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Brasseurs du Petit Sault – A New Belgian-Style Brewery Opening Next Year in New Brunswick

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-11-20
Posted in: Profiles. Tagged: Brasseurs du Petit Sault. 7 comments

BPS-logo500x525We never get tired of writing these words: yet another new brewery is in the planning stages to open soon in Atlantic Canada! A “community-owned business” where many shareholders have already invested in the business, Brasseurs du Petit Sault will be located in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The brewery is headed by a three-member Board of Directors: André Léger, president, is owner of a web development firm in Edmundston; André Morneault, a consultant in enterprise software architecture, will be in charge of brewery equipment; and Mychèle Poitras, Communications Director for the city, will be in charge of communications and marketing for the brewery. The brewery also has a new General Manager, André P. Leblanc, who has been passionate about beer for over 30 years, and has worked in the industry throughout Europe and Canada (including Cantillon and Unibroue). We exchanged emails recently with Mychèle to get some more information on this new brewery…

ACBB: With the three of you on the Board of Directors having different professional backgrounds, what made you decide to open a brewery?

Mychèle Poitras: We love beer! We’re also passionate about our community and found in the microbrewery the perfect project to “quench our thirst” for community development, and for getting great beer brewed locally.

What steps have you taken so far getting everything up and running?

We are finalizing our financial structure. We really wanted this to be a community project, so getting a group of investors together took a lot of time. But now we’re getting down to business. Our site is currently under construction in Edmundston’s old police station downtown. Brewing equipment has been ordered and we are developing the recipes for our first beers.

What type of system will you be brewing on?

We will be using a 15 BBL [465 U.S. gallons, or 17.5 hectolitres] brand-new DME system.

Do you currently have a brewer, or brewers, employed at the brewery?

We don’t have a brewer yet, but are putting out a job offer next week. Anyone interested should keep an eye on our website, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed.

What are your plans for distribution?

We will be going through ANBL stores and offering on-premise sale through our brewtique for off-premise consumption. A brewpub is not in our plans, as we will be working closely with the local established bars and pubs instead.

Any plans for growlers, bottling, etc.?

Yes, we absolutely plan on selling growlers, and of course, bottles and kegs. The market’s reactions to these will help us adapt our packaging strategy if need be.

Are you planning on offering a specific style, or styles, of beer?

Yes, all Belgian-inspired beers, which will distinguish us from most beers in the area.

Can you tell me about the beer(s) you plan on offering initially?

We plan to offer two beers from the start – a Belgian Blonde Ale and a Witbier. Within a few years we should have between 7 and 10 beers on offer.

Any seasonals, one-offs, or will you stick mainly with a “flagship lineup”?

Seasonals will be part of our offering which will complement our standards.

Have you had any assistance from other breweries in Atlantic Canada?

On a technical point of view, no. But we have the same guiding motif as many of them, such as Picaroons (Sean Dunbar) and Acadie-Broue (Patrice Godin), which is to develop the industry as a whole. We’ve had a number of discussions with Sean and Patrice and have found in them kindred spirits and a true willingness to collaborate on a number of levels, particularly when it comes to promoting local suppliers and cultural identities.

With the recent increase in the number of new breweries in Atlantic Canada, what will make Brasseurs du Petit Sault different from other breweries in this part of the country?

It will be in Edmundston, a unique part of New Brunswick with an almost 100% francophone culture – we’re not sure, but this could explain the Belgian thing :-). With over 80 investors and partners at different levels, it’s a true community project.

Where do you hope to see your brewery in the next 2-3 years?

By then, we aim to be a well-established and well-reputed microbrewery, promoting local products, regional supplies and craft brewing development as a whole through the production and sale of high quality, Belgian-inspired local beers and a firm favourite for locals and tourists alike.

We’re very excited to welcome Brasseurs du Petit Sault to the mix of upcoming breweries! Look for them to be open by late May or early June, 2014. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on their progress, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more information. For those of you fluent in French, head here for a blog written by the Board of Directors this summer, providing a little more info on their story. Note that they are currently working on a new bilingual version of their website. 

Avec l’aide de Mychèle, nous avons traduit cet article en français pour nos lecteurs francophones.

King Street Ale House Opens in Fredericton

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-11-14
Posted in: Beer Bars/Restaurants. Tagged: King Street Ale House. 1 comment

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After months of waiting, residents of Fredericton (and beyond) can breathe a sigh of relief – the King Street Ale House, the newest restaurant/beer bar in the city, has finally opened! Yesterday afternoon (November 13th), the doors were opened to the public for the first time.

Located at 546 King St. in downtown Fredericton, the restaurant is owned by Doug Williams and Shane Fraser. Doug and Shane previously owned a popular restaurant in Fredericton that was closed due to a fire in early January; in many ways, the KSAH is an improvement on that location, with a bigger menu, more seating, and most importantly… more beer!

SPEAKING of beer, the KSAH will definitely not disappoint. The tap selection is one of the largest in Fredericton, with 24 draught lines, featuring lots of local beers including Grimross, Picaroons (with an exclusive beer brewed just for the KSAH, a Smoked Porter called “Ember Ale”) and Pump House, along with other Canadian breweries, such as Unibroue and McAuslan. Throw in several European offerings (Delirium Tremens, Mort Subite Kriek, and Erdinger Weissbier, to name a few), and you’ve got a lot of great beer on tap!

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The beer storage room!

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Front seating area

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A few of their many taps…

What about the bottle selection? Yeah, you’ll probably like that, too. Featuring over 140 different beers from all over the world (heavy emphasis on Canada, the U.S., and Europe, of course), many are beers that you normally can’t find in New Brunswick. With styles ranging from English Bitters to Imperial IPAs to Schwarzbier, the only problem beer drinkers will have is deciding WHICH beer(s) to order.

The large menu looks fantastic as well, with a strong emphasis on barbecue. The KSAH has a new smoker capable of smoking up to 240 lbs of beef, pork, chicken, and cheese… and more!

I think it goes without saying that we’re very happy that Doug and Shane are back with another beer bar/restaurant for Fredericton, and wish them the best of luck with their new location! Follow the KSAH on Twitter and Facebook for beer and menu updates. Their hours are 11:30 am – 12:00 am Monday to Wednesday, 11:30 am – 1:00 am Thursday, and 11:30 am – 2:00 am Friday and Saturday (closed Sundays).

Friday Wrap-Up – Red Rover to Open Ciderhouse Soon, Today is Stout Day, New Beers from Big Tide, Shiretown, Yellowbelly, Boxing Rock and more

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-11-08
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Authentic Seacoast Brewing, Beerthief, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Red Rover Brewing, Shiretown Beer, YellowBelly Brewery. 2 comments

Happy Friday, everybody! That means it’s time for some Atlantic Canadian Beer News:

• Living in New Brunswick and waiting for an update from Red Rover Brewing? Well, good news… they recently announced (via an email bulletin to supporters, or “Red Roverlutionaries”) that they moved into their new location – the “Ciderhouse” – in mid-September! Over the past six weeks, plenty of equipment has been trickling in, along with their first shipment of apples… about 56,000 lbs worth! They have finally received their liquor license, and should begin brewing cider as soon as juice has been pressed. While the first batches of cider likely won’t be available until sometime in January, they hope to have their retail shop at the Ciderhouse open before Christmas, so you can purchase merchandise, including 1-L fliptop growlers (with refill certificates to be used when the cider is available). Right now, the plan is to have at least three different cider varieties on tap; in addition to growler fills, the cider should start popping up at different beer bars and restaurants in the province.  For those of you who aren’t supporters, it’s not too late to become one! Click here for details. For more info on Red Rover, check out our interview with them from May.

• For those of you who love your dark beers… today is International Stout Day! It’s the third year of the now-annual event, and beer bars and breweries around the world are releasing special beers and planning events to celebrate the several beer styles in the Stout family. Garrison Brewing Co. is having a “Stout Day Challenge”: participants can take a picture of themselves drinking Garrison’s Martello Stout and tweet it with the hashtag #MartelloStout and #StoutDay along with the beer bar/restaurant location. The winner will receive a Stout Gift Pack that includes beer, a T-shirt, and a bar towel. Get tweeting! Mother’s Pizza in Halifax is baking some of their pies with Martello Stout, very cool!

• Also just in time for Stout Day, Big Tide Brewing will have their Whistlepig Stout back on tap at the brewpub. Described by the brewery as a “dry American Stout”, it’s brewed with dark roasted malts and oatmeal, producing a “nutty, chocolate aroma” and English hops. It comes in at 4.8% ABV and 42 IBUs.

• Big Tide is also re-releasing their Tidal Wave Double IPA. This is the third time they’ve brewed this beer, which started out in life as a collaboration with Greg Nash. It is close to 100 IBUs but really well balanced, and has lots of citrus notes from Columbus and Cascade hops. Deceptively drinkable at 9% ABV.

• Shiretown also has a couple of new beers, both currently available at the brewery for growler fills. The Choke Cherry Wheat (following the release of their popular Black Currant Wheat) is brewed with their base wheat recipe and locally-grown choke cherries. “Woody, with tannins up-front”, the beer has an ABV of 5% and 17 IBUs. Siren’s T’ale is their new “bittersweet” Red Ale that is brewed with a variety of Caramalts; also at 5% ABV, it has slightly more bitterness (30 IBUs) to balance the sweetness from the malts. Look for this one to be available in bottles at ANBL stores by sometime in December.

• Meanwhile, in Newfoundland, the Yellowbelly Brewery is about to release their newest beer. Still unnamed, it’s a new Pale Ale brewed exclusively with Topaz, an Australian hop known for its intense aroma of citrus and “dank” overtones. The beer is brewed with 95% Pale malt and 5% Carastan, and has 70 IBUs and an ABV of 5.5%. It’ll be available on draft only at the brewpub, and should be tapped sometime early next week.

• As we quickly mentioned in the Ladies Beer League Cask Event interview (the event is now sold out, by the way), Boxing Rock Brewing has released their newest seasonal, Crafty Jack English Brown Ale. It features a rich, roasty malt profile, and classic English hops. It comes in at 4.2% and 29 IBUs. It is currently available at the brewery store in Shelburne, this weekend at the Halifax Seaport Famers’ Market and next week at the private beer stores in Halifax (650mL package size).

• If you live in the Fredericton area and are looking for a job in the beer industry, Picaroons is currently looking for another driver to deliver beer across New Brunswick… and beyond. If you’re interested, email your resume (or questions about the position) to chris@picaroons.ca.

• Bridge Brewing announced last week on their Facebook page that they will no longer be attending the Historic Farmers’ Market in Halifax. They hope to be at another market in the near future; in the meantime, you can still get your growlers filled and buy merchandise at the brewery on Agricola Street. And remember they’ve extended their hours on the weekend: Sat 12-9, Sun 12-6.

• Rare Bird Craft Beer in Guysborough will soon have their Rare Bird Pale Ale available in the NSLC, previously only available on tap or in growlers at the Antigonish Farmers Market and Stepping Stone Cafe. It is an East Coast interpretation of this classic beer style, using pure artesian water from Nova Scotia’s pristine Eastern Shore, Rare Bird Pale Ale starts with a nice hit of hops on the nose, a delicious balance of specially selected malted barley and both English and North American hops in the middle and a dry finish that delivers a refreshing beer of rare character, at 7.0% ABV. We will have more from Rare Bird closer to the release date.

• November 16th, the Beerthief and Beckett on Wine are holding an Oktoberfest tasting and dinner at Bitters Lounge on the MUN campus in St. John’s. The dinner will feature five courses of Belgian beer and food pairings prepared by Chef Julie Purchase, lead by Tom Beckett. Tickets are $52, and can be secured by contacting Tom via email.

• Also on the 16th, Maison Tait House in Shediac will be hosting a beer tasting, featuring Picaroons beer paired with Chef Mike Harris’ creations. Picaroons owner Sean Dunbar will be leading the tasting of the five pairing courses. Tickets for this event are $59, and can be secured by calling or emailing Maison Tait House.

Have a great long weekend! Hope to see some of you at the Fredericton Poutine Festival on Sunday, drinking local craft beer!