Friday Wrap-Up

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Half Cut Brewing, Hammond River, Big Tide, TrailWay, King Street Ale House, Flying Boats and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-07-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Tide Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Flying Boats Brewing, Half Cut Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, King Street Ale House, Picaroons, Railcar Brewing, Savoie's Brewhouse, Stillwell Beer Bar, TrailWay Brewing. 3 comments

Happy Friday folks! We’ve got lots of new beers (and a couple of breweries!) to keep you satisfied today.

• Fredericton beer lovers were alerted this morning to yet another new brewery in their city… and it’s open now! Half Cut Brewing is owned by Matt Corey, an employee at Picaroons; Matt will be brewing his first beers on the 7 BBL system at the Brewtique on Queen St. This isn’t the first time that Picaroons have lent their space and equipment to a new brewery – Grimross initially had their start there when they first opened two years ago. Half Cut has released their first beer this morning for growler fills at the Brewtique – Alter Ego is a 5% ABV Düsseldorf Altbier, a copper-coloured German ale/lager hybrid that features clean and malty flavours, and is balanced by a firm bitterness (47 IBUs). Head down to the Brewtique ASAP to give this new beer a try! In the meantime, we’ll have more info on Half Cut in the near future.

• Hammond River owner/brewer Shane Steeves was at the Big Tide brewpub last Saturday with brewmaster Wendy Papadopoulos for their first collaboration beer! They decided to focus on both a style and ingredient that neither of them had brewed/used before, and settled on a “Rhubarb Saison”. With a fairly simple grist of Pilsner and Wheat malt, plus a little Munich and Crystal 60 L, it was hopped lightly with Hallertau to about 28 IBUs. Seventy pounds of locally-sourced rhubarb was added to the beer in several stages – the boil, during primary fermentation, and when fermentation is complete – which should provide significant tartness to the finished product. Fermented with a dry Saison yeast, expect this Belgian ale to weigh in at around 6% ABV; it should be available on tap at Big Tide within a couple of weeks, and will hopefully pop up at several of Hammond River’s accounts as well!

• TrailWay has added another fruit beer to their summer line-up: Mango Wheat features the same grist as their popular Raspberry Wheat, with real mangoes – 10 lbs worth – added during secondary fermentation. Also hopped with notoriously-tropical varieties Citra and Galaxy (including more Citra in the dry-hop), expect this easy-drinking, 4.5% ABV beer to be perfectly-fruity for summer (even if the weather hasn’t felt like it, lately). It’s available on tap now throughout Fredericton.

• Last night, TrailWay also took part in the recent return of the weekly Thursday Cask Night at the King Street Ale House. Along with two casks of their IPA, Hugh John Hops (one infused with bourbon-soaked oak chips, the other dry-hopped a second time, with Comet), they released… another new beer! Summer Amber is on the lighter side of Amber-coloured, with a grist of 2-row, Munich, Crystal, CaraRed, and a hint of Chocolate malt. Hopped heavily with Centennial (and smaller amounts of Amarillo and Mosaic), it’s easy-drinking at 5% ABV, with a moderate bitterness in the finish.

• Ahead of their participation in the Halifax Seaport Beer Festival August 7-8, the fine folks from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery will be taking over the taps at both the Stillwell Beergarden and Barrington St mothership on Thursday, August 6th. Starting at 4pm, a fine selection of GLB beers will be pouring on the waterfront, taking over all of the Beergarden’s lines, with some special sausages and dogs to accompany them. Just one keg of each beer will be on, so once it’s gone, it’s gone! Entry tickets are $5+fees. And then, starting at 6pm, Barrington Street will be pouring a dozen of Brewmaster Mike Lackey’s favourite brews, which will be sure to include some rare-for-even-Toronto GLB brews, perhaps from their mixed fermentation, barrel-aged and other small-batch beers. And Lackey himself will be on hand to meet and greet. Tickets for entry to this event are also $5+fees, and after 8pm, the doors will be open to all (assuming there’s anything left). Tickets are available online now, and are sure to sell out soon!

• Flying Boats Brewing hasn’t been open very long, but that’s not stopping them from experimenting with new beers! First up is Dome Car, a Bohemian or Czech Pilsner that is brewed with plenty of the noble Saaz hop variety, providing lots of its characteristic spicy flavours and aromas. It registers at 36 IBUs and 5% ABV, and is currently on tap at Shediac’s Auberge Gabriele Inn. Owner/brewer Marc Melanson also brewed up a special beer for a special event (mentioned directly below): S-55 Special Mission Dark Pale Ale.  Featuring a “rich blend of malted and caramel-based barleys”, the beer is heavily-hopped (and dry-hopped) with Cascade to balance the sweetness from the malts. Named after an aviation feat that took place in Shediac in 1933 (more on that here), it comes in at 37 IBUs and 5.6% ABV.

• In celebration of the upcoming New Brunswick Day long weekend, Fredericton’s James Joyce Pub is pulling out all the stops and dedicating their 18 taps to all 18 breweries in the province. This will mark the first time that every brewery in New Brunswick is available on tap at the same time! Beers from the recently-opened Flying Boats Brewing (including the new brew mentioned above) and Savoie’s Brewhouse will join the line-up, as well as the recent Acadie-Broue/Big Tide collaboration La Gaboteuse, a Belgian IPA. Acadie-Broue will also have a tap for their Hefeweizen, Valdrague Weizen (more on that beer here). The kegs will be tapped at 3 pm on Friday, July 31st, and will continue flowing all weekend until they’re gone. Many of these beers will go quickly, so don’t wait to drop in! This feat likely won’t be accomplished again for quite some time!

• Speaking of Savoie’s Brewhouse, their listing at the ANBL has gone live today, which means this weekend should be the time to pick up their Chaleur Phantom Amber Ale (and their Island Lake Blonde shortly). They will also be participating (along with Charlo neighbours Shiretown Beer) in the Bon Ami Flavour Fest taking place at 7pm July 25th at the Lion’s Club on Adelaide in Dalhousie. Tickets are $35, and include beer, cider, and wine tasting, and finger food until 10pm, when the live music and dancing take over the hall floor.

• Petit-Sault has released Lt. Ingall – Summer Edition, a new take on Lt. Ingall, their “Session Pale Ale”. While the original was brewed entirely with malt from Quebec’s MaltBroue, the new beer features both Canadian 2-row and Munich malt for “more of a smooth maltiness”, according to the brewery. The hop schedule has also been changed, with Chinook and Centennial taking the stage. It’s still a very-sessionable 4.6% ABV; currently available at the brewery, it should also be joining the line-up at the ANBL Growler Stations in the near future. And be sure to drop by their Beer Garden at 45 rue de l’Eglise July 30-Aug 1, for some pre-Foire Brayonne fun.

• Railcar Brewing in Florenceville has a new beer out this week, Celtic Red Ale. This malt-forward 6.2% ABV Red features four different malts in the grain bill, with bittering from Fuggle and Golding from local Southan Farm to 17 IBUs for balance. Railcar has also given us some details on a new beer they’ve brewed especially for their local Festival of Flavour, being held Aug 9-15. Their Sweet Potato Porter features Pale, Munich, Caramel, Carapils and Chocolate malts, along with 8 kg of sweet potatoes in the mash tun. Magnum hops were used both in a first-wort hop and in the boil to balance the malt, and an addition of star anise and cinnamon spices was added to the boil. This 8.2% ABV beer will be available at the brewery beginning August 11, and at the Festival of Flavour Grand Tasting, Aug 15 at 6:30pm. Tickets for the Grand Tasting are $35, and available now. And join Railcar’s owner/brewer Mitch Biggar in a tasting of Maritime Craft Beer on Aug 12, complete with a tour of his brewery. Finally, keep your eyes peeled for Railcar’s debut on the ANBL growler program next week, with their Grapefruit Pale Ale on tap at the Fredericton ANBL.

Let’s hope the weather improves over the weekend! Grimross’ Table Oat Saison is now available. Brewed with 100% Oats, this beer is suitable for gluten-conscious drinkers, as oats themselves contain no gluten, but they were not processed in a gluten-free facility, so those with celiac disease should be aware of that. Look for more details on the brew here. PEI Brewing’s latest Vic Park Pale Ale single-hop variant is out, this time using the Australian Galaxy hop. Big Spruce was visited by home brewer Jason Spears to brew up this year’s batch of Tip of the Spear Spruce Tip IPA, look for it to hit the taps mid-August. And drop by today for oysters (until 6:30pm) and music from Keith Mullins (starting at 3:30pm) during their Food, Music, and Beer Friday. Drop by Halifax’s Good Robot for a growler fill of their core lineup this weekend, and you can also grab a taste of some pilot brews that may be released in the coming months. Look for a Lichtenhainer (a sour and smoky low alcohol German style) and Kentucky Common (a pre-Prohibition malt and corn beer from Kentucky). Bishop’s Cellar has received a new shipment from several breweries that is hitting the shelves today, including a handful from Evil Twin, as well as a Summer Wheat from Anchor Brewing, cider from Brickworks Ciderhouse, and a collaboration between Le Trou du Diable & Dieu du Ciel!. A reminder that they take internet orders and deliveries across the province for those who cannot make it into their Halifax shop. Sign up to their Behind the Taps mailing list for the latest details. And Chris will be doing something a little different next weekend, visiting a few Maine beer sites and events, including a Brews & Views Beer Pairing Dinner at Stratton Brook Hut near Kingfield, Maine, and going for a bit of a beer and raft adventure on the Kennebec River, at The Forks, Maine. Keep an eye open for additional info next week.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Boxing Rock, Grimross, Big Axe, Gahan Pub, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-07-17
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Axe Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Gahan House Home Brewer's Challenge, Grimross Brewing, PEI BeerFest, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Spitfire Arms, Tide & Boar Gastropub. Leave a Comment

Hello, everyone! It’s been another great week of weather in Atlantic Canada… what better way to end it than with some local news on our favourite beverage?

• Boxing Rock has released a new beer that is an interesting twist on the commonly-found Blonde Ale style – it’s a “Blonde Rye Ale” named Bottle Blonde. Brewed with the summer months in mind, the grain bill consists of a whopping 35% Rye Malt (large amounts of Rye can be tricky to brew with due to the sticky consistency it often lends to the mash), complementing the 5% ABV. Hopped mainly with East Kent Goldings and Saaz, it has a fairly-low bitterness at about 20 IBUs. The brewery is describing it as very drinkable, with a nice balance between the spicy notes from the hops and the spicy notes from the Rye. You can find it now at the brewery and on tap at select beer bars/restaurants, and in bottles at several NSLC stores sometime next week. It should be around until September, when the temperatures inevitably start to drop!

• Earlier this week, Grimross released a new beer, Strab Cream Ale. Brewed for the Canadian Association of Optometrists Congress 2015 (held this week in Fredericton), the name comes from the short form of “strabismic”, which refers to double-vision, often resulting from too much drinking! The beer itself is a SMaSH (single-malt and single-hop) ale featuring Pale malt and Centennial. Featuring a low hop bitterness at 18 IBUs, it’s light-bodied and easy-drinking at 4.5% ABV, and is described by the brewery as a “great lawnmower beer, refreshing with a little grassiness”. Stop by the brewery today for a pint and/or growler fill; it is also available at select bars/restaurants in the city.

• Speaking of Grimross, they’ve announced their first Grimross Hops Festival, to be held on Saturday, August 22nd. A “celebration of New Brunswick hops, microbreweries, and music”, it will take place in the back lot of the brewery at 600 Bishop Dr. from 3 pm – 11 pm. Details are slim at the moment, but they promise plenty of NB beer, food, and talent! Advance tickets ($30 each) will go on sale soon, and include entry and three 5 oz beer samples, with additional drink tickets available for purchase at the event; the price at the door will be $35. For more details on the bands scheduled, check out the event page. We’ll keep you updated on the breweries/beers pouring as that information is released.

• Big Axe has released a new American IPA, Firefly IPA. With a lighter body than their Double Bit IPA, this beer should also be drier and more refreshing, as there are no caramel notes in the aroma or flavour, according to the brewery. Brewed with several hop varieties including Chinook and Galena, it features a “prominent hop aroma, with both floral and citrus notes”. It clocks in at 5.7% ABV and 50 IBUs, and has a “very clean and crisp finish”. You can find it on tap now at the brewery in Nackawic, and at the James Joyce in Fredericton.

• The Gahan House – Charlottetown has released the winning entry in this year’s Home Brewer’s Challenge, and it’s on tap now at the brewpub. Summer in New Zealand comes from the homebrewing brains and talent of Ryan Palmer (who also won last year’s inaugural event); an American Wheat Ale hopped with Wakatu, it also features Grains of Paradise and lemon and lime zest. Palmer and Gahan brewmaster Trent Hayes brewed the recipe on the Gahan system; the beer comes in at approximately 5.1% ABV and 30 IBUs. Get to the brewpub and try it while you can!

• In some sad news, the popular Windsor, NS pub and friend to local craft beer, The Spitfire Arms, was severely damaged in a fire on Tuesday morning. Happily, they already have plans to open in a temporary location next week on Gerrish St.; in the meantime, work will begin soon on the original location to have it back up and running ASAP. As well, local musician Hal Bruce is organizing a music event to help raise funds for the Spitfire; the tentative date is currently set for Sunday, August 23rd. Here’s to a speedy recovery for this wonderful establishment!

• Moncton’s Tide and Boar Gastropub recently released an exclusive line-up of highly-rated and hard-to-find American craft beers, featuring breweries such as Allagash, Maine Beer Co., Dogfish Head, and Cascade Brewing, to name a few (the full list is available here). Bottles of these beers are on sale now; they’re available in limited quantities only, so be sure to stop in for a chance to try some excellent beers, complemented by the more than a dozen craft beers on tap from Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

• This year’s PEI Beer Festival has been confirmed for September 11th and 12th at the Delta Prince Edward. This year’s event will once again offer two evening sessions (Friday and Saturday), and one Saturday afternoon session. Full details and a brewery/beer list have not been released yet, but expect live music and food pairings to accompany many samples of beers. Tickets are on sale now; they’re priced at $47.60 for each evening sesson, and $36.20 for the afternoon session.

• The crew from Bar Stillwell made a visit to Big Spruce in Nyanza yesterday, to brew up a conspiracy beer. They put together a Pale Ale, hopped generously (understatement of the year!) with Citra, all late in the boil. This will give the beer a big blast of citrus and melon in aroma and flavour, without an aggressive bitterness. Look for this on tap at the Beergarden by early August.

• Distillerie Fils du Roy in Petit-Paquetville, N.B. has brewed up their Summer Seasonal this week, to be released in the coming weeks. La Messe Blanche is named in memory of the Acadians fleeing deportation who would settle in existing communities, and would still hold Sunday Mass, but without a priest overseeing it (thus named Messe Blanche/White Mass). For the label, local artist Raynald Basque was commissioned to paint Alexis Landry, who had built Chapel de Sainte-Anne-du-Bocage in Caraquet, leading one of the Messe Blanches. Fils du Roy will soon be offering their beers in a new format – growlers from local producer Jym Line.

We hope you have a great weekend! A final reminder that Breton Brewing is having their launch party at Flavor on the Water tomorrow, with music, food and beer all night. Tickets are available online. Propeller has another One Hit Wonder on the go: English Mild is now available at both Prop Shop locations, and comes in at 4% ABV and 22 IBUs.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Rockbottom, Ladies Beer League, Big Tide, Petit-Sault, Yellowbelly and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-07-10
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Acadie-Broue, Big Tide Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Grimross Brewing, Ladies Beer League, Picaroons, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday local beer fans! We’ve got a shorter post this week, but that just means there’s more time for you to be out drinking!

• Rockbottom Brewpub in Halifax has released a brand new beer this week, Raisin Hell Oatmeal Stout. This stout is dark, rich and chocolaty, with coffee and cream notes, and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of oatmeal raisin cookies. Aromas of roasted grains, vanilla and cheerios. This Traditional English Stout is brewed with steel cut oats, which provide a full, velvety body. It is being served on a nitrogenated tap, for even more creamy character. The beer weighs in at 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs

• And coming next week at Rockbottom is their collaboration with the Ladies Beer League, Fizzgig Imperial Red. At 7.5% ABV and 80 IBUs, this big, bold, and hoppy Imperial Red ale is a marriage of dark English crystal malts and bright punchy New Zealand hops. Ruby coloured, with aromas of blackberry and cut grass. Long bitter lemon-lime finish. The beer will be launched Wednesday evening, and a reminder that all LBL members receive 50% off appetizers Wednesday nights.

• Big Tide Brewing has tapped the Marée Montante (Rising Tide) Gose this week, their collaboration with Acadie-Broue‘s Patrice Godin. This sour mashed beer has a light and refreshing body, at 4.6% ABV, and very light hopping, to 15 IBUs. Additions of coriander and Bay of Fundy salt water for that characteristic flavour of this traditional German style. It is available only at the brewery, and won’t last long, so drop by today.

• Brasseurs du Petit-Sault in Edmundston, NB are looking for an Assistant Brewer to join their ranks. While having intimate knowledge of yeast pitch rates and hop flavour profile are not required (but a bonus), this job is perfect for someone looking to learn the craft of brewing on a large scale. Check out the job posting for the full details, and contact them quickly, as the posting closes next Friday.

• Speaking of brewing jobs, Yellowbelly Brewery in St John’s, NL, is still looking for a Head Brewer and Brewer’s Apprentice. These positions will be to assist Brewmaster Liam McKenna as they expand their offerings and distribution. The 10 hl brewhouse located in the heart of downtown (on the corner of George and Water Streets), brews for both onsite consumption as well as bottles in the NLC. While the Brewer position requires formal brewing training and/or experience, the Apprentice job is the perfect position for those interested in the wonderful world of brewing! Interested candidates should send an email to yellowbellybrewerjob@gmail.com for more details and to submit a résumé.

• There are a pair of events happening in NB tomorrow evening. In Fredericton, the Tasting NB Event at the Capital Complex will see ten breweries (including brand new Flying Boats Brewing and Gray Stone Brewing), plus cider, wine, and spirits producers come together to celebrate the New Brunswick Craft Alcohol Producers Association. Tickets are still available. Flying Boats will be pouring their Humpyard Steam Ale, a 5.8% and 46 IBU California Common Ale (aka Steam Ale) and their Stove Pipe Gang Black IPA, 6.9% ABV and 96 IBUs. Gray Stone will be pouring their American Pale Ale, featuring tropical hop aromas, balances with a satisfying bitterness; American Stout, with a medium body featuring notes of toffee, roasted barley and coffee with a mocha nose; and India Pale Ale, a balanced beer, but with big bitterness. As their brewery is still months away, the folks at TrailWay Brewing (also in attendance) were kind enough to allow them to brew on their system.

• In Moncton, the Moncton Beer League is taking over La Teraz for a Nova Scotia Beer BBQ Deck Party, featuring beers from Boxing Rock, Garrison, North, and Propeller, each paired with a course of the meal: grilled pineapple glazed salmon, crispy orange marinated chicken thigh with cilantro and pineapple salsa, beer marinated and grilled ribeye, and extra dark double chocolate and coffee brownie with leche cream. Contact the MBL on FB to check for last-minute tickets, if available.

• Details have been announced for another Summer Tasting Session at Railcar Brewing in Florenceville-Bristol. Join brewer Mitch Biggar 6-9pm July 25 for some Stout and Porter talk, including the history, recipe development, and of course some tasting of three of each style. Tickets are $20 at the door.

• Real Food Connections in Fredericton is making some unique products with local beer and cider: Freezies! They have taken Picaroons Dooryard Summer Wheat, and lightly simmered it with local honey, lemon, and lime, to make a Dooryard Shandy Sorbet that can be eaten/slurped on the go! They have also experimented with Grimross Pugnacious Porter and strawberry juice, and Red Rover cider for yet another flavour. While most of the alcohol is lost to evaporation during the preparation, the beer flavour remains in the final product. Drop by Real Food Connections in Fredericton for a taste, and you may even see these for sale in Dicke Dee-type rolling freezer chests soon!

Keep an eye out this weekend for Big Axe Brewing‘s Chanterelle Cream Ale, which has made its return this week, with freshly harvested mushrooms from the Nackawic area. Upstreet‘s Quittin’ Time Session is happening again this evening at the brewery, featuring Racoon Bandit‘s Fraser McCallum, and some fresh PEI oysters. Trailway Brewing has sent some Hugh John Hops IPA to Saint John, and it is only available at Bourbon Quarter (and only a pair of kegs). Meander River in Ashdale, NS has released another Cider, Dusty Road Hard Apple Cider. Dry, light, refreshing, 5.5% ABV, drop by the brewery this weekend to pick some up. In Halifax, North Brewing‘s Halifax Common is back on tap at the brewery, and a few local tap accounts.  And in more good news for Halifax beer fans, the inaugural brew from Unfiltered Brewing went on this week, so it won’t be long before Greg Nash’s beer will be flowing again in the city.