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Friday Wrap-Up – Beer News from TrailWay Brewing, Railcar Brewing, Hammond River, Antigonish Townhouse, Garrison and much more.

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-01-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, Bad Apple Brewhouse, Boxing Rock Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Full House Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, King Street Ale House, Ladies Beer League, New Brunswick Beer Tours, North Brewing, Premier Wines, Railcar Brewing, Rockhead Wine & Beer Market, TrailWay Brewing. 1 comment

Happy Friday everyone! Grab a mug of coffee, or pint of Coffee Porter, as we’ve got another dose of beer news for you today.

• After a very successful response to their first release of Session IPA, TrailWay Brewing has brewed up another batch that should be released sometime today, or later this weekend. This easy-drinking and low-ABV (~4.4%) beer is hopped a bit differently than the previous one, featuring both Centennial and Comet. They also plan on releasing an Oatmeal Stout this weekend or shortly thereafter; coming in at around 5% ABV, it features up to seven different grain varieties in the mash, including plenty of roasted barley and chocolate malts – giving the beer “intense” flavors – as well as a good portion of organic oats to bump up the body.

• Speaking of TrailWay, they also have a brand new beer that they will be releasing during next Sunday’s Superbowl party at the King Street Ale House. A currently-unnamed American IPA, it was brewed with lots of Comet, Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascade hops, with Comet and Cascade also being used in the dry-hop, to give the beer lots of fruity and citrusy hop aromas. There’s no charge to check out the Superbowl at the KSAH and try this new IPA; just drop in for a pint! They’ll also have happy hour on regional beers, and food specials. And for those of you lucky enough to have tickets for the sold-out New Brunswick Beer Tour next Saturday, you’ll probably be getting a sneak preview of TrailWay’s new IPA at the conclusion of the tour at KSAH!

• Railcar Brewing has re-released their SMaSH IPA, and while brewed with the same malt (2-row) and hop variety (Cascade) as before, a different yeast strain was used for fermentation, resulting in a hoppier-tasting beer, according to owner/brewer Mitch Biggar. This very pale ale comes in at 5% ABV and 85 IBUs, and won’t last long, so get to the brewery ASAP! Also, Mitch just brewed an “Orange Rye IPA”, featuring six different malts, Cascade and Goldings hops, and real orange peel in the boil. Weighing in at ~7.7% ABV and 66 IBUs, look for this one to appear for growler fills at the brewery, soon.

• Hammond River has announced the results of last Sunday’s judging of their 1st Annual Homebrew Competition: Mike Hebert and Jason Dobbelsteyn brewed the winning entry, and will get to brew a full-size batch of their Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer on the HR system with owner/brewer Shane Steeves today, to be released in the near future. Second and third place were awarded to Marc Melanson and Liam Walsh, respectively. Congratulations to the winners, and we’ll have more info on the winning beer soon! Steeves had this to say about the event, “I was pretty happy with the turnout and had a lot of fun organizing it. I’ll definitely open it to all of the Maritimes next year.” Good news to the rest of the region’s homebrewers. We’ll be releasing details on this when we have them.

• And while we’re on the topic on Hammond River, this is as good a time as any to mention that they’ve confirmed that they will be expanding some time in the future, likely to a 15 bbl (~17 hL) brewery (that’s 15-times larger than their current setup). While the expansion is still in the planning stages, we’re looking forward to having Hammond River beers more readily-available to the masses!

• As mentioned last week, Antigonish Townhouse will once again be featuring Double Pumped Fridays today. Today’s bonus beer, joining Terry’s Bitter on the hand pumps, is Terry’s English IPA. A traditional English IPA, with a focus on balanced bitterness and traditional English hop (earthy and floral, rather than citrus or resinous) and malt (caramel and biscuit) aroma and flavours. This light copper-coloured beer weighs in at 4.9% ABV, and 47 calculated IBUs from some Cascade early in the boil for bitterness, and more traditional English hops Fuggles and East Kent Golding used for flavour and aroma. Complementing the traditional recipe is the cask-conditioned character of the IPA (and Bitter), and the Townhouse’s hand pump helps to deliver the a perfect pint. The beer will be tapped at 4pm, and won’t last long!

• And while you visit the Townhouse, perhaps you can sign up for their Camino de Santiago-inspired communal dinner, being held January 27th. Traditional Spanish fare from regions along the Camino and Spanish wine will be served, as well as photos and lively conversation about the walk from several previous trekkers. Tickets are $35, and can be reserved by email or phone (02-863-2248).

• Garrison Brewing has announced that they will be releasing a Rum Barrel-aged version of their Spruce Beer next weekend. Their 2013 release aged for 12 months in Ironworks Distillery Rum Barrels, was bottled earlier this month, and will be released Saturday, January 31st. They are holding a special day to commemorate it, Cellar Saturday. Details are a little thin, but we do know that they will be opening up the cellar to allow purchase of some of their bigger beers, worthy of cellaring and storing for months or years. The night before, they are hosting a vertical tasting of Ol’ Fog Burner Barley Wine, where folks can try a few ounces of each of the 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015 releases, plus the 2011 Barrel-Aged release. Attendees will also be able to enjoy snacks, and have first dibs on the beers available in the cellar. There are just over a dozen tickets left, so contact Justin at the brewery (902-453-5343 x225) today to secure your spot.

• Boxing Rock has announced that they will be celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8th) by teaming up with the Ladies Beer League to brew up something special, with a portion of the proceeds going to two local charities. The base style has not yet been decided, and the brewsters are looking for your input! Vote here for your favourite style. Also a quick note that the LBL has made their memberships available online, in case you haven’t had a chance to attend one of their events. And look for a return of Boxing Rock’s The Darkness Cascadian Dark Ale in a few weeks, as they were brewing up another batch of this popular seasonal this week.

• In order to keep up with demand, North Brewing has installed more hardware at their Agricola Street location. They received a 13 hectolitre brite tank this week, and will be taking delivery of a 23 hectolitre fermentor in March. And keep an eye on their Twitter feed for a special one-off cask of cold-brewed coffee-infused Milk Stout to be served at Smiling Goat Coffeehouse & Cafe at Bishop’s Landing later this month.

• There are only a handful of tickets available for the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, March 7th at the Fredericton Convention Centre. Breweries from all over the Maritimes and Quebec and Ontario will be attending and pouring their wares. The festival has also secured discounted rooms at the Crowne Plaza immediately across the street, which will make for a very short trip to the next pub.

• And speaking of beer festivals, tickets for the Full House Craft Beer Fest being held May 16 as part of the NS Craft Beer Week are still available, but the second session (4-7pm) is almost sold out. At $25 for 12 samples (additional samples are just $1), this will be a great opportunity to try almost all of the breweries and brewpubs in Nova Scotia in one place at one time. We expect to have more info on the Week very shortly, and will share the details with you.

• rustik magazine wrote a feature on local breweries using local and innovative ingredients in their beers. Check out the article, featuring Tatamagouche Brewing, Bad Apple Brewhouse, and Professor Gordon McOuat of University of King’s College, who teaches a course entitled Brewing Science.
• Premier Wines & Spirits is moving! At the end of the month, they will be moving to a new location in the North End of Halifax, at the Sobeys at 2651 Windsor Street (at the corner of North Street). To lighten the amount of inventory they will be moving, they are having a sale on many of their beers, wines, and spirits. We contacted manager Anthony Wight for some details on the sale and move, and he was able to give us the inside scoop: local (Pump House Red six-packs) as well as Canadian (Trou du Diable Grivoise de Noel), American (Anderson Valley Brother David’s Double and Triple) and European (Buxton Special Pale Ale) beers are on sale for 10-20% off. And a bonus for anyone taking part in the moving sale, they will receive a coupon for 15% off at their new location. A new location also means a new name, Rockhead Wine & Beer Market. Premier will be closing Wednesday, January 28th, and RockHead will be open Thursday the 29th. In addition to a more convenient parking setup (ie, they have some!), the new location will be offering growler fills. Their growler station will have four beer on tap at a time, with a focus on Nova Scotia beer. They will be offering their own branded growler, but will also fill other breweries’ 1.89 litre growlers, provided they are clean!
Be sure to track down some tasty and local beers this weekend! Petit-Sault has just released their Amber Ale, Louis XVII, in bottles in NBLC stores across the province. Grimross has been ramping up production to attempt to keep up with the high demand for their beers at their new brewery, and has a couple of old favorites – Pugnatious Porter and Rye IPA – now on tap for pours and growler fills. Picaroons hinted earlier this week that they’ve brewed another test batch of beer on their Brewtique system; they’re keeping details under wraps for now, but their SS Cocoa Beware is available at all four ANBL growler-fill locations this week; as always, check the ANBL list to see what is pouring near you. Tatamagouche Brewing Co’s collaboration with Stubborn Goat Gastropub, Horns Over Hooves Double IPA, has been spotted in the wild; catch it at the Goat, Bar Stillwell and Lion & Bright.

Friday Wrap-Up – News and New Beers from Gahan House Halifax, Railcar Brewing, Grimross, Hell Bay, Paddys Irish Brewpub and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-01-09
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Basset Hound Brewing, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Grimross Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Paddys Irish Brewpub, Railcar Brewing. Leave a Comment

Good morning, Beer Fans! With the extreme cold weather we’ve had this week, things have slowed down a bit more… but here’s a few tidbits of news to help warm you up a bit!

• Gahan House Halifax has a couple of new beers that we’d like to tell you about: This week saw the release of their latest seasonal, Winter IPA. Weighing in at 7.2% ABV, the beer features four different hop varieties, to 85 IBUs. It has a nice caramel and malt sweetness, but is well balanced by the hop bitterness. It joins the Gingerbread Unfiltered Amber Ale, which has been on for a couple of weeks. Brewed with an English yeast, the Amber base was enhanced using a specially-made chai syrup from Gahan’s Historic Properties neighbours, Two If By Sea. Catch them both at the brewery while you can, and the Pleasures and Treasures Maple Whiskey Porter is back on tap as well.

• As the weekend approaches, Railcar Brewing has several more new beers in the pipeline. Two of these are already pouring at the brewery:  their American Amber is a malty-sweet, reddish-colored beer that comes in at a very sessionable 4.5% ABV, and 18 IBUs, while the Irish Dry Stout was brewed in collaboration with Basset Hound Brewing (from homebrewer Justin Tompkins). This low-ABV (4%), roasty ale has a calculated bitterness of about 37 IBUs. Look for several new brews to follow shortly, including The Darkest One, a Black IPA that clocks in at a whopping 9.4% ABV and 55 IBUs, and is hopped with Cascade, Fuggles, and Goldings; Something Brown, a 5.5% ABV and 21 IBUs Brown Ale; and Chocolate Coffee Porter, a strong (8.8% ABV) dark beer which will feature a blend of coffee named River Valley Blend, from Fancy Coffee Services. And nope, that’s not all… Railcar owner/brewer Mitch Biggar plans on re-brewing a batch of his Biggar’s Best Bitter, a 7.5% ABV and 55 IBUs English Bitter, this weekend!

• Grimross currently has an online survey active that allows participants to vote on their favorite Grimross beer. Owner/brewer Stephen Dixon is looking for feedback on which beers to brew in the near future to fill up all five available taps at the newly-opened brewery/tasting room; this is also a way to gauge interest for new brews in the future! Hop on over and cast your vote; the survey will be closed by Monday.

• Liverpool’s Hell Bay Brewing has released the last version in their ongoing series, the R.I.P.(A.) IPA. This time around, the malt bill will be the same as the previous version, but is being hopped more assertively with six different hop varietals, for more bitterness and aroma. Their Chocolat (Chocolate Wheat Ale) is back this week as well, featuring a rum extraction of cocoa and vanilla beans to enhance the aroma and flavour of the dark roast and crystal malts. Both of these beers are available in growlers at the brewery, with a few kegs being sent to better beer establishments around the province.

• Paddys Irish Brewpub in Kentville and Wolfville debuted a new beer this weekend. The 542 Belgian IPA features American C-hops ( Centennial and ( Citra) and Belgian yeast for a fruity and tasty beer. The beer finished fairly low in gravity (2.8 Plato or 1.011 Specific Gravity) and 6.9% ABV, for a nice light body, and hefty bitterness, at 65 IBU. Drop by either Pub for a pint today!

If you’re out around Fredericton, you may want to stop by King Street Ale House and/or 540 Kitchen & Bar, as both should have the new TrailWay Session IPA on tap (see last week’s post for more info) by tonight or tomorrow. The brewers at Picaroons are starting to play with the smaller brew system at the Brewtique – they just brewed up a batch of unfiltered Best Bitter that we may see available in the near future. Garrison Brewing’s Black IPA is back again, and is now available in 650 mL bombers. Also, a reminder that tickets for this year’s Fredericton Craft Beer Festival are over 85% sold out, and their NB HopSpiel (February’s outdoor curling/beer event) is filling up fast, so don’t wait much longer to get your tickets/register your team!

Friday Wrap-Up – News and Brews from BarNone, Big Axe, Hammond River, Sea Level, Tatamagouche, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2014-12-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Burgers n' Beer, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Hammond River Brewing, Ladies Beer League, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Railcar Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Good morning! After a couple of very busy beer-news weeks, it looks like things have slowed down a bit… but there’s still quite a bit going on in the Atlantic Canada beer world!

• We have some more info on the new Sweet Stout (aka Milk Stout), La Vaca Loca, brewed by BarNone. This complex, dark beer was months in the making; co-owner/brewer Don Campbell had long wanted to brew a Sweet Stout with cacoa nibs from Island Chocolates in Victoria-by-the-Sea. Brewed with seven different malts, the beer has lactose powder added late in the boil to increase body and sweetness. During secondary, there are additions of the cacoa nibs (which have been soaked in alcohol), vanilla bean (also soaked in alcohol), and Belgian candy. On top of all this, Campbell saved some of the cacoa nibs for a final addition, or “dry-nibbing”. This 6.4% ABV Stout should be available soon! And their Imperial IPA, The Little DIPA, should now be on tap at The Pilot House and Baba’s Lounge in Charlottetown… go get some!

• Big Axe, meanwhile, has also provided more details on their newest beer, Wrath of Putin Imperial Pale Ale. A stronger beer at 7.5% ABV, it is hopped to 75 IBUs with two varieties – Centennial and Goldings – from Southan Farms. It is described by the brewery as having a “golden amber color” and “strong hop flavor with a clean malty sweetness”; look for it on tap in Fredericton at 540 Kitchen & Bar and Vault 29. Also note that Big Axe is currently closed for growler fills and retail sales until December 28th.

• Hammond River‘s Chocolate Coconut Porter, Into the Dark, is finally ready! Along with the toasted cacao nibs and toasted coconut, owner/brewer Shane Steeves decided to go ahead and add some steeped coffee from local roaster Java Moose as well. Sounds like a good idea to us! Look for this 6.3% ABV Porter on tap at the usual Hammond River accounts in New Brunswick over the next few days.

• Sea Level Brewing is bringing back one of their seasonals, High Street Wee Heavy Scotch Ale. Brewed to style, it’s a malty beer with a “sweet caramel taste”, accompanied by toasted and roasted flavors. A dark-amber, 6.4% ABV ale, you can find it now at the brewery in cans, and for growler fills. Look for it on tap in Halifax and the Annapolis Valley at select beer bars/restaurants, and in cans at the private liquor stores in Halifax.

• Tatamagouche Brewing has released their Festive Ale this week, Maple Squash Ale. Organic, locally grown and roasted Red Kuri Squash from Waldegrave Farms in Tatamagouche, along with organic Maple Syrup from Acadian Maple, were used to create this special beer. Malagash-grown Goldings and Willamette hops were used to balance  for a nice smooth finish, with a hint of spicing and sweetness on this 5.1% beer. It is on tap for growler sales at the brewery now, and will hit the local bars and be in bottles next week. For those not lucky enough to have picked up a ticket to the Festive Brunch with the Ladies Beer League at Bar Stillwell Sunday at noon, we expect there to be some still on tap at 4pm, when the bar is open to all. Look for merch and goodies from both TataBrew and the LBL that afternoon. And the LBL crew will be on hand to answer questions and chat about their membership and discount card, which will be released in January 2015. We have a preview of the discounts available here, looks like a great value for $25!
• Coming soon from TataBrew is their Oyster Cloister, an Oyster Stout. Yes, you read that correctly, an Oyster Stout! Brewed with the dark and roasty malts characteristic of a stout, Malagash-grown oysters were added to the boil for a special kick, and a faint saltiness to complement the roast character. Weighing in at 5.3%, it also features Tata farm-grown Willamette and Goldings hops. This brew will be released in growlers and 650 mL bottles, and your friendly neighbourhood pub, on December 31st.
• In preparation for their participation in the Craft Beer and Local Food event January 15th, the TataBrew Crew invited the Stubborn Goat Crew over for a brewday last week. Tyler, Evan and Josh assisted with the milling, mashing in and out, and measuring and adding of hops. Look for this special collaboration beer to debut on the 15th, and we’ll have more details closer to that date.

• Yellowbelly Brewpub in St. John’s has released their annual Mummer’s Brew seasonal beer. This year’s style is a Chocolate Coffee Porter, and weighs in at 6%. Maris Otter base malt with a healthy dose of Baird’s Black and Thomas Fawcett Roast Barley malts complete the bill. Light additions of East Kent Goldings and Willamette hops were used to balance the beer, to 30 IBUs. After primary fermentation (using a blend of American and British Ale and Champagne yeasts), Newfoundland Chocolate Company cocoa nibs were added to the tank, and Fixed cold-steeped coffee was blended in during transfer to the packaging tank. The resultant dark ruby-coloured beer features roast and chocolate notes, with some noble hop character, and a slight warming characteristic. The beer is on tap now, and bottles should be available next week.

• Coming soon from Yellowbelly is a Christmas Cider. This special release features fresh-pressed cranberry juice from the West Coast of Newfoundland, and is  drier than their Yellow Mellow Cider. The cranberries lend a pink hue to the body, and a fruit aroma that melds nicely with the apple character. This cider weighs in at 6.5%, and will only be available in bottles at Yellowbelly and the local NLC locations. Look for it in the next week or so.

• Distillerie Fils du Roi est situé à Petit-Paquetville, sur la Péninsule acadienne de nouveau brunswick. Ils produisent des esprits il y a deux ans, et ont récemment acquis l’équipement supplémentaire pour brasser de la bière. Leur première bière est Caraquet Flyer, nommé d’après un train qui a été utilisé dans la région dans les années 1880. La bière est du style Eisbock, en utilisant un procédure de congélation et l’enlèvement de l’eau de la bière pour permettre le niveau d’alcool se élever à 8,5%. La bière a a été approuvé par Revenu Canada, Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments et de la sécurité publique, mais est maintenant en attente d’approbation de la ANBL, qui malheureusement ne peut être accordée qu’après une réunion du conseil en Février 2015. Nous avons hâte d’essayer cette nouvelle bière, et futur bières saisonniers de la Péninsule acadienne.

 • Distillery Fils du Roi is located in Petit-Paquetville, on the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick. They have been producing small batch spirits for two years, and have recently acquired the additional equipment to brew beer. Their first beer is Caraquet Flyer, named after a train that was used in the region in the 1880s. The beer is an Eisbock, using a method of freezing and removal of water from the beer to allow the alcohol levels to rise to 8.5%. The beer  has been approved by Revenue Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Public Safety, but is now awaiting approval from the ANBL, which sadly may not be granted until after a board meeting in February 2015. We look forward to trying this new beer, and future seasonal brews from the Acadian Peninsula.

•  Railcar Brewing in Florenceville-Bristol is now offering CSB shares. Community Supported Brewing shares are available from the $125 to $500 level, offering at least 20% bonus return in beer and merchandise, plus invitations to special events, dinners and free brewery tours. Contact Mitch at the brewery for more details, and help support your local brewery!

• Unfortunately, the third Burgers n’ Beer event in Fredericton, which was scheduled for earlier this week on December 9th, had to be cancelled again due to poor weather conditions. However, it has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 6th (still at the uptown reLiSH location from 8:00 – 10:30 pm), and there’s still a few tickets available! Here’s hoping for better weather this time around!

• A reminder that today is the first day of the Picaroons 12 Beers of Christmas; the first beer will be released for growler fills (two per person maximum) at the Brewtique, and the style/beer will be announced online at noon. For those of you outside of Fredericton who are disappointed you won’t be able to take part, good news… Stillwell will be featuring a tap takeover on December 23rd, where all 12 Christmas-themed beers will be on tap at the same time! No charge, just show up to sample one, two, or all twelve beers while you’re out doing your last-minute shopping/trying to get away from the in-laws already.

Here’s hoping your weekend is filled with good beer! Shiretown has their Honey House Ale back on tap for growler fills at the brewery, and Garrison’s Spruce Beer is definitely being released at the brewery this morning (the bottling issues were resolved), and on its way to the private stores and other provinces as well. And congratulations to Jake Saunders, who is now the Brewmaster at Rockbottom Brewpub. Be sure to drop by and wish him a warm welcome, and look out for his first brew on the RB system to be released soon.