Breton Brewing

All posts tagged Breton Brewing

We’ve made it to the end of another week and somehow it’s the last Friday of November, which means thousands of Atlantic Canadians will be precariously perched on ladders this weekend, stringing up holiday lights, and cracking a cold one as they step back and admire all of those randomly burnt out bulbs. As our neighbours to the south nurse their Thanksgiving hangovers, you’re likely being bombarded with countless Black Friday emails and posts. Before you buy that 3-in-1 combination air fryer, pasta maker, pizza oven that you’ll probably never use, take a scroll through the latest beer news, and consider directing your hard earned cash towards your favourite producer of fermented beverages instead. Or consider taking advantage of our one-day only ACBB sale where you can snag a one-year subscription to the blog for 50% off!

Let us catch you up on a pair of late-last-week releases that are now available throughout the Avalon craft beer convenience store. The crew from Mount Pearl’s Landwash made the trek out to Port Rexton to brew two beers from just one mash! Let us explain… At the end of the mashing period, the sugary water (wort) is separated from the barley and other malted grain in the mash tun, and transferred to the kettle for the boil. That leftover grain still has some sugary goodness left on it, and a second dose of water can be used to rinse the malt clean, giving rise to the start of another beer! This technique is known as parti-gyle brewing, and has been around for centuries. While the two resultant beers will have the same base grains, due to the concentration of sugars, they will have quite different potential alcohol levels, and can be treated with different intensities of hops and other ingredients.

Ursa Major Double IPA is the first beer to come out of that double-brew, weighing in at a hefty 8.5% ABV. Using loads of late-addition hops (low bitterness, high aroma and flavour), namely Sultana and Amarillo, it features orange, pineapple, and a hint of pine, on a slightly-sweet finish.

Ursa Minor IPA is the parti-gyled beer made from the second runnings of wort, with an ABV of just 3.9%. As it was boiled separately, a different combo of hops could be used in the kettle, in this case Lotus and Azacca, imparting citrus and stone fruit on the palate, with a dry finish.

Both of these stellar-inspired beers are available at Port Rexton and Landwash on tap for pints and growler fills, and distributed to Port Rexton’s St. John’s Retail Shop, as well as their other retail partners.

Staying in Newfoundland, Bannerman has a big weekend ahead with two new releases. First up is Red Eye, a coffee milk stout. To get the most possible coffee character into the beer, the team added coffee during every step in the brewing process, including broken beans in the mash tun, kettle and fermenter. Before packaging, some of the fermented beer was also soaked on more beans overnight, before being added back into the main batch. Combine all of that coffee with the addition of lactose and you’ve basically got your morning pick me up ready to go in beer form. The coffee for this one comes from Cape Coffee Roasters, a new roaster in Cape Broyle. Cans and pours are available now at the brewery with cans also seeing wider distribution through Bannerman’s usual channels. And what goes better with your coffee than a piece of toast with a bit of Nan’s homemade jam? Their next release, Either/Or is a fruited sour that combines big fruit flavour with some slight tartness, just like Nan’s jam. You’ll also find cans and pours of this one at the brewery, with cans seeing wider distribution later this weekend.

Rolling over to Cape Breton, Sydney’s Breton Brewing has a brand new seasonal release for the holidays with Milk n’ Cookies Stout. Not your average stout, this one has additions of chocolate chip cookies from their friends at Not Just Cakes and lactose sugar to create a sweet, bitter and balanced brew. Easy drinking at 5% this is available on tap or in cans from the brewery and for delivery, and in select NSLCs, too.

Back to Newfoundland for another round this week, Deer Lake’s Rough Waters Brewing teamed up with the fine folks of The Newfoundland Embassy in St. John’s for their latest release. Ambassador is a 4.7% German Pilsner, as the two teams wanted to maximize easy drinking and super refreshing as they came together. Light-bodied, crisp, clean, and able to pair with whatever you’re eating! Pints are obviously available at the Embassy now, with cans at Urban Market 1919, and wider distro through the NLC soon.

Kentville’s Maritime Express Cider has a pair of new expressions available in their shop. 2020 Sparkling Perry is an all-pear cider, aged on lees in the bottle for two years. This extended aging period in the bottle has allowed it to dry out completely (no residual sugar), and is sparkling for a bubbly rush of candied pear and tropical fruit. Joining it is 2021 Sparkling Sour Berry, their apple cider base co-fermented with raspberries and rose hips, and blended with two-year aged cranberry wine. Allowed to undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle before an extended cellaring period. Also finishing quite dry, the fruit additions lend much to the aroma and impart a tart finish.

Beausoleil Farmstead Cider in Port Williams has a new release this month, Valley Fields. Crisp Valley-grown pears and a field blend of estate-grown Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, and Frontenac Gris grapes, were co-fermented to finish dry, a light carbonation enhances the aromatic and light acidity in the glass. Their tasting room and retail shop at 1469 B Church Street in Port Williams is open 1 – 4 PM Saturday for visitors, or by appointment at other times.

Speaking of Beausoleil, wine- and cider-maker extraordinaire Melanie Eelman has once again lent her knowledge to the folks at Saltbox Brewing on the South Shore, helping them to launch Rosemary. Featuring Annapolis Valley apple cider, blended with a Marquette wine, infused with rosemary, this blend features herbal notes along with ripe apple, field berries, and a touch of spice. This 6.7% hybrid is available in cans at Saltbox and its sibling breweries.

Staying in the cider-verse, Dartmouth’s finest, Lake City Cider, has a brand new release that is winter-inspired. Gingersnap is a spicy and sweet little cider that uses Annapolis Valley apples, freshly pressed ginger root, and a bit of molasses for some balance. The fresh ginger is the star here, bringing you the fragrant nose and bit of refreshing spice like that you’d expect, all in a 7% package. It’s available now from the cidery in 473ml cans and is also available online.

Rounding out the cider news for this week is the latest from Paradise’s Mauzy Cider. Once again taking advantage of feral and undeveloped apple trees, Devil’s Acid began life during the 2021 harvest. Starting with apples from Burin Bay and Golden Hornet Crabapples from Torbay, these were co-spontaneously-fermented with the skins of Dolgo crabapples, with the combination of crabapple varieties imparting a serious acidity in the glass. This 6.8% cider was bottle conditioned with a touch of apple juice for some carbonation. Like their other releases, look for them online for pickup in Paradise, and at cider, wine, and beer friendly spots around Town.

Staying in Paradise (we’ve got two tickets after all!), if you’re able to, hit up Banished Brewing for their brand new release, a collaboration with Toslow (a cafe, but generally delicious food establishment). Crosstown Cooldown is a Coffee Porter featuring beans from the Montreal roaster Traffic Coffee Co. The result is a highly drinkable, roasty and full beer with a great balance at 5%. This is canned and available now from the brewery and next week it will be hitting retailers.

Also new this week is the final form of the Puffin! If you’ve been following along with the themed releases from Banished, there were 3 previous variations and now the 4-pack is complete. New this week is Intergalactic Puffin, a triple IPA, the clear next step up from the previous Session NEIPA, NEIPA and double NEIPA, and coming in hot at 10% ABV. Very full, juicy, and surprisingly easy drinking for the style and ABV, it features loads of Mosaic during the boil and whirlpool, and was dry-hopped with equal parts Citra and Sabro, enhancing the citrus and tropical notes seen in the rest of the Puffin family. This beer is available now in cans from the brewery and will also hit retailers next week. If you’re looking to get the full vertical of the Puffin releases, you better hurry, as there is only a limited amount of Space Pufflin (Session NEIPA) left. Get your ticket to Paradise, pack your bag and leave tonight!

At the Seaport in Halifax, Garrison Brewing has a brand new release, which we’re already picturing having around for the holidays. Night Mooves is a Coffee Milk Stout that is lower on ABV (at 4.5%) but high on roasted coffee, dark chocolate and a bitter-sweet impression from combination of coffee, roasted malts, and lactose. Here’s the fun part for many of you, let’s look at the ingredients! The malt bill here features pale, munich, caramel & chocolate malts, along with some roasted barley. The hop bill gets balance and backing from the classic German Hallertau and the brew also features additions of lactose and coffee from West Ender Coffee. This one is available in 473ml cans now at both Garrison locations, on the website for delivery, and at Liquid Assets.

Boxing Rock has two new releases that are sure to appeal to fans of stone fruit flavours. Up first is Black and Tan: Stout and Pale. This one is a 5.2% ABV blend of Patricius, their Irish Stout, and a blonde wheat ale that saw an infusion of apricot, leading to a combo of roasty and stone fruit notes. Next up is Intergalactic, an American Pale Ale. A combination of new-world hops and an infusion of apricot leads to notes of pineapple, grass, and stone fruit. Cans of both are available now through Boxing Rock’s two retail locations and their online store. In other Boxing Rock news, their much revered Double IPA, Vicar’s Cross, is making its final appearance in bomber bottles after almost 10 years and over 1 million bottles sold! This DIPA was one of the first produced in Nova Scotia that was widely available in packaged format and introduced many budding craft beer enthusiasts to the style. To celebrate the retirement of the bombers, Boxing Rock is planning a package that includes a special edition commemorative bottle and a Vicar’s Cross hat. Pre-orders for the package go live on December 6.

Tire Shack Brewing out of Moncton has a brand new release this week, too, and if you’re noticing a theme this week of sweet treat additions to beer, you’re not alone. Scoop! There It Is! is an Apple Pie Ice Cream Beer (not a stout) released with a special ice cream recipe from Lost and Found Ice Cream in Moncton. The beer features a clean malt bill with a clear, amber colour, but features big additions of 100L of fresh ice cream (loaded with whole vanilla beans and cinnamon) and then 125 kilograms of apple pie filling. Both adjuncts were added during fermentation, so expect big flavours to carry through in a clean 5% beer. This is available in pints, cans and growlers directly from the brewery.

We’ve got a new beer from Nova Scotia’s North Shore Tatamagouche Brewing, plus a way for you to enjoy it in the big city this weekend! Collusion Double IPA started life in the mash tun with a base of Horton Ridge pale and Shoreline Pilsner malts, amped up with malted oats and wheat, and combined with some Chit malt (the last having undergone a very short germination stage, leaving plenty of complex starch and sugar to increase mouthfeel in the final beer). After mashing, this saw a heavy-handed addition of Nugget hops early in the boil for bitterness, with a post-boil addition of a blend of Cascade, Centennial, and Bravo. Really taking this big IPA to the next level of aroma was a one-two punch of Citra and Mosaic oil extract for a big blast of citrus and tropical fruit. For fermentation they used a New England-style ale yeast, playing in the “hazy” realm, while still being eye-appealing. And while the yeastie beasties were working away, more hops were added, including Citra dry hop extract, the first time the Tata crew has played with this product. Collusion is out now, with cans, pints, and growler fills available at the brewery, and for those in HRM, the perfect time to try it may be at the Tatamagouche Tap Takeover at Battery Park Saturday! With 16 draught lines filled with a mix of new releases and old favourites, including a Baltic Porter from 2017(!), and Flintshire Pub Ale on the handpump, there will certainly be something for everyone! Plus door prizes for coming out and saying hi!

HopYard Beer Bar in Charlottetown is hosting the finals of the Battle of the Breweries this weekend, which also happens to be the battle of Montague! Bogside Brewing and Copper Bottom have each put their four best beer, cider, and seltzers forward in a race to finish kegs and sell the most pints until close Saturday. Stop in to show your support, because really, we are all winners in these sorts of competitions!

Sober Island Brewing is holding a Christmas-themed Brewers Dinner next Saturday, December 3rd, at their taproom in Sheet Harbour. A multi-course meal with SIBC beer pairings, all lead by Head Brewer Tim MacLeod. Tickets are available now, and we suggest grabbing them very soon, so that you can secure your choice in one of the courses, a Humble Pie Turkey Dinner or Vegetarian handpie.

A few quick newsbites before we let you go this week…

Moncton’s Happy Craft Brewing has a new release on draught this week, German Altbier. This hybrid of ale- and lager-techniques features the inclusion of kilned malts in the grain bill for a darker colour and a lovely toast and nutty character, with a balancing bitterness. This 5.0% ABV is available now at Happy’s Main Street location.

After a several month hiatus, Lone Oak Brewing has brought back their Boat Traffic Oatmeal Stout. Big and bold roast character is complemented with undertones of chocolate, coconut, and vanilla, thanks to a weeks-long oak-aging step before packaging. It is available on draught and in cans at their Borden-Carleton Taproom, their North River Brewpub, as well as PEILCC locations across the province.

Staying on the Island, PEI Brewing Company has a new seasonal available that they’ve dubbed Hour Delay. A chocolate stout brewed with cocoa and a selection of rich roasted malts to really bump up the chocolate flavor, it’s perfect for cozy nights by the fire as you watch the weather and say a little prayer or two for an hour delay in the morning. Or maybe one to enjoy in a cozy bed in the morning as you enjoy an hour delay? We’re not going to judge! You’ll find this 6% ABV and 30 IBU beer available across the island at the PEI Brewing Company Taproom, Gahan Beer Store, and select PEILCC locations.

Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing has announced the launch of their kitchen, with today (Friday) being the first day of operation. The full menu is available here, featuring a trio of different smash burger styles, grilled panini sandwiches, as well as beer & cheese soup, brussel sprouts, and even arancini! It launches at 2 PM this afternoon, check their social media for the full schedule as it is released.

Happy Thursday evening! We’re a day early, but a few hours late. But better late than never, right pals? We’ve already used all of our best material below, so let’s just stop the lame jokes and get right to the good stuff!

Deer Lake’s Rough Waters released their first lager last weekend, which is now available at their local good beer shops, and now outside of their region. Perfectschen-lager is an Amber lager, inspired by the German Munich Dunkel style. While light in body, the specialty malt lends a light toast and caramel note, shining through the crisp and clear yeast profile. While their taproom is closed for the season, the RW Crew are still working hard to put out new and exciting beers for you!

Lunenburg’s Shipwright Brewing is making the most of a logistics miscommunication this week, with Exit 8 Hoppy Mistake. What began as a request for Maris Otter malt while in town, turned into a purchase of Munich malt instead, which was not discovered until Exit 8 of the 103 Highway! No need to panic, new Brewer Jason Crozier was able to turn that into a great beer nonetheless! An American Amber Ale, with plenty of toast, dried fruit, and caramel from the malt, with a healthy bitterness from Cascade and Topaz hops, all in a 6.5%/44 IBU package. Available at their taproom on Montague Street for pints, crowler, and growler fills all weekend.

Bogside Brewing has a pair of releases out now, one holding out on summer, the other foretelling of the cooler months ahead, available just in time for the weekend. Gone Coastal American IPA is 6.5% ABV, and bursting with loads of citrus and honeydew melon, thanks to the additions of Callista and Huell Melon late in the process. And in a completely different vein, Stocking Stuffer Winter Wheat is a Belgian Witbier, whose subtle hints of orange and spice may even work as a mulled beer choice as the nights become longer and cooler. Both are available through their online shop for delivery, or in their taproom. Both of these can also be found in their 24 Day Holiday Advent Calendar, available for pre-order now, and delivered PEI-wide Nov 23. Insider scoop, there will be one beer exclusive to this Calendar, available nowhere else!

Staying in Montague, PEI for a little bit, we have a pair of upcoming releases from Copper Bottom to let you know about. Debuting this Saturday is Eclipse, a 6.5% Black IPA. Melding lovely citrus and pine aromatics from the Cascade, Simcoe, and Galaxy hops used late, along with the dark roasted and coffee notes from the malt, all in a lovely alluring dark package.

Next Saturday, November 19th, is Copper Bottom’s Fifth Anniversary, and of course they are throwing a party to celebrate! Live music all afternoon, turning into a dance party that evening, Pizza Box Food Truck and Oyster shucking all day, plus a new beer release, how could you miss it?? Speaking of, Birthday Beer 5 may be their most ambitious yet: an 8.0% Pastry Stout, complete with toasted coconut flakes, cacao nibs, and lactose for a touch of residual sweetness. The Chocolate Malt complements the Roasted Barley for plenty of flavour, with oats to help with mouthfeel. Details on the music lineup and party are available here!

Let’s jump to our only news from New Brunswick this week. Trailway is releasing The Blend, their first take on a style that’s growing in popularity outside of the region, the Smoothie Sour. Part beer, part fruit smoothie, these thick and creamy soured ales incorporate fruit and other additions to push the limits of beer styles and draught lines alike. And because of the unfermented fruit additions, these cans MUST be kept cold, unless you want to kick start a refermentation and have the tops start blowing open on your drive home. This first run of The Blend is a limited release, with cans of the 5.3% sour available at the brewery now.

A few weeks ago, we mentioned the launch of Newfoundland’s newest cidery, Mauzy, which focuses on wild fermentation methods. This Saturday (November 12), they’re releasing their newest product in Mt. Pearl at the Landwash taproom. Willie is a spontaneously fermented cider t\that showcases Williams Pride apples from nearby Kelligrews. This one was aged for eight months prior to bottling and then bottle conditioned with honey from Baccalieu Trail Honey. Bottle pours will be available at the Landwash taproom beginning at 5 pm. For those not otherwise able to make it to the celebration, online ordering is also available.

Paradise’s other purveyor of fermented wares, Banished Brewing, also has a new release out this week with another iteration of Paradise Town, their rotating line of fruited (or not) sours. This latest version is Tangerine, with this 5.5% sour featuring massive notes of sour tangerines and yummy citrusness. You can find it now at the brewery in Paradise, and keep an eye on their social channels to see if it will hit the wider distribution network on the Avalon.

Let’s cross the Strait to Cape Breton, where Breton Brewing is partnering with Cape Breton University Alumni Association for the release of Now & Forever CBU. This 4% ABV lager is a light and crisp crusher with enough bitterness at 20 IBUs to draw you back in for more. A portion of the sales will go to student awards and scholarships at CBU. Cans are available now at the two Sydney locations, or through their online store for delivery.

We told you all about Propeller Brewing’s Wild IPA release back in April, and the brewing crew at Propeller have something special available for us today… Wilder IPA! Choosing a specific white wine barrel from their inventory, this Wild Ale was fermented with Escarpment’s Mothership Brett Blend and hung out in that same barrel for two and a half years, allowing some massive bold fruit and funk character to develop. The beer was then blended with some freshly brewed IPA with Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Vic Secret, and Galaxy hops, which kicked off a secondary (or tertiary) fermentation that was captured during the can conditioning phase. The resulting beer features plenty of tropical and citrus notes from the fresh beer and ingredients, which allowing the tart and complex Brett notes to complement. This 6.2% meeting of old and new is available in cans at all 3 Prop Shops now, for home delivery and Canada-wide shipping, and there will be a little launch at Bishop’s Cellar on Saturday to celebrate its arrival!

Speaking of sours, let’s head back to The Rock to Quidi Vidi, who have released the collaborative Hard Ticket Fruit Punch Sour this week. Teaming up with the imaginative folks at Saltwater Designs, the Hard Ticket is juicy, creamy, and tart, with tropical fruits like pineapple and peach coming through in spades. Head down to the gut or their Hop Shop, or check out your local NLC or convenience store to grab some.

Sydney NS’s Island Folk Cider House has a returning favourite this week, with a brand new seasonal name. Sweater Weather is here, and it’s their Cranberry Cinnamon Cider in a brand new label and name. 100% NS-grown apples and cranberries in the can, with a touch of cinnamon to complement the fruit blend. At 6.5%, you’ll be warmed up in no time! Grab it from their taproom today!

A bit of a preview for you beer wonks who are tuning in on Thursday afternoon… Tatamagouche Brewing has a sneak peek of a brand new English Ale that will soon be in advent calendars around the region. Flintshire is 4.0% ABV, which means it can be consumed in quantity without too much work. And what better way to enjoy this blend of toast and caramel malt notes with the earthiness of Fuggles (with a dash of Cascade for some citrus brightness) and fermented with an iconic English ale yeast than on a handpump aka beer engine? I can’t think of one either, so we’re thrilled to share that the first releases of Flintshire will be debuting on cask at better beer bars in the province (and possibly beyond!), saving you the cost of a plane ticket to jolly old England.

Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing is pushing the Toller line above and beyond this week with their release of Toller Ice. Doesn’t seem like this one was Cold Filtered For Maximum Punch, but at 6.0%, it is the highest ABV of the Toller family. Eschewing the rice and corn found in the other members of the ensemble, this is an all-malt brew, with a hint of Melanoidin sitting on top of the base of Pilsner malt. A small addition of Warrior hops ensure it does not finish too sweet. Toller Ice is available now at both the Dartmouth and Antigonish Spindrift locations, and at the NSLC.

As a small follow-up to last week’s announcement of the Belgian Strong, the collaboration between longtime friends Steve Crane and Glen O’Keefe of Church Brewing and Serpent Brewing, respectively… We mentioned that we were unsure where/when it would be available in HRM. Well, we can report that if heading to Wolfville is a bit far, then Serpent’s Spryfield taproom is pouring the 12% Quadrupel today, so gird your loins and head over now! And if we are lucky, it will be available in cans later in the Fall.

Just one event to warn you about as we close out the blog for another week… A reminder that the provincial liquor stores, and some breweries, will be closed or adjusting their hours tomorrow, in honour of Remembrance Day, so check first before heading out.

2 Crows is releasing a super-small-batch, taproom-only beer next Friday, and having a bit of a party to go with it. SCOOPS is a 9.3% Imperial Pastry Stout, brewed with coffee, vanilla, graham cracker, cocoa, and to top it off, vanilla soft serve (lactose-free). To celebrate this unholy and sacrilicious melding of flavours, the 2C Crew is hosting Dartmouth Doom Metal band Skullocybin in the taproom Nov 18 at 8 PM. Also, SCOOPS will be available as an Ice Cream Float all day with more of that lactose-free soft serve for those chasing the full experience.

Two Nova Scotia Breweries are for sale, read on for a bit more info…

If you are looking to get into the beer business by purchasing a turn-key operation, complete with multiple locations and NSLC listings, someone in Nova Scotia is ready to help you make that dream happen. Check the sales listing here.

And if you are looking to make a play with a brewery and its real estate in a high traffic area, albeit seasonal, those with deep pockets should check this listing to see if this tickles their fancy.

Happy Labour Day Weekend! As visions of Back to School dance through your heads, we hope you enjoy your mostly-clear-looking 3 days off, before going back to the grindstone Tuesday. Be sure to check the opening hours at your local brewery or ciderhouse, just in case they are taking a much-needed break Monday. Just in case, stock up/place your online orders now to avoid disappointment! Here are a few new and returning beer, ciders, and everything in between, to get you through the next week. And stay tuned all the way to the end for details on how you can win your way into a beer fest later this month. Cheers!

Half Cut Brewing has been slinging beer (and Detroit-style pies thanks to their taproom pals Coastline Pizza) from their Northside Fredericton taproom for just about a month now, and are ready to release their newest one-off beer. Joining the Charlie Horse Kolsch, Jackhammer APA, and Tickle Fight IPA is Moustache Ride. This 6.5% New England IPA is brimming with hops on both the tongue and nose with citrus and stone fruit taking centre stage. Straw in colour with the iconic hop-full haze, the pillowy head keeps all those volatile terpenes and fruity esters locked in until you’re ready to imbibe. This is a taproom draught exclusive, so you’ll have to head over to 67 Main Street at 4 PM for a Ride and a slab to kick off your long weekend.

Big week for the folks on the North Shore, as Tatamagouche kicks off the long weekend with a trio of releases. Returning is the Intertidal: Idaho Gem, their continued exploration of hop-feature IPA recipes. Planting itself firmly in the traditional American IPA category at 6.4% ABV, it stays true to that style with North American-grown Idaho Gem and Chinook hops (with assists with some other old school varieties). Layering berry and citrus on top of pine and resinous, thanks to the multiple cones added throughout the process, including both hot- and warm-temperature whirlpool additions (post-boil/pre-transfer), before two rounds of IG dry-hopping late and then after fermentation. Pale, wheat, chit, and oat malts from Horton Ridge Malt & Grain support the hops with a full mouthfeel without getting bogged down.

Switching gears completely is a pair of bottled releases months (years?) is the making. Starting from a blend of multi-month- and multi-barrel-aged Golden Sours (with a never-to-be-replicated amalgam of yeast and bacteria), it was then blended with many kilos of raspberry, strawberry, and dark cherry purees. The sugar introduced by the fruit kicked off another round of fermentation, with the Brettanomyces waking up and chewing through that, while giving off some more lovely berry notes of its own, as well as some light hay. The acidity from the bacteria keeps it zippy and clears the palate for a clean finish. Bottles of Monarch have been corked and caged for a while now, allowing them to condition and carb in the bottle, so we suggest grabbing a couple: one to enjoy now, and another one (or more) to try in a few months.

The second mixed fermentation sour from Tata this week is Iphias, a blend of older and new barrel-aged Golden Sours, which were combined and then conditioned with peach puree and ginger juice for a secondary fermentation period. Solid funk and barnyard from the oldest beer meld with the peach fruitiness and spice from the ginger, along with the young beer to soften the blend. This 6.3% ABV beauty has also been allowed to bottle condition for a few months, and with cork and cage, will keep for years. Cans and bottles of all three new releases are available in Tata’s retail store, as well as online for NS delivery and nationwide shipping.

Propeller’s 25th Anniversary year continues with another new release that sees the brewery exploring the area between truly low-alcohol (as defined by the gummint, anyway) and the 3 – 3.5% ABV range we used to call “sessionable.” Coming in at 2.5% is this new one “sub-sessionable”? That doesn’t sound right because it would be more sessionable, right? Maybe “super-sessionable”? Or you could just call it what Prop does, given that it’s a hop-forward beer with smooth mouthfeel and pleasant bitterness, and go with “Nano IPA.” Officially dubbed Big Tiny, it’s available now in 473ml cans from all Prop locations; look out for flavours of melon, grapefruit, and maybe even a soupçon of gooseberry. We’ll also remind you that Prop has cask nights at their Gottingen Street location every Friday starting at 6 PM where you’ll find a cask of one of their beers that’s usually undergone some sort of experimental addition. This week it’s their Prime Lager treated with watermelon and hibiscus. Head on down and enjoy one on their new patio!

The pride of Burnside and Antigonish, Spindrift Brewing, has two new releases to ring in September. First up is Soundtrack Peach and Apricot Sour. This kettle sour started with a base of Pilsner malt and malted wheat and saw additions of Magnum hops before fermenting on peach and apricot puree. Expect notes of tropical and stone fruit to compliment the tart character produced by the Lactobacillus. Soundtrack comes in at 5% ABV and 10 IBUs. Also out is a new spin on their flagship Toller lager, Toller Red. Taking inspiration from the German Rotbier style originating in Nuremberg, it sees the addition of Munich and Caramel Munich to the usual Pilsner malt, giving it a darker colour, some fruit character and a hint of caramel. Also hopped with Magnum, Toller Red comes in at a sessionable 5.0% ABV and 19 IBUs. Both are out now in cans or for fills at Spindrift’s two locations, with Toller Red also seeing distribution through the NSLC in the coming weeks.

Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing has a few new and returning goodies this upcoming week. First up is their first Irish Red, being released tomorrow (Sept. 3). Their take on the style, it uses Red-X malt to deliver the di rigueur toasty and caramel notes. Can-conditioned this one will be available for taproom pours or to-go. Tuesday (Sept. 6) will see the release of Long Lake Lager, their take on a Czech-style lager using Pilsner malt with a touch of crystal malt, and a lager yeast propagated from their friends at Church Brewing. This one will be on tap and available to-go in cans. Finally, this week also saw the return of their Farmhouse Cider, The Bite. This batch is slightly different, with the saison yeast they used leading to a drier cider with some tart and funky notes and a 5% ABV. It’s available now at the brewery on tap and in cans.

Sticking with cidery news, Sydney’s Breton Brewing and Island Folk Cider House have teamed up once again to create Moxie Graf, a co-fermented apple juice beer. Graf is a style of beverage with 9,000 (!) year-old origins, that involves blending apple juice with beer wort and then fermenting with an ale yeast. The name is a homage to Moxham Castle, the creepy castle in downtown Sydney that was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. Expect a crisp drinking experience with notes of baked apple and caramel. Moxie Graf is available now at the Breton and Island Folk taprooms, and for delivery via Breton’s online store.

Does it feel like Fall to you? It was certainly cooler in Halifax this morning, but we wouldn’t go so far as to hasten the coming of the Autumn season when there’s officially three weeks left of Summer and hopefully even more weeks of patio beer viability yet to come. That said, though some will celebrate while others shake their fists in scorn, the first of the region’s harbingers of Fall is here, and it’s a two-fer: Upstreet now has both their Gravedigger Pumpkin Ale and their Libra Pumpkin Spice available as of yesterday. Gravedigger has been a stalwart since Upstreet’s first year, we believe, and features a deep copper color and aromas of pumpkin pie in a 6.5% package. It’s little sibling, as with all Libra brands, is a low-alcohol brew at 0.4% ABV and aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg. Look for these wherever you usually buy your Upstreet and/or your Libra.

Speaking of Libra, Kyle and Tony (or is it Tony and Kyle?) from the 902 BrewCast sat down with Mike Hogan (“Hogie”) of Upstreet and Libra to talk about the Libra brand, how it came to be, and how it’s doing in the market along with some discussion about no-/low-alcohol beers and Upstreet in general. You can check it out on your favorite podcast app or get it directly from the source. (Pumpkin beer haters worry not, we have reason to believe that this was recorded a little while ago and should be free of any gourdian content).

And speaking of Fall, that’s when the world’s largest celebration of beer takes place, in Germany and across the world: Oktoberfest! To celebrate their own Oktoberfest being held at the Beer Garden on the Waterfront (Sept 23 – Oct 2), Garrison has released their Hefe Weizen this week. Leveraging a bit of Aussie Cascade in this Wheat- and Yeast-driven brew, it features a touch of clove spice and banana on the nose and palate, perfect for enjoying a Maß or three. Cans and pints are available now at their Seaport and Oxford locations.

This week’s Newfoundland content comes to us from Boomstick Brewing in Corner Brook who partnered with music industry and community group Music NL to bring you Every Inch a Sailor, a blood orange and tangerine sour with a name that’s sure to resonate not only with Newfoundlanders, but with anyone who’s lived in Atlantic Canada for very long (or grew up listening to Sharon, Lois, & Bram and/or Fred Penner). Pretty much what it says on the tin, this is a kettle sour to which the team added blood orange and tangerine, producing a beer that is, “bright, light, and drinkable!” Surely one to enjoy while you’re doing some toe tappin’ to the strains of some Newfoundland music. Look for this one packaged in cans at the brewery, the Ultramar next store, and at Humber NLC. And don’t forget Music NL’s Music Celebration Week 2022 coming in late October to Corner Brook!

After a couple of years off (I wonder why??), the Nova Scotia Craft Beer Festival is back! Presented by the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, which represents breweries from all across the province, 40 breweries from Yarmouth to Sydney, Amherst to Sheet Harbour, will be putting their best foot, and beer, forward, September 16 and 17 on the Halifax Waterfront. Taking place at the Salter Block at 1521 Lower Water Street, this outdoor event will have something for everyone into well-made local beer, plus live music and DJ sets, axe throwing, and with the new ticketing system, the ability to exit and grab food from the Salt Yard vendors next door. There are three sessions (Friday evening, and Saturday afternoon and evening), and we are looking to give away a pair of tickets to the session of your choosing! All you need to do is post a picture, video, reel, whatever you prefer, of the NS craft beer you’re enjoying this weekend on Instagram, and be sure to tag the brewery, us, and CBANS (@ACBeerBlog and @NSCraftBrewers). No limit to those entries, but be sure that we can see it and share! We will do a random draw Tuesday at 9 AM. But for those of you who may not win, please be sure to grab your tickets soon to avoid missing out!

Ending off the week with a job posting, for those looking to join, or supplement, their Career in Beer. Lower Sackville’s TAPestry Beer Bar is looking for a beer slinger to join their ranks in a weekend part-time position (with more shifts as biz increases). A love of beer (hey, if you’re reading this, you’re already part way there) and preferably with some industry experience already, are key to success. Drop by the bar at 833 Sackville Drive to drop your resume and chat with Ian and the gang.

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