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Friday Wrap-Up – News and Brews from Flying Boats Brewery, Red Rover, Garrison, Fredericton Craft Beer, King Street Ale House and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-07-03
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Authentic Seacoast Brewing, BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Flying Boats Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, King Street Ale House, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Welcome to the first Friday in July! We hope your Canada Day was a festive one, and you were able to celebrate with a local pint. Let’s see what other new beers you’ll soon be able to taste around our region!

• New Brunswick’s newest brewery, Flying Boats Brewing in Shediac, has released their first beer, Picnic Train Witbier. A refreshing, easy-drinking seasonal release named after a “popular summertime train service between Moncton and Pointe-du-Chene wharf to bring passengers to Parlee Beach in the early part of 1900s”, it was brewed with Flaked Wheat, malted Pilsner and some Flaked Oats in the grist. In true Witbier-style, bitter orange peel and coriander were added to the beer at the end of the boil to provide some additional spiciness/fruitiness to the aroma and flavour. Lightly hopped to balance the sweetness, the beer comes in at 5.5% ABV, and is currently on tap at La Coast Restaurant et Bar and Auberge Gabrièle Inn, both of which are located in Shediac.

• Flying Boats should also be releasing their Dixie Clipper IPA on tap in the near future. Continuing with the locally-named theme, Dixie Clipper refers to “one of the planes that flew into Shediac Bay during the 1920-30’s as a weekly Pan Am flight from New York to Shediac, then onward to Europe and return”, according to brewer/owner Marc Melanson. Hopped (and dry-hopped) predominantly with Chinook to 68 IBUs, it weighs in at a moderately-strong 6.5% ABV. Expect notes of both pine and grapefruit in this hoppy ale. And look for two additional new Flying Boats beers (currently TBD) to be served at next Saturday’s Tasting NB!

• Red Rover has released a special cider this week, Get with the Beet. They sourced fresh beet juice from Real Food Connections, and added it to the apple cider base before conditioning. The rough juicing allows significant beet character to shine through on both the nose and palate, with a bright red colour highlighting the blend. The ABV is listed as 7.0%, and will be available at their market stalls in Fredericton, Kingston, Saint John and St. Andrews, their Cider House and on tap at select locations.

• Garrison Brewing is releasing a new beer today, Seaport Blonde. Brewed in celebration of the spot where they work and play, this American Blonde Ale is light bodied, and has a dry, crisp finish. It features an ABV of 4.0%, from the 2-Row and Wheat malt grain bill, and is lightly hopped with Columbus to 8 IBUs. This new brew is on tap and in bottles at the brewery now, and will be debuting in the NSLCs very shortly.

• There’s another beer event coming soon to Fredericton from those behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and the King Street Ale House. Ice Cream n’ Beer will be held at the KSAH on Sunday, July 26th from 6-9 pm, and will feature six different local craft beers (8 oz pours) paired with six different “craft ice creams” created by chef Aaron Fraser.  The brewery/beer list will be confirmed once the ice cream creations come in! Tickets are $35 (taxes and fee included) and can be purchased now, online.

• Yellowbelly Brewmaster Liam McKenna has put a different spin on the latest batch of their YellowBelly Pale Ale, on now at the brewery. The grain bill is the same, for 4.5% ABV, however McKenna has swapped out the traditional Nugget and Cluster hops used normally in this year-round staple. In their place, Sorachi Ace was used for the bittering and flavour additions, with a charge of Mosaic used for dry-hopping, for an aromatic blast. This is truly a one-off iteration of the Pale Ale, so be sure to check it out at the brewery today.

• Railcar Brewing has made progress with their bottling plans, as you should be able to buy their Summer Sessions IPA (a single-malt and single-hop – or SMaSH – beer featuring the Citra variety) and Grapefruit Pale Ale in 500 mL bottles at the brewery by next weekend, according to brewer/owner Mitch Biggar. They’ve been brewing a lot of fruit-based beers for the warmer weather, all of which have their standard Pale Ale as a base, but with different organic brewer’s fruit extract and real peel/flesh added. Variations so far have included raspberry, watermelon, black currant, and mango, in addition to the rebrewed grapefruit version; they all measure 5.5% ABV. Right now, they’re planning on having bottles at various ANBL locations sometime next month. In the meantime, Railcar beers are also on tap at the James Joyce and Isaac’s Way in Fredericton, A.C. Sharkey’s Pub in Bristol, and Larlee Creek Public House in Perth.

• We have some more details on the new English Pale Ale released in mid-June at the official opening of the Big Axe taproom. This golden-amber-coloured ale was brewed with the English pale malt Maris Otter, along with some Crystal malt for both colour and caramel/toffee notes. Hopped to about 50 IBUs with Goldings and Galena, it weighs in at 6% ABV. It’s currently available at the brewery for pints and growler fills, and at the James Joyce in Fredericton.

• For Charlottetown residents, it just got easier to get your hands on BarNone beer! Last Saturday, they made their first appearance at the Charlottetown Farmers Market, where they were selling growlers of their beer. Despite the minimal announcement, locals were quick to snatch up plenty of growlers; for those of you who were unaware, BarNone will return tomorrow morning, and weekly thereafter! Tomorrow’s offerings should include their IPA and La Vaca Loca Sweet Stout, and perhaps their FarmAle Saison, depending on availability.

• Big Spruce Brewing‘s first Food Truck Friday was a grand success last week, despite the poor weather. Today looks to be a little nicer, and the folks from Free Range Bio Farm will be back with their bright yellow food truck. They will be serving up Bratwurst, Schnitzel and Pulled Pork Sandwiches, with potato salad and sauerkraut. To wash all of that down, grab some of the second release of The Silver Tart (Sour Raspberry Wheat), the return of Spin Me White Round Wheat IPA, Tim’s Dirty American IPA, and Bitter Get’er India Black IPA. Accompanying the food and drinks will be entertainment from local musicians Ferris and Shauna Matthews Asaph.

• After a very successful launch on Saturday, Breton Brewing have announced details of their official Launch Party, taking place July 18th at Flavor on the Water. An event full of food, music, and of course, beer will run 5:30-1am that night. Four bands will be playing that evening, Keith Mullins, Jordan Musycsyn, Pretty Archie, and Slowcoaster. Tickets to the event are $30 (which includes a free Breton beer), with a VIP option for $60 which also includes free hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening (including PA Marinated Pulled Pork Sliders, Hefeweizen Marinated Fish Tacos, and Breton Brewing Bold BBQ & Local Maple Jumbo Wings). Tickets can be purchased at the brewery, or online.

• And speaking of Breton, they will be filling growlers at their Keltic Dr location again tomorrow, 10-5pm. Joining their Stirling Hefeweizen and Black Angus IPA on tap will be their Sons of Hector, a 5.0% ABV, 30 IBU Brown Ale. Before their tasting room opens later this month, their brews can be found at Flavor on the Water, Governor’s Pub, Iona Heights Inn, Old Triangle, and Talo Cafe in Cape Breton, and in Halifax at The Argyle, Stillwell (both Barrington and the Beer Garden), Stubborn Goat, and Tom’s Little Havana. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates on their opening hours, as they may vary until their tap room is open.

• Upstreet Brewing opened their doors Friday evening, and have been going great guns ever since. All three of their beers, Rhuby Social Strawberry Rhubarb Wit, Do-Gooder Pale Ale and Commons Pilsner are now available at the brewery tap room for pints and growler fills. They can also be found on tap at several spots in Charlottetown, including Baba’s Lounge, where they are hosting tonight’s Quittin’ Time Sessions at 6-8pm, and at tomorrow’s Village Feast in Souris, hosted by Chef Michael Smith.

• Do you have any wild hops growing on your property, or have spotted some on the side of the road? If so, AgCan PEI researchers Aaron Mills and Jason McCallum want to hear about them! They are looking for truly Maritime hop varietals (either native, or from early crops brought from Europe) that are resistant to pests and mildew in our area, and may possibly have some unique flavour and aroma characteristics. If you have any leads, email Aaron Mills.

• And finally this week, Rare Bird has released their Spruce Ale seasonal beer this week at their Guysborough brewery. Black Spruce buds were added to the boil, to complement the medium-bodied beer’s flavour and aroma. This 5.5% ABV and 53 IBU beer will also be bottled, and should be showing up in the private beer stores in HRM shortly.

Looks like a nice weekend coming up, be sure to enjoy it with some local craft beer! If you’re in Fredericton, TrailWay has released a new iteration of their Raspberry Wheat; in addition to fresh raspberries, Raspberry Pomegranate has had – you guessed it – pure pomegranate organic juice added during secondary fermentation. Look for it on tap at the KSAH and 540 Kitchen & Bar. Petit-Sault‘s IPA, Soeur Catherine, should now be available in bottles at several ANBL stores across the province, with more locations following soon. Also check out their Tante Blanche on all four growler stations, and Hammond River‘s Hawaiian Pale Ale is on at Kennebcasis Valley, but get there soon, as half of the kegs were sold by closing time yesterday! Drop by Rudder’s Brewery & Restaurant in Yarmouth for a taste of their new Lighthouse Lager, a 4.3% ABV Australian-style lager, hopped with Southern Cross hops. And finally, good news for those of us unable to make it to Big Tide for the release of their May collaboration brew, La Gaboteuse II, with Acadie-Broue – a few kegs of this Belgian IPA were saved and will be making their way to the Tide and Boar in Moncton, and the James Joyce in Fredericton very soon. Be sure to try it if you can, it’ll be gone in record time!

Friday Wrap-Up – New Beers from Propeller, Nook and Cranny, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Big Axe, Picaroons, and many more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-06-05
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Breton Brewing, Canadian Brewing Awards, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Garrison Brewing, Good Cheer Trail, Good Robot Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Isaac's Way, Meander River Farm and Brewery, Picaroons, Picaroons cat contest, Propeller Brewing, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Stillwell Beer Bar, Sunset Heights Meadery, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Nook and Cranny, Tom's Little Havana. 1 comment

Good morning, beer lovers! It’s the end of another week, and it’s absolutely chock-full of Atlantic Canadian beer news… let’s get right to it:

• Propeller has released their newest One Hit Wonder, Point Pleasant Pale Ale. An APA hopped entirely with the Columbus variety, the brewery describes it as “crisp and balanced”. It weighs in at 5% ABV, and at only 27 IBUs, expect a beer that isn’t quite as bitter as others of the same style. As always, it’s available for growler fills at both Prop Shop locations, and on tap at better beer establishments throughout Halifax.

• As we promised last week, we have some info on two new beers currently on tap at The Nook and Cranny. First off is their Black Beer’d IPA, a Black IPA that is very dark as per the style (thanks to a grist including Carafa Special II, along with Carapils and CaraMunich for specialty malts). Weighing in at 5.8% ABV and 38 IBUs, it’s dry-hopped with plenty of Centennial, Cascade and Galaxy for lots of tropical and citrus aromas/flavours. Next is the Spitting Alpaca, an American Pale Ale hopped with Pacific Jade and Cascade, and dry-hopped with Galaxy; this one comes in at 5.2% ABV and 18 IBUs. This is the first iteration for both brews, so expect some recipe tweaking over the next few batches until they’ve settled on what they (and customers) like best. In the meantime, get down there for a pint and/or growler fills! Also, look for another fruit-based wheat beer in July (their Blueberry Wheat is currently the most-popular beer on tap).

• Their first beer, Caraquet Flyer, was only released last month, but Distillerie Fils du Roy now have a second brew available, and it’s at all four ANBL growler stations this weekend! Stella Maris (named after the star in the Acadian flag, representing Mary, the patron of mariners) is inspired by the French style, Bière de Garde, which means “beer that has been kept or lagered”. A fairly-strong (7.5% ABV), malty beer, it was brewed with French malts and hops. The brewery/distillery is referring to it as a “Bière de Garde Régions d’Acadie”, not unlike some French styles of alcohol being specific to where they are made (e.g. Champagne). If you’re in the Petit-Paquetville region, you can also find 750 mL bottles of both beers available at their store, open 10-5, Mon-Sat; the Caraquet Flyer is also available in bottles in select ANBLs.

• Big Axe has a new rendition of their Blonde Ale currently available on tap and at the brewery for growler fills and pints. The Hatchet has the same grist as the previous Blonde Ale, but has been hopped more heavily (with Perle and El Dorado) later in the boil, to boost the aroma of the beer. It still comes in at an easy-drinking 4.6% ABV, and 30 IBUs. Look for it at the usual Big Axe accounts to enjoy it on tap, including new addition Isaac’s Way, where it will be part of their summer beer menu.

• Earlier this week, on June 1st, Picaroons released their seasonal Watermelon Wheat, MelonHead; this day also marked the revealing of the winning cat in their Melon Head label contest. Sir Winston Snaggletooth (!), owned by Jordan Stephens, takes the honour of gracing every bottle of MelonHead released this season. MelonHead is available now at the Brewtique for growler fills, and should be on tap at select bars/restaurants across the province, and in bottles at ANBL stores this weekend.

• Hell Bay Brewing has released a new beer this week, with a bit of a twist. Their OPA (Oatmeal Pale Ale) is now on tap at the brewery and soon at select bars, and weighs in at 5.0% ABV. While oats are used occasionally in Stouts to impart a fuller mouthfeel and some residual sweetness, they are seldom used in other beer styles. The smooth mouthfeel offered by the oats pairs well with the crisp hop character (weighing in at 49 IBUs), for a balanced and easy- drinking summer beer. The OPA will be available all summer, with the possibility of bottles into the private stores later. Hell Bay also teased the label for a beer coming in July, Hell’s Anvil!. This Smoked Dry Stout is being brewed in collaboration with the CanIron X Blacksmiths Conference being held in Baddeck, Cape Breton, July 2-5. Beware, Smithing is thirsty work, and we civilians may have to wait for a re-brew of the beer, perhaps in the fall.

• Attention Halifax Beer Fans! The Stillwell Waterfront Beergarden is set to open within the next few days. Located at Summit Plaza, steps from “The Wave”, the bar is located in a converted shipping container, and features outdoor, but sheltered, seating. Delivery of the container, built by Halifax’s Skin + Bones Building Desgin Workshop, took place yesterday, with the taps installed by BeerTech Darught Systems shortly thereafter. The seating area is set, and the staff is receiving training today, so look for the big announcement from the Stillwell crew on Twitter later in the weekend, or very early next week. As a reminder, they will be serving beer, cider and wine on tap, and food will focus on easy snacks and sausages, with some being handmade by chef Graeme Ruppel, as well as local producers Sweet William’s, Roselane Farm, with bread and buns from Gingerbread Haus.

• Meander River Farm and Brewery released a new beer last night, launched at the Taste of Nova Scotia 12 Tides event. Summer Solstice IPA is a Session Ale, weighing in at 4.5% ABV. The lower alcohol certainly does not mean lower flavour, as the beer features lots of flavour and aroma from Amarillo and Citra hops, with an extra dry-hopped blast of Cascade. It is available at the Brewery in Ashdale all weekend (along with their Honey Brown), and will make an appearance shortly on tap at Stillwell.

• Earlier this week, Meander River invited Garrison Brewmaster Daniel Girard to Ashdale to brew up a special beer, for a series of special dinners happening this summer. Dining on the Ocean Floor will be taking place four times this summer (June 27, July 25, August 15 and September 12) at Burntcoat Head in the Minas Basin, the site of the world’s largest tides. And during the lowest tides each month, Taste of Nova Scotia is holding a dinner on the beach (which was, just hours earlier, 15 metres underwater!), featuring Flying Apron Cookery, Newell’s Jewels Edibles (foraged food) and Avondale Sky winery. The beer is a strong Scotch Ale, featuring peated malt, with the addition of seaweed.

• And speaking of Garrison, they teased a collaborative Coast-to-Coast release scheduled for later this month, featuring Phillips Brewery in Victoria, Flying Monkeys in Barrie, and Troue du Diable in Shawinigan. We’ll share the details once they’ve been released.

• Tatamagouche Brewing will be installing a canning line later this month. They will be canning their core line of beers (Hippie Dippie Pale Ale, North Shore Lagered Ale, and Butcher Block Red), as well as a rotating seasonal or two, beginning early July. These will supplement their growler and bottles already available, in a more stowable and beach- and boat-friendly package.

• BarNone released a new beer – of sorts – at their weekly growler night last evening, Pale Indian Ale. Described by the brewery as a “variation” on their regular-release IPA, this one was brewed by BarNone assistant brewer Johnny. Details are being kept secret, so all we can recommend is to try it out if you have the chance, and compare it to their regular IPA. Their Route 225 Root Beer (non-alcoholic) made its return at last evening’s Growler Night as well.

• Next Wednesday, June 10th, drinking craft beer in northern New Brunswick will get a whole lot easier! Caraquet’s La Brôkerie is opening a separate craft beer bar, La Chope, which will feature six craft taps. On opening, expect to see three beers from Petit-Sault (La Kedgwick, Louis XVII, and Soeur Catherine), two from Distillerie Fils du Roy (Caraquet Flyer and Stella Maris), and one featuring a Pollen Angels mead.

• This Sunday, starting at 9 am,  Sunset Heights Meadery will be selling tickets for their Summer Mead Release Party. If you pre-purchased your ticket at the Spring Mead Release in April, you should be receiving it soon; for those who did not pre-purchase, there will be a limited number of 16 available. The event will take place on Sunday, July 5th, from 2 pm – 6 pm, and will feature six 2 oz pours of new meads (and some past favourites), paired with an appetizer, four different reLiSH sliders, and a dessert. More samples and food repeats will follow. As well, attendees can purchase up to 24 bottles of mead with guaranteed availability (and the possibility of more, depending on availability), and can reserve a ticket to the Autumn party at the current, locked-in price. Tickets are $55 + tax.

• There are still tickets available for Northumbeerfest Craft Beer & Music Festival, being held this Saturday at Pictou Lodge. It features entertainment by Meaghan Blanchard, Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys and Tim Chaisson. Beers will be available from Big Spruce, Garrison, Tatamagouche and Uncle Leo’s. The event doors open at 5pm, tickets for the Fest are $40+tax, and are available by phone (902-485-4322) or email.

• As we reported previously, the building that houses Rogues Roost and Tom’s Little Havana will be demolished in the fall. We can now report that Tom’s new location has been chosen, in the City Centre Atlantic Mall, using the entrance located adjacent to former tenant Premier Wines & Spirits and Top Cuts (which is moving elsewhere in the mall). This will now lead directly into Tom’s and The Fireside (when it moves from Brunswick St), both of which will share a common kitchen. No word yet on Rogues Roost’s new location.

• Speaking of moving, North Brewing owner Peter Burbridge is teaming up with the Brooklyn Warehouse crew, and taking over the Nectar Restaurant location when it closes at the end of the month. Their beer-centric project will be opening in the fall, at the 62 Ochterloney Street location. Details are slim beyond that at the moment, but stay tuned for more details as they are revealed.

• Breton Brewing brewed the inaugural batches of three beers this week, for release in a few weeks. We are able to share the historically-inspired names of the beers, but we’ll have to wait a little while before tasting these beauties. Black Angus IPA is named after Giant Angus MacAskill, who lived in Englishtown. Stirling Hefeweizen is named after William Alexander, the first proprietor of what is now Nova Scotia. Sons of Hector Brown Ale is named after the famous ship Hector, which brought Breton’s owners’ ancestors to Pictou from Scotland in 1773. Look for a full profile of Breton Brewing in the next couple of weeks, and their beer release shortly thereafter!

• The Good Cheer Trail officially launched in Nova Scotia June 1st. This is Canada’s first winery, craft brewery and distillery trail, and encourages visitors to get on the road and visit the producers of our local beverages. An accompanying passport can be picked up at your local brewery or brewpub, or an online passport can be used to check-in along your journey. There are a few of the province’s breweries not listed (due to onsite tasting limitations), but don’t let that stop you from visiting them all this summer! In addition to enjoying the great products each stop is offering, as a bonus incentive, a free t-shirt will be offered to those who collect 10 stamps on their passport (while supplies last). We’ll see you out on the Trail!

• This weekend is the 13th Annual Canadian Brewing Awards and Craft Brewers Conference, being held in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We wish all of the Atlantic Canadian breweries and ciderhouses taking part the best of luck! The Awards Gala will be taking place Saturday night at 7:30 pm AST, and we’ll be tuning in live to cheer on our local breweries. You can too, by following the stream link on the front page, and by following the @CdnBrewAwards or #CBAs2015. And for those that can’t tune in live, the winners will be updated on this page Sunday or Monday.

That’s it for this week! Good Robot‘s Crown on the Ground Steam Beer Mini-Festival, featuring music, Halifax Press Food Truck, and other fun times, is taking place Sunday [changed from Saturday], starting at noon. Be sure to drop by for a taste of the new beer, and their other three offerings. Tonight, starting at 10:30 pm, Resto-Bar Le Deck will be celebrating their 2nd anniversary with a Picaroons and Petit-Sault tap-takeover; there will be live music as well, so be sure to check it out if you’re in Edmundston. PEI Brewing Company has been serving their popular Blood Orange IPA at their Kensington Road location, but hurry in, it sells out quickly! Baba’s Lounge in Charlottetown has been undergoing renovations over the past week, and will be returning on June 7th (hopefully) with lots of taps (12) to serve lots of craft beer (including soon-to-open Upstreet)! And finally, voting is now open for The Coast’s Best of Halifax 2015. Be sure to let them know what your favourite Brewery, Bar, and Restaurant are!

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Hammond River & Big Axe, Tatamagouche, BarNone, Uncle Leo’s, Ladies Beer League, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-04-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Breton Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Ladies Beer League, Spindrift Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery, Upstreet Craft Brewing, Wrought Iron Brewing Company. Leave a Comment

Hello folks! Our final Friday of April is shaping up to be another busy week in beer news… maybe a bit lighter than the past couple of weeks, but there’s still lots to report!

• Hammond River and Big Axe are pairing for their first collaboration beer, which is being brewed today! Big Axe owner/brewer Peter Cole will be joining Shane Steeves at his brewery, where they will be brewing up a currently-unnamed India Black Ale (aka Black IPA). The grist will be made up of several malts, including Pale Ale, Crystal, Black Patent, Melanoidin, and a little CaraAroma; the wort will then be bittered with the Columbus hop variety to 77 IBUs, with heavy additions of Citra later in the boil (and likely a dry-hop as well). It should clock in at about 7% ABV; we can likely expect a melding of roasted, coffee and chocolate flavors with the tropical fruitiness from the Citra! Next week, both brewers will be re-brewing the beer at Big Axe in Nackawic, so expect distribution of the beer throughout Fredericton and Saint John/Quispamsis when it’s ready.

• Last week, Tatamagouche Brewing released a new beer, Little Giant, on tap at Stillwell. A parti-gyle brew (brewed from the second runnings of a “bigger” beer), it’s an ESB that has been hopped with El Dorado and Ella to about 35 IBUs, and weighs in at 5.2% ABV. The first, bigger beer was an American Barleywine, brewed in preparation of Tatabrew’s Giant Beer Series in May, just in time for NS Craft Beer Week! Here are some details on the three beers in this series, just to get you excited…

Giantess Barleywine (11% ABV, 90 IBUs) – Named after Anna Swan, Tatamagouche’s famous Giantess, an American Barleywine hopped with Chinook, Centennial, and Columbus.

Two Rivers Baltic Porter (8% ABV, 36 IBUs) – Fermented with Lager yeast and cold-conditioned, and hopped with Czech Saaz, expect this one to be full-bodied, and “very smooth with hints of chocolate”, according to the brewery.

Rum Barrel-Aged Dreadnot IBA (11.5% ABV, 52 IBUs) – Their standard Dreadnot IBA, but aged in fresh Ironworks rum barrels for an additional 4 months. Jumping from its original 7% ABV after the barrel aging, it’s currently exhibiting lots of rum presence, including vanilla. Hopped with Waimea, El Dorado, and Cascade.

• And in more Tatabrew news, their Sunrise Trail ISA (India Session Ale) has been released this week. Weighing in at a modest 4.1% ABV, the beer packs a solid hop punch from the Azacca and Ahtanum varietals, and will be perfect for our ever-improving weather. It is available at the brewery for growler fills and in 650ml bottles.

• BarNone is releasing a new beer, and has a previous favourite returning! First, FarmAle Saison was brewed with the historic ‘Table’ Saison in mind; that is, a low-alcohol, refreshing, dry beer for consumption during the warmer months in Belgium, when farmers would be outside, working for hours on end. Hazy-gold in colour, it exhibits a “peppery flavour with an ever-so-slight funk”, according to the brewery. Definitely easy-drinking at 4.9%, it just became available at the brewery yesterday for their weekly growler night. Also on last night was their La Vaca Loca, a Sweet Stout (aka Milk Stout) that debuted months ago and was an immediate hit. Nicely balanced between roasted and coffee flavors, along with a slight lingering sweetness from the addition of lactose powder in the boil, this fan-favourite should now be available regularly on tap at the Pilot House in Charlottetown.

• Not stopping there, BarNone has just brewed yet another brand-new beer that falls on the “light side of an American Pale Ale”. Conceived by co-owner/brewer Don Campbell on his drive back to PEI after brewing Island Conspiracy at Big Spruce in Cape Breton. Listening to a CD by singer/songwriter Keith Mullins, Campbell was inspired by the song “Island Sol” to book Mullins for a gig at the brewery, as well as brew up a beer for the event. Next Saturday, May 2nd at 8 pm, Mullins will be performing at BarNone along with Christine Campbell to kick off the season’s events at the brewery; tickets are $15. The beer, Island Sol, is “summery and fruity, aromatic while lacking bitterness… encapsulating the Island soul” says Campbell. Light gold in colour, it weighs in at 5% ABV and ~25 IBUs, and will be launched during the event.

• Good news, Weizen fans! Uncle Leo’s is bringing back Vohs Weizenbier, their take on the German Hefeweizen style that they first introduced last year. The recipe is the same as before, featuring a grist of roughly equal amounts of Pilsner and Wheat malt. Hopped lightly to 14 IBUs, it’s fermented with a German yeast strain and comes in at an easy-drinking 5% ABV. A fantastic style for warmer-weather drinking, it should be available for growler fills at the brewery any day now, as well as in 650 mL bottles at Bishop’s Cellar and Harvest Wines and on tap at select bars/restaurants in Halifax.

• The Ladies Beer League is looking for a couple of people to join their Board of Directors. This volunteer position will require 3-5 hours per week of engagement with fellow board members, organizing and promoting events. You must be of legal drinking age, a current member of the LBL, and of course, be passionate about beer! Check out more details here, and fire them an email to apply for the position. The posting closes next Thursday. And be sure to pick up a bottle of the Cinnamon Spin collaboration beer, brewed by Boxing Rock.

It was a big week for several soon-to-be-open breweries in our region:

• On Tuesday, Upstreet Craft Brewing in Charlottetown took delivery of their 15BBL (~17hl) brewhouse and fermentors from Charlottetown’s own DME Brewing Solutions. acbbchris was in town for work, and managed to snap a few pictures during the 12-hour day, while all of the 11 brewing vessels were unloaded and put upright inside their facility. There was a tired yet immensely satisfying feeling in the brewery when everything was complete at 9:30pm!

• On Wednesday, Wrought Iron Brewing Company announced that they were changing their name and rebranding as Good Robot Brewing Company. The new name is a better fit with the founders’ attitudes and fun direction (while paying homage to their engineering roots), rather than the rigid or medieval connotation of their previous name. They have been brewing up a storm on Robie St, and will be launching in earnest during the NS Craft Beer Week, taking part in many of the events, including the Open Brewery Day, when visitors will be welcome to take a look around their digs.

• Spindrift Brewing in Dartmouth has been taking delivery of their fermentors this week as well, with at least one 80BBL fermenter (good for multi-batch brewdays) being installed. They are expecting delivery of their 20BBL brewhouse (also from DME) early next week. This week they also launched their logo and Facebook page, with their full website on the way shortly. While their launch date has not yet been released, they have confirmed that they will be taking part in next month’s NS Craft Beer Week, including the Full House Craft Beer Fest.

• Breton Brewing in Sydney has also taken delivery of the last of their brewing vessels for their 15BBL steam-fired system from Criveller in Niagara Falls. Their location next to the Cape Breton Farmers’ Market is taking shape quite nicely; while they won’t be officially taking part in any events during NS Craft Beer Week, they are on track for having beer ready for consumption in June!

That’s all of the news fit to print for today. A warning that tomorrow’s launch party at Stillwell for Propeller’s Lambic-style beer has been postponed, as the beer is not quite ready yet. We promise this isn’t just a scheme to somehow allow us to drink more of it! Once the new date is released, we’ll pass it along, we swear! And homebrewers, don’t forget that beers for the inaugural Brewnosers Homebrew Competition are due May 15th. With three weeks left to submit them, time is running out to put together your brewday. They have received over 250 entries from across the country, so it will be a true judge of local talent on the national stage.