Atlantic Canada Beer Festivals

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival – Saturday, March 8th at the Fredericton Convention Centre

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-02-12
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer Festivals. Tagged: 2014 Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival. 1 comment

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The second annual Fredericton Craft Beer Festival (FCBF) will be taking place on March 8th at the Fredericton Convention Centre downtown. With about 1000 tickets being sold, the event will see almost twice as many beer lovers as last year’s festival. I was able to sit down with Lloyd Chambers, organizer of the FCBF, to discuss what will be offered at this year’s event.

What brought on the change in venue this year [last year’s festival was held at the Delta Fredericton]?

With about 550 people attending last year’s festival, the Delta Fredericton’s space worked out perfect. This year, however, we’ll see almost twice that many, so we needed to move to something bigger. The Convention Centre was able to provide us with that space, and also has the advantage of being right downtown, close to other beer-friendly spots such as the King Street Ale House.

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Fredericton Convention Centre

Do you have any sponsors for this year’s festival?

Yes; major sponsors include the King Street Ale House, Massive Graphics, and The Pub Magazine (Atlantic Canada edition).

Tell me about the different ticket offerings you’ve been selling.

There’s about 700 “regular” admission tickets that JUST sold out yesterday. These $50 tickets include a custom tasting glass, and unlimited 2 oz samples of the beers at the festival from 7:30-10:00 pm.

We also sold 250 “VIP” tickets this year; for $60, you get entry into the festival an hour earlier. They were extremely popular when they went on sale in late November; they sold out in about 4 hours!

In recognition of March 8th also being International Women’s Day, we decided to partner with the Ladies Beer League in Halifax and offer “Women’s-only VIP” tickets. These 50 tickets (also sold out) were a great deal, giving ticket-holders 90-minute early entry into the festival, with a larger, custom tasting glass, “Beer 101” with Garrison Brewer Kellye Robertson and Pam Crouse (Co-Executive director of the LBL), samples from local “beerlebrities” Stephen Dixon of Grimross Brewing and Adam Clawson of Red Rover Brewing, and an extra beer sample from Quebec brewery Unibroue. Investors Group will make a donation on behalf of the FCBF to a local women’s charity.

Any options for Designated Drivers?

Yes, there are $15 tickets available, which include unlimited bottled water and soda (and the snacks below), including a Root Beer made by Garrison Brewing Co.

Are there any food options available during the festival?

There will be a few different food samples available, such as popcorn from Magzy’s Kettle Korn, and salmon from Miramichi Smoked Salmon; there may be one or two other options as well. I should also note that on Saturday, before the festival begins, The Lunar Rogue will be offering 15% off food when you show your FCBF ticket.

Are any hotels in the city offering discounted rates for the festival?

Yes, the Crowne Plaza Fredericton/Lord Beaverbrook is currently offering a festival rate of $109/night for both Friday and Saturday, March 7th and 8th. [note: the link for the discounted rate is here]

It looks like you’re expecting more breweries and beer for this year’s festival, compared to last year?

Absolutely. Last year we had 18 breweries and 91 beers; this year, we have a combination of 28 brewers and distributors, with about 150 different beers being poured. Specifically, we’ve got a larger showing from the Maritimes this year, including newer breweries such as Grimross Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, and Sunset Heights Meadery from New Brunswick; Bad Apple Brewhouse, Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, Bridge Brewing, and Uncle Leo’s from Nova Scotia, and Barnone Brewing from PEI. We’ve got a couple of non-Maritime breweries coming – Saskatchewan’s Bushwakker will be returning this year (including owner Bev Robertson), and Le Naufrageur from Quebec will be making their first appearance.

Will there be many brewers and/or representatives from each brewery to provide information about their beers, answer questions, etc.?

Luckily, just about every brewery (except one or two) will have brewers or brewery reps coming to the festival, pouring their beers and providing info. We’ll also have about 35-40 volunteers helping out.

Before we get to the most important information – the brewers/beer list – anything else you’d like to add?

Just that we’re really happy to be able to build on the success of last year’s festival by opening the event to even more people, and bringing even more beers than before. As our tagline says, “It’s all about the beer. Pure. Simple.”

The following is a list of the breweries and distributors that will be attending the festival, along with the products they have indicated that they are bringing. Keep in mind these products are subject to change, and some have not been announced yet. We will continue to update this list as we find out more information:

Atlantic Spirits &Wines (Dartmouth, NS) – Somersby Cider, Carlsberg, Kronenbourg 1664, Mill Street Organic, Lake of Bays Brewing Old North Mocha Porter

Bad Apple Brewhouse (Berwick, NS) – Barrel-Aged Black and Tackle RIS, Double IPA

Barnone Brewing (Rose Valley, PEI) – IPA, Pale Ale, Summer Sessions

Big Spruce Brewing (Nyanza, NS) – Bitter Get’er India Black IPA, Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout

Big Tide Brewing Company (Saint John, NB) – Simms Pale Ale, Whistlepig Stout

Boxing Rock Brewing (Shelburne, NS) – Temptation Red Ale, Hunky Dory Pale Ale, The Vicar’s Cross Double IPA

Bruce Ashley Group (Markham, ON) – Faxe Premium, Chechvar Bitburger, Tiger Beer, Belhaven Best, Greene King Abbot Ale, Wells Banana Bread Beer, Duchy Original Organic Ale, Bitburger Wernesgruner Pils, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Central City Red Racer IPA

Bushwakker Brewing Company (Regina, SK) – Missiletow Ale, Stubblejumper Pilsner, Palliser Porter

Churchill Cellars (Toronto, ON) – Bavaria 8.6 (Original), Bavaria 8.6 Red

Creemore Springs Brewery (Creemore, ON) – Creemore Springs Premium Lager, Creemore Springs Traditional Pilsner, Mad & Noisy Hops & Bolts, Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale

Fuller’s Brewery (Chiswick, London, UK) – ESB, London Porter, London Pride, Organic Honey Dew

Garrison Brewing Co. (Halifax, NS) – Hop Yard, Nut Brown, Irish Red, Raspberry Wheat, Imperial IPA, Martello Stout, Glutenberg American Pale Ale, Glutenberg Blonde

Grimross Brewing Company (Fredericton, NB) – Cheval D’Or, Ben’s Bitter Pale Ale, Belgian Rye IPA

Innis and Gunn (Edinburgh, Scotland) – Lager, Original Oak Aged Beer, Toasted Oak IPA, Melville’s Ginger Beer

McAuslan Brewery (Montreal, QC) – St. Ambroise Pale Ale, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat

McClelland Premium Imports (Mississauga, ON) – Erdinger Weissbier, Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel, Affligem Blond, Fruli Strawberry, Stiegl Lager, Stiegl Radler, Mort Subite Kriek, Mongozo Premium Pilsner, Palm Speciale, Delirium Tremens

Molson Coors (Toronto, ON) – Rickard’s Red, Rickard’s White, Rickard’s Blonde, Rickard’s Dark

Moosehead (Saint John, NB) – Moosehead Boundary Ale, Moosehead Cask, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sam Adams Latitude 48, Sam Adams Cold Snap, Hop City Barking Squirrel, Hop City Big Mouth Pale Ale, Magners Irish Cider, Magners Irish Pear Cider, Blackthorn Cider

Le Naufrageur (Carleton-sur-mer, QC) – Leonne, La Malauze, Colborne, Corte-Real, Saint-Barnabe, Swordfish, Carrick, Penelope, Ale Amerindienne, Ale Amerindienne Double Blanche (Tanaisie)

North Brewing Company (formerly Bridge Brewing, Halifax, NS) – Belgian IPA, Saison, Strong Dark Belgian

Northampton Brewing Company/Picaroons (Fredericton, NB) – Maple Cream Ale, A Parcel of Rogues, Ember Ale, Afterglow Aphrodisiac Ale, Best Bitter, Dark & Stormy Night, Man’s Best Friend

PEI Brewing Company (Charlottetown, PEI) – Sir John A’s Honey Wheat, Sydney Street Stout, 1772 IPA, Island Red, Iron Bridge Brown, Beach Chair Lager, Blueberry Ale, and a TBD cask

Pump House Brewery (Moncton, NB) – Fire Chief’s Red Ale, Scotch Ale, S.O.B., Cadian Cream Ale, Premium Lager

Red Rover Brewing (Fredericton, NB) – Spring Cider, Summer Cider, Fall Cider

Shiretown Beer (Rover Charlo, NB) – Blonde du Quai, Big Brown Ale, Siren’s T’Ale

Sleeman Breweries Ltd (Guelph, ON) – Sleeman Cream Ale, Sleeman Silver Creek Lager, Unibroue Maudite, Unibroue Ephemere Pomme, Okanagan Mild Winter Ale

Sunset Heights Meadery (Fredericton, NB) – Queen’s Nectar Sparkling Mead, Pollen Angels (four flavors: Blueberry-Apple, Raspberry-Kiwi, Iced Tea, and likely Cranberry-Maple)

Uncle Leo’s Brewery (Lyons Brook, NS) – Red, IPA, Smoked Porter

Windward Imports (Halifax, NS) – Grolsch Lager, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Sea Dog Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale, Shipyard Export Ale, Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA

For those of you lucky enough to have tickets, you’re in for a great time! We’ll be there representing the ACBB. Stay tuned over the next few weeks leading up to the festival – we’ll be holding a contest to win two VIP tickets. Look for that sometime during the first week of March.

PEI BeerFest 2013 Taking Place at New Charlottetown Event Grounds Sept 6&7

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-08-27
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer Festivals. Tagged: PEI BeerFest. 1 comment

PEIBeerFestival

The Prince Edward Island Beer Festival, produced by the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company, will take place Sept 6-7, 2013 at the New Charlottetown Event Grounds at 360 Grafton St.  This revamped event, kicking off the Fall Flavours Festival, will be focused on educating visitors and Islanders alike on the art and craft of brewing and tasting beer. The festival will feature over 75 beers, VIP packages, food pairings and late night entertainment on the beautiful Charlottetown waterfront.

There are three tasting sessions planned for the festival. The first will be on Friday from 6-9 pm, then two on Saturday: 2-5 pm, and another later session from 6-9 pm. Tickets for the Saturday afternoon session are $30 each, while both of the evening sessions are $40. Keep in mind that tickets for the evening sessions also include admission into the apres-Fest entertainment, also taking place at the Charlottetown Event Grounds.

There are also VIP tickets available for those looking to experience even more at the festival. For $99, ticket-holders will have access to a behind-the-scenes tour at the PEI Brewing Company from 4-6 pm before each evening tasting session, guided by the brewers themselves. Got questions about some of your favorite PEI Brewing Co/Gahan beers, such as recipe and/or brewing technique secrets? The brewers will be there to answer everything you’re anxious to know! There will also be complimentary food and beer-pairing treats, and a merchandise gift pack to take home. A shuttle will take you to the Event Grounds, so you will not miss a minute of the Fest.

Each of the three tasting sessions will feature live acoustic entertainment from local artists, including Ryan Merry, Chris Field, Andrew Waite and Ashley Gorman. As for the late night entertainment, Friday’s session will feature Ten Strings And A Goat Skin and The Chris Dalziel Band, and Saturday’s will showcase More Soul and Some Guys (a Rolling Stones tribute band). The late night shows will run from 9 pm – 1 am; if you’re not attending one of the evening tasting sessions, entertainment tickets can be purchased separately for $20. Even though the Fest will be closed after 9pm each night, there will be a pub set up, serving local and select beer from the Fest to music-lovers.

So, what about the beer? As mentioned above, there will be more than 75 different beers available, from sponsor PEI Brewing Company (including a special Spanish Cedar-aged IPA), Fredericton’s Picaroons, Moncton’s Pumphouse, Halifax’s Garrison Brewing, Toronto’s Mill Street and Amsterdam breweries (both with several beers not available at the PEILC), and Saint John’s Moosehead (including their Cask Ale, usually only available at the Saint John Ale House, and the new Boundary Ale). Other new/interesting/standout beers include Erdinger Weiss and Dunkel Weissbier,  Mort Subite Kriek, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Oatmeal Stout and Pumpkin, and Coors Banquet. The full list can be seen here.

Food will be served by a handful of local restaurants, free tasting bites to Festival goers. There will also be a Designated Drivers area for non-drinkers to still enjoy the music and great ambiance, and will include some comfy chairs and soda pop to keep hydrated while hanging with imbibing friends.

Tickets can be purchased on the PEIBeerFest site, and follow the Fest on Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest news, including Fest beers being highlighted, so you can plan your time accordingly.

Seaport Beerfest at the Cunard Centre in Halifax This Weekend

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-08-06
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer Festivals. Tagged: Seaport Beerfest. Leave a Comment

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This coming Friday and Saturday, August 9th-10th, the 7th Annual Halifax Seaport Beer Festival take place at the Cunard Centre on the Halifax waterfront. Featuring lots of beer, food, and live music, it’s a popular event for beer-lovers in Atlantic Canada every summer. We recently exchanged emails with Brian Titus, President of Garrison Brewing, to get a little more information on the festival.

ACBB: This year, the Fest will be held in the Cunard Centre. Can you tell me about this change in venue?

Brian Titus: The change was necessitated by progress, as the Port was doing construction that meant the street site wasn’t available. Loved that street! That said, Cunard Centre has more room, provides sun and rain shelter for the breweries/attendees, has more bathrooms (no more Porta-Potties!), a food truck/boardwalk patio, and 375 feet of waterfront patio with a lifeguard!

With craft beer exploding in the Atlantic region and around the world, can you tell me about the local breweries that attendees will be able to try, as well as some special breweries from further away?

Local has come on strong this year, with all four new Nova Scotia breweries represented: Big Spruce, Bridge Brewing, Boxing Rock & Uncle Leo’s! Sea Level is back (Harvest Wines booth) and the newly expanded Hell Bay will be in for both Saturday sessions. Add in some cask offerings from Garrison and a barrel-aged Rockbottom monster, and WOW! The Irish Craft Beer Village is also big news. Seven Irish micros and cideries shipped a pallet of what’s exciting in Ireland today. Along for the ride is VIP guest Seamus O’Hara (Carlow Brewery) & Daniel Emerson (Stonewell Cider). Ontario came on strong as well with 40% more brands (!) including Denison’s Weissbier, three Spearhead brands and four from new brewery Sawdust City. Quebec is big again with more Trou du Diable, Brasseurs du Temps, Charlevoix & (new) Micro du Lac Saint-Jean. Maine returns for the 7th year with lots of favorites, plus tasty new micro Rising Tide. Finally, check out three Bruery (from California) beers, one for each session, at Premier’s booth.

I see a few ciders will also be available, can you comment on those drinks? Any other beverage styles to be highlighted (craft sodas, etc)?

Gluten-free beers and cider grow every year as their markets expand. Cider has fully doubled this year with 17 great offerings, including those brought directly from Ireland. Beyond that there’s really no interest in expanding to new categories. Whiskeys, coolers, ready-to-drinks… just not what this event is about.

What food options will be available at the fest?

Always strong on local and good-value food that is beer-friendly and no more than $5. We’ll have our first food truck with Food Wolf on the boardwalk, plus Q Smokehouse, Bramoso Pizza and Saege/Stubborn Goat inside. Hell, Stubborn Goat isn’t even open and we’ve got them!

It looks like a great line-up of entertainers for the sessions; will they be playing throughout, or one group per sessions?

One per session as in the past, providing three very different backgrounds but never overtaking the beer. DJ Stilldrunk (I didn’t name him!) Friday, Thom Swift band (think Hot Toddy fame) Saturday afternoon, and Petty Larceny returning to close us out Saturday night.

I see that you have some charitable partners this year, can you comment on that?

Prostate Cancer Canada is our main charity partner and we’re increasing our contribution once again this year. We’ve also been pretty taken aback by the Lac Mégantic tragedy and are working with the Quebec micros to raise several thousand for a targeted Red Cross Relief Fund. We’re hoping people can spare a couple bucks at the fest to throw into the a donation box onsite and top that up. Lastly, the Ladies Beer League is gathering before the Saturday afternoon session and plan to raise a few hundred dollars towards the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre.

How many sessions and what are the ticket prices for these? One more popular than the others, or are they all equally well-attended?

As in the past, there will be 3 sessions: Friday evening (7-9:30), Saturday afternoon (2-4:30) and evening (7-9:30). Tickets unchanged at $45/$40/$45 (+hst) respectively. Go Ticket Atlantic for online convenience and NSLC stores for no surcharges. Saturday evening sells out, period. The afternoon is my favorite though as all breweries are there and the vibe is just more relaxed. Can’t beat havin’ a beer on the pier in the sun, too!

Are there any options for Designated Drivers?

Yup, $10 gets you a vitamin water and access to the good times with your “non-designated” friends. No pre-purchase necessary, and you won’t be turned away even if the session is sold out.

Are you looking for volunteers? If so, how can someone apply?

All spots were filled a month in advance with over 150 signed up and lots of returning folks. For anyone interested next year it’s a pretty good gig – free T-shirt, food ticket, no crappy jobs and a half-price ticket for another session (free ticket if you volunteer twice).

Are there any events planned surrounding the fest (Brewers breakfast, VIP tastings, etc)?

One that’s open to the public: the Irish Rare Beer Dinner at Brussels Brasserie. Hosted by Seamus O’Hara (Carlow Brewery); amazing meal paired with four Irish craft beers/cider and ending with a barrel-aged O’Hara’s Leann Folláin Whiskey-Aged Irish Stout – Yum! The other is a closed event – The Brewers Brunch at Old Triangle. It’s really a chance for brewers and owners to network and shoot the sh#t while fueling up for a long day of sampling.

Do you have an idea on how many breweries will be coming, and what sort of numbers of beers?

So, the final list is on the website and the numbers are… 110 breweries and 267 brands (40% more than last year)!

Thank you to Brian for all of the great information. With indoor facilities this year, breweries and attendees alike will not have to worry about the fast-changing Halifax weather! in addition to the beer list above, take note of the floor layout, so you can make an attack plan to hit your favourite breweries first. As Brian also mentioned, some beers or breweries will only be attending certain sessions, so check the list to be sure you choose wisely. Saturday afternoon looks to be our favourite, but whichever you choose, you’ll have a great time. Hope to see you there!