tap only at the brewery – Blood Orange Tangerine IPA has the pure juice of blood oranges and tangerines mixed into their 1772 IPA, resulting in a beer that “brings out a nice juice flavour that slightly masks the bitterness and alcohol of the IPA, making it a bit more refreshing and drinkable”, according to brewmaster Chris Long. It comes in at about 6.2% ABV and 50 IBUs. Their popular Sydney Street Stout (5.3% ABV) was also brewed last week, and therefore should be making its appearance throughout PEI and NB early next month; we’ll keep you updated on future news involving this beer, including special blends planned by the brewery.

• In other PEIBC news, keep your eyes open for a mixed, canned seasonal pack being released in the near future. This 4-pack will include two PEIBC standbys – Sir John A’s Honey Wheat and Blueberry Ale, both in cans for the first time – and two new beers. Black Banks Cascadian Dark is a blend if their 1772 IPA and Sydney Street Stout, and is named after an area in Western PEI where the cliffs appear black due to layers of peat moss. The other beer is Harvest Time Lager, another hoppy, sessionable Lager featuring a New Zealand hop variety for the aroma (their first attempt was Landing Day Lager, earlier in the summer). Expected release for this mixed pack is around September 5th in PEI only, as part of the province’s culinary festival, Fall Flavours. Canned singles will start to show up in the retail fridge at the PEIBC a week or two later.

• Brasseurs du Petit-Sault is releasing their collaboration with Patrice Godin of Acadie-Broue, L’effrayab’ Tintamarre today at noon. Brewed to celebrate National Acadian Day, this Saison features a spicy and citrus aroma, fruit and a slight tart flavour, and a dry finish (more recipe details in our previous post). It will only be available on tap at the Brewtique, Resto-Bar Le Deck, and Station 127. Look for their Tante Blanche Wheat Beer and Bob LeBoeuf Blonde Ale on tap, and in bottles at the ANBL as well.

• Next month, Burgers n’ Beer – an event organized between the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and reLiSH Gourmet Burgers – is returning to Fredericton! Similar to the first events held in April, it will involve six pairings of different sliders and beers/ciders. For this event, the 8 oz samples will include offerings from Red Rover Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, and Quebec’s Le Naufrageur, with there likely being two beers/ciders from each. It will be held at reLiSH’s uptown location on Tuesday, Sept. 30th from 8 pm – 10:30 pm; tickets are $45 and can be purchased online. The event sold out last April, and tickets are already 40% gone, so don’t wait to buy yours!

• Following up last summer’s beer tasting cruise, Uncorked Tours has scheduled a New Brews Cruise for Saturday, August 23rd. Like last year, the cruise will take place on the Voyageur II, an authentic Mississippi river boat, and will feature a 3-hour cruise on the Saint John River… with beer and cider! Ticket holders will be entitled to six different beers/ciders, as well as lots of appetizers – NB cheese, charcuterie, condiments, bread, fruit, vegetables, crackers, pretzels, etc. The beer/cider being poured will mostly be from NB breweries that have opened over the last year-and-a-half – Big Axe, Grimross, Hammond River, and Red Rover – along with Big Tide. Brewers from at least some of the breweries will be present to talk about their products. The ship also has a bar on board for wine, spirits, and commercial beer bottles if guests are interested in additional purchases throughout the cruise. The ship departs from the Saint John Marina at 6:00 pm; tickets are $75 (+HST) and can be purchased online. They also have an Oktoberfest Cruise planned for October 4th; we’ll post more details on this one soon!

• Looking to test your art skills… in the world of beer? Well, soon-to-open Railcar Brewing is holding a contest to design a label for one of their inaugural beers, Railcar Red. Full details are available via a PDF file on the page-link above, but involve submitting original artwork and personal details in-person at the brewery, or via email. The contest is being held until August 30th; the winner will receive bragging rights and a $250 prepaid debit card.

• Speaking of Railcar, they’ve teamed up with The Castle Inn in Perth-Andover to put on an “Oktobeerfest” in the fall. Details are still being finalized, but there will be several NB breweries attending, including Picaroons, Pump House, Shiretown, and of course, Railcar. The event is planned for Saturday, October 18th; you can purchase a general admission ticket (which includes a commemorative glass and 15 beer tickets) for $40, or a VIP ticket for $145, which also includes overnight accommodation at the Inn for you and one guest. Additional beer tickets will be available for $1 each. Get your tickets online; we’ll post more as details become available!

• After having released their new IPA in 6-packs this summer, Pump House is retiring an old favorite from bottle release – S.O.B. will now only be available on tap at the brewpub and through various bars and restaurants in the Maritimes; it may return in bottles as a seasonal release within the next couple of years. Look for the IPA to debut on NSLC shelves next week. They’ve also recently announced that they have their Hefeweizen seasonal on tap again at the brewpub; great style to finish off the warm days of summer, so get down for a pint!

A few final beer notes to end off today: Rogues Roost Brew Pub has their Kolsch summer seasonal on tap (and available in growlers), the Antigonish Townhouse will be tapping another pin of Terry’s Best Bitter today at 5pm, and Big Spruce is brewing up another batch of Tim’s Dirty American IPA, winner of last year’s Home Brew Challenge, look for it in September.