Happy New Year, craft beer fans! Things are still a bit slow in the beer world this week due to the holidays wrapping up, but we still have a bit of news for your end-of-week beer news cravings…
• The King Street Ale House in Fredericton will be hosting a beer and food pairing on Saturday, January 11th. Following a reception beginning at 5 pm, the four-course tasting will start at 5:30 and feature food prepared by chef Aaron Fraser, paired with various beers from the area, including Picaroons. Andrew Estabrooks, head brewer at Picaroons, will be present to talk beer throughout the tasting. No concrete details on the specific beers as of yet, but KSAH co-owner Doug Williams has confirmed there will be at least eight of them to taste, including ” a surprise or two”. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased at the KSAH; they’re just about sold out, so hurry to get yours! Proceeds from the event will go towards Saint John Ale House Chef Jesse Vergen and his family, whose house was stricken by a severe fire on Christmas Day.
• The Shivering Songs Festival will be held again this January in Fredericton, from the 23rd to the 26th, and once again Picaroons will be supporting the event through endorsements and providing beer at certain venues… including the final day Bluesgrass Brunch which will be held at the Boyce Farmers Market on Sunday, the 26th. Those of you who have tickets to the brunch may see a couple of the recently-released “12 Beers of Christmas” beers, including the Blitzen Coffee Stout (Timberhog infused with Java Moose coffee beans) and French Toast Beer (Irish Red infused with maple, cinnamon and coffee). Keep your fingers crossed!
• Great news for those of you living in Halifax, with regular access to Stillwell beer bar! They’ve extended their hours for 2014, so they will now be open on Tuesdays (that means every weekday now, 4 pm – 2 am), and their Saturday hours now begin at 12 noon (until 2 am). As before, they’re also open Sundays from 12 noon – midnight. Stay tuned to their Twitter and Instagram pages to keep up to date on what beers are flowing and which snacks are being served.
• Boxing Rock has announced that another batch of their seasonal Crafty Jack Brown Ale has been released. Look for it at the brewery, Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, and at the private beer stores in HRM late next week.
• Speaking of private beer stores, Harvest Wines has closed their Bedford location, and opened up shop at 268 Baker Drive in Dartmouth (adjacent to Sobey’s). Their beer fridges are up and running, so drop by for a look. They’ve promised to update their website soon, to allow online inventory checks and ordering.
Like I said, a bit of a slow week, but brewers need their rest too! Stay tuned next week, as we’ll have an update on Bridge Brewing’s first year in business, and how far they’ve come in such a short time. In the meantime, Happy New Year! If you’re going out today, stay safe (and call first to be sure the bar/restaurant/brewery/beer shop is open).