Friday Wrap-Up

Friday Wrap-Up: Shiretown Beer in ANBL soon, Railcar Brewing Online Store Open, Antigonish Townhouse Brewing Test Batches

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-04-26
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Ironworks Distillery, PEI Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Railcar Brewing, Shiretown Beer. 1 comment

Hello beer buddies! It’s another Friday, so another Friday Wrap-Up:

  • Shiretown Beer, located in Charlo, NB, should have their flagship beer, Blonde du Quai, for sale in 500 mL bottles at select ANBL stores by the end of next week. A Blonde Ale with more hops than typical, Blonde du Quai recently won a bronze medal at the Saint John Beer Festival on April 13th. Look for it at ANBL locations in Campbellton, Charlo, and Dalhousie, and on tap around the province. Here’s the direct “Find it” link.
  • Railcar Brewing Company, which will be opening by the end of 2013 in the Florenceville-Bristol area, has added an online store to their website. Currently, hats, men’s and women’s t-shirts, and women’s hoodies are available for purchase, with glassware being added soon.
  • The Antigonish Townhouse has been open since July 2012, and have now started brewing test batches on their SABCO Brew Magic system. We’re excited to hear about another brewpub “opening”, and with the success the restaurant is already having, think the locals will enjoy their in-house beer. Stay tuned as we do a profile on them in the coming weeks.
  • Garrison Brewing have done a special release of their 15 Malt Anniversary beer, aged for three months in Glenora Distillery Barrels. This is only available at the brewery, and is very limited, sorry!
  • The Saltscapes Expo is on this weekend at the Halifax Exhibition Park. Not beer-centric per se, but lots of breweries will be in attendance: Propeller Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Ironworks Distillery, PEI Brewing, Prince Edward Distillery.
  • And congratulations once again to Big Spruce! We attended their HRM Launch Party at the Wooden Monkey Dartmouth, and sampled both their Kitchen Party Pale Ale and Cereal Killer Stout. While we didn’t kick as many kegs at the Sydney party (I blame the poor weather), the beer, food and music was great! Their beer is now on tap in Halifax (Wooden Monkey [Dartmouth], The Argyle Grill and Bar [Halifax], Gabrieau’s Bistro [Antigonish], Bras D’Or Yacht Club [Baddeck], Governor’s Pub and Eatery [Sydney], East Side Mario’s [Sydney]).

Friday Wrap-Up: Big Spruce HRM Launch Party Saturday, New Beer from Bridge Brewing, Picaroons

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-04-19
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Spruce Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales. 1 comment

Hello Atlantic Canadian Beer Fans! Another busy week, with lots more to come. Here’s your Friday Wrap-Up:

  • A reminder that the launch party for Big Spruce Brewing‘s beers in the HRM will be held Saturday at the Wooden Monkey, Dartmouth location. The event kicks off at 7pm, with samples of their Kitchen Party Pale Ale and Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout. We hope to see you there! For more up-to-the-minute details on when the brewery is open for growler sales, Big Spruce is now on twitter.
  • Bridge Brewing has announced that their third beer, Strong Dark Belgian, will be available at the brewery starting today. With flavours of dark chocolate, and dark fruit, this 8% beer is a welcome addition to their line-up. Their current hours are Wed-Sat 12-7pm, though it’s best to check Twitter for any “Out of stock” notices.
  • Next Wednesday, April 24th, Picaroons will also be having a launch party for their highly successful Dooryard, an American Wheat Ale, one of their two summer seasonal beers. From 4-7 pm at the York St. Train Station in Fredericton, the party will feature live music, wood-fired pizza, and free Dooryard samples.
  • And a reminder that their Prohibition Repeal Party at Wilser’s Room is tonight. 12 taps of their beer, and there may even be some barrel-aged goodies as well! The event starts at 7pm, with Gypsophilia taking the stage at 9:30.
  • In Halifax, a reminder that the Rockbottom brewpub has a special beer every Saturday, tapped at 1pm. Served gravity-fed on the bar-top from a pin (20l), this week’s is the American Pale Ale with an extra blast of Cascade Hop Oil. Brewmaster Greg Nash loves to try a special twist on his regular lineup and seasonals, and it’s different every week.
  • Down at the Hart and Thistle, the Commissar Russian Imperial Stout is gone 🙁 but that means there is room for Nash’s latest creation, which is a dry-hopped IPA, launching in a few days :). Check their twitter for details on the exact release.
  • The Saint John Beer Festival, which was held last Saturday, appears to have been a great success. The event was sold out, and feedback was very positive, according to  organizer Peter Stoddart (also of the Saint John Ale House). Almost $2000 was raised for Ducks Unlimited.
    A popular vote was held to determine the best beers of the festival. With over 150 ballots cast, the results were as follows:
    Gold – Picaroons Oak-aged Winter Warmer (in Glenora cask)
    Silver – Big Tide Sandpiper Pilsner
    Bronze – Shiretown Blonde du Quai
    With a tentative date of April 5th being planned for next year’s event, Stoddart says that organizers “will be working diligently to up the bar once again”.
  • Speaking of Saint John, Big Tide Brewing‘s newest seasonal is still available, their Double IPA. This one is only available at the pub, so you have to be a local to get it.

That’s all the news for this week. If you have news of info you’d like published, write it in the comments, or hit us up via email or twitter. We’re looking to expand the ACBB Calendar, so if you know of any upcoming events, pass it along. Cheers!

Friday Wrap-Up: Big Spruce Release in Sydney Tonight, Saint John Beerfest This Saturday, Picaroons Prohibition Repeal Party, Garrison Citra One-Hop Beer Released, and more…

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-04-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Leave a Comment

Hello Beer Fans! Another busy week in Atlantic Canadian Beer. Here’s your Friday Wrap-Up:

  • Tonight is Big Spruce Brewing’s Sydney release party, being held at Governor’s Pub on Esplanade at 5pm. Their release party in Bras d’Or was a big hit, and the good times are sure to continue. They’ve been open most weekday afternoons for growler fills, and on tap at more and more locations across Cape Breton, HRM, and parts in between.
  • A final reminder that the Saint John Beerfest is taking place this Saturday, April 13th, at the Market Square Atrium. The doors open at 7:30, and there will be 130+ beers, many of which are not available at the ANBL. Food from some talented local chefs and kitchens will be available, and are included in the ticket price. There are still tickets available through the Harbour Station Box Office.
  • Picaroons will be hosting a tap takeover at Wilser’s Room in Fredericton starting at 7:00 pm on Friday, April 19th. Part of their “Prohibition Repeal Party“, there will be 12 different Picaroons beers available, with the strong possibility of both Winter Warmer and Timberhog aged in Glenora barrels, and Yippee IPA on cask. It’s also possible that their summer beer, Dooryard, will be available, ahead of the April 22nd official release date. The band Gypsophilia will be performing at 9:30. No tickets, just show up for a great time!
  • Thursday marked the release of Garrison Brewing’s second One-Hop beer, this time it’s Citra. Clocking in at 56 IBU and 6.5%, this has the potential to be a great summer IPA available at the private stores as well as the NSLC. They intend to brew it throughout the summer, so it might even make it to other Atlantic provinces!
  • To correspond with its arrival in NLC stores, Mike Buhler and Tom Beckett are leading a Flying Monkeys tasting on April 18th at the Qidi Vidi Brewery, just outside of St. John’s. They will be pouring samples of Smashbomb Atomic IPA, Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale, Hoptical Illusion, Amber Ale, and Matador Imperial IPA. Tickets are $19 and include a pint of Qidi Vidi beer before the event, roast beef and bread to cleanse the palate between samples, and great discussion from Mike and Tom. Contact Tom via email to reserve a spot.