Big Spruce Brewing

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Friday Wrap-up – Bridge Brewing & Boxing Rock Release Collaboration Brew, Big Spruce Harvest Ale, Hell Bay Dark Cream Ale and more

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-09-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Hell Bay Brewing, Ladies Beer League, PEI Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, folks! Hopefully you are staying dry despite the poor weather, courtesy of Gabrielle. Maybe a nice weekend to grab a growler of your favourite local beer and stay inside?

  • The Many Hands Imperial Pale Ale, brewed as a collaboration between Boxing Rock and Bridge Brewing will be available Saturday. In Halifax, Bridge will have the beer available in growlers at the shop, as well as on tap at The Brooklyn Warehouse. Boxing Rock will also be at the Halifax Seaport Market with their 1L growlers, and it will also be available at their retail store in Shelburne,  Shelburne Farmer’s Market and the Yarmouth Farmer’s Market. Here are some pictures and a video from the brew day. They added 2/3 of the 110lb (!!) of wet hops in the last 15min to let the aroma shine through without creating an overly bitter beer. Looks like fun brew day, can’t wait to taste it!
  • Another Harvest Beer, Big Spruce’s Hoppily Married, is also available now. Pick up a growler at the brewery, or find it on tap at the Antigonish Townhouse. This beer features tons of their on-farm-grown hops at all points during the beer, for a full hop bitterness, flavour, and aroma profile. They will also be brewing up a new batch of Kitchen Party Pale Ale with Centennial and Cascade hops from this year’s harvest at Southan Farm in NB. Keeping it nice and local!
  • Speaking of the Townhouse, they had their house-brewed beer, Terry’s Bitter, on for the first time this week. They blew through 4 kegs in a short time, and are now busy brewing to get it back on. Check their Twitter or Facebook page for the announcement, as I’m sure it won’t last long next time, either!
  • Hell Bay Brewing has released their Dark Cream Ale in bottles again. It is available at the brewery, and soon at Premier Wines & Spirits and Bishop’s Cellar in Halifax. Their India Brown Ale was a big seller, so they’ve brewed up a second batch of that beer, which will be available soon. They also have expanded their brite tank arsenal, which will further expand their production and beer line-up.
  • The Ladies Beer League has announced their next event: in October, they will be featuring Spring Garden’s Brew Pubs – Rockbottom and Rogues Roost. On October 10 from 7-10 pm, they are hitting up Rockbottom. There will be drink & food specials, and a guest appearance from brewmaster Greg Nash. Then, one week later, they will be repeating the fun at Rogues Roost.  Both events will be pay-as-you-go, and can accommodate up to 40 attendees. Please RSVP to LadiesBeerLeague@gmail.com to get your name on the list for either or both socials.
  • Next Thursday, Sept 19, the PEI Brewing Company will be holding a Brewmasters Dinner at the Gahan House Pub, as part of the Fall Flavours Festival. Attendees will be able to enjoy a unique three course meal at the Gahan House Pub and Brewery and then be transported to the PEI Brewery for a tour. Your evening starts at the Gahan House Pub where chefs will incorporate their local fine handcrafted ales into three courses, giving you a culinary sampling of the “local” flavour of the Gahan beer. After your meal, you will be transported to the PEI Brewing Company where the beer is brewed and bottled, for a tour. The tour will include the story of the Gahan beers and the PEI Brewing Company, along with a chance to sample the beers firsthand. Transportation is provided. There are two sessions (5pm and 7:30pm), and tickets are available here.

Friday Wrap-Up – Big Spruce brews an India Black Ale, Sea Level brews Heather Ale, Celtic Knot has two new beers, Picaroons to release Harvest Ales Sept 26

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-09-06
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Celtic Knot Brewing, Hart & Thistle, PEI BeerFest, Picaroons Traditional Ales, reLiSH, Sea Level Brewing. 1 comment

Hey, everyone! Here’s what’s happening in the craft beer world in Atlantic Canada this week (and beyond)…

• Big Spruce is brewing up a Black IPA/India Black Ale today. With a medium body, using imported organic Carafa Malt and Sinamar for colour, the beer will showcase a great citrus flavour and aroma (thanks in no small part to their on-farm-grown Cascade to be used for dry-hopping), and will weigh in at a whopping 124 IBUs! We are looking forward to try this one in three weeks.

• On Monday, a bit too late for our Hop Harvest-centric post, Sea Level brewed up their popular New Scotland Heather Ale, made with all NS-grown hops and heather (from their own hop farm and others in the Annapolis Valley). Look for it at The Port Pub (on tap and at the brewery) and in Halifax at Bishop’s Cellar soon.

• Two new beers from Celtic Knot Brewing should be available soon: both the Dark Passage Oatmeal Stout and Dubh Loki (a Black IPA previously named “Loki”) are currently going through the listing process with ANBL. Batches are standing by, and will likely be pouring at The Tide & Boar and Marky’s Laundromat very soon.

• The Halifax Cycling Coalition is hosting an event at Bridge Brewing after the Switch Open Streets event. Running from 2:30-6:00 this Sunday, there will be live music, food from the Food Wolf, and pints of Bridge Brewing available. No admission to enjoy the music, and the food and beer is cash-only. Hopefully the skies stay clear for the event.

• Don’t forget the PEI Beer Festival is this weekend, starting this evening at 6pm at the New Charlottetown Event Grounds. A detailed post on the festival can be found here; tickets are still available, so don’t wait any longer to get yours! With over 75 beers available, as well as lots of food pairings and live music, it should be a great time. Head on over to The PEI Beer Guy, who has put together some solid suggestions on what to seek out at the festival.

• Last week we mentioned that Picaroons was planning on releasing their annual Harvest Ale, where there will be several versions of the same base beer, with differing hop varieties and local hop fields used. Details are still slim, however we DO know that their official launch for the beer will be Thursday, Sept. 26th at the York St. ANBL in Fredericton. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

• Speaking of Picaroons, they plan on being involved with one of the music events planned for next week’s Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival in Fredericton. On Saturday, Sept. 14th, they will be showcasing “Bluegrass, Blues & BBQ” at the Capital Complex, which will feature southern-style BBQ, as well as live music from The Modern Grass Quartet and Sissy & The Hobos. At the Wilser’s Room bar, there will be several Picaroons beers on tap, with the possibility of one or two special releases, according to Marketing Director Dennis Goodwin. The show starts at 1 pm (doors open at noon), and the $15 admission will get you a plate of BBQ and access to the all-day live music.

• The Hart & Thistle have their newest seasonal now on tap, TubberRoe Robust Porter. Weighing in at 5.9% ABV and 43 IBUs, this beer is full of roast, dark fruit and chocolate notes from the specialty malt used, and plenty of citrus from the Centennial, Cascade, and Falconer’s Flight hops.

• Last weekend, BarNone Brewery in PEI brewed up their first IPA since they started officially selling their beer in July. Showcasing a device called the “Hop Dam” developed by DME for BarNone, the beer is “heavily dry-hopped” according to BarNone’s Twitter account, although we’re currently unsure which hop varieties were used. We’ll be sure to let you know more about this beer when we can; keep your eyes open for updates on when it will be released!

• By the way, if you’re in PEI and are looking to try some BarNone beers on tap, they’ve added another account to their list – The Old Triangle in Charlottetown is now selling their Summer Sessions Ale. Both of BarNone’s beers (Summer Sessions and Pale Ale) are still available at Cedar’s and Baba’s in Charlottetown, and at The Landing Oyster House & Pub in Tyne Valley.

• reLiSH Gourmet Burgers has become quite popular in Fredericton since they opened several years ago, and have even started other franchises in other areas of New Brunswick, and also in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. This fall, they plan on opening a new type of restaurant in Fredericton, which will pair craft beer with gourmet hamburgers. With a goal of having 6-8 craft beers on tap, as well as in bottles, they plan on opening this restaurant by late October. We’ll have more details and a standalone post on this soon!

Friday Wrap-Up – Hop Harvest Beers Brewed in the Atlantic Region, and Other News

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-08-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Propeller Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Shiretown Beer. 2 comments

It’s the Hop-Hoppiest season of all!

(sung to the tune of It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year)

It’s Hop Harvest time in the Maritimes, and many breweries are brewing and releasing special brews to commemorate. Here are a few of them:

  • Last Friday, Big Spruce in Nyanza brewed up a wet hop beer from their on-farm grown hops. Brewer Jeremy White used their Challenger and Chinook hops at all stages of the brew: in the mash tun, in the first runnings of the wort, in the boil, and even using a hopback (as the beer is cooling from the kettle to the fermenter). The beer should be available at the brewery in about two weeks.
  • Earlier this week, Shelburne’s Boxing Rock welcomed the folks from Halifax’s Bridge Brewing for a collaboration brew. They used 30kg of wet hops from Lazy Acres Farm, owned by Bridge brewer Josh Herbin, to brew their 100% Vienna Malt IPA. To get that intense fresh-hop aroma, they did not use any of the fresh cones until 30min left in the 90min boil (which gave an intense colour, as well). This IPA will be more aromatic than bitter, clocking in at about 40IBU. The beer will be ready in a few weeks, in growlers at both breweries.
  • Picaroons has started brewing their Harvest series of beers. Details are being kept closely-guarded, but we can confirm that like last year, there will be multiple brews for each hop field, using roughly the same Pale Ale recipe. You will be able to track which hops in your bottle came from which farm, a great idea for farmer, brewery, and informed drinker alike!
  • Big Tide Brewing will be brewing at least one Fresh Hopped beer at their Saint John brewpub. The hop harvest at Dunham’s Run Winery will be this weekend, so the beer will not be far behind. Named after the old name for the peninsula the hops are coming from, Indian Beach Nut Brown will be available in a few weeks, and perhaps another of their popular beers will get a wet-hop kick… Stay tuned!
  • Looking to take part in the harvest? Both Meander River Farm (Ashdale, NS) and FiddleHop Farm (in Glenholme, NS) have put a call out for volunteers to help. Contact them via Facebook for more details. We’ve done it previously, and it is a fun time. Bring some long sleeves to reduce the scratches from the hop bines.

In addition to the harvest, we have some more beer news for you:

  • Big Spruce now has a bright coat of paint, and they are working on the kitchen above the brewery. Their plan has always been to have a small restaurant, overlooking the beautiful Bras d’Or Lake, so it’s great to see this coming together. It will be primarily used for farm-to-table (and -to-glass) events, so stay tuned for those.
  • Attention New Brunswick Homebrewers: in case you missed the announcement, Picaroons will be holding a Home-Brew Challenge in the fall. Brew up a Standard/Ordinary Bitter and submit it between Nov. 1 & 15, and you have a chance at brewing the beer on a commercial scale! The $20 entry gets you a shirt, growler (and fill), and tickets to the Awards Gala on December 1. You’ve got two months to brew a test batch or two, so fire up your kettles! All of the details can be found at the NB Craft Brewers Association website. Unfortunately, it is only open to NB homebrewing residents.
  • Picaroons has just done the last bottling of their Melonhead Wheat beer for the year, marking a sad end to the summer beer season. But in addition to their Harvest beers, they will have some other seasonals coming through the pipeline soon.
  • Shiretown Beer‘s Black Currant Bitter Wheat is now available for growler fills at their Heron’s Nest Cottages location. Along with their Big Brown Ale, it will also be available at the Heron’s Nest Pub. During next weekend’s Charlo Fall Fair, they will have their Honey Wheat available, made with Buckwheat Honey from the Charlo Honeyhouse.
  • Unfortunately, it looks like the popular collaboration between Propeller Brewing and Sea Level Brewing, Alpha%Dog, won’t happen this year, due to Propeller’s upcoming expansion. However Propeller will be releasing their popular Nocturne Dark Lager mid-September (in time for the Nocturne Art at Night event in October), and then their Pumpkin Ale in October. Sea Level have received a larger canning machine, which should mean increased availability at the brewery and at Bishop’s Cellar in Halifax. Their Port in the Storm Porter has just been released, and will make it into Halifax shortly.