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Friday Wrap-Up for April 30, 2021 – News from Shipwright, Tidehouse, 2 Crows, Bad Apple, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbdevon on 2021-04-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Bad Apple Brewhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Shipwright Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Tidehouse Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, World Tea House. Leave a Comment

Sorry to start off all Nova-Scotia-centric in this week, but that was some major BS… Earlier in the week, the province announced that all alcohol retail had to close, except the NSLC. There is no denying that for many in our region, alcohol depency is a real and serious issue, meaning access should be considered essential. But to only allow one retailer (the provincial near-monopoly, of course) and not others, is seriously problematic. Thankfully, the decision was revised within a day, but not before dozens of breweries, distilleries, wineries, and private stores had shut down, possibly set up online delivery portals or curbside ordering options (none cooler than rookie brewery Serpent Brewing creating their own drive-thru in their parking lot), and generally spent time and money all for a baseless and throw-away line from the province. If we are to come out of this mostly intact, we all need to work together, and when those making the rules favour one essential provider over others, it pulls down small businesses. Now enough of the doom and gloom, let’s get some new beers in your glasses this weekend!

Let’s start in Nova Scotia this week with a brand new one from Lunenburg’s Shipwright Brewing. Located on the main drag at 82 Montague Street, Shipwright’s taproom/retail may be tiny, but that hasn’t stopped Brewer Kellye Robertson from continuously churning out the good stuff! The latest release is Twin Engines Belgian Pale Ale, the first in a series of Belgian beers to be released in the coming months. A cross-continental mash up, the grist of the Pale Ale starts with Shoreline Malting Pale, Munich, and Chit malts. In the kettle, a bittering addition of Ella is complemented with a flameout dosing (more flavour than bitterness) of Sabro and Topaz, with more of the same dynamic duo after fermentation has concluded. Taking care of that fermentation is an Ardennes strain of yeast, giving some lovely spicy phenolic kick to meld with the tropical hops. Pineapple and peach dance on a dry pithy base in this 5.5%, 45 IBU beer. As in-brewery enjoyment is on pause province-wide, the best way to grab Twin Engines is by crowler at the taproom this weekend.

From one tiny brewery to another, Halifax’s Tidehouse Brewing will be open Friday and Saturday 2 – 8 PM for curbside pickup of cans only, with some returning favourites as well as the debut of Everything is Totally Fine. We appreciate the optimism (or sarcasm) the crew put into naming this release, which we think is close to an Old School / West Coast Pale Ale. Pine and resin notes abound in this heftily-hopped 5.5% beer, sticking to early boil hops for the largest additions. The beer finishes with a touch of honey from the malt, but the focus is definitely the hops.

Halifax’s 2 Crows isn’t letting the lockdown prevent them from continuing to release new and fun brews to keep things interesting for you while you’re holed up in your domicile. As is often the case, this week we’re seeing a dual release, one on the younger and fresher side, and one more aged and complex. First up is a small beer with a Belgian bent, the 3.6% ABV hoppy table beer, Tiny Dancer (although you’ll be forgiven for calling it Tony Danza). Built on a base of Shoreline Malting Pale malt, raw wheat, and some of Shoreline’s Belgian new Belgian-style biscuit malt as well, it was mash hopped with Chinook and then hit hard in the kettle with Sterling, Chinook, and Tradition. Fermentation was done with a blend of yeasts including 2C’s house saison strain and some Brett in the form of The Yeast Bay 207, a single strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis isolated from a Belgian-inspired brewery in the Northeast United States (possibly one on a farmstead…on a hill…?) that’s known for producing flavors reminiscent of Sweet Tarts™ candy (that’s “crushed candy” if you’re @tony_important). After some time to allow the yeast and bacteria to express themselves, the beer was packaged and allowed to can condition, which should yield a tight and spritzy carb. Look for a bright and refreshing result, with plenty of hop character and bitterness at 40 IBU; we’re looking forward to crushing these in earnest when the warmer weather hits!

The other new offering from 2C this week is another collaboration with the fine folks at World Tea House in Halifax. Assamica is a barrel-aged sour that was brewed around this time in 2020 with a grist of Pilsner, spelt, wheat, oats and special aromatic malt, and hopped lightly with some aged noble hops. A “host” of yeast and bacteria were used to ferment it in barrels once used for Amaro, an Italian herbal liqueur digestif. After about 9 months of post-fermentation conditioning, World Tea House’s Phil Holmans was consulted to pair a tea with it. He chose an Assam black tea with earthiness and complexity that complements the deep and rounded character imparted by the Amaro barrel. The tea was steeped for 24 hours in the barrel, after which the beer was bottled and bottle conditioned for three months. You can expect a smooth, tannic, malty, and earthy result in this 6% ABV beer, with plenty of complexity and some herbal aspects from the barrel. Both of these new ones are available from the brewery for reduced in-person retail or curbside pickup or delivery via online ordering.

To the Annapolis Valley for this next one, where Somerset’s own Bad Apple Brewhouse has a new blended cider out this week. Strawberry Feels is a 5.0% blend of apple juice with a healthy dose of Organic strawberry puree, which comes through in the palate nicely, making for a “fun summer sipper”, as described by BAB. It can be found at the Brewhouse as well as 14 NSLC locations in the coming days, joining the Box Cutter IPA and Mosaic Double IPA.

And a few last quick hits:

The sun has been shining, the trees are budding and in another sure sign that summer is on its way, Big Spruce Brewing’s Silver Tart has made its much anticipated return. Cans of the kettle-soured raspberry wheat ale are now available at the Sprucetique and through Big Spruce’s delivery/shipping options. Cans are also headed to Bishop’s Cellar. In hoppier news, another batch of Brobdingnagian, their Mosaic hopped DIPA, is also available in bottles.

Island hopping over to St. John’s, Bannerman Brewing is releasing Block Party. This saison was brewed with French hops and an addition of hibiscus to give it a beautiful, bright red color. It was also conditioned on orange peels before packaging. Look for subtle herbal notes form those French hops and a hint of tartness. You can find Block Party at the brewery now for pints and growler fills.

Trailway is bringing the hops again this weekend with a new batch of Ooz, their 8% ABV tropical DIPA featuring Sabro, Citra and Galaxy. Cans are available now through their various sales channels. Also, the shipments of Good Weather and Hot Sky that we teased earlier this month have arrived in Nova Scotia and are now available at the Port (Hot Sky) and other NSLC locations (Good Weather).

Unfiltered Brewing has a new batch of Daytimer available, their crushable 4% ABV Berliner Weisse. It’s available in cans on North Street, with a fancy new can design to boot. 

We’ll leave you with some more positive news to end the week. Good Robot will be undergoing a massive expansion over the next 6 months, as they will be working in a second facility in Hants County that will allow them to seriously increase their production and customer delivery capacity. News of the expansion broke in AllNS this week, so check out that publication for more info (subscription required). Congratulations to the Robots on their continued growth and success! We’ll feature more news on the expansion as things progress with their new facility.

Friday Wrap-Up for April 23, 2021 – News from Holy Whale, Rough Waters, Propeller, Village Green, O’Creek, Delta Force, TrailWay, Tidehouse, 3Flip, Brasseux d’la Côte, Broue du Païen, and more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2021-04-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 3Flip Brewing, Beer Sessions Radio, Big Spruce Brewing, Brasseux d'la Cote, Broue du Païen, Buddha Bear Cafe, Craig Pinhey, Delta Force Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Holy Whale Brewing, Modern Brewer's Village Green, O'Creek Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Rough Waters Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, Tidehouse Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

And just like that, Nova Scotia is on a 4-week Circuit Breaker/Restore the Arse Shutdown, joining the Edmundston region in New Brunswick. It goes to show how truly tenuous our ability to stay ahead of the pandemic the region is, and the willingness for the region’s governments are to act swiftly and decisively, unlike some *other* places in the country. Despite the strengthening of border restrictions, while inter- (and some intra-) provincial travel is more difficult, and some regions are seeing another halt to in-person dining and drinking, we hope you will support your local brewery, restaurant, and bar, by taking advantage of curbside take-out and delivery options. Many spots have not stopped doing so for the past 13 months, and those returning to it will need every assistance possible to reduce food spoilage and laying off employees. Stay safe, take care of yourself and each other.

Holy Whale Brewery in Alma has released their beer as part of the Celebrating Sisters Beer Project, initiated by the Indigenous Brew Crew and aided by Do Better. Be Better.. 43 breweries across the country and in the UK signed up to the project, with the goal to raise awareness on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada, and to celebrate the strength and power of Indigenous Women. Locally, Holy Whale connected with a local Wabanaki Women’s group to learn from them and will be donating money to further their goals. The Irish Red Ale brewed as part of the project is on tap in Alma and their Riverview location now.

In Deer Lake, Newfoundland, Rough Waters Brewing is opening their taproom today, and celebrating with a new beer! Located at 83 Wights Road, the 27-seat bar will feature 7 taps, as well as a small but mighty menu of dips perfect for pairing with beer (if you want to bring in a Big Mary from down the street that’s OK too!). They also have some cool beer cocktails on the menu, perfect for when you want just a bit *more* with your beer. Retail sales of bottles, as well as a growler exchange program will let you take the beer home with you after you’ve chosen your favourites. They are launching with Friday (4 – 11 PM) and Saturday (12 – 11 PM) hours, but will expand during the warmer months. So what to drink while you’re there? Check out their latest release, Knock Out, a 6.0% Brut IPA. As the style suggests, this is a dry and light-bodied beer, with a clean bitterness, and big citrus flavours, thanks to a healthy dry-hop addition. On draught and in bottles too, if you can’t make it to Deer Lake, you can grab it at your friendly neighbourhood Marie’s Mini Mart, and on tap at the just-now-opened Bar Brewdock in St. John’s. But these all taste better on tap at the source, right? Congratulations to Jennie and Chris on the grand opening!

Continuing to step up their game with summer treats, Propeller has a brand new seasonal release available today. Tropic Haze is a 5% ABV golden blonde ale with some tropical vibes. With flavours of juicy mango, passionfruit and dragonfruit, the grain bill is pale malt and wheat malt, with a hop profile including Warrior for bittering and Citra for aroma. While not a hop forward beer at 8 IBU, the tropical impression of mango, passionfruit, and dragonfruit comes from fruit and flavouring additions. Keep an eye out for this one in cans and draught as you pop-by for a retail grab-and-go, or home delivery, until we can enjoy pints at the taprooms next month.

Our friendly neighbours across the bridge (no, not Dartmouth), Village Green in Cornwall, PEI, is releasing Golden Ale as part of their Comfortbier Series, a family of English inspired session ales. The grain bill of primarily 2-Row and Maris Otter with a bit of flaked corn and double roasted crystal joins a hop blend of EKG and Cascade to bring a nice citrus hop profile that is very well balanced. Fermented with London Ale III, this English ale should be easily drinkable, slightly dry, and slightly bitter at 4.5% ABV and 35 IBU. Look to grab it on draught and in cans directly from the brewery, and if the weather turns a bit warmer, their patio may even be open this weekend!

Keep an eye out for more news from the brewery with future food events with Sneaky Cheats popping up for a big burger cookout on May 1st, as well as the Holy Fox Food Truck returning in a couple of weeks to spend the summer at 30 Church Street. Also, if you’re in PEI and looking for work this summer in the craft beer industry, see below for some job openings with Village Green.  

Staying somewhat close to PEI (depending on your definition of close these days) is O’Creek Brewing in Dieppe, NB. First up, they have fresh kegs at Tide & Boar and CAVOK of their new Mango Oat Cream IPA. This is a full bodied beer, brewed with a huge amount of oats in the grain bill, giving it a full, smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Lactose was then added to the boil to add some sweetness. During secondary fermentation, mango was added to bring some more sweetness and a more tropical flavour at 6.5% ABV.

In other news from O’Creek, they have a Hazy IPA hitting wider distribution this week as Citra in a Galaxy is available at multiple ANBL locations. This is a tropical, juicy, hazy IPA generously hopped with Citra and Galaxy that brings citrus and stone fruit flavours with low bitterness at 6% ABV. It’s available in 473ml cans now across most of New Brunswick, specifically, Fredericton, Saint John, Greater Moncton, Shediac, Richibuctou, Miramichi, Péninsule Acadienne, Bathurst, and Kedgwick.

The fellas behind Delta Force Brewing are back this weekend with release #5 which sees four new variations on their ‘Traditional Farmshed Ale” Anderlect. The base beer is DF’s take on a Trappist single, with some funk from the Brett fermentation. The four variants feature different fruit additions for your drinking pleasure: peach, red currant, sour cherry, and rhubarb. They are available through a Farmshed Harvest pack that includes 500 ml bottles of each fruited variant, alongside the regular Anderlect and Mean TIme, DF’s take on an English Bitter with Brett. Bottles of Anderlect, Mean Time, and their English Barleywine with Brett, Wessex, are also available. As usual, email deltaforcebrewing@gmail.com for ordering details, or to be added to their email distribution list. They are starting deliveries this weekend to those who place orders within a one hour drive of HRM.

Back across the border, Trailway Brewing has a new batch of Hot Sky, a beer seeing just its second release. This hazy IPA celebrates the Aussie hop Eclipse and features flavorus of citrus, pine and a taste that’s gonna move ya (juicy fruit gum, that is). Hot Sky comes in at 6.6% ABV and is available now at the taproom and for delivery across Atlantic Canada. This weekend also sees a return of Good Weather (hopefully not just the beer variety). Look for this 6% IPA featuring Vic Secret hops at the brewery and various ANBL locations. Finally, in exciting news for Nova Scotian beer drinkers looking to satisfy their haze craze, both of these beers are on their way to the NSLC, which we believe is Trailway’s debut at the NS government liquormart.  Expect to see them on the shelves in about two weeks with Hot Sky exclusively at the Port location. 

A few weeks off of their renovation, Tidehouse has a new release for the people to enjoy. A Westward Pine is a 6.5% ABV IPA bringing true west coast IPA vibes. Using crystal malt to give a malt-heavy backbone, Warrior and Idaho 7 hops were used to balance the bitterness and bring some pine flavour and aroma leading to a dry and delicious finish! With the COVID-related closures in HRM, the best way to support Tidehouse and grab some beer is via retail cans, which opens today at 4 PM (Wednesday – Saturday, 4 PM – ?). Keep an eye on their Insta page for updates to that schedule.

Just outside of Fredericton, the fine folks at 3Flip have a seasonal can release available across the province. The Goodest Girl is a pale ale named after their own little doggo: the dog’s name is Citra (!) and so is the main hop in this 5.2% ABV pale ale. Featuring fruity and tropical flavours, it has a touch of balanced malt sweetness and a bit of juiciness as well. It’s available in 355ml cans online and across the province at select ANBL stores and local producers; you can check out the full list here of where to pick this up, as it’s available at some brand new locations for the brewery.   

Up the Acadian Peninsula, Brasseux d’la Cote is releasing a new SMaSH beer that is made with 100% local ingredients. This single malt, single hop ale comes in at 5% ABV and features local grains malted by their friends at Distillerie Fils du Roy. The hops are a locally harvested wild hop that has yet to be identified as a specific variety. Look for notes of stonefruit, specifically apricots and peaches. SMaSH is available now on-tap at the brewery.

A bit further south in Kent County, Broue du Païen is releasing two new beers. FIrst up is Dieppe IPA, the third release of their Kveik-fermented IPA. This one comes in at 6.2% ABV and features an aggressive dry hop, leading to aromas of passionfruit and pineapple. Next we have Shediac Red Ale. Brewed in the Irish Red style, this 4.9% ABV ale features caramel and roasty notes and a smooth mouthfeel. Both beers are available at three ANBL locations – in Moncton, you can find them on Elmwood Drive and Mountain Road, and further north, they’ll be available at the Tracadie-Sheila ANBL.

And last but certainly not least for our main news section this week, host Jimmy Carbone of Beer Sessions Radio sat down (virtually) with a quartet of Atlantic Canadian beer folk this week, as a way to introduce his listenership to the history, present, and future of beer in our region. Tapping Christopher Reynolds of Bar Stillwell and Stillwell Brewing, Craig Pinhey a Beer, Wine, and Spirits Writer, Jeremy White of Big Spruce Brewing, as well as our own @acbbchris, the quadrumvirate chatted up the region’s offerings to Jimmy’s primarily US-based audience. Once travel is a thing again, we’re sure at least 50% of the influx will be due to our waxing poetic on the state of beer in the Atlantic Provinces! Listen to the episode here or in your favourite podcatcher.

No events to talk about this week, for obvious reasons, but here’s your usual quick mentions to complete the beer news:

Always one to bring back nice favourites, Big Spruce has a draught-only return of Hugs Bunny. A dry-hopped gose, this bright, effervescent, salty batch of deliciousness is traditionally made with coriander and French sel de mer and then given a citrus kick with a dry hopping of (this week’s hop of the week) Citra! Lovers of this style will find a slight tartness and a small kick of salt on the tongue for a thirst quenching beer. At 3.8% ABV it’s only available on tap in Nyanza and for a short time only. 

Another returning favourite this week comes from Garrison, as their tasty Italian Pilsner, Tesoro, makes its return. First seen back in 2019, this seasonal release is inspired by the heavily-hopped German-style Pilsners of Italy. With the bitterneess coming in on the stiffer side for a Pilsner at 40 IBU, it was brewed with a base of Pilsner malt, fermented with German lager yeast and then dry-hopped with German Hallertau and Czech Saaz. You can expect this tasty eurotreat to be bready, spicy and boasting a pleasant finishing hop bitterness at 5.0% ABV. Find it in cans at all Garrison locations and keep an eye on the private shops as well.

Rounding out a trio of Nova Scotia craft beer re-releases, Tatamagouche, brings the return of Deadeye, a Double IPA. Also a 2019 initial release, this Double IPA is hopped with Hallertau Blanc giving flavours of passion fruit, grapefruit, and pineapple, with hints of pine and citrus. It was then dry hopped twice using Hallertau Blanc. Coming in at 8.0% ABV, cans are coming *very* soon, and can be ordered from the brewery for nationwide shipping, directly from the brewery, the private shops in Halifax in the next week or so, and NSLC in May. And their 2.9% ABV warm weather crusher Dekorum Lager is now available in short cans for a killer price from the brewery (even more savings!) and for delivery too.

We’ve got a new release from CAVOK in Dieppe! Always excited for this style, Touch ‘n Go (appropriate name for the times) is a Belgian-style IPA – hopped like an IPA but fermented with traditional Belgian yeast – from which you can safely expect some clove, pepper, and fruity aromas and flavours combined with a high bitterness. This 6.8% IPA is available in limited quantities in cans directly from the brewery.

A couple of job postings for you today, in New Brunswick and PEI, for those looking for Front of House positions at a brewery taproom, as well as behind the scenes making the lovely beer…

CAVOK Brewing is looking to hire staff for their Dieppe Brewery Retail and Taproom, as well as for the nearby seaside town of Cap-Pelé. Being bilingual is key, given the number of tourists and locals who speak both official languages, as well as being well-organized, enthusiastic, jovial, willing to learn about and promote local products. Plus you’ll have a blast pouring beer for thirst folks! All shifts are available, and the successful candidates should be available days, evenings, and weekends. Send them your resume to apply (taproom@cavokbrewing.ca), and who knows, you could be pouring one of us a beer before too long!

Cornwall PEI’s own Village Green is looking for some help both in front of house as well as behind the scenes. If pouring beer and chatting with visitors is more your speed, they are looking for some folks to work the taproom which is now open Wednesday through Sunday. And if you want to learn how to make beer, hang with BA in the brewery/cellar to learn the ins and outs of mashing in, vorlauf, spunding, and all the fun in between. They strongly encourage inclusion and diversity, and are looking for all who have a desire to work in the brewing industry to apply, which you can do via email: villagegreenpei@gmail.com.

Friday Wrap-Up for April 9, 2021 – News from Tidehouse, Big Spruce, Village Green, Bannerman, Shipwright, Annapolis Cider, and more!!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2021-04-09
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Annapolis Brewing Company, Annapolis Cider Company, Bannerman Brewing, Battery Park, Bellwoods Brewery, Big Spruce, Escarpment Laboratories, Lake City Cider, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, North Brewing, Pink Boots, Propeller Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Shipwright Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tanner & Co Brewing, The Church Brewing Company, The Station, Tidehouse Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Unfiltered Brewing, Village Green by Modern Brewer. Leave a Comment

Oy, we’re a little late today and apologies for that, but what are you going to do when there’s so much going on in the Atlantic Canada beer (and cider!) scene? It’s looking like a lovely day throughout most of the region, with a high chance of continued loveliness through the weekend – it’s almost enough to make you think that Spring is something you can believe in. Whether you choose to let yourself be lulled into a state of hopefulness or not, one thing that goes wonderfully with nice weather is beer! And, well, we can tell you a little bit about that…

Great news for beer fans in downtown Halifax, the Tiny Taproom rises again! After closing their spot for in-person enjoyment in March 2020 (you know, because of this pandemic), Tidehouse Brewing shifted their focus to curbside sales of their beer in cans. In the before times, grabbing a barstool at the 6-7 person bar top could kick off or wind down your night, physical distancing was definitely not a thing. Taking advantage of this not-completely-voluntary opportunity, the Tidehouse Team has completely renovated their space, and are now open again to all of us. Making their production space out back more efficient and streamlined (taking out their original plastic fermenters and replacing with four 500 litre tanks was a big help in that regard), put them in the position to extend the public space significantly. Capacity is now 16 (22 in a post-COVID world), which may mean them losing the title of smallest brewery taproom in the country, but we think they’re OK with that… So, what can you expect when you visit? In addition to being significantly larger, the space has a refreshed look thanks to B.A. Built (behind the Edna and Bar Stillwell looks and designs), and several tables so your bubble buddies can enjoy a pint or samples at low tops. 5 taps are flowing these days, with fresh Sotil, Hibiscus City, Bitchin Camaro IPA, Goth Stout, and Mars Imperial Stout, with a small number of cans available as well. That last one is their massive 11.5% ABV ImpStout with lactose, blackberries, and yes, Mars bars. Small pours on this one, fam!

Congratulations again to Shean and Peter and the entire Tidehouse Crew for weathering the storm and using it as an opportunity to expand their space and offerings! Pop by 4 PM – midnight, Wednesday to Saturday, 5187 Salter Street.

With last weekend’s ice all melted and some bluer skies in the forecast, now seems like the perfect time for a trip to Cape Breton for the release of Big Spruce Brewing’s newest beer, Début. This marks the first beer to spend time in their recently acquired 500 litre foeders. Brewed in the grisette style, Début also saw a dry hopping with Huell Melon hops and completed its entire fermentation in the foeders. Expect aromas of spice from the fermentation and melon from the hops, with notes of vanilla and honey on the palette. This one is making its debut (zing!) in kegs at the Sprucetique in Nyanza and in Downtown Dartmouth at Battery Park. 

The grass is always greener, they say and in PEI, Village Green is back with a new beer available today. Amarillo Pale is a Pale Ale brewed exclusively with Amarillo hops which gives it a great citrus flavour with some snappy bitterness. This 5.2% treat  is available today at the Cornwall brewery on tap and also in cans to go. 

Keeping up with new releases and news week after week, Bannerman Brewing is dropping two new releases today. First, Nothing But Time, is a new IPA that brings a unique flavour profile. With a grain bill consisting mostly of flaked and malted wheat, they massively dry-hopped this 7.5% IPA with El Dorado and Citra giving it a character that might remind you of candy and more specifically, Rockets! Available now on tap and in 473ml cans from the brewery; it will be at Marie’s this weekend. 

The second big release from Bannerman this week is a Thai-inspired lager with help from Namjim, a Thai based dining experience that serves out of different restaurants around St. John’s. Paradise Lost is a light and complex lager brewer with Pilsner malt, flaked rice and lemongrass. After being generously dry-hopped with Motueka and Sorachi Ace, this 5.0% ABV beer was conditioned on toasted coconut, lime leaf and lime zest. 

To celebrate the release, Namjim will be doing a kitchen takeover at Bannerman for Friday and Saturday (April 9th and 10th). The beer will be available only in 473ml cans from the brewery in limited quantities, so grab it while you can!

Down Lunenburg way, Shipwright Brewing is back to making some small batches for limited distribution (or at least we’re back to finding out about them in a timely fashion). The latest is one they’re calling Njǫrd Jötunn Saison, a 6.7% ABV saison at 30 IBU with a bit of a Scandanavian bent. Built on a grist of Shoreline Malting Pilsner and wheat malts, with a touch of acidulated malt in the mix as well, you can expect a balanced malt profile with some light graininess and a touch of honey sweetness. The hopping featured Eureka in the kettle for bittering, with late additions of Citra and Amarillo cryo hops for plenty of citrusy hop character. Completing the picture was a warm ferment with the Jötunn yeast blend from Escarpment Labs, which is a blend of a Norwegian Kveik strain and a saison strain designed to have a Viking deathmatch in the wort. Expect a bright and fruity beer with plenty of minerality and a touch of funk. Available on tap only at the brewery, and for growler fills and crowlers to go.

In cider news, Annapolis Cider Company in Wolfville dropped a new one last week, but a little too late for our pre-long weekend Thursday post. That’s okay, though, because it’s still showing in their online shop, so it’s still available! The latest in their Something Different series, Grape Mint has a pretty self-explanatory name, as it was blended with cryo-extracted grape juice and infused with plenty of fresh mint. Landing at 7.4% ABV, this sparkling cider leads with acidity, brings tropical pineapple and mango mid-palate, and then finishes clean with a cooling sensation from the mint, which is also present in the aroma. Sounds like this one would have gone well with Easter lamb dinner, but we’re sure it’s plenty tasty on its own too! As with all Something Different ciders from Annapolis, this one is in growlers only, and $0.50 from each fill will go to support a charity, in this case Campaign for Kids.

Fredericton’s Trailway continues to revisit some of their previous offerings, review them, revise them, and re-release them in a renewed form. This time it’s one called Imagination, an IPA brewed originally with Ekuanot and Loral (HBC 291), it now boasts so-new-it-doesn’t-have-a-name-yet HBC 630, Cashmere, Idaho 7, Sultana, and Columbus. But what’s more, this one has been upgraded to full DDH (that’s “double dry hopped”) status. This super hop-saturated fruity monster isn’t so monstrous when it comes to ABV, rolling in at 6%, which means you can almost certainly have two. Look for it on tap and canned at the brewery alongside a fresh batch of another of their hoppiest brews, Green Island. Act fast though, as both of these are in limited quantities and won’t be seen again for a while! Lastly, we told you about Trailway’s new light ale, Mully, a couple weeks back, a crisp and refreshing easy drinker at a paltry 4.0% ABV. That one is now in cans in addition to being on tap exclusively at JH Sports.

We mentioned back in March that Annapolis Brewing did a Pink Boots collaboration brew with folks from Church Brewing, Lunn’s Mill, and Sea Level for International Women’s Day 2021, and we promised you more details when it was released, so, well, here we are. Coming out this weekend is Glass Ceiling, a hazy IPA in the New England/Northeast style. At 5.5% ABV you could consider it on the more sessionable end of the style, with plenty of pineapple, mango, and coconut coming across from the Pink Boots hop blend, while a pleasant bitterness provides balance and a wheat-heavy grain bill brings the haze. Of course, proceeds from the sales will go to the Pink Boots Society, which provides scholarships for women in beer education around the world. We’re not sure exactly who’s going to have this one available, but we’d guess Annapolis for sure, so if you’re looking for some check there first!

Truro Brewing Company has a brand new light and crushable beer flowing from the taps today, Endless Summer. This 5.0% ABV Kolsch-style lagered ale is their answer to the “lawnmower” beers that many of us turn to as the weather warms and we may want a beer that refreshes first, without needing to think about it too much. While you probably won’t be grabbing ES by the flat, growler fills are certainly available at their spot and are a bit easier to juggle. 

Nova Scotian Homebrewers, fire up those kettles again (as if you need us to tell you that)! Truro Brewing has announced their Hubtown Homebrew Competition. They are looking for your best and most creative Patio Beer! Your $20 entry gets you a t-shirt, as well as a pitch of Escarpment’s Krispy Kveik liquid yeast, a perfect way to ferment something quick and crispy-ly. Judging takes place at the end of May (BJCP-Sanctioned, btw, so scoresheets with real feedback provided!), and the winning brewer will come in to TBC for a brew day with Jana and see their beer get a full release. There are only 20 spots for entries, so if you are keen, best fire them an email (trurobrewco@gmail.com) now!

Obviously a full slate of events still can’t really be a thing right now, but there are still a few things going on with proper social distancing and masking up and the hey-hey, so check them out!

Propeller Brewing is happy to announce that their Community Cask Night event will be supporting Prescott Group this month, with April’s events scheduled for tonight and two weeks from tonight. You can read more at their website for more details, but the short version is that they’ve been a non-profit organization in the area since 1962 and current support 160+ adults with disabilities through development of work and life skills. The cask for this evening will be Prop’s venerable ESB with an addition of coffee, while the April 23rd event will feature their Prime Lager dry-hopped with African Queen. As always, the casks will be tapped at 5 PM and will be served until they’re gone.

The last 12 months have seen far fewer beer nerds travelling outside of our bubble in search of new brews. Luckily, the good people at Stillwell continue to bring in the goods from elsewhere in Canada and beyond. This Saturday at HQ, they’ll be tapping three mixed ferm treats from Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery. Beginning at noon, you’ll find a Farmageddon variant with Niagara Montmorency and Morello cherries, the peach version of White Picket Fence, and Grandma, a foeder fermented golden sour. 

Are you a pro brewer looking to expand your knowledge of Berliner Weisse production? Maybe you’re just a curious homebrewer looking to get your lacto on? Whatever the case, check out the upcoming webinar from Escarpment Labs, livestreaming on April 20th at 12:00 PM (CBC voice: “12:30 in Newfoundland”). Escarpment will be joined by German brewer and beer historian Benedikt Koch, who will cover topics including the history and culture of the beer, and various production methods. Reserve your spot here. If you can’t make the livestream, look for the recording to be added to Escaprment’s YouTube channel on April 21. 

Our usual round-up of quick hits is right here:

North Brewing is switching things up this week with the release of a cider. Core Values, first made last spring on North’s smaller system, is made with Stirling’s Farms apples. Fermented with a Chardonnay yeast strain to the tune of 6.1% ABV, it spent six weeks undergoing a cold ferment/conditioning, resulting in a drier cider with notes of melon, citus, and you guessed it, apple. Cans of Core Value are available now through North’s retail channels and on tap at the Portland Street taproom and Battery Park.

Staying with Dartmouth ciders, Lake City Cider has a new one out this week that features a variety of methods and fruits. Strawberry Rhubarb is a 7.8% cider made from house-fermented strawberry rhubarb fruit wine, blended with apples. Expect prominent berry notes and a tart finish. Cans are available now through Lake City’s retail channels. 

This Saturday will see the return of the acclaimed Commissar Russian Imperial Stout at Unfiltered Brewing. The 2021 release comes in at 11.2% ABV and will be available in bottles and on tap next door at Charm School. Drink some now, and buy bottles for when the end of the world truly comes into focus…

We know plenty of folks who’ve missed Propeller’s Azacca session IPA and wish it were a full-year beer and not a seasonal, but life’s like that. The good news for that set is that the season is upon us and the 4.5% ABV and 30 IBU single-hop (Azacca, duh) beer is back at the Prop Shops and six packs are heading to the private stores, then NSLC in May, where you’ll be able to find it all summer long.

And speaking of the return of sessionable hoppy beers for the summer, 2 Crows has also brought back theirs! Matinee is just 3.1% ABV, but it packs plenty of flavor owing to being loaded with Citra, Galaxy, and Idaho 7 hops. Find it at the brewery now and coming next week to select NSLC stores.

A couple of jobs in beer on our radars this week, and expect to see these more and more as taprooms and breweries beef up their staff in preparation for the coming traveling season. Let’s go Bubble!

Lunn’s Mill in Lawrencetown, and their sister The Station location in Bridgetown, are hiring Servers, Bartenders, and Cooks to round out their FOH and BOH crew. Open to all with an interest in beer, wine, cider, and spirits or designing, preparing, and serving great food to pair, they’re looking for those with great customer service and working with a team. Tidy up that cover letter and resume, and send it through those tubes to info@lunnsmill.beer.

And if getting your feet (and probably hands and knees) wet in a brewery is more your speed, Chester Basin’s Tanner & Co Brewing is looking for an Assistant Brewer to join their team. With more production capacity coming soon, they’re looking to double production staff with a full-time Asst Brewer position. No previous commercial experience is required, though homebrewing and a thirst to learn more are both big assets to the job. While a seasonal job now, this could become permanent. Check out their Careers page to learn more and how to apply!