Sunset Heights Meadery

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Happy Friday! Plenty going on in the local beer world this week, so let’s dive right in…

Petit-Sault has released their collaboration with Acadie-Broue‘s Patrice Godin, a Doppelbock named La Renous. Brewed in the traditional German style, using German hops and a base of Munich and 2-Row malts and a touch of chocolate malt for colouring. Lagered for a full four months since the brew on a chilly January weekend, it is supremely drinkable, with a full mouthfeel and balancing bitterness to its 7.5% ABV content. In addition to Petit-Sault’s shop, it is available on tap at Le Coude, Université de Moncton’s student bar, where Acadie-Broue’s brewhouse is now set up. The beer can also be found at ANBL locations across the province, in bottles, and at the five ANBL growler stations this weekend.

• Just in time for this week’s East Coast Music Week, Sydney’s Breton Brewing and Charlottetown’s Upstreet have released a collaboration brew, Island Jams: Vol. 1. This music-themed 5.3% Blonde ale debuted at Breton’s tasting room last night, and will see wider release this weekend. Also tying in with the music theme, there is a downloadable EP of CB- and PE- Island tunes to accompany your drinking. As well, a live showcase of PEI bands will be playing (and beer will be flowing) at Daniel’s in Sydney tonight; more information here. And for visitors to the East Coast Music Week, all four Breton beers will be available at Flavor on the Water’s after parties all weekend.

• Upstreet has brewed up another collab, Top Stamp Honey Brown Lager, with the crew from the PEI comedy series Just Passing Through. An easy-drinking beer at 5% ABV and 15 IBUs, it was brewed with Maritime Malt and New Brunswick-grown Golding hops. A beer that has a sweet beginning and dry finish, it’s like “drizzling honey over lightly-browned toast”, according to the brewery. Scheduled for a release party on Thursday, April 21st at the Upstreet taproom beginning at 6:30, the beer will be bottled and sold at PEILCC locations across the Island by next weekend. Check out the Facebook page for more details on next week’s launch events.

• There’s a new beer fermenting over at Maybee Brewing, Birdseye Pale Ale. A 5.5% ABV American Pale Ale, it was hopped with Cluster and Columbus. Brewed with the intention of being crisp and refreshing for the upcoming summer months, it features floral and spicy notes from the Cluster, which “brightens up the dank, juicy flavours from the Columbus”, according to owner/brewer Paul Maybee. Look for this one to be available in a couple of weeks; it’s going to be canned right out of the gate, and will also be available for growler fills at the brewery. Also, Maybee’s Elevensies Espresso Stout should be available in cans shortly.

North Brewing has just released their newest beer, Golden Stout. Golden-coloured as advertised, it was brewed with 2-row, flaked oats, and Pale Chocolate malt. Despite the lack of dark, roasted malts, it features plenty of chocolate and roasted character thanks to the addition of Sumatran Dark from local Java Blend Coffee Roasters, and cocoa nibs from Rousseau Chocolatier. It weighs in at 6.7% ABV and is available now at the brewery for growler fills, and should be on tap at North accounts as we speak.

Gahan Halifax released a new beer yesterday at the brewpub; Session IPA is a low-alcohol (3.7% ABV), 65 IBUs hop bomb that showcases a “big floral, fruity aroma” from plenty of late-addition Saphir hops. It joins the Kellerbier which was tapped late last week; weighing in at 5% ABV and 36 IBUs, featuring an “oaky, vanilla aroma and flavour”, balanced with a large addition of Hersbrucker hops, a floral and spicy German variety. And though there is just a little bit of their Cranberry Sour left, fear not, this sour-mashed tart beer will return during NS Craft Beer Week with wider distribution under the name Over the Top, a collaboration between Gahan’s Karen Allen and Boxing Rock’s Emily Tipton.

• In other new beer news, Tatamagouche released their newest ale yesterday, Tweed Wolf Brown IPA. This is their second “employee beer”, brewed by cellarman Alex Martin. Featuring a malty backbone and “chocolate-covered strawberries” in the flavour, it was hopped mainly with Simcoe, along with a bit of Cascade and Huell Melon. Available now at the brewery for growlers, kegs have already been delivered to several accounts in Halifax, including Bishop’s Cellar and Harvest Wines for growler fills, so be sure to give it a try when it pops up! And while on the topic of Tatabrew cellar hands, they’re currently looking for someone to fill the role in a part-time capacity, with the possibility of a full-time position in the future. For more details, send an email here.

• Wolfville’s Annapolis Cider Company officially opens today! Their storefront at 388 Main Street will be open seven days a week from 10 am-7 pm. There are several ciders available now in refillable 750 mL bottles at the cidery: Crisp & Dry (7.7% ABV), Juicy & Sweet (5.6% ABV), and Something Different, an unfiltered cider that is described as “very hazy and yeasty”; it comes in at 6% ABV. There is a tasting bar onsite, where customers can order a small flight of all three ciders, 3 oz each, for $5. Tours will be offered in the near future, and their products should be popping up on tap at various accounts within the next couple of months. For more information on this new cidery, check out our post from last month.

Liquid Assets, the Nova Scotian beer, wine, and spirits store located at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, will be opening this Monday, April 18th. Located at the departures level of the HIAA, they will be selling products from eight craft breweries to start: Bad Apple, Boxing Rock, Garrison, Nine Locks, North, Propeller, Spindrift, and Tatamagouche. They will be selling cans in 4- and 6-packs, and single 500 mL and 650 mL bottles. As they are located past the security checkpoint, you can carry your purchases with you on your flight (provided you do not have to go through security again); they will have boxes for multiple purchases. The store will be open 7am-9pm, daily, and will be launching an online store in the near future, so that customers may pre-order beers for a quick pick-up, and plans for shipping of products within Canada are in the works.

• This weekend’s Saint John Beerfest may be sold out, but several breweries are releasing special brews in celebration of the event, and will be making them available to a wider audience. Among them, Big Tide Brewpub has released a Hard Root Beer, Tool Shed Root Porter. Brewed with 2-row, CaraMunich, and Chocolate Wheat malt, it was bittered lightly with Southan Farms hop hash. Freshly-cut white birch bark was added to the boil, along with sassafras, sarsaparilla, vanilla beans and sweet gale. It should come in at ~6.3% ABV, and will be released tomorrow at the Beer Fest (joining their Karnival Kolsch and Valley View Farmhouse Ale), and on tap at the brewpub.

Lots of events coming up, as usual…

• Other events accompanying this weekend’s Saint John Beerfest are several pop-ups and events around the area today:
– Drop by Lemongrass for leftover pours from Garrison’s 14 line tap takeover held last night.
– Saint John Ale House is hosting a “Spindrift Social” 4-6pm, with Kellye and Matt from Spindrift pouring their Coastal Lager, Riptide IPL and the new Knotty Buoy Pils.
PEI Brewing Co is taking over the taps at McGill’s Restaurant this afternoon at 5pm, featuring $5 pints.

• On April 20th, Good Robot will be releasing another of their “Beta Brew” pilot batch beers at the Taproom. The Pusha Man is a Belgian saison brewed with hemp. To celebrate, there will be dank tunes and special munchies.

• Halifax’s Stillwell Beer Bar has announced a series of Rare Beer events, occurring in subsequent weekends in May. Each weekend will feature bottles (and some will also feature kegs) of beers from outstanding American breweries, not available in the Atlantic provinces. Individual pours will be available for bottled beers, with any bottles not selling out during that weekend available for purchase going forward (by the full bottle).
– April 30 & May 1: Anchorage Brewing, Anchorage, Alaska
– May 7: Mystic Brewing, Chelsea, Massachusetts
– May 14 & 15: Pretty Things, Somerville, Massachusetts
– May 21 & 22: Saint Somewhere, Tarpon Springs, Florida
– May 27 & 28: Upright Brewing, Portland, Oregon

• Fredericton’s James Joyce Irish Pub is pairing up with Sunset Heights Meadery for their next event, Wenches and Mead, on Saturday, April 23rd. Details are still being ironed out, but we can confirm that they will be offering flights of the three medal-winning meads from the recent Mazer Cup, as well as the 2015 edition of Crowne Jewel, made with honey raised on the roof of the Crowne Plaza hotel. And stay tuned for more details on the Joyce’s next Meet Your Maker event, featuring Big Tide, scheduled for Friday, May 13th.

Lazy Bear Brewing in Smith’s Cove, NS, has announced that they will be attending the Annapolis Royal Farmers’ Market, when they launch for the year on May 21st. Concentrating on the market at first, they will expand their beers to local bars and restaurants, and open their storefront. Speaking of beers, they have announced one of their launch beers, Gut View Amber Ale. A 4.9% English Amber, it features Canadian-grown English varietal hops for a balancing bitterness, and subtle aromas.

Have a great weekend! Just a few closing notes…

– Boxing Rock has brought back their popular Sessionista “Bold Session Ale”, a beer with the big hop character of an IPA, in a small 4.0% ABV package. It is available province-wide in the NSLC now, and on tap at various beer bars as well.
– Flying Boats is once again pouring at ANBL growler stations this weekend, with all five locations offering their Empress Irish Red Ale, while supplies last. Joining them at all 5 locations is PEI Brewing’s Setting Day, a 3.5% ABV Saison.
– In other ANBL growler news, Pump House will be participating in a tap takeover in Saint John this weekend, at the KV location today from 4-7 pm, and the new East Point location tomorrow from 11 am-2 pm. The brewery’s 4 Alarm IPA and various seasonals will be featured.
Spindrift is releasing their Riptide IPL in cans early next week; as a result, there will be no 7th Wave Series release today. However, look for the Riptide cans to be available at the brewery by no later than next Friday.
– Propeller Brewing has released their wildly popular Hefeweizen this week, and it is available in bottles for the first time in a while. And be sure to grab tickets for their next Prop’r Cask Event, April 29th, with Krave Burger taking care of the food at their Gottingen space.
– There have been no major updates in last week’s story concerning policy changes for breweries in New Brunswick by ANBL; they are still communicating with NBCAPA. We will be sure to provide an update once one is announced.

Happy early end of the work week! With tomorrow being Good Friday, we thought we’d post this week’s Wrap-Up a day early, to give most of you something to read to break up your work day. Let’s get to it, there’s lots to go over!

Sunset Heights Meadery once again had some entries in last weekend’s Mazer Cup International Mead Competition in Colorado, and once again, they came away victorious! They swept the Session Mead category, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for their Scuttlebutt, Cinfully Yours, and Punky Pie, quite a feat considering the Mazer Cup is the world’s largest mead competition. Congratulations to the Sunset Heights family!

• Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing released a beast of a beer late last week. 1-1-9 is a barrel-aged American-style barleywine, coming in, you guessed it, at 11.9% ABV. Despite the high alcohol content, the beer is very smooth (dangerously so?), thanks to the barrel character and assertive 100+ IBU bitterness to balance it into a praise-worthy brew. Due to its limited nature, this beer is *only* available at Unfiltered’s taproom, Charm School, located adjacent to the brewery, so best drop by soon to grab a glass.

• Dartmouth’s newest brewery, Nine Locks, has added two new beers to their core lineup this week. The Dirty Blonde and Porter are both now available, joining their ESB and IPA. The 5.0% ABV Dirty Blonde is a light and crisp brew featuring lots of wheat, for a pleasant easy-drinking beer with a quenching character. The Porter features lots of chocolate and biscuit notes thanks to the darker kilned malts used in the beer, but is still a very light and enjoyable 5.0% ABV beer. The four beers are currently available at the brewery for growler fills and cans, and are in the wild at neighbouring Mic Mac Bar and Grill, and at spots around HRM.

Spindrift’s Seventh Wave Series continues today, with another small-batch release. Gross Michel is a 4.6% ABV Hefeweizen, an unfiltered German-style traditional wheat beer. Featuring a light 10 IBU bitterness, the wheat malt gives a cloudy appearance and robust white head, with notes of clove and banana from the yeast. As usual, the beer will be available for growler fills only, starting today at noon, and won’t last long.

• Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has released a pair of beers this week; one brand new, and one a returning favourite. Hug A Ginger is a 4.2% SMaSH beer, featuring Maritime Pale Ale Malt and Cascade hops, as well as ginger root, for an enjoyable melding of citrus and ginger aromas, and malt and light ginger with a bitter finish. This limited release is only available at the brewery, on tap for samples and growler fills. This week also marks the return of In Session ISA, Garrison’s take on a Session IPA. Big hop-derived tropical fruit and citrus flavour and aroma dominates this beer, from the copious additions of Belma, Crystal, and El Dorado. All of that in a small, 4.5% ABV package, means that you can drink a couple in a single session, without it slowing you down. In Session is available now at the brewery for samples and growler fills, and in six-packs province-wide at the NSLC.

Tatamagouche Brewing is releasing a new beer today: The Grog. A small, hoppy, Belgian Ale (think Belgian Session IPA), The Grog is part of a Parti-gyle brewday, where two (or more) beers are created from the same grain bill/mash, with a higher alcohol beer from the first runnings (due to the higher sugar content), and a smaller beer from the later runnings, and boiled separately. In this case, the higher ABV beer will be a Belgian entry to their Giant Beer series, with The Grog weighing in at 3.0% ABV. Just because the alcohol is low, however, does not mean it is lacking in flavour. This beer’s focus is on the hops, using Hallertau Blanc and experimental hop ADHA-529 (lending flavours of coconut and lime) in the boil, and was further dry-hopped with both of these, plus Centennial. This batch will be on draft and growlers only, with it available at the brewery now, and pouring soon at Battery ParkLion and Bright, and Stillwell, as well as the four private beer stores in HRM for growler fills (Bishop’s Cellar, Cristall Wine, Harvest Wine, RockHead; check their website or social media for the current growler line-up).

• Good news for cider fans in Nova Scotia! John Brett, of Tideview Cider, has been hard at work, and a first trial cider debuted at Bar Stillwell last weekend. The 7.2% ABV still (uncarbonated) cider was served from a cask on the bartop, and featured a blend of apples that features a celebrated variety known as the Hyslop crab apple, for an enjoyable dry and tannic finish. Brett’s plans going forward will focus on smaller batches, sourcing primarily from his own orchard in the Annapolis Valley. Keep an eye out for Tideview Ciders once they get back into commercial production, which could be as early as next year.

Bad Apple Brewhouse from Somerset, NS, has debuted a new beer this week. Just Rockin’ IPA is the 6% ABV, lower alcohol brother of The Impresser Double IPA. But just because it is lower in ABV, does not mean it is lacking in flavour! Fermented with Conan yeast for some great apricot and fruit ester character, and hopped generously in both the boil and dry-hop for a big blast of hop flavour and aroma. JR made its debut at Stillwell last night.

Petit-Sault has just released their Pink Boots Society brew, Buzz, a “Honey Rye Ale”. This is the second year that the brewery has participated in the annual multi-brewery Big Boots Brew Day, initiated to raise the profile of women in the beer industry. Five women were involved in the brew day, led by Petit-Sault brewer Julie Long, with the end-result being this 6.1% ABV beer, which was brewed with Rye, Munich, and Honey malt, along with 60 lbs of pure, NB honey. Hopped with Magnum and Saaz to 21 IBUs, this copper-coloured ale is “full-bodied, sweet and malty, with floral notes of NB wildflower honey and a hint of pepper, and flavours of light honey and caramel”, according to Long. It’s available on tap now at the brewery taproom for growler fills, and can also be found this weekend at three of the four ANBL growler stations (KV excluded). A portion of the proceeds from sales of this beer will go towards a scholarship for women studying biotechnology at NBCC. And in other PS news, they’ve hired a new brewer to join their team – Patrick Dionne is an Edmundston native who has recently completed a Masters in Biochemistry from the Université de Moncton.

• Moncton’s Bore City has a new beer on tap in the city, an APA named Equilux. Heavily-hopped with two truly delicious varieties – Equinox and Citra – the beer has “prominent tropical/citrus notes, with plenty of grapefruit”, according to the brewery. Clocking in at 5% ABV and 50 IBUs, it’s on tap now at the Tide & Boar (but is going fast) and should be following soon at Marky’s Laundromat.

• Fredericton’s Mama’s Brew Pub will be releasing a new beer on tap tomorrow, aptly named for the holiday weekend. Hoppy Easter is an American Pale Ale that was generously hopped with Comet, Citra and Amarillo, both in the boil and in the dry-hop addition. With these three varieties, expect lots of fruit, citrus, and dank character in the beer. It comes in at 65 IBUs, and a sessionable 4.9% ABV.

Picaroons and Railcar have teamed up for their very first collaboration brew in support of the Ministers Island Barn Raiser taking place Friday, April 1st. Raisin D’Roof is a, experimental, “darker brew” that was brewed with 2-row, Crystal 20 L, and Chocolate and Wheat malts, along with 30 lbs of Golden raisins that were blended and added to the boil. Hopped with local Cascade, Centennial, and Goldings, the beer weighs in at 6% ABV. Look for it on tap at the Brewtique in Fredericton and at the Railcar tasting room on April 1st. It will also be pouring at the fundraiser in St. Andrews; if you’d like tickets to that event, there’s a few left here.

• And, speaking of Railcar, they’ve debuted a new beer, the 7% ABV Columbus Wreck IPA. Their hoppiest beer ever, it features a heavy dosing of Columbus hops mid- and late-boil, for a nice blast of both flavour and aroma, on top of a medium-bodied base. It is currently available at their Florenceville-Bristol brewery and taproom for pints and growler fills. And look for further distribution of Railcar’s beer in the coming months, as they look to expand to a 6 hectolitre system.

• There’s a new beer fermenting over at YellowBelly, and it’s definitely an interesting experiment! Brewmaster Liam McKenna wanted to make a statement of sorts in support of those who try to prevent the wasting of food in the world, so he took a crack at making beer from stale bread. While the majority of the grist was made up of some typical malts such as 2-row, Munich, Carastan, and a little Midnight Wheat, there were also five malt bags of stale, sliced, and lightly toasted bread from local Rocket Bakery. Featuring some white, rye, and multigrain bread, as well as some bread with raisins, keep in mind this beer may contain traces of nutes. Hopped entirely with Willamette, they’re expecting the beer to be low in alcohol at ~4% ABV, and mildly bitter at ~25 IBUs. We’ll keep you updated on the release of this one!

We’ve got several new events to let you know about this week, with a couple happening this evening:

• The Ladies Beer League are holding a “Beer and Banh Mi” tasting tonight. Certified Cicerone Angeline MacLennan will lead attendees through three pairings of beer with spicier fair at Indochine Banh Mi. The event starts at 7pm, and there are still a few tickets available for purchase.

• Schoolhouse Brewery will be taking over the guest taps at Good Robot this Saturday, bringing a selection of six of their small-batch beers. Featuring their “Locally Hopped” series, including Big Red Schoolhouse Imperial Red Ale, Debarrs Reserve Biere de Garde, and Scotian Export Scottish Ale, as well as the new Schoolhouse Red Lager, and flagships Chequers Robust Porter and Principal Pale Ale. The event kicks off at noon, with fun schoolhouse games and snacks throughout the afternoon and evening.

Gahan Halifax is holding a Brewmaster’s Dinner next Wednesday, March 30th from 7-9 pm. Featuring four courses of locally-sourced food, paired with four different seasonals/one-offs created by brewmaster Karen Allen, there will also be a one hour meet-and-greet starting at 6 pm, where Allen will be on hand to talk Gahan beer! Tickets are available at the brewpub now.

• Halifax’s Auction House will be hosting their latest Beer School March 30th, with special guests Meander River. The event begins at 7pm, and there are food pairings made specifically for the evening. Folks from Meander Rover will be giving a presentation, and moving throughout the bar chatting with patrons. Contact Auction House for more tickets.

• Fredericton’s James Joyce will be hosting another in their series of Meet Your Maker events, this time featuring Shediac’s Flying Boats. Brewer/owner Marc Melanson will be attending, and is keen to answer any questions you have concerning his beers! The event will be held on Friday, April 1st, starting at 8 pm, and will feature four FB beers on tap: Dixie Clipper IPA, Empress Irish Red Ale, S-55 Special Mission Pale Ale, and Double Oatmeal Stout. Expect fun and games, with some Flying Boats swag to be won. As always, there is no cost to attend, just pay by the glass!

• There are still tickets available for Propeller’s next Prop’r Cask Night, April 1st, featuring Black Sheep restaurant. Your $30 ticket allows you to tour Propeller’s offerings, as well as Gottingen St brewery, and enjoy some specially-prepared appetizers from their food partners.

• No tickets necessary, but a reminder that Stillwell is hosting a Tap Takeover so massive, it is two days long: Montreal’s Dieu du Ciel! brewery. Join the crew from the brewery on both April 1st and 2nd for a dozen rare and special beers, paired with Montreal-inspired food from Chef Ruppel and crew. There are a *different* special kegs locked and loaded to go for both Friday and Saturday, so multiple visits may be required this weekend!

• Details are now available for the release of Barrel-Aged Triskaidekaphobia, the collaboration brew between Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, and Ladies Beer League. On April 9th, Stillwell will be hosting a launch party, with the folks from CKDU spinning tunes all day, from noon. While the event is open to all, there will be a select number of special tasting glasses available, which come filled with your first pour of the 11%.0% ABV Triska. Grab them here, with the proceeds going to support CKDU.

• This is the last week for Early Bird Tickets to the NS Craft Beer Week Full House event. The culmination of 9 days of celebrating beer across the province, with more than 20 NS breweries in one spot. Your ticket will get you in the doors, and your first dozen samples. Grab them now, before the price goes up April 1st.

A reminder that the provincial liquor stores will be closed Friday and Sunday, and may have reduced hours Monday, but many of the brewery and private stores will be open for your holiday beer needs. Best to double-check online/by phone, to avoid possible disappointment. Have a great long weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Lots of new beers and taproom openings to tell you about today, so let’s dive right in.

Petit-Sault just released their newest brew, Maxime Albert, a Belgian Tripel. Winner of the bronze medal in the Belgian-Style Specialty Ale category in the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards, it iss named after one of New Brunswick’s most famous bootleggers. The beer features a relatively simple recipe of Pilsner malt and Belgian candi sugar to boost the alcohol level (all the way to 9.3% ABV) and give a drier finish, both of which are indicative to the style. Hopped with Hallertau and Saaz to 35 IBUs, it was also lightly spiced with a “secret mix” of spices. Pouring with a “rich, golden honey” appearance, it has an aroma of sweet malt, spicy alcohol, and “light floral notes”, according to the brewery. Expect complex flavours of “malt, pepper, citrus, floral and herbal”, followed by a smooth alcohol warmth. The beer is currently on tap at the brewery and at all four ANBL growler stations this weekend, and should follow in bottles within the next few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled at your favourite beer bars/restaurant in the province, as it may turn up at these locations as well.

• Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing opened their adjacent taproom late last week, Charm School. In addition to the three core beers, and handful of seasonals now pouring (Daytimer Berliner Weisse, Hop Riot IRA, Flat Black Jesus American Stout, Double Orange Ale DIPA), they are also featuring a special collaboration release with  Jeff Saunders of Bad Apple BrewhouseSmokeshow is an “Imperial Rauchbier” brewed with 100% Smoked malt; the beer was then aged on hickory for an entire year. It’s a big beer, coming in at a massive 11.2% ABV! The only way to grab this beer, for now, is on tap at 6041 North Street, so be sure to drop by for a pint. Charm School is open daily (except Monday) from 4pm.

• We now have more details on this year’s first batch of Yellowbelly‘s Mummer’s Ale. The grist is quite complex, with 2-row, light Carastan, Munich, Flaked Barley, Pale Chocolate malt and Black malt. Two different types of sugar (Belgian candi and turbinado) were also added, as well as local honey from Murray Meadows Farm. Including further additions of cacao nibs from the Newfoundland Chocolate Factory, and fresh-pressed cranberry juice from Rodrigues Winery. Weighing in at ~6.5% ABV, expect a warming, very complex brew! The Mummer’s will be released at the brewery mid-next week, and should also be available in bottles shortly thereafter.

• There’s a new beer pouring at the Rockbottom Brewpub these days, a special German-style brew. Sticke Alt is an Altbier, traditional to the German city of Dusseldorf. The name translates as “Secret Old”: Secret, as the breweries/pubs would keep this special brew on a hidden or unmarked tap handle, and only pour it for the regular patrons; Old, because this beer is closer to an ale than a lager (the refrigeration required for lager brewing is a relatively new development in beer’s history). The good news is, anyone can enjoy this brew at the ‘bottom! The grain bill features mostly Pilsner malt with a bit of German specialty malts for colour and body (and was brewed using the traditional Hochkurz step-mash schedule), and the hop bill is great Eastern European and Noble hops, featuring plenty of Dana, Magnum, and Saaz, for an American IPA feel from Continental European malts and hops. The final product comes in at 5.8% ABV and a hefty 50 IBUs, and is available now for pints as well as growler fills.

Big Tide has brought back a seasonal favourite, their Santa’s Chocolate Porter. Brewed with 2-row, CaraMunich, and Chocolate malt, the beer is lightly hopped to 25 IBUs. Coming in at a sessionable 4.8% ABV, it features additions during secondary fermentation of vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon, making it a flavorful, spicy beer for the holidays. It’s currently on tap at the brewpub, and will be available for growler fills at all four ANBL stores at the end of next week (Dec 18th weekend).

• Also on tap now at Big Tide is Unbegrentz Lager, a Munich Helles. Featuring a Pilsner malt base, and generously hopped with Columbus and Hallertau, this beer features an addition of Labrador Tea for a twist on this traditional German style. The beer features 4.8% ABV.

• There’s plenty going on this month with Fredericton’s Sunset Heights Meadery! First up is a “bottle takeover” at the James Joyce Pub tonight. This Mead Your Maker event will feature several of their still meads, including THORArthur’s Mischief, Hunt, Appily Married and the “Honey Cones” Dry Hopped Meads. The latter will be available as a set of eight 1 oz pours (featuring single hopped versions with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Fuggle, Galena, Nugget, Magnum and Willamette, as well as a 2 oz pour of each of their Multi-Hop and unhopped base versions. In addition, if you try this sampler ($20), you will be given the opportunity to buy a case of “Honey Cones” (this weekend marks the second release of these meads, which sold out at the first release in October) before they officially go on sale online. And keep an eye on the Pollen Angels store on the weekend, as a limited number of these expressions will be available for home delivery.

Good Robot has announced that they will be opening their taproom at 2736 Robie very soon, and have released a video sneak peak at the space and plans. They will be pouring 12 taps, featuring their core lineup of brews, special casks/blends, and small batch experimental brews from homebrewers and friends of the Robots. As such, they will be temporarily pulling the Crown on the Ground Steam Beer from the brewing rotation, so fans should stock up now (they will still have it in kegs for a while, fear not!). Look for new brews like Marzen, Saison (which will be joining the regular lineup shortly), Session IPA (our own Chris was invited to help brew this collaboration), Smoked Molasses Porter, and many more as time goes on. Have a cool idea for a small-batch brew? Get in touch! The taproom will also feature food from some great local providers, including Food Noise, Halifax Press, and Salvatore’s Pizza.

• New Brunswick’s newest brewery, First City Brewery, has quietly made their debut in Saint John! Owned and operated by Adam McQueen and Jeff Gibbons, three initial beers are now listed through ANBL for beers bars and restaurants to order for kegs: their Extra Special Bitter, IPA, and Rhuberry Blonde Ale, with the IPA currently at the R-Bar in downtown Saint John. Plans are to be pouring at the Peel Pub and Bourbon Quarter in the very near future, with other accounts to follow shortly after. They will also have their beers at both the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and Saint John Beer Fest in 2016. Welcome, First City! We’ll have more info on the brewery and beers very soon.

• Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing has expanded their storefront hours to include Saturday hours (now M-F, 11-6, Sat 12-4pm). Drop by for samples and growler fills of their flagship Coastal Lager, which is also available in an unfiltered variant only at the brewery. Spindrift has also expanded their territory East, to Newfoundland. Coastal Lager hit the shelves of the NLC this week, and can be found from Labrador City to St John’s. Check the NLC site for locations near you.

• Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has put together a new take on their Weizen beer. Pear Hug Weisse is a 5.2% Hefeweizen with an addition of pear juice to the brew. Bringing in a sweet character and characteristic fruit flavour and aroma, it is a unique take on this old style. This limited-time beer is on tap at the brewery for samples and growler fills now, and will make it to local bars as well. The brewery has expanded their taps to pour 11 beers for growler fills, or onsite tasting. Joining the Pear Hug and their 5 core brands currently are Imperial IPAMartello StoutRisin’ Stein WeisseSpruce Beer, and Winter Warmer. And remember, the Home Brew-Off entries are due February 11th, just two months away. Homebrewers from across the Maritimes are encouraged to take an American IPA, and make it something more, by adding herbs, fruit, different yeasts, etc. Details and forms are available on their site.

• Residents and visitors of Florenceville-Bristol in New Brunswick have a pair of new brews to look forward to this weekend. Railcar Brewing has released a pair of beers to keep you warm: Raspberry Stout is a 7.7% ABV American Stout, with raspberries added for a lovely fruit flavour and aroma, to offset the hefty 55 IBUs; Christmas Spiced Ale is a 5.5% ABV beer featuring spices reminiscent of gingerbread and mulled wine and keeping warm around the fire. Both beers are on tap at the brewery taproom now, along with their Artisan BrownCafe Buzz, Orange RyeTrainwreck IPA; the taproom will be open daily until Christmas for growler and schwag sales, as well as rental for parties.

Battery Park Beer Bar at 62 Ochterloney in Dartmouth opened yesterday, with a full complement of brews and food for thirsty patrons. Pouring beers (and wine and house-made soda) from across the province, the downstairs space also serves as North Brewing’s second storefront, offering growler fills and bottles to go. Debuting this week is Dartmouth Dark, a 4.5% dark lager with cold-brewed coffee from neighbours Anchored Coffee added to the brew. And just released today are bottles of Glenora Barrel Aged Strong Dark Belgian, available at both the Halifax and Dartmouth storefronts. North is open daily from noon, and Battery Park from 2pm (both are closed Tuesdays).

• A bit of an update concerning the upcoming Christmas Beer Garden at the Market in Fredericton, scheduled for Sunday, December 20th: due to overwhelming interest, tickets for the event have been sold out. Originally, a small handful of “early bird” tickets were made available, and included a special glass and four 20 oz beer tickets. More tickets were sold than originally planned; unfortunately, due to a limited number of people allowed to enter the market area, dropping in to the event is no longer an option. Luckily, organizers behind the market event already have bigger plans for next year’s holiday season, to allow more people to partake in the celebrations!

Just a few more notes for this week: The Grimross Dubbel Noel was just kegged, so look for that one to be popping up for growler fills at the brewery, and on tap in the area, any day now. The new hoppy Amber from TrailWay has been named – Good Aura – and is now pouring in Fredericton; more info on that beer in last week’s post. Hammond River just announced that their beers will now be available on tap at Moncton’s Tide & Boar; also, their new Foghorn Coffee Porter is on tap at Bourbon QuarterSaint John Ale House, and The Barrel’s Head. Upstreet is holding a tap takeover at the Water’s Edge upcoming Ugly Sweater party on Friday, December 18th at 8 pm; along with their regular line-up, look for a special cask of their new stout, Black Tie Affair, featuring the addition of coconut and cocoa nib tea. Phewf! Have a great weekend!