Friday Wrap-Up

Friday Wrap-Up – Fredericton Poutine Festival Being Held Nov. 10th, PEIBeerGuy Tasting at The Landing Tonight, New Beer at Hart & Thistle, and lots more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-18
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bridge Brewing, Celtic Knot Brewing, Fredericton Poutine Festival, Grimross Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Pump House Brewery. 3 comments

Good morning folks! Who feels like some beer news?

• On Sunday, November 10th, the Fredericton Poutine Festival will be held at the Delta Fredericton. Featuring all-you-can-eat poutine (over ten different types from four establishments), there are two sessions: a “Family Session” ($25) from 12pm-3pm, and a “Beer Session” from 6pm-9pm. The Beer Session has two options – a regular ticket ($35) that provides four 4 oz beer samples (in addition to the standard unlimited poutine and non-alcoholic beverages), and a “Beer Experience” ($45) ticket that gives you twelve 4 oz beer samples. At least 15 different beers from local breweries Grimross, Pump House, and Picaroons will be poured, as well as from McAuslan Brewery and McClelland Premium Imports. Tickets can be purchased here; the event is already over 85% sold-out, so don’t wait much longer to get your ticket!

• This evening,  the PEI Beer Guy is hosting a beer tasting at The Landing Oyster House and Pub in Tyne Valley, PEI. It will feature six beers of all different styles, paired with food from The Landing’s kitchen. Stephen was kind enough to give us a preview of the beer: Blanche de Chambly (a Belgian-style Witbier), AffIigem Blond (a Belgian Blond), Gahan’s Pumpkin Ale (a dunkelweizen with pumpkin), St. Ambroise‘s Oatmeal Stout, Barnone‘s IPA, and Mort Subite Kriek (a cherry lambic). As he told us, this is probably the first time a sour beer has been available in a restaurant or bar in PEI. Tickets are a steal at $30, so buy them online here, or call The Landing (902-831-2992) for details.

• Good news for craft beer fans in Moncton: Celtic Knot Brewing now has all four of their beers in rotation at both The Tide and Boar and Marky’s Laundromat. Hopicide, Not-Joe-Average, Dark Passage and Dubh Loki will all be cycling through on tap at both locations, so stay tuned to their Facebook pages to find out when your favorite(s) is/are available!

• A new beer is now available at the Hart & Thistle Gastropub on the Halifax Waterfront. Dank & Stormy is a juicy double IPA, weighing in at 8.2% and 83 IBUs (courtesy of lots of Centennial, Cascade and Columbus varietals). The hopping rate is massive at 6.2lb/barrel (over half a kilo per 23L homebrew batch), which means lots of late and dry hops to live up to its Dank name. The TubberRoe Robust Porter is still on as well, but who knows for how long!

• Also from the mind of Greg Nash, we have further information on his beer to appear at the Cask Days in Toronto this weekend. His IPA was actually brewed on the 10 gallon pilot system at Uncle Leo’s Brewery in Lyons Brook. An American-style IPA, weighing in at 6.8% and 66 IBUs, and a nice golden colour (7 SRM). That sounds like a great beer for a cask.

• The Belgian Rye IPA from Grimross Brewing that we reported on last week is still available for growler fills at the Picaroons Brewtique, and we now have some more information on the beer from owner/brewer Stephen Dixon. A rye IPA fermented with Belgian yeast, it pours a copper-brown color, and has aromas of orange, floral and candy. Hopped with Cascade, Willamette and Amarillo, and dry-hopped with Amarillo alone, it finishes quite dry, while exhibiting flavors of “rustic rye and spice”. The beer weighs in at 6% ABV.

• Bridge Brewing has extended their retail hours, so it should be easier for Halifax residents to drop by to purchase growlers, party kegs, and brewery swag. They are now open from 12-9 on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sundays from 12-6. Wednesday and Thursday hours remain the same, 12-7.

• After a successful soft launch earlier this week, the Stubborn Goat Gastropub will be opening today at 6pm. Reports from the event were very positive, and we hope to have a full report on the beer and food offerings for you shortly. In the meantime, follow along at their Facebook and Twitter pages.

• If you do not already have plans for this evening, there is a Winemaker vs. Brewmaster Dinner taking place at the Halifax Club. Beginning at 6pm, the $89 event allows the two Masters (Propeller‘s Brewmaster Bobby Zacharias and Blomidon Estate Winemaker Simon Rafuse) to show off how well their drinks pair with the five courses of food prepared by the Halifax Club‘s Chef Nelson.

• After an extremely successful summer with no time to breathe, Boxing Rock is finally ready for their Grand Opening! Saturday, October 26, from 12-6pm at their brewery at 78 Ohio Road, Shelburne, NS will be a fun afternoon of celebration, with tours and tastings for adults and face painting for the kids. The official ribbon cutting will take place at 12:15pm, and tours starting at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30. To make reservations for tours please call 494-9233 ext. 3 Tuesday – Saturday from 12-6. Congratulations to Emily and Henry and the entire Boxing Rock Family!

• We received some insider information that this weekend’s Rockbottom Firkin will be a London-style Porter.  Head on down at 1pm Saturday for the tapping of the firkin.

• Today, the folks from Crannóg Ales are visiting Jeremy and the gang at Big Spruce to brew up a collaboration beer. The two Organic breweries (the only in the country) will brew an Imperial IPA, that will feature BC Galena and Cascade hops, grown on Crannóg’s hopfield. Check their Facebook page throughout the day for pics of the action, and then the brewery in a few weeks to buy growlers of this tasty coast-to-coast collab.

Friday Wrap-Up – New beers from Sea Level, Shiretown, Garrison, Rockbottom, Quidi Vidi, and Grimross, and more…

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-11
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Acadie-Broue, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Ladies Beer League, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Sea Level Brewing, Shiretown Beer, Uncle Leo's Brewery. 2 comments

Happy Friday! There’s a whole whack of new beers being released in Atlantic Canada this week, just in time for the long weekend. Here’s some info on them, and what else is going on in the region for beer news…

• Sea Level Brewing has released the third beer in their wet-hopped series. Hoptoberfest is a medium-bodied, Oktoberfest-style beer with a subtle hop flavor and aroma, according to the brewery. Brewed and wet-hopped with locally-grown hops, it has approximately 40 IBUs and an ABV of 5.5%. Currently on tap at The Port Pub, it may follow soon in cans and growlers. This one won’t last long; their Hopfazupa has already sold out at the brewery and at private stores in Halifax. Get it while you can (pun intended)!

• Due to some hop harvesting problems, Shiretown’s Runnin’ Down the Road IPA will unfortunately not be brewed this season. However, they do have another couple of new beers to make up for it! Available this week, Five Rivers is a golden ale that is unfiltered and has no fining agents added. Coming in at 5% ABV with approximately 25 IBUs, it is brewed with a variety of malts and hops and is “naturally clear”, according to the brewery. Soon-to-follow is the return of the popular Black Currant Wheat, a beer brewed with a high amount of wheat malt, and local black currants. With a 4.6% ABV and 17 IBUs, the beer has a “beautiful fuchsia color and smooth mouthfeel”. Both beers will be available for growler fills only, at the brewery.

• Meanwhile, Garrison Brewing has released the third beer in their One-Hop series. East Kent Golding (also known as EKG) is a hop variety that has been available commercially for over a century, and is well-known as one of the classic British hops. Following along the lines of your typical British Pale Ale, the beer’s hop presence won’t be as aggressive as North American IPAs (such as its predecessor, Citra One-Hop IPA). Described by the brewery as having “floral and fruity flavors, and an earthy nose”, East Kent Golding has 40 IBUs and an ABV of 6.5%; it is available now at the brewery and at NSLC and private stores in the province.

• Over at the Rockbottom Brewpub, brewer Greg Nash whipped up something different for the Ladies Beer League Spring Garden Take-Over last night. Synaptic Illusion is being billed as a “sour Saison”. The wort (the sugary liquid that will eventually become beer) is first soured with the bacteria Lactobacillus, boiled, and is then fermented with a Saison strain of yeast to produce a sour, tart, and slightly-funky ale. Get it on tap at the brewpub before it’s gone!

• And in yet some more new-beer news, Quidi Vidi Brewing has just released their Oktoberfest Lager. A malty, light-amber beer, it is currently available at the brewery, and appears to have reached various NLC locations as well. Oktoberfest (the event) may have just ended, but this is a great beer style, especially for this time of year, so drink it while it’s available!

• Finally, Grimross Brewing should be releasing their Belgian Rye IPA sometime this weekend. While we don’t have any details on the beer yet, owner/brewer Stephen Dixon has indicated that the beer will be available in growlers at the Picaroons Brewtique soon; the beer will likely also be on tap at the King Street Ale House when they open later in the month.

• In a recent article, the Huffington Post has named Uncle Leo’s Brewery one of the best 11 new breweries in Canada! Rebecca Whiffen, co-owner of the brewery, had this to say: “We were very grateful to be recognized. It is a great time to be part of the craft brewing community in Nova Scotia. The camaraderie makes it fun and provides a built-in support system for new breweries like us, contributing greatly to our success. I don’t know how many other industries you could say that about”. Congratulations, guys!

• The Ladies Beer League continues to impress with their scheduled events in Halifax: on November 17th, they’ll be hosting the city’s first Cask Beer Festival at the soon-to-open Stubborn Goat gastropub on Grafton St. There will be two sessions (1pm – 4pm and 5pm-8pm), and both genders are welcome! Tickets are $35 and go on sale online this Sunday, October 13th at 12pm. We’ll have a separate post on this event sometime next week to provide more info!

• If you’re looking to get into all-grain brewing, the CCNB is holding a Brewing Workshop on November 2nd and 3rd in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. The two days will involve a series of workshops and brewing demonstrations, as well as a tasting session after supper. Local brewers will be involved: Patrice Godin of Acadie-Broue will be hosting the tasting session and “Ingredients & Types of Beer” workshop, and Sean Dunbar of Picaroons will be there to talk about starting a microbrewery. Tickets for the event are $60 and can be purchased here; email Josée Landry (josee.landry@ccnb.ca) for more details.

That’s it for this week… enjoy your beer and turkey this weekend!

Friday Wrap-Up – Grimross Brewing Brews a New Belgian Stout, PEI Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale in NB, Details on New Yellowbelly Beer, and more

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-04
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, PEI Brewing, Propeller Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, Sea Level Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery, YellowBelly Brewery. 1 comment

G’day, beer friends! Time to end another beautiful week with some Atlantic Canada craft beer news…

• Stephen Dixon of Grimross Brewing recently brewed another Belgian-style Stout which should be pouring in Fredericton in the near future. Different from the previously-released Destrier Stout, the new beer has, “a little less roast, and a little more chocolate”, according to Dixon. The beer was brewed with hops from Southan Farms in Wicklow, and Maritime Malt, a malt variety from Canada Malting made exclusively from Maritime-grown barley. Remember to look for Grimross beers at the Picaroons Brewtique on Queen Street, and on tap soon at the King Street Ale House.

• As mentioned last week, the PEI Brewing Company has released their Pumpkin Ale across the Island; luckily, it has already made its way to several select ANBL stores in New Brunswick! Currently available in a few Moncton outlets, it should also be popping up soon in Fredericton and Saint John. Still no word if it will make it to Nova Scotia; we’ll be sure to let you know if it heads that way!

• Over in Newfoundland, we have some more information regarding Yellowbelly Brewery‘s soon-to-be-released seasonal beer. Revisiting their Republic Pale Ale from last year, the beer is brewed with Pale Ale, Munich, and Carastan as the base malts. A “hop bomb” brewed with locally-grown hops, it also features dry-hopping with the Australian Topaz variety, known for providing “resinous and grassy” qualities when used in this way. Coming in at 5.3% ABV, the beer should be released late next week, according to the brewery. It’ll be on tap at the brewery, and hopefully available for growler fills.

• Something very interesting from Liam McKenna, head brewer at Yellowbelly: TODAY, he will be giving a talk on beer’s role in our civilization. It is being held at Memorial University, Biochem room SN-4015 at 1pm. Beer has been much more important than most of us think, as recent articles and documentaries have shown. Essentially, you can thank your great-great-great-great-(…)-great grandfather for liking his wife’s beer enough to want to plant barley. Cheers to all you Brewsters out there!

• Sea Level Brewing‘s newest beer, the wet-hopped Hopfazupa IPA, is already available in cans despite just being released in draught form recently. Featuring fresh Cascade hops from Sea Level’s own hop farm, it has an ABV of 6.5%. If you live in Halifax, head on over to Harvest Wines, Bishop’s Cellar, or Cristall Wine Merchants to snatch some up while you can!

• With the City Harvest (cool map of the events here) happening in Halifax this Saturday, several breweries in the city have some events planned. First off, Garrison Brewing will be serving some special micheladas, a traditional drink originating in Mexico that features beer, lime juice, and various sauces, spices and peppers. For this concoction, Garrison will be mixing in a cask of their Harvest Wheat that has been infused with jalapenos. Getaway Farms will be on site selling some freshly-made tacos to go with the beer.

• Over at Propeller Brewing on Gottingen St., Chez Tess will be there for a collaboration… spiced pumpkin wraps with beer-marinated roasted vegetables. Great timing for this, as Propeller just released their Pumpkin Ale, which is now available in bottles and for growler fills at both brewery locations.

• And, lastly from City Harvest, Bridge Brewing is pairing up with Highland Drive Storehouse for a harvest vegetable and  beer tasting event Saturday evening. Bridge’s new Saison will be pouring for the first time; they will also have their Many Hands Wet-Hopped Imperial Pale Ale. The 5.5% Saison is a new addition to their year-round offering, and is similar to the Summer Ale that was very popular over the past few months, but with more hops for bitterness and aroma and Candi sugar for dryness, and they’ve dropped the orange peel.

• Bridge will also be taking part in a Beer Dinner at harbourstone sea grill & pour house on Monday the 7th. Their four beers will be paired with four courses of fresh and interesting cuisine all evening. The flyer with course and beer details can be seen here, and reservations can be made by calling 902-428-7852.

• In other Garrison news, their 3 Fields Harvest Ale has made it into some NSLC and ANBL locations, so those of us not in Halifax can enjoy this wet-hopped beer. Also, keep an eye out next week for the release of their third One Hop Beer (à la Comet and Citra). Sorry for jumping the gun last week. 🙂 It will also be available at the NSLC and ANBL stores

• There’s a new beer on tap at Rockbottom Brewpub, The Rookie. Brewmaster Greg Nash has worked with the recipe since its first release in June, and this low-alcohol (3.1%) but high hops (3.2 pounds/barrel) beer is even better. The idea behind his “American Mild” style is to pack a lot of flavour into a small beer, just like Milds in the UK, but with his own signature twist. For those of us who appreciate full flavour and aroma in a beer, and the alcohol content is a happy byproduct, this is a must-try.

• Also out this weekend, Uncle Leo’s Smoked Porter. Using a variety of malts (the base is Pale, with flavour, body and aroma from Chocolate, Smoked, Crystal, and Roasted), this beer will have a lot going on, with a great malty body and smoky aroma. It weighs in at 6.8% ABV, and hopped to 31 IBUs. It will be available in bottles and growlers at the brewery starting tomorrow (weekend hours are Friday and Saturday 2-7pm), and will make it to Bishop’s Cellar and Premier Wines mid next week.