Friday Wrap-Up for May 6, 2022 – News from Marvelous Holy Bowly by Holy Whale, Delta Force, Trailway, Annapolis Cider, Banished, Prud’homme at Tapestry Beer Bar, Hardisty, Propeller, Big Spruce, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2022-05-06
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 902 BrewCast, Annapolis Cider Company, Banished Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Delta Force Brewing, Hardisty Brewing, Holy Whale Brewing, Hops Connect Canada, Marvelous Holy Bowly, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Prud'homme Beer Certification, Tapestry Beer Bar, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Spring has sprung in Atlantic Canada. With a stretch of great weather in the forecast, what better time to grab a great local beer, hit up your favourite outdoor space and soak up some Vitamin D. This week we’ve got new releases and returning favourites, plus a couple of new spots to enjoy your pints!

Thirsty folks in Riverview have a new place to drink and play, as the Marvelous Holy Bowly opened their doors at the end of April. Brought to you by the fine folks at Alma’s Holy Whale / Buddha Bear Cafe, the bowling alley cum craft beer bar at 28 Biggs Drive features 12 lanes of candlepin bowling (reserve your lanes here), and capacity for even the biggest of groups. What’s pouring? There are a full dozen of their own Holy Whale beer flowing at all time, with room for a handful more from other New Brunswick producers large and small, plus wine and cocktails. Open 7 days a week from noon til 11 PM Mon-Fri, 10 AM – 11 PM Sat and 12 – 8 PM Sundays, make plans to hang with some pals and throw a few frames, drop a couple of quarters into the arcade machines onsite for the full bowley alley vibe, all while throwing back a couple of pints!

Delta Force Brewing is celebrating two years in business (and what a couple of years it’s been!), with a mixed six-pack of different fruited Anderlecht Farmshed Ales. Hand-picked by the Delta Force team from the Annapolis Valley and Mahone Bay areas of the province, the six varieties of fruits added were Gooseberry, Rhubarb, Sour Cherry, White Currant, Red Currant, and Black Currant. They let the beer, already funky and a touch tart from the Brettanomyces used to ferment, direct the fruit choice and addition rate. Each beer was fully fermented to completion after the fruit was added, with about 3 months of fruit contact time before bottling. This special celebratory six-pack is available for ordering now through their website, just in time for delivery within HRM.

Trailway has a new IPA out, named after those pesky cart-seeking red shells in Mario Kart. Red Shell IPA features a moderate bitterness and notes of stonefruit, citrus and pine from additions of Citra, Amarillo and Callista hops. Featuring a more substantial grain bill than the average Trailway IPA, expect some biscuity malt notes to keep things nicely in balance. Cans are available now at the taproom and through their online store. 

Annapolis Cider has a new release from its always popular Something Different series. Black Cherry & Rosemary features cool fermented cider that is blended with juice from local black cherries. It also received an infusion of rosemary to add a lightly savoury note. The result is a full bodied cider that pours a deep crimson colour thanks to the black cherries. The flavour profile features ripe berries, cherry tannins and slightly herbal finish. Black Cherry & Rosemary is available now in Downtown Wolfville, with $0.50 from each sale supporting the Valley Hospice Foundation. 

In “coming soon/get your drinking boots on” news, Banished Brewing in Paradise NL has passed one of the big hurdles this week, as they have begun brewing! We’ll have tons more news for you ahead of their open in the coming weeks, but know that soon those tanks will be filling kegs and cans for our enjoyment. Keep an eye on their social media for updates too, as they are coming fast and often these days!

Tapestry Beer Bar in Lower Sackville is taking you to school in June, as they will be hosting Prud’homme Beer Certification Level 1 classes starting June 13. Over the course of 4 Mondays, students will learn all about beer styles, beer recipe and production, tasting techniques, and the history of beer. Interested? Reach out to Tapestry in person or over social media to sign up or learn more!

The small (some may even say, nano) folks out of Cole Harbour, Hardisty Brewing, are bringing their wares to the Alderney Market (at Dartmouth’s Alderney Landing) every Saturday from 8am until 1pm. There are lots of great vendors down there, so stop by, grab some beer, grab some food, and support your local crafters!  Hardisty currently has a lineup of at least 6 beers (an IPA, Amber, two Pale Ales, a Pilsner and Rye IPA), and they also deliver in Dartmouth and Cole Harbour weekly. Check their website for more details. 

The pleasant people at Propeller have a summer-themed Patio Pack of 12 cans available today. This 12 pack features 12 355ml cans mixed between four different beers. Two of the beers most of our readers would be familiar with, Lime Lite Lager and Passion Fruit Sour, but they also have two Summer Ales, Tropic Haze and Guavarama as part of the pack. This pack is available today on their website and in the Propeller shops and will be arriving soon at the private stores in Halifax, along with the NSLC. 

Spring time in Nyanza can only mean one thing, the return of She’s Maibock. Big Spruce’s take on the traditional German Lager is back in stock. The 6.5% maibock is hopped with Huell Melon, giving notes of strawberries, melon and stonefruit to compliment the signature toasted bread crust malt notes of the style. Grab some cans today at the Sprucetique or through their online store. 

The boys at the 902 Brewcast returned this week for a pod recapping the recent Tapped Truro Beer Fest. They also sample a few recent releases, including this year’s release of Cerberus. Treat your ears wherever you get your pods.

We’ve got two quick hits from North Brewing to bring you into the weekend, starting with a rerelease. Just in time for some warmer weather, Sparrow Pilsner is back in stock at all three retail locations. And speaking of retail, North is currently hiring for part-time positions in the three retail shops (Cole Harbour, Downtown Dartmouth and Timberlea). If you’re interested, send a resume to ben@northbrewing.ca or check out the job postings section of their website for more info.

We’ll warrant that but for a few exceptions, most beer drinkers don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about where the ingredients in their beer come from. As you can imagine, though, as with any industry, there’s a whole worldwide supply chain that gets the barley and the hops and the hey hey from wherever they’ve been grown and processed into the hands of our region’s brewers. In the case of hops, there’s one company in particular in Canada that’s responsible for much of the hop content in your glass. That company has always been known as Hops Connect, but they’re now rebranding as Hops Connect Canada to more clearly delineate that they are a Canadian-owned and -operated company serving breweries in every Province and Territory. These are the folks responsible for much of the sought-after Southern Hemisphere (Australia and New Zealand) varieties being available to our brewers, like Galaxy, Vic Secret, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka, but they’re also behind, through their affiliate, Hops Connect Farms, the only current trademarked Canadian hop variety, Sasquatch. So the next time you’re lifting a glass of Propeller Galaxy, or maybe one of Trailway’s latest juicy hop bombs, give a thought to Hops Connect Canada and maybe check out their website and their new branding.

Friday Wrap-Up for April 29, 2022 – News from Nova Scotia Open Brewery Day, Big Spruce, Sober Island, 2 Crows, Rough Waters, Lone Oak, Landwash, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-04-29
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Annapolis Brewing Company, AWOL Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Brave Noise Beer, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Delta Force Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Lone Oak Brewing, Make Peace Not War Beer Project, Mountain Meadworks, Nova Scotia Craft Beer Month, Pravda Brewery, Propeller Brewing, Rough Waters Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Tapped Truro Beer Fest. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday y’all! Another great week for beer in Atlantic Canada, with the official Launch Party of Moncton’s AWOL Brewery happening tomorrow (more info on the brewery and event in yesterday’s post), updates and first looks from Lone Oak’s Brewpub coming soon to Charlottetown’s Milky Way, and new beers for us to tell you about from all four provinces. We are bursting at the seams with content, so let’s dive right in!

Let’s start this week’s news with a reminder that this is the last week and weekend of April, CBANS’ Nova Scotia Craft Beer Month. Tomorrow is Open Brewery Day, with breweries across the province holding special events , brewing demonstrations, new beer launches, and live music in their spaces, there is sure to be something for everyone everywhere to enjoy. As you make your way to a new or favourite brewery, there will be plenty of new beers pouring and available to take away, including…

Nyanza’s Big Spruce Brewing, who have released their Brave Noise Pale Ale. A reminder that Brave Noise is the worldwide movement and collaboration to create inclusive and safe spaces for women, LGTBQ+, and BIPOC, namely anyone otherwise underrepresented or made to feel less than welcome in the beer industry. Big Spruce brewed the suggested 4.5% ABV American Pale Ale recipe on International Women’s Day, and are ready to release it to the world now. Available on tap for pints and fills at the brewery now, it is also packaged in 473ml cans in their retail fridge, for home delivery, and at the freshly stocked fridge at Warehouse Market at 2867 Isleville Street in Halifax. Proceeds from the sale are being donated to a Cape Breton-based Women and Children’s shelter.

Big Spruce has also released That’s So Bougie this week, a Foedre-Fermented Wild Saison. Leveraging hints of oak from the wooden vessel it fermented and conditioned in, this 7.0% pale-coloured saison is bursting with ester and spice and floral notes, on a lively effervescent base, all thanks to the multifaceted wild saison yeast(s) used to ferment. Cans only for this release, look for it in the usual spaces you’ll find Big Spruce beer.

Fresh off celebrating their Sixth Anniversary last weekend (Congrats to Becky and her team!) Sober Island Brewing has a new light beer on the taps and in cans, to celebrate the coming warmer months. Expect to see a different beers in this category from SIBC in the coming months, with the first of those being a 4.3% light ale, dry-hopped with Azacca for a citrus and tropical vibe without being too heavy or filling. Look for future iterations to inch lower in ABV while incorporating more local malt. No official name yet, as that will be revealed with the label design inthe summer. Just ask for the Light Beer and they’ll steer you right! May we suggest dropping by tonight around 7PM, as Shannon Dalberg from Mountain Meadworks will be onsite doing a guided tasting of five of her meads, to showcase the flavours available in this honey-derived beverage. And big things are happening on the Eastern Shore, as Sober Island prepares to open their Musquodoboit Harbour Beer Garden May 19th, and in June, Andre Pettipas and the Giants will mark the opening of their home base outdoor beer garden space. More on those events closer to the dates.

Greenwich’s Delta Force Brewing has brewed and released a second and third beer in the Make Peace Not War beer project. Joining the Dry-Hopped Farmshed Sour are the Valley Lager and Farmshed Tripel. Both available in 500 ml bottles, and 40% of all proceeds are being donated to Red Cross efforts in Ukraine. Easy drinking, fizzy and pale, the Valley Lager is no nonsense and straight to the point at 5.1% ABV and 33 IBU. On the other end of the spectrum is the Farmshed Tripel, at 9.8% ABV, quite dry, with plenty of citrus esters from the style-accurate yeast.Learn more about the beer and project, and order yours today from their website!

Straight out of Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Brewing has a trio of new beers available on draught and in cans this week to tell you about. The inaugural brew on their new brewhouse, Maiden Voyage Kolsch is a 5.5% crisp and easy-drinking hybrid beer, highlighting the straw and bready character from the malt, and just a touch of fruit ester character imparted by the yeast. A light balancing of hops helps to round out the entire package. Maiden Voyage joins their Northern Lights White IPA, which has been tweaked ever so slightly to continuously improve the recipe. 5.0% ABV Wheat Ale, featuring a full mouthfeel and great head retention, with additions of Citra, Amarillo, and Simcoe dry-hopping further enhance the coriander and curacao orange peel used in the boil (along with enough bittering hops to get up to 50 IBU). And finally, Annapolis have released their collaborative Brew for Ukraine Putin Huylo Golden Ale, with all proceeds from can and tap sales going to relief and recovery efforts in Ukraine. Tweaking the original Pravda Brewery recipe slightly, their 5.0% Golden Ale is dry-hopped with Cascade to impart some great citrus aroma and flavour.

Hot off the press (cold off the canning line?) today is the latest “locals [ingredients] only” beer from Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing. Terra is a classic American Pale Ale, using only Maritime-grown and -processed ingredients. Starting from a base of Shoreline Pale and Pilsner malts, along with Toasted Wheat and Amber Malt from fellow PEI-based maltsters Island Malt House. Tapping into the fine growers at Lakeview Hops in New Brunswick, whose Chinook hops ended up in the mash and during first wort transfer, aided by more Chinook and now Cascade in the whirlpool post-boil. Fermented with a clean ale yeast strain to let the malt and hops take centre stage, the actively fermenting beer received even more of both hops for some lovely bio-transformation of the aromatic terpenes. Using the yeast burps of carbon dioxide to their advantage through the technique of spunding (keeping the CO2 in the vessel to naturally carbonate the beer), and adding just a touch more sugar to complete the carbonation in the can. Think West-Coast-y Pale, with flavours of grapefruit and pine with a solid bitterness to boot. This 5.8% ABV Pale Ale is on shelves at 2 Crows now, and at the NSLC in your neck of the woods real soon.

And if you can’t find a designated driver to take you around to all of the breweries in the province, may we suggest taking in the Tapped Truro Beer Fest, where about 20 breweries will be pouring their wares, plus food vendors, games, and you can even upgrade your ticket to include a shuttle back to your house, hotel, or AirBnB to arrive safely. Grab tickets here!

There is lots of action happening in Deer Lake, as Rough Waters Brewing has a bunch of new releases! Starting with Priestess, a fruited milkshake NEIPA that is fruity, full bodied, and a bit sweet. At 5.9% with additions of cherries and blueberries and a big dry-hopping of Lotus, it sports a delicious aroma with a slightly berry-forward flavour. Another new release is Knock Out. This is a 6% Brut IPA, following the dry champagne style packed with dry hops to bring topical citrus notes and a dry finish. Third on the list is one of their new Sour Series, Spiced Grapefruit! What is the spice? Ginger root! What is the grapefruit? Grapefruit puree! The base of the sour series is a Berliner Weisse and is a tweak of their Canadian Brewing Awards Silver Medal winning Sou’wester beer. All three of the releases above are available in 473ml cans at NLC stores across Newfoundland and different stores around St. John’s, too. 

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen the release of several IPAs that are pushing as much fruit character out of the hops as possible using specialised yeast strains or Phantasm (extracted from Sauvignon Blanc grapes). The name of the game here is freeing thiols, aromatic compounds that punch above their weight when it comes to tropical fruit character. PEI’s Lone Oak Brewing is the latest to hop on the thiol train with the release of Phancy. The 7% ABV hazy IPA is low on bitterness, but high in fruit flavour and aroma, including notes of passion fruit, tangerine and grape juice. Phancy is available now at the taproom in Borden or for delivery via their online store.

Over in Mount Pearl, the team at Landwash is teaming up with St. John’s tech company, CoLab Software, for the first release in their Make/Shift series. Collab CoLab, Citra Citra Citra is a hazy DDH IPA, that Landwash is calling one of the most juicy, assertive IPA they’ve brewed to date. It features several iterations of the citrusy Citra hop, including the OG Citra T-90 pellets, an addition of T-45 Citra and Citra Spectrum during fermentation for the biotransformation effect, and a final dry hop with more hop pellets. Citra Spectrum is a newer product that uses the essential oils from the hops. Since it comes in liquid form, it can add a lot of hop character without impacting yields at all. Collab CoLab, Citra Citra Citra is available now at the taproom and should also be hitting the shelves at Landwash’s retail partners across the province this weekend. 

A couple of short newsbites before we let you go for the week…

As mentioned in last week’s post, Lunn’s Mill was just packaging up ЧЕРВОНІ ОЧІ (Red Eyes) American Amber Ale in support of the Brew for Ukraine initiative, and now we’re able to tell you the beer is available now to order through their online store, or directly at their taproom in Lawrencetown and The Station in Bridgetown.

In the category of “coming soon”, Lunn’s Mill has a new release in collaboration and support of Annapolis Royal Pride, the brewery is looking for submissions to design a label for Saisons of Love. All submissions must be in a high resolution format and submitted by May 1st to annapolisroyalpride@gmail.com for a chance to win some prizes from the brewery.

Trailway continues its streak of non-hazy releases with the return of Emerald. Their 5% ABV take on a New Zealand style pilsner features Nelson Sauvin hops and additions of lime juice and zest. Cans of Emerald are available now.

Staying in Fredericton, Maybee Brewing Company is releasing Paddle On Pale Ale.  This one is lower on ABV at 4.5%, but plenty bitter at 45 IBUs. Expect a light body and notes of grapefruit and peach. Find it on tap at the brewery today. 

As part of their 25th Anniversary celebration, Propeller Brewing has released the latest new beer in their portfolio, Guavarama Summer Ale. Featuring loads of juicy guava, as well as plenty of blackberries, this 4.8% ABV beer is a lovely glimpse of summer to come with tropical vibes and just a little tang, hazy pink in the glass. Find it on tap and in cans at all three Propeller Shops in Dartmouth and Halifax, online for local delivery or shipping, and at the private stores in HRM and at the airport.

A short drive from Antigonish, Half Cocked Brewing has a new release joining their tap lineup. Lemon Lime Farmhouse is a refreshing release leading into the warmer weather. Using additions of kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass to a slightly tart 5% ABV base, these add lighter flavours instead of the actual peel or fruit. This beer is available starting today on tap or growlers to go. 

Church Brewing has a new release out now, with Blonde available from the brewery and online now in 473ml cans. This is a 5.0% classic blonde ale with some light fruitiness, a gentle hap flavour and medium body. This will be available soon in the NSLC and if you liked their previous blonde release, In Your Honour, from a few years ago, we imagine this will be right up your alley! 

Looking to get into the beer business? Read on!

We’ll close with a job posting on Nova Scotia’s beautiful South Shore. The team at Hell Bay Brewing is looking to grow with the addition of full-time Assistant Brewer. Prior brewing experience is an asset, but a passion for beer and willingness to learn may get you in the door if you’re lacking experience. Apply via hellbaybrewing@eastlin.ca or by dropping by the brewery in Liverpool.

AWOL Brewery Celebrating Launch Party April 30th at All Ranks Moncton Mess Hall

Posted by acbbchris on 2022-04-28
Posted in: Profiles. Tagged: All Ranks Moncton Mess, AWOL Brewery, Marky's Laudromat, The Furnace Room, The Joyce, Timber Lounge. 2 comments

AWOL Brewery, a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran-owned brewery in the Moncton region, is up and running as of this month, and celebrating its Launch Party at the All Ranks Moncton Mess this weekend. We caught up with owner and brewer, Robert Black, to learn more about his journey to open AWOL, their current and future offerings, and much more!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and AWOL?
My name is Bobby and am the brewer/owner of a new craft brewery located in Moncton, New Brunswick. I am a retired Sgt. from the Army, and started this project after my medical release in 2015. AWOL Brewery is primarily marketed towards serving and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as first responders, but not exclusively so. We are part of the Buy Veteran movement, and give back to Veteran non-profit organizations, through a percentage of sales from our merchandise and a selection of our seasonal/specialty beers.

Can you tell us about your brewery and plans for distribution?
The brewery is a 3 BBL (~350 litre) electric brewery, powered exclusively by solar energy, thanks to the panels on the roof of our building. While our current brewing location is not open to the public, we are focusing on providing licensees in the region with beer. The focus is on the development of the brand and getting exposure, before we expand into a new space, which could include a taproom. Where to find us on tap is always expanding, so it’s best to check the list on our website for the up-to-date information. Currently pouring at the All Ranks Moncton Mess (ARMM), Laundromat Expresso Bar, Timber Lounge, and Furnace Room in Moncton, and on the rotating taps at The Joyce Pub in Fredericton. The ARMM is not normally open to the public, except during special events.

Can you tell us about the beers you have available now, and plans for the future?
Currently, we have an American Pale Ale, Tactical Pause APA, as a regular full-time listed beer. This beer is a 5% ABV hop-forward pale ale, with German Caramel malts to give it some body and help balance out the bitterness of the Warrior and Amarillo hops used to make it 36 IBU.
Throughout the year we will be rotating different beer styles in our seasonal selection. By our second year, we plan on promoting the best performing seasonal beer to a permanent listing. Our first seasonal beer is a Smoked Amber Ale, called The Smoker, named after the (rare) post-military training exercise beer call and BBQ. Lightly smoked using traditional German Beechwood-smoked malt, along with German Caramel malts and American Hops to help balance the flavor. The Smoker Ale is at 5.1% ABV 24 IBU and displays a colour of 15 SRM. This beer pairs nicely with anything from the grill, and the smoke does not overwhelm your sense of taste.
The next seasonal beer is a Red Lager brewed with German lager yeast and German Cara malts. It weighs in at 5.0% ABV. No special for it yet, other than calling it AWOL R.E.D. Lager. All three of these will be available on tap at the Launch Party, and at the other licensees, then it’s hard at work on releasing summer seasonal beers.

What can folks expect at the Launch Party Saturday?
From 6PM on Saturday, at the All Ranks Moncton Mess (Building 47 at 299 Park Street), we are inviting the public to join the active and veteran communities to help us celebrate our launch. We will be onsite pouring our three beers, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, the BBQ will be fired up and we will have burgers and sausages available after 6:30, with merchandise such as shirts, glassware, and stickers available for purchase. And door prizes to say thank you to those who come out to support! We have more details on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

How can we keep up with the latest AWOL Brewery news?
We have Facebook and Instagram pages, and we update our website with new beer releases, merchandise, and licensees. Look for an online store for merch coming soon!

Congratulations to Robert and Julie Black on the launch of AWOL, we know it has been many years in the making!