Atlantic Canada Beer Blog

Happy Halloween! There’s a whole lot of Atlantic Canadian beer news this week, so let’s get at it…

• There’s another new brewery in New Brunswick on the horizon… the people behind TrailWay Brewing recently broke through on social media when they announced on their Twitter account that they would be opening soon in Fredericton. Dan Mason and Jake Saunders are two homebrewers that have decided to go pro, and plan on bringing a variety of beer styles (including APAs, IPAs, and Stouts) to the area. Brewery construction is currently under way; they have received their Federal Excise License, and hope to be producing beer before Christmas. Stay tuned for a profile on New Brunswick’s newest brewery in the near future!

• The rumours have been confirmed in a recent CBC story – Rogues Roost in Halifax has been sold to the PEI Brewing Co. The second acquisition of a brewpub by PEIBC in the last several months (the first being the Hart & Thistle waterfront property, now the location of the Halifax Gahan Pub), it has been confirmed that all 15 staff members of Rogue’s Roost – including brewmaster Lorne Romano – will stay on. At the moment, there is no intention on changing the Rogue’s brand, as all of their beers will continue to be brewed, according to former owner Doug Johnson and PEI Brewing Co. COO Ben Murphy. With this acquisition comes the possibility that some of the Rogue’s beers will be bottled/canned in the future.

• Big Axe has a new beer available for growler fills at the brewery in Nackawic – Partridgeberry Belgian is a Belgian Witbier-style brewed with a combination of ingredients, including coriander, oranges, and partridgeberries (a tart berry found in regions of Newfoundland) that were added to the boil. Hopped with Saaz, and fermented with a Belgian yeast, it weighs in at 5.6% ABV. Owner/brewer Peter Cole describes the beer as having “a mild but complex tartness, and a mild berry, clove, and cinnamon aroma”. It’s also available on tap at 540 Kitchen & Bar in Fredericton.

• Pump House has just released their Glenn’s Barley Wine, which recently won Beer of the Year at the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards earlier this month. Brewed in the style of an English Barleywine, this copper-colored beer is “full-bodied with a high residual malty sweetness”, with “noticeable alcohol, fruity esters, and sherry-like aromas and flavors”, according to the brewery. In true Barleywine fashion, it has a high ABV, clocking in at 9.9%. It’s available now for a very limited time, only on tap at the brewpub on Orange Lane.

• In other Pump House news, Stonefire Ale – the beer brewed for their 15th Anniversary in early September – should now be available! This Stein Beer was brewed by immersing hot stones (~700 degrees Celsius) into the wort, quickly bringing the liquid to a boil and caramelizing sugars in the process. With a dark-amber color, the beer has notes of “apricot, grapefruit, and toasted bread” in the aroma, according to the brewery. Full-bodied, with “lots of caramel flavors, combined with the taste of roasted sugar and a background smokiness”, the beer has a low bitterness (~7 IBUs) and 6.5% ABV. Look for it in numbered, limited edition bottles only, at the brewpub now; it will follow shortly in short numbers at ANBL, NSLC and PEILCC stores.

• Tatamagouche Brewing has just released a new beer, Dreadnot. A 7% ABV India Black Ale (aka Black IPA) named after a boat built in Tatamagouche in 1877, the beer was brewed using debittered black malt to provide hints of roastiness without the acrid character from other husked, dark malts. Hopped with “generous amounts” of Waimea, El Dorado, and their own Malagash-grown Cascade to provide “pronounced citrus and floral hop aromas, and subtle pine characteristics”. There’s only a very limited amount available at the moment; look for it at the brewery for growler fills, and on tap at The Stirling Room in Tatamagouche, and at Stillwell, The Stubborn Goat, Obladee and Lion & Bright in Halifax. Luckily, they hope to brew it again in the near future!

• Speaking of Black IPAs, it looks like Moosehead has brewed a beer exclusively for the Saint John Ale House. A cask-conditioned Black IPA with a “rich roasted malt backbone”, it has been dry-hopped with Styrian Goldings “for a crisp finish”, according to the description at the SJAH. It comes in a bit lower than your typical Black IPA, at 5.6% ABV. And in other Moosehead news, their Cold Beer Store in Dartmouth is now offering growler fills of their brands.

• Chris Long, brewmaster at PEI Brewing Co., hasn’t wasted any time brewing a new beer now that the ABV-restriction has been lifted in the province – he’s mashing in a celebratory DIPA today! 8 Cord Double IPA has a grist of 2-row, Munich, and Honey malt, and is hopped with Warrior, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade, and Centennial… and then dry-hopped (of course!), twice, with more Amarillo, Columbus, and Cascade. With about 80 IBUs and an ABV of 8.5%, it should be a terrific entry into the new range of beers available on the Island! Look for it on PEI by late November/early December, on tap and in cans.

• Picaroons has confirmed the details on their official Winter Warmer Launch Party which will be held next Wednesday, November 5th, from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the ANBL Train Station. There will be live music from local singer Josh Bravener, a variety of tasty pies from the Chess Piece Pâtisserie & Cafe, and of course, samples of the star of the hour, Winter Warmer. In addition, representatives of the Shivering Songs Festival will be on hand to announce the line-up of music for this year’s event. It’s all free, so make sure to drop by!

• Meander River Farm and Brewery has released a new beer this week, Smokey Chipotle Porter. The malt bill features Cherrywood Smoked Malt, to lend a smokey character on top of the rich dark chocolate notes. Chipotle peppers were added close to the end of fermentation for a bit more smoke, and a slight spicy kick, while maintaining a nice hop balance. It is available today at the Brewhouse 4-7pm, tomorrow and Sunday 11-5pm, and on tap in Halifax at Tom’s Little Havana and Lion & Bright.

• Schoolhouse Brewery in Falmouth, NS is coming to Stillwell for the first time tomorrow, and they’re arriving in a big way! Owner Cam Hartley will be on hand to share their six handcrafted ales with the thirsty Halifax drinkers. Their two flagship beers will be on tap, as well as all four of the Hants County Hop Series beers. The Principal Ale is an unfiltered, dry hopped 4.5% ABV, 20 IBU Pale Ale made with Maritime barley and organic specialty malts. The dry hopping with Cascade leaves this beer with a citrusy aroma. The Chequers Ale is a 4.5% ABV Robust Porter made with Goldings hops. This dark ale is a tribute to Cameron’s Great Grandfather’s brewpub in Kent England with the same name. The Hants County Hop Series beers are just about as local as a beer can get, using Maritime malt and hops grown in Hants County. Each beer features just one or two local hops, to allow imbibers to taste the characteristics each hop lends to the final product. The four beers are: Hants County Goldings, Hants County Galena, Hants County Zeus, and Hants County Zeus & Galena. The base beer style is a 5%ABV Pale Ale, with most of the hops being used in a hop back, between the kettle, through the chiller, and to the fermenter. This technique proved to be tricky, but worth the effort to grab tons of aroma from the hops without a lot of bitterness. The hops were grown on the Schoolhouse grounds, another of their hop yards at Castle Frederick Farm, as well as from Wentworth Creek Farm. Cam dried them himself, turning his garage into a temporary oast house. Cam had this to say about the Hop Series, ” I always wanted to make a beer that would be close to what the first settlers would have drank (with the exception of using modern sanitization techniques). It also allowed me to meet and work with some wonderful local hop growers at Wentworth Farm. We hope this annual series grows. This will mean an expanding hop industry in Hants County.” Meet Cam, and drink the labour of love for this brewery and farmers Saturday, starting at noon. No tickets necessary, come on by!

• In other Schoolhouse news, they will soon be offering growler fills! While they are not open to the public, they will be attending the Wolfville Farmers Market as soon as their capacity allows. And, in a region first, they will be offering a weekly growler delivery service to customers in the Windsor and Falmouth area. The truck will head out Thursday evening to collect empties and drop off filled growlers. Be sure to place your order in advance via email. Due to alcohol restrictions, ID will be checked, so no re-purposing the milkman’s “Milk/No Milk” sign!

• Yellowbelly Brewery in St. John’s, NL has their newest creation on tap now, named Root Cellar. After being charged to create a parsnip beer, brewmaster Liam McKenna admitted that he was stumped. However, not to give up on a challenge, he came up with the idea of using parsnips in a fall seasonal. While many of our favourite breweries opt for Pumpkin Spice beers, they are very divisive in the beer community, and McKenna is not a fan, due to the spices used. Instead of using nutmeg or allspice, he chose other spices and seasonings for a different beer altogether, complementing the earthy nature with hints of licorice found in parsnips. Marris Otter was the base grain, with 60 kg of baked and pureed parsnips added. The beer was hopped with the earthy East Kent Goldings to about 16 IBU, and then given a double dry-hop dose of Topaz, lending a citrus rind character. McKenna also used fresh grated ginger and Thai basil, and dried Star Anise to round out the rich spicing characteristics of the beer. The final product is a 6% straw coloured brew with a slight haze, and light in body. And, most importantly, McKenna is pleased with the results! Grab a pint at the Yellowbelly today.

• nuqneH! Garrison Brewing will be releasing a new beer next week, in celebration of Hal-Con, the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Gaming Convention being held Nov 7-9. Klingon Warnog Roggen Dunkel is a dark rye beer, a hybrid of the Dunkelweizen and Roggenbier styles. It was brewed using Munich, Dark Crystal, Wheat and Rye malts, hopped with Cascade, and fermented with a German Weizen yeast, for a rich blend of aromas and flavours. Aromas of banana, clove and chocolate lead to rye, caramel and chocolate, with a balancing bitterness. Available in very short supply at the brewery and private stores beginning Nov 7, and they will be announcing their favourite fan slogan today on twitter. ‘IwlIj jachjaj!

• Railcar Brewing officially opens tomorrow, and in addition to two of their flagship beers (Railcar Red and Artisan Brown), they’ll have a SMaSH IPA that’s hopped exclusively with Cascade, from Southan Farms. It clocks in at 5.5% ABV and 70 IBUs. They also have a Peanut Butter Porter on the brew schedule for next week… we’ll keep you updated on that one! Be sure to drop in at the brewery/retail store in Florenceville tomorrow if you’re in the area, and pick up some growlers and swag (10% off opening day)!

• Over at Rockbottom, they released a new beer on Wednesday for their weekly firkin. A Smoked Lager (Classic Rauchbier) with a grist containing a whopping 82% of beechwood-smoked malt, and Munich malt, and hopped with Saaz, it comes in at 5.3% ABV and 21 IBUs. Think of this as a preview for the main batch, which should be on tap at the brewpub soon.

• Hammond River Brewing is has announced that they’re hosting a homebrew competition! Open to all New Brunswick homebrewers, the style to brew will be Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer. A total of four bottles of beer will be required; the due date for sample submission is January 9th, so you have lots of time to get brewing! Local BJCP-certified judges will be joined by a local sommelier to find the best in show. The winner will brew their recipe with HR owner/brewer Shane Steeves on his brew system, and the beer will be released on tap in the Saint John area. In addition, the top three finalists will receive prizes from the Saint John Ale House.

• In other homebrew competition news, the Beerthief crew is hosting a competition for Newfoundland and Labrador homebrewers. Focusing on two styles (Dry Stout and  American IPA), the competition closes mid-December, so get brewing now! Check out the forums for more details. Good luck!

• And for NS Homebrewers, don’t forget that the Big Spruce American Wheat/Rye competition closes Nov 27, so brew now or forever hold your peace. Details are available in our previous writeup.

• A final reminder that the second annual Fredericton Poutine Festival is next Saturday, Nov. 8th, and tickets are almost gone! The brewery list has expanded, with 12 breweries pouring up to 25 different beers. And, of course there will be lots of food: five establishments will have a total of 10 different types of poutine for you to sample! Get your tickets now before they’re sold out. For more info on the festival, check out our previous post.

Phew! Lots of new, local beers to look for this weekend! Celtic Knot Brewing has also expanded distribution – they now have a rotating tap at the Old Triangle in Moncton. If you are on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, be sure to drop by Boxing Rock for a Hallowe’en party Saturday. From 12-3pm at the brewery, they will be having a BBQ, free tours and samples (best to call 902-494-9233 first to ensure your spot), face painting, apple bobbing, and Pumpkin Slinging with their trebuchet!