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Friday Wrap-Up for May 26, 2023 – News from Serpent, 2 Crows, Party Time, Bogside, Lone Oak, Banished, Secret Cove, Sea Level, Big Spruce, Tire Shack and much more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-05-26
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, BarNone Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Bogside Brewing, Canadian Brewing Awards, Canadian Brewing Awards Conference, Escarpment Laboratories, Hops Connect Canada, Lone Oak Beer Garden, Lone Oak Brewing, North Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, Party Time Brewing, PEI Brewing Co., Sea Level Brewing, Secret Cove Brewery, Serpent Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Beergarden, Stillwell Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Links at Brunello, The Post Taphouse, Tire Shack Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday y’all! We’re as excited to start the weekend as you are, so let’s get you out the door and drinking the good stuff quickly! We have a reminder of what’s coming to our region next weekend in the Events section, so be sure to read closely!

Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing has a very special collaboration available now on tap and in cans. Born from a familial connection to Mexico, Serpent invited the crew from Cerveceria Itañeñe into the brewhouse a few months ago. And of course, Rodrigo and Lucia of Itañeñe brought gifts, in the form of their favourite coffee from roasters Ilustre. Pairing that with some locally-harvested Maple Syrup from MacRae’s, and a base English Brown Ale, they thus gave birth to Here Comes Trouble. This 5.9% beer will wake you up and keep you going all day, with the strong malt, coffee, and maple character coming through! Pop by the brewery for a taste and four-pack, and while there, you’ll be able to sample the food new menu put together by Chef Barry Samways. Having worked in kitchens at Hermitage, Elliot & Vine, and most recently at Quinn’s Arms, Chef Samways is focusing on local producers for as many ingredients as possible to ensure quality and freshness. As with any brewery menu, complementing the beer is important, so look for both share-able sizing for when your whole crew is with you, or snacking sizes for solo pop-bys to the space. Homemade pasta, tacos, microgreen salads, and several gluten-free and vegan options are also available!

On Brunswick Street in downtown Halifax, 2 Crows has a pair of new releases out this week. Let’s start hoppy, with Green World DIPA out on draught and in cans now. West Coast-inspired, this was brewed in collaboration with PEI’s Shoreline Malting, who provided the base Pale Malt, which was amped up with a touch of Crystal. This was hopped aggressively with classic American hops from Lakeview Hops throughout, including in the mash, again as the wort enters the kettle (first wort), of course throughout the boil, and again as the beer is cooled on its way to the fermenter. At that point, Escarpment Labs’ House Ale strain took over, fermenting it clean and providing natural carbonation to the finished product. It’s available today at the brewery as well as for online ordering and delivery. If you pop by the brewery, you’ll also be able to enjoy their latest tiny batch release, Multiflora. This beer/wine hybrid is the love child of a 3-year-old Wild Ale blended with fresh rosé piquette, itself made up of pomace from Riesling grapes, plus a small amount of Pinot Noir and Kekfrankos, with some quince from Head Brewer Jeremy Taylor’s backyard. This bright and funky hybrid is available on draught only, and in short supply, so if it sounds as tasty to you as it does to us…don’t delay in visiting!

HRM’s newest source of suds, Party Time Brewing in Mount Uniacke, who we profiled earlier this month, has a couple new beers and a new delivery channel for us this week. Party Time Pilsner is an American Pilsner at 30 IBU and 5% ABV that’s sure to sate your craving for a light and crispy new world crusher and Raft Up is “a beery beer” hopped with Hallertauer Mittelfrüh coming in at 4.5% ABV. Both of these are available for online ordering (althought the Party Time Pils is already in short supply!) for delivery in the general environs of Mount Uniacke, but if you’re from further afield you now have an option for pickup in the parking lot of Uniacke Pizza. You can also try the Raft Up at the Mount Uniacke Pub & Eatery.

Over on the Island, Summerside’s Bogside Brewing has a couple of new offerings this week, one of which won’t get you loaded no matter how much you drink. Bogside Zero is their first foray into the non-alcoholic beer market and they’re happy to report that it, “tastes like a real beer!” Based on their Local Legend blonde ale recipe, they’ve invested in a de-alcoholizer to take the finished beer remove the alcohol. Tasting similar enough to the original that many folks are hard-pressed to tell the difference, it’ll be a welcome option for those who want to taste a beer without having a beer. Also new on the go is a second entry in Bogside’s single hop series, this time using Belma, a bit of an unsung hop that’s been around for a decade or so, but hasn’t gained the mindshare of some of the heavy hitters. Known for providing tasting notes of strawberry and pear in particular, it also has a bit of a citrus kick on the palate and aromas of berries and melon, giving this iteration a little more of a West Coast IPA feel than the previous El Dorado version. Coming in at 6% ABV and 35 IBU, you’ll find this limited edition along with Bogside Zero available in the taproom and for online ordering.

Staying in PEI we land at Lone Oak, who, as mentioned last week, are celebrating their birthday this month. To celebrate they’ve got a brand new beer available, but so far only at Milky Way Brewpub in Charlottetown and in cans to go from their Cold Beer Store. Lone Oak Light does what it says on the tin, a North American light lager at 4% ABV that’s sure to please the beery beer drinkers out there. Simple, crisp and refreshing, it’s sure to pair well with summertime. Keep an eye on the social media for their latest location, the Lone Oak Beer Garden at Cavendish Beach, as it is set to open in the next few weeks.

From the little island we head up to the big one where, in Paradise, Banished Brewing has a brand new beer that they’re calling Baked Ziti. Why the reference to tasty noodletubes, tomato, and cheese? Because it’s an Italian Pilsner, of course! A style that’s been coming on in North America the last few years, the Italian take on a more northern European style features a light, but still malty body, with a firm bitterness and a pungent hop note, always continental and often leaning towards the floral part of the hop spectrum. Unfiltered, as is de rigueur (d’obbligo?) for the style, you’ll find this 5% delight on tap at the brewery and appearing at local retailers as well.

My, b’y, but there’s a lot of new lagers in the region this week and Port au Port’s Secret Cove Brewing has one too. A 4% American Lager they’re calling Cove Lager, it leverages rice as an adjunct to keep the body light and lagered cool to keep it crisp, it’s designed to be super easy drinking through the warmer summer months. Packaged in 355ml cans (with a super classy label) for maximum portability, it’s available now at the brewery and will see retail distribution real soon now.

We haven’t had any news out of Sheffield Mills in a few weeks, but that stops today with Sea Level’s release of Barn Yard IPA. Their take on a hazy session IPA is TRIPLE dry-hopped with Mosaic, Apollo and Comet, giving lots of topical fruit notes. The grain bill features Sea Level’s standard base malt, with an addition of Vienna for a hint of sweetness, with all of the malt coming from nearby Horton Ridge Malt House. Coming in at a sessionable 4.6% ABV, you can find Barn Yard on tap and in cans at both Sea Level locations now. 

Just in time for another sunny Cape Breton weekend, Big Spruce has a new release and the return of one of their all-time crowd pleasers. First up is It Takes Two to Mango, a 5% ABV fruited sour. Look for a pleasing tangy tartness to complement the sweetness of the ripe mangos, with the mangos also imparting their colour to the final beverage. You can find this one on tap in Nyanza. And while we’re at it, the ultimate pairing for Cape Breton summer weather is making its return. Silver Tart, the sour raspberry wheat ale originally brewed in 2015, is back for another season, with its refreshing tartness, berry flavour and deep pink hue. Cans and pints are available now, with the cans already making their way to Big Spruce’s online store for shipping and delivery. 

Did we mention the profusion of lagers this week? Of course we did, and there’s another one to mention from Tire Shack Brewing, the return of their Cerveza Mexican lager. Possibly the most crushable beer they’ve released to date, it’s back on tap and in cans to go as well. Meanwhile, on the “new release” side of things, Tire Shack also has a brand new “AI-designed” beer available. After prompting with the question “What will future beer trends be?” and receiving the response, “Alternative fermentables and herbs,” they further asked for a recipe, which was dutifully provided and dubbed “Garden Party.” They even got it to design a label. Regardless of how you feel about what’s being commonly referred to as “AI” these days, the gang at Tire Shack has dutifully made the 6.0% ABV honey lavender saison from the generated recipe and claim it’s a tasty beer. You’ll have to grab some at their spot in Moncton to find out for yourself!

Still in New Brunswick, but up in Fredericton this time, we see a brand new thang from Trailway. Hoppy? Sure. But this one, from their Main Land series of Belgian-inspired beers, pairs Belgian yeast character with lemony citrus and a grassy bitterness from the noble hops that were used. With a finish that features pear and apple sauce, this hoppy session ale comes in at 4.5% ABV. In returning engagement news at Trailway, their classic summer raspberry wheat, Beyond Reality is available again. At 4% ABV you can plan to enjoy a couple of these fruity delights that boast a touch of balancing tartness. Look for both of these ones, along with the rest of the Trailway oeuvre at a Trailway location near you!

Lots of beery things going on in our region these days, including a lot of summer openings!

Lots of news for you from the Stillwell Family this week, so let’s get you up to speed: The Stillwell Beer Garden at Spring Garden and South Park is open and operating daily from noon til “cold”, with a dozen taps and another dozen different cans from across the region and beyond. The grill is fired up and on the go too, with sausages and dogs, and yummy accompaniments to boot, with ice cream to cap the meal!

One of the beers you’ll find on tap there, as well as Stilly HQ, The Freehouse, and Battery Park, is Stillwell Brewing’s brand new Cream Ale. Eschewing the modern trend towards adjuncts, this is all Pils malt, with a decoction (!), and fermented cool to keep the fruity esters down, it uses a dose of Cascade and Willamette to add a firm bitterness as well as a bit of earth and citrus to the final product. Eminently crushable, you can sense the relationship to Kompact while appreciating the new world hop component. Cans will be coming to the brewery in a few weeks.

Before then, however, Stillwell Brewing is celebrating the opening of their taproom June 3rd. While having been open for retail sales since last year, they have completed the taproom and music system, so it’s time to party! Open from 11 AM to 11 PM next Saturday, Beverly Taco Service (from 4 PM) will be onsite slinging their wares, and there will be live spun records by DJ Douvet and Swee (also from 4 PM) to keep you happy.

Although most folks in the industry have known this for a while, we at ACBB have perhaps been a touch remiss in mentioning that the Canadian Brewing Awards Conference will be in town next weekend, June 1st to 3rd at the Nova Centre in Halifax. A presentation of Taps Media, the CBAC is both a brewing conference and the announcement vehicle for the Canadian Brewing Awards. Judged each spring in Toronto, the CBAs aim to celebrate the best in beer from coast to coast. What does this mean for the humble beer drinker? Mostly that there will be brewery folks from across the country descending on Halifax, sampling our local fare and especially our local beer, and making and rekindling friendships. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself at Stillwell Beer Garden or Hop Yard or any of our brewery tap rooms talking to a brewery owner from Saskatoon or Kelowna or Caledon or St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and feel free to let them know what your favorite locals are! 

Meanwhile, if you’re a hard core beer nerd like us and you’re interested in taking in the conference itself, there will be plenty of sessions of both practical brewing nature and more social responsibility-focused content as well as a conference floor where equipment, ingredient, and service providers ply their wares. Limited (<15!) tickets are still available, with a full ride (conference + gala) going for $400 or separate conference ($200) and gala ($200) options on tap, so to speak. Maybe we’ll see you there!

Our friends at Canadian hop supplier Hops Connect have some news for the local industry this week, as they’re opening up a cold storage warehouse in Montréal next month. If you’re a brewer in Atlantic Canada, this means your orders will get to you that much more quickly and efficiently, and especially when you’re dealing in Southern Hemisphere hops, as Hops Connect does in volume, that can make a big difference. Homebrewers in the region who take advantage of The Brewnosers annual group buys will likely benefit as well. If you’re attending the CBAC next weekend, definitely stop by the Hops Connect booth and find out the finer details (rumor has it there will be a very sensory component to their booth this year as well!!)

Looking for work in the craft beer industry in Moncton? Check this posting out:

After a very successful launch earlier this month, O’Creek Brewing in Moncton is looking to add a Full-Time Taproom Manager to their crew, concentrating on those busy evenings and weekends! If you have experience in that sort of thing, fire Greg an email to let him know you can be the right woman or man for the job! Oh, and while we have you, their on-site kitchen is operating at full speed these days, sending out nachos, quesadillas, pulled pork sandwiches, popcorns, and even serving ice cream from nearby Lost & Found.

Here’s our quick hits this week to finish things off:

The PEI Brewing Company has a new American Pale Ale out. Gahan Longshore is a 5.5% ABV take on the style, featuring notes of citrus, pine and tropical fruit. You’ll find it at the PEIBC Taproom, Gahan Beer Store, and Gahan House locations, and look for it to appear at PEI Liquor and ANBL locations this week.

After taking the winter off, Rose Valley’s Barnone Brewery is open again for the summer. No word yet on their exact opening days/hours, but we can assure you that they are open for at least a few hours today from 5 PM. Pop by their location at 4248 Route 225, Rose Valley/Breadalbane, and let them know ACBB sent ya!

Speaking of openings, The Post Taphouse in Torbay, Newfoundland, opened their doors last weekend. Located at 1412 Torbay Road, they are just a few steps from the East Coast Trail, and offer a lovely view from their patio. Serving local beer from breweries all across Newfoundland and Labrador, they also have a full food menu. They are open 12 – 11 PM daily, rain or shine!

It’s that time of year for the Cellar Slammer to return! This annual collaboration between Tatamagouche Brewing and Bishop’s Cellar is out at both retailers now. This is the 7th year of its release, and this Session IPA / India Session Ale is bigger and better than ever! Clean, bright, citrus, with a touch of white wine grapes, the low alcohol and lighter mouthfeel means this beer can be slammed back all summer long! Just be aware that the can looks a little different this year!

And finishing up with the second in the “new collaborative Session Ale” category is a brand new release from North Brewing. Celebrating their neighbours to their new Timberlea location comes Brunello, brewed with The Links at Brunello. At just 4.5% ABV, it’s lively and bright, refreshing and fun, and perfect to enjoy on your first, ninth, and eighteenth tee-off! On tap and in cans at North’s locations, and of course at the Nineteenth hole at Brunello.

Friday Wrap-Up for March 3, 2023 – News from Trailway, Island Folk, Truro, Hardisty, Big Axe, Rough Waters, Half Cut, Tire Shack, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2023-03-03
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Axe Brewery, Bishop's Cellar, BrewHQ, Candid Brewing, East Coast Cider Company, Fairweather Brewing, Gahan House (St. John's), Half Cut Brewing, Hardisty Brewing, Island Folk Cider House, Maritime Express Cider, North Brewing, Rough Waters Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tire Shack Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company. Leave a Comment

Could this be our last weekend of winter? It just might be! The clocks change again soon, we’re in the midst of a snowy weekend and it will be March Break before you know it. Are we always talking about the weather? Sometimes! But let’s start talking about the wonderful beer and news from across our region! Let’s kick it off with a few releases celebrating International Women’s Day 2023, which is being marked next Wednesday.

Let’s start our day in Fredericton, where Trailway Brewing is celebrating IWD2023 with the release of Physica Raspberry Cream IPA. Named after the text written by Hildegard Von Bingen in the 12th century, she is thought to be the first to add hops to beer (much more on Von Bingen and Physica in this article). Walking in Von Bingen’s, and the thousands of women instrumental in the evolution of beer over the centuries, steel-toed rubber boots are the women of Trailway who designed, produced, and packaged Physica. Using plenty of hops (namely El Dorado and Mosaic), the IPA was conditioned on Raspberry, giving it plenty of fruit, light sweetness, and a lovely creamy mouthfeel. Physica is out now at the brewery on draught and in cans, and look to local licensees to enjoy in your neighbourhood. A portion of the profits will be going to Women in Transition House in Fredericton and Cloverdale Centre for Women in Saint John. Donations are also being collected all month long for these organizations, at their Fredericton taproom, and the soon-to-open Union House Taproom in Saint John. Give early, and often!

Sydney’s Island Folk Cider House is also celebrating and supporting women with an IWD2023 release, Embrace Equity. This Honey & Lavender Cider is available at the taproom for samples, pints, and in bottles to take away. Part of the proceeds are being donated to Every Woman’s Centre, a non-profit promoting, developing and supporting the enhancement of women’s lives in Cape Breton Communities. Drop by Island Folk’s spot on Nepean Street to imbibe and support today!

On to the Hub of Nova Scotia, where Truro Brewing Company recently hosted Char of Hardisty Brewing for a brewday to celebrate Queer Women in the NS Brewing Industry. Taking inspiration from another popular fizzy drink, root beer, Char’s wife and business partner in Hardisty, Laura, put together an appropriate blend of spices and herbs to best recreate the in a beer. On the brewday, Jana of TBC hosted Char to make the final product a reality. The result is Wicked Roots, a 5.0% ABV Dark Ale. Heavily spiced both in, and after, the kettle, to bring out a vibrant root beer character. The beer is dropping early next week, it will be available on tap and in cans at Truro Brew Co, cans from Hardisty, and on tap at better establishments in the region, including Battery Park and Good Robot’s Robie Street taproom. [Ed note: we originally wrote that Laura was with Truro Brewing Company, and apologize for that mistake]

Switching to another charitable release, Big Axe Brewery has released Big Axe Bitter. Owner Peter Cole was prompted by drinks writer Craig Pinhey to brew the style, after the two had been speaking of their mutual loss of a parent to Alzheimer’s Disease. Pinhey spoke highly of the UK Bitter style, recalling the time he and his brothers took his father back to his hometown of Blackawton in England, and sharing pints in the many old pubs of the region, shortly before his father’s passing. Starting from a well-developed homebrew recipe provided by Pinhey, Cole made it BA’s own, but certainly kept the backbone of the original style, including some flaked maize and Maris Otter and Special B malts. A portion of the can sales will be going to Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick, and you can learn more from Cole himself in this video clip.

Heading up to Newfoundland, and Deer Lake in particular, we find that Rough Waters Brewing Company has a new beer on the go. Definitely not so seasonable with the weather in our region this weekend, but maybe a nice inspiration to think of warmer times ahead, Tangled is a lime gose that was brewed with both lime and sea salt, which should give you some margarita vibes even if laying on a beach chair right now is not an option. In keeping with Rough Waters’ overall environmental awareness it’s also a beer with a cause, with $1 from every can purchased going to the Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative and specifically their Zero-Plastic Waste Gros Morne program. Look for it at the brewery now, in Deer Lake at the Big Stop and Corner Brook at the NLC and it’ll be available on the East Coast in the coming weeks!

Fredericton’s Half Cut Brewing has a dark and roasty beer out this week, perfect as a morning pick-me-up or to finish off your day. Tire Fire is an Irish Dry Stout, and served on Nitro at the brewery, so you can enjoy the lovely cascading bubbles™ (probably) as the beer settles. Your patience will be rewarded with big roast and chocolate notes, along with a touch of earthiness from the hops. That nitro treatment means it is both creamy and dry at the same time, enticing you to take another sip (or pint).

Stop in at Moncton’s Tire Shack today, and you’ll see something distinctly aquamarine pouring from the taps. Channeling the blue waters of an island paradise where there isn’t 25 centimetres of snow on the ground, Brewers Henry and Murray cooked up a 5.0% Mango and Guava Sour, bursting with tropical stone fruit and citrus aromatics. But why the blue-green colour? Spirulina, a flavourless algae that is thought to be high in antioxidants, and even higher in happiness-inducing power. Grab Santorini on tap and in cans to go this weekend, before it sails away for good!

In Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley we’ve got a couple of new ciders to tell you about. Up first, in Kentville at Maritime Express, is the latest in their STORM series, this one inspired by Hurricane Fiona last fall, which had a devastating effect on the Valley’s apple crops, with 10-30% of apple crops lost to wind. Leveraging these storm-caused “drops” from local farmers has two impacts: it helps the farmers get some return on what would otherwise be lost crop, and it also has an impact on the cider itself, because early season fruit has less sugar and more tannins. Made from Honeycrisp and Gravenstein apples, this one is semi-dry and comes in at 5.8% ABV. It’s also got a charitable angle, with $0.50 of each 750ml bottle sold going towards The Portal Youth Outreach Association, “a safe space for youth to receive support and access programs.”

Meanwhile, in Annapolis Royal, East Coast Cider Co has a new cider of their own as well, a semi-sweet cider that wears its blueberry content proudly with its pale purple color. Featuring a subtle blueberry flavor and aroma, but maintaining a crisp finish, you’ll find this 6% ABV beauty, known simply as Blueberry Cider on tap and in cans at the brewery/cidery.

Antigonish’s Candid Brewing is trying to keep your identity (and dance moves) safe from the prying eyes at TikTok, by releasing Californication this week. Straight from Silicon Valley, this Pale Ale is solidly in the “West Coast” style, favouring hop bitterness and crispiness, over the haze and soft mouthfeel. At 5.4% ABV, it certainly punches above its weight. Grab it in cans, as well as on draught, at their taproom on College Street today.

The Year of North Brewing continues tomorrow, March 4, as the Cole Harbour brewery takes over the dozen taps at Barrington Street’s Bar Stillwell. From noon til sell-out, there will be a full complement and variety of styles on display, from their old-school Gus’ Blonde, Pip Pip Cheerio English Porter, Pear Core Values Cider, and a special release debuting tomorrow, Larger Than Larry. Keen-eyed Beer Detectives may be able to sort out what this beer is all about, taking inspiration from their Lawrencetown Session IPA, but increasing the alcohol and hops, to produce a 6.0% New England IPA. Look for this to be available on cask for enjoyment all day!

Great news for beer lovers in St. John’s, the Gahan Harbourview has now become fully operational, and is selling their own in-house brewed beer! Head Brewer Jordan is ready to show off what he’s been doing with a Behind the Brew event next Wednesday. Join Jordan in trying more than a half-dozen beers across the flavour spectrum, while pairing it with different food stations, including oysters, fish tacos, sliders, and more! This is a ticketed event, so grab yours today!

A couple more things before we dismiss you this week…

As they’ve done a couple of times previously, the homebrew-heads at BrewHQ in Burnside are selling some fresh, pre-made wort, for those of you looking to brew your own at home. As it is the season, and you could turn it around in a couple of weeks, they have cooked up an Irish Stout just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day. The specs are ~1.045 Starting Gravity, with an expected Final Gravity of 1.011 (YMMV, of course), for a 4.5% ABV Stout. Low bitterness, to about 30 IBU. Check their social media to be sure everything goes without a hitch this morning, then pop by to grab your aseptically-sealed bag o’ wort (bringing a milk crate or something similar will help with transportation).

Finishing up the week with some out-of-town brewery news, Bishop’s Cellar has brought in a fresh shipment of goodies from Fairweather Brewing of Hamilton, ON. Five beers are in the fridge as of today, including a Schwarzbier, Pale Ale, IPA, Fruited Sour, and a dessert Imperial Stout. Check BC’s page for the full rundown, and to order yours for NS-wide shipping or delivery!

Friday Wrap-Up for February 17, 2023 – News from Lone Oak, Propeller, North, Banished, Baccalieu Trail, Big Spruce, Tusket Falls, Half Cut, Village Green, and much more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-02-17
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Dieu du Ciel, Half Cut Brewing, Lone Oak Brewing, Modern Brewer's Village Green, North Brewing, Péché Day, Propeller Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tide & Boar Gastropub, Tusket Falls Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy mid-February! Not surprisingly, we’re in the midst of some wild weather swings, with dumps of snow followed by double-digit sunny days, leading into some nasty freezing rain type of thing. Don’t let the weather get you down, we’ll soon be free of the frozen stuff and carrying an umbrella full time (no thanks, says this writer!). Enough pitter patter, let’s get to it!

Big news from Prince Edward Island to lead off this week. As the province kicks off hosting duties for the 2023 Canada Games (running tomorrow until March 5), there’s lots of recent and coming-soon news from The Official Beer Sponsor of the Games, Lone Oak! Let’s get you caught up with two new special beer releases first… Homestead is the first beer made on PEI from all Island ingredients. Starting with a mash full of Pilsner and Oats from Island Malt House, the wort was then hopped with plenty of Ultra hops grown by Island Hop Company of Mount Albion. Once chilled, the fermentation took place using a wild yeast isolated from wild Blackberries on co-owner and Head Brewer Spencer Gallant’s family’s farm. Definitely a first for the province! Homestead is 5.0%, dry, floral, and features a moderate bitterness in the 355mL can. Available only at their Brewery, and Milky Way Brewpub and Cold Beer Store locations.

Also brand new is Biere D’Amis, the Beer of Friends! Brewed in collaboration with their pals at Tatamagouche and 2 Crows, this French Pilsner features a base of French-grown Pils malt, and hopped with Noble-like Aramis and Strisselspalt (aussi de France), lending a solid bitterness and floral character to the beer. At 4.9% ABV and 35 IBU, these short cans are a nice light beer when you’re looking for a bit “more” from a Pils. Better act fast, as Biere D’Amis, like Homestead, was a small batch, and only available at their locations on tap and in cans.

And in important coming soon news, Lone Oak has announced the second of two new locations opening in 2023. We already shared news of Lone Oak Beer Garden, set to open in June in Avonlea Village in Cavendish. A massive beer garden and patio location, complemented by some bar seating inside. A full kitchen will serve those who stay a while, with a retail spot available to those who are just passing through. And opening ahead of it in May is Lone Oak Fox Meadow. As the name implies, it will be at the Fox Meadow Golf Course in Stratford, and will feature a full-service restaurant, as well as an Event Centre. And even better, it will be open year-round! Congrats to Spencer, Jared, and Dillon, and the whole Lone Oak team on the upcoming expansion!

Halifax’s Propeller Brewing opened their Quinpool location in July 2020, which features a full retail location, taproom with seating for 40, as well as a small brewhouse that is used occasionally for experimental brews. The latest release from that kit is Smoked Wheat Ale, based on the Polish Grodziskie style (or Gratzer in German parlance). Using oak-smoked wheat as the only grain, one would think you’d be burping up clouds of smoke after imbibing, but there’s something about the refined smoke level and light kilning that offers a seriously refreshing character in a highly carbonated 3.6% beer. In fact, it is commonly referred to as “Polish Champagne”! Due to limited volume at their pilot brewery, Propeller’s SMA is available on tap only at their Gottingen and Quinpool locations for pints and growler fills.

Staying in the Halifax region, North Brewing has been bringing the flavour in their latest Timberlea location kitchen and their takeover of their Portland street kitchen. Keeping up with their ingredients and Indian inspiration, they’ve released Chalo Chalo, a brand new brown ale available now. For the naming of this beer, we can’t say it any better than North themselves “The word “Chalo” (ch-AH–low) means “let’s go” in several languages spoken on the Indian subcontinent including Urdu/Hindi/Gujarati/Punjabi.” For the beer itself, the key to this beer is additions of Jaggery (an unrefined sugar product made in Asia and Africa with big molasses and brown sugar flavor) and a big 25 litre splash of fresh pressed ginger juice. The sweet from the Jaggery and the warming spice of Ginger works perfectly in the winter and the brown ale is a perfect vessel for these flavours. This beer is 6% and available from the three North shops and online for home delivery. 

Paradise Newfoundland’s Banished Brewing has a new release this week, a throwback to the many years of homebrewing co-owner Craig Farewell spent before scaling up to commercial size. Makes Sense is a hazy-as-heck 6% IPA, in the New England IPA category. Taking inspiration from the many hazy breweries in the US Northeast, this beer looks like OJ and smells like it too! Using Solero, Nelson Sauvin, and Citra hops late and often, they come out more on the nose and palate than a bitter hop bomb. Makes Sense is available at their retail shop now, and heading to local retailers in the next few days.

After some setbacks earlier in the year, Baccalieu Trail has been able to re-open their taproom recently, and has a new beer to celebrate! Helles or High Water is a Munich Helles, natch. Light in colour, and with a clean malt and restrained hop flavour, it is the perfect post-shoveling beer! Available at the brewery and at Marie’s and other retailers now.

We’ve got a new one from Big Spruce Brewing this week, as Belgian Strong is coming in hot (and strong). This is a Belgian style Strong Ale with some classic flavours for the style. At 8.8%, this brings out the fruity esters and some spice, along with some nice sweetness and boozy warmth. Used with West Abbey yeast (which fits big, bold and dark Belgian beers very well) and additions of Light and Dark Belgian Candi sugar (also traditionally used in higher ABV belgian beers to keep high alcohol content without adding a lot of sweetness), this is a well balanced, big drinker. This comes out this weekend from the brewery in cans and will be available online as well. 

Continuing their phase change (any fellow chemistry or physics nerds out there?) Tusket Falls Brewing has released the latest in their evolving series of hazy IPAs. Next Phaze v2 (look for the Feb canning date) sees a switch in hops, dropping the Mosaic and Phantasm, and adding Citra and Idaho 7 to complement the Riwaka. Keep your eyes peeled for the March release, which will see the return of Phantasm, but in an even more generous amount!

Fredericton’s Half Cut Brewing has new beer for folks looking to imbibe, but are still not exactly sure about all of this craft beer stuff. Cold Lite is a 3.6% American Light Lager, brewed with a grist of German Pilsner with rice for a bit more oomph without much body. The hops are light in bitterness, but present, with an earthy and floral aroma, with a touch of spicy finish. Grab a Cold Lite at their taproom on Main Street, and while you’re there, grab a slice or three from taproom-mates Coastline Pizza.

Cornwall’s Village Green has a new release and just as the weather turns colder and we get some weather, they’re bringing you a perfect release for the weekend. Oatmeal Stout is available now and is true to style in a smooth, drinkable stout with notes of dark roast coffee and cocoa. With a malt bill featuring Maris Otter and 2-row, with some helping hands from English Crystal, Roast Barley and Black Malt. That’s a big backbone for a smooth 5.2% stout. This is available now in pints and cans from the brewery. 

Serpent Brewing is back with another new release this week, and if you hear Spryfield and Bitter, you may have a few thoughts (or beers) come to mind, but the Spryfield Brewery is releasing Spryfield’s Best Bitter this weekend. This beer will be on a little stronger end of the bitter scale, as it is more dark and rich than an Extra Special  Bitter, this is balanced and has those toasty caramel flavours. A malt bill of British Pale Ale malt, Crystal and Grist Rye balance with a blend of UK hops but also some CTZ hops (Columbus, Tomahawk and Zeus) thrown in for some bittering. The final result is a 6.5% and 50 IBU, medium to full bodied, drinkable beer on the lower end of carbonation with a dry finish. Pick this up directly from the brewery on Sunday before the holiday Monday! (And make sure you check their hours if you want to get some on Monday).

This week’s final release comes in the form of a 3% ABV Berliner Weisse from Bannerman. Late Sunset is a light wheat ale with a hint of tartness from the souring bacteria. This one is unfruited, representing a great opportunity to experiment with adding your own fruit syrups (no judgement if you go the Purity syrup route), which is how this style is commonly served in Northern Germany. 

Just one event reminder for you today!

A reminder that Bar Stillwell and Tide & Boar Gastropub are both hosting the Dieu Du Ciel! Péché Mortel Day this Saturday. In addition to the original Imperial Coffee Stout, they will be pouring Péché Latte, an Imperial Milk Stout; Péché Mexican, the original with spices & chilies, Péché Bourbon, a Bourbon barrel-aged version of the OG, and Péché Special Edition, brewed using Colombian Sierra Nevada coffee beans in place of the original. Good thing both bars will be pouring flights of these 9.5% brews! The fun kicks off at noon at both locations, and Stillwell is firing on all cylinders, as they will be featuring a Montreal Smoked Meat poutine feature that day. We suspect T&B will be pulling out all the stops for fun pairing too!

Before we let you go…

While our main purpose for existing is to keep informed about what’s happening in Atlantic Canada, we are occasionally compelled to spread the word about interesting beer and cider from outside the region when it hits local taps and shelves. That’s what’s happening today at Bishop’s Cellar where five beers from Scotland’s Tempest Brewing Co. are dropping. Swing by the store on Lower Water Street in Halifax or check out their online store to check out the five different styles from one of RateBeer’s top 100 best breweries in the world. While you’re there be sure to check out their other new imports including Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout, Ayinger Celebrator and a nice selection from Bellwoods and Dieu du Ciel.