Big Axe Craft Beer Festival

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“Friday” Wrap-Up for April 14, 2022 – News from Foghorn, Upstreet, 2 Crows, Big Spruce, Tatamagouche, Delta Force, 902 BrewCast, Battery Park, and more!

Posted by acbbdevon on 2022-04-14
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, 902 BrewCast, Battery Park, Big Axe Craft Beer Festival, Big Spruce Brewing, Brew Culture, Change Is Brewing Collective, Delta Force Brewing, Foghorn Brewing, HopYard Halifax, Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewery, Serpent Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tapestry Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, Tatiana Vasylyeva, Tide & Boar Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Fri   Thursday everyone! We’re hitting you with the news a day early to give ourselves a bit of a break tomorrow, plus allow you to plan your (hopefully) extended weekend around the many events happening across the region.

Let’s start our week off with news of a New Brunswick-based fundraiser with the strongest of roots in Ukraine. Tatiana Vasylyeva was born in Ukraine, and has lived in New Brunswick for 18 years, calling the province her home, while having many friends and family still in her home country. In order to raise funds to help the immediate humanitarian need, as well as the long-term rebuilding, Vasylyeva has teamed up with Rothesay’s Foghorn Brewing to release Razom. Meaning “Together” in Ukrainian, Razom is the embodiment of supporting Ukrainians here and abroad to rebuild and come back stronger than ever. As she is very familiar with the beer of Ukraine, Vasylyeva looked to the country’s breweries for a beer style that would be fitting, and has chosen the Märzen style, a malt-forward lager with restrained bitterness. The Pilsner and darker German malts chosen were donated by Brew Culture (shout-out to Stefan G for the assist), and the wort was lightly hopped to 20 IBU to produce this 5.8% ABV lager. So, how can you enjoy this beer while helping those affected? Foghorn is launching it at their brewery tomorrow at 4 PM, and Vasylyeva will be in attendance to raise a pint (cans are coming next week). And to undergo the full Ukrainian experience, may we suggest visiting Dolan’s Pub Saturday for a fundraising dinner featuring Razom paired with authentic Ukrainian food, such as salo, krychenyky, and more! This is a ticketed event, so be sure to grab yours before they sell out. This event is in support of Aman Lara, a Canadian-based non-profit assisting with evacuation of Ukrainian citizens, focusing on children battling cancer.

After this weekend, kegs and cans will be available province-wide, to magnify the charitable efforts of the beer. We’d also encourage you to check out Tatiana Vasylyeva’s statement on the beer project and current situation in her home country. 

(Oh, and hey, if you’re looking for work in the Quispam/Rothesay area, Foghorn are hiring a full-time position to be split between local deliveries and packaging at their facility. Reach out via email and/or check out the job posting)

Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing has a brand new release this week, situated perfectly to fill the “when you want a couple of beer while out and about but don’t want to feel like you’ve drunk a couple of beer” opening in our lives. Parks & Rec Low Cal IPA is just 3.5% ABV, but bursting with tropical and citrus notes thanks to the late addition of Sultana, Calypso, and Trident hops. 2-row and Wheat malts make up the grain bill, and it is fermented quite dry to keep the residual sugar and calories low (9 grams and 100 kCals, respectively). Still hazy and featuring a medium body, there must be some magic in the brewhouse on Allen Street to balance both worlds so well. On tap and in cans at their two C’town locations now, look for it at licensees and the PEILCC shortly, and even available at their BBQ Brewhouse in Burnside soon!

On to our regularly scheduled Nova Scotia Craft Beer Month releases, with plenty of new and returning beers and events to keep you satiated…

Dropping at noon today is 2 Crows’ latest release, Bière de Coupage. Sit back while we spin the tale of a beer two years in the making… Borrowing its name from the technique it employs, with “Coupage” representing a blending (more directly, cutting) of older beer with new, the result elevates the best of both worlds. As fans of 2 Crows know, their brewery is full of barrels, puncheons, and foeders, with a variety of beers in different stages of fermentation and ageing. Tapping into 8 barrels filled with a variety of golden sour beers, having aged in the wood between 15 and 20 months, they found the right balance of acidity, funkiness, earthy notes, and a “zippy”character. To this they’ve added a fresh, hoppy Saison, which started from a malt bill of Shoreline Pilsner, Wheat, and Vienna Malts, hopped assertively with Sterling, Huell Melon, and loads Saaz, to build on the ester and earth character from the aged beer. Dialling it up even further is the combination of 2C’s house Saison strain and Brett Q from Escarpment Labs for a tag-team fermentation. The coupage/blending happened after the young beer underwent primary fermentation, but with residual sugars still in the beer, the fermentation of the resultant melange continued, during which they contained some of the carbon dioxide created during this step, using the technique of spunding, allowing the beer to carbonate naturally without additional CO2 needed. And hey, while you’re at it, why not toss some more hops to the mix? Sure thing! Saaz, Huell Melon, and Bru-1 were added to round out the final product. Available on tap and in cans now, you can grab it in store or order it for local delivery or Canada-wide shipping from their website. 

As if you need another reason to visit their taproom, they’ll be hosting the crew from Big Spruce and Tatamagouche tomorrow for the Cerberus Double IPA launch (more details in a moment), and on Saturday from noon, co-hosting a food, music, and beer event with Change Is Brewing Collective, as they are welcoming R&B Kitchen to their space, serving Rasta Pasta and Jerk Chicken from noon til it’s gone, with DJ Douvet and R$ $mooth spinning beats all afternoon. More information here.

It’s that time of year again when the gang at Big Spruce gets together with some like-minded hop-happy friends from other breweries and brews up a special IPA to welcome spring and NS Craft Beer Week/Month/Fortnight/Moon Phase/etc. Cerberus, named for the mythological three-headed hound of hell that guards the entrance to Hades, can more appropriately in this case be thought of as the three-handed brew team that raids the hops freezer. Over the years several breweries have been part of the club, including Propeller, Sea Level, North, and Church, with Tatamagouche being part of every iteration. This year sees a new player in the game, as Halifax’s 2 Crows brewing decided to join the fun. We don’t have a lot of details on what went into the beer this year, but after 7 years of drinking the various iterations we’re pretty confident in suggesting that it will be juicy and hoppy. You can find out for yourself starting tomorrow, Friday, April 14th, with the launch party mentioned above going down at 2 Crows all day and at Battery Park where they’ll be having a mini tap takeover of the participating breweries. If you can’t get to one of those places, other purveyors pouring include Stillwell (HQ and the Freehouse), Hopyard in Halifax, and TAPestry Beer Bar in Sackville. If you’re more interested in drinking it at home, grab cans at any of the participating breweries as well as at private retailers in the HRM!!

The sneaky folks at Delta Force have a pair of new releases out this week, coupled with a returning fave. First up is Operation Triunfo, a 5.0% Mexican Vienna Lager. Inspiration for the beer came from a friend of the brewery, who misses their favourite beer from back home in Mexico, so the DF crew stepped up! With Vienna malt and flaked maize complementing each other, this amber lager is easy drinking but with some malt character to keep it interesting. Next up is Operation Piwo, in the Grodziskie style (also known as Grätzer), a wheat ale originating in Poland. Despite its malt bill consisting of 100% Oak-Smoked Wheat, this 3.5% ABV beer remains refreshing and light, and decidedly ashtray-free. And returning this week is Operation Jolt, their 4.9% Brett-fermented Pale Ale, which saw the addition of fresh brewed coffee to the beer. All 3 beers are available from their online shop in 500 ml bottles, and they are holding a sale on a six-pack, consisting of 2 of each beer, through their site as well.

After a brief hiatus, the dynamic duo of Tony and Kyle are back with the latest episode of 902 BrewCast. April’s episode is a Tasting one, with them taking on beers from Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Germany all in the service of great drinking suggestions for you to seek out. Plus learn about their next outing in the wild, as they are taking your feedback on which breweries they should feature (and visit) next on the pod! Grab it from their website or in your favourite podcatcher today! Their DMs are open too!

Events, events, events…. If you’re feeling up for it, here are a few other things to get excited for this week and into the summer…

A quick reminder that in addition to Battery Park hosting the Cerberus Launch Party tomorrow, they have tapped 20 breweries from across the province to send in their favourite beers to showcase during their Brewmaster’s Choice event on Saturday, April 16th. And keep your calendar clear for next Saturday, April 23, as Garrison and Propeller share a Tap Takeover to co-celebrate their 25th Anniversary. More info here.

It’s never too early to start making your summer beer plans. If a trip to western New Brunswick is on your radar, may we suggest the Big Axe Craft Beer Festival, taking place July 16th. Tickets are on sale now for what is sure to be a fun event, featuring breweries from across the Maritimes, Ontario, Quebec and Maine. In addition to the beer, there’ll also be food trucks and outdoor games onsite. If you’re thinking of camping in the area, you can arrive in style with water shuttle service from three nearby campgrounds. There’ll also be shuttles available from Moncton, St. John’s, Fredericton, Woodstock, St. Stephen and Harvey. All proceeds from the event will go to charity, including a portion being directed to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

A few news bites before we take our leave this week…

It may only be Spring, but one of the region’s most summery brews is already hitting the shelves with the return of Propeller’s Lime Lite Lager today! Light and refreshing, with real fresh lime for a citrus kick, at 4.5% ABV it’s a perfect post-mowing crusher. Available in 355mL cans as of today at your usual sources for Propeller brews.

Spryfield’s own Serpent Brewing has a new beer, their Hopical Storm DIPA pouring at their spot on Dentith Road this week. Though it’s 7.6%, it still goes down smooth, with a pungent kick from an intense hopping with Simcoe. Only available on tap for pints or as part of the flight in the taproom, there’s plans to brew a future batch for bottling.

The motley crew at Secret Cove Brewing in Port-au-Port, NL, has a new double-dry hopped double IPA featuring Idaho 7 for big citrus and tangerine notes that they’re calling Shout at the Kettle. This 7% ABV dank number has been canned for maximum portability; you can pick some up at the brewery where there’s still a little leftover from the batch pouring on tap.

Apparently it’s the week of the DIPA, as Moncton’s Tide & Boar has created a DIPA of their own, saying it’s got the biggest malt bill and the most hops of any batch they’ve ever made. Big, thick and fruity, with notes of citrus, mango, and pineapple, Back to Back is a 7% hop bomb with a huge fruity aroma that you’re going to want to drink “back to back.”

Big thanks to those who have donated towards our website hosting fee (did you know we pay $$$ so you don’t have to be inundated with ads?). Feeling generous, here’s a link for you. Much appreciated!

Friday Wrap-Up for July 12, 2019 – News from Delta Force, Lake City Cider, North, Brightwood, Think Brewing, Tata, Propeller, and More!!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2019-07-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bannerman Brewing, Battery Park, Big Axe Craft Beer Festival, Big Spruce Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, Delta Force Brewing, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Good Robot Brewing, Graystone Brewing, Grimross Brewing, HopYard Halifax, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, Lake City Cider, Landwash Brewery, Maybee Brewing, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, PEI Brewing Co., Peppers Pub, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Auction House, The Capital Complex, The Carleton, The Joyce, Think Brewing, Tidehouse Brewing, Trider's Craft Beer. 1 comment

Howdy howdy folks, and welcome to another ACBeerBlog Friday Wrap-up where we blather on at length about as many of the beer happenings in Atlantic Canada as we were able to get details about. This week we’ve got a new brewery announcement, some collabs, the usual fresh releases, and a couple of events to tell you about, so grab a beer and get ready. But before you read further, we’d like to give you a heads-up that next week we’ll be taking one of our (ultra-)rare weeks off from the blog, so you’ll have to do your own social media mining for beer news on Friday, July 19. We’ll be back on the 26th, refreshed and ready to bring you our usual high quality reportage.

While details are a bit light at the moment, we are thrilled to share news of a soon-to-open brewery coming to Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Delta Force Brewing is the culmination of well over a decade of recipe development and perfection of techniques by decorated homebrewers Jayme Keddy and Gavin Stewart. Concentrating on “farmshed” beers (think “farmhouse”, but smaller and with a local bent), Delta Force will serve the Valley and HRM before fall. Follow along on their social mediums for progress ( Fb / Ig / Tw ), and we’ll have a full Profile with Keddy and Stewart (aka Alexander and McCoy) closer to opening, with background on their beer, brewhouse, and plans. 

Lake City Cider celebrated their Anniversary this week, marking their cidery and taproom’s first year of operation with a tap takeover at fellow downtown Dartmouth business Battery Park. One of the ciders ahem beverages debuting yesterday was Hometown Hybrid, a collaborative graf brewed with North Brewing. Graf (or graff) is the melding of beer and cider, with the starting wort and juices fermented together for the best of both styles. Hometown Hybrid is a 5.0% ABV bevvie, and is available on tap and in cans today at both host fermentories, with kegs being sent out to licensees as well. And if you’re lucky, there may still be a few ciders on tap at BP to quench your thirst today.

Speaking of downtown Dartmouth, Brightwood Brewery shares a space with Lake City at 35 Portland Street, and is releasing a new beer today, a hybrid in its own way. Pineapple Crushable is a Sour Wheat Beer, but arrived at in a unique way. Using techniques developed a couple of years ago, the Brightwood crew used a SCoBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)  from Pop Culture Kombucha to first sour the wheat-heavy wort, before halting the process by boiling (and killing all bacteria and yeast). Yeast is then used to complete fermentation, generating alcohol instead of lactic acid as in the first step. After fermentation, loads of fresh pureed pineapple and Idaho 7 and Simcoe hops were added to the fermenter to round out the beer. Pick up this tart, fruity, and refreshing 4.7% ABV beer at the brewery’s taproom today for pints and growler fills, with cans to follow next week.

Last weekend’s Beer on the Bridge festival in Fredericton saw the debut of several new beers, one of which was the latest to come out of Harvey’s Think Brewing. Train of Thought is an American IPA brewed with a grist that includes flaked oats, and malted and flaked wheat, giving the beer a smooth body and slight haziness. Hopped with Citra and Amarillo, expect juicy and tropical aromas and flavours. No need to be upset if you missed this 6.9% ABV, 43 IBUs beer last weekend – it’ll be popping up at regular Think tap accounts across the province.

Tatamagouche Brewing, conveniently located located on Main Street Tatamagouche (that was good planning!), has a new brew out this week. Holiday Honeycomb is a 5.5% ABV Blonde Ale with all malts originating from the Valley’s Horton Ridge Malt & Grain Co. Featuring the addition of 60 lbs of honey (20 lbs in the kettle, 40 lbs in secondary) from Holiday Inn Truro’s hives, the beer was hopped with Saaz to 25 IBUs. Grab this one on tap at the brewery, partner hotel, and at better beer spots around the province (including Horton Ridge, Battery Park, Stillwell, and HopYard Halifax).

Halifax’s Propeller Brewing has spent the last few months releasing new and interesting things for you to drink and they’re continuing that trend this week with their Brut Rosé Sparkling Ale. This one has been inspired by classic light and easy summery rosé wines, perfect for this time of year. A “sparkling ale” (which we assume means more highly carbonated than your average ale), it carries the brut designation, implying a very dry body and finish, and a blush color provided by pinot noir grapes and hibiscus. Very light and refreshing at 4.4% ABV and a mere 8 IBU, limited kegs have been filled for Propeller’s own locations and, most likely, licensees around the city, but it’s also been packaged in 473 mL cans, which you can pick up at both Prop shops and hopefully the private stores in the city.

No one has ever accused Big Spruce Brewing of a lack of experimentation… or, if they have, they likely received a well-deserved smack! But with their latest beer, Slam Dunkel, they’ve even got us admitting that the “style” is one that likely hasn’t been seen before: a “Jamaican rum-barrel-aged Dunkel Wit”. This 7.3% ABV brew has a Dunkelweizen-type grist, fermented with a Witbier yeast strain. Aged for five months in dark rum barrels from Jamaica, the final beer has an aroma of chocolate-spiced rum cake, with lots of dried fruit and spice on the palate… and more rum! A touch warming in the finish, as you may expect, this dark beer is meant to be sipped on during these fine summer evenings. It’s available in kegs only, so look for it on tap at the brewery and a select few tap accounts in Nova Scotia. And in returning beer news for Big Spruce, their organic guava IPA, Guava Get Me Some (6.4% ABV), is back on tap and in cans, so grab some tropical goodness wherever you see it.

Moving westward to Amherst, where Trider’s has a brand new beer for you fans of American Wheat Ales out there. American Orange in Paris isn’t your typical wheat beer, however, as it was dry-hopped with the French variety, Triskel. While this hop is known for imparting citrus and floral character when used, the brewery decided to add a bit more punch with an addition of sweet orange peel. Coming in at 5.5% ABV, it was fermented with a neutral American ale yeast to allow the hop and orange peel additions to shine. It’s draught-only for now, at the brewery tap room and maybe one or two lucky licensees.

Up in Fredericton, Niche Brewing has a brand new beer on the go this week, the first to be designed and brewed solo by Matt Scott, secret squirrel member of the Niche team for the past few months (but not anymore!). Westfalia is a straight-up, classic Hefeweizen built on a grist of Pilsner and lots of malted and flaked wheat and fermented on Niche’s favorite Weizen yeast strain. Look for plenty of banana and clove presence from the yeast and a classic wheat-driven body in this 4.5% ABV refresher. Kegs of this are going out to The Joyce, Ringo’s Grill, Peppers Pub, Brasseux BrouePub, and Graystone Brewing in New Brunswick, and folks in Halifax will also get a chance at this one thanks to Stillwell and The Auction House.

While it kinda feels like Port Rexton Brewing just opened yesterday, it also feels like they’ve been around forever. That’s probably just old age talking, but regardless of that, they’re turning the big 0-3 this Saturday, and you’re probably not too surprised to hear that they’ve got some celebratin’ planned! With four new beers, new glassware, and free cake – at both the taproom AND St. John’s retail shop – it’s fun times for all, guaranteed! Let’s dive into these beers and get started…

John Jacob Lichtenhainer Schmidt – Brewed with a portion of smoked malt, this is a 4.1% ABV sour beer that has “a limeade tartness” to contrast all of that delightful, smoky BBQ character

Dry-Hopped Baycation Blonde – Name gives it away, this is their regular Baycation Blonde that has been dry-hopped with Cascade and Azacca. The 5.2% ABV base beer is showing plenty of “grapefruit, peach, stone fruit and pineapple” thanks to that dry-hop addition, along with a little more bitterness than the non-dry-hopped version. 

Continuum w/ Mandarina Bavaria – The latest in the Continuum series, a whole whack of Mandarina Bavaria (along with some Simcoe) was added in the whirlpool, hop back, and dry hop additions. Hazy, bitter, and 5.6% ABV, this IPA has notes of mandarin orange and wildflower in the aroma, along with “tropical mango/pineapple, apricot and rose” on the palate. 

2019 High Fives – Some of you may recall that for their 2nd birthday bash, PRB released High Fives as a tribute to their customers (that’s you!); this year’s batch is another “thank you” to the people they love and appreciate! A mixed-fermentation Farmhouse Ale that was aged for 11 months in their Calvados foeder on their Brett-packed house culture, it’s finally ready, just in time! Weighing in at 6.4% ABV, it’s showing lots of Brett character, with “undertones of oak, apple brandy, and pear” in the aroma. Expect a dry cider-like experience in the flavour, with “Champagne-esque vibes backed up by green apple Jolly Rancher/kiwi/green grape skin”.  

All of these birthday beers will be available on tap, and will be sold as 12 oz pours only… at a discount! If you get there nice and early, however (i.e. you’re one of the first 40 people through the door), you’ll be given a special 16 oz PRB birthday mason jar, which you’ll not only be allowed to take home, but you’ll also have filled at the 12 oz price all day! When the birthday brews sell out, there’ll be other PRB flagships ready to go on, to ensure the beer/fun keeps flowing. Happy birthday, PRB!

Earlier this week, Maybee Brewing released the second beer in their barrel-aged series, Maple Bourbon Elevensies. As you may have guessed from the name, this beer is their regular Espresso Stout, Elevensies, aged in Maple Bourbon barrels (more specifically, Kentucky Bourbon barrels which previously held Vermont maple syrup). The beer was fermented in stainless, then moved into barrels where it went through a brief, secondary fermentation, and then was allowed to age in the barrels for seven months. Carbonated before packaging, this dark brew has aromas of maple syrup, Bourbon, and vanilla, with a touch of chocolate and caramel, all supported by notes of oak. Both the oak and maple carry through to the flavour, with a low level of carbonation allowing the barrel character to be more prevalent. At 6% ABV and 41 IBUs, it’s available at the brewery right now in 750 mL cork & cage bottles, and is also pouring on one of their nitro taps. Look for kegs to make their way to select tap accounts across NB over the coming weeks.

Brand new bottle release from Halifax’s Tidehouse this week, a 7.5% ABV Double IPA named It Was All A Dream. A tropical, juicy brew hopped heavily with El Dorado, Idaho 7, and Ella, it’s available exclusively at the brewery. You can purchase some 650 mL bottles to go, or stay for a visit in the taproom and sip on a glass. Growler fills are available as well, but limited to the 1 L size.

Congratulations are in order, as homebrewer Derek Woods’ winning D Rock Dunkel has been released. Gahan House in Charlottetown hosted Woods as he won the Maritime Home Brew Challenge in the fall, with his 5.7% ABV Dunkel taking top honours. Woods reports that the experience was great, and “Brewmaster Trent Hayes let me get my hands dirty on brew day and the Gahan team gave me a healthy dose of Island hospitality”. Cans of the brew are currently available at the host brewery in Charlottetown, as well as the PEI Brewing Company taproom, and the three Gahan locations in New Brunswick (Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton). Fingers crossed that it will also be available at the Nova Centre location soon. And if you want the chance to brew up a full batch with Hayes in 2020, check out the details of this year’s Challenge, submitting your best IPA (any style), Mixed Fermented/Sour, or Stout by October 27th. Check out their website for more information.

And speaking of homebrewers, and those looking to transition away from amateur brewing and making it a career, The Capital Complex in Fredericton is adding a 4 BBL (500 litre) brewhouse to their portfolio. Take a look at their Assistant Brewer job posting on Indeed, package up some of your homebrews to share. They are focusing on easy-drinking Pale Ales to start, with expansion of the offerings to come later.

We don’t have a whole lot of events to report on this week, or at least we didn’t manage to find out about a whole lot, but as always, check your favorite breweries’ social media pages to see what they’ve got going on.

We’re a little late to be mentioning this one, as online ticket sales have ended, but this weekend marks the 3rd edition of the Big Axe Beer Festival in Nackawic, NB. Billed as the largest outdoor beer festival in Atlantica Canada, it’s taking place near the World’s Biggest Axe on the shores of the Saint John River. Taking place tomorrow, July 13th, from 4 PM (gates open at 2 PM), attendees are welcome to roll on up via the river, by car, or by one of the several buses they’ve got running from Fredericton, Woodstock, Saint John/Quispamsis, and Moncton. More than 35 producers, mostly of beer and cider, but with some mead as well, will be pouring, with representation from all Atlantic Provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and the State of Maine. Tickets are still available for the Friday Night Kickoff Party featuring Denum tonight starting at 6 PM.

Thanks to the brewers in our region, we in Atlantic Canada can celebrate the IPA style all year round, but as some may know, there has been a movement, started by Michigan’s Founders Brewing Co. in 2011, to designate the first Thursday in August as International IPA Day. This year #IPADay falls on August 1 and Halifax’s Propeller Brewing has decided to celebrate it in style at The Carleton in Halifax. Chef Dolente will be on-hand introducing his five-course dinner menu paired with five unique beers in the India Pale Ale style from Propeller, with beer sommelier Pat Robichaud providing insight into the pairings. Only 20 tickets are available for this intimate dinner, so if you’re interested it’s best that you act quickly; cost is $60 per person plus tax (gratuity included) and tickets can be purchased online on The Carleton website.

And, as is our wont, we end with a few final items to inform and possibly influence your beer buying this weekend:

Good Robot is pouring Nova Scoby at their taproom this weekend, which is a blend of Pale Ale with Goodmore’s Black Sage Lavender Kombucha. At 4% ABV and 14 IBUs, it’s refreshing and easy-drinking… and maybe good for your belly!

Grimross has brought back Grimdonk (6.5% ABV, 17 IBUs), their award-winning (from this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards) Belgian Blonde. “Golden, crisp and dry, with balanced fruity and spicy notes”, it’s available now on draft and in cans at the brewery, with cans heading out to ANBL stores in the not-too-distant future. 

As a follow-up to last week’s mention of Dream Time, the DIPA collaboration between Bannerman Brewing in downtown St. John’s and Landwash Brewery in Mount Pearl, Landwash is pleased to announce the release of the version of that beer that they brewed on their system, packaged in cans. Look for it at the brewery as soon as they can get the labels on to ‘em!

And on the West Coast of the Rock, Secret Cove Brewing is releasing Newfoundland Light & Sour, a 3.8% ABV Berliner Weisse with loads of local Marsh Berries. Grab a pint or fill at the brewery in Port Au Port, and you may be lucky enough to see it in Central or the Avalon too!

Friday Wrap-Up for July 13, 2018 – News from Evermoore Brewing, New Scotland Brewing, YellowBelly, Tatamagouche, Big Axe and more!!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2018-07-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Axe Brewery, Big Axe Craft Beer Festival, Breton Brewing, Evermoore Brewing Co, Foghorn Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Holy Whale Brewing, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, Lake City Cider, New Scotland Brewing, Niche Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. 3 comments

Happy Friday the 13th! Oh, stop complaining, it’s just a silly superstition (knocks wood, tosses black cat over left shoulder). Plenty going on in the world of Atlantic Canadian beer news, as usual, including the opening of two new breweries in our region, one in PEI, and one in Dartmouth. So let’s get into it so we can all go about the rest of our day (read: waiting for the weekend to officially start).

We hinted last year about Summerside, PEI getting their own brewery, thanks to the work of Alex Clark, owner of the OpenEats restaurant in the downtown area. Well, it looks like all of that planning and preparation has worked out, as Evermoore Brewing just opened their brewery and taproom this week at 192 Water St. Featuring a 10 bbl (1200 L) brewhouse from DME, the brewery’s taproom will be open Sunday-Thursday from noon-8 pm, and Friday and Saturday noon-10 pm. They’re currently filling growlers of their first two beers, Summerside Light and Hoppy Lager, and you’re of course welcome to stay onsite to enjoy a pint! Summerside Light is a 4.0% ABV light and easy going lager, while the Hoppy Lager weighs in at 6.0% ABV and features solid citrus and grassy flavour and aroma, with a hoppy aftertaste. Look for food service to be available later in the year. We hope to have more info and a Profile of Evermoore, including specific details on the beers they hope to have in the future, very soon.

After some major renovations at 91 Alderney Drive in downtown Dartmouth, New Scotland Brewing Company is opening their doors tomorrow. Brewing on a 4 BBL (500 litre) system, their beer will be available in the taproom for flights and pints, as well as to take away in growlers. Keep an eye on their social media for musicians (and maybe even the owners and brewers, musicians in their own right!) to take stage in the taproom. Unfortunately, details on what beers will be pouring are scarce, and we haven’t been able to get hold of them for contact. We hope to have more (is this a trend?) in the near future.

While not a brand new brewery, it is certainly worth mentioning that St. John’s YellowBelly Brewery has opened their new location in the newly expanded Departures level at the St. John’s International Airport. The restaurant and bar is open from early until late (6AM until 11PM) to satisfy both the early business flyers for breakfast, and the rest of us looking for a pint and decent meal before leaving the Island. The restaurant continues the tradition set at their downtown locations of offering freshly-prepared pizza and a full menu, as well as casual bites. Borrowing from the aesthetics of their building at the corner of Water and George Streets downtown, the 150 seat bar and lounge features historical wood and stone features throughout. And, now for what you’re really interested in knowing: what about the beer? They will be pouring their core group of four beers, Yellowbelly Pale Ale, Wexford Wheat, St. John’s Stout and Fighting Irish Red, as well as a brand new beer, the YYT Cream Ale. Their Crooked as Sin cider will also be pouring. They will also be pouring a rotating line or two from other Newfoundland and Labrador craft breweries, as available, showing their love and support for the great shift happening in the province in the past few years. These will be announced on social media as they are tapped. Also available for sale will be YellowBelly merchandise and local treats, and there may even be the possibility of packaged beer available to go in the future (we’ll let you know when that happens!). Congratulations on the launch of the new location, it certainly proves that local beer in Newfoundland is taking off!

Tatamagouche Brewing is bringing back a favourite brew of theirs that first debuted at the start of 2018, their Crack of Dawn. This Breakfast Porter features a Horton Ridge Pale malt base, along with Chocolate Wheat and Oats to offer roast character and mouthfeel. The pièce de résistance is the addition of a cold brew preparation of barrel-aged coffee, this time around featuring Ethiopian green beans aged in a Bulleit Bourbon barrel before getting a light roast treatment from Tata’s neighbours at Meeting Waters Roastery just a few doors down Main Street. The resultant beer is 8.4% ABV, with significant coffee roast and barrel character complementing the full-bodied base Porter. This version, as well as the original release, was brewed with assistance and guidance from homebrew guru Brian Harvey (aka 1029Brewing) and our own acbbchris (former homebrewer, full time drinker). Due to the batch size, this version will only be available on tap, including at the brewery this weekend, as well as Battery Park and Stillwell in HRM, and at Tata’s tent at this weekend’s Big Axe Craft Beer Festival.

Tata is also debuting a brand new beer this weekend, one for the hop heads among us. Fish Hawke is an 8.4% ABV double dry-hopped Double IPA, featuring a variety of new school and old classic hops, all added after the boil is complete. Chinook and Centennial meet Azacca and Vic Secret insubstantial whirlpool and subsequent temperature-drop additions (this is the period while the wort rests post-boil, and helps to reduce the amount of trub is transferred to the fermenter). After fermentation is complete, two rounds of dry-hopping while conditioning were also undertaken with the same hop blend. Though the bitterness is tough to calculate, there will be some, but the flavour and aroma is the goal in this brew. Looks for Fish Hawke to debut on tap at the brewery and a couple of spots over the weekend, with a small number of cans being released at the brewery on Monday.

The fine folks at Big Axe Brewery have been extremely busy prepping for their second annual Big Axe Craft Beer Festival happening tomorrow (more on that in the events section below), but that hasn’t stopped them from brewing some new beers on their brand-spanking-new 10 bbl system in Nackawic! Launched this week if their Lumberjack East Coast Lager, a “Czech Amber Lager” brewed with summertime drinking in mind. Featuring a grist of Pilsner and Vienna malt, the brew was fermented with a Lager yeast strain and then allowed to lager at cool temperatures for four weeks. Richly malt, with bready and biscuity notes, it has a medium body to help support the sessionable 4.1% ABV, letting you enjoy a couple of these without feeling out of control (YMMV). On tap now at your favourite Big Axe tap account!

Fredericton’s TrailWay is releasing the latest iteration of El Generico, their constantly-changing fruited kettle sour. This time around, the 3.8% ABV beer had raspberry puree and lime juice added after fermentation, giving plenty of bright fruit aromatics, along with a high level of lime in the flavour. Look for it on tap and in cans at the brewery today at opening (11 am), and likely on tap at several licensees across the city. And in other TW news, they won a coolship (long, shallow, open-top vessel used to cool wort) at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN, which recently arrived at the brewery; they’ll be using this new addition to kick off their barrel-aged, sour beer program (naturally, don’t be looking for these beers anytime soon… it’s a long process!).

Heading over to Newfoundland, Port Rexton is putting two beers on tap at their taproom this weekend; while these beers aren’t new, exactly, they have been difficult to find in the past, making appearances at both Stillwell locations over the CBA weekend in May, and sporadically at Port Rexton. First up is Tyrannosaurus Brett, a Brett Porter brewed with acbbchris. Fermented entirely with Brett D, this one was aged for six months in fresh red wine barrels (one American, one French), giving aromas of “red wine, dark chocolate, berries and oak”, with fig and red grape notes as well. Finishing clean and dry, it weighs in at 5.9% ABV. Next is Brett Chops (6.3% ABV), which is the brewery’s flagship Horse Chops IPA, aged in red wine barrels (the very same used for Tyrannosaurus Brett) for six weeks with Escarpment Lab’s Brett D. The finishing beer has a light acidity, an aroma of “light barnyard funk, overripe mango, mild strawberry, and red grapes”, and stone fruit and a “pop rocks/candy” presence in the flavour, along with some wonderful Brett character. Stop by the brewery this weekend to satisfy your funk crave! Note that the brewery’s retail shop in St. John’s has extended their hours for the summer, Friday 12-8 pm and Saturday 12-6 pm.

Back over to Rothesay, where Foghorn has a new beer on tap, named after a Billy Madison reference that I was supposed to Youtube, but forgot (oops!). The Blue Duck is a dark lager brewed along the lines of a Munich Dunkel. With a grist made up mainly of Pilsner malt, along with some CaraMunich, CaraAroma, and Melanoiden, it was fermented with a dry Lager yeast strain, and then lagered for over a month before its release. Bready, with a touch of caramel, it finishes light, clean, and easy-drinking at just 4% ABV. Enough malt character to satisfy your needs, but not too heavy to scare of those of you afraid of dark beers (stop it!). On tap at Foghorn now for pints and growler fills, at a few accounts in New Brunswick, and pouring at this weekend’s Big Axe Craft Beer Festival.

Propeller promised us last week that they’d have a new variation of their summer-favourite Hefeweizen this week, and staying true to their word, they’ve released Azacca Hopfenweisse, their latest Gottingen Small Batch.The brewery is describing the beer as a “fusion” of Hefeweizen with a “New World IPA”; while staying at a very-drinkable 4.8% ABV, the Azacca hop is featured prominently, providing aromas of tropical fruit and citrus, to complement the typical banana and clove character found in all good Hefeweizens. Highly carbonated, with a medium-light finish, you can find it on tap at Propeller starting today, where it will be available for growler fills only.

Remember when we told you last week that Good Robot would be re-releasing their Burban Legend this week? Well, turns out they decided to hold off on that, therefore turning the ACBB into a house of lies. Being the fine, fine people that we are, however, we’ll still tell you all about their latest Beta Brew, Pink Flamingo. This “Watermelon Kiwi Radler” was brewed with Giovanni, and has fresh watermelon and kiwi added, giving the 5% ABV beverage a pink colour, and a light, refreshing tartness. An infusion of tea from David’s Tea was also added; Look for it on tap at GR next Tuesday. Look for Leave Me Blue this week as well, which will mostly be available at various Pride events.

After many months of renovations and other preparations, Alma’s Holy Whale Brewing has opened their Riverview taproom location. Located in a former shipping container along the Petitcodiac River, you can find it at 391 Coverdale Rd., in the parking lot of the Riverview’s Chocolate River station. They’ll be pouring on 12 taps, with six dedicated to Holy Whale beers, and six to guest beers, with a focus on New Brunswick craft. They’ve also taken their small, test brewery equipment from Alma and installed it in the shipping container, so expect to see some very small-batch one-offs on tap over the coming weeks! Everything sold at the location will be for consumption on-site only, where there is seating capacity for 70, including space on the boardwalk to enjoy your beer(s). They’re open Wed-Thurs 5-9, Fri 4-9, Sat 1-9, and Sun 1-6.

A few beer related things you might get up to in the coming week:

Tickets have been sold out for some time, but the 2nd Annual Big Axe Craft Beer Festival – the largest outdoor craft beer fest in Atlantic Canada – is happening tomorrow, July 14th, from 4-8 pm in Nackawic. Those of you lucky enough to have grabbed your tickets will be treated to a gargantuan (I’ve always liked that word… so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence) number of vendors pouring their tasty beers, ciders, mead, and vodka, as well as five food trucks, 3 live bands, and one mechanical bull (BYO pen to sign the waiver, and BYO neck brace!). On top of all that, there’s outdoor drinking during a beautiful day, and free boat rides from 3-7 pm. The 40 attending breweries, cideries, etc. will be from across the Maritimes, as well as Ontario and Maine. One thousand people will be attending… have a great time!

The third “In Concert With” dinner from The Carleton will be partnered with Garrison Brewing and Upstreet, and is happening on Thursday, July 19th. “Chef Dolente’s Craft Draught Showdown” will involve five courses, each paired with two 4 oz beers (one from each brewery). Both Daniel Girard of Garrison and Mike Hogan of Upstreet will be in attendance to speak about the pairings, along with Chef Michael Dolente. Those of you attending will vote on your favourite beer at the end of the night. The event also includes live music; tickets are $55 + HST and can be purchased here.

Lastly, a couple more quick ones that might influence your weekend beer plans:

– Breton Brewing has just kegged the second beer in their Summer Sour Series, Strawberry Rhubarb Kettle Sour (4.2% ABV). It’s available now in their taproom for pints and growler fills, and should be hitting tap accounts in the HRM sometime next week.
– Lake City Cider has officially opened their taproom in downtown Dartmouth, at 35 Portland St. They’re open every day from 10am-8pm, so drop by to grab some cider-to-go, or to enjoy a pour at their new location.
– Niche Brewing has brought back their “Hibiscus Sour Ale”, Ruby Tuesday (4.4% ABV). This fruity, tart, bright red beer will be pouring at select locations in Fredericton and Saint John, as well as at tomorrow’s Big Axe Craft Beer Festival.
– Upstreet is now selling packaging two of their flagship beers, Do-Gooder and Rhuby Social, in 12 oz cans; the two join their other flagship, Commons, which they started canning a couple of months ago.