Friday Wrap-Up for May 10, 2019 – News from the Stillwell Open, Big Spruce, Church Brewing, New Scotland, Breton, Shipwright, Propeller, Gahan House Hub City, and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2019-05-10
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Bad Apple Brewhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Bootleg Brew Company, Breton Brewing, Crooked Feeder Brewing, Gahan House (Moncton), Good Robot Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Matchstick Beer Factory, Maybee Brewing, New Scotland Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Arcade, Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Shipwright Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Open 2019, The Church Brewing Company, The Core by Bad Apple, TrailWay Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, Beer Fans! Well, you did it, you survived Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week! Hopefully you made it out to some of the events sponsored by the CBANS, and drank more than your share of the good stuff. Let’s keep the good vibes going to let you know what and where to enjoy some more tasty bevvies this weekend and beyond.

The final event of NS Craft Beer Week this year was the Stillwell Open, hosted by the long-time local-beer-boosters at Bar Stillwell. Four teams from across the province (North, South, Halifax, and Dartmouth) competed to create their best Single Hop beers in four categories (English, Session, Standard, and Double IPA). The drinking public voted on their favourite, and after the dust settled, First Place in the IPA category, and overall, went to the winning brew from Team North. Big Spruce Brewing teamed up with the soon-to-open Church Brewing Company and multi-award-winning homebrewer David Pepper. Named $$$$ (named after/sung to the first line of The O’Jays – For The Love of Money), due to the overwhelming amount of the very new, and not even named yet, HBC 692 hop. Pouring a hazy straw colour, with aromas and flavours of grapefruit and tangerine, it ticked all of the boxes for the crowd that day. Good news for those who missed out Sunday, this is a full release with the beer available at the breweries and better beer locations around the province.

Other finalists in their category were the Session IPA, Karate Lazer, brewed with Ekuanot by New Scotland Brewing, American IPA Shipwreck IPA brewed with Mosaic by Breton Brewing and Brathair Brothers homebrewing collective, and English IPA It’s a Boy! with Bramling Cross by homebrewer Glen O’Keefe. Both commercial brews mentioned are also available at their respective breweries and will see local distribution as well. Congratulations to these medal winners!

There were twelve other beers debuting on the wall Sunday, many of them also seeing distribution throughout the province. For the first time ever, Shipwright Brewing graced the chalkboard at Stillwell, with Secret HOPeration, a 4.6% ABV Session IPA featuring Vic Secret, which is also pouring at their taproom and Grand Banker. Hop notes of pineapple and grapefruit complement the light grain profile with a light bitterness. This entry was brewed with local homebrewers Matt and Isaac Hachey.

Propeller Brewing teamed up with own acbbchris to continue the love with another Gottingen Street Small Batch. This year’s effort was Sabro Double IPA, featuring a s**t-ton of newer hop Sabro added generously early, late, and after the boil (including during active fermentation), for a melding of coconut, pineapple, mango, and papaya, for a pina colada with a bit of a bitter kick. It is available now at both Propeller locations for growler fills, with pints also pouring at the Gottingen Street taproom. Drop by tomorrow during Open City to check out their brewery, and for the first time ever, the Propeller Arcade is open to all ages from noon to 4 PM.

Let’s skip provinces for a moment, where after months of delays (the most recent opening was planned for mid-October of 2018), the Gahan House has officially opened their Moncton location, Gahan House Hub City. The 160-seat restaurant (located at 55 Queen St. downtown) will also feature a 60-seat seasonal patio and a 5 bbl (~600 L) brewhouse, with three 5 bbl fermentors. As with other Gahan locations, you’ll find the standard PEI Brewing Co./Gahan line-up on tap, along with one-offs and seasonals brewed at the Hub City location, as well as other Gahan breweries in Atlantic Canada. Naturally, we’ll keep you updated on these beers, but we can give you a sneak preview of the first beer brewed at Hub City… it’s a 5.3% ABV American Pale Ale hopped with Cascade and Huell Melon.

And while on the subject of Gahan, we might as well take the opportunity to mention that the first beer from the Saint John Barrel Room series will be released at the Saint John and Fredericton Gahan locations on May 17th. Sour Saison was fermented initially with a Saison strain, the beer was then moved to Pinot Noir barrels with a blend of Brett, Lacto, and Pedio for six months. Bottle-conditioned for three months before its release next week, it finished off at 6.4% ABV.

If you’re into this new trend of hazy IPAs that all the kids are drinking (and who isn’t??), you may be interested to hear that Port Rexton Brewing has added a new rotating beer series, Continuum, to their line-up. This series of hazy IPAs will focus on different hops with each batch, and the first, Continuum w/ Vic Secret, was mainly hopped with the lovely Vic Secret variety from Australia. With large amounts thrown into the whirlpool and dry hop additions (along with some Azacca to complement), the beer has “bright tropical, stone fruit, and floral aromas and flavours, with undertones of piney bitterness”, all in a smooth, soft body with a dry finish. You’ll have to make a trip out to the brewery this weekend (now open 7 days a week, 12 – 10 PM) to grab this 5.6% ABV beer, but the trip will be worth it for the berg-watching, a walk along the Skerwink, and/or to attend their Mini Market tomorrow from noon until two, with crafts and goods by local entrepreneurs.

On the Avalon Peninsula, where we’ve been told you can spot some icebergs as well, you’ll find Landwash Brewery. And out in Mount Pearl, they’ve released a brand new take on their Brackish Gose, this release conditioned with some juicy Guava for an extra kick of acidity, and of course some bright tropical character. As always, sea salt from Newfoundland Salt Company plays an important role in mouthfeel and “zing”. On tap at the brewery for samples, pints, and growlers, as well as limited number of cans, pop in this weekend to enjoy this 4.8% ABV taste of the tropics. Their website is always up-to-date with their Availability, so be sure to keep an eye out there too. You’ll soon see yet another new beer hit the taps at the brewery, as well as the Admiralty House Museum, a hint of what’s to come can be found here.

On Newfoundland’s West Coast, pop into Bootleg BrewCo in Corner Brook for a taste of their Hawai’i Four-O American Session Ale. Full of fresh pineapple added to the conditioning tank, plus juicy tropical hops to complement, this 4.0% ABV refresher of a beer is light, smooth, and perfect for the warmer days sure to arrive any week now…

And speaking of Corner Brook, there will soon be another local brewery location in the city. Crooked Feeder Brewing, located in Cormack, will be taking over the Gitanos’ restaurant space in the Millbrook Mall, and opening Crooked Feeder Gastropub. While keeping their brewing operations in the former mill just north of Deer Lake, they will be bringing the look and feel of their quiet brewery location to CB. We expect that will feature plenty of work by The Tin Man, the local fabricators who have worked with Crooked Feeder to manufacture their brewhouse and fermentation vessels. With an expected seating capacity of over 100, the food menu will feature both meal and small-bite options, for those just coming in for a flight or pint, or staying a while to enjoy the live music and entertainment. They will also have a retail counter where growlers and merchandise to show off your Crooked Feeder pride. The Gastropub will be opening next month, but they’ve got plenty of beer to share with us in the meantime. Their Ohh Baby Brut IPA debuted at the Newfoundland Craft Beer Festival last month, and they are filling growlers in Cormack currently, and keep an eye out for a late-May release of their Best Coast Bitter, a Best Bitter in the traditional English style.

In Fredericton, TrailWay has been busy with the upcoming warm weather, meaning patio season, and more beer drinking! This week, they’ve got a new beer and two returning ones to suit those thirsty days. First up is their latest American IPA, Inception, a 6.5% ABV brew hopped entirely with Falconer’s Flight, an ever-changing blend of American ‘C’ hops. Plenty of citrus and tropical fruit abounds, no doubt, and if you’re at the brewery to have a pint or pick up some cans, bonus points if you do so with your totem in hand… but remember, don’t let anyone else touch it! (No, we’re not being dirty, sickos… watch the movie for cryin’ out loud!)

As for returning favourites, their seasonal Beyond Reality, a 4.6% ABV dry-hopped Raspberry Wheat, is back on tap and in cans, for those of you who need a hop break (homebrewers, see what I did there?). But if you love the hops (and if you’re going to TrailWay, we’re pretty sure you do), they’ve also brought back DDH Green Island, the double-dry hopped version of their standard Green Island IPA. This one is also available on tap and in cans, albeit at a very limited supply.

Out in Hampton, New Brunswick, Matchstick Beer Factory has launched a new beer. Darlin’ of an Amber is being touted as a heavily-hopped American Amber Ale that features a simple grist of Maritime Malt and Crystal 40, with the hops being split between Liberty and Newport (added to the tune of about 40 IBUs) sourced from local Darlings Island Farm. Fermented with a neutral American Ale yeast strain, the hop flavours are complemented by the maltiness of the beer. Coming in at 6% ABV, look for kegs to be pouring at Sussex Ale Works, the Cask and Kettle, Saint John Ale House, and Match Factory Restaurant.

Drop by 2 Crows this Saturday at noon if you’d like to get your bottle fix, as they’ll be releasing Five Petals, the latest in their ever-expanding lineup of barrel-aged sours. Brewed with Pilsner, Spelt, and Wheat, no hops were added to the wort before it made its way to the wonderful world of oak. Fermented with a blend of the brewery’s Lacto, Brett and Saccharomyces cultures, it spent about 4 months in Sauvingon Blanc barrels, where it was then transferred back to stainless. Here, it was further conditioned on fresh lemon zest and juice, along with an addition of elderflowers, before bottling. Tasting “very bright, fun, lively and fresh, with a strong lemon presence, firm minerality, and a delicate touch of elderflowers’ floral/lychee presence”, it weighs in at 5.9% ABV.

YellowBelly in St. John’s, Newfoundland has a new beer coming this week, their version of a collaboration with Five Boroughs Brewing Co. in New York City to celebrate the success of the hit musical now playing in New York (on Broadway, even!), Toronto, Melbourne, London and on tour as well, Come From Away. Unfiltered and unfined, this pale ale’s is augmented by oats and wheat in the grist for a silky mouthfeel, with a soft bitterness rated at 40 IBU and a maybe-not-quite-sessionable-but-maybe-have-another-one-anyway 6.0% ABV. The blend of Cashmere, Cascade, and Amarillo hops lends tropical, citrus, and stone fruit notes in both the aroma and on the palate. Expect it to pair well with spicy foods and creamy cheese. You can find it on tap at YellowBelly’s Pub, with growler fills expected to be available by Sunday, May 19th at the Takeaway. You can also expect to find it on guest taps around the city and possibly the rest of the province, and the NLC will have bottles within the next week! A lovely tribute to a great story of folks going out of their way to help others during an event that truly shook the world.

Late last fall, Maybee Brewing released Brut IPA, their take on the hoppy, effervescent, bone-dry style. This beer will be the focus of the first release in their barrel-aged program with Brut: Aged in Pinot Noir Barrels. Aged in Pinot Noir barrels for four months, the final product is the result of a blend of two of these barrels, plus a small amount of the Brut IPA base. Refermented in 750 mL cork-and-cage bottles with fresh yeast for about 6 weeks, the bottles are now ready and will be released exclusively at the taproom next Wednesday. The 6% ABV beer is displaying aromas of “tropical fruit, pineapple, white wine grape notes, wood vanillins, earth, and spice”, with flavours of the same, along with some barrel character, according to the brewery. They’ve also kegged a small amount, which will be available for pints only, also at the brewery.

What to do this weekend? We’ve got one suggestion for you today!

Our good friends at Stillwell are holding their very first Newfoundland Tap Takeover tomorrow, May 11th, from noon until closing. They’ll be hosting three breweries from the Rock, including Landwash (pouring That Much Ocean, Hazures Rock, One Wave, Brackish, and Home and Away), Quidi Vidi (Iceberg, Bog & Barrens Imperial Bakeapple Gose, and Dayboil), and Port Rexton (T-Rex Porter, Some Day on Hops, Azacca NEIPA, and Drifter). And it wouldn’t be a Newfoundland anything if there weren’t some tasty home-inspired treats on hand, so they’ll be serving up fried bologna and fishcakes on the menu. No entry fee, of course, so drop by and sample some delicious beers and food!

Just a couple more before you head out for lunch…

Bad Apple Brewhouse has been experimenting with English beers lately, as an excuse to find use for their new hand pump. If you’re in Wolfville, drop by The Core (just off of Main Street) to try the new, unnamed Extra Special Bitter (4.9% ABV), which has a “balanced hop bitterness with a slight, fruity ester-like finish”.

For next Thursday’s Alpha Brew, Good Robot is bringing back Creature Feature I (6% ABV, 68 IBUs), the first iteration in their biotransformation IPA series. Hopped with a selection of North American varieties, expect a “mild honey flavour and a subtle orchard fruit aroma”.

Friday Wrap-Up for May 3, 2019 – News from NS Craft Beer Week, Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, Backstage, Saltbox / King Street Beer Co. & much more!!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2019-05-03
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Annapolis Brewing Company, Backstage Brewing, Big Spruce, Boxing Rock Black Box Challenge, Boxing Rock Brewing, Craft Beer Corner, Full House Craft Beer Festival, Fundy Hops, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Grand Monk Ales, HopYard Halifax, King Street Beer Co., Landwash Brewery, Limestone Group, Local Source, Maybee Brewing, Niche Brewing, PEI Brewing Co., Propeller Arcade, Propeller Brewing, Roof Hound Brewing, Saltbox Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Spindrift Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Open 2019, Tanner & Co Brewing, The Joyce, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Upstreet BBQ Brewhouse, Upstreet Craft Brewing, Vandal Doughnuts, YellowBelly Brewery. 1 comment

Here we go again, beer fans! We’re in the final weekend of NS Craft Beer Week! We hope those of you in the province have been getting out to support your local brewery and licensee. We want to sincerely thank those of you who came out and took part in our Beer Trivia Night at The Auction House last night, and big thanks to the breweries who donated so much swag that all of the teams who took part went home with something. We can’t wait to do it again, and it may be even sooner than next year! Enough gushing, on with the news!

Another week of releases for Big Spruce, this time it’s the return of She’s Maibock. A fitting release, given we’ve just entered the month of May, this is a heritage German style of lager brewed similar to a Helles, but a bit more intense in malt/ABV/hops (pro tip, “bock” means buck or ram, and these beers will often feature one on the label). Their take on the style is a 5.9% ABV copper beer, brewed using their own farm-grown hops, and lots of complex and flavourful malts, giving rise to toast and bread notes, with a light citrus character. Grab this beer on tap at the brewery in Nyanza, and at licensees around the province. And drop by HopYard Halifax this afternoon (4 – 7 PM) for the official launch of Year 3 of their Tag! You’re It! IPA, with $0.50 from each can going to Ocean Tracking Network.

Boxing Rock’s Agricola Street Test Kitchen at Local Source Market has another new beer pouring this week. Fail No More is a 3.7% ABV English Mild, keeping to the iconic style with a light bitterness and pleasant caramel and toast and roast notes. You’ll have to pop in for a taste and a growler fill soon, as these Test Kitchen releases are always quite limited!

And in more great Boxing Rock news, the culmination of their Black Box Challenge was on Sunday. This saw homebrewers given the same list of ingredients, and it was up to them to come up with a recipe using some or all of the materials. With presentations ranging from a game of Jeopardy!, to a Crazy Game of Porter, the finalists put their best foot forward on Sunday to present and “sell” their beer to the judges. At the end of the afternoon, Jana Dellapinna and her Hello Darkness Schwarzbier was crowned the winner, through a combination of scores of the beer, presentation, and song choice (The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel). Dellapina will be traveling down to Shelburne to brew up a full size release of the beer, for wide distribution. And some of her fellow finalists may receive the same call, given the quality of the entries in this year’s competition!

Backstage Brewing will be releasing their first Red Ale (aka American Amber) this weekend in time for the main festivities (read: Full House). Simple Man was brewed with Pale malt, CaraMunich, Carafa and Roasted Barley (likely in moderation, to help provide colour). Hopped lightly to 20 IBUs with Willamette from Fundy Hops, the brewery is describing the final beer as “smooth, malty, and simple”. In addition to pouring at Full House, it’ll be on tap at the brewery.

Saltbox Brewing in Mahone Bay is celebrating the opening of their new location in Bridgewater, King Street Beer Co. Not surprisingly, this brewery and taproom is located at 463 King Street in the town, and features a pilot system that they are using for special on-premise beer releases, LaHave River Beers. The first of these hits the taps at 6:30 PM this evening. Silvercat Legendary Canamerican Pale Ale (that’s a mouthful!) is a 5.5% ABV, 39 IBU, Maple Pale Ale, brewed with local homebrewer Don Graham. No word on the origin or amount of maple used in the beer. As with all the brews on this pilot system, it is in very short supply (under 40 litres!), so pop down this evening to avoid disappointment! And drop by both King Street and Saltbox this weekend as they are hosting the Highway 103 Tap Takeovers, featuring breweries from up and down the 103 Highway on the province’s South Shore.

To help celebrate NS Craft Beer Week, Tanner & Co. Brewing is releasing the latest beer in their Sauvage series, with 2019 Sauvage. This Saison features a malt bill built entirely around grain from Horton Ridge, including Pale malt, Vienna, and Wheat. Hopped to 20 IBUs with EKG and Mt. Hood, it was fermented – like last year – with Big Spruce’s pin cherry yeast isolate. All about the yeast character (as a good Saison should be!), it’s showcasing “tropical fruit such as pineapple, mango, citrus, and a bit of lemon rind on the finish”. It clocks in at 6% ABV, it’ll be pouring at the Full House event this weekend, with bottles at the brewery as well.

Coupla new hoppy beers coming from the Upstreet family for this weekend, starting with an early sneak peek of Great Day Session IPA. Brewed with Pilsner, Vienna, Wheat, and Golden Naked Oats, they hopped the beer with Cashmere, Amarillo and Mosaic, for aromas of “pear, white grapes, melon, and coconut”. Light-golden in colour, with a smooth body thanks to the addition of the oats, it lives up to its name at 4.8%, and finishes only mildly bitter (25 IBUs). It’s officially launching at tomorrow’s Full House, and will also be on tap at the BBQ Brewhouse for pints, growlers, and crowlers this weekend. Look for draught and cans to follow on PEI next Thursday.

Upstreet’s other hoppy offering is Neon Friday 2.04, the latest in the ongoing series. With the addition of some Honey malt and Melanoiden to give the beer a “gentle, warming sweetness”, as well as a reddish colour, it was hopped with Amarillo, Southern Cross and Sorachi Ace (to 45 IBUs), providing the 6.5% American IPA with aromas of “orange peel, lemon, pine, and a hint of dill”. This one is debuting on the Island today at the Upstreet taproom and Craft Beer Corner (on tap and in cans), with a few cans making their way to the Nova Scotia private stores as well.

Landwash Brewery, out of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, has lots going on this weekend, including the launch of a brand new beer. Might as well start there! Another Shore is releasing in cans and on tap at the brewery today at 4 pm, and it’s a very specific take on the classic Kolsch style. Brewed with malted barley and wheat from PEI’s Shoreline Malting, it was fermented cool and allowed to condition at low temperatures. Once complete, they dry-hopped it with Amarillo and Sabro, and then went further by adding “a whole whack” (that’s a lot!) of fresh lime zest. You can probably imagine in your head how this 4.2% ABV brew is tasting… we’ll leave you to it. In other Landwash news, they’re holding their first Cask Night at Toslow in St. John’s, tonight, where they’ll be tapping Coconut Hazures Rock (and they’ll have a keg of Another Shore, too). Also, keep your eyes peeled for a new batch of One Wave Blonde Ale coming out soon.

While in St. John’s, why not stop by YellowBelly and try Deadly, Missus, their 2019 International Women’s Day brew. It’s being referred to as a “Belgian India Blonde Ale” (!) that was hopped with the Pink Boots Society hop blend (Loral, Glacier, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Sabro). Designed and brewed by head brewer Nardia McGrath, it’s tasting “spicy, funky, and earthy”; it clocks in at 7.1% ABV. And hey, you’re there, so you might as well give their latest cider, Iceberg Cider, a try. Made entirely with iceberg water (natch), it’s 5.5% ABV and on tap now; bottles should follow next week in local NLC stores.

Speaking of cider, the PEI Brewing Company has a new one of their own available, 6 Hours of Sun. Made with a “special blend of apples”, it was fermented with Champagne yeast to give a crisp, fruity, refreshing cider. Semi-dry with a semi-sweet finish, it’s 5% ABV and can be found right now at the PEIBC taproom in Charlottetown; you’ll be able to find it at all Gahan locations soon, as well as in cans at PEILCC stores.

New beer alert from Moncton’s Grand Monk Artisan Ales, Flat Earth IPA. Hopped copiously with varieties from North America (Cascade and Mosaic) and Australia (Ella), you can probably expect a beer full of tropical, juicy goodness. It weighs in at 7.5% ABV, and can be found at your favourite Grand Monk watering hole. And stay tuned for their next beer, Down With Vaccinations Pale Ale. Too soon?

Fredericton’s Maybee Brewing is releasing their first Lager tomorrow, May 4th. A Schwarzbier, we’re slightly confidant you could take a crack at what the name was going to be, knowing the date… and if you guessed May the Schwarz Be With You, you would be correct! This black Lager was brewed almost entirely with German malt and German hops, it was fermented cold with a dry Lager yeast. Fairly dark (24 SRM), and pretty easy-drinking at 4.9% ABV and 29 IBUs, it’s showing aromas of espresso, milk chocolate, and caramel, and a medium-light body with chocolate and caramel on the palate. They’re releasing it initially at the brewery on tap and in cans; look for it to follow at tap accounts later next week, and it should be on at ANBL growler sites later in the month. Drop by the brewery tomorrow from noon, where they’ll be holding a launch party, featuring beer (of course) and food from Gastrognomes.

Plenty of things going on in the region this weekend and into next week, check them out! And of course keep an eye on the NSCBW Calendar we put together so that you’re never late for an event.

Tomorrow, Propeller’s Gottingen Street taproom will be the site of their celebration of all things Star Wars, with their May the Fourth celebration.They’ll be featuring two casks, both hopped with out-of-worldy hops, like their Galaxy IPA hopped with an extra dose of (Millenium) Falconer’s Flight, and a cask made with their brand new canned (also draught) release, Sasquatch Pale Ale. This 5.2% Pale Ale features a wholly-Canadian hop, Sasquatch, grown in BC, and used throughout the brewing process to impart a tropical and juicy note to the beer. Also back this week is their Stone Fruit, which will be hitting the shelves of the private and NSLC stores soon. Back to the taproom, the Propeller Arcade is open all day (from 10AM), and they’ll have Star Wars-themed Vandal Doughnuts to pair with your pint. And if you’re wearing some Star Wars paraphernalia, your first pint is just $5! Pop by on your way to…

The Full House Beer Fest is also tomorrow, with forty breweries from across Nova Scotia pouring the newest and best beers at the Halifax Forum Multipurpose Centre (entrance is from the Young Street parking lot). From Yarmouth to Sydney, Amherst to Musquodoboit Harbour, breweries from all over are coming together for the biggest celebration of #NSCraftBeer. Tickets for both the afternoon and evening session are still available, and we will certainly be there taking it all in. One of the new releases you’ll be able to enjoy is Annapolis Brewing’s Port Royal Pilsner, which was fermented low and slow (over a month!), for a smooth finish, with the Saaz used giving a hint of herbal notes. (It will also be available for pints and growler fills in their taproom this weekend)

If you wake up woozy and disoriented in Halifax on Sunday morning, Good Robot has your hookup to maybe soothe your self-inflicted wounds with a taste of the tropics. The Limestone Group will be hosting a brunch featuring food inspired by sunny climes (and based on the weather forecast a little imagination might be required there). How does coconut crusted French Toast sound? And if lovely food isn’t enough to get you over the hangover hump, there will, of course be beer. The brunch runs from 10 – 3 PM, so there’s plenty of time to drag your sorry self out of bed and get down to Good Robot and partake.

Also going down on Sunday is an annual event that’s near and dear to our hearts here at the ACBB (well, the empty places where our hearts used to be anyway), the 2019 Stillwell Open at Stillwell Beer Bar on Barrington Street. Now in its 5th year, this event pairs homebrewers and breweries together to develop beers for a blind tasting competition that ultimately crowns a champion beer based on the voting response of the public. To up the ante a little in terms of bragging rights, once again the province has been divided into geographical regions, North, South, Halifax, and Dartmouth, with a title going to the team with the best overall showing. This year’s theme for beers is single-hop IPAs. Each team will bring four beers in the Session IPA, American IPA, Double IPA, and English IPA (served on cask) categories, all made with but a single variety of hop. Beers are expected to be one offs for the competition or production batches that will debut at the competition, so 100% brand new, never sampled, sipped, or swigged before beers will be available. Our own Chris McDonald is captaining Team Halifax, with Les Barr of Roof Hound heading up Team South, Spindrift’s Kyle Jeppesen helming Team Dartmouth, and Jeremy White of Big Spruce once again leading the charge for the two-time (TWO-TIME!) defending champions, Team North. If you attend you may need to plan to balance your blood lupulin levels next week with some crispy Pilsners and fruity mixed ferms, but Sunday is all about the hops. The blind tasting starts at 12 PM with the field being cut in half based on votes after 90 minutes and again in half every 30 minutes until 3 PM when the category winners, the winning Team, and the overall champion beer will be revealed. So come on down and see if you don’t find yourself bleeding green afterwards!

Let’s turn our gaze away from NS Craft Beer Week for a moment, and look elsewhere… Namely, the fact that Hanwell’s very own Niche Brewing will be holding a Meet the Maker Tap Takeover tomorrow, May 4th, at The Joyce Pub in Fredericton. Those crazy cats decided to brew and keg up 16 different beers for this event, with almost half of them being one-offs and debuts. One of those is Into the Great Wide Open, a Saison dry-hopped with Hallertau Blanc and Amarillo. The Takeover officially begins at 7 PM, so be sure to drop by and meet the brewers behind the beer, and try the many offerings on tap. The full list of beers for the evening is available on the FB event page.

HopYard Halifax is holding a Battle of the Breweries every Thursday, where they’ll be dedicating three taps each to a number of breweries who will be fighting to the death… or, bragging rights, I suppose. Round 1 will be stretched over four Thursdays (starting yesterday) with three breweries for each day… ten from Nova Scotia, one from PEI, and one from NB. The brewery who has sold the most beer for each day moves forward to the next round, so you’re essentially voting with your wallets! Show up to support your favourite(s)!

And a couple last things before you get your plans together for the weekend:

Garrison is re-releasing Lemondrop, their dry-hopped kettle sour, this weekend at the brewery. Hopped entirely with Lemondrop after the boil was complete, this 5% ABV sour is tart and lemony, and will also be available at NSLC and private stores. You should be able to find it in other provinces this summer, too.

TrailWay is bringing back Good Times in the Fridge today, their 6% ABV American IPA brewed with a rotating hop schedule. This batch features Southern Cross, Wakatu, Enigma and Loral, giving a beer that is “dank, pungent, fruity, pineapple, spicy, and herbaceous”. You can find it at the brewery starting today.

Drop by Unfiltered today at noon if you’re a fan of Warning Label, their super strong (10% ABV) and super hoppy DIPA; it’ll be available on tap and in cans.

Friday Wrap-Up for April 26, 2019 – News from Route 19 Brewing, Niche, 2 Crows, Dageraad, Big Spruce, Tatamagouche, Church, Breton, Spindrift, Bootleg, Tusket Falls, TideHouse, Port Rexton, Propeller, and much more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2019-04-26
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. 1 comment

For fans of craft beer in Nova Scotia, one of the most wonderful times of the year is upon us. For beer bloggers, well, at least we’ll have cold beer glasses full of fine ales and lagers to soothe our sore fingers. Yes, Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week is upon us, and it’s fixing to be a busy one with events starting tonight and going clear through to next Sunday. We did our best to put together a couple of tools to help you navigate the plethora of events including a calendar and a map. You can find those in our post from yesterday. But don’t be fooled, there’s still plenty going on in New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland. So without further ado, here’s 4,000+ words on what’s to drink and what’s to do if you’re a beer lover in Atlantic Canada this week.

Attention Cape Breton Beer Fans, there is another brewery open on your beautiful island! Route 19 Brewing is located in Inverness, at 16030 Central Avenue (aka Route 19), very close to the Cabot Links Golf Course. After a tease of their beers were pouring at Battery Park and Westside Cookhouse last week, Route 19 will be celebrating their Opening Weekend at their own taproom starting today at 4 PM, and again tomorrow (also opening at 4 PM). Keith Mullins and Colin Grant will be playing this evening 7 – 10 PM, with Mullins playing again tomorrow evening 7:30 – 10:30 PM. So, what else can you expect if you drop by? There will be five of their own beer pouring (The Nineteenth Hole Pale Ale, Red Rows Scotch Ale, 1497 IPA, Coal Dust Stout, and Sea Ice Double IPA), plus food from their kitchen, and plenty of merch and swag to take away. After the weekend, the brewery and taproom are open from 4 PM daily, open until 10 PM (or whenever the fun dies down), except later on Friday and Saturday (1 AM). For those unable to pop in over the next week, they will be pouring their beer at next Saturday’s Full House event in Halifax, so be sure to grab tickets before they sell out! Congratulations on opening! Keep an eye here for a full Profile with the R19 folks soon, and in the meantime, follow them on your preferred social media platform (Fb/Ig/Tw).

Fans of lovely beer across New Brunswick have another reason to be happy this weekend, as Fredericton’s (FINE, Hanwell’s) Niche Brewing has their second bottled offering available; it should appear over the next couple of days at select ANBL locations around the Province. This one also happens to be the second collaboration with Halifax’s 2 Crows, which, if you remember the first, Cool Kid, should have you pretty excited. Golden Flair falls into the saison style, brewed with Pilsner, Oats and Spelt before being fermented with a blend of house yeast cultures from both breweries. Aged in a single Chardonnay barrel, and addition of apricot purée and a healthy dry hop of El Dorado and Ekuanot completed the picture before packaging. The finished beer is rife with yeast character, with some funk, apricot, of course, tropical fruit and a touch of oak. Look for updates on Niche social media (Fb/Ig/Tw) over the next few days to help guide you to an ANBL location that’s got some!

Speaking of 2 Crows, let’s head over to their brewery in Halifax, where they’ll be releasing another collaboration beer tomorrow at noon. They teamed up with British Columbia’s Dageraad Brewing to brew a foedre-aged wild Saison, Fool’s Errand. With a base of Pilsner, Triticale, and a bit of Munich malt, they hopped it lightly in the whirlpool stage with Sterling and Huell Melon. Fermented in a foedre with multiple house yeast cultures, it remained there for four months before being dry-hopped with Loral, Huell Melon, and Citra. Can-conditioned with champagne yeast, it’s tasting “super bright, lightly tart, with big melon and orchard fruit character and a balanced bit of funk”. This beer sounds wonderful, but we’d also like to do a little hat tip to 2 Crows for admitting out of the gate that this is their second attempt at this beer, as the first time around (the day after the 2018 Canadian Brewing Awards… eek!) resulted in a batch that they weren’t completely happy with. Dumping any beer isn’t easy… dumping a 7-month old beer is even worse. Thanks for thinking of your beer fans, 2 Crows! Oh, and tell your employees to enjoy what’s pouring at their next 18 staff parties! 😉

The 2 Crows crew are releasing a second beer this weekend, this one a collaborative effort with the folks from Big Spruce in Nyanza, Cape Breton. Media Naranja is a 5.8% ABV “Copenhagen lager” that began life fermented and aged for five months in a Chardonnay barrel, then finished with the addition of orange zest shortly before packaging. Described as “bright and crisp”, along with “notes of white win, cut green grass, wildflower honey and melon”, the beer is debuting Sunday at 4 PM in the 2 Crows taproom. To celebrate, they are holding a “Tap Sharing” event, with plenty of great beers from both breweries pouring that afternoon, including some favourite rare kegs held back for that day. Live music from Son Latino will help you stay in the mood, and there will be a special menu as well. Cans will also be available, but only at the two breweries!

Keeping in the “Shared Tap Takeover” theme, let’s highlight a couple more new beer from Big Spruce coming out this weekend, including one pouring at their Cape Breton Double Header Tap Takeover Weekend at Jamieson’s Irish Pub in Dartmouth. Put Me in Kolsch is a 4.9% ABV dry-hopped ale/lager hybrid, that was given an extra bump of hops in a dry-hopping addition of Nelson Sauvin and Citra, for a bright citrus and floral nose, with passion fruit and pear on the palate. Dry, crisp, and clean thanks to the yeast and fermentation temperature, this was brewed by some of the important women in the Big Spruce family, including co-owner Melanie Bock-White and manager Shauna Asaph. This will be one of Big Spruce’s signature offerings at Saturday’s Brewster Fest at the Mayflower Curling Club (still some tickets available here!). You’ll also be able to catch it on tap at Battery Park and Stillwell, and in bottles at private stores and their Seaport Market stall.

Next from Big Spruce is another collaborative effort with two other breweries in the province, Cerberus IPA. Brewed once again with Tatamagouche Brewing, the only other Organic brewery in the province, this year’s three-headed and -handed release saw soon-to-open The Church Brewing from Wolfville share in the fun. Doubling (or should we say Tripling) down on the hops with El Dorado, Mosaic, and Simcoe, this 7.5% ABV American IPA weighs in at 48 IBU, with tropical and piney aroma and flavour in a hazy and tasty package. Look for cans of Cerberus around town post haste. Also returning this week is Big Spruce’s signal that warmer weather can’t be far away, their Silver Tart Sour Raspberry Wheat Ale. This 4.0% ABV beer is once again in its distinctive pink can, and will be available very soon in retailers across the region.

And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Big Spruce’s yearly collaboration with the Ocean Tracking Network, Tag! You’re It! is back for 2019, with a tweaked recipe, a spiffy new design featuring a salmon. They’re also happy to announce that it’s going to be available at NSLC stores across the province so everyone can get in on the hazy juiciness. Once again, $0.50 from every can sold will go to benefit marine research and education. And if you scan your Air Miles card when you make your purchase you’ll automatically be entered to win a shark tagging trip this summer!

Let’s turn to Big Spruce’s competitor in the Jamieson’s event, Breton Brewing. They have two new beers pouring this weekend as well, so let’s dive right in! Let’s Jam! is a kettle sour brewed with “loads” of strawberry and rhubarb. Pink in colour, they’re describing it as sweet upfront and lightly tart in the finish. At 4% ABV and 4 IBUs, it was brewed to be consumed in quantity, preferably during some warmer days once they come back to our region again. Aside from also being available at the brewery, cans will also be hitting NSLC shelves this coming Monday, allowing those of you outside Cape Breton to stock up easily. Their next beer is another collaboration with the Brathair Brewing homebrew team, which they’re calling Mosaic to the People. It’s a DIPA that we’re pretty sure you can guess what hop is featured… hey, you got it! Mosaic! Apparently they happily used quite a bit of it in this 7.6% ABV, 60 IBUs beer, so expect lots of mango, pineapple, tangerine, peach, and pine backed up by a supporting malt backbone, all in a hazy package. If you want to be one of the first ones to try this beer on tap (it’s being released in kegs only), head to Jamieson’s this weekend and seek it out there.

Spindrift is releasing a very-limited run of bottles of their newest beer next week, a “Rye-Maibock” called Heaven’s Goat. Brewed with Pilsner, Munich II, and Rye malt, they hopped it with Tettnang and Herkules (to the tune of 28 IBUs). The beer was brewed “during the winter months” (that’s quite a range!) and conditioned until it’s release next Wednesday, May 1st. Weighing in at 5.5% ABV, it’s showing flavours of “warm honey, dark and stone fruits, and grainy, medium-toasted bread”, all backed up by some floral character from the hops, and a bit of spice from the Rye malt. There’s only sixty 500 mL bottles available, so if you’re anxious to try, be sure to be at the brewery next Wednesday.

Corner Brook’s Bootleg Brew Co may have jumped the gun a little bit this week, releasing a fair weather beer when the forecast is calling for anything but. Ay Caramba! is a chili lime pale ale coming in at a nice and light 4.5% ABV, with lots of fresh lime juice and a bit of a kick from some Scotch Bonnet peppers. Crisp and easy drinking, it can’t change the weather that’s coming through, but it can certainly help you think of warmer and sunnier days that are (hopefully) soon to come. Bootleg is also happy to report that they’ve got their Squiffy Boy IPA available in 1 L swing-top bottles to go from the brewery. They’re hoping to have freshly bottled beer every Tuesday, so you can plan to bring back your empties and exchange them for full ones!

Down on Nova Scotia’s South Shore near Yarmouth, Tusket Falls has a couple new ones to talk about, the first being Electric City, a Mango Sour IPA. Featuring pale wheat malt for a light body, along with Citra hops and some fresh mango puree added after primary fermentation, it was soured with a culture of Lactobacillus. Nice and light, at 4.5% ABV, expect a slightly tart beer with plenty of mango flavor and a hop kick. You’ll find this one at the brewery, of course, at private stores in the city sometime soon, and this summer at NSLC stores. Also being released this weekend is Keep On the Low Road, a Robust Porter at 6.0% ABV. The use of specialty malts from the UK gives this one plenty of deep and sweet malt presence balanced by a roasty character, with underlying notes of toffee, caramel, and dark chocolate. It’s got plenty of flavor, but a soft mouthfeel. Look for it in cans at the brewery and, hopefully some of it will make it to the city as well.

Tidehouse Brewing has been busy getting some beers ready for Brewster Fest this weekend – two returning favourites and two brand new beers (one of which is a collaboration). For the returning beers, both are the first two entries in their Rockwell Series, both of which were created by their very own Shannon Higgins. Rockwell Series Vol. I originally came out near the brewery’s beginning; it’s a 8.4% ABV DIPA hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo, featuring lots of grapefruit, tangerine, and citrus. Rockwell Series Vol II – more commonly known as Hibiscus City – has popped up more than once; it’s a Hibiscus Lime Gose that weighs in at a very sessionable 4% ABV. Shannon has also been persuaded to brew a new beer to keep the series alive, with Rockwell Series Vol III: Splendid, a Grisette brewed with cucumber and juniper berries. With a simple grist of Pilsner and Wheat malt, as well as a little Vienna and acid malt, it was fermented with the French Saison yeast strain. Juniper berries were added in two stages (during fermentation and after), with the cucumber going in just a couple of days before packaging. And their fourth beer pouring at the fest will be a collaboration brew with a couple of local homebrewers (and members of the Brewnosers), Darci and Jenn Shaw. These ladies have been tweaking their recipe for a coffee stout on their home system for some time and Tidehouse has helped them push out a much bigger batch. Even better, Jeremy Waterman of Low Point Coffee happened to have something extra special on hand to up the ante in the form of some San Antonio coffee from Costa Rica. Central Perk Coffee Stout tips the scales at 6.0% ABV, with plenty of caramel, roast, and chocolate notes, with just enough coffee that you know it’s there, but not so much that you wonder whether what you’re really drinking is beer.

Newfoundland’s Port Rexton Brewing will be on-hand for Saturday’s Brewster Fest as well, invited to share in the celebration of a stronger female presence in the beer community. We really hope they’ll be bringing their latest release, their Salted Stout. This 5.4% ABV ale showcases roast and dark chocolate aroma and flavour, with some dark cherry and fig notes. The addition of salt from the Newfoundland Salt Company lightens the body and mouthfeel, keeping this jet black brew nice and refreshing. For those back in Newfoundland, you will be able to catch growler fills at their St John’s Retail Shop, as well as the brewery, open 4 – 10 PM Friday and Saturday, 12 – 6 PM Sunday. And great news, starting next weekend, the Port Rexton taproom will be open 7 days a week for the summer, so now you can pop in whenever you like, 12 – 10 PM daily!

As one of the longest running breweries in the region, Propeller is, as you’d expect, going to be heavily involved with NS Craft Beer Week. And they’re also bringing plenty of beer to the mix too. You’ll be able to grab the Dry-hopped Blonde brewed in collaboration with the Ladies Beer League at Saturday’s Brewster Fest, and they’ve got a couple other things on the go as well. Earlier this week saw the release of Loral Saison, a smaller batch of barrel-fermented saison. Generously dry hopped with Loral, a relatively new hop with an old school pedigree and known to have a “super noble” character heavy on floral and herbal notes, which present nicely in this beer. Other tasting notes include some citrus and earthy character and a bit of fruity sweetness on the nose. It finishes dry and clean with a balanced bitterness. Only eight kegs of this 5.5% ABV beer were produced, so it’s available only at the brewery for pints and flights. Coming out tonight is another new one, Mocha Oatmeal Stout. Designed to showcase both coffee and beer, it features plenty of coffee character (locally roasted, of course), alongside flavors of brown sugar and milk chocolate. This one has been put into cans, but is also available for growler fills at the brewery. And it has been suggested that a keg might make it over to Battery Park to go on the nitro tap, which would be an extra special treat indeed. And that’s not all that will be available tonight, as they’re having their usual cask night, this time featuring their Common with a kick of Simcoe hops being tapped at 5 PM. Plus Humble Pies available to keep you happy. More details here. Plus keep an eye on their Social Media (Fb/Ig/Tw) for the several fun events they’ve got on the go for the week. Oh, and if you are scientifically-minded, and want to get into the brewing industry, Propeller is hiring a Quality Assurance Manager, responsible for running their lab and sensory panel. The full job details are available here.

Also with lots on the go is Shelburne’s Boxing Rock. Starting with a new refresher for the summer, they’ve got Arnold’s Apricot Wheat Ale available now in bottles at the brewery and the bottle shop at Local Source. A pale ale with plenty of wheat, it’s subtly sweet and 5.5% ABV. The addition of real apricots provides a stone fruit presence. Also new on the docket and debuting at next week’s Full House event is Summer Love, a dry-hopped sour ale with a 5.4% ABV. Brewed with Pilsner malt and some oat flakes before being kettle-soured, it’s got very little bitterness, with a citrus and tropical flavor punch coming courtesy of a dry-hop of Simcoe and Amarillo. We expect to see this one at the brewery and the bottle shop as well, and, hopefully for the sake of the beautiful weather we’re sure to be having any time now, at private stores in the city as well. And if you’re in the city looking for something to do on Sunday afternoon, the finals of the 2019 Boxing Rock Black Box Challenge will be taking place at Hop Yard on Gottingen Street in Halifax starting at 12 PM. Grab a pint and watch each of the six finalists present their beer along with a vinyl record they paired with it before the winner is crowned. It’s always impressive to see the creativity put into the presentations and the variety of ways homebrewers come up with to talk about their passion.

Out in Port Williams, NS, Sea Level Brewing has a new beer releasing today, one that features their own Synergy Malt. Maple Bach is a German Bock made with a Pilsner yeast and noble Hallertau hops. Lagered very cold (near 0°C) for three weeks, the cherry on the sundae was the addition of Sea Level’s own Estate Maple Syrup. Available in cans and growlers at the brewery store and on tap at the Port Pub & Bistro and Maritime Express Cider in Kentville, this one is truly farm to glass.

New Scotland Brewing has put together a tropical stout that’s pouring as of today at their spot in Dartmouth. McCoy’s Contraband is blacker than black, with notes of chocolate, roasted coffee, and a subtle spiciness from the inclusion of some rye malt in the grist. Served on nitro for the ultimate in creamy texture and mouthfeel, all that darkness is balanced by citrus and tropical elements from the use of Chinook, Citra, and Amarillo hops. Plenty beefy at 8.3% ABV, you shouldn’t find the 36 IBU too bitter at all. In addition to the tap room, you can reasonably expect to find this one popping on tap at various other places around the city, with both standard carbonation and nitro pours available.

Plenty of things going on in the region this weekend and into next week, check them out! And of course keep an eye on the NSCBW Calendar we put together so that you’re never late for an event.

One of the most unique events of the NS Craft Beer Week festivities goes on tomorrow, April 27th, at the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax. Spearheaded and organized by the fine folks of Good Robot, Brewster Fest recognizes and celebrates the women and woman-identifying brewers and staff who help make the industry and the local scenes across our region as amazing as they are. Nineteen breweries and cideries will be in attendance, with more than fifty beers pouring, all (or almost all) of which involved women in the brewing process. Tickets are still available for both sessions, 1 – 4 PM and 7 – 10 PM; absolutely everyone is welcome, regardless of how they identify, as long as they’re there to celebrate beer and the women and woman-identifying people who help make it possible. (ProTip: if you’re planning to attend and you think you might find yourself starting a sentence with, “Well, actually…” or using the phrase “…not just women…” we recommend you grab a six-pack of something local and stay home instead.) ACBeerBlog will be in attendance, with representation likely at both sessions, so as always, if you see one (or more) of us, come say, “Hi!” And if you want to hear more about how this event came about from the people who made it happen, check out the latest 902BrewCast episode with Kelly & Nicki of Good Robot, and Evelyn of Propeller!

Here’s a full list of the breweries and cideries that will be participating:

  • Port Rexton Brewery
  • Chainyard Urban Cidery
  • Boxing Rock
  • Sober Island
  • Propeller
  • Big Spruce
  • Tatamagouche
  • Big Tide
  • 2 Crows
  • Garrison
  • A. Keith’s
  • Tidehouse
  • Shipwright
  • Upstreet
  • Brightwood
  • Saltbox
  • Lunn’s Mill
  • New Scotland
  • Good Robot Brewing

We’ve also got a little contest going on Twitter today to give away two tickets to this event. Check it out!!

Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing is taking their show on the road to Toronto tomorrow (April 27), with an appearance by co-owner Andrew Murphy at Birreria Volo entitled “An Afternoon with Unfiltered Brewing.” Featuring 12 beers pouring, including their regular hop-heavy lineup, some mixed-fermentation, sour, heavy, and wood-aged favorites, and even a couple of apparently one-off beers we don’t remember previously hearing about. Festivities start at 2 PM (EDT) and the beers will pour as long as supplies last. Nice to see Toronto having a chance to get on the good shit. So if you’re going to be in the T-dot this weekend, or have some beer-loving friends who live up there, you might make a plan to either attend or make a mention of this to your pals. Here’s the full list for your edification:

  • Commissar (2019) – Russian Imperial Stout
  • Daytimer – Berliner Weisse
  • Hoppy Fingers – American Pale Ale
  • Exile On North St – Gluten-Reduced IPA
  • Twelve Years To Zion – DIPA
  • Sour Motherf@$&er – Sour Cherry Oak Aged Wheat Beer
  • Mise En Garde! – Co-Fermented Oak Aged Barley Wine
  • Fist Of God – DIPA
  • Inducement – DIPA
  • Flat Black Jesus – American Stout
  • Daytimer Repasado – Tequila Barrel Aged Berliner Weisse w. Salt
  • DIBA – Double India Black Ale

In addition to all of the events happening for NSCBW, this time of year is also special as it marks Good Robot’s anniversary of opening. Celebrating Four Years of operation (shocking, eh?? 😉 ) on Sunday the 28th, the most questionable brewery in Halifax is opening their Gastroturf patio for the season, and will be shucking oysters all day. Bring your pup and take a break from the madness to refresh before the rest of the week hits ya. More details here.

Quidi Vidi Brewing is continuing their trend of inviting special interest groups to the taproom, next Tuesday, April 30, is Knit Night! The folks from Cast On Cast Off are hosting the evening of pints and patterns with fellow enthusiasts. No word yet if there is a theme to the evening, but we encourage you to check out the info here and ask away!

May 18th marks Meander River’s Fifth Anniversary, and they are throwing a massive party to simultaneously celebrate their Grand Opening and five years in business. You see, they have been flat out brewing beer, and then expanding into the cider world as well, and haven’t stopped since opening their doors in May 2014. After some hiccups on that first day, including being overwhelmed with the response and running out of beer, they have gone on to win awards both regionally and nationally for both beer and cider. From opening at 11 AM on the 18th, they’ll be slinging some brand new beers (sneak peeks available at the Full House event May 4th, we won’t ruin the surprise here), Nomad Gourmet Food Truck will be set up from 2 – 8 PM. The Big Country Ramblers bluegrass band take the stage at 7 PM, and the evening will be capped with fireworks at 9:30. Check out the full details on Facebook. Congratulations!

And just a couple more things to mention before we leave you to enjoy the opening weekend of NS Craft Beer Week!!

Hampton Brewing in (imaaaagine!) Hampton, New Brunswick, is has released a new beer they’re calling Afternooner that should be perfect for the patio season. A “juicy blonde ale” it features a blend of American hops on top of a grist of 2-row and malted wheat. A slight bitterness rounds out this refreshing 5.2% ABV and 30 IBU beer.

Details are a bit slim at the moment, but we’ve spotted that CBS’s Ninepenny Brewing debuted a new beer yesterday. Original Bitter is another of their English-inspired beers to be brewed and available on tap. Grab this 3.7% ABV beer on tap and for growler fills at the brewery this weekend, along with their Porter, Blonde, Red, Witbier, and NEIPA. The taproom is open 4 – 10 PM today, 2 – 10 PM Saturday, and 12 – 6 PM Sunday.