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Friday Wrap-Up for July 10, 2020 – News from Boxing Rock, 2 Crows, Spindrift, Propeller, Tidehouse, Lone Oak, Upstreet, Breton Good Robot, and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-07-10
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Beer. Diversity., Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, Change Is Brewing Collective, Dildo Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Grand Monk Ales, Island Malt House, Lone Oak Brewing, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewery, Shipwright Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Spindrift Brewing, Stillwell Brewing, The Carleton, Tidehouse Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. 2 comments

We’re back! Did you miss us? We missed you! That week of vacation has e-invigorated us to keep spreading the gospel of good local beer, and we even managed to switch our web-hosting provider to something that fits our criteria better (ie, cheaper, seeing as we do this for nothing). So grab a coffee or pint and get back up to speed with the beers goings on (going ons? goings ons?)  in the region.

Happy 7th Anniversary to Shelburne Nova Scotia’s Boxing Rock Brewing! The landscape has certainly changed in the region in the last seven years, with the number of breweries operating in the region increasing 5-fold since their launch in 2013. You missed this week’s cake at their taproom, but the good vibes continue with a brand new release of theirs, Aldeia Portuguese Pilsner. At 5.2% ABV,  this straw coloured clear pilsner is a “modern interpretation of an old world classic style”. Taking its time fermenting at low temperature, this crisp beer features a light dry-hopping of “modern varietals of old world hops” (we’re not exactly sure what that means either 😉). In all seriousness, this ode to Portugal is celebrating the country’s embracing of modernity with human rights and environmentalism, while still maintaining respect for the ancient architecture and traditions. But good news, you don’t have to just read about the beer, you can find out for yourself by dropping into the Boxing Rock Taproom at 218 Water Street in Shelburne for a pint or grab some cans to go! They’ve also let us know about Indigo, a sour beer with blueberries from the Parrsboro region to be released in the next little bit. 5.2% ABV, mildly tart, and showing a lovely bright colour. And they are now introducing a few other neat things on the go, including getting your own Taproom Experience, with several options including a guided tasting and pairing with food, Beer 101, or a look at the barrel aging program. Congratulations to the Boxing Rock team!

So, this is what happens when you take a week off… Jeremy and the crew at 2 Crows in Halifax decide to release three new beers. We really need to get our calendars synced up! 😘 OK, let’s get you up to date with these new beers they’ve got on offer. First released was Dreamworld, a 5.6% ABV foedre Saison. Starting from a base of Shoreline Malting Pilsner, Wheat malt and raw wheat, as well as spelt malt, it was whirlpool (aka, after the boil, but before transferring to the fermenter) hopped with Galaxy and Huell Melon, and underwent primary fermentation in one of their foedres, with a blend of house Brettanomyces cultures. More Galaxy and HM were added during active fermentation (biotransformation galore), and hung out in the foedre for another 4 months. At that point, the beer was dry-hopped yet again, and transferred to cans where it spent the last 7 months carbonating and conditioning. Bright and zesty, with grapefruit on the nose with passion fruit and spiciness, on a juicy base thanks to the adjunct malts. This one is in 473 mL cans now.

A pair of bottles also debuted at 2 Crows late last week, from their barrels prominently displayed in the brewery’s taproom. Monarch is a 5.5% ABV golden sour that spent seven months fermenting in freshly-emptied Pinot Grigio barrels, before a round of Enigma and Bramling Cross hopping just before being bottled back in May. This one definitely has plenty of grapey goodness in the bottle, with the refreshing acidity helping the grape and honeysuckle notes dance and meld. Also debuting was Delight, a 5.6% ABV blended sour with sea buckthorn. This beer is actually a blend of two separate beers, the first beginning life from a 100% heirloom German pilsner malt, aged for a year and a half in Sauvignon Blanc barrels (with a mixed culture of Brettanomyces, Saccharomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus), mixed with a golden sour base beer aged for about a year in neutral (aka, already used a few times) wine barrels. When combined, they received a dose of cold-pressed sea buckthorn juice from New Brunswick, and received a dry-hopping addition of aged Noble hops (think preservation rather than bitterness or aroma), before bottling and conditioning for two months. The fruit’s oils serve to knock out the head retention, but more than make up for it in massive pineapple, fuzzy peaches, and mango character. Both are available for purchase now at the brewery, and online, in 375 mL format. And while you’re checking out their online shop, be sure to grab your raffle ticket for a massive raffle they are holding at this time. Supporting the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, the prize pack is an amazing assortment of 25 unique beer offerings from their cellar, including many historic beers that are long “out-of-print”, as well as sneak peeks at beers yet to be released, worth at least $275 (full bottle and can list available here). You can grab your tickets for the raffle here, with the drawing taking place next Wednesday, July 15th. Enter today, enter often!

There are no areas in the world that haven’t experienced a surge in heartbreak over the past few, difficult months, but Nova Scotia is one area that seems to have received an-even-heavier-than-expected blow. Paying homage to those lives lost in the Canadian Armed Forces Cyclone and Snowbirds crashes that claimed the lives of seven Canadian Armed Forces personnel, Spindrift released NS Love Lager late last week. Described as a 5% ABV, crean, crisp Lager, 100% of the profits of every case sold will go directly to the families of those who were tragically killed in the accidents. The label was designed by Jampy Furniture’s Chris Smith; note that Jampy had previously designed wooden signs with the NS Love logo, with those profits being donated to families of victims of the Portapique mass shooting earlier in the year. Cans are available at the brewery for pick-up, as well as on their online store. 

If you’re a bit overwhelmed with endless releases of hoppy beers, sour beers, big beers, etc., we recommend you head over to Propeller this weekend for a very limited release of Lotus Lager, a “Lagered Ale” inspired by the delicious Kölsch beers of Cologne, Germany. Fermented with an Ale yeast strain at cooler temperatures, as is typical for the style, the brewery added Lotus hops in the boil, providing “a burst of orange, berries, and tropical citrus”, backed by a hint of honey malt flavour. Light, crisp, and refreshing, you can find it on tap for pints at all three Prop stores, as well as in cans (note that growler fills are not available for this one). And in more great news, there’s been a rare sighting of their Sasquatch Pale Ale (this is the first 100% Canadian hop) in cans only at their three retail shops (as well as home delivery), and there’s not much of it, so jump on that while you can. And lastly with the great Prop news, their Quinpool Tap Room location, in The Keep complex, has opened their taps and tables for onsite enjoyment! Open at 10 AM daily (noon Sundays), until 8 PM Mon and Tues, 10 PM Wed, Thurs, and Sun, and 11 PM Fri and Sat.

More Tidehouse cans available this week, as they continue their series of well-received Milkshake IPAs with Big Rent Money. Brewed with malt from Horton Ridge, the beer was hopped with Hammerhead Hops varieties. Cascade, Centennial, and Idaho 7 are the hops in this one, lending a touch of bitterness with a whole heap of fruit character. As always with a Milkshake IPA, it’s not just about hops and vanilla addition, but also the fruit… in this case, plenty of pineapple and mango, as well as orange zest. Thick, creamy, and fruity, cans of this 8.8% ABV beauty are available today at 2 PM at the brewery (and we don’t expect it to last the day), along with a few others, including Sotil 2 (5% ABV Saison with Marquette grape skins), and Two Can Win (7.5% ABV Imperial saison with Loral and Saaz hops). 

Now that Prince Edward Island is open to visitors from the other Atlantic provinces again, most of you will likely be crossing over to the Island via the Confederation Bridge. Conveniently, Lone Oak Brewing is located *right* there when you touch down, so why not stop by their tasting room to have a pint and pick up some growlers/cans? And to celebrate your arrival, they’ve just released a brand new mixed-fermentation Saison, Duet. Brewed with all PEI grain (barley, wheat, and oats from Island Malt House), it was hopped with Saaz and Centennial to 22 IBUs, and fermented with a blend of two strains of Saccharomyces and two of Brettanomyces. Aged for six months in Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc barrels, the final beer is tasting very dry and complex, with some “lemon zest and noble hop characteristics” in the background. Super drinkable at just 4.5% ABV, it’s currently available on tap, and now in 750 mL bottles too! Expect to see other barrel-aged offerings from Lone Oak in the near future, now that the beers have had some time to develop; we’ve heard a rumour that a foedre-aged Grisette could be next!

Elsewhere in PEI, Charlottetown’s Upstreet is keeping local residents hoppy, as they continue to release new entries in their Neon Friday series; maybe not weekly, but pretty darn regular! Today they’re putting out Neon Friday 3.03 DIPA, an 8% ABV beer brewed with Pale and Vienna malts, along with Wheat, Oats and Rye. Hopped with lots of Sabro, Citra and Mosaic, this sandy-gold-coloured beer has aromas and flavours of “toasted coconut, pineapple, and freshly-squeezed orange and clementine”. You can find it on tap and in cans at one of your favourite downtown Upstreet locations. 

A couple weeks ago, we wrote about the first of five 5th Birthday beers from Breton Brewing, and this week they’ve released the second in the line-up. Right Some Good is a kettle sour that was dry-hopped with Idaho 7 and Sabro varieties, giving notes of “pineapple, lime zest, and berries”, complemented by the accompanying tartness. Described as full-bodied despite the 4.2% ABV, it’s hazy-gold in colour and quite refreshing. Like all beers in this series, it will be available in a limited quantity; currently, you can grab it at their taproom or have it delivered if you live in the CBRM, and you should be able to see it around Halifax late next week. Stay tuned for their third birthday beer, dropping two weeks!

Between their brewery operations and their taproom, Halifax’s Good Robot Brewing boasts one of the most diverse staffs in our region’s brewing scene and are way, way above the (admittedly low) bar in that regard. They also continue to be behind some of the most inclusive beer-related events in our region. So it’s no surprise that their Brewer, Giovanni Johnson, one of the few BIPOC brewers in Eastern Canada and one of the folks behind the Limestone Group who have repeatedly brought a taste of Bahamian food and culture to the Halifax, is one of the folks behind the newly formed Change Is Brewing Collective, a group of BIPOC Nova Scotians in the food and beverage industry, to benefit BIPOC youth and community groups and to raise awareness of BIPOC issues. The first fruit of this labor is, appropriately, a fruited beer they’re calling Blackberry Freedom. Available starting tomorrow for takeout and in the taproom, this 5.5% ABV pale ale is designed to, “awaken the senses,” according to GR’s own LaMeia Reddick, a founding member of the collective and one of the folks involved in its design. Gio himself says, “This beer was made to honour the black experience. In collaboration with Good Robot we call for unity and justice at this time.” GR has pledged that 50% of the proceeds from this beer will be donated to BIPOC youth and community groups. The press release for Change is Brewing and Blackberry Freedom begins with the phrase, “Black Lives are Essential.” We believe this is a valid and vital position and they’re making it pretty easy to show your support for it through the purchase of this beer (but hopefully we can all find ways to do more). And look for more information about Change is Brewing and what they’re all about in a future post right here.

In other Good Robot beer news, Little Creature, the “Li’l Sister” to their popular Creature Feature series of NEIPAs is back on the go. Smoother than it is bitter, like its older sibling it features the much ballyhooed and also much debated biotransformation process of hopping during active fermentation, but in a more sessionable 4.5% ABV package. Look for it at brewery and taproom as well as online orders for delivery.

Down in Lunenburg, Shipwright Brewing has just tapped Citrus Got Real, a 4.5% ABV kettle sour. Brewed with Pilsner, Wheat, and Acid malts, the wort was soured with Lactobacillus before fermentation. Once complete, they added fresh lime juice and zest, as well as some raw coconut, giving lots of citrus and, naturally, coconut, backed by some “pleasant bready notes and an overall crisp grain profile”. This is the brewery’s first kettle sour, so make sure you get over there for a pint or crowler fill! It should be on tap, soon, at the Grand Banker as well. 

Couple new and interesting beers available this week from Bannerman Brewing in St. John’s; first they’ve got Good Vibes Only, an American Pale Ale with a twist. Hopped with a blend of South African hop varieties, it was fermented with a “Brettanomyces-like” yeast strain (homebrewers out there, name that strain!). Hops and yeast combine to bring notes of tropical and overripe fruit to this 5.5% ABV beer; it’s available on tap for pints and growlers, and in cans, at the brewery. And if kettle sours are more your bag, they’ve got you covered with their other newbie, Punch Drunk Love. Fruited with a mix of raspberry, pink guava, sweet cherry, and pineapple, you can bet that it’s a tart and fruity flavour bomb! Also available on tap, with cans just hitting their shelves today. 

Moving on to Secret Cove, who have re-released their Newfoundland Light & Sour, which they originally launched last summer. This 3.8% ABV take on the Berliner Weisse style has a change this time around – the first iteration featured an addition of locally-foraged marsh berries, but the newest version crams in local rhubarb, partridgeberry, and strawberries. It’s still tart, light, and easy-drinking, but with a different fruit profile than what you may remember from last year, if you were lucky enough to grab some then. Drop by the taproom this weekend for a pour, with cans coming in the near future.

O’Creek Brewing has updated us on two returning favourites of theirs, one beer on tap, and the other back in cans. For draught beer, their Berry Mango Sour IPA – a 4.5% ABV kettle sour hopped with Citra and Sabro, with some Nelson Sauvin in the dry-hop, conditioned on raspberry and mango puree – is back, and currently on tap at Dieppe’s CAVOK Brewing (remember, CAVOK lets you take home crowlers of guest taps!). And speaking of CAVOK, O’Creek contract brewed another batch of their Route 117 IPA at the brewery, and it’s now canned and ready to go! Hazy and juicy, it’s 6.5% ABV, and available at CAVOK and several ANBL stores (including Moncton North and Mountain Rd.). 

In brewing, as in the rest of life, timing can be everything. And sometimes you think you’ve got your timing dead on and circumstances seem to conspire against you. Such was the case for Hanwell, NB’s Niche Brewing, who released a new beer called Hop Altered right in early March, just before the Government told us all to go home and stay there. As a brewery without a retail outlet, this put quite a crimp in Niche’s ability to move beer. When a big part of your oeuvre is hoppy ales best enjoyed fresh, there’s also no real opportunity to “sit on” such beers for later release. The good news is that Niche is here on the other side of the first (and only, we hope) lockdown and they’ve made that beer again, only a little different. Keeping the grist the same as well as the yeast (Escarpment Labs’ Foggy London blend) and the kettle hops (El Dorado and Mosaic), but tweaking the dry hop a little with Mosaic and Citra, the result is a fairly sessionable (5% ABV) hoppy, juicy hazebomb. Or is that a hazy, hoppy juicebomb? You’ll have to decide for yourself. Grab a pint at one of Niche’s tap accounts; we’ve confirmed that they’ve shipped kegs to The Joyce, Peppers Pub, and the Pump House Fill Station, with the balance on its way to Stillwell (which Stillwell? Hopefully all of them!). And if hops aren’t your thing, but you like a nice German Pilsner on a hot summer’s day, check out The Pickle Jar (at the Hilton Garden Inn) in Fredericton, who have laid claim to the last keg of Lanai.

We’ve actually got a pair of events to tell you about today, for the first time in a few minutes!

One of the most consistent and consistently popular series of beer-related events in our region over the last couple years has been the Craft Draught Showdowns at The Carleton in Halifax. Many music lovers know the Carleton as the best place in the city for intimate and respectful concerts by a wide range of Canadian and International acts, but especially since their relaunch a couple years ago, they’ve cemented their reputation as a destination for excellent food and local beer. CDS events pit two breweries and brewmasters against each other, pairing 4oz pours of their creations with five courses from Chef Mathias Probst. The audience votes on whose beer was a better match for each course and a winner is announced at the end of the night. Just under two weeks from now, on July 22nd, the Craft Draught Showdown returns from exile with two local breweries, Brightwood Brewery and Propeller Brewing, head-to-head with a soundtrack to the evening provided by Almasy (Michael Dalton). Spots are extra-limited due to seating restrictions, but we’ve been told that tickets are still available for this one; cost is $65 ($74.75 with HST) and includes gratuity and can be purchased online.

For our Nova Scotia brewery employee readers, we want to be sure you are aware of this important event coming August 10th. Ren Navarro is Beer. Diversity., consulting those in the beer industry on how to improve diversity in hiring practices, community outreach, in-person interactions, and how to make each more welcoming to all. She will be holding a teleseminar August 10th, 1 -3 PM AST (not EST as originally pormoted), “Committing to Diversity in Our Beer Industry”, welcoming any and all members of the Nova Scotia brewing community to take part, from owners, to brewers, to social media folk, to taproom bartenders. This interactive event will include local brewery folks Christopher Reynolds of Stillwell, Nick Ogden of 2 Crows, and Rozina Darvesh of North Brewing helping moderate the two-hour event. Those in the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia may have already seen the notice, but for those breweries not members (or maybe haven’t seen the call yet), you can check out the tickets at the 2 Crows webshop. Because of the extremely limited number, you’ll need to grab a password from one of the moderators above. 

A few more newsbites for you, and we’ll take this time to mention that the Hard Seltzer Invasion continues unabated in our region, with new releases from Good Robot (Grapefruit and Moon Mist [which sold out in minutes] joining Mint Berry, fermented malt, gluten-reduced), North Brewing (Strawberry Rhubarb, blended seltzer, not from fermented malt, and gluten free), and the return of Big Spruce’s Zesty Lime and Red Raspberry Bliss (fermented malt, but filtered to remove malt flavor and gluten). We’d also like to add that you’re not likely to see too many more mentions of hard seltzers in our future blog posts. We absolutely get it, but between beer (our first love), cider, and the occasional mead, along with brewery openings, events (hah! Remember events?!), and job postings, we already have more than enough to write about on a weekly basis. So we’re tapping out and we’ll simply recommend you stay tuned to your favorite breweries’ social media for information about their alcopop offerings. And with that, let’s wrap this up for another week with a couple of quick hits and a job(s) posting:

Dildo Brewing Co. has a new summer beer for those of you in the area – Island Sunrise is a 5.2% ABV “Blood Orange and Mango Ale”. We’re extremely short on details, but rest assured it must have blood orange and mango in it! Available on tap at the brewery, and in cans. Also, the Dildo Outport Heritage Museum, located in the building, is now open for the summer, so you can drop in and enlighten yourself while buying beer!

Last week Moncton’s Grand Monk Artisan Ales dropped a new one off at Euston Park Social. Little Queenie Pale Ale is a lightweight (4.5% ABV) number with plenty of classic American hops: Chinook, Columbus, and Cascade. Described as “citrus, grassy goodness” you’ll find it on tap now at the aforementioned Euston Park, with a few other spots in the area receiving kegs this weekend.

Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing has brought back their big bad German daddy Hellevator Bock. Featuring German everything (except water, for obvious reasons), it’s on the maltier side for an Unfiltered beer, but still with plenty of Continental hop kick. Get your fills or cans of this 7% ABV Teutonic banger at the brewery from opening today.

Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing has three openings available, but if you’re interested and you haven’t yet applied, your time is limited as the postings close today! First up is a Brewer to operate under the Head Brewer, helping pump out the beer that is the core of their operation. Next is Cellar Person, responsible for the path the beer takes from grain, hops, water, and yeast, to the point where the customer walks it out the door. And lastly, but certainly not leastly, a Warehousing/Packaging Operator who can help make sure that beer packaging is sound and sanitary, ensuring the customer is getting the freshest product possible. Check out the full details of each job posting here and then get your resumes in by email to joel@upstreet.ca. Applicants chosen for an interview will be contacted in the next couple of weeks.

Friday Wrap-Up for May 29, 2020 – News from Truro Brewing, 2 Crows, Tidehouse, Boxing Rock, Propeller, and More!!

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-05-29
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Escarpment Laboratories, Good Robot Brewing, Lake City Cider, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tidehouse Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Unfiltered Brewing. Leave a Comment

Lots of good news stories of taprooms and restaurants opening back up again in New Brunswick, and that possibility coming in the next week in PEI with Phase #3 coming into effect June 1st, and June 5th in Nova Scotia, barring any major outbreaks in the next while. Physical distancing and safe practices make this a little more complicated than throwing the doors wide open, so we are encouraged by the innovations some businesses have already put together and are prepared to be impressed even more in the coming weeks. But news from Northern NB reminds us just how fragile the situation remains, so please be mindful of that! Enough Debbie Downer for now, let’s get onto the new beers!

Let’s start this week in the Hub of Nova Scotia, where Truro Brewing Company calls home. After a brief hiatus, they are back today with a full complement of canned products this week, including fresh batches of their Willow Street Wheat, Daytripper Session Ale, and Cobequid Bay IPA. And joining these offerings is Fortis, a Belgian Golden Strong. Weighing in at 8.6% ABV, this is a strong beer, much like the spirit of Nova Scotians who have been through so much lately. Featuring a grain bill of Pilsner malt, hopped with Ahtanum, and fermented with an Abbey-style yeast, to encourage some of those iconic fruity ester notes. Proceeds from sales of Fortis are being donated to support a bursary for women entering the trades, in honour of Emily Tuck, who was passionate about carpentry, welding, and playing violin. To get your own can of Fortis, or TBC’s other offerings, you can pop-by the brewery today and Saturday, 2 – 6 PM, using Click & Collecton their webstore, or delivery within the province for just $10.

It’s looking like some Halifax breweries are super keen this week, releasing several new beers all in one whack. One of these breweries is, of course, 2 Crows, who have four new beers coming out today… three of them in bottles, one in cans, all brewed as the same base beer, and all of them low-ABV! And hey, they’re even as much fun to say as they are – we assume – to drink! Let’s dive right in to this series of Berliner Weisses…

Zip (2.8%) – Brewed with Pilsner and Wheat malt, as well as some raw wheat, this brew was hopped with a small amount of aged East Kent Goldings… but was not boiled. Initially fermented with German Ale yeast from Escarpment Labs, the brewery also added two strains of Lactobacillus bacteria (brevis and plantarum for you beer geeks out there). After primary fermentation was complete, the beer was dry-hopped with a bit of Huell Melon, and a pitch of Escarpment’s Berliner Brett I was also added; the beer was then allowed to condition for several months. It was finally packaged in cans and conditioned with Champagne yeast. It’s tasting “super bright and dry, and drinks like a combo of Pet-Nat and lemon Sanpellegrino”. 

Zap (3.2%) – For this beer, a gin barrel-aged Berliner w/ raspberry, the wort underwent primary fermentation in a gin barrel with Lithuanian Farmhouse yeast. After conditioning in the barrel for 4 months, the beer was transferred onto 90 kg of raspberries for 8 weeks, then bottle-conditioned for 9 weeks. 

Zop (3.2%) – See the pattern here? This one was fermented the same as Zap, but in a freshly-emptied Mezcal barrel, and conditioned on 90 kg of black currants. Exhibiting lots of rich fruit character, it was bottled as well.

Zoup (3.2%) – Same again, but in a Sauvignon Blanc barrel and dry-hopped with 2 kg of dried woodruff for a week before bottling. 

Sounds great, no? The three latter beers are all bottled in clear bottles as well, exhibiting their beautiful colours even more easily! All four beers are available at the brewery today, and are a limited supply. Apologies to anyone who is suddenly thinking of aliens and elementary school French class.

Couple new beers coming out of Tidehouse this week as well; great timing, considering that they’re having their curbside pick-up for two days in a row, today and tomorrow. Their newest beer is Ocean Perle (5% ABV, but you can pretend it’s 5.440% if you like), brewed with Pilsner malt, hopped “assertively” with Perle, and fermented with Escarpement’s KRISPY, a blend of two different Kveik strains. It’s tasting dry, and yes, crispy, and is meant to be crushed in quantity. They’ve also got Rad Vlad, an 11.4% ABV Imperial Stout that is the same base beer as their Bad Vlad, but with some small changes to the fruit additions. Expect “far less raspberry, and a touch of blackberry/blueberry”, all on a roasty, chocolatey, boozy base. In addition to cans of both of these new beers, they’ve also got more cans of Noon Gun (a 3.4% hazy Session IPA w/ Vic Secret and Ella) and For Greg About It (7% American IPA with Citra, Galaxy and Mosaic). So, how can you get your hands on them? Today between 1-6PM, and tomorrow between 12 – 5 PM, call (902-407-2550) to place your order, pay by CC, debit, or EMT; wait 15 minutes or so for them to prep your order, then drop by Salter Street for a contactless grab and go! Easy peasy!

Shelburne’s Boxing Rock Brewing has a new beer out this week, the West-Coast-inspired Double IPA. No need for fancy names when everything you need to know is right there, I guess! Well, almost everything, let’s fill you in a bit more: Building on their very popular The Vicar’s Cross, DIPA is 8.0% ABV, and thanks to plenty of hops added throughout the process, it features loads of pine, citrus, and tropical notes, and a soupçon of resin, finishing slightly dry, with a nice citrusy bitterness. Along with a half-dozen other recent releases, this fella is available in 473 ml cans at the brewery taproom in Shelburne, and via contactless delivery through their webstore on the South Shore and HRM.

Despite their taproom being closed (but not for much longer!), Propeller is still working on some fun pilot brews, and packaging them into bottles so that there isn’t a wait to enjoy them on tap. Their latest is Kveik Pale Ale, a 5.1% ABV hoppy beer fermented with a blend of Opshaug Kveik and London Fog yeast strains. Hopped heavily with Citra, Falconer’s Flight, and Ekuanot, the resulting beer is extremely aromatic, with plenty of complex fruit and citrus character throughout. With “aromas of peach and tropical fruit, balanced with subtle pine and earthiness” to satisfy all of your hop cravings, it has a “restrained bitterness” to balance, all in an easy-drinking package. There’s limited quantities available (750 mL bottles) in all three Prop Shops, and they’re still doing home delivery runs as well. And good news for Prop fans who were missing the possibility of a late-night beer run: their Gottingen Store has extended their hours to previous, with the shop open until midnight Friday and Saturday, and 10 PM Sundays. All other days are noon until 8 PM, with that 8 PM closing time also in effect at their new Quinpool location, as well as Windmill.

Moving over to Dartmouth, North Brewing has their own easy-drinking brew being released, a Blonde Ale named Gold Sounds. Brewed with a bit of Wheat malt on top of the base, and hopped with Vic Secret and Amarillo (not traditional varieties for your typical Blonde, but who’s complaining!), it’s meant to be refreshing and approachable, while still supplying your taste buds with enough complexity to keep them happy. It weighs in at 5% ABV and is available now for in-store pickup or home delivery.

Unfiltered Brewing has another in their line of 7.5% ABV banger beers, which has brought us DOA, Danko, and more recently, Satisfaction. This beer, Here it Comes… features the classic citrusy Chinook hop, Here it Comes…, plenty bitter as is expected in a big bold Double IPA, Here it Comes…, and is available now by the can and growler fill/exchange, Here it Comes…, either at the brewery for curbside pickup or local delivery. What’s the beer’s name? We’ll never tell!

We mentioned last week that Chester Basin’s Tanner & Co. are getting into the mead game, starting with their Original Mead and this week bringing Orange Ginger Mead. A portion of this one was boiled with, no surprise, fresh orange rind and ginger before being returned to the rest of the batch, which was fermented until dry and then carbonated. The result is a sparkling and crisp 8.9% ABV beverage that no doubt boasts some fruity citrus and spicy ginger character to go with the usual white wine-esque and floral traits that mead lovers know well. And now that we’ve gotten you excited by describing it to you, we’ve got some bad news: although it was only released on Wednesday, it’s already sold out, as is the Original Mead! So well done to Tanner for once again putting together a product that’s in high demand; we know we’ll see more meads from them in the coming weeks and months, and hopefully they’ll be remaking this one so more people can try it!

You may be aware that Halifax’s Good Robot is celebrating (has celebrated? sorry, we’re terrible with dates) their fifth birthday this month. And while COVID-19 restrictions obviously mean that there’s no possibility of having a big party with all their friends, they decided to treat themselves to a pretty big birthday present. Like 6 figures big. As announced last week in their characteristically offbeat way, the gang at GR will be installing a full-on canning line this summer, removing some of their reliance on both growler fills and on-site sales as well as helping bring some of their staff back to work. Although GR ran one of the most popular taprooms in the city and we know lots of folks who are eager to see them re-open, everybody is fully aware that 50% capacity and social distancing are absolutely going to take a bite out of revenue for months to come. So as is their wont, the gang is doubling down in a big way. Without having to engage an external packaging provider, they’ll have a little more freedom with their brew schedules and definitely a lot more opportunity to get product into retail locations other than their own, hopefully creating and maintaining alternative revenue streams until the taproom can go great guns again. And that means hiring back more staff, which is a good thing for all involved. While we understand that they’re likely super busy figuring out what reopening looks like for them as well as getting that new canning line up, running, and shipping out beer, watch this space for more news from GR about their summer releases, including more flavors of The Fizz, their hard seltzer (would you believe they’re going to do Moon Mist? Stay tuned!)

Lake City Cider has cans of Vanilla Ice back on their shelves; this cider features a steeping addition of Tanzanian Fair Trade vanilla beans, to provide some complexity. With tropical notes from the wild fermentation, combining with a whiff of French Vanilla ice cream, and a dry finish, it’s 6.8% ABV and ready for you to grab for this weekend.

Friday Wrap-Up for May 1, 2020 – News from 2 Crows, O’Creek, Hardisty, Tire Shack, Good Robot, Quidi Vidi, Stillwell, Tidehouse, and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2020-05-01
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, 902 BrewCast, Bannerman Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, CAVOK Brewing, Chain Yard Cider, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Hardisty Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Lake City Cider, New Scotland Brewing, Newfoundland Beer Podcast, O'Creek Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Shoreline Malting, Stillwell Brewing, Tidehouse Brewing, Tire Shack Brewing. Leave a Comment

We’ve got another full complement of beer and cider news for you today, showing the resiliency of the producers to power through these difficult times, and continue to bring us the good stuff. In case you missed it, we did a Profile with the cats from Delta Force Brewing yesterday, trying to uncover just a bit about them and their beer. They launched their beers yesterday, heading out for delivery today/this weekend, so if you get in touch right away, you may be able to catch them before they disappear back into the night!

More updates to our Delivery/curbside pickup options for breweries and cideries in the region, as Upstreet BBQ Brewhouse in Dartmouth has re-opened (with beer and take and bake food options available), and Truro Brewing Co is trying out curb-side pickup for the first time this week (order in advance online for best results). As always, if we’ve missed something, or just want to chat, get in touch via email or social media (Ig and Tw preferred, but Fb exists too). Take care of yourselves! ?

We’ve got all of the detailed info on 2 Crows latest collaboration, a “Lagered wild ale w/ Riesling piquette”, Vinello. That mini-description right there is already begging for explanation, so don’t worry, we’ve got you covered (thanks to 2C, of course)! Waaaay back in mid-November – you know, about 6 years ago when shaking hands wasn’t weird? – the 2C peoples travelled to the Annapolis Valley to pay a visit to Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards. Of course they didn’t just drop in to say hello, and ended up leaving with a ton (just about literally) of freshly-pressed Riesling pomace (that pulpy residue leftover after the grapes have been crushed and the juice collected). This pomace was taken back to the 2C brewery and set in their blending tank with water to cover; after a week or so, this liquid had started fermenting with its native yeast. This method, which originated in France, produces a beverage known as piquette… basically a low-alcohol wine. Now that they had this part of the project raring to go, they called on Dave and Phil from St. Johns’ Bannerman Brewing to come over and brew up some wort; specifically, a base of Pilsner malt from Shoreline Malting, along with Spelt and raw wheat. The wort was transferred into one of the 2C oak foedres, along with a pitch of Mad Fermentationist Saison yeast from Bootleg Biology, and the actively-fermenting piquette. After 3 months of development, the beer was transferred to stainless and krausened with actively-fermenting Lager, dry-hopped with Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin, and lagered for six weeks. The final 4.9% ABV beer was packaged in cans, and is tasting “floral, earthy, with a lively acidity and a ton of complexity”. Check out 2C for more info on how to get your hands on some cans this weekend.

Let’s hop across the border (beer is essential services, right?) to New Brunswick, and more specifically Dieppe’s O’Creek Brewing. They’ve got a handful of beers pouring these days, so let’s get you up to speed! First up is their Raspberry Milk Stout, a 5.5% ABV milk stout, meaning lactose (aka milk sugar) was added to the brew for a touch of non-fermentable sweetness. The addition of raspberry puree during the conditioning phase completes the picture, for a beer reminiscent of a raspberry chocolate coffee cake. Switching to Sours, O’Creek has Berry Mango Sour out currently as well, a 5.0% ABV fruited sour with plenty of lovely tropical fruit character with a tart kick. A return to the hops for them is IPAdemic, a 6.8% ABV Milkshake IPA, featuring heavy handed use of hops, for a tropical note, bumped up with the addition of coconut to the conditioning beer before packaging.

O’Creek also has two beers in completely new styles for them, coming in the next little while. We figure we’d get you all excited for them now, however… The first is Bock, their take on the traditional malt-driven German style. This 5.8% ABV version pours with a dark-brown body and a creamy head. Hop bitterness helps to balance the malt sweetness of the lager. And finally from O’C this week, is their first release in bottles, Beach Fire. This big boozy fella (10% ABV) is a Smoked Barleywine, taking advantage of the absolute beast of a yeast Kveik, to ensure the beer was nice and tasty without finishing too sweet. All of these are available at their neighbour CAVOK Brewing, who are open 3 – 8 PM daily for take-away, or GMA delivery. And, who have a full complement of their own beers pouring and available too!

From one Nanobrewery to another, let’s return to Nova Scotia, where Hardisty Brewing in Colby Village has released their first foray into Imperial IPA territory. Emperor’s New Clothes weighs in at 7.0% ABV, and features a heavy dose of Centennial hops for bittering, to the tune of 61 IBUs, and finished off with Amarillo to complete the picture. Right now, the only way for a Hardisty fix is to be fortunate to live in their Colby Village delivery area (if you don’t currently live there, there are 20 houses for sale there as of today), with more options coming once the current situation eases.

Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewing has a new beer to try to help you deal with the madness of self-isolation. Based on the idea that peanut butter is an “eat it anytime” kind of food, they’ve put some into a “drink it anytime” kind of beer. PBP is a peanut butter porter weighing in at 6.2% ABV that’s perfect for having a beer when you don’t even know what time it is. With subtle chocolate flavors from the grist mingling with nutty goodness, expect a smooth and slightly creamy easy drinking beer. Available in cans for delivery along with a bunch of other Tire Shack goodness. Check their social media (Fb/Ig) for appropriate details on getting yourself some!

There’s still some new beers hitting the taps at Good Robot… of course, these will have to be enjoyed in the form of growler fills, likely in your own home, but hey, you can use your imagination and pretend you’re drinking them with friends at the taproom, maybe? This week they have two brand new beers, including Wilson Brown Ale, a 5.2% ABV Brown Ale (!) with notes of “dates, raisins, plums, and brown sugar”, and Blanket Fort IPA, which is 6.9% ABV and “medium-bodied, dank, and resinous”. Both beers are gluten-reduced as always, and join the FrontLiner Golden Ale we told you about last week, which is still available in short supply.

Our friends at Quidi Vidi have a couple of tasty new brews for those of you in their area this weekend. First up is a beer that is near and dear to head brewer Einar Holtet, an Altbier named Rhinegold. This is a recipe that Einar has been brewing since his younger years, when he learned to brew from his father (likely at an age that was just a wee bit earlier than 19!). This is the first time this beer has been brewed at Quidi Vidi, so that the rest of us can officially give it a try. Brewed with a variety of malts including 2-row, Pilsner, Carastan, Melanoidin, Red-X, Chit, and Dark Munich, it was hopped with Magnum, Perle, and Tradition. It comes in at an easy-drinking 5% ABV, and can be ordered online through QV now; it can also be found at select NLCs and convenience stores. While putting together your online order, keep their other newbie in mind, Pineapple Sour. A kettle sour with a grist of 2-row, Wheat malt, Maris Otter and Acid malt, it was hopped lightly with Cluster and features an addition of pineapple puree. At 5.6% ABV, expect some light tartness to complement all of that pineapple character. This one may also make its way to NLC stores next week, but it’s going fast so you’re best off buying it at the source.

If you’re starting to crave a well-crafted Kölsch (we don’t blame you, it is that time of year!), Stillwell Brewing has some exciting news for you! They’ve just canned (yes, their first cans!) Kompakt, a “Kölsch-style ale” brewed with Pilsner from Shoreline Malting. Hopped with Hallertau Mittelfrüh and fermented with Kölsch Ale yeast from Escarpment Labs, the beer was lagered for 2 months before packaging. Everything you want in a Kölsch, it’s tasting “clean, fresh, bitter, slightly fruity, and bready” with excellent foam and lacing (so make sure you pour this one into a glass). Cans of this 5% ABV beauty can be picked up at the brewery (back of 2015 Gottingen) today between 3-4:30pm; send them a DM after you’ve placed your order online so they can put it together and get it to you, contactless style. They’ll also be delivering tomorrow, so that’s an option, too! And while we’re too late to help you out this week, keep your eyes peeled to Bar Stillwell‘s Social Media (Instagram especially) for their return to being able to serve you some tasty food again. Yesterday and today saw Diner burgers, Tokyo fries, etc, etc, being available for curbside pickup, and we imagine the same will be happening next week as well. Plus you can add beer, wine, and cider from their Corner Store to accompany.

Tidehouse will be resuming their curbside pickup option for tomorrow (details on their social media), and they’ve got their popular Hibiscus City (a Gose w/ lime and hibiscus) available, along with two brand new beers. If you’re leaning towards the malty side of things this weekend, they’d like to introduce you to Albert, a “strong Amber ale” that was moderately-hopped with Idaho 7. Weighing in at 7% ABV, expect “deep stone fruit and light pine, backed by a touch of sweetness”. But maybe you’re more in a fruity, hoppy mood? They’ve got you covered there, as well, with Dry the Rain, an “Imperial Milkshake Sour”. Featuring additions of raspberry, blackberry, lactose, and vanilla, it’s 6.8% ABV and has lots of raspberry and vanilla character, with additional sweetness from the lactose. 

Halifax’s Chain Yard has introduced some new shipping deals for online ordering (free shipping for orders over $75 in NS, and free Canada-wide for orders over $150), and even have a couple of new products to help celebrate. First up is Pie Hard 2, a fusion of house-made cranberry and raspberry wine with a “select apple blend”. Coming in at a hefty 7.6% ABV, it was double-fermented and oaked, giving a “lightly sour taste with a burst of berry cider”; available in cans. If you’re looking for something a bit fancier, they have 750 mL bottles of Eper Öak (Strawberry), an 8.6% ABV blend of house-made strawberry wine double-fermented with Northern Spy apple juice. Aged in Hungarian oak for six months before bottling, the final cider is off-dry with notes of strawberry, leather, toffee, fig, and spice. Also keep in mind that if you’re in the HRM, they’ll deliver to your door for free with orders over $40 (check out their website for specifics).

Halifax’s Garrison has a bunch of stuff for us all this week with the results of their 2020 Home Brew-Off and a couple of new beers. Firstly, the competition winners as announced on Facebook last night: congratulations go out to homebrewers Dan McAloney (Honourable Mention), The Bràthair Brewing Collective (3rd Place), Julien Belliveau (2nd Place), and the big winner, Trevor Armstrong. The style this year was New England IPA, an difficult one, particularly for homebrewers, and with 57 entries, taking top prize is a serious achievement. Based on past years, look for Trevor’s beer to be brewed in early 2021 for release in Spring.

Meanwhile, in Garrison beer news, both of their new offerings this week are riffs on the IPA style. First up is one they’re calling Relax!!! a very limited seasonal only available in 473 mL cans at Garrison retail locations (Seaport and Oxford) and for home delivery. Described as “aggressively relaxing,” it was built on a base of Pilsner, Dark Munich and Honey malts, with Citra and Mandarina Bavaria comprising the hop side.The bend in the road comes with the addition of ginger and turmeric, a little bit of yin to the hoppy yang. Expect a balanced beer at 6.0% ABV and 32 IBU, with flavors of ginger and turmeric of course, but also caramel and orange, and a spicy bitterness on the finish.

Also new this week is the latest in Garrison’s Hop Trip series of IPAs: Citrus White IPA. Coming in at 5.5% ABV and 26 IBU, like all “white” IPAs this one is driven by the use of a Belgian yeast strain, which brings a bit of bubblegum and possibly a little bit of spiciness to an otherwise citrusy brew. Simple on the grist side, with just 2-row, wheat, and oat malts, the hops are a blend of Huell Melon, Mandarina Bavaria, and Citra, which along with the addition of orange peel give this beer a citrus kick in addition to some tropical flavors. This one is available in a novel 4×355 mL can format. You can check out one or both of these new beers via your usual means for acquiring Garrison products. And stay tuned, as we have reason to believe there’s another new IPA coming from Garrison soon, a sibling to their ever-popular Juicy IPA.

Back to cider, briefly, where Lake City has the latest iteration in their Alpha Series of hopped ciders. Alpha 4.0 features both El Dorado and Chinook hop varieties, lending some pineapple, citrus, and pine character to the base cider. Check out their delivery details for info on how to give this one a try.

We have some details on the latest from New Scotland Brewing, a Zwickelbier named Alderney Dry. Think of it as an unfiltered Helles, and the smaller brother to Kellerbier. Named after the street they’re located on in Dartmouth, the beer is a 4.9% ABV, easy-drinking Lager that has been available on tap at the brewery for a while, but is now in cans and available to a wider audience. If you act *right now* you may be able to catch their cutoff for Friday delivery, otherwise head to the brewery 11 – 7 PM daily to grab a few.

We’ve got a handful of fruity-adjunct beers (and not) for you today as well, so let’s work our way into those…

Let’s start with Propeller, who have released what will be this year’s summer seasonal, Lime Lite. A Light Lager (4.5% ABV, to be exact) infused with fresh lime (and lemon, apparently), it’s thirst-quenching and refreshing, with “bright citrus aromas and flavours”. Cans are currently at Propeller and some of the private liquor stores in Halifax, and should be hitting NSLC stores very soon.

Going in another direction for a summer refresher are Shelburne’s Boxing Rock who are releasing their The Shandy this week. For those not in the know, a shandy is the British version of a radler, where beer meets fruit juice for a light and hydrating summer cooler. In this case, BR went with the tried and true lemonade (their own), but a bit of a twist by blending it with their cranberry-laden kettle sour Over the Top. The result is a 2.5% ABV quaffer that’s light and tart and perfect for après mow (assuming summer comes eventually). Available 6-packs of cans through their online ordering platform.

And lastly, Hell Bay in Liverpool has decided to hop on the hard seltzer train with Mangoberry and Margarita flavors now available. The former features a blend of 100% unsweetened mango, blueberry and cranberry, while the latter is, we believe, lime and bit of salt. At 5% ABV and 0 IBU, we’re not sure how much, if any, beer character they boast, but if you’re looking for something fruity and don’t care whether it’s beery, these sound like just the thing. Available for growler fills only (with appropriate social distancing and sanitary protocols) from the brewery.

That’s it for the beer and cider and seltzer talk for today, but before we leave you…

In case you haven’t gotten enough beer talk in today, may we recommend some more? The fine fellas over at the 902 BrewCast released a new episode earlier this week, their April Tasting one. They drank, and chatted about, a couple of new releases (North Brewing’s Goin’ Down the Road Helles and Roof Hound’s Gimme a Hint <1% ABV Pale Ale), plus whatever else is grinding their gears this time.

And after a little hiatus, the Newfoundland Beer Podcast has come back in full force, with 4 episodes released in the last month, looking into Food and Beer pairing, kegerator maintenance, the connection of beer and sport, and more!