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Friday Wrap-Up for August 26, 2022 – News from Brightwood, Banished, Big Spruce, Tanner, Rough Waters, Bannerman, Breton, Propeller, and much more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-08-26
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, Propeller Brewing, Rough Waters Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Stillwell Freehouse, Tire Shack Brewing, Ukraine24. Leave a Comment

Friday, here we are again! We’ve made it another week, so let’s drink a local beer to celebrate. Here are just a few suggestions of what’s new and returning in the fridges and on draught in our region.

Unfortunately, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine marked its 6th month anniversary this week, with many casualties and more than 6.5 million Ukrainians displaced by the continuation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. On a happier note, this week also saw the Independence Day of Ukraine, celebrated on August 24th. In Halifax, that meant a flag raising ceremony to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. And in Dartmouth, Brightwood Brewery launched Stand with Ukraine, a lagered ale with a major charitable component. Through the UNITED 24 platform, Brightwood is donating $4 from every can of Stand with Ukraine to urgent medical aid and the rebuilding of the country, which will take decades. Currently only available in their brewery and retail shop at 35 Portland Street, it may be available for delivery or shipping on August 29th, should there be any stock remaining.

Paradise NL’s Banished Brewing is continuing their Puffin series with the baby chick version of their core Space Puffin, with this week’s release of Space Puffling. In the same hazy and juicy New England IPA vein, it forgoes a bit of alcohol in the tin (4% ABV), without sacrificing anything else. Massive mango and citrus on the tongue and in the nose, with only a hint of bitterness on the palate. Both Space Puffling and Space Puffin are available at their retail shop on Maverick Place in Paradise, and at local retailers around St. John’s and beyond.

Nyanza’s Big Spruce Brewing is celebrating the warmer days with the release of Tan Lines, a 6.7% Apricot Milkshake IPA. Stone fruit character abounds in this smooth beer, with a sweet finish thanks to the vanilla and milk sugar in the brew. On tap at their taproom spot, and look for it around the way this weekend too. And now for something completely different… Hoom is Where the Heart is is their 4.9% English Pub Ale, brewed with local ingredients, including a high portion of the malt coming from Horton Ridge Malt House, and all of the Challenger, Goldings, and Fuggles hops grown in Big Spruce’s own Organically-farmed hop yard. Available on tap and in cans at the brewery and online, look out for (or demand!) this on a beer engine/hand pump the next time you visit your local pub!

Tanner & Co in Chester Nova Scotia has another expression in their search for interesting and unique flavours, opting for a return to honey as the fermentable. Just Honey is 5.9% ABV sparkling mead, made with locally sourced product from The Little Bee Farm in Auburndale just a few kilometres down the 103. Light and spritzy, bottles of Just Honey are available at Tanner’s locations in town and at the brewery down Hiltz Road. At both locations you’ll also be able to enjoy the return of their dry-hopped Czech Pils, Most. Using the eponymous hop throughout the brewday, and then again for an extra burst on the nose, the 5.7% Most is available on tap and in cans for pickup at their spots, or place an order for delivery at their online shop.

Deer Lake’s Rough Waters has debuted a new beer in partnership with the upcoming Rough Waters Gravel Grind. Mechan-Enkel is a low alcohol (4.3%) beer brewed originally by monks, in the Belgian Singel/Single/Enkel style. Pilsner and Wheat Malt make up the grist, with a nice touch of citrus and spice from the belgian yeast, give complexity to this beer fit for enjoyment after a long slog on the bike. Speaking of, registration to the October 1st event is open until September 12th, so if you’re looking for a wild few hours in the woods around Humber Valley, sign up now! And if you suspect you’ll need some liquid encouragement beforehand, cans of Mechan-Enkel are available at the brewery to take-away today.

Let’s get you up to speed on a few returning beers before we let you go this week…

Staying in Newfoundland, we’ve got two returning beers from Bannerman Brewing. First up is Shore Leave, their 5.2% dry-hopped sour that features Mosaic hops and sees conditioning on blood orange and pineapple purree. Expect lots of tropical fruit flavours that meld nicely with the beer’s acidity. This week also sees the return of Negative Space, their take on a cold IPA (fermented with an ale yeast, but cold conditioned like a lager). This one has a distinct west coast hop profile using the three-C’s of Cascade, Centennial, and Citra. Both are available on tap now on Duckworth Street. The brewery’s canning line is currently down for maintenance, so keep on eye on their social channels to see when you may be able to grab these to go.

Despite the unwavering humidity, there are signs everywhere that the turn of the season is around the corner. Christmas displays are out at Costco (!), Halloween stores are popping up in abandoned Sears locations, and pumpkin beers are starting to roll out of the tanks. Potentially first to the finish line is Breton Brewing with their 5.5% ABV Spiced Up Pumpkin Ale. Expect hints of cinnamon sugar with prominent notes of pumpkin pie. Cans are available now at Breton’s two taprooms, for delivery via their online store, and should be hitting the shelves at the government monopoly next week.

Ok, so, we technically have a tie for the earliest pumpkin beer release. Propeller’s Pumpkin Spiced Ale is out today, featuring pumpkins from Windsor farmer Howard Dill. The spice mix for this 5% ABV take on the style includes cinnamon, nutmeg and clove that combine for the comforting pumpkin pie aesthetic. It’s available now at Propeller’s three retail locations, for delivery via their online store, and will also make an appearance at the aforementioned NSLC.

Just one event we heard about this week, but it’s fixing’ to be a doozy!

Last week we teased the Tatamagouche Brewing tap/cask takeover happening at the Stillwell Freehouse this Saturday (August 27). Consider this your official reminder that the Freehouse will be featuring 12 taps and 6 casks of core and special Tata brews, along with some cellared kegs of their big beers rotating through the taps. 

We have two breweries hiring this week, in Moncton and Halifax! If you’re looking to continue your brewing career, or just kicking it off, check these out!

Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewery is looking for a Brewer to join their ranks as they expand their facilities this summer and fall on John Street. They are on the search for someone who has brewing experience, and looking for a change of scenery, and flexing their creative juices. There’s always something new in the tanks at Tire Shack, and they are hoping the right candidate will fill that role right away. Offering a competitive salary and plenty of help to get situated in Moncton, they encourage anyone interested to reach out via email with a resume and any questions!

Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing is on the search for help behind the scenes, in a Bookkeeper/Admin Assistant role on a part-time basis. Additionally, there are two openings for part-time Taproom Server/Packaging Assistants, especially important jobs to ensure the beer in the taps flows smoothly into cans! Learn much more, including wages and how to apply, on their website.

Friday Wrap-Up for August 12, 2022 – News from 2 Crows, Spindrift, Stillwell Brewing, Port Rexton, Banished, Half Cocked, Delta Force, Serpent, and much more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2022-08-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, Delta Force Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Half Cocked Brewing, Lone Oak Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Port Rexton Pride, Revel Cider, Serpent Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Brewing, The Stillwell Freehouse, Tire Shack Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Volo. Leave a Comment

Second week of August already??!! Time flies when you’re drinking on the patio, and soaking up every ray of sunshine you can! Thankfully our local cider and beer makers have been working overtime to keep your glasses and mugs full, so let’s get you up to speed on what’s new and coming soon to our Atlantic region, starting with a few releases from last weekend, but still available for purchase at their respective breweries/taprooms around town.

2 Crows Brewing have teamed up once again with the fine folks at Lightfoot & Wolfville, to the bring together the 2021 Harvest Scheurebe Piquette. This 6.2% drink uses freshly pressed Scheurebe grape skins, soaking them in cold water to extract out the residual sugar and tannic acids that remain after the first pressing that Lightfoot used for their wine. After this soaking, the skins were separated from the sugary liquid and allowed to ferment out extremely dry (no complex sugars that are common in beer brewing), and received a light dry-hopping of Eclipse before canning and forming a bright natural carbonation in that package. Tropical, fresh, and dry, cans are available to enjoy onsite at Lightfoot and 2 Crows now! Joining it is the latest in 2 Crows’ Hop Water series, canned yesterday. Cans of Tangerine Hop Water are ready to grab and go with you wherever your travels take you, when you need a break from the booze but are looking for a locally made fizzy drink! Citra hops enhance the bold citrus character, living up to its name.

Coming out of Spindrift Brewing is a vertically integrated special! Kristi White from their team is their quality manager and a production brewer and she’s done everything from recipe creation, brewing and label design for Lavandula. This is a Honey Lavender Saison with additions of blueberry blossom honey, dried lavender buds, paired with a delicate blend of hops to keep it light, bright, sweet and floral. This is 6.2% and available in cans from the Dartmouth and Antigonish locations. 

For months now, fans of Stillwell Brewing have been eagerly anticipating the first releases to start rolling out of the tanks of their new production brewery on Kempt Road. Well, the wait is over with their Best Bitter Special hitting the hand pumps at the Freehouse, Stillwell HQ and The Narrows. As a few of your favourite bloggers can attest, expect a very cozy drinking experience with a pleasant carbonation, low ABV, plenty of malt complexity and some earthy hop notes from the Fuggles dry hop. If you can’t make it to any of these Halifax pubs, fear not. Cans and kegs will start rolling out of the brewery by September 1st. The initial line up will include Stilly Pils, their German-style Pilsner, with an updated receipt featuring a single decoction, their Kolsch-style ale Kompakt, and the aforementioned Best Bitter. On top of that, plans are in place to open up the retail space later in the fall, along with an event space that will feature Stillwell Brewing events but will also be open for community bookings. We’ll be sure to share more info in the weeks ahead, along with a feature profile on the brewery.

Off to Newfoundland for the first time this week, as the small town (with a big heart) of Port Rexton is celebrating Port Rexton Pride this weekend! And of course, Port Rexton Brewing is getting in on the fun! They are hosting a whole bunch of crafting, food, and pop-up shopping at the brewery tomorrow, followed by Music and Brews in the evening (more info on Instagram). But what’s Pride without a celebratory beer?? Teaming up yet again with the Queer Beer NL crew, they have released Cascading Pride, a White IPA. The whole crew was onsite to zest kilos and kilos of lemon and lime for a bright zippy and citrusy nose, enhancing the sweet orange peel and touch of coriander spicing. Cascading Pride is available on the Give Back Tap at the brewery now ($1 per pint going to support Port Rexton Pride for the month of August), and cans will be available at the St. John’s Retail Shop and other shops next week! Get on out to PRBC this weekend and show your Pride!

If you’ve got a ticket to Paradise, be sure to check out Banished Brewing anytime, but they’ve got some news this week with a new beer, retail and updates on the taproom and beer garden. First up, the new beer! They’ve got Groundskeeper’s Best Bitter coming out this week and this is a 4.7% classic style with a nod to cask ales. This is available now in their retail shop and will be headed out across stores across the province of Newfoundland.

Their retail shop is open with new devlieres of merch and some glassware on the way, and in the next few months they’ll have their beer garden up and running, as they make their way through the necessary red tape. Keep an eye out for this awesome brewery as they’ll have some new releases in the next few months and more updates about the brewery!

We’ve got a new beer from North Grant’s Half Cocked Brewing to tell you about this week! Looking for big bold tropical flavours of a New England IPA, but in a tiny beer, we’ve got the right beer for you! Lil’ Hug is a light and sessionable 3.2% ABV, but the heavy late hop additions concentrating on papaya and citrus notes that we love in a NEIPA. Grab it on tap and in cans at the brewery on Highway 245 just 5 minutes outside of Antigonish.

Nova Scotia’s most mysterious and elusive brewery continues to pile up the good deeds with its fifth release under the Make Peace Not War beer project. Delta Force Brewing is releasing a Belgian Pale Ale, available now through their online store. 40% of proceeds will be donated to the Ukraine Red Cross. And while you’re buying some of this new release, be sure to check out the rest of their brands to take advantage of their August sale of $1 off per bottle. 

Over in Spryfield, Serpent Brewing is releasing Sunspot, a Sour Tropical IPA that comes in at 5.1% ABV. Named after the good boy/pup Sunspot, who liked to laze around in the sunny spots all day, it uses Philly Sour yeast to create a refreshing tart finish, along with some stonefruit esters. The combination of Simcoe and Citra hops also provides a mix of tropical and citrusy fruit notes. Flaked Wheat was added to the base Pilsner malt to provide a rounder mouthfeel that stands up to the hops and tartness. This one is only available on tap, so you’ll need to make a pilgrimage to Spryfield to try it on tap or to fill up your growler. 

The fine folks out of Sydney, Nova Scotia are bringing a nice summertime release to the masses this week, with Breton Brewing’s Wee’ Smidgen, a Tiny IPA. A lower ABV release, this is a 3.6% IPA packed with tasty hops. Citra and Mosaic lead the way with big citrus flavours and a base of Ebbegarden yeast brings notes of mango and pineapple. Cans and pints are in the taproom and also available for home delivery in Cape Breton and HRM. This is a seasonal release, so get this while you can.

Staying in Cape Breton, Big Spruce has a new release available now. Irrational Optimist is an Apricot Sour coming in at 5.4%. Packed with stone-fruit aroma and flavour, there is a nice balance of pucker and tartness. This is available now online for free shipping and at the brewery in Nyanza. 

A few updates from Tire Shack out of Moncton, with a new beer and a facility update. As always, we start with the beer. Dragonfruit-Watermelon Sour is a very fruity sour with pear, kiwi and watermelon Jolly Rancher flavours. A tasty patio sour (soured with lactobacillus) is 5.5% and is available on tap now and will be in cans any day now. 

This award winning brewery also has some expansion plans in the works with construction underway now. They’ll look to complete this in early 2023, but we are excited for Jerica, Alan, and their team, along with the entire Maritime region!

Everyone’s favorite beer bar conglomerate (haha!)  sure has you covered for things to do this weekend:.

Your faves (and ours!) at Stillwell are for sure makin’ a weekend of it. We told you last week about the Bar Volo takeover happening today at both Stilly HQ and the Freehouse (a reminder that all the deets can be found in this Ig post), but right after that was announced, another announcement came about what’s happening the rest of the weekend. And the something that’s happening is CIDERAMA

Not since 2018 has the Stillwell gang brought this much juice to the city. Starting tomorrow, Saturday, August 13th, at HQ, where longtime friends of Stillwell, Guelph’s Revel Cider will be taking over all 12 taps on the wall. Meanwhile, at the Freehouse will be “Cellar Unleashed” where twenty of the best American, Canadian, and English bottled ciders will be poured by the glass all day. Look for stuff from Absolem Cider, Cidrerie Chemin des Sept, Olivers Cider & Perry, Cidre Sauvageon, Son of Man, Sourwood Cider, Twin Island Cider, and maybe more! Following that, on Sunday, August 14th, look for the fun to continue at the BeerGarden, with “The Clam Jam” where Joe Martini and friends will be slinging molluscs off the charcoal grill to accompany cans and taps from Chain Yard Cider, Anxo Cider, Son of Man, Absolem Cider, and Revel. So if you’re anti-beer, gluten-free, or just love you some fermented fruit juice beverages, this is your chance to try some local faves as well as some true treats from all over the world. 

One job posting on the go this week, this one in PEI:

The fine folks at Lone Oak continue to grow their operations and team, with positions currently available at their original Borden-Carleton taproom and the new Milky Way Brewpub outside of Charlottetown. A variety of bartender, server and kitchen positions are available. Reach out to careers@loneoakbrew.com for more.

A couple final things to send you on your way to a weekend of beery bliss:

Antigonish’s Candid Brewing has teamed up with the upcoming Antigonight Art Festival to release Antigonight Czech Dark Lager this week. Light and crisp in body and flavour, with just a touch of roast malt on the palate. Cans were released yesterday in time for last night’s Art Battle, and will be on tap and in that format to go when you head there this weekend!

After spending the last few months focusing on opening their new Elmsdale production brewery and beergarden, Good Robot is back to rolling out the new releases, with the third release from their Tropical Storm single hop series. Tropical Storm Nectaron is a NEIPA featuring the eponymous hop from New Zealand. The rare hop is akin to the more popular Galaxy, and showcases notes of peach, pineapple and grapefruit. Coming in at 7.0% ABV, cans are available now through Good Robots online store and at their two retail locations.

Closing out the blog today with a returning favourite from TrailWay Brewing on Fredericton’s North Side. Imagination IPA is a 6.0% hazy and dank IPA, with this release amped up with a DDH (Double Dry Hop) treatment. Southern Tropic, Sultana, and Citra Lupomax were used in massive quantities late in the process in order to maximize hop aroma and flavour without the corresponding bitterness. Look for great guava, citrus, stone fruit, and pine in the can, which is available now at the brewery and for online ordering.

Friday Wrap-Up for July 22, 2022 – News from Propeller, Spindrift, Sober Island, Secret Cove, Quidi Vidi, Good Robot, Banished, Serpent, and more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-07-22
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Burdock Brewery, Good Robot Brewing, Island Folk Cider House, Propeller Arcade, Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Saltbox Brewing, Seasoned Plate, Secret Cove Brewery, Serpent Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, The Stillwell Freehouse, World Tea House. Leave a Comment

Hello! Is anyone out there? Is everyone on vacation, enjoying time with friends, family or whatever brings them joy? Well, if you are, and you’re still reading this, or you really just like us so much, we’ll keep the local news flowing. There are a lot of new beers and updates to come this week, so let’s hop right into the latest news.

Propeller Brewing is continuing their 25th Anniversary Celebration with the release of a funky and tart beer in bottles today. Brewed in the before times (2019), the Lambic Style is an ode to the spontaneously-fermented and multi-year blended beers from the Senne Valley in Belgium, for hundreds of years. While Prop’s version was not fermented by the wild yeast in Burnside, they did even better, by using the yeast left in the bottom of some freshly-emptied Belgian lambic beers as the starting point, keeping them in several oak barrels for a couple of years. This permeable vessel allows some oxygen in, and excessive carbon dioxide out, keeping the yeasties happy and chewing away on the complex sugars and starches in the low-hopped wort. After they finished their main fermentation, a few barrels were tapped (with an eye to a different fate for the others left full) and the 6.5% ABV beer was transferred to bottle, where it conditioned further, leading to a lively final product that is ready to drink now, or can be held onto for years to come. It’s available at all of Propeller’s three locations, as well as their online store, as well as Bishop’s Cellar and other private stores in HRM.

Warm up your way-back machine, and point it to Summer 2014 and Spring 2015, and you’ll have a reminder that this is not the first time Propeller has delved into the Lambic-inspired beer, as they have previously released Raspberry, Blackberry, and non-fruited versions of these funky and tart beers. And in case you haven’t already taken our advice, be sure to listen to the 902 BrewCast episode with Cam and Pat from Propeller to learn even more about this release, and some hints as to what is coming for Propeller as they celebrate 25 years, and look to (at least) 25 more! And if you act now, you may be able to snag one of the last tickers for the Propeller Arcade-hosted screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, happening in the parking lot of their Gottingen Street location, Sunday, July 24th. And those looking to nerd out at their Windmill location can sign up for a VIP tour of the brewery for Friday, July 29th.

Keeping with some Dartmouth ties, we’ll move to Spindrift Brewing next, as they go with a brand new release in a fun and unique style. Available now is Otto, a Hemp IPA, named after a certain animated bus driver, dude. We’ll run through the grain bill here and some nerdy details to get you a sense of what’s going on. The malt bill uses pilsner malt, carapils, wheat malt and hemp seed flour. The hops is a dank blend of Simcoe, Columbus and HS Sitiva used in the boil and dry hopping. American Ale Yeast is chosen as the vessel here to carry the two terpene-intensive plants of hops and hemp. Some natural hemp flavours were added to to add some more pungency to this 5.5% IPA. There is no THC or CBD in this beer and it’s available in cans, pints and growlers at both Spindrift locations (Dartmouth and Antigonish). 

Shipping over to Sheet Harbour, Sober Island is releasing Lil’ Skipper, a light summer ale that is 4.3% with a nice dose of flavour. Lower in bitterness, but big in flavour, you’ll find lots of mango and tropical flavour along with a nice dry-hopping of Mosaic to bump up that aroma. This is 23 IBU and will be a staple throughout the summer directly from the brewery or the private stores in HRM.

Plus they’ve got events happening throughout the summer, including a Kitchen Party July 30th in their Beer Garden in Sheet Harbour, and a Boil-up August 3rd. And The Stanfields are lighting up the Beer Garden August 27th. Check their website and social media for tickets and more details.

Going over to Port-au-port, Newfoundland, we’ve got a pair of releases coming out of Secret Cove Brewing. First up is a twist on an existing beer. They’ve turned their flagship Apricot Wheat beer (they’ve dubbed the unofficial “Come Home Beer”) into a sour!  Come Home Beer, an Apricot Mango Sour (now with Mango!) is still 5% but is slightly tart and easily drinkable and refreshing for the summer. This is available at the taproom now and will be canned and ready for distribution across the Island in the coming weeks

Next up from Secret Cove is The Newfie Bullet. This is a lagered ale, Kolsch-inspired, that is easy drinking with a nice touch of fruity esters. It’s 4.5%  and being canned for availability across the island. It’s available now in the taproom

Once in Newfoundland, you might as well stay! Sticking with the island double-release theme, Quidi Vidi Brewing has a new release with the name of My Neighbours’ Helles. This is the 4th year of a collaboration between Newfermenters (Newfoundland homebrewing club) and QV.  This is a traditional Munich Helles with spicy German hop bite and bready, doughy malt flavour. This is a limited release, so get it while you can. It’s available now at the brewery, but will be shipped to the usual stores and NLC across the island.

The second release is a part of a series from the brewery, with Arts & IPAs 07. This one is a Junior IPA that is low on ABV and high on flavour coming in at 2.9%, this is packed with Sabro, Sultana and Mosaic hops. They call it a little juice bomb with a big punch of hops. On the Arts side, Maggie Rex’s wonderful artwork graces the label of this 473ml can available directly from the brewery and their locations

Elmsdale’s newest brewery, Good Robot, has teamed up with a new charitable group this month for the release of Goodwill Beer – Blood Orange and Field Strawberry Blonde. At 4.4% ABV, the beer description is kinda-sorta right in the name, eh? That means we can skip right to their partner in this endeavour, Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia. $0.50 from the sale of each can is going to support their raison d’etre of supporting LGBTQI+ who are displaced, escaping persecution or violence, as well as creating safer communities throughout Atlantic Canada through advocacy, education, and sponsorship. And a heads up for those in the Elmsdale area, they will be opening their Beer Garden July 30th. Open Fri, Sat, and Sun from noon until 11 PM (10 PM Sundays), there will soon be retail sales Wed-Sun when that opens mid-August. Food from their pals at Beefy Weiner.

We’ve got a few returning beers from Paradise, NL’s Banished Brewing. Paradise Town is back, but adding Passionfruit to the Mango, making it a Mango and Passionfruit Sour! It’s 5.5% and a bit more sour than their original recipe, which was more on the fruited sour end. This is available at their retail space and will be headed out to other locations throughout the week.

Back with another tweaked recipe, Space Puffin, a New England IPA, has a new yeast to bring some more haze, closer to what they originally wanted. This is still 6.0% and is available now and going out to retailers this weekend!

Serpent Brewing in Spryfield has a new beer flowing this week, which will soon be available in cans. Ophidian is a Vermouth and Barrel-aged Black Tea infused English Bitter. That is a mouthful, let us explain… Phil Holman of Halifax’s World Tea House previously aged Kenya Oolong and Black Fusion teas in barrels sourced by 2 Crows Brewing. After grabbing all of the barrel goodness, those teas were blended with Earl Grey, and then steeped in Vermouth for even more boozy character. After three days, that infusion was added to the English Bitter to result in a 6.0% ABV beer. On draught only this weekend, cans will be available next week, and a barrel-aged version of Ophidian will be released in the future.

Our pal Chef Stephen Barrett of Seasoned Plate has started a Pints & Plates 2022 effort to highlight the great beer being produced in the province, and some suggested food pairings with which to enjoy it. You can expect to spot two of these per week over the next 3 months, with Breton Brewing and Big Spruce being the first hits this week. You can follow along on the Seasoned Plate Instagram, as well as the direct link above. Check out the website for Chef Barrett’s reviews of local restaurants and bars as well!

Speaking of Breton and Big Spruce, both have new/returning beers worth seeking out (or save yourself the trouble and just order through their online portals), with the Breton Ol’ Mick’s Grapefruit IPA back in cans and draught, while Big Spruce released a new 5.2% German Helles lager at their Nyanza brewery and taproom. Stop in for refreshment!

Launched last night at King Street Beer in Bridgewater, the folks at Saltbox/Lightship/King Street Beer have released Loud and Proud Beer this week in celebration of Lunenburg Pride. The 5.25% ABV beer is light in colour and full of citrus and fruity notes, with minimal bitterness. The Lunenburg Pride organization is an advocacy group, building a more inclusive community on the South Shore, welcoming for all orientations, identities, and expressions.

In case you’re looking for an event to attend this weekend, look no further!

Happy Second Birthday to Island Folk Cider Company! You can drop by their spot in Sydney tonight, from 7 – 10 PM, to enjoy a cask of their base cider infused with fresh strawberry and rhubarb, during their 90s DJ Party. Or tomorrow, pop by from 3 – 6 PM during Music Matinee, and you can enjoy a second cask with Cranberries harvested in Port Morien and Tamarack from Mira Gut. Congratulations!

Looking for some fresh and funky drinks tomorrow? The Stillwell Freehouse is hosting a tap takeover from Toronto’s Burdock Brewery. Known for both soft and understated fruited beers, as well as hoppy ales, there will be plenty of beers on draught, bottle, and in cans. A/C inside, sunshine outside, it’ll be up to you where to sit when they open at noon on Agricola.