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Friday Wrap-Up for April 24, 2020 – News from Truro Brewing Co, Niche, 2 Crows, Garrison, Spindrift, Brightwood, Good Robot, Hardisty, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-04-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, ANBL, Big Spruce Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Hardisty Brewing, NBCAPA, New Scotland Brewing, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, Pink Boots, Propeller Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Uncle Leo's Brewery, Uncorked Tours. Leave a Comment

As anyone in the region is most certainly aware, it has been an extra-trying week at this end of the country, especially in Nova Scotia. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the unbelievably tragic events of last weekend; to have to deal with this in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis is that much more brutal. We know that we can all endure and survive tribulations like these through sharing strength and supporting our neighbours and we know that that’s what Nova Scotians and Canadians will do. But we absolutely wish there wasn’t a need to do so. 

With that all said, we suspect you didn’t come here to read more about that, but to maybe take your mind off it and think of more pleasant things, like beer. And in that respect, you’re in luck, as there is plenty of news to share with you this week regarding new releases, re-releases, and everything else we could find. Read on; and stay safe!!

We continue to make updates to our delivery/curbside pickup options for breweries and cideries in the region, and there were plenty this week! We also took the time to update our full list of breweries and cideries in the region, as well as our Good Beer Map, useful for trip planning when it’s time to get back on the road and support breweries in person. Until then, let them come to you (where possible)! As always, please let us know via email or social media (Ig and Tw preferred, but Fb exists too) if anything is out of date.

Let’s start the week’s news on a happy note in the Hub of Nova Scotia. Truro Brewing Company opened their doors at the end of February, and were therefore hit hard by the current pandemic, being a taproom- and growler-only brewery. After pivoting, they have now brought in a single head canner and established an online store, so they once again have a way to sell to their wares. They launched this week with three brand new offerings, available for local delivery in Truro, as well as through an HRM tomorrow (so get your orders in today!), with shipping available across the province and beyond as well. First up is a special version of their Exit 14 Porter, their 4.6% English Porter, but with this version, was dosed with coffee thanks to their friends at Aroma Maya Coffee. The chocolate and roast malts in the base beer pair perfectly with the freshly-roasted beans added to the brew. Next up is the Old Barns Farmhouse Ale, a 5.0% ABV Saison, modeled after the beer given to farmhands in the Belgian and French fields. Crisp, spicy, fruity, and highly carbonated, it uses the Escarpment Labs Saison Maison yeast to achieve all of these refreshing characteristics. And finally is the Daytripper Session Ale, a 3.9% ABV sessionable ale, with low bitterness, mild flavour, and featuring a nice dose of Amarillo hops at the end of the boil, for aroma and flavour. Take a gander at Truro Brewing Company’s store for the options for delivery in your neck of the woods!.

Hanwell’s Niche Brewing released their Bridget Rhubarb Sour last week, which is still available at a couple of the ANBLs in Fredericton and Dieppe, and should be returning to DrinkNB.ca soon, but now they have another beer available to those looking to have Niche on tap at home. Those in Fredericton with kegerators or jockey boxes can order 20 litre kegs of a couple of their beers, including a brand new release, Empty Garden. This 5.4% ABV American Pale ale is hazy, juicy, and full of tropical notes, thanks to the late and dry-hopping with loads of Enigma, Galaxy, and Nelson Sauvin. Helping it out even more was the extra punch of warm fermentation thanks to the Kveik Ebbegarden yeast strain, for more fruity ester goodness. Low bitterness (think mid-20s IBUs) and lots of juiciness, for a great return to the modern NEIPA form for the Niche crew. To order your kegs, get in touch with Niche via email (nichebrewing@gmail.com ), or DM on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and they’ll share the fine details with you there.

Two brand new releases from 2 Crows this week to help you keep your head up! The first was designed and brewed by Assistant Brewer Miles; Special features a grist of Pilsner, Wheat malt, raw wheat, and a touch of flaked wheat, and was hopped in the boil with aged East Kent Golding, Hallertau Blanc, and Sterling. With an addition of 85 kg of warmed Nova Scotia honey in the hopback, the wort was then transferred to one of their oak foedres, where it was fermented with a blend of the brewery’s house cultures (all sorts of funky stuff in there, we can assure you). Once fermentation was complete, 5 kg of honeycomb were added to bump up the honey notes. The beer continued to age for another four months, and was then transferred back to stainless, primed with fresh honey, and packaged in cans where it was allowed to condition. The final beer, a 4.4% ABV Biere de Miel, is tasting very floral and funky; “dry as a bone, with a soft honeycomb base, subtle petrichor and herbal aromatics.” Check in with 2C to arrange pickup of your cans, or arrange for delivery.

And new to their webstore this morning is Carica, another walk on the wild site from the dual corvid crew… Starting from a complex malt base including Vienna, Wheat, Special Aromatic, Biscuit Malt (from Red Shed Malting), as well as Caramel malts, for a darker-coloured wort. Primary fermentation was done directly in a Port barrel, with a blend of their house yeast and Lactobacillus cultures. After 9 months (!!), 15 kg of dried Mission figs were added to the barrel, soaking up the beer and giving the bugs some more sugar to munch on. After that fermentation was complete, 10 kg of freshly-roasted black walnuts were added for an additional wait time, before packaging in bottles still (flat), and undergoing a final conditioning and carbonation. Phew, that was a mouthful! This dark sour has plenty of jammy fruit notes from the fig and port formerly in the barrel, and “bright and zippy” kick from the yeast and Lacto culture, plus earthiness from the walnuts. As mentioned, this joins Special, and almost a dozen more beers, now available for pickup or delivery Canada-wide, on the 2 Crows webstore.

For fans of Garrison’s Pucker Up series of “flavoured kettle sour” beers, they’ve got a new one out this week, Pucker Up Citrus. Brewed with a simple grist of 2-row and Wheat malt, the soured wort was fermented and then infused with a blend of lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange extract. Also, some green tea, hibiscus and Stevia were added. This 5% ABV brew has no bitterness (no hops!), and is meant to be a refreshing beer with aromas of all four fruit additions, as well as a touch of vanilla, with “bold citrus flavours and a tart finish”. Look for cans and one-way growlers at both Garrison locations (as well as home delivery) starting today; cans will also eventually show up at the NSLC, as well as ANBL and NLC outside the province. 

Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing continues to pursue a market segment not usually targeted by craft breweries with this week’s addition to their Toller family of affordable American-style Lagers. Beer-wise, Toller Gold comes in at 5.0% ABV and 12 IBU, leveraging malted barley and corn on the grist side, and a smattering of Saaz and Hallertau Mittelfrüh for hops to yield a golden-colored, slightly sweet yet still crisp brew. Price-wise, it comes in at about $23 for a 12-pack, which is actually cheaper than many huge multi-national brands that you’re familiar with! Get it now from the brewery or look for it starting May 4th at NSLC locations around the province. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see it pop up at certain private stores in Halifax as well. Also, we’ve had word from the brewery that they’re moving their core brands away from single serve to exclusively multi-packs for the foreseeable future; so if you’re big on playing mix ‘n match with Spindrift tallboys you might have to sideline that for a little while.

Fellow Dartmouth spot Brightwood Brewery has launched a new beer this week as well, an ode to the great hops grown in the Maritimes. Backyards is a 4.5% ABV hazy Pale Ale, a zesty and light-bodied beer with great tropical notes from the Centennial, Columbus, and Cashmere hops. The plan for Backyards is to continue to showcase the hop growers of the region, so the hop bill may change with availability, with the ultimate goal being all-NS supplied. This is the first Pale Ale for Brightwood, and are excited to play in that format, with plenty of fun ideas still to come. Cans of Backyards are available for window-pickup at their Portland Street shop, as well as for delivery through their webstore, along with a trio of other beers, including their dry-hopped Pilsner, now renamed to Pillowy Pils. Isn’t it ironic, dontcha think?

Good Robot has brewed up a new beer as a way of showing thanks to all of you working on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic. Aptly-named FrontLiner, it is a 6.0% Belgian Golden Ale. Taking a bit of a left-turn from traditional is the additional dry-hopping step, helping to expand upon the yeast and malt character, bringing it bright tangerine and peach notes in the aroma. Good Robot is pairing with My Home Apparel, they are donating 50% of all proceeds to the QEII Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which will help purchase necessary medical supplies for patients and healthcare providers. Available in grunters and growlers only, check out their online shop to see how you can order Frontliner, and others, for pickup or delivery.

Recently-opened Hardisty Brewing, in Colby Village, Dartmouth, has a new beer available for ordering this weekend. Rye IPA is a 5.0% ABV India Pale Ale, featuring a nice addition of Rye malt to the bill, for a bit of spicy character, and built with a nice 35 IBUs of bitterness thanks to Northern Brewer and Willamette hops. Rye IPA joins Block Party SMaSH as available for delivery in the Colby Village area, check their website and Instagram for the latest info.

A bit of a return to the norm on the blog this week with our “Newsbites” section returning (aka beers we don’t know enough about or are returning and we think you’d like to know about them)

  • Big Spruce’s Tag You’re It! 2020 edition, is back, featuring, as always, a new can design (this time a righteous Right Whale) and also, as always, brewed to help support the Ocean Tracking Network ($0.50 from every can sold). We’re going to speculate that also, as always always, it’s a tropical juice-bomb in the NE IPA style and that if you’re a fan of hoppy beers it’s worth your time to check it out.
  • Dartmouth’s New Scotland released the latest in their Small Batch Series this week, a 9.5% ABV Double IPA named Pink Boots. Using the Pink Boots hop blend available from Yakima Chief, with some of the proceeds going to support the Pink Boots Society, with the goal to “assist, inspire, and encourage women beer professionals through education”. Berry, fruit, and herbal flavours come through, it’s a classic Double IPA, golden in colour with some nice bitterness. As the name implies, it’s a small batch, so it looks like it may already be sold out, but you can catch a half-dozen more in New Scotland’s online store for pickup or delivery, including another batch of their Fresh Start IPA. Ed note: edited with more info after publishing.
  • North Brewing in Cole Harbour (still feels kinda weird typing that) has a couple of faves returning to the shelves this week. Their Sparrow German-style Pilsner and their Lawrencetown Surf Session Ale. The former is a rather faithful take on a classic European-style, while the latter is definitely more of a modern North American jam. Each has their place but they’re both pretty damn tasty. Hit the brewery up to get yours!
  • Those who love it know that this is the time each year when Propeller in Halifax brings out their tried and true seasonal Irish Red. Previously seen a few weeks ago in a sort of pre-release with a small run of nitro cans, this is a non-nitro version for the traditionalists amongst us. Also of note out of Prop is that not only is their local favorite NE IPA Galaxy available once again, but it has now been promoted to the status of “core brand,” which means you should now be able to find it year round! If you’re a fan of one or both of these beers, you can expect to find them at the brewery now.
  • Lyons Brook’s Uncle Leo’s Brewery has brought back their Odin’s Summer Ale, in the hopes of seeding that idea with Mother Nature. Let’s hope it works! Their Sunburst Pale Ale is also newly available, and these can both be ordered via phone, email, or direct message. Full details here.

A few more notes to close on today, all coincidentally from New Brunswick:

Saint John’s Uncorked Tours is working hard to get their SJ City Market storefront ready before the tourist season begins, whenever that may be, but they certainly have not been slowing down their online presence in the meantime. They have been running great live Virtual Brewery Tours on their Instagram page that we encourage everyone to check out, and there are more than a dozen available for replaying here. They are now offering you a way to taste your way around the city, and province, from home as well. Firstly, they have created a Taste of the City Market “picnic basket”, with cheese, cured meats, breads and other goodies, delivered to your home in Saint John (for now, hopefully expanding the region soon) each Thursday. Order by 8PM Wednesday evening to secure your spot. As well, they are fully embracing the current situation by running some live beer tastings via Facebook Live/Zoom. Saturdays at 8 PM, drink along with Gilliane as she enjoys beers from across the province. They have also teamed up with DrinkNB to make it easier to get those beers in your hand, so don’t be shy and order them now (or in time for next week’s). The Uncorked NB Facebook page is the best way to keep up with everything happening (plenty more we couldn’t fit in here!), so you can still feel connected to the producers in the province. And if you’re able, and appreciate the content, there is a Tip Page that would help out.

The ANBL is attempting to alleviate one of the major pain points with reduced hours and the need for physical distancing at their locations, and is implementing a curbside pickup option for orders. Look here for the full details, but in short, you can now submit an order via phone (1-877-779-7878) or email (e-Commerce@anbl.com) using the product’s catalog number, wait for confirmation, and then pick up in person without needing to enter the store or wait in line.

And finally, the NBCAPA, the New Brunswick Craft Alcohol Producers have selected a new Executive Director. Christine Comeau will be doing advocacy work on behalf of the producers in the province, to increase the awareness of the province’s breweries, cideries, wineries and distilleries, to the government (yay!), in the region, and to those looking to visit when it’s safe to do so. Congratulations Christine!

Friday Wrap-Up for April 3, 2020 – News from Boxing Rock, Upstreet, Petit-Sault, 2 Crows, Copper Bottom, Secret Cove, Quidi Vidi, Split Rock, North, New Scotland, Tidehouse, and Stillwell Beer Bar

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-04-03
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, CCNB, Copper Bottom Brewing, Escarpment Laboratories, Local Source, New Scotland Brewing, North Brewing, Off Track Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Secret Cove Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Spindrift Brewing, Split Rock Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Auction House, Tidehouse Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. 1 comment

Hey folks, it’s another Friday and we’re not letting things like region-wide a State of Emergency keep us from our appointed rounds as chroniclers of the beer scene in Atlantic Canada. Breweries are continuing to work hard and keep themselves vital despite the craziness that’s going on and we’d like to encourage everyone who is able to, within their means, keep supporting their favorite producers.
We’d also like to send out a sincere “Thank You!” to everyone who tuned in to take part in our trivia evening on Wednesday. And thanks as well to The Auction House, Off Track, Propeller, and Spindrift for the donations of close to $500 in beer, swag, and giftcards to you deserving winners! Those breweries are celebrating the release of their Scotia Lager collab beer, still available at all three online shops for contactless pickup and delivery. With more than 80+ of you on 30+ teams connecting, it was definitely the highlight of our week, well, right up until the end (sorry again about that, but we know how to avoid that in the future). Speaking of which, if there’s enough interest, we may be able to run another one of these next month. Let us know what you think on social media or via email, our DMs are always open (but our Zoom won’t be, next time!). ♡
Just a note that in addition to the breweries and ciderhouses mentioned below, there are plenty more in our region continuing to pump out the good stuff. We’ve tried to summarize how they are pivoting in light of the current situation here, with curbside pick-up and deliveries spreading further across the region.
And if there is anything missing or out of date on that list, we’d appreciate a quick nudge via email or social media (Ig and Tw preferred, Fb often gets missed).

In what was an “is it? or is it not?” April Fool’s joke, which some didn’t believe it until the goods were in their hands, Shelburne’s Boxing Rock Brewing released their first products ever in the canned format. In addition to the new format for their Puck Off! Kolsch, they also released two new offerings Wednesday. First up is the simply-named IPA, a 6.6% ABV American IPA, most definitely rooted in the West Coast style: think bright/no haze, quite bitter, and with a flavour of citrus and pine. Achieving that bitterness and hop character is a mix of Old- and New-School hops, like Summit, Cascade, Simcoe; Nelson Sauvin, Waimea.
The second new canned beer from Boxing Rock is Coffee Porter, a hefty beer at 7.3% ABV, building upon the dark and roasted malts in the base beer with an extra kick from fair trade coffee care of Annapolis Valley roasters Just Us!. In addition to the expected roast and coffee notes, the full-bodied beer shows some light sweet character along with caramel and raisins, rounding out the experience. Either a breakfast beer, or when you want something to keep you up and dancing in your PJs in the living room, this seems like a good choice!
Cans (it still feels funny writing that) of Coffee Porter and IPA are available through their online shop for local and HRM delivery or pickup at their Shelburne Taproom, their spot in Halifax’s Local Source Market (pre-order is best!), as well as at WestSide/Harvest Wines family of shops for pickup or delivery. 

Our friends at Upstreet are still keeping the brewhouse chugging along, and have a brand new Neon Friday release this week. The latest entry in their hoppy beer series is named Neon Friday 3.01 NEIPA, and was brewed with a grist made up of 2-row, Vienna, Wheat and Oats. Four wonderful, delicious hop varieties were added in the brew process: Galaxy, Citra, Mosaic and Ekuanot. The 6.5% ABV, 30 IBUs beer is soft and hazy, with low bitterness, and features aromas of “punchy pineapple, passion fruit, mango, guava, tangerine and banana”, with lots of tropical fruit on the palate. Look for cans of this bad boy at both Upstreet locations (taproom and Craft Beer Corner) and the PEILCC stores that have re-opened; the CBC will also be filling crowlers for takeaway.

Edmundston’s Brasseurs du Petit-Sault have debuted a new beer this week, a tribute to the high quality water found in the area. Source Kölsch is a collaboration brewed with friend and Chemist Mike Doucette of the nearby CCNB BTSC lab, who has assisted many in the province, and further afield, bring their ideas for recipes, breweries and distilleries, and even some non-alcohol endeavours (what are those?) to life. Now, back to the beer! Starting from naturally-filtered water from Iroquois-Blanchette watershed, the beer features light-coloured and -flavoured German Pilsner and Vienna malts, lightly hopped with traditional favourites Hallertau and Saaz, and saw a long conditioning time. Grab bottles and growler fills of Source at the Source on rue d’Eglise, or order for local delivery through their online shop.

We haven’t been approaching the last couple of Fridays thinking that there’d be a ton of beer news to report on, but in true fashion for them, 2 Crows still has a boatload! Let’s start with the actual beers, first (yeah, you’ll see). First up is a brand new bottled beer, Olio. Starting its life as a small-batch, tart Grisette, the beer was blended with some fruit. But not just any fruit… second-use fruit! This is a technique that has been slowly gaining popularity over the last few years. In the case of Olio, a blend of strawberry, red gooseberries, and guava – that had been used in another sour/wild beer – was allowed to macerate (soften, basically) over 10 months. The fruit was then separated from its liquid, and added to the Grisette and bottled in late 2019. Now that this 4.2% ABV beer has had a few months to mellow out, it’s tasting “bright, funky, tannic, and grippy”, with “a distinct tartness, subtle fruit character, and a real zingy finish”. Only 240 bottles of this beauty exist, and it’s available only on the brewery’s webstore. And if delicious, wild/sour beers are your thing (of course they are!), 2 Crows has also brought back bottles of Hayward, their peach barrel brandy-aged sour beer with kiwi. It’s not a new batch, but a few more bottles they’ve allowed to escape from their cellar; who are you to refuse them?
And for those of you self-isolating who are finding it a touch more difficult to avoid reaching for a beer earlier in the day (hey, these are stressful times! And don’t even get me started on if you have kids in the house…), 2 Crows has your back, with Hop Water. We realize this is 100% NOT a beer, or a cider, or… anything alcoholic. There’s 0% alcohol in this, but it sounds pretty cool! The “recipe” is basically water, Citra hops, and a touch of yeast to give a little bit of umami character… plus some citric acid to lower the pH. Offering “some nice citrus/tangerine/pomelo” notes, and some citrus in the aroma, it’s light, refreshing, and most importantly, hydrating! Cans are limited, and also available for purchase online. 

Montague, PEI’s Copper Bottom has just released a new sour beer to zip up your day a little, the next entry in their Field Trip fruited kettle sour series. Field Trip: Haskap was brewed with, yes, haskap berries, which have a taste that the brewery describes as a cross between raspberries, black currant, and Honeycrisp apples. The 5% ABV beer is “bursting with fruit flavour”, and while slightly-less sour than their previous release, Field Trip: Pomegranate, it’s still bright and tart. Available for curbside pickup at their brewery, as well as delivery in their online shop. In addition to delivery on the Island (free for orders over $50), they now offer Canada-wide beer shipping, with free shipping to fellow Maritime provinces for orders over $100 (roughly one flat), and for orders over $200 elsewhere.

In Port au Port on the West coast of Newfoundland, Secret Cove Brewing has a new IPA on the go. Named after the Tuckamore tree, an enduring symbol of strength and resilience, Tuckamore IPA is a 6% ABV beer in the East Coast IPA style. With a soft mouthfeel and a slight bitter kick at the end, with a hop profile of tropical and evergreen notes thanks to plenty of late whirlpool hop additions. As you drink it you can think of the Tuckamore tree, clinging to the rocky coast and no doubt shaped by the wind, but thriving nonetheless. Available for pre-order and pickup along with other Secret Cove offerings on Wednesdays and Fridays. Orders must be in by 1 PM, check their website for all the relevant details.

And staying with Newfoundland, but all the way across to the East coast of the Province, Quidi Vidi Brewing Co. also has a new IPA out, one on the tart side of the spectrum called Aloha Sour IPA. They were hoping to introduce it with a tropical beach party at the brewery, but recent events have made that an impossibility, so they recommend instead maybe curling up by the wood stove or cranking the heat to 30º before cracking one on your couch. And at 4.7% ABV you can feel free to have a couple without risking a day boil (although, really, where you going to go anyway?). Released two days ago on Wednesday, it’s available for retail pickup per the information in this Ig post (whether or not you’re in a position to grab some of this beer from them, we recommend you check out that link just to see the gorgeous can design).

And if sour is your thing and you’re in more Northerly areas of the Rock, Split Rock Brewing way up there in Twillingate has the latest in their Sour Patch B’ys series of beers available at the brewery now. Leveraging the same base as the rest of the beers in the series, with 50% Pilsner and 50% wheat, it’s super clean and “medium-sour” with plenty of peachy flavor thanks to the addition of peach purée. Only 4.1% ABV means a couple aren’t going to knock you sideways. Available for contactless curbside pickup along with other Split Rock favorites, you can find the details about putting your order in and picking it up in this Ig post.

It’s not only reassuring to see new, local beers making it into our fridges/cellars during the pandemic, but also to see that some breweries are still doing what they can to collaborate… maybe not directly, but at least intellectually? In one example, North Brewing is releasing a collaboration effort with Ottawa’s Dominion City Brewing. The beer in question, Goin’ Down the Road Helles Lager, was originally supposed to be brewed at Dominion City with the North peoples in February, but an unfortunately equipment malfunction scrapped the brew day. Luckily, the two breweries decided to brew the recipe later, on their own systems, which North is releasing today. Brewed with Pilsner malt from Shoreline Malting, hopped with Strisselspalt and Saphir, and fermented with the Isar Lager strain from Escarpment Labs, the 4.3% ABV beer was lagered for a time before packaging in cans. It’s available right now for “Click & Collect”, as well as home delivery; check out North’s website for ordering details. 

On Dartmouth’s waterfront, New Scotland Brewing has been busy, and have released four products this week, reflecting their various emotions throughout these past couple of weeks.
First up was Barracks (as in, confined to…), a 6.4% ABV dry English cider, made from the juice of Nova Scotian apples. This cider is available in 650 ml bomber bottles, and is perfect for drinking at the kitchen table.
The second release of the week was The Darkness Behind Us, a Chocolate Milkshake Stout. At just 5.0% ABV, this rich and decadent beer featured additions of chocolate in the boil, as well as lactose, with the resultant beer featuring extra notes of coffee, cherry, and vanilla, for a full on taste of a Black Forest Cake. Maybe a couch beer is in order?
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel is their third release of the week, a 6.2% ABV crisp and dry Champagne IPA. Fermented with Kveik yeast, and hopped to the gills with Citra and Sabro, it features lots of lemon and lime character, so much so that Margarita vibes come to mind. We think this is perfect for the balcony or deck.
Finally, released just moments ago, is Fresh Start. Mosaic hops are the star of this 7.3% ABV American IPA, which was fermented with their blend of three different ale yeasts. The result is a beer that finishes dry, but still has lots of juicy character. Let’s go wild and say shower beer for this… So Fresh and So Clean…
All four of these new drinks have joined their full-time offerings in their online shop, which can be used to pre-order for pickup (retail open 11 – 7 PM), local delivery in HRM, as well as shipping Canada-wide.

Tidehouse Brewing is up and running again, albeit strictly in a curbside-pickup capacity, starting tomorrow. But hey, it’s still a way to grab some beer from them! This weekend they’ve got two options, both available in cans. The first is a new influx of cans of their latest hoppy Saison, Float On India Saison (7% ABV), hopped with Azacca, Ella, and El Dorado varieties. They’ve also got a brand new American IPA, Bonosux, which weighs in at 6.5% ABV and is hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic, and Simcoe. Make your choices now, and give them a call tomorrow (starting at noon) at 902-407-2550 with at least 15 minutes notice. Head to the taproom and they’ll take your cans to you outside for safe, contactless delivery. They’ll continue until 5 pm, or until cans run out, whichever comes first.

In Nova Scotia, there was a change in NSLC licensee regulations that came into effect this week allowing restos and bars to sell beer, wine (and maybe spirits?) along with food during our collective societal lockout. Wouldn’t you know that our friends at Stillwell Beer Bar would step up to that with a quickness, announcing the Stillwell Corner Store this week whereby you can get yourself some delectable treats from their bottle list along with tasty snax, some of which come from Stillwell pals Café Good Luck (currently sold out) and Ratinaud French Cuisine. You do absolutely have to order food with your sweet bottles and cans (stuff like Bellwoods, Burdock, Revel Cider, Crooked Stave, and even some Belgian delights!), but the offerings are small and geared towards having a quick bite while you enjoy the hell out of some tasty beer. Minimum order is $30 and it’s free next day delivery in the HRM. You can also sign-up for contactless curbside pickup between Noon and 2 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Check the website for full details, and keep your eyes peeled for other restaurants that you know and love in your area to be getting on this train in the coming weeks!

Friday Wrap-Up for March 27, 2020 – News from The End of the World (tentative), Church, Copper Bottom, Heritage, Sea Level, Sussex AleWorks, Backstage and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-03-27
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, 902 BrewCast, Backstage Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Escarpment Laboratories, Heritage Brewing, Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, Off Track Brewing, PEILCC, Propeller Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Spindrift Brewing, Sussex Ale Works, The Church Brewing Company, TrailWay Brewing.

Well, this is definitely a different week than usual on the blog. First off, for those of you in health care and other essential businesses, keeping us and our family and friends safe, the lights on and trucks moving, a massive thank you from the ACBB family.

For many, beer is a happy diversion from work, while for others, it is their work! Kudos to those who are still able to support the brewers and cidermakers by ordering beer for delivery and pickup safely, but most important at this time is to keep everyone safe and healthy.

A logistical note: to keep from having to update multiple pages several times per day as the situation and the way breweries are dealing with it changes, we’re going to stick to one: last week’s Wrap-Up will be our itemization of what breweries and cideries across the region are doing in light of the current situation. It will be our reference for what’s open and closed, how to safely pick up product from their location, and order beer delivery at home. It’s been updated a ton since we sent it out last week, so do take a look for the latest details. And if there is anything missing or out of date, we’d appreciate a quick nudge via email or social media (Ig and Tw preferred, Fb often gets missed).

Let’s start our day in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where Church Brewing calls home. They are shining a light through the darkness this week with Illuminate Kveik Pale Ale. Light-coloured and -tasting malts offer a base for the bounty of hops used in this beer, starting from a light bittering addition of Magnum, before massive dry-hopping of Mosaic and Vic Secret. These offer big flavour and aroma of citrus, tropical notes of mango and papaya, which are only enhanced thanks to the kveik yeast employed. As a refresher, this family of yeasts originated in Norway, and after thousands of generations of use (yeast, not people), has become something totally distinct from other brewer’s yeast: very high temperature tolerant (traditional ale yeasts tend to give off some unpleasant flavours when fermented too warm, whereas as kveik thrives in it), with some lovely fruity characteristics presented, thanks to its production of esters. This particular yeast was sourced through Guelph’s Escarpment Labs, who have been researching the history and microbiology of this family for a while, and have the nerdy ahem important information on it. This beer used their Voss Kveik which gave them plenty of those juicy characteristics, and stays a bit hazy. At 5.0% ABV, and low bitterness, this is a beer you can use to light your way in these uncertain times… Available at their retail shop for 

Montague, PEI’s Copper Bottom brewery likes to celebrate spring with a saison they call Better Weather. Although they’re not able to celebrate the coming season in the same way as usual this year, they’re still bringing that farmhouse ale to market for folks to enjoy. This year, they went with a French Saison yeast for a very crisp and dry beer, highlighting their use of Shoreline Malting 2-row. With some fruity esters completing the picture, expect this 5% ABV and 25 IBU beer to be refreshing but still interesting on the palate. You can get it from them via their webstore for pickup as well as via walk-in (social distancing enforced) at their retail location. You can also get it via delivery island-wide from their delivery service (check their Fb page for details on that!). And when this whole mess blows over, you can safely expect it to be on the shelves at select PEILC stores too.

In Yarmouth, Heritage Brewing has a new beer available for delivery in the tri-county area. They took their Blueberry Grunt, a lightly sour blueberry ale they released last fall, and replaced a portion of blueberries with cranberries, to give us Cranberry/Blueberry Sour Wheat. A mix of lightly tart and lightly sweet (but tipping more towards tart, thanks to the cranberry addition), this 5% ABV brew is refreshing and light, just the thing to get you into the Spring mood as you sip it on your deck. Check out our details from last week on how you can get some of this brew delivered to your door; their taproom is also open for retail sales.

Sea Level’s Port Williams location may be closed, but they are still working hard to produce great beer at their Millstone Harvest location in nearby Sheffield Mills. The latest to be released is also one of the first that features the sole us of their own malt and hops, grown right onsite. Millstone Harvest Pale Ale uses their own farm grown barley, malted at nearby Horton Ridge malt, to create Pilsner, Pale, and Honey malts. And from their hopfield comes Cashmere, Cascade, and Glacier hops, coming together for a “light, refreshing, everyday beer”. While they will be sending cans to NSLC locations across the province soon, you can grab growler fills at Millstone Harvest at 9146 Hwy 221 in Sheffield Mills today. Just remember to call (902-582-2337), email (sealevelbrewing@gmail.com) or DM them on their social media accounts in advance, and take advantage of their “Card in the Yard” pickup option. Hit them up the same way for more details on their delivery options.

For those of you in Sussex, you may already be taking advantage of the beer-to-go option at Sussex Ale Works. If so, great! If not, we encourage you to do so, and want to take the opportunity to also point out that they are still brewing new beers, and have just released their latest, a Belgian Dubbel named 13 Fathoms. Details on this brew are extremely light; however, we can tell you that they’re describing it as “sweet and smooth”. We wish we had more, but maybe it’s enough to pique your interest? Who doesn’t love a good Dubbel, right? Anyhoo, it’s 7.8% ABV and can be ordered online and picked up at the brewpub; check out last week’s post for further details on making your order. 

Back to Nova Scotia, where Backstage Brewing has launched Photograph, what was supposed to be a new beer for the Nova Scotia Craft Beer Festival. An American IPA hopped entirely with Mosaic, at least those of you in the Stellarton area may be able to give it a try! At 6.6% ABV and 60 IBUs, expect lots of delightful Mosaic character – tropical and stone fruit, citrus, mango, etc. – available for growler exchange at the brewery, 12-6 pm Monday to Saturday. They also hope to have bottles in the near future.

Nothing brand-spanking-new from TrailWay this week, but we will mention that their very popular DIPA, Sensible Nonsense, has been freshly-canned and is now available for delivery to anywhere in Fredericton, or pick-up at the brewery (and further distro across the province soon). Citrusy and dank, 7.6% ABV, and all sorts of hoppy.

In Halifax, 2 Crows Brewing has brought back one of their more subtle beers, the Refresh Lager. This delicate 4.8% ABV lager is a full two month process, starting from Shoreline Malting Pilsner (along with a lil bit of chit malt and flaked rice), dry-hopped with Hallertau Blanc, then krausened (using new beer to give the yeast some reinforcements), before lagering for 8 weeks. Like great BBQ, this one is done low and slow. And like great BBQ, it’s worth the wait! It’s available now at their retail shop with click-and-collect, as well as online delivery within HRM, as well as province-wide, and also elsewhere in Canada (yup!). And for those homebrewers looking to try and recreate this at home, there are no secrets when Jeremy Taylor is behind the wheel, here are all the details you need. Maybe drop him off a bottle/growler when it’s safe to do so, wouldja? Oh, and if you’re looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, listen to Jeremy and Nick who appeared on the latest episode of Rival & Queen, getting hosts Ashley and Sarah up to speed on all things beer.

Speaking of podcasts, our favourite local beer podcast 902 BrewCast may be respecting the social distancing order, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still releasing episodes! Their March 2020 Tasting Episode is a great summary of how breweries are dealing with the shutdown of their licensee customers, closure of their own taprooms, and change in buying options for customers. Plus, they chatted about dipping into their beer cellars to enjoy something solo or with pals (you know, sometime in the future). You can stream it on their website, or check your favourite podcast app this morning, because you already subscribe to it, right? Right?!?

During all this craziness, expect to see a serious drop in collaboration brews, for obvious reasons! On the bright side, a collab brewed before the sh*t really hit the fan, will be available over the next week. Scotia Lager was brewed as a collaboration between Off Track, Propeller, and Spindrift at Propeller’s brewery. Featuring a simple malt bill of Superior Pilsner and a little bit of Crystal, it was hopped throughout the boil with Loral and Tettnang, to 38 IBUs. Fermented with a classic German lager strain, and then lagered for a period of time, it weighs in at 5% ABV. Expect some spicy, floral, and herbal notes thanks to the hop varieties used, all in an approachable and easy-drinking package. This beer was submitted as the annual Made Here By Us beer for the province; it didn’t get selected, but the breweries decided to brew it anyway, and now you get to try it! It will be available in cans at all three breweries over the next few days (whether for delivery or pickup, however they’re operating), and will be popping up at NSLCs as well, with the official launch coming Monday!

We at the ACBB had been planning to hold a big Trivia Night at the Auction House next Friday, in part to help kick off Nova Scotia Craft Beer Month, but with restaurants and bars closed, we obviously won’t be doing that! However, we still want to get together with all of you, share some beers, give away a ton of prizes, and have a fun time. Sooooo, we’re going to give online trivia a shot! Next Wednesday, April 1st, at 8 PM, we will be holding the trivia remotely/virtually! We’ll have plenty of head scratching questions, of course plenty of amazing prizes from our brewery pals. For those, we’ll mostly be connecting you with the brewery directly, to ensure no contact. OK, the way to win is to sign your team up in advance, and that way we can keep track of everyone. Click the link here! Plus there’s more info on the FB page for the event. We can’t wait to see you Wednesday!