Brasseurs du Petit Sault

All posts tagged Brasseurs du Petit Sault

Good morning, beer fans! After the beer news overload we experienced last week, things have slowed down a bit… maybe the snow and colder weather has something to do with it? Either way, there’s still some news to share for this week!

• Hammond River has a couple of new beers in their pipeline… first up is a revamp of one of their first flagship brews, Hop Flash IPA. Brewer Shane Steeves simplified the grain bill to contain 2-row as the base malt, plus some CaraRed (the original beer also had Munich and Melanoidin malt in the grist). The hops have changed slightly: Warrior is used for bittering, with Chinook, Cascade and Centennial added during the boil for flavour, and Amarillo in the dry-hop (as opposed to Cascade in version 1). It still comes in at 66 IBUs and 6.6% ABV, but as Steeves explains, “The goal is to show how a different grain bill and slightly different hop profile can affect the taste profile of a beer”. Look for Hop Flash 2 to appear within a few weeks. HR will also be brewing a new beer soon, inspired by several Nut Brown Ales that Steeves brewed in his homebrewing days. This one is being categorized as a “Nut Red” Ale (“a cross between an American Amber and Irish Red”, says Steeves), with “lots of toasty, biscuity, and nutty flavours”. The recipe is still being hashed out, but we can expect it to come in at approximately 5.5% ABV. Finally, their Imperial Vanilla Porter is available once again at most HR accounts, with a lucky two (James Joyce and the Barrel’s Head) receiving the 9.2% ABV Bourbon version!

Sea Level has just released their first Belgian-style beer, a Farmhouse Ale named New Moon. Fermented with a Belgian yeast strain to give the beer some spicy phenolics and fruity esters, there was also some Chinese rock sugar and dried orange peel added in the fermentor, with more orange peel added in the brite tank for further conditioning. A strong beer at 9% ABV, it is currently available in cans at the brewery retail store, and should also be at Harvest Wines & Spirits and Bishop’s Cellar today. Look for it to also pop up on tap at select accounts.

Last Friday, we hinted at a big announcement coming from Red Rover, and they confirmed earlier this week that one of their goals has finally been reached! As of Tuesday, 750 mL bottles of their ciders are now available for sale at select ANBL stores. The initial launch includes their Spring, Fall, and Fire ciders, which are available at all four Fredericton ANBL locations, with most stores in Saint John following shortly, along with Dieppe (Regis St.); check online for updates on stock and locations. We can likely expect new seasonal releases to hit stores as well. RR’s Adam Clawson had this to say about the announcement: “We are really excited; it is a major milestone in creating a craft cider industry in New Brunswick. We would really like to thank all of our customers for their continued support, as this will now enable Red Rover to reach people unable to get to our farmers market and The Ciderhouse.”

• While we’re on the topic of new, local releases at the ANBL, both Railcar and Maybee Brewing announced this week that some of their beers should be on shelves very soon. Railcar’s first beers will be their Artisan Brown and Café Buzz Porter; both will be available in 500 mL bottles, and should be for sale by this weekend. Look for Railcar Red to follow in another two weeks. The Perth-Andover and Woodstock stores will likely be stocked first, with stores between Grand Falls and Fredericton hopefully following in the near future before further expansion to Saint John and Moncton by summer. Maybee Brewing will start off with their Work Horse IPA (one of their first two flagship beers), which will be available in 500 mL cans sometime next week. As above, be sure to check online for exact info on stock and locations. While not showing up at publishing time, check out these links for the ANBL’s current inventory of Railcar and Maybee beers.

• Tickets are now on sale for the Fredericton Poutine Festival on Saturday, April 2nd. This is the first time the event has been scheduled outside of the fall season, but after the continuing popularity of recent festivals, it was decided to have another one! April’s event will be very familiar to the most recent one on November 21st: it will take place at the Crowne Plaza, and will feature three different sessions, two of which offer various ticket options for anywhere from 4 to 16 beer tickets for 4-oz samples of a selection of over 20 local craft beer. And, of course, unlimited samples of approximately 15 different types of poutine, even more than last time! The brewery list is still being finalized, but this year’s festival will feature a majority of breweries located in Fredericton. Check out the ticket link for more details, and be sure to buy yours quickly – previous events have sold out quickly, and more than 40% of tickets have already been sold since going on sale yesterday morning at 11 am!

Boxing Rock has released details on the Black Box Challenge, their first homebrew competition… with a twist. After paying a $45+HST entry fee, entrants will pick up their Black Box, which contains eight different malts, five hop varieties, and two yeast strains. Using any or all of these ingredients, you can brew any style that you want (under 9% ABV)… but you can’t use any outside ingredients (well, except water of course!). Each Black Box is identical, and contains enough ingredients to brew a 1-gallon test batch and two 5-gallon batches (depending on the style). Only one entry per person, and the number of entrants is being limited to twenty (you can register and pay online). Judging will take place at Stillwell on Sunday, March 6th; all entrants are required to make a short (<5 min) presentation on their entry for judges, highlighting their recipe planning, the brewday, and your final product. That presentation, along with the beer, will be judged, and the winning entry and brewer will be invited to scale up their recipe at Boxing Rock in Shelburne. The beer will be released in time for Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week in May. Half of the entry fees and proceeds from the full-scale batch will be donated to the Shelburne Loyalist Food Bank. Sign up today (there are only a few boxes left!) and pick up your Box from Stillwell starting Jan 23rd. Good luck!

• We’ve spotted several other new beers in the wild this week, but haven’t been able to gather too much information for you just yet. Rest assured, we’re on the case! In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the newest beers from Hell Bay (the return of their very popular R.I.P. (A), their 7.3%, 120 IBU, IPA), Meander River (Cold Porridge Oatmeal Stout), and a pair of new German-inspired beers from Paddys Irish Brewpub (Decem-beer Bock coming in at 6.1% and 15 IBUs, and a 6.8% Weizenbock).

Don’t forget to pick up a growler or pint of Spindrift‘s The Abyss Schwarzbier, being released today (with a special coffee-infused cask debuting last night at the Craft Beer and Local Food event). Check out the fun as Upstreet visits Halifax this weekend, with tickets for their Sunday Beer Pairing Luncheon at Stubborn Goat now on sale. And grab a pint of Johnny Jacks’ latest creation, Showshoe Winter Ale, at Sour Grape Cafe, and now on tap at the James Joyce. Brasseurs du Petit-Sault have re-brewed their Canon Franchetti Cappuccino Stout, and it should be available by mid-February; this batch is also going to be bottled this time around. And look for a trio of AlphaBrews (large scale Experimental batches) from the mind of Good Robot Brewmaster Doug Kehoe: their “Märzen“, a traditional Festbier with a cherrywood-smoked malt twist; a “Saison“, with a chewy plum spice character; and v3.0 of Burban Legend APA, dry-hopped with El Dorado for a citrus and watermelon aroma.

Happy Friday everyone! Lots of new beers and taproom openings to tell you about today, so let’s dive right in.

Petit-Sault just released their newest brew, Maxime Albert, a Belgian Tripel. Winner of the bronze medal in the Belgian-Style Specialty Ale category in the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards, it iss named after one of New Brunswick’s most famous bootleggers. The beer features a relatively simple recipe of Pilsner malt and Belgian candi sugar to boost the alcohol level (all the way to 9.3% ABV) and give a drier finish, both of which are indicative to the style. Hopped with Hallertau and Saaz to 35 IBUs, it was also lightly spiced with a “secret mix” of spices. Pouring with a “rich, golden honey” appearance, it has an aroma of sweet malt, spicy alcohol, and “light floral notes”, according to the brewery. Expect complex flavours of “malt, pepper, citrus, floral and herbal”, followed by a smooth alcohol warmth. The beer is currently on tap at the brewery and at all four ANBL growler stations this weekend, and should follow in bottles within the next few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled at your favourite beer bars/restaurant in the province, as it may turn up at these locations as well.

• Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing opened their adjacent taproom late last week, Charm School. In addition to the three core beers, and handful of seasonals now pouring (Daytimer Berliner Weisse, Hop Riot IRA, Flat Black Jesus American Stout, Double Orange Ale DIPA), they are also featuring a special collaboration release with  Jeff Saunders of Bad Apple BrewhouseSmokeshow is an “Imperial Rauchbier” brewed with 100% Smoked malt; the beer was then aged on hickory for an entire year. It’s a big beer, coming in at a massive 11.2% ABV! The only way to grab this beer, for now, is on tap at 6041 North Street, so be sure to drop by for a pint. Charm School is open daily (except Monday) from 4pm.

• We now have more details on this year’s first batch of Yellowbelly‘s Mummer’s Ale. The grist is quite complex, with 2-row, light Carastan, Munich, Flaked Barley, Pale Chocolate malt and Black malt. Two different types of sugar (Belgian candi and turbinado) were also added, as well as local honey from Murray Meadows Farm. Including further additions of cacao nibs from the Newfoundland Chocolate Factory, and fresh-pressed cranberry juice from Rodrigues Winery. Weighing in at ~6.5% ABV, expect a warming, very complex brew! The Mummer’s will be released at the brewery mid-next week, and should also be available in bottles shortly thereafter.

• There’s a new beer pouring at the Rockbottom Brewpub these days, a special German-style brew. Sticke Alt is an Altbier, traditional to the German city of Dusseldorf. The name translates as “Secret Old”: Secret, as the breweries/pubs would keep this special brew on a hidden or unmarked tap handle, and only pour it for the regular patrons; Old, because this beer is closer to an ale than a lager (the refrigeration required for lager brewing is a relatively new development in beer’s history). The good news is, anyone can enjoy this brew at the ‘bottom! The grain bill features mostly Pilsner malt with a bit of German specialty malts for colour and body (and was brewed using the traditional Hochkurz step-mash schedule), and the hop bill is great Eastern European and Noble hops, featuring plenty of Dana, Magnum, and Saaz, for an American IPA feel from Continental European malts and hops. The final product comes in at 5.8% ABV and a hefty 50 IBUs, and is available now for pints as well as growler fills.

Big Tide has brought back a seasonal favourite, their Santa’s Chocolate Porter. Brewed with 2-row, CaraMunich, and Chocolate malt, the beer is lightly hopped to 25 IBUs. Coming in at a sessionable 4.8% ABV, it features additions during secondary fermentation of vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon, making it a flavorful, spicy beer for the holidays. It’s currently on tap at the brewpub, and will be available for growler fills at all four ANBL stores at the end of next week (Dec 18th weekend).

• Also on tap now at Big Tide is Unbegrentz Lager, a Munich Helles. Featuring a Pilsner malt base, and generously hopped with Columbus and Hallertau, this beer features an addition of Labrador Tea for a twist on this traditional German style. The beer features 4.8% ABV.

• There’s plenty going on this month with Fredericton’s Sunset Heights Meadery! First up is a “bottle takeover” at the James Joyce Pub tonight. This Mead Your Maker event will feature several of their still meads, including THORArthur’s Mischief, Hunt, Appily Married and the “Honey Cones” Dry Hopped Meads. The latter will be available as a set of eight 1 oz pours (featuring single hopped versions with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Fuggle, Galena, Nugget, Magnum and Willamette, as well as a 2 oz pour of each of their Multi-Hop and unhopped base versions. In addition, if you try this sampler ($20), you will be given the opportunity to buy a case of “Honey Cones” (this weekend marks the second release of these meads, which sold out at the first release in October) before they officially go on sale online. And keep an eye on the Pollen Angels store on the weekend, as a limited number of these expressions will be available for home delivery.

Good Robot has announced that they will be opening their taproom at 2736 Robie very soon, and have released a video sneak peak at the space and plans. They will be pouring 12 taps, featuring their core lineup of brews, special casks/blends, and small batch experimental brews from homebrewers and friends of the Robots. As such, they will be temporarily pulling the Crown on the Ground Steam Beer from the brewing rotation, so fans should stock up now (they will still have it in kegs for a while, fear not!). Look for new brews like Marzen, Saison (which will be joining the regular lineup shortly), Session IPA (our own Chris was invited to help brew this collaboration), Smoked Molasses Porter, and many more as time goes on. Have a cool idea for a small-batch brew? Get in touch! The taproom will also feature food from some great local providers, including Food Noise, Halifax Press, and Salvatore’s Pizza.

• New Brunswick’s newest brewery, First City Brewery, has quietly made their debut in Saint John! Owned and operated by Adam McQueen and Jeff Gibbons, three initial beers are now listed through ANBL for beers bars and restaurants to order for kegs: their Extra Special Bitter, IPA, and Rhuberry Blonde Ale, with the IPA currently at the R-Bar in downtown Saint John. Plans are to be pouring at the Peel Pub and Bourbon Quarter in the very near future, with other accounts to follow shortly after. They will also have their beers at both the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and Saint John Beer Fest in 2016. Welcome, First City! We’ll have more info on the brewery and beers very soon.

• Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing has expanded their storefront hours to include Saturday hours (now M-F, 11-6, Sat 12-4pm). Drop by for samples and growler fills of their flagship Coastal Lager, which is also available in an unfiltered variant only at the brewery. Spindrift has also expanded their territory East, to Newfoundland. Coastal Lager hit the shelves of the NLC this week, and can be found from Labrador City to St John’s. Check the NLC site for locations near you.

• Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has put together a new take on their Weizen beer. Pear Hug Weisse is a 5.2% Hefeweizen with an addition of pear juice to the brew. Bringing in a sweet character and characteristic fruit flavour and aroma, it is a unique take on this old style. This limited-time beer is on tap at the brewery for samples and growler fills now, and will make it to local bars as well. The brewery has expanded their taps to pour 11 beers for growler fills, or onsite tasting. Joining the Pear Hug and their 5 core brands currently are Imperial IPAMartello StoutRisin’ Stein WeisseSpruce Beer, and Winter Warmer. And remember, the Home Brew-Off entries are due February 11th, just two months away. Homebrewers from across the Maritimes are encouraged to take an American IPA, and make it something more, by adding herbs, fruit, different yeasts, etc. Details and forms are available on their site.

• Residents and visitors of Florenceville-Bristol in New Brunswick have a pair of new brews to look forward to this weekend. Railcar Brewing has released a pair of beers to keep you warm: Raspberry Stout is a 7.7% ABV American Stout, with raspberries added for a lovely fruit flavour and aroma, to offset the hefty 55 IBUs; Christmas Spiced Ale is a 5.5% ABV beer featuring spices reminiscent of gingerbread and mulled wine and keeping warm around the fire. Both beers are on tap at the brewery taproom now, along with their Artisan BrownCafe Buzz, Orange RyeTrainwreck IPA; the taproom will be open daily until Christmas for growler and schwag sales, as well as rental for parties.

Battery Park Beer Bar at 62 Ochterloney in Dartmouth opened yesterday, with a full complement of brews and food for thirsty patrons. Pouring beers (and wine and house-made soda) from across the province, the downstairs space also serves as North Brewing’s second storefront, offering growler fills and bottles to go. Debuting this week is Dartmouth Dark, a 4.5% dark lager with cold-brewed coffee from neighbours Anchored Coffee added to the brew. And just released today are bottles of Glenora Barrel Aged Strong Dark Belgian, available at both the Halifax and Dartmouth storefronts. North is open daily from noon, and Battery Park from 2pm (both are closed Tuesdays).

• A bit of an update concerning the upcoming Christmas Beer Garden at the Market in Fredericton, scheduled for Sunday, December 20th: due to overwhelming interest, tickets for the event have been sold out. Originally, a small handful of “early bird” tickets were made available, and included a special glass and four 20 oz beer tickets. More tickets were sold than originally planned; unfortunately, due to a limited number of people allowed to enter the market area, dropping in to the event is no longer an option. Luckily, organizers behind the market event already have bigger plans for next year’s holiday season, to allow more people to partake in the celebrations!

Just a few more notes for this week: The Grimross Dubbel Noel was just kegged, so look for that one to be popping up for growler fills at the brewery, and on tap in the area, any day now. The new hoppy Amber from TrailWay has been named – Good Aura – and is now pouring in Fredericton; more info on that beer in last week’s post. Hammond River just announced that their beers will now be available on tap at Moncton’s Tide & Boar; also, their new Foghorn Coffee Porter is on tap at Bourbon QuarterSaint John Ale House, and The Barrel’s Head. Upstreet is holding a tap takeover at the Water’s Edge upcoming Ugly Sweater party on Friday, December 18th at 8 pm; along with their regular line-up, look for a special cask of their new stout, Black Tie Affair, featuring the addition of coconut and cocoa nib tea. Phewf! Have a great weekend!

G’day! Along with your weekly dose of regional beer news comes the announcement of yet another new brewery in Atlantic Canada. Let’s get to it!

• Fredericton will soon be seeing the launch of the city’s very first brewpub, as Mama’s Pub (a local establishment that has been operating on Fredericton’s North Side for 23 years) plans to start brewing on a 2 BBL (~225 L) system in the near future. Manager Ryan Kingston will be the brewer, and has developed several “flagship beer” recipes with the help of brewer/consultant Andrew ‘Esty’ Estabrooks. They plan on launching their first three beers – an American Pale Ale, Brown Ale, and Session IPA – by Christmas, with Estabrooks staying on as consultant to see the brewery through its initial developing stages. All beers will be available on tap at Mama’s only, with four seasonal rotating beers to follow in 2016. Plans currently include growler fills onsite sometime in the future, and there will be 15 other taps in addition to the Mama’s beers. We’ll have a Q&A posted in the near future; stay tuned!

Picaroons has announced future plans to open a brewery and retail space in downtown St. Stephen. Located at 5 King St., the establishment will be in collaboration with an “experienced chef”, who will run a co-joined but separately-operated brewpub. Still in the development phase, the current working name is The Five Kings. We’ll have more details in the future as they become available!

• We also have details on the opening date plans for Battery Park Beer Bar in Dartmouth. This joint venture between Brooklyn Warehouse and North Brewing will be opening their doors December 10th. Why December 10th? Owner Leo Christakos is a board member of the Slow Food NS association, and their annual Terra Madre Day is on that date, celebrating the founding of Slow Food in 1989. The Terra Madre initiative is a celebration of local food (including beer) through community events, including meals, festivals, workshops and more. BPBB’s opening will be a culmination of their months of preparation, and so it is fitting to hold it on that date. They will be pouring several new beers and current favourites, both brewed onsite and at North’s Agricola Street location. As the exact timing and beer details are announced, we’ll be sure to share them. And drop by North today after noon to pick up a bottle of Two, the beer brewed in celebration of Stillwell’s second anniversary.

• Moncton’s Pump House Brewery has released the 2015 edition of their Stonefire Ale. It was brewed using the Steinbier technique, which involves heating the wort not by heating a kettle, but by super-heating rocks to 700C and dropping them directly into the wort. This leads to lots of sugar caramelization, and even a faint hint of smokiness in the final product. The bitterness of the beer is very low, under 10 IBUs, leaving lots of room for the 6.5% ABV, with the beer coming through slightly sweet. It is widely available at the ANBL in bottles now. Pump House has also brought back their Bière de Garde seasonal, a 6.5% ABV amber beer with Belgian yeast character spiciness, and balancing hop bitterness from Chinook and Golding.

Garrison Brewing is coming to Sackville, New Brunswick in the form of a massive tap-takeover at Ducky’s Bar! Starting tomorrow, November 21st, at 7 pm, there will be 18 taps pouring various Garrison beers, many of which are special releases such as Not So Gentle Tickle IPA, Double Jack Imperial Pumpkin Ale, 3 Fields Harvest, Sweet Rye’d Harvest Wheat Ale, and their Proud Rose-Mary, the “Gastronome IPA” normally exclusive to the harbourstone sea grill & pour house in Halifax. There is no cover charge, but if you purchase a ticket for $10, you will receive a specially-branded Belgian-style glass and five 5 oz drink tickets; sign up in advance at the bar, and you get an additional two drink tickets. Those with the branded glass will be able to purchase additional 5 oz pours for the special price of $2.25.

• In additional Garrison news, their seasonal Winter Warmer is back, starting today. Just in time for colder temperatures, this 7% ABV dark beer is perfect for sipping, and, new this year, is available in 6-packs, perfect for sharing (or not!). And next Saturday, the 28th, will see the launch of this year’s Spruce Beer, with a cask of both the Spruce Beer and Winter Warmer, as well as mulled cider, on at the brewery.

PEI Brewing Co. has officially set the date for this year’s Transmitter Coffee Stout release. A delicious beer that was brewed in collaboration with local Receiver Coffee Co., last year’s batch featured plenty of roasted coffee flavour and aroma, and was more than worth the Herculean task of getting the wax off the bottle cap! The 750 mL bottles will be available for purchase at the brewery starting at 5 pm next Tuesday (November 24th); there will be live music from Dave Woodside until 7pm, and both PEIBC brewers and Receiver employees will be on hand to answer questions about the beer and coffee (with samples of both available for sampling). Like last year’s batch, supplies will be limited, so load up while you have the chance! And for you procrastinators, there are still a few bottles available of Hell Street, their barrel-aged Doppelbock, at both the brewery and PEILCC.

• The seasonal beer re-release news doesn’t stop there, as Propeller‘s very popular Russian Imperial Stout, Revolution, is back for another year. Already in bottles and on tap at their Halifax and Dartmouth brewery shops, it will also be popping up soon at NSLC stores in the next few weeks. This dark, strong (8% ABV), complex ale features plenty of roasted and chocolate notes, along with a smooth, warming finish from the higher alcohol. For the first time, it will also be available at select ANBL locations by early 2016.

Big Spruce has just released Gimme Simcoe, the latest in the “Gimme” line of single-hop Pale Ales, with Bar Stillwell as conspirators. Weighing in at 5.0% ABV, this light-bodied brew showcases the Simcoe hop, added especially late in the process to magnify the hop’s aroma and flavour over bitterness. On tap now at the brewery, and shortly at Stillwell and elsewhere in our region. And one final reminder, entry forms for the Home Brew Challenge are due via email Nov 23rd, and beers must be submitted to the brewery, or the Halifax drop-point, no later than Friday the 27th.

• The Nook and Cranny in Truro has a new beer on tap at the pub. Their first dark beer is a 4.7% ABV Milk Stout, brewed on-site on their SmartBrew system. Smooth-drinking, with a bit of roast and sweetness, it should be a great beer for the cooler months. Like the rest of their beers, it’s currently available at the pub for pints and growler fills.

• The Ladies Beer League is holding a Holiday Brunch at Stillwell on December 6th. The party starts at noon with the launching of the Boxing Rock/Big Spruce collaboration Triskaidekaphobia, plus some great brunch food from Chef Graeme Ruppel, including Eggs Benedict, Frittata, and Biscuits & Gravy. Tickets are $32.40, and include food and first pour of Tris, and LBL members receive a $5 discount. Doors open at 4pm to the public.

That’s it for this week! If you’re in Charlottetown, BarNone‘s award-winning Black IPA, Black Eye P.A., has returned; you can find it on tap at Baba’s Lounge and The Old Triangle. And another award-winning beer, La Buckdjeuve from Petit-Sault, is currently pouring at all four ANBL growler stations, is available in bottles at the brewery now and in select ANBL locations starting next week (if you don’t see it, ask for it!), for a limited time only. Grimross has re-released their Maritime Amber Ale, a 5.6% ABV beer hopped towards the British side of the spectrum (earthy instead of fruity/citrusy). Finally, tomorrow is the third annual Fredericton Poutine Festival; the sold-out event will feature 11 breweries pouring approximately 25 different different beers, ciders and mead, served with unlimited samples of over 12 different styles of poutine! Hope to see you there!