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Happy almost-Mothers Day to all of our readers who are mothers, moms, mums, aunts, female role models, and awesome beer, cider, and mead-enjoying women! We at ACBB appreciate and salute you for everything you do day in and day out. We also understand this can be a hard time for people as well based on their relationships, grief or whatever else can be wrapped into what you’re feeling. Whatever you’re feeling this weekend, we’re with you and will always raise a glass to you and yours❤️. Onto the news!

In case you missed it, Mount Uniacke’s first professional brewery is now open and selling beer to the public. Party Time Brewing is (currently) a one-person operation, selling beer in cans and growlers to those fortunate enough to live nearby. We published a full ACBB Profile with James Marshall earlier this week to learn about the man behind the beer. Since Wednesday, we’ve heard that the first kegs of PTB have been ordered, and are now pouring on draught in the wild! Battery Park on Ochterloney in Dartmouth has purchased both the Garage Party Blonde and Polar Dip Cold IPA. The Blonde is 4.5% ABV, and features a touch of Honey and Crystal malts to complement the Pale and Pilsner malt base, with a robust addition of Willamette to keep it interesting. The Polar Dip is staying true to the new Cold IPA style: the use of flaked corn keeps the body lighter than a traditional IPA, while plenty of Cascade and Citra are used in the whirlpool and dry hop. Congratulations again to Marshall!

In more “New Nova Scotia Brewery” news, Coldstream Clear Distillery has released a beer in their extensive portfolio of spirits and RTD bevies. Nova Scotia Lager is a 5.0% American Lager, ultimately brewed to be crisp, clean, and supremely enjoyable. Using their in-house pilot system, they brewed many trials of ingredients and techniques before being satisfied with the current recipe. Their 2000 litre brewhouse features a mash filter system, a rarity in Canadian Craft Beer, allowing for excellent control and 95% efficiency in the brewing process. Look for 12-packs of cans at Coldstream Clear locations in Stewiacke, Antigonish, and Dartmouth Crossing, as well as province-wide at NSLCs from Yarmouth to Sydney. Congratulations to Coldstream Clear on the launch of NS Lager, and we hope to share more about the brewery and expanded offerings soon!

A bit of (good and beer related) news out of Spryfield, as Serpent Brewing has a limited release out now. Riff is a Belgian Table Beer that’s 5% ABV and has a very complex profile. Bringing some flavour of peach, field berry, white pepper and white tea, this features some good partnerships we need to highlight! First, the beer is created as a celebration for NovaFest, as NSCC students will be doing musical performances at the Serpent taproom every Tuesday night in May. The beer also features Peach White Tea from World Tea House, along with a blend of fieldberries as an addition to the beer. Lastly, the more standard beer ingredients feature a Belgian yeast from Ardenne to bring the white pepper notes, along with biscuit malt to have a nice, balanced backbone for the ale. There is a lot to chew on here and we can’t wait to try it. This is currently available on tap at the brewery for pints only (no growler fills) and this weekend there will be a small can release. The kitchen and patio will also be opening this weekend, so there’s even more reason to head to the brewery!

If you’re tied into the beer scene in the Annapolis Valley you might be aware that Annapolis Brewing picked up some fermentation vessels from the (sadly) defunct Bad Apple Brewhouse. What you might not know, however, is that the recipe and naming rights for BA’s classic West Coast IPA, Boxcutter, was also part of the deal. Not only that, but they’ve already gone ahead and put a batch together that’s available now! Although he wasn’t on-site for the brew, Bad Apple’s Jeff Saunders was heavily involved in the process of scaling the recipe to Annapolis’ system and ensuring that the water profile and ingredients were the same. That said, beer can vary from batch to batch even within the same brewery, so while it may not be exactly as you remember, it’s certainly made with the same spirit as the original! Coming in at 6.9% ABV, expect a resinous hop character with notes of pine and citrus paired with a balancing malt backbone. Fans of this beer were sad to see it disappear; you can find out why for yourself by visiting the Annapolis taproom in Annapolis Royal for a pint. You can also expect to see it appear in beer bars around the province and hopefully, in the future, at retail as well!

There may still be snowfall warnings in parts of Newfoundland, but there is new beer, too! Ninepenny Brewing out of St. John’s (more specifically CBS, as the locals would tell us!) has a new release in their hop series. The second release of their NPT Experimental IPA Series, M2 is a Voss Kviek IPA. This one is a big deal for the Ninepenny crew, as they’re calling it their haziest, juiciest and dankest beer, yet. Packed in the boil are Mosaic and Cascade hops, then Idaho 7 and Cryo Pop join the fray for some dry-hopping. This is the first time they’ve used any sort of Cryo hops and they’re thrilled with the result. The Cryo Pop blend is designed to bring a big dry-hopped punch of citrus and tropical and stone fruits. The beer has low bitterness and comes in at 4.7% to be juicy, hazy and enjoyable. This is canned and available now at the brewery and some local distribution in the coming week. There were only 90 flats of cans produced here, but it is also available for pints in the taproom.

Trailway Brewing news out of Saint John (still gotta get our heads around that), as Union House by Trailway has a new beer in cans and on top. Pipe Dream is a Session IPA that is brand new and inspired by Pipe Mania, the old video game. This is a dank, fruity and flavourful Session IPA that packs a lot into its 4.8% body. Fermented with Verdant yeast (a balanced yeast that brings a bit of body and highlights some apricot notes) and features a hop bill of Citra Cryo, Topaz and Idaho 7. This beer is clean, fruity and refreshing and is available now from the Saint John location, and of course their HQ in Fredericton.

Other news out of Trailway is around that food truck they bought and they need some attendants and cooks to work in it! If you’re interested in talking to customers, cleaning, stocking and working with a fun team on Main Street Fredericton, send your resume in here

Congratulations are in order to Lazy Bear Brewing of Smiths Cove, as they celebrate their Seventh Anniversary this month. Next Friday, May 19, they will be firing up their on-site pizza oven, and for the rest of the summer Firebox will be operating both Thursdays and Fridays. Lewis Hodsgon will be providing live music that evening, and of course, there will be great beer flowing! You will be able to try the new Coastal Light 4.0% lager, as well is their new 3.5% ABV Hard Ginger Ale. Oh, and their house-made gelato, too! And don’t forget that they attend the Annapolis Royal Farmers Market held every Saturday, with May 20 being the first of the outdoor markets for the year.

Scholarship alert! North Brewing is back with their Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship which includes $1500 renewable for up to 4 years plus guaranteed summer employment for the duration of their education. Presented and founded with Beer Diversity (and the wonderful Ren Navarro) and Change is Brewing Collective. If you know someone of age and interest, please pass this along to apply, as the deadline is July 31. This is incredibly important work and we need it to facilitate change within our society. Many students are not very familiar with the craft beer industry or the harassment and problems within it. Support North, support change and help spread the word on this important scholarship. Check out the link here for more details. 

We’ve got a short and sweet (but the cans are tall) update from Propeller Brewing, Tropic Haze is back. This is a summer ale that is now a staple in Prop’s seasonal rotation. Bringing big flavours in a refreshing summer ale, this wraps up flavours of mango, passionfruit and dragon fruit with a golden blonde and hazy package. Coming in at 5% and 473ml cans, this is available in the 3 Propeller shops, online for delivery, private stores in Halifax  and certain NSLCs. 

Before we end this week, we are compelled to remind our readers, and ourselves, that despite the many exclamations of “Good Job!”, “High Five!”, and “We Rock!” we all want to share, Beer is not yet for Everyone. After a particularly jarring and problematic session and interactions at this week’s Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, there was a distinct lack of proactive support for those affected. Not to mention the choice to hold the conference in Tennessee, a state that is absolutely unwelcoming, sometimes dangerous, to the LGBT2S+ community. We encourage members of provincial and national brewery associations to reach out to their groups to see what they are doing to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. Canadian Craft Brewers Association. CBANS. CANB. NLCBA. PEICBA. (The fact that we cannot find a public link to the latter two is disturbing in its own right…)

It’s the weekend folks, and we’re totally being teased with a bit of summer. While we’re not in the Big Smoke with the dome open watching the Jays, we have had some 15ºC temperatures and sunny days that pair perfectly with April patio days. We’ve got news below from all four of our Atlantic provinces and some Canada-wide news too. Take a read, share with a friend and don’t be a stranger on our Twitter and Instagram!

Starting our week on PEI, Lone Oak has a small-batch cider release to kick off the fun. Starting from freshly- pressed Cortland and Mac juice from Red Shore Orchards, the Lone Oak team added a hybrid of Saison yeast and Brettanomyces, and allowed the little beasties to do their thing! Taking the low, slow, and hands-off route, the yeasts chewed away until very little residual sugar was left, resulting in a dry, lightly funky, and flavourful cider that has been bottled still (no carb). No burps or bloating, nice! Due to its small scale, the 6.0% ABV Farmhouse Cider is only available from Lone Oak’s Borden-Carleton Brewery and Milky Way Brewpub locations.

Over in Paradise, Banished Brewing has just celebrated the opening of their taproom (open Wed-Sun), and have followed it up with the release of a collaboration with downtown St. John’s Portage Restaurant. Melding minds with Portage’s Ross Larkin and Celeste Mah, they have developed a supremely food-pairable Czech Pilsner, Portage Světlý Ležák 12°. When designing their brewhouse, the folks at Banished wanted to be able to brew a wide variety of beer styles using the proper techniques, which paid off in spades for the Pils, as they were able to use the traditional decoction techniques believed to bring out the complexity of the Pilsen Malt from Czechia. Of course, they also sourced Saaz grown in Czechia, and fermented cool with Isar Lager from Escarpment Labs. Pale in colour, full of character, and ready to take with you on your canoeing adventures this summer! Thanks to the folks at Bines and Vines, to celebrate the launch the Czech Ambassador to Canada, Bořek Lizec, visited the brewery and celebrated the strong ties between Canada and Czechia. Portage is available on side-pull now at both the restaurant and brewery, as well as good beer bars and retailers (cans) around the city.

We’ve got a very cool release coming straight out of George Street! Yellowbelly Brewery has a new release named after the famed pub in downtown St. John’s (which they are part owners of). O’Reilly’s is a Lagered Ale dry-hopped with Cashmere that brings big notes of citrus, melon and peach. Packaged in 500ml bottles with an O’Reilly’s themed label, this very drinkable 4.7% ABV beer is available now in wide release at certain NLC Stores (cans) and at the source (pints and fills).

Up the road to Mount Pearl we find Landwash Brewery, who have teamed up with Andersons Butcher located on Water Street St. John’s. Butcher’s Brew is a 5.0% Vienna Lager, which is a style known for a hint of malt, but still being crisp and clean. Great with a cold cut sandwich or backyard BBQ, we figure! Landwash’s take on the style started out in last summer’s BBQ Mixed Pack, and has graduated to stand on its own. Grab it at the brewery this weekend.

Also new from Landwash is Field Day, their first foray into a Wheat-forward beer. Inspired by the Belgian Witbier style, this unfiltered wheat beer was fermented with an appropriate yeast to give a hint of phenolic spiciness, enhanced by the coriander, as well as orange and grapefruit peel added to the brew. The resulting beer is bright and refreshing, and at 4.8%, a nice complement to your day exploring the fields near you! Available at the brewery and their regular retail partners shortly.

Moving to Moncton (something you may actually hear people say!), Tire Shack Brewing has a brand new beer to pair up with the warming weather. Dry-Hopped Sour is exactly what you’d expect, but trying to bring those IPA flavours to a tart and sour beer. Soured with a Lactobacillus strain, and subsequently dry-hopped with Simcoe and Mosaic, expect the sour and tart flavours of fuzzy peaches, blueberries and a subtle aroma of bubble-gum. It’s an easy drinking sour with an ABV of 7.1% and is available now in cans and on tap. Also, this weekend at the brewery, there’s a 2pm to 8pm pop-up kitchen from Euston Park both Saturday and Sunday for a beautiful weekend! Ed note: this paragraph was left out of the original version of this post. Sorry!

Staying near Moncton (which you don’t hear a lot of people say), Dieppe’s CAVOK Brewing has a brand new big release that’s been aged to perfection. E-CLIPSE is a bourbon barrel-aged stout that spent its time in a Buffalo Trace barrel for 6 months. Featuring complex flavours with a smooth bourbon flavour of vanilla and a bit of molasses, this is 10.8% and packaged in 750ml bottles. Bottles are limited (145 or fewer!) and it’s also available on tap at the brewery right now!

The fine folks at Good Robot are continuing to up the intensity with this week’s new release, Tropical Storm Category 5. The 2nd release in the Tropical Storm series, this is an IPA that aims to tone down the bitterness from typical IPA’s and up the fruity flavours. Using a hop bill of Falconers Flight, Sabro and Vic Secret, these hops bring notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, and coconut. Expect a hazy, tasty 5% approachable IPA available online, and at both Good Robot locations. 

Also new in Robot news, Uncle Giggles has a new entry on its family tree. Great Uncle Giggles is a new pale ale release that both maintains and changes the recipe from the original Uncle Giggles. Since moving brewery locations to Elmsdale, the Robots have started using a piece of equipment called a Hop Egg that can handle yeast pitching, mixing, adjunct blending, dosing and other cellar additions, but which also works great for dry-hopping, as it eliminates the need to open the tanks for additions. Aiming to keep the clean, orange citrus and crisp flavours, they’re leveraging the hop egg for this new beer. This is the only recipe Good Robot has that uses hop oil and they’re trying to get this beer staying fresher for longer. It comes in at 5.1% and it’s available online and at both Robie Street and Elmsdale locations. 

Over in Spryfield, Serpent is releasing a Belgian inspired take on a NEIPA with Space Cadet. The Belgian influence comes via a Witbier yeast, leading to lots of fruity esters. A generous dosing of Ahtanum, Amarillo, and Mandarina Bavaria hops adds some additional citrusy notes. This one comes in at 6% ABV with a moderate bitterness of 45 IBUs. Cans are available this weekend at the brewery. And if beers aren’t your thing, they’ll also be releasing their first seltzers in cans and on tap this weekend.

There’s a few beery events coming up in the next month and a bit to tell you about, including one of the beeriest events in the Canadian Beer Calendar:

Another reminder that Halifax is hosting the Canadian Brewing Awards Conference June 1 – 3, and there is still time to take part! Tickets are available to purchase now, and they are still putting out the call for volunteers to help keep everything moving smoothly. There are lots of opportunities for those looking to take part, all day and evening Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3, at the Halifax Convention Centre. Registration of attendees, prepping swag bags, set-up of rooms, bar service, preparing trophies, and much more! We probably don’t need to tell you that there are lots of beery perks to this gig! If you are interested and available, contact Megan to sign up!

A little sooner than that is a Brewer’s Dinner at Seaport Social, located in the Westin Hotel at the South end of Hollis Street. On April 30th, Jeremy Taylor of 2 Crows will be leading a tasting menu of dishes prepared by Chef Jason Townes and his team. Five courses will be served, with beers to complement and/or contrast and the stories behind them all. As this is a special event, reservations ahead of time are required. Please call 902-240-7608 to grab a seat at the table!

The week before that, you should be at the Stillwell Freehouse for a Trio of Powerhouses, as Toronto’s Godspeed Brewery and CODA Ramen take over the taps and kitchen on Agricola Street April 23. Look for well-crafted European-inspired lagers and flavourful broths and dishes, all in a relaxing atmosphere. Reservations will be required, look to Stilly’s IG feed for details when they go live, later today.

A couple last quick mentions to inform your beer buying for the weekend!

It’s not just the weather that’s been feeling the siren call of summer, a couple of HRM-area breweries are already bringing back their summer après softball crushers.  Propeller’s Lime Lite is back, baby, and so, too, is Toller Lime from Spindrift. Both are crisp, clean, and refreshing with a touch of extra thirst quenching citrus. The former can be found at all Prop shops and online for Canada-wide delivery. The latter is available, of course, at Spindrift’s locations in Burnside and Antigonish for pints to stay and fills or cans to go. Both are available at Harvest Wines, Rockhead, and West Side, with Toller Lime also expected to be at Bishop’s Cellar. Maybe grab some of each and A/B them, or at least figure out which one will be your go-to for summer electrolyte replenishment!

Fredericton’s Half Cut Brewing has something freshly canned for your weekend pleasure. Fanny Pack is an India Session Ale, coming in at a light ‘n lovely 4.5% ABV with plenty of hop character. Only available at the brewery for now, it sounds like an ideal beer for hopheads on a sunny weekend in April.

Bootleg Brew Co in Corner Brook has a new tiny beer available in cans, and on draught soon, at their retail shop. The 2.8% ABV Near Near – Boot Lite is sometimes exactly what you’re looking for in a beer: cold, wet, and close to water.

Welp, let’s get this out of the way. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and yours. While today is a fine day to drink a well-made local stout, we figure any type of beer, cider, or mead will be just perfect to toast the patron saint of Ireland. Plenty of new beers hitting the taps and shelves this week, with local breweries and cideries celebrating the date with live music and events too. So grab a lunch-time beer and read what you can soon be enjoying at your favourite watering hole.

There’s a new beer on tap for pints and growlers at North Grant’s Half Cocked Brewing, perfect for kicking off your weekend celebrations. Jughead is an 8.2% Double IPA, featuring plenty of Simcoe hops in the boil and after. But don’t be scared away, the bitterness is not too high, as aroma and flavour are first and foremost in the beer. Pine and citrus are the order of the day, and clarity in the golden-amber beer is what you’ll spot in the glass. Pop out today, and you’ll also be able to enjoy some holiday food pairings from The Crafty Cooks, the food truck set up steps from Half Cocked’s front door. And for those unlucky enough to not be in the area, fingers crossed that there may be some kegs heading into the big city before too long.

Moncton’s Happy Brewing has a new beer pouring this week, something light and easy drinking, for those who want to enjoy more than a couple this weekend. Flowers is a 4.7% Light Lager, crisp, light, but with craft beer roots and flavour. Using Pilsner malt, as well as flaked rice to keep the mouthfeel nice and crushable, it features a nice dosing of Motueka hops to impart some floral notes with a hint of green apple. Pop by their spot on Main Street for a taste this weekend!

In anticipation of the East Coast Music Awards coming to Halifax May 3-7, the Craft Beer Collective sponsors of the event (Breton Brewing, Garrison, Grimross, Quidi Vidi, and Upstreet), have released this year’s beer, EMCAle, Track 3: Halifax. Brewed at Halifax’s Garrison Brewing, this 4.5% Wheat Ale is hazy as it was not filtered, and features german Hallertauer hops to enhance the grain bill, for a fruity nose and just slight bitterness. Easy drinking in quantity, which is perfect, as the sale of each can will see $0.50 donated to the ECMA to continue to showcase and grow the region’s music community and industry. Find it at Garrison’s locations today, as well as provincial and private stores in the province, with roll out to the other provincial liquor stores in the coming weeks. And better yet, it will be available at all of the venues during the May live music events throughout Halifax!

Back in Nouveau-Brunswick, Trailway celebrated a big milestone last weekend with the opening of their Saint John location, Union House. If you’re in town, let us know how those tasty-looking smash burgers are hitting. The new location isn’t slowing them down from new releases, with two new ones to tell you about this week. First up is the newest addition to the Hu Jon family, Hu Jon Ultra. Fans of low-ABV beers are in for a treat, with this super-session IPA coming in at 1.5% ABV, but still bringing the big hop-forward aromas and flavours you’ve come to expect from Hu Jon. If you’re looking for something with a more traditional ABV, check out their second new release, Touching Base. Originally brewed for last weekend’s Freddy Craft Beer Fest, this one uses the experimental HBC 1019 hop which brings big peach and stone fruit notes and comes in at 5.6% ABV. Cans of both releases are available now at the brewery and through their online store. 

Originating in PEI, the Gahan House brand has spread across Atlantic Canada with locations in all four provinces. Gahan is taking advantage of that scale in their new Gahan House Seasonals series, which will feature small batch beers available only at their restaurants/taprooms. First up is Simcoe IPA, a 6.1% ale brewed out of the Nova Centre location in Halifax. Look for notes of tropical fruit, peaches and pine notes from the Simcoe, Centennial and Columbus hops. This one is on-tap or available in cans to-go from all Gahan locations. 

Up next is a taste of ‘The Good Life’ in Tatamagouche with the release of Dolce Vita. This one started as a Belgian-style saison that underwent a mixed-fermentation before aging in Pinot Noir barrels. Expect an effervescent carbonation from the complex fermentation, with vinous notes from the barrel and pear, honeydew and earthy aromas. The oak barrels also lend some vanilla and almond flavour to the 7.3% ABV saison. 500 ml bottles are available now at the brewery and through their online store. 

We’ve mentioned Phantasm a few times over the last year. This new product is made from NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grape skins and releases Thiol precursors in a beer which can then be “unlocked” by particular yeast strains to allow way more tropical and fruity notes to make their way from the glass to your nose. Tusket Falls Brewing has an interesting experiment on the go with two versions of their Next Phaze IPA. Both beers use the same yeast and hop additions, with Idaho 7 in the mash, a Citra whirlpool addition, and a Riwaka dry-hop. The version released two weeks ago stops there, but their newest release was also brewed with Phantasm, presenting an opportunity to try both alongside each other to get a feel for what those extra Thiols can do in a beer. Coming in at 6.4% ABV, both versions are available on tap and in cans at the Halifax and Tusket locations now. 

A quick hit from Antigonish’s Candid Brewing, as they’re getting into the mood with an Irish Red Ale. Sociable is 4.8%, pours a deep red with an off-white head, and is easy-drinking, ready for many raises of the glass this weekend at their College Street taproom.

Hot on the heels of Larger Than Larry, the special batch of Lawrencetown Surf Session Ale brewed up by North Brewing with Team Stillwell for North’s 10th Birthday Party at Stilly HQ, comes another version of Larry, this one more of a junior to LtL’s senior. Lawrencetown Skate Session Ale is a little lighter than regular Lawrencetown, coming in a 4.0% ABV, and features some different hop varieties that yield a floral and fruity vibe in a still-hazy package. Intended to be a perfect après skate beer, this one is being released to benefit the Lawrencetown Skatepark Project, a grassroots effort to get a skatepark built in Lawrencetown Beach. While $0.50 from every can sold will go towards this initiative, North is also getting behind this event in a bigger way by hosting a launch party for the beer on Monday, March 20th, from 6 – 10pm at their Portland Street taproom. No tickets are required, but donations will be accepted and will result in an entry for a sweet doorprize. 

If you’re looking to work in craft beer in the region, we know some folks who are looking for crew!

Just one job to tell you about this week, as Lone Oak is looking to expand their team in Borden-Carleton. With more fermenters on the way, they need some help filling them, and then emptying them, which is where you come in! They are hiring a Brewer to work with Spencer and the gang, as well as a Packaging Technician, as well as a Delivery and Warehouse Assistant. All three positions are full-time, with wages starting at $18/hour. Reach out to LOB directly to learn more and apply!