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Friday Wrap-Up for May 13, 2022 – News from Loyalist City, Half Cocked, CAVOK, Propeller, Big Spruce, Sea Level, Dildo and Church, Village Green, Serpent, Bannerman, and much more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2022-05-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, CAVOK Brewing, Dildo Brewing, Half Cocked Brewing, Loyalist City Brewing Co, Péché Day, Propeller Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Church Brewing Company, Tide & Boar Gastropub, Village Green by Modern Brewer. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, loyal readers. The signs of summer are everywhere around us. Temperatures in the region are creeping up to 30 degrees, patios are springing up on sidewalks, sessionable crushers are rolling out of tanks, and in the surest sign that the colder months are behind us, the Leafs are about to choke their way to another early exit. With a later release this Friday (we blame the fact that it’s Friday the 13th…), what better time to grab a beer, and get caught up on all of Atlantic Canada’s newest releases and events. Appreciate you sticking around and checking out the news!

Let’s kick things off with a brewery that hasn’t graced the pages of this blog in some time, Loyalist City Brewing, who are embracing the low-alcohol trend with the release of On Call IPA, a 2.5% ABV micro IPA. Special attention went into assuring that despite the low ABV, this one still packs plenty of hop aroma and flavour. Citra and Mosaic hops were used to create notes of stone fruit and citrus, with plenty of balancing bitterness at 35 IBUs. This one is available for a limited time, on tap at the brewery and better beer bars around New Brunswick.

Over in Antigonish County, Half Cocked is rolling out their first ever lager with Ozzy Dunkel, named in honour of the ever popular taproom dog, Ozzy the German Shepherd. This take on the classic German style comes in at 5.4% ABV and features sweet malt notes of biscuits and caramel, along with a hint of black tea. Ozzy Dunkel is available at the brewery for pints and fills, and may get in Halifax County for those imbibing there..

Let’s make a quick jump back to New Brunswick for our next new release, L’érablière 2.0. CAVOK partnered with Chateau Scoudouc Maple to create an amber ale that saw an addition of maple syrup, before being aged on oak chips. The resulting 7.7% ABV ale is available now for pints, growlers and crowlers. And find it at their spot at Cap-Pelé, which is now open for the season! Beach lovers rejoice!

Propeller is mixing things up this week with the release of Saison, their take on the Belgian-inspired style. Expect notes of lemon and spice from the Belgian yeast (with a bit of citrus twist added to send it even higher), with the fermentation also creating lots of carbonation and a dry finish. Cans of the 5% and 20 IBU Saison are available today through Propeller’s online store, their three retail locations, and at the private stores across Halifax.

Up in Nyanza, Big Spruce is celebrating this beautiful May weekend with the release of Stunt Dubbel. The big winner from their 9th Homebrew Challenge held earlier this year, winning brewer Karl Penney made the trip to Cape Breton and helped the Big Spruce Crew turn his 20 litre batch into more than a thousand! As you could probably guess from the name, this is a Belgian Dubbel in style, a malt-forward and super-smooth beer, featuring aromatics and flavours of caramel, toasted brown bread, and even a hint of milk chocolate. The belgian yeast contributes some light pepper spiciness and banana fruity esters, rounding out the 7.2% ABV beer. Available on tap and in cans, whether your travels take you to the brewery, otherwise you can order for HRM or Canada-wide delivery. It’s joined by returning favourite Day 6 with Brett Blueberry, Big Spruce’s tongue-in-cheek ode to Day 6 with Brent Bambury, full of NS-grown Organic blueberries and fermented with the wild Brettanomyces M yeast, for a fruity, funky, full-featured beer.

Tomorrow in the Annapolis Valley, Sea Level Brewing is releasing their Myria IPA in support of the Brew for Ukraine efforts. Ukrainian for “Dream”, Myria borrows the recipe from Pravda Beer, leveraging some great hops to maximise tropical and citrus notes that are reminiscent of passion fruit, melon, peach, and citrus on both the nose and palate. As supplies of this 6.5% ABV beer are limited, cans are available exclusively at the brewery retail store, with the remainder pouring only in their taproom, at 9146 Hwy 221 in Sheffield Mills. Be sure to drop by this weekend to take in the beer, the sights, and the lovely weather!

Up next is an aptly named collaboration between Newfoundland’s Dildo Brewing Company and Church Brewing out of the Annapolis Valley. Sweet Whistlin’ Jaysus is the brainchild of head brewers and former co-workers, Steve Crane and Kyle Jeppesen. Using techniques and ingredients from multiple styles led them to label this 4.6% ABV lager as an Austro-Mexican Lager. The grain bill features a base of Vienna malt, with additions of CaraVienna and corn; Spalter hops were used exclusively, along with an extended fermentation and conditioning with Dildo’s house lager yeast. Keep an eye on both breweries’ social channels for release and retail details. 

Cornwall’s Village Green is back with a new version of their Weird Clouds IPA series, this one features Amarillo, Strata and Azacca hops. Look for notes of peach and berries that complement the notes of fresh dinner rolls from the malt. We’ll also mention that last weekend saw the release of Lil’ Hazy, a 4.2% ABV New England Style Pale ale. This one featured ample late boil and dry hop additions of Citra, Strata and Mosaic hops, providing lots of tropical fruit and citrusy notes. 

Plenty to tell you about at Serpent Brewing, with several new beers and events to keep you busy this weekend. First up, the beer! Last week, they released Espiritus, a 12% Mexican Mole Porter. Their resident designer of labels and murals in the taproom, Mónica, wanted to bring a taste of her hometown of Mexico City 5000 km Northeast to Spryfield. Using authentic Mexican chocolate, spices, and peppers, she prepared a mole, which went into the beer at the very end of the boil of the base Porter, to bring out even more chocolate, as well as pleasant warming from the peppers and spicing. Previously available exclusively on tap, there are bottles of this heavy hitter available at the brewery now. 

Joining Espiritus are three decidedly more restrained beers alcohol-wise, but every bit as flavourful. Dreamer is a 6.0% Raspberry Witbier, where the Brew Crew leverage their yeast and familiarity from their White Mountain Witbier, with the raspberry puree complementing the wheat character, with the beer fermented a touch cooler to keep its esters restrained. Nova Blue is also 6.0%, and just like Dreamer, is best described as a fruited witbier, with locally-grown blueberries lending their flavourful juices to enhance the aroma and taste of the beer. The latest of the Beer Creation Series, where the first boosters of Serpent were able to choose a beer recipe and release it commercially, with beer fan Bob calling the shots on this one.

And finally in new beers is the next in their Beer Creation Series, a small batch beer named Fight Trail. Those of the two wheel variety may recognize the name from a popular trail in the Spryfield area, where Serpent regular Mitch spends lots of time. The beer is a British Golden Ale, that spent some time lagering as well, to mellow out just a touch. Wanting a beer “to crush after crushing the trails”, the 4.7% beer is simple yet complex enough to enjoy while throwing back a couple. A little light for the style, and Simcoe in the dry-hop may not be CAMRA-approved, but these help to keep it interesting and tasty.

All of these beers are on tap, with many also available to go in bottles, from the brewery who are celebrating the opening of their patio this weekend. Dominic’s Cucina Wood Fired Pizza will be slinging pies from 2:30 PM onward, and Nick Hamlyn will be playing live from the patio 3 – 6 PM. Sunday, they will be playing Music Trivia, and you can check out the many events they hold throughout the week!

Three years ago (May 11, 2019 to be exact!) the fine folks at Bannerman Brewing opened their doors and on Saturday May 14th, they’re throwing a big birthday bash at the brewery. Here are some of the highlights from the delicious East Duckworth venue:

  • BEER! Surf’s Up is being re-released on tap only, a tropical blue sour that sold out very quickly. Also, 30% off of pints of all of their core beers that were available 3 years ago. 
  • Island Time, their original launch DIPA, is also available again as of last Friday. This is available widely in cans and at 8% it’s tropical, easy drinking, smooth with nice orange and tangerine flavours. 
  • FOOD! Best Friend Burger is setting up shop all day to serve their smash burgers for dine-in service. Also, they’ll have dinosaur shaped nuggets. 
  • MUSIC! The Dandelion Few will be around from 3pm until 5pm with some deadly tunes. Don’t worry, there’s no cover, so swing by if you can.

That about covers it. They’re very excited to welcome everyone back, have people in person and pay homage to some of their core beers. 

A pre-COVID staple that many of us looked forward to was the great, the bold, the strong, Péché Day! The annual celebration of the Dieu du Ciel! world class ale is finally back in Halifax and Moncton. Saturday May 21 is the day and Bar Stillwell will host in Halifax and Tide & Boar will host in Moncton. Five offerings of Péché Mortel will feature this year, with Bourbon 2021. Tajumulco 2022, Kumquat 2022 and Dulce de Leche 2022 will join the classic offering. Check out the full details here from DDC. 

All this reading making you thirsty to get into the beer biz? We’ve got a couple of options for you to look at this week.

2 Crows Brewing is taking part in the Canada Summer Jobs Program, and hiring full-time Driver / Packaging Assistant to join the mix. The position is for those 19-30 years of age, and they would love to have those from under-represented-in-beer communities apply for the position. Check that link for full details on the position and how to apply!

Speaking of Packaging, those living in Newfoundland, or willing to move there (and why wouldn’t you??), should check out the FB post and details from Dildo Brewing Company, as they are hiring a full-time Brewer’s Assistant/Packaging Technician to help around the brewhouse. While no brewing specific skills are required, a willingness to learn, and work, are key. Plenty more info on their Facebook and via email!

Friday Wrap-Up for March 18, 2022 – News from Port Rexton, Bannerman, Tatamagouche, Unfiltered, Garrison, Half Cocked, 2 Crows, and Maritime Spirits

Posted by acbbdamian on 2022-03-18
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Beerocracy, Garrison Brewing, Half Cocked Brewing, Maritime Spirits TV Show, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Tatamagouche Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing. 1 comment

Hey folks, it’s the morning after Paddy’s Day and we’re not sure about other places, but in Halifax that means it’s time for everyone’s favourite once-a-year-sport, “dodge the green puddles on your morning walk downtown.” We trust that those young and…er…enthusiastic about St. Patrick and his synonymous day had a good time and nobody was (permanently) injured. We have to admit that despite not partaking of the partying ourselves, between day jobs (that for some of us were night jobs too), travel (business for one, pleasure for another), and small humans in the house, we are a little shy on content this week. That said, it is March break in two provinces and we didn’t see a tonne of new releases out there. So enjoy what we’ve found and trust that, as always, we’ll try to do a little better next week!

Let’s start off in beautiful Port Rexton, where we have a release from last week to update you on and a fresh new collab rolling out this week. Up first is Wild Ale, brewed using Brettanomyces from Escarpment Labs. Along with loads of hops, this one also saw the addition of Sea Buckthorn puree and a hint of lactose, leading to aromas of stone fruit and a hint of Brett funk. The 5% ABV Wild Ale is currently available in cans at the taproom and the St. John’s retail location. Up next is Level Up, a collaboration with the fine folks at Bannerman Brewing. This one features some exciting new ingredients, including Escarpment’s Thiol Libre yeast and Phantasm powder, made from Sauvignon Blanc grape skins. The powder contains something called Thiol precursors, which when added during active fermentation can lead to enhanced aromas of tropical fruit. Combine that with a yeast specifically designed to also amp up the tropical notes from hops and malt, and you can expect a beer that seriously delivers on fruit aromas and flavour. Late hop additions keep the bitterness down in this hazy IPA, which comes in at 5% ABV. Cans are available now at Port Rexton’s St. John’s retail location, and on tap and in cans at Bannerman’s taproom on Duckworth Street as well as in Port Rexton proper.

Tatamagouche Brewing has a new Coffee Porter out this week with the release of Warm Winds. The beer is named after the warm winds that nurture the highland coffee growing region of Guatemala, where the coffee for this beer was grown. The Huehuetenango beans from Aroma Maya Coffee Roasters were selected for their low acidity and flavours of almond, chocolate and caramel, which complement the flavour profile of the base beer. The beer, drawing inspiration from Tata’s Baltic Porter, uses a combo of pale, German Munich, Vienna, caramel and chocolate malts. A small addition of Celeia hops was also added, prior to the beer conditioning directly on the whole beans. The final product is a smooth drinking experience, with a rich malt profile and tons of coffee flavour. Cans are available now at the brewery and for delivery/shipping via their online store. 

We previously blogged about Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing releasing a barrel-aged DIPAto benefit Ukraine relief through the Red Cross. We are happy to report that the release was a massive success, selling out within hours and raising $1345 (supplemented by breaking their “no musical requests” stance to collect donations for the cause). Unfiltered is back at it this week, this time offering a big discount on the stock of 2018 Mise en Garde Barleywine that they’ve been carefully cellaring. Normally retailing for $16/bottle, the brewery has discounted the price down to $10, with half of what you pay going directly to the Red Cross’ efforts in Ukraine. Grab one for your cellar, one for your glass this weekend and contribute to a great cause while you’re at it. Win, win, win. 

Speaking of breweries and support for the Ukraine, Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has stepped up to the Brew For Ukraine initiative in collaboration with Pravda Brewery & Beer Theatre out of Lviv. Growing from the brewing community’s desire to help the embattled country through the illegal invasion by the Russian military, and inspired by Pravda’s pivot from producing beer to producing Molotov Cocktails, over 100 breweries worldwide have signed up for the initiative. Garrison’s participation will see them releasing a limited run of their version of Pravda’s own Putin Huylo Strong Golden Ale, a 7% ABV beer (the name translates roughly to, “Putin is a dickhead,” a sentiment we’re quite firmly behind). Brewed with European and North American malts and hops, it has a medium body and a balanced hop flavour. With a label adapted from Pravda’s own Ukrainian version to fit Garrison’s 600mL bottles, this one will appear at the end of the month at the Seaport and Oxford Taproom location. Only 2,000 bottles will be packaged, and they’ll cost $10 a pop, with all profits going directly to supporting humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine through recognized charities.

Up in Antigonish, NS, or, more specifically North Grant (we can’t pick on Hanwell, NB, anymore so…), Half Cocked Brewing has a brand new beer pouring. Big Hug is both the name of the beer and a lovely sentiment as some of our provinces approach a return to almost zero COVID-related restrictions. We know lots of people who are very much looking forward to being with family in a way that they haven’t been able to in two years. The beer itself is an NEIPA boasting big juicy fruit notes on the nose, with sharp citrus leading on the palate, followed by orange and tangerine. Like many NEIPAs, this one has a slight sweetness on the finish and a smooth, silky mouthfeel. At 7% you might want to be a touch careful because we’re willing to bet it goes down like a beer with a much lower ABV. Look for it at the brewery, but on-tap only as it hasn’t been packaged! We’ll ping you if we see it in the wild across the province!

Our friends (and yours!) at 2 Crows in Halifax don’t have any new beers this week, but they’ve got a new flavour of their refreshing non-alcoholic Hop Water, Cucumber + Mint. Obviously containing cucumber and mint, but also a touch of lemon, the hop in this one is the modern German variety Hüll Melon (also known as Huell Melon) which is known for aromas of honeydew melon and strawberry. Sounds like a lovely pairing to us! And although this is a non-alcoholic beverage and that’s awesome, we can’t help but suspect it might make a nice mixer for a bit of gin. Grab some next time you’re stocking up at 2 Crows and find out!

If you’re looking to travel the Maritime provinces for beer, wine, cider, or booze this spring, and looking for a way to get a head start, be sure to check out Maritime Spirits, which aired on Bell TV1. Brought to you by the same fine folks who brought you Beerocracy, the story of craft alcohol makers in New Brunswick. And those same generous producers have recently uploaded all 10 episodes of Maritime Spirits to YouTube, so we can all check them out, regardless of home TV provider. Visiting Brasseurs du Petit-Sault, New Scotland, Red Rover Cider, Upstreet, and many more from the comfort of your couch, it’s never been easier! Let’s hope we are seeing more episodes in the future! Ask your TV provider to include more local programming…

 

Friday Wrap-Up for February 11, 2022 – News from Propeller, Bannerman, Baccalieu Trail, Rough Waters, Delta Force, Serpent, Tanner, and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2022-02-11
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Bogside Brewing, Breton Brewing, Delta Force Brewing, Modern Brewer's Village Green, Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Rough Waters Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing. Leave a Comment

Wa-hey, we’re almost halfway through February and with the little bit of unseasonably nice weather that most of the region is seeing this weekend it’s almost enough to have one believing that winter’s almost over. We suggest not falling for that, but maybe a teensy tiny little bit of joy and hope for just this weekend won’t hurt. And speaking of weekend joy, it’s both the weekend of the “Big Game” and also annual Hallmark Holiday #1, so you might find some seasonably appropriate specials going on from your favourite locals; we cover some of those below, but we might have missed something (let’s be honest, we always miss something) so do check out what’s advertised on socials!

Let’s start off in Halifax, where Propeller Brewing is releasing Earl Grey Pale Ale. The addition of Earl Grey tea adds floral and citrus aromas from the bergamot, along with some more tannic notes reminiscent of black tea. These meld nicely with the additions of cookie and red malts, which Prop says gives a ‘tea and biscuits’ experience. To remind you that this is still a pale ale, the beer features Idaho 7 and Citra hops, two hops that showcase citrus notes, complimenting the bergamot. Coming in a 5.5% AVC and 39 IBUs, Earl Grey Pale Ale. Cans are available today at the Prop shops and online for home delivery or shipping. For those outside of HRM, this one will be hitting NSLC shelves on February 21.

While our last beer featured cookie malt, Bannerman Brewing is taking things one step further, by adding ‘buckets and buckets’ of actual cookies, to its newest beer, Sweet Tooth. This “Cookie Stout” uses cookies (chocolate chip by the looks of the brew day photos) from Craig’s Cookies, dumped into the hopback allowing the beer to recirculate and pick up as much cookie essence as possible. The beer features a blend of caramel and dark malts and also saw additions of cacao nibs and Tahitian vanilla beans. Cans of this 7.5% treat are available now on Duckworth Street and for delivery through Bannerman’s online store. 

We’re going to stay in Newfoundland for the next few releases, and Baccalieu Trail is up next! With a new release available now, Hopinion Piece is a Hazy IPA that features a mix of hops, using some strong opinions of their own! This will be a recurring release, featuring different combinations of hops each time. While we’re not sure exactly which hops you’ll see in this first release, we’re sure that with a name like that they won’t be subtle. This 5.5% beer is available today from their website and taproom. It will reach their other retail locations and carriers next week.

Over to Deer Lake, Rough Waters also has a new limited release! Commander Coconut is a coconut milk stout that brings the flavour and drinkability. Using their base milk stout, coconut additions were made through the brew and also for conditioning. Due to the massive amounts of coconut used in this recipe, it was quite difficult to brew, so this one will not be coming out again anytime soon! This comes in at 5.4% and is smooth, coconut-y with a nice balance of milk chocolate flavours. This is available now from the taproom and distribution will be coming to the rest of the island over the next two weeks. 

One of the littlest breweries (in terms of size, anyway) in NS has three beers coming back to their oeuvre this week, one of which features a pretty significant change from previous batches. Delta Force Brewing, the “traditional farmshed brewery” in Greenwich, has Operation Jaromir Lagr, a Czech Dark Lager, and Operation Bap, a Nurungji Lager available once again (what’s nurungji? It’s Korean scorched rice!). Additionally, Operation Barrow, which in its previous incarnations was an English IPA with Brettanomyces added after primary fermentation, tasted so good this time that they decided against the Brett addition and to just bring it to you, dear drinker, in its pure and unadulterated form. You can order these ones up along with plenty of other δF favourites by visiting their online shop.

In Halifax, Spryfield’s finest Serpent Brewing brings Northumberland Strait Sunset to the people. A Session IPA, this was brewed with Owen, one of their Founders Club members, taking them on a quest for tropical flavour in a small package. Using tons of Mosaic for dry hopping, this 4.4% stunner features lovely stone fruit flavours and aromatics, with a touch more fruit and earthy notes from the English Ale yeast. Grab it at their spot behind Canadian Tire/adjacent to Mary Brown’s today at noon, for enjoyment onsite or to go in growlers and bottles.

It’s not just Superbowl Sunday this weekend, Valentine’s Day is Monday!  Down in Chester, Nova Scotia, Tanner Brewing has a very special release. Cranberry Amarillo is a Sparkling Mead made from their house sparkling mead recipe, but with a light hand of cranberry purée before fermentation and then dry hopped with Amarillo hops. This brew is delicate, lightly pink and a dry finishing mead available in 500ml bottles at 5.8%. 

And here’s your quick hits on the way out the door to buy beer!

Our weekly post wouldn’t be the same without something from 2 Crows! Keeping up their annual football deal, they put some of their 355ml flats on for $50. Joining Matinee and Dos Cuervos on the Deal Train is the newly released AC Light Lager. Make sure you check their delivery dates if you want to get it for SuperbOwl Sunday! Also, these are stellar “stock” beers to keep in your fridge anytime of the year. 

In St. John’s, Quidi Vidi Brewing has a big’un back on the go for your winter sipping needs. Imperial Coconut Porter, a burly brew at 9% ABV has returned, with notes of dark caramel and chestnut leading the way, with a lingering element of toasted coconut providing the back end. Available in 473ml cans now at their (new) Hops Shop, you should also see this one appear at NLC locations in the coming week.

In Montague, Bogside Brewing has a returning favourite that is back in stock. Wheat Kings County is their traditional-style Wheat Beer (remember this won silver at the 2020 Canadian Brewing Awards). Keeping with tradition, this is a classic style made true to its German roots. Using a grain bill of Wheat, Pilsner and Munich malts, along with classic hop additions of Hallertau Mittlefruh and Hersbrucker. It is 5.7% and available on tap and online in 473ml cans for pickup or delivery. 

Sydney’s Breton Brewing announced this week that it’s expanding to a second location. While their original taproom on Keltic Drive has a great atmosphere and lots of tasty beer options, it’s a bit of a hike from the downtown core. Their new location, coming later in 2022, is right in the middle of the action, located across the street from the Holiday Inn (and its epic waterslide) on the Esplinade. The plan for now is calling for a taproom and pilot system. Keep an eye on their social channels for more updates as they progress towards opening the new space.

Cornwall’s Village Green is releasing Version 9 in its series of Weird Clouds IPA. This one is showcasing notes of fruit cocktail and grapefruit thanks to hop additions of Azacca, Strata and Citra. As an added bonus, cans of Version 9 feature the full pull-back pop top, allowing more of those hoppy aromas to hit the ol’ olfactory nerve if you’re drinking straight from the can. Cans are available now at the taprom.