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Friday Wrap-Up for September 27, 2019 – News from Tanner & Co, Bootleg, Niche, Big Spruce, Petit-Sault, Stillwell, Propeller, Garrison, Tatamagouche, YellowBelly and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2019-09-27
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 902 BrewCast, Big Spruce Brewing, Bootleg Brew Company, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, HopYard Halifax, King Street Beer Co., Landwash Brewery, Maybee Brewing, New Scotland Brewing, Niche Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Secret Cove Brewing, Sourwood Cidery, Stillwell Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery, Unfiltered Brewing, World Tea House, YellowBelly Brewery. 1 comment

It’s damn near October; how the heck did that happen?! We’ll let you ruminate on that one whilst you peruse our weekly round-up of beer and beer events news in the region. Plenty of new beers on the go this week as breweries continue their transition from, “dear god make it stop,” summer production to, “let’s have some fun in the brewhouse again,” fall shenanigans. Meanwhile, plenty of Oktoberfest events are still going on or yet to come, and though we didn’t have any submissions this week, we know the pumpkin beers are still flowing. Grab one (…or maybe a Pilsner, if that’s what you prefer) and read on!

Tanner & Co Brewing in Chester Basin has packaged a beer released earlier this month, strongly influenced by one of Brewer Dan Tanner’s favourite wines. Pinotage is one of South Africa’s signature grape varietals, a cross of the Pinot noir and Hermitage varietals, developed in the first half of the 20th century. The wines made with Pinotage are dark red, with smoky and earthy flavours, and sometimes having banana, tropical fruit, and possibly acetone/solvent notes (though these are discouraged and avoided when possible). Starting from their base Porter beer, Tanner aged the beer in highly charred barrels that once held Ironworks Dark Rum, with extra fruit notes from Black Raspberry puree, kicked up with fresh Blackberries and Blueberries. With contribution from the base beer, barrel, and fruit additions, look for vanilla, caramel, light smoke, roast, chocolate, with deep berry character. The 6.3% ABV Porter [Oak Aged & Berry Addition] is available at the brewery and farmers markets now in bottles and limited growler fills, and may be one of the offerings at their Chester taproom, poised to open at the end of October. Tanner & Co on Duke will be located (coincidentally, right?) at 59 Duke Street in the Village of Chester, and feature 20 seats, with a whole bevvy of their own beers, complemented by guest taps from the region, and plenty of excellent wine once the licensing is in place. Another of their beers which *may* still be around at the time of celebration is their Double IPA, back in the lineup after a six-month hiatus. Maxing out their larger system this time around, this 8.0% ABV beer features a dry finish, accentuated with lots of kettle and dry hops (their biggest ever!) to the tune of 60 IBU, with Amarillo, Centennial, and Citra throughout, for a citrus bomb with additional floral and earthy notes. Available now at the brewery as well!

We mentioned it was coming last week and now that it’s out we’d like to double-down on a recommendation that you give it a listen. September’s 902BrewCast tasting episode has the gang blind tasting 8 (no wait, 9!) Czech- and German-style Pils(e)ners from around the region (and one from beyond) and documenting their experience as they went. We think it’s an excellent introduction to the practice of throwing away your preconceived notions and tasting blind with others, describing what you’re sensing and talking it through. Whether you’re a budding beer geek or an old palate, it’s an excellent exercise for your senses, your descriptive abilities, and your tasting mindset. It’s also a bunch of fun as you can tell from listening to these jokers do it!

Last Friday Bootleg Brew Co in Corner Brook put on a new beer before closing their doors for the week on Sunday night to head to town for a series of 6 pop-ups on Tuesday at locations around St. John’s. So we’re not entirely sure this beer is still available, but we’re going to tell you about it anyway – if it didn’t sell out, you can go try it, if it did sell out, you know it’s a straight banger and you’ll want to keep an eye out for the next time it’s available. Old Hat is an honest and gimmickless American Pale Ale hopped with Amarillo, Idaho 7, and some BC-grown Cascade. Expect a classic floral, citrus and piney hop character in flavor and aroma, a lowish bitterness and a light body, all in a fairly sessionable 5% ABV package. Only available at the brewery, definitely for fills, possibly for pints.

The bad boys of Niche Brewing in Hanwell have emerged from the summer madness and now seem to be back on the road of new and interesting releases. This week they’ve got one called Colours of Shade hitting the taps, a mixed-fermentation Saison with black currant. As you might expect, this one was fermented with Niche’s own house culture of Saison and Brettanomyces strains, meaning that at some level it’s going to taste like a “Niche beer,” but the very nature of such a blend of microorganisms means that it’s likely to express itself a little differently every time it’s used, so some of the magic is seeing how each beer is different. In this one, the yeast and fruit come together to provide a pleasant tartness, with some Brett funk to complement. The color is a beautiful purple thanks to the addition of black currant puree late in fermentation. Aged briefly in stainless, it comes in at 6.2% and would be a great choice for fruity/funky beer fans and wine lovers alike. Coming soon to  The Joyce Pub, Peppers Pub, Stillwell, The Auction House, Graystone Brewing and the Laundromat Expresso Bar (Marky’s), with a couple of kegs also making their way to the ANBL growler station at their Moncton North store. And if you’re at one of those places you might also find one of the last few kegs of their Intergalactic NEIPA on tap as well! 

Our first Oktoberfest beer this week, as Big Spruce launched Schnitz & Gigglez, their take on the malty-yet-dry amber Lager. Brewed with 100% German malts (including Pilsner, Munich and Vienna) and hopped lightly with GR Magnum and Tettnang, the wort was fermented with Escarpment Lab’s Biergarten (“sourced from a venerable Munich brewery”) and then lagered for about 8 weeks before packaging. With aromas of toffee and brown bread, and “hints of dried apricot and candied orange”, the beer is full-bodied, with a lightly-sweet finish. It weighs in at 6.3% ABV (at the upper end for the style), and is available right now on tap at the Sprucetique in Nyanza (and soon at some of your favourite Big Spruce accounts).  

In Edmundston, Petit-Sault is leaning towards the hoppier side of things with their latest release, Double Vision. This is the brewery’s first crack at the Double IPA style, and it’s a big one at 8.8% ABV. Intensely hopped with Vic Secret, Azacca, Columbus and Mosaic, the beer has plenty of malt backbone to balance, and finishes firmly bitter (60 IBUs). There is only a limited supply available, and it IS in cans… however, the only way to get it is at the brewery, so either get ready for a road-trip, or maybe call in a favour or two to friends/family who live around that area of New Brunswick!

Testify! Stillwell Brewing has announced that their barrel-aged sour beer with peaches, Preach, is being released today. This year’s version is their most peach-saturated batch yet, featuring a whopping 300 g/L of whole peaches. The “base” beer is a blend of four different barrel-fermented Saisons (who gets to decide which Saisons to use in these blends, and is Stillwell Brewing looking to add people into that role? Asking for a friend…), and went through a refermentation on the peaches (that’s 600 lbs!) and continued aging on the fruit for about five months, before bottling at the beginning of the year. They’re describing the final product as “bright, fresh, soft and fun”, and if it’s similar to the last batch, we can confirm that this is accurate! Grab it on tap and/or in bottles at Stillwell today from noon. And with their Beergarden still closed due to the crane issue during Dorian, be sure to drop by and show them some love at HQ.

Few new/returning beers coming out of Propeller today, proving that they’re continuing to stay very busy at the brewery. Returning is Nocturne, their 6.7% ABV Black IPA that is brewed in celebration of Halifax’s Nocturne, “an evening of art and wonder” in mid-October that Propeller sponsors. Luckily they release the beer weeks ahead of time, giving you many chances to consume a pint or two. Speaking of the beer, it is dry-hopped with Amarillo and Falconer’s Flight, giving “complex tropical fruit and pine hop aromas” to go with the flavours of dark chocolate and coffee. Also out today is a tasting-room only beer, Lagered Ale. The name gives you an idea of what this one will be: “easy-drinking, balanced and refreshing”, according to the brewery, and at just 4.5% ABV, it definitely seems to fit the mould. Expect hints of “sweet melon, stone fruits and citrus” in this one. Finally, tonight’s cask is Pumpkin Ale with Vanilla (4.5% ABV), which will be tapped at 5 pm as usual.

Not too far away, Garrison Brewing has a couple new releases of their own, both brewed in celebration of, yep, Oktoberfest. Let’s start with their Oktoberfest/Marzen, Gettin’ Ziggy. Malty and clean, this 5.5% ABV Lager has “grainy and toffee flavours and a quick and soft bitterness”, and pours a reddish-copper colour. Next is a Wheat Ale named It’s a Wienerful Wheat, which they brewed in collaboration with local radio station Jack 92.9. This 4.6% ABV, 12 IBUs golden-coloured brew is light and crisp, with aromas and flavours of “sweet malt and bready wheat, with spicy notes and a mild, citrusy finish”; each can sold will see $0.50 go to the SPCA. Both beers are available now, at the Garrison taproom and private liquor stores in the HRM.

Lots of news from Tatamagouche Brewing this week, with the return of their Lagerhosen as well as two bottle releases on the go. For those who aren’t familiar, Lagerhosen is an amber lager that Tata has been making for quite awhile (our first mention of it was in 2014). Timed for release in the fall during Oktoberfest season, there are two variants, a regular and a dry-hopped. Running at just about 5% ABV, it’s brewed with Hallertauer Mittelfruh hops for spicy and floral notes. The dry-hopped version features additions of both Strisselspalt and Czech Saaz for an even more intense noble character. Find both of these in cans at the brewery for sure, and hopefully also your other favorite locations for grabbing Tata brews. Or, if you’re planning to be at the 40th North Shore Oktoberfest this weekend you’ll definitely find it there!

Meanwhile, those who missed out on the annual Tata Tap Takeover at Battery Park a couple weeks ago may have been kicking themselves when they read our post that week mentioning some of the special kegs that were pouring that night. Well fear not gentle reader, at least some of those beers are being packaged for wider release and the first two, both considered entries in Tata’s “Weird Beer” series, are ready to go this week! First up is a barrel-aged rye (quick! someone call Tony!) saison they’ve named Rooted. All kinds of things went in to this beer, which started with a rye saison with Brettanomyces that was then blended with a neutral Berliner-style sour for some tartness before being barrel-aged. Described as a beer that “connects you to the earth,” you’ll find plenty of flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel including some spice from the rye, plenty of tart lemon and other citrus, and a pithy bitterness on the finish. Coming in at 6.6% ABV, it pours a bright banana color, and slightly cloudy, with polka dot lacing; if you get your hands on some expect a complex and challenging experience for your senses. Find it in 750 mL bottles at the brewery and hopefully at private stores in the city as well.

And if you lean more (or also) towards the bigger beer styles, Tata’s also got you covered with their second bottle release of the week, Toro. A massive Belgian Quadrupel bourbon barrel-aged with Brett, it’s a monster at 11.2% ABV and, where it’s been packaged in 500 mL bottles we suggest you bring a friend and/or plan for a night in when you try it (as friends of the blog like to say, a “movie beer”: best enjoyed on the couch while checking out the latest superhero flick). Like the Rooted, there’s lots going on in this deep coppery-orange beer, with plenty of dark fruit flavors complemented by sweet and malty notes and maybe even a little bit of toffee and chocolate presence. Although there’s certainly some heat from the alcohol, it’s not overpowering, as it’s been balanced by the malt profile and caramel sweetness. You can also safely expect some additional oak character from the barrels and some of the notes that only brett can provide. Definitely available from the brewery, we hope it’ll be available in the city as well as time goes on.

Speaking of Oktoberfests in the region, the Mount Pearl Oktoberfest is this weekend, and several of the breweries attending have released beers they’ll be pouring at the event, as well as doing wider releases. First up, host brewery YellowBelly has offered up a Helles named Schweine fliegen (we’ll leave the translation as an exercise to the reader). At 5.2% ABV, it features a simple malt bill of Pilsner, Munich, and CaraPils malts, and hopped entirely with Hersbrucker hops. Filtered clear, as is tradition, the light beer leans towards the malt side rather than hops, though both sides shine through with pleasant biscuit notes and Noble-like earth and spice from the hops. In addition to at the Fest, Schweine fliegen is pouring now at the brewpub in downtown St. John’s.

A short taxi or bus ride from George Street is Quidi Vidi, where the brewery by the same name is fully embracing Fest season by releasing Oktoberfest Marzen.This 5.5% ABV beer is malt-driven, and supremely chuggable. While not available in 1 Litre Maß at the brewery overlooking the gut, it is being released in tall cans there and around town. So grab two and make your own Oktoberfest at home (if you can’t make it out to Mount Pearl)! 

A little further out of town is Port Rexton on the Bonavista Peninsula, who are visiting the Avalon this weekend with their own German beer, this one in the Pilsner style. German Pilsner is a 6.2% ABV crisp and clean beer, using Hallertau Mittelfruh, Tettnang, and Strisselspalt hops, and fermented with Escarpment’s Isar Lager yeast. In addition to the Craft’ernoon Experience tomorrow, it will be available in the PRBC Retail Shop on Torbay Road, keep an eye on their social media for when exactly it is tapped, so you can fill up your Siphon or Stuetzla! 

And a couple more notes about PRBC this week: they are hosting a Brewers Dinner at Peach Cove Inn in nearby Trinity East, on October 11th. Featuring 6 courses of food and an accompanying beer (or is it the other way around?), this will surely be a fun intimate environment to sit down with both chef and brewer to talk about the flavours in both food and drink. Limited to just 20 tickets, best to contact your via phone at 709-436-2069. And if working for a brewery has been on your radar, then look no further! PRBC is hiring a part-time delivery driver to join their team. Looking to fill about 20 hours worth of work, though there may be a potential for more hours in a packaging capacity at the brewery. Send Nicole your resume today, or pop by the brewery to learn more!

And while not out quite in time for the Oktoberfest in their backyard, Landwash Brewery has teased that they will be releasing a Munich-style Helles in the next few weeks. More info on that when the time is right, but in the meantime they’re still bringing the German flair this weekend with their One Wave Blonde (which features lots of German Saphir hops), as well as their Brackish Sour Ale (heavily influenced by the German Gose style). Cans of both are available at the brewery if you cannot get out to the Oktoberfest this weekend.

Today is “Meet the Motherfuckers” day at Unfiltered Brewing in Halifax as they’ve brought back their pair of aggro-named sour beers. Sour Motherfucker is a little different this time around, with no Brett or barrel-aging involved, but it’s still a tart cherry wheat beer that should be plenty refreshing and a little dangerous, weighing in at 6.5% ABV. Fruity Motherfucker on the other hand is described as a 7% ABV “apricot, pink guava and tangerine IPA,” with plenty of fruit and, since it’s coming from Unfiltered and it’s an IPA, no doubt plenty of hops! Find both of these for fills and pints and in cans at the brewery from noon today along with what’s left of the cans of DOA and also some new branded merchandise.

What’s on the go this weekend? Peep here for the fresh info!

Dartmouth’s New Scotland Brewing is making a foray across the harbour today for a takeover at Hop Yard Halifax on Gottingen Street. Featuring 10 taps from the brewery, including Rampant Lion NEIPA, Karate Laser SIPA, Bush Berry Haskap Cider, Taken for Granted Mead, and their brand new Sound Check West Coast IPA there should be something for everyone. Head down for an afternoon pint or plan to stay for several and a meal, there will be live music starting at 8 PM.

Good Robot’s annual celebration of all things puppers is this weekend, with their Hair of the Dog event at the Garrison Grounds in Halifax. From noon daily, there is a beer garden, events throughout the day, food and dog-friendly merchandise and paraphernalia, with the highlight of Saturday night being an airing of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Your $12 entrance fee gets you your first drink (beer or other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage), and access to all of the fun. One of those beers may be the brand new Hope Nation Saison, which we mentioned in last week’s post. Good news for dog Aunts and Uncles, no pupper is required, and please note that entry is restricted to those pups and people who play nice with new friends. 

Just a couple more things before we send you on your way today…

Boxing Rock teamed up with frequent collaborator World Tea House’s Phil Holmans to brew up Citrodora, a 6.5% ABV IPA with a healthy dose of lemon verbena tea. Look for that on tap at the Legendary Taproom in downton Shelburne, as well as the Agricola Street bottle shop in Local Source Market in Halifax. In case you haven’t already grabbed your tickets for the Highway 103 Tap Takeover happening tomorrow, now’s your chance to avoid disappointment!

King Street Beer in Bridgewater is releasing the latest of their Lahave River Beers, collaborations with local homebrewers and fans. Hawaiian Explosion is a Pineapple IPA, featuring moderate bitterness and tropical floral hops. Grab it from 6:30PM tonight!

Fredericton’s Maybee Brewing is Zagging while many are Ziggying (sorry not sorry), and releasing Pony Boy, a British Golden Ale described as “clean and malt-forward beer with a biscuit aroma”. Drop by today to grab a sample, pint, or growler of this one.

Secret Cove in Port au Port Newfoundland is going dark this week, with The Port au Porter. A 6.0% Robust Porter, think chocolate and coffee thanks to the dark German malts used. Smooth as silk, and with a name like that, how can you not take a trip out to grab a pint?!

Sourwood has an interesting new cider available this weekend: Semitone (7.1% ABV) was spontaneously fermented on blueberries that had been used in the making of their last blueberry cider, Denim. Aged on the previously-used fruit for 2 months, it’s tasting slightly acidic, with a “much softer fruiting ad colour profile” compared to the first go-around with the fruit. 

If you’ve been around the Nova Scotia beer scene for a while you know that Uncle Leo’s is known for, among other things, making some fine German-style beers. And if you’re a fan of those you’ll know that this is the time of year when they drop their mixed 4-pack! Featuring Vohs Weizenbier (wheat beer), Nachtical Illusion (Schwarzbier), Ceilidh Ale (Kölsch), and Altbier (Alt, of course!), it’s a pretty great primer for those interested in trying German styles or a treat for those who are already in the know. Find it at NSLC locations in and around the HRM already (hopefully with more around the province added in coming weeks) and, word has it, at ANBL and PEILC locations as well!

Friday Wrap-Up for September 13, 2019 – News from Port Rexton, Split Rock and Landwash, Ninepenny, Tatamagouche, Big Spruce, Tusket Falls, Good Robot and more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2019-09-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Annapolis Cider Company, Battery Park, Big Spruce Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Maritime Express Cider, Ninepenny Brewing, North Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Arcade, Propeller Brewing, Queer Beer NL, Shipwright Brewing, Split Rock Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Carleton, TrailWay Brewing, Tusket Falls Brewing. Leave a Comment

Oh hey, it’s us, and we’re really late today. We recommend you demand a full refund!! There’s going to be weather this weekend. What kind? We don’t know. But we have beer news, so read on.

The town of Port Rexton will once again be full of mirth and cheer this weekend as they celebrate Port Rexton Pride Festival, building awareness, support, and education around LGBTQ+ issues in Port Rexton and the local region. With a Pride-themed Trivia kicking off the fun last night, the rest of the weekend is chock full of events at various locations around town (click that link for all of the details). Tonight’s signature event is Queer Anthem Karaoke at Port Rexton Brewing, starting at 8:30PM; rock painting, a local Amazing Race event, and live music in the brewery are on the go Saturday. With such an important event in town, there surely must be a special beer to accompany, right? Well, faithful reader, there surely is! Queer Feeling is a 4.7% ABV Farmhouse Ale fermented with Ebbergarden Kveik from Escarpment Labs. The beer was brewed with the crew from Queer Beer NL, a home brew and beer appreciation group based in St. John’s, who made the trek out to PR last month to help out with the brewday. The beer is on tap at the brewery today, and will be all weekend until it runs out, so it’s best to arrive early, and often, to avoid disappointment! QF joins the 2019 release of Brett Chops, a 100% Brettanomyces-fermented version of their Horse Chops IPA, which has hung out in Bourbon barrels since February 2018. This is a brewery-only release, btw, even more reason to head out to the Bonavista Peninsula this weekend!

Let’s stick to the Rock for the next new beer this week, which is another collaborative effort between a couple of beer powerhouses. The crew from Split Rock in Twillingate invited Landwash of Mount Pearl to come over and play in their brewery last month. More specifically, the Assistant Brewers from both spots took the reins on this project, which was a homecoming of sorts for Lw Assistant Brewer Alex Troke, who began his life in the beer world at Split Rock. He and current Split Rock brewer Ryan went all in for a Brut, known for being dry and effervescent. Rye Not? Brut Ale features Sabro and Simcoe hops, for tropical and tangerine aromatics, with rye malt in the grist bill for light complexity. This 7.0% ABV beer is pouring freely at both the host and visiting brewery this weekend, for pints and samples, and for growlers to go from Split Rock. You’re heading to grab one right now, right? If not, Rye Not??

And one last new release from Newfoundland comes from Conception Bay South, and the taps at 75 Conception Bay Highway, home to Ninepenny Brewing. Keeping those summer vibes alive, they’ve released 10 Bricks Milkshake NEIPA. A grain bill featuring Oats and 2-Row malt, and aided by lactose for a bit of residual sweetness, is the base for tropical and fruit flavours thanks to hops, yeast, and fruits working together for a full-on experience. Ekuanot, Azacca, Galaxy, and Cascade offer some light bitterness and plenty of aroma and taste, which was accentuated by 75 kg of peach puree on the nose, palate, and appearance. Escarpment’s Foggy London keeps it hazy and juicy too. Catch 10 Bricks on tap at the brewery this weekend, and if you’re lucky, it may pop up elsewhere on the peninsula as well.

On the mainland, Tatamagouche Brewing celebrated their Fourth Annual Tap Takeover at Battery Park in Dartmouth yesterday. With 20 beers available, it saw the return of a few seasonals as well as the debut of several more beers. Fingers crossed that some last drips remain for a few hours today (BP opens at 11:30 AM folks!), so let’s get you up to speed… Returning after a several-month hiatus is a fresh batch of Kitty Clyde DIPA, a 7.8% ABV celebration of late hops with big blasts of citrus, peach, and passion fruit (but staying low in bitterness) thanks to Vic Secret and Galaxy, named after a wooden brigantine built in Tatamagouche in 1857. KC is on tap at the brewery now, and cans should be available real, real soon. 

In “totally new, so new there aren’t any bottles just yet” beer news from Tata, the crowd at Battery Park were able to enjoy four new brews on tap that will be released in bottles or cans over the next few months. As of writing, we’re not sure which, if any, of these are still available for on tap in Dartmouth, but since the cat is already out of the bag, let’s get you excited for these upcoming bottles and cans.

  • Toro (11.2% ABV) – Quadrupel (aka, Belgian Dark Strong) fermented in stainless steel before transfer to Bourbon barrels for secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces. Will be available on draught and in 500 mL bottles before the end of September.
  • Rooted (6.6% ABV) – Barrel-aged Saison featuring rye malt in the grist. Will be available on draught and in 750 mL bottles in early October.
  • Muse (6.5% ABV) – Sour Red Ale (think Flanders Red such as Duchesse de Bourgogne), mixed fermentation, aged with cherries. Draught and 500 mL bottles, no timeline for release yet.
  • Foeder One (5.5% ABV) – Pale Saison with a grist of Pilsner and Spelt, aged in a red wine foeder. Will see release on draught and in cans later this year.

Undeterred by Dorian, Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza has a pair of new beers out this week, available at the brewery, and a few bars around Nova Scotia. The first is Indigo Borealis, a 6.4% ABV Haskap Saison. Taking its name from a pair of Haskap species added to the beer, this Saison pours a light ruby in colour, and features loads of raspberry and blackberry, with highlights of citrus reminiscent of marmalade. A zesty base beer completes the entire package. The second beer now pouring in the taproom these days will help unlock the secret that many of us are chasing in our beer glasses… The Key to Happiness is a 6.6% ABV Key Lime Pie Milkshake IPA, extending the iconic base style of lactose, vanilla, and hazy tropical feels with the addition of key limes for a light citrus bite. The malt bill even boasts some graham cracker notes, harkening back to the dessert that inspired the beer. Grab both Indigo Borealis and The Key to Happiness on draught for pints and fills at the taproom on Yankee Line Rd outside of Baddeck, and at better beer bars in the province this weekend.

At the opposite end of Nova Scotia you’ll find Tusket, which is home to Tusket Falls Brewing. They have recently released a duo of beers at their taproom, one of which will see wider distribution later in the month. This Moment Is is a 5.5% ABV Porter, light on the hops, allowing the complexity of the malt to shine through, with raisin bread and toffee on the nose, followed by chocolate on the palate, in a medium body and roasty finish. This is currently available at the brewery only, but may see wider draught distro soon. And on the other side of the spectrum, we have A Diversion In Life, a 6.2% ABV hoppy, hazy IPA, featuring Simcoe hops. Tropical and earthy dance together with a touch of dank, in this balanced IPA. Also available on tap at the brewery now, look for cans of ADiL to hit the shelves of your local NSLC in the next couple of weeks, perfect for a grab and go as you look to finish your day (or get it off to a fun start!).

Halifax’s Good Robot has found themselves with a bit of a surplus of beer in the brewery this week, so what is there to do but get it out to thirsty post-hurricane Halifax with a quickness? First up on Monday is a fresh new batch of their Goseface Killah, their long-standing German wheat beer with salt and coriander. Slightly tart and quite refreshing (it’s a nice change-up after a bunch of hoppy IPAs, for instance), it comes in at 5% ABV and 11 IBU. Later in the week, probably Thursday, and assuming a tap opens up for it (that’s a challenge to weekday evening drinkers if ever we heard one), is a new beer but not a new beer. The New Original is, to some degree, based on their much-loved Leave Me Blue in the sense that both beers are in the Kentucky Common style. That said, The New Original hews more closely to the style, with a touch more malty sweetness and a hint of vanilla (* no vanilla actually added, we don’t think), but still a dry and crisp finish. Coming in at 4.3% ABV we suspect it will be popular with fans of Leave Me Blue as well as winning some more folks over to a historic pre-Prohibition style.

On the Eastern side of Prince Edward Island is Copper Bottom Brewing who have a new seasonal beer out this week, a Rye IPA (guess 902BrewCast’s Tony Important is making an unscheduled trip to the Island this weekend…). Inspired by the bear and its symbolism in North American culture, NorthPaw pays homage the the great animal and the wild that surrounds us all. Featuring plenty of Canadian rye malt, PEI-grown 2-row provided the base with Vienna, Acid Malt and Wheat rounding out the malt profile. Bittered to 40 IBU with Warrior, Simcoe and Amarillo were added in the kettle, and a large dry hop featuring more Amarillo along with Cascade. The overall hop impression is of citrus and stone fruit, with a bold orange juice character front and center and finishing with a spicy note from the rye. This one is available for pints at the brewery, but also to go in cans. You’ll also be able to grab cans at PEILCC locations later this fall. And if you’re in the area today, every pint sold will see $1 go to MacPhail Woods, a local forestry stewardship organization in PEI; also Sneaky Cheats will be on site from 6 – 10 PM tonight with some tasty wood-fired eats.

Kentville’s Maritime Express Cider has both a returning cider this week along with a brand new one to tantalize your apple-loving tastebuds. Roundhouse Rhubarb is the returning number, tar and crisp, with a crystalline clarity and light carbonation. Hints of rhubarb complete this 4.5% ABV dry cider. And new to the taproom is Sour Rosé, a 5.5% sour cider fermented with hibiscus and lemon peel and with Sour Patch Kids candy added to balance the sweetness. On the sweeter side, but also sour and funky, this one sounds like an interesting detour from more common everyday ciders. Both of these are available at the taproom now and, it being Friday, a reminder that they’ve got Happy Hour on Friday evenings from 4 – 6 PM; an excellent opportunity to try out one or both of these ciders along with some of their other offerings!

And since we’re speaking of cider in the Annapolis Valley, it’s probably an excellent time to mention that Annapolis Cider Co also has a new one out in their Something Different series. Cascade Charmat had a complex path from juice to bottle, but we suspect the result is well worth it! Starting with fresh-pressed juice (as always!) from McIntosh, Northern Spy and Jonagold varieties, they cool-fermented this one in their usual way. The Charmat method of performing secondary fermentation in a pressurized tank was used to create a fine and persistent carbonation. A dose of Golden Russet cider and Flemish Beauty perry was then layered in, providing additional flavors while preserving the carbonation. Finally, Cascade hops provided a delicate citrus character to this 9.1% ABV unfiltered sparkling cider. Look for it as always at the cidery on Main Street in Wolfville; as always with their Something Different series, $0.50 from every refill sold will benefit a charitable organization, this time it’s CAPRE (Community Association of People for REAL Enterprise).

Shipwright Brewing in Lunenburg is saying goodbye to summer with the final entry in their Summer Belgian series of beers. Brut-Ale Storm is a Brut IPA but also a Belgian IPA. Featuring the clove and pepper phenolic character of Belgian yeast, honey and biscuit malt notes, this beer was then hit with a complex mix of southern hemisphere hops, namely Citra, Galaxy, Topaz, and Enigma to generate flavors and aromas of orange, pine, and mango. Being in the Brut style, you would be correct to expect this one to be dry and crisp on the finish due to a very low finishing gravity. Check it out at the brewery and, very possibly, on tap at the Grand Banker as well!

With Fredericton’s Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival on this week and finishing this weekend, we’re maybe a little surprised that we didn’t hear from too many F-town breweries this week. But thinking about it, it’s probably because they went straight from manic summer production to madly trying to be ready for the fest! We recommend if you’re in Freddie or planning to be there for the fest this weekend that you check out your favourite brewery’s social media to see what they’ve got available this weekend and also check out your favorite independent beer-friendly spots for tap lists as well.

With that out of the way, Trailway is the exception to the above this week with a brand new beer to tell you about that’s all ready for the fest. Wizzum is their first real stab at a West Coast IPA, but still keeping true to Trailway’s own house hazy and full-mouthfeel style. Featuring more malt and more bitterness, they also chose more classic West Coast hops like Simcoe and Cascade. The result is spicy, slightly fruity, and definitely resinous, with a definitely kick, coming in at 7% ABV. Look for it in cans and on draft at the Tw taproom all weekend long.

Some events coming up that you might consider attending:

If you’ve been lurking around 899 Portland St. in Dartmouth for a while, eagerly waiting for North Brewing to open their new taproom, your wait is finally over. After teasing us with a previously announced opening date last week (or maybe the week before?) the day is FINALLY here and they’re flouting superstition by opening on Friday the 13th!! From here on in they’ll be open every day from Noon to 7 PM, staying open later on Friday nights until 9 PM. As time goes on you might see some adjustments to that based on the whims of their drinking public, but for now, lock it in. You’ll find all manner of tasty North brews on tap and now food as well, with their catchily-named kitchen, Side Hustle Snack Bar, providing the goods. Today you can also expect ciders from Lake City and Sourwood, and three of Matt Kenny’s favorite beers from Tatamagouche Brewing: Square One, Crack of Dawn, and Dekorum on tap as well. Many congratulations to the team at North for pulling this all together in just about a year. Their journey to the Dark Side is complete; we suggest you head down and celebrate with them!!

This Monday marks a show in town by doom metal gods Sleep, who will be blowing the roof off of The Marquee on Gottingen St. The opening act for the show is Pontiak from the Virginia, who are also happen to be the geniuses behind the brewery Pen Druid in Sperryville, PA. Specializing in spontaneous, barrel-aged, and just plain wild beers, these folks will be taking over the taps at Barrington Street’s Stillwell Beer Bar for a rare Monday event. Kicking off at noon (not the usual 4 PM opening time), 10 beers on draught, along with a few extra bottles, will be pouring at the Official Concert Pre-Drink event. And to further sweeten the pot, a pair of tickets will be given away to lucky visitors through the bar that day, so be sure to pop by for a bevvie before the show. The kitchen crew will be slinging some special food (as usual), and we’re sure there’ll be some killer tunes blasting all day to get everyone in the mood.

If you weren’t already in the know, Propeller’s Gottingen Street location has a pretty special secret hiding just below the retail shop and taproom: Propeller Arcade. With almost a dozen pinball machines, and the same number of modern and retro cabinet games, this underground (literally) spot is a favourite of many who are looking to relive their childhood (and those who may be a little too young to have encountered the joy of bowling alley arcades in the region). To push their spot to the next tier, they are holding a Level Up Weekend, starting next Friday. They are expanding the games available to include air hockey, basketball, and plenty more new offerings, as they take over the brewing that is shared between them, Stillwell, and Granite, so we can almost imagine the fun of shooting hoops amongst the fermenters… The hours of the event are Friday and Saturday from 4 PM – 12 AM, with Sunday (12 – 6 PM) being dubbed Family Day, as the space will be open to those under 19 to enjoy the games, as well as food provided by nearby Hopyard Halifax. Check out the FB link above, and we’ll no doubt see you there!

We don’t always put out work a whole month before an event, but we’re making an exception this week for the next Craft Draught Showdown at The Carleton in Halifax. These events have been going on for a year or so and have proven to be a hot ticket every time. Pitting two breweries head to head each pairing fine of their beers with five courses from Chef Michael Dolente, the eating and drinking public votes at the end on whose beers and pairings they preferred. Coming up on Wednesday, October 9th is Chester’s Tanner & Co Brewing vs Tatamagouche Brewing Co and, given both breweries’ penchants for food-friendly mixed-fermentation styles, this one should be extra special. Tickets, as always, are $60 plus HST per person (gratuity included) and can be purchased from the Carleton website. And if you want to get a little ahead of the game, the CDS after THIS one will be Garrison vs Schoolhouse on Thursday, December 5 with tickets for that one available here. And stay tuned, we’re expecting the 2020 slate of showdowns to be announced in November; when they are we’ll be sure to let you know about it!!

Friday Wrap-Up for August 30, 2019 – News from Landwash, Bannerman, Stillwell, 2 Crows, Tatamagouche, Horton Ridge, Shipwright, and More!!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2019-08-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, 902 BrewCast, Atlantic Canada Beer Blog, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bootleg Brew Company, Brightwood Brewery, Chain Yard Cider, Good Robot Brewing, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, Ladies Beer League, Landwash Brewery, Maybee Brewing, Meander River Farm and Brewery, Newfoundland Cider Company, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Shipwright Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Auction House, The Church Brewing Company, The Drome by Trailway, Toslow, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing. Leave a Comment

Wow, where did the summer go? Here we are, closing out August on a wet and blustery gorgeous and sunny note, and it’s the last hoorah before students head back to school next week. It looks like our region’s breweries are maybe coming up for a little air now that the crush of summer production is easing off a bit, as there’s quite a few new brews on this long weekend for you to try, and even better you’ve got an extra day to recover! We remind you as always, though, to keep in mind that your local breweries may be adjusting their hours because of the holiday.

Let’s kick off the week’s news with a stunner of a collaboration coming out of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. Landwash Brewery teamed up with the beauts at the Newfoundland and Labrador Beard and Moustache Club to release a special brew this week. The NLBMC are celebrating the third year of their widely popular Merb’ys calendar, an annual fundraiser for a variety of provincial charities. This year’s recipients are Planned Parenthood Newfoundland & Labrador Sexual Health Centre, Home Again Furniture Bank, and SPCA St. John’s. Let’s talk about the beer, shall we? Bellyshake is a 6.5% ABV Key Lime Milkshake IPA, the brewery’s first in the style, which features lactose and vanilla to mimic the popular dairy treat. Bellyshake features loads of key limes for a sharp citrus and light tartness, with strawberry puree used to increase flavour and body. With a massive dry-hop addition adding notes of pineapple, coconut, and tangerine. Cans are now sold out at the brewery (though we understand there are some to enjoy on-site at Toslow downtown), but growlers, pints and samples are still available. Cans of One Wave Blonde will be available at opening today, with the deadly trio of Pilsner, American Pale Ale, and Breakfast Stout also pouring for the weekend.

Speaking of Downtown St. John’s, Bannerman Brewing at 90 Duckworth St is pouring a new beer these days, on the lighter side of things. Brite Lite is a 3.8% ABV Session Ale, kinda sorta mostly in the Session IPA family. Oat malt complements the base barley to give a fuller body despite the low alcohol, and the Citra and Sabro hop character shine through as tropical fruit reminiscent of pineapple, mango, and passion fruit. Grab a pint or growler of Brite Lite and/or half a dozen more at the brewery today!

Stillwell Brewing snuck a release out that we didn’t get a chance to tell you about in last week’s Friday Wrap-up so we’ll just tell you about it this week instead. Sook is YOUR new grisette in the region, a bit of a niche style that you’d be wise to not bring up around serious beer geeks lest you be lost in esoteric arguments over what a grisette truly is. In this case, it’s a low-alcohol (4.1% ABV) farmhouse-style stainless-fermented beer with a touch of acidity, “charming” fermentation character, and bit of noble hops to finish. As with many, if not most, mixed fermentation beers, this one would certainly be cellarable, but we agree with the brewery on this one: enjoy it now, when its no doubt at its lightest and most effervescent while you consider the coming change of seasons. You’ll find this one in bottles to-go at Stillwell on Barrington, and we’re sure it’ll pop up a few times on tap there as well as at the Beergarden over the coming weeks.

Did we say Beergarden? We sure did! And did we just hear someone say that they were hoping that 2 Crows would launch a couple of beers – specifically, one new and one returning – at the Stillwell Beergarden this Saturday? We thought we did! For privacy sake, let’s call this person Jeremy T. No wait, that’s too obvious… let’s say J. Taylor. Well, good news, because that’s exactly what they’re doing! The brand new beer they have is called Terry, named after a couple of important Terrys in the brewery’s life. Brewed in early 2018, the beer is their typical “sour base” (Pilsner, Wheat malt, Spelt, Special Aromatic, Flaked Oats) that was hopped to a scant 3 IBUs. Fermented with a variety of yeast strains and bacteria cultures in tequila barrels, the beer waited patiently here until half of an enormous blueberry addition (the brewery’s highest fruiting rate yet) was thrown in late last summer. After another long aging period, the other half of the fruit was added a few weeks before bottling, where the beer was allowed to condition naturally. The final beer is exhibiting lots of blueberry juice character, oak, acidity, and “tequila earthiness”. 

The returning beer is Refresh, 2C’s dry-hopped lager that they released to lots of fanfare last summer (was it really that long ago??). Brewed with Pilsner malt and flaked rice, they hopped this one in the boil with Huell Melon and Hallertau Blanc. Fermented slowly at cool temps with their favourite Lager strain, the beer enjoyed a nine week lagering period with a healthy dry-hop of more Huell Melon. “Bright, crisp, with some serious honeydew, lemongrass, and lychee vibes”, it’ll be pouring on tap (alongside bottle pours of Terry) at the Beergarden all day tomorrow. Of course, you’ll be able to grab bottles of Terry for take-away (and cans of Refresh!) at 2 Crows as of noon Saturday. 

If you happen to be hanging around Tatamagouche this long weekend, we highly recommend that you stop by Tatamagouche Brewing. We’d recommend that on any day, really, but for this weekend they do have a couple kegs of a special low alcohol beer fermented solely with Brettanomyces yeasts (the same blend as their lovely Feronia, the Wild Ale aged on plums). Brett Session started out with a grist bill of Pilsner, oats, and wheat, and lightly hopped with Azacca and Hallertau Blanc in the kettle. After primary fermentation began in early 2019, it was kegged off and allowed to naturally carbonate in kegs. And now our collective patience is being rewarded as it is now on tap at the brewery (and only on tap at the brewery).

And returning this week is Tata’s Atlantic Pale Ale, a collaboration with Annapolis Valley maltster Horton Ridge Malt & Grain. Using 100% Atlantic Canadian-grown grains, malted by Horton Ridge, APA weighs in at 5.9% ABV, and is available now at both breweries. And if you plan your visit right, you can catch Christina Martin live in the Horton Ridge taproom this evening at 8, tickets are still available.

It’s been a super-busy week for the crew at Lunenburg’s Shipwright Brewing, with 3 (three!) new beers on tap. Maybe the threat of Labour Day weekend had something to do with it… do people drink more on long weekends? Unsure. Anyhoo, let’s just dive right into these, shall we? The first brew isn’t so much new, actually, but a second take on their Whitecap, a Belgian Witbier. While this version was still brewed with a 50:50 mix of Pale and Wheat malt, this time around they hopped it with Topaz (to a higher bitterness than the first batch), and added bitter orange peel, lime, and grapefruit peel, to give more of that citrus character that goes so well with this style of beer. Sticking with the Belgian theme for their next brew, Slack Tide is a “Hopped Rye Saison”, which they’re breaking down as a hybrid between a Saison and a Rye Pale Ale. Brewed with Pilsner and Rye malt, and hopped with Pahto in the boil, it was dry-hopped with Enigma once fermentation was complete. With aromas of “slight Belgian funk, followed by grassy notes”, the 5.3% ABV brew exhibits flavours from both the malt and hop sides, according to the brewery, all with a dry finish. Their third and final beer is Desperate Session, a collab they did with Nyanza’s own Big Spruce Brewing. Due to the high demand for their beer in Lunenburg, they were starting to run a little low, so Big Spruce kindly reached out to help in getting more beer out there! The beer in question is a hazy Session IPA hopped with Mosaic and HBC 472, giving tropical fruit in the aroma, and “huge flavours of passionfruit and citrus”. All of these beers are available (hopefully, if they haven’t run out!) on tap at Shipwright.

Looks like the Ladies Beer League is back to their collaboratin’ ways, as they’ve teamed up with Dartmouth’s Brightwood Brewery to create Jagged Little Pils. Not your typical Pilsner, they’re calling it a “Juicy Pilsner”, probably because it was dry-hopped with Simcoe and Idaho 7. Still brewed with a Pilsner base and fermented with Lager yeast, the dry-hop addition gives the beer lots of citrus and tropical fruit notes on the nose, and at 5.5% ABV, it’s right in that range where you can enjoy a couple without going *too* far (ymmv). It’s currently available at Brightwood for pints and growler fills, and cans also just hit their shelves this week.

HRM stalwart Propeller has released a new beer today, their Tropical Session Sour, making sure you’d have something suitable for lovely weekend weather. It’s tropical, with notes of passionfruit and pineapple, sessionable, at 3.9% ABV and 0 IBU, and sour. If that doesn’t describe an ideal patio beer we don’t know what does! A limited release, you’ll only be able to find it at Propeller’s two Prop Shops on Gottingen in Halifax and on Windmill in Dartmouth, as well as all of the private stores (including Liquid Assets at the Stanfield Airport if you’re on your way out of town). And if you decide to seek this one out at the source, you’ll also find a limited number of bottles of the Celebration Pils from earlier this summer available at the Prop Shops!! If you missed this the first time around, you’ve got one more chance to give it a go; if you didn’t miss it, we suspect you may wish to experience it again. On sale today from opening until it’s all gone.

Halifax’s Good Robot has been around for 4 years now and they’ve made all kinds of beers, both crazy and staid. But they’ve never ever made a Hefeweizen. Until now. A somewhat strangely uncommon style in our region, hefeweizen is more than just fun to say, it’s one of those lovely German words that says exactly what it means: hefe = “yeast” and weizen = “wheat”. Describing a Weißbier (“white beer”, most likely deriving from Weizenbier, “wheat beer”), a hefe is a beer made with a significant portion of wheat replacing barley, then fermented with a strain of ale yeast known for imparting phenolic (clove) and estery (banana/bubblegum) characters and served unfiltered, with some yeast still suspended, imparting a hazy appearance in the glass and a soft mouthfeel. Good Robot brewed theirs with 55% wheat and 45% pale malt, Australian Summer hops, known for subtle flavors of apricot, melon, peach, and grass, and they added some orange peel to the mix for a bit of a citrus presence. Coming in at 4.7% ABV and  10 or so IBU, they’re calling it Yeast Boss (or El Jefe de Hefe) in honour of brewer and yeast QA/QC man Gio, which is fitting as this style is extremely dependent on healthy and happy yeast. You’ll find it on tap at the brewery now!

Fredericton’s TrailWay Brewing is continuing their line of beers showcasing that European sensation Kveik yeast, but pushing the boundaries a little further. This batch of Oculus weighs in at 8.0% ABV, a fair jump up from the 4.0% and 6.0% of previous batches. With the jump in ABV, they are also pushing the limits of hopping, with massive additions of Sabro and Vic Secret in the kettle and dry hop addition. The resulting beer features notes of pineapple and orange, with a light vanilla sweetness. Grab a four-pack or growler to enjoy this weekend, while the weather is still tropical-ish.

And in Breaking News, we see that The Drome by TrailWay will be opening its doors this weekend! After major renovations lasting more than 4 months, the long-time Main Street institution has received a TrailWay facelift and improvement to be a taproom and patio, while preserving the lanes and character of the original. With lots more local craft beer available on tap, and a menu still focusing on classic bowling alley fare with a modern twist, we’re sure this will be a fun addition to the local beer taproom landscape. Doors open Saturday at 3PM for beer, food, and bowling (first come first serve on these while they sort out the weekend), so drop by!

Living in/around Fredericton and interested in entering the professional brewing world? Maybee Brewing is currently hiring for a full-time Assistant Brewer position, which would put you right in the center of the action: brew day prep, brewing, cleaning, inventory, etc. Brewery experience is an asset, but avid home brewers are also welcome to apply. Check out the full job listing here; you can drop off your cover letter and resume directly at the brewery, or send it via email to paul@maybeebrew.com. 

Have you been following the goings on (and the comings out) at Church Brewing? We have, and we’re happy to report that per several sources, they’re already coming through with many of the economic benefits to the Town of Wolfville that some people always said were likely to be the result of their opening. One of the most impressive and prominent of these is the fact that they’re already employing more than 90 people (we’ve heard tell that already makes them the second-biggest employer in town, less than 6 months after opening). But with beer flying out of the taproom and the retail shop, and already on the shelves of the NSLC, they have need for at least one more: they’re looking for an Assistant Brewer and Cellarperson to help keep liquids moving from tanks to the people. If you’re looking to get into the beer industry and you’re interested in joining a going concern in Wolfville, maybe check out the job posting and consider sending in a resume. Hell, they hired KelticDevil, they’ll probably at least give you a look! 

Speak(ing) of the (Keltic)Devil, he was back on the most recent episode of the 902BrewCast (August Tasting Episode #2: Electric Boogaloo) where he, Tony and Kyle talked some more about Church Brewing, beer, politics, and beer politics, all while sampling some tasty-sounding beers. Get it at your favorite place what does podcasts.

The weather may be due to cool down in coming weeks, but it seems the beer events are heating up. Check them out:

We would be remiss if we neglected to give a big old plug to our own event tomorrow night at the Auction House. Those who’ve been around a few years know that ACBB likes to do a little beer-flavored trivia now and then. Normally this is twice a year during FCBF and NSCBW, but The Auction House in Halifax has been kind enough to offer us an opportunity to do another one tomorrow night from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. As always the taps will be flowing with beer from many local and regional breweries, but featured will be fine selections from Tatamagouche Brewing, several of which might be first time/only time on tap in the city. Come on out and tolerate our corny humor while you rack your brain for the answers to our trivia questions. Did we mention that there will be prizes for the winners? Full details can be found on the Facebook Event page; hope to see you there!

The Labour Day weekend festivities continue at Big Spruce on Sunday, September 1st, with some fun activities for you AND the kids! Starting at noon at the brewery, there’s going to be lots going on, with plenty of activities that all revolve around beer! All of the usual Big Spruce taps will be pouring at the Sprucetique, and outdoors they’ll have games, archery, a bouncy castle (be aware, archers!), and live music. They’ll also have a pig roast, and accompanying sides from Stand and Stuff Your Face. It only costs $10 to get in on the fun, and kids are free!  Food is pay-as-you-go (pay-as-you-eat?). 

If you’ve been lurking around 899 Portland St. in Dartmouth for awhile, eagerly waiting for North Brewing to open their new taproom, they’re holding a sneak peek next Friday, September 6th. This is going to be a small gathering, as only 100 tickets will be sold. Your $100 ticket (available here) will get you into the event, three drinks at the bar, and food inspired by the menu at Side Hustle Snack Bar. Additional beers will, of course, be available for purchases, and $25 of your ticket price will go to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust (as part of the North Brewing Conservation Initiative). As for the grand opening itself, that will be happening on the following Friday, September 13th.

Odds and sods abound this weekend; we’ll see you out with these newsbites and remind you once again to check the opening hours of your favorite breweries this weekend, especially for Monday, before you go making any long drives.

On the western side of Newfoundland in Corner Brook, Bootleg Brew Co. put a new beer on tap last night, their Hard Ticket Sour IPA. With plenty of their favorite hop varieties added for dry hop, they describe this one as “juicy, fruity, a little piney & dank,” all while being sessionable/crushable. Get your sour and your hop fix at the same time in a 5% ABV package! On tap for pints and fills at the brewery. Maybe stop in there before/after the Gros Morne Beer Fest tomorrow evening? Grab your tickets for that here.

Chain Yard Cider is branching out a little bit into the realm of mead. This week they’ve got their new Traditional Mead available, made from wildflower honey sourced from the Annapolis Valley. Fermentation of this 7% ABV sparkling mead was arrested, leaving a slight honey sweetness with floral and melon notes on the palate and providing a light, fine carbonation. Get it at the source on Agricola St. in Halifax.

Meander River Farm & Brewery reminds us that they’re a cidery as well with the availability of a new small lot cider called Juicy Strawberry. We think we know what’s probably in this 5.5% ABV blend… As with all their small lots, you’ll almost certainly have to go to Ashdale to get it, but that’ll be a lovely drive on a long weekend in late summer, we think.

Newfoundland Cider Company in Clarenville have a big weekend of tasting planned, as they’re serving up their summer batches of small batch botanical ciders. Starting at 3:30 PM today you’ll be able to sample and quaff Old Tilt, Cloudy Blueberry, Blackcurrent & Lavender, Spruce Tip, Pineapple Weed and Wild Rose. If you’re in the area and you love cider, this sounds like an amazing lineup to try!

For those who like Toller from Dartmouth’s Spindrift but would like to have a slightly lighter, lower-calorie option, you’re in luck! Today marks the day that Toller Lite is released, exclusively at the brewery on Frazee Avenue in Burnside at 4 PM. A full percentage point lower in ABV than regular Toller, it weighs in at 4%, with only 92 calories and 3.2 g of carbs per serving. And if you can’t make the brewery, the private stores carrying its big brother are all scheduled to have Toller Lite this weekend as well.

Last but not least today is the return of Unfiltered’s ode to Citra, DOA. Double Orange Ale is their single-hopped Double IPA, weighing in at 7.5% ABV, and featuring massive citrus and specifically orange character on top of a robust bitter beer. On tap for pint and growler fills at the taproom and brewery respectively, with cans available at the brewery today and tomorrow as well.