Atlantic Canada Beer News

Friday Wrap-Up: PEI Brewing now in NB, Garrison Brew-Off Entries Beat Last Year’s Record and more

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-03-08
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer Festivals, Atlantic Canada Beer News. Tagged: Garrison Brewing, PEI Brewing. Leave a Comment

There’s been lots of developments since our first/last Friday Wrap-Up, here’s just a few teasers:

  • PEI Brewing Company’s Beach Chair Lager is now available in NB. It joins their four other listings (1772 IPA, Iron Horse Brown Ale, Island Red and Sir John A’s Honey Wheat). They are also in the midst of major expansions, to open in May.
  • The Garrison Brewing Home Brew-off Challenge closed last week, and there were 69 entries! The judging is taking place now, and the Awards Gala (which coincides with the release of last year’s winning Rye IPA by Kellye Robertson) is Thursday, March 21.
  • Speaking of Garrison, their Ass-Kicker IPA is being released today. I’ll have more details on that shortly. They’ve also got another of their One Hop IPA beers coming soon. Their Comet Pale Ale was VERY popular!
  • The 2nd Annual Saint John Beer Fest is happening April 13th, at the Market Square Atrium. We’ll have a full write-up soon.
  • Bridge Brewing Co. has rejigged their Gus’ 65m Blonde Ale recipe, so it is worth checking out again (or for the first time). And they have kegs back on tap at Gus’ Pub! And their Farmhouse Ale is at Chez Tess.
  • Hell Bay Brewing Co. is in the middle of major expansion and will be opening in the next months.

Wow, and that just scratches the surface! We’ll keep our ears open and fingers a-typing to keep you up to date, gang! Please forward on any tips to your friendly neighbourhood ACBB staff. 🙂 Now go out and drink! Both Rockbottom Brewpub and Hart and Thistle Gastropub in Halifax have some great beers on currently, including a special firkin Saturday at Rockbottom. The last couple have been selling out within a few hours, so better get there promptly at 1pm.

Big Spruce Brewing to open in Nyanza, Cape Breton this month

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-03-07
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer News, Profiles. Tagged: Big Spruce Brewing. 2 comments

BigSpruceSignBig Spruce Brewing is in Nyanza, just seconds off the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, NS. Owners Jeremy and Melanie White are getting ready to open this month, so I dropped by recently when I was in the area.

Since our profile on them in the fall, there’s been a lot of activity! They are putting the final touches on their purpose-built building, which is surrounded by acres organic hops plants they use in their beers.

MashTunKettle
Their 7bbl gas-fired QualityBrew brewhouse from DME is all set up, and they’ve done the cleaning and water testing and are ready to brew. They also have a great cold storage room for conditioning their beer in five tanks, as well as storing kegs. Speaking of which, they will have kegs available for accounts in Sydney, Halifax, and parts in between, so their beer will be available to drink across the province. They will also be selling 2L growlers from the brewery as production ramps up into high gear.

What about the beer? They will be starting out with two beer, that Jeremy has perfected after years of homebrewing, an Oatmeal Stout and Pale Ale. Look for seasonal offerings soon, too.

ViewFromTheTop

Later in the Spring, their small restaurant above the brewery will be open a couple of nights a week, by reservation only. The view of the Bras d’Or Lake is spectacular, and I can see this becoming a destination for Cabot Trail travelers and locals alike.

Congrats to Big Spruce, you are a welcome addition to the Cape Breton and Atlantic Canadian Craft beer scene! We’ll keep you posted as the details of their beer releases become available. You can also check out their Facebook Page for pictures and info.

Bridge Brewing Co. Opens in Halifax

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-01-25
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer News. 3 comments

After months of waiting and wading through red tape, Bridge Brewing is finally open!

Wednesday at 3pm marked the first day of business for the brewery at 2576 Agricola Street in Halifax, and it got off to a roaring start. A few die-hards waited in the -15C weather to be among the first to buy the beer (yours truly was among them). We even got to witness the wonderful sign being mounted.

The Bridge Brewing sign mounted, minutes before opening

The Bridge Brewing sign mounted, minutes before opening

After opening, the first dozen customers huddled inside, while owner Peter Burbridge and brewer Josh Herbin spoke about their two Belgian-inspired beers: Farmhouse Ale and Gus’ 65m Blonde Ale. The Farmhouse has a solid malt sweetness balanced out with a refreshing tartness from the yeast and hop bitterness;  Big, Complex and refreshing. Candied Fruit Aroma (7.5% abv). The Gus’ 65m Blonde has light fruit nose up front, citrus, background spice and a dry finish; a very refreshing session beer (6.5%).

Store backdrop

Store backdrop, Peter at work selling growlers

The beer was so popular that they sold out of their pre-filled growlers within 3 hours! Since then, they’ve been busy filling growlers and selling them at break-neck speed. In fact, after today’s 3-7pm opening, they will be closed until Wednesday (Jan 30) to refill the tanks, so go there right now! If you get thirsty on the weekend, Gus’ 65m is curently on tap at Gus’ Pub (2605 Agricola), only 65 metres North of Bridge (hence the name).

They also have glasses and t-shirts for the beer-swag-minded.

bridge_bottles

Cheers to a great opening, and continued success! We look forward to following Bridge as they continue to help expand the beer scene in the Atlantic Provinces.