Well, we just couldn’t stay away… So much for taking a week off!! However, with two of your three faithful bloggers traveling this week, we’re keeping it to an all “Newsbites” edition, so this means we’ll have you on your way nice and quick this week, getting that pint in your hand even quicker. And seeing as flight delays meant blog delays today, you’re even closer to 5 o’clock!
Berwick, Nova Scotia is home to the newest brewery in the province, Smokehouse Nano Brewhouse. While their brewery is not open to visitors, their 4.9% ABV Erdbeere Strawberry Pilsner is currently available on tap at the Union Street Cafe in their hometown. We hope to have a full Profile with them in the coming weeks!
Our second new brewery this week, New Maritime Beer Company has launched their first beer in Miramichi, New Brunswick, just in time for Canada’s Irish Festival. Rising Tides Citra IPA uses, as the name implies, 100% Citra hops for a “bold and smooth citrus flavour, bursting with bright and juicy tropical tones with a hint of bitterness at the finish”. You can grab pints of Rising Tides at O’Donaghue’s Irish Pub immediately and Apero Lounge any minute now, while renovations are being completed at their Newcastle Blvd brewery and taproom.
Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing is releasing another in their line of barrel-aged bottles tomorrow, a collaboration with Agro Roasters in Vancouver. Hoopla is a 4.3% ABV that has quite the history: brewed in early 2018 from a base of Pils, wheat, spelt, oat, and Special Aromatic malts, it was lightly hopped with Calypso and aged East Kent Golding (going for preservative qualities and a bit of bitterness rather than flavour/aroma). Primary fermentation took place in new-to-2C tequila barrels with a mix of yeasts, and sat in the same vessel until transfer April 2019. At that point is was blended with a younger golden sour and had Agro-supplied Ethiopian coffee added (both whole bean and coarse ground) for a quick steep before packaging still, to allow for bottle carbonation and conditioning with champagne yeast. That’s quite the mouthful, and we’re sure the beer will be the same! Brewmaster Jeremy Taylor has known the Agro folks from his time on the West Coast, and was happy to finally have a chance to brew a collaborative beer with them, whose first iteration was inspired by 2 Crows’ invitation to the Hopwired coffee and beer festival earlier this year. Bottles are available from noon Saturday.
Two brand new beer dropping in Nyanza this week, thanks to Big Spruce Brewing. Elevensies is a 5.6% ABV English Bitter, staying true to style thanks to the addition of UK-grown Challenger hops, as well as Goldings grown at their brewery farm on the hillside. Chestnut brown in colour, with notes of caramel, dried fruit and bread. Also debuting this week is Nyanza Pils, a 5.0% ABV German-style Pilsner, crisp and clean, and ready for enjoying in volume while running through the hills at the brewery or in downtown Halifax. Plus keep an eye out for the return of Sublime Session IPA, a 5.0% ABV Session IPA double-dry-hopped with Mosaic and featuring an addition of Organic lime juice.
Lunenburg’s Shipwright Brewing has a new beer pouring this week, White Cap Belgian Wit. With equal parts Pale malt and Wheat, this hazy witbier was hopped with German Saphir, and features additions of orange peel (both sweet and bitter), coriander, and pink peppercorns for an extra kick. The best place to grab this 4.9% ABV Wit is at the brewery or downstairs at the Grand Banker.
St. John’s newest brewery, Bannerman Brewing, has two new beers pouring this week at their taproom: Pool Bar is a 7.0% ABV Milkshake IPA with coconut, pineapple, lactose, and vanilla, and hopped generously with Vic Secret. And Ultralight Beam is a 4.8% ABV light refresher, brewed with Pils malt and flaked rice, dry-hopped with NZ Motueka, with lemongrass and lime puree added to the conditioning tank. Grab both on tap for pints and growler and can fills right meow!
Port Rexton is celebrating Christmas in July tomorrow, with pop-up shops in the brewery, Oh My Cheeses cranking out their excellent grilled products, and the launch of a new beer. The currently-unnamed beer (more on that in a sec) is a 3.0% ABV Table Beer that is light and crushable, with citrus, floral, and tea notes, and will be pouring when the brewery opens at noon (the full Xmas in July event starts at 2 PM). The name will be chosen from the community suggestions entered for the beer, so who knows what it will be!
Tatamagouche has a banger of a beer available at the brewery right now, Chai Tea Wheat Wine. This 14.2% ABV (not a typo) is more than 2 years old, having hung out in Glenora barrels for quite the spell. Additions of Chai to the beer as it was transferred out of the barrels, was a special blend from tea-whisperer Phil Holmans at World Tea House in Halifax, to offset the toffee and caramels sweetness of the base beer. The only way to grab this beer is in 650 mL bottles from the brewery, so plan your visit to pick them up now! While there, grab cans of their Soaked Passion fruit Berliner Weisse, and bottles of the Crack of Dawn Breakfast Porter (brewed using bourbon-barrel-aged-coffee) to take away as well.
Montague’s Bogside Brewing has launched their product in cans this week. Grab their Brudenell Brown, India Session Ale, North Lake Lager, Spirit of Georgetown Gose, and Wheat Kings Weissbier at the taproom any time, and soon at your local PEILCC.
The duo behind Sourwood Cider invited the roving 902 BrewCast folks into their taproom last week, and that episode is now available for our enjoyment. Learn more about Jake and Kyle’s history with beer and cider, plans for the fermentory, and what makes their ciders so cool. Grab the episode here!
Hanwell’s Niche Brewing has a new APA on tap, Intergalactic. This 4.9% ABV beer is loaded with late and whirlpool Citra and Mosaic hops, then dry-hopped with more Mosaic and Galaxy. Find it around Fredericton and Saint John, and probably further afield soon too!
Long Bay Brewery has a brand new beer this week, King Berry. A 5.5% ABV Raspberry sour, it features loads of the fruit for a beautiful nose and flavour, as well as a lovely pink hue. Grab bottles at the brewery, with bottles hitting the local and province-wide ANBL soon, and kegs around the region as well.
Just one thing to look out for this weekend:
Toronto’s Indie Ale House is doing a bit of a takeover in Nova Scotia this week, with plenty of kegs pouring now at Stillwell and their Beergarden, a full tap take-over for growler fills at Bishop’s Cellar Saturday, with some bonus kegs pouring at The Highwayman and Church Brewing Company. Pop in to see what all the goodness is about!
No Outro this week, you’re all up to date, except we do strongly suggest you keep an eye on our social media for the launch of another brewery’s beer, hoping to be pouring this weekend!