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Friday Wrap-Up – News from Sober Island, Propeller, Sea Level, Hell Bay, Boxing Rock, and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2016-03-11
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Acadie-Broue, BarNone Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Breton Brewing, Canadian Brewing Awards, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Red Rover Craft Cider, Sea Level Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Spitfire Arms, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, everyone! Our region was hit with one last hoorah of winter (let’s hope) overnight, so best to stay off the roads and grab your favourite beer and get up to speed on all the beer news in our region.

• Attention good beer fans on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia: there’s a new brewery opening soon in your region! Sober Island Brewing will be opening soon in the Sheet Harbour/Sober Island area. Brewing on a 1/2bbl (~55l) system, they will be supplying beer to local restaurants and Farmers Markets in coming months. Look for their mobile beer bar, made from a converted horse trailer, at the Saltscapes Expo in Halifax, April 22-24. Check out their Twitter page for details on their progress, and we’ll be sure to share the news when they launch this spring. Welcome aboard, Sober Island, nice to have some beer to drink with those oysters!

• Propeller Brewing has released their latest One-Hit Wonder this week, Scarlet Lager. A 5.3% unfiltered amber lager, it boasts 35 IBUs from the addition of lots of Cascade, Falconers Flight and Zythos hops, and is further dry-hopped with more Falconers Flight. As with all of these OHW releases, it is available in growlers at the Gottingen St and Windmill Rd breweries only, and on tap at select locations around the city.

• Propeller has released the details of their next Prop’r Cask Night: on April 1, they are inviting the crew from Black Sheep restaurant to their Gottingen St location for a celebration of local food and beer. In addition to Propeller’s full line-up of beer, they will be tapping a cask of something special that evening, to pair with the great bites prepared by the Black Sheep crew. These are always a fun time, be sure to take part! And FYI, the crazy cats at Black Sheep are giving away free burgers every afternoon 3-6pm, March 11-17, with purchase of beer, wine, or spirits. Be sure to drop by and grab one!

• Sea Level Brewing, in Port Williams, NS, has released a brand new beer this week, Doppelbock. A traditional German style, this “Spring Celebrator” features 7% ABV and a strong malt backbone from the generous use of both light and dark Munich malts. It is available at the Port Pub now, and in growlers and cans at the brewery.

• Lunenburg’s Hell Bay has brought back their popular Wee Heavy Scotch Ale. Weighing in at 8% ABV, it is a malt-driven beer, featuring a light smoke and deep caramel flavours, thanks to a long boil and kettle caramelization. It is currently available at the brewery and on tap at select locations in the HRM.

• Judging for the Boxing Rock Black Box Challenge was held at Stillwell on Sunday. Eighteen brewers presented their beer, their recipe, and themselves, to the 6 judges (our own Chris was among them). There was a wide variety of excellent beers, but there can be only one winner: “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire“, a cinnamon-infused Rauchbier brewed by Halifax’s Brian Harvey, took first place. Harvey has been invited to brew WTSTF on Boxing Rock’s big system, with the beer to be released during Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week in May. Second place went to Mark Reid for his “Hop Springs Eternal” White IPA, and Jason McDougall’s “Carbon 14” Belgian Strong Dark took third place. The Boxing Rock owners and brewers Henry Pedro and Emily Tipton were so impressed with the runner-up beers, that they may also be released as Boxing Rock beers in the coming months.

• This weekend marks the return of the Fredericton Craft Beer Fest, and several breweries are releasing beers to celebrate!
– Fredericton’s own TrailWay has released G’day Belgium!, a Belgian IPA brewed with primarily Australian hops for a bitter, piney, and fruity hybrid beer. Featuring Galaxy, Vic Secret, and Mosaic hops, it was brewed with our very own Shawn Meek. Most of this batch will be pouring at the fest, but there IS a single keg on tap now at the King Street Ale House.
– Nyanza’s Big Spruce Brewing is debuting a brand new beer at the Fest, Meek Thy Maker. This beer was Shawn Meek’s winning recipe for the Home Brew Challenge in the Red IPA category. Hopped and dry-hopped with Cascade, Columbus, and Amarillo, it comes in at 6.7% ABV and 59 IBUs. This one will also be available at several tap accounts across NB, and should be popping up on tap at various beer bars/restaurants in NS as well, any day now.
– Big Spruce is also debuting He Don’t Know JAC, a 7.2% ABV IPA that was brewed with the same grist as their previously-released JAC the SIPA. However, this new beer was not soured with Lactobacillus, but fermented solely with an American yeast strain. It was also hopped completely different varieties – Citra, Mandarina Bavaria, and Waimea – giving the beer notes of grapefruit, citrus and pine. Of course, this beer is available at the brewery, and select tap accounts in Nova Scotia.
– Big Tide is bringing their brand new Valley View, a Farmhouse Ale brewed with all-Pilsner malt, and hopped with Southan Farms Hop Hash and East Kent Goldings. Fermented with T-58, a dry Belgian yeast strain, the brewery describes the 6.1% ABV, 37 IBU beer as “citrusy and spicy”. It’s also currently on tap at the brewpub in Saint John.
– Rose Valley, PEI’s BarNone brewery is bringing the latest of their “Session” series: Summer Sessions, while named the same as their original Blonde Ale flagship, has actually been hopped with the Australian Summer variety, as well as some Citra, for some extra fruit and citrus character. They will also have Li’l DIPA, which may or may not be similar to their Little DIPA which was originally released in late 2014.

There are still tickets to the afternoon session available, and with the smaller crowds comes more time to chat with the brewers, cider, and mead makers about their craft. Don’t forget that there are plenty of things going on today: a Hops Seminar at the Crowne Plaza at 12:30 and tastings by Spindrift (at the Capital Complex 4:30-7:30pm) and Garrison (at the Prospect St ANBL this afternoon). After tomorrow’s FCBF Afternoon session, Vault 29 is hosting the Official After-Party with a Picaroons Tap Takeover, and there are even a pair of events Sunday (Down the Keg 3km run to shake off the evening’s festivities, followed by a Jazz Brunch at King Street Ale House). Still lots of fun to be had in the Capital City this weekend, and use their app to stay on top of everything.

• According to a story from the CBC this week, Acadie-Broue, New Brunswick’s smallest brewery, is planning to pair up with the University of Moncton to re-open the school’s student bar, La Coude, as a brewpub on March 17th. Exact details on which beers will be released in the future are currently unknown, but Acadie-Broue owner/brewer Patrice Godin has confirmed to the CBC that he will be open to brewing beer styles based on student and faculty requests, with the goal of campus culture ultimately influencing the beer. Stay tuned for more!

• Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week is fast approaching! Being held May 6-15, there are more Signature and official events than last year, in more locations across the province. Kicking off the festivities is the Cape Breton Kitchen Party, being held Friday, May 6th at Centre 200 in Sydney. From 7-10pm, Big Spruce and Breton Brewery are inviting a dozen Mainland breweries for a taste of down home hospitality, featuring live music and local food. Tickets are available now! And keep an eye on our Google Calendar, as we add events to it, to keep you up to speed on all of the goings on for the week.

• The 14th Annual Canadian Brewing Awards will be taking place May 26-28, in Vancouver, BC. Registration for submissions is now open, closing March 25th (and beer delivery by April 4th), with the judging taking place in Toronto April 11-15. The competition is open to all commercial breweries and ciderhouses in Canada, and comprises 55 styles of beer, and 4 of cider. The Awards weekend will include seminars from brewers, vendors, and the Gala crowning the best beers and ciders in the country. The registration form is here, and a primer on how to enter is also available.

• Windsor’s Spitfire Arms is re-opening this weekend. A good friend to local beer, it was heavily damaged in a fire in July 2015 and moved to a temporary home for the past several months, but will be returning to its original location on Water Street. To celebrate, people will be gathering at their Gerrish Street spot, and parade to their upgraded and renovated home on Water. Hal Bruce will be kicking off the day’s events, featuring lots of NS Craft Beer flowing throughout.

• Halifax’s Stillwell Beer Bar has announced the details on a pair of events at the beginning of April. On April 1&2, they are hosting the crew from Dieu du Ciel!, and will be opening at noon both days, with a full complement of a dozen rare and exciting beers from this Montreal brewery, also featuring bites and plates from La Belle Province to get you in the mood. No tickets are required, just drop by to get in on the fun. The next day, April 3rd, they will be hosting F.B.D., an eight course collaborative beer dinner, featuring food by Stillwell, as well as friends of Stilly. Each course will be presented by the chef behind the creation, and paired with a specially-chosen beer to complement. Limited tickets for this event are available now.

• Garrison Brewing has released the details on their 2016 Backlot Bash, in support of Ecology Action Centre. Being held June 11th, the concert will feature July Talk, Alert the Medic, Three Sheet, and The Brood. In addition to the Garrison beers available, they will be featuring local cider, and food trucks to keep you happy. Tickets are available now, with Advance tickets only $25 while they last.

Just a couple of parting shots today:
– Red Rover is hiring for their new storefront, coming soon to Queen Street. Both part- and full-time positions are available, for Sales Advisor, and Sales Manager positions. For more information, check out the job postings here.
– Spindrift’s Seventh Wave release today is Quaf Sess, a light American Wheat with herbal and floral hop character. Like usual, these beers are only available for growler fills at their Burnside location, and sell out very quickly!

Thanks again to everyone who came out to our Trivia Night at the King Street Ale House last night! And a very special thanks to the generous breweries for donating some great schwag and gift cards and goodies! And be sure to say “Hi!” when you see us @ the FCBF events this weekend!

Friday Wrap-Up – News from TrailWay, Upstreet, Boxing Rock, North Brewing, Hammond River, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-08-28
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 540 Kitchen & Bar, Acadie-Broue, ANBL, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Canadian Brewing Awards, Hammond River Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, King Street Ale House, Meander River Farm and Brewery, North Brewing, OktoberFest des Acadiens, Picaroons, Red Rover Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday everyone! Sadly, this marks the last Wrap-Up of August, but that doesn’t mean that the beer news is slowing down at all.

• TrailWay released a new beer yesterday – this one was actually brewed by Catherine Saunders and Alex Sorenson under the watchful-eye of their significant others, Jake Saunders and Dan Mason (owners and brewers of TrailWay). Appropriately-named Better Half, it’s a Blueberry-Lime Fruit Beer that had real lime zest and 35 lbs of local blueberries added after fermentation was complete. With a simple grain bill consisting of mostly Pilsner malt, and very minimal hopping, it’s a refreshing and easy-drinking (at 4.5% ABV) end-of-summer beer, with some sweetness and tartness from the fruit. You can find it on tap now (or very soon) at the King Street Ale House, James Joyce Pub, 540 Kitchen & Bar, and Vault 29.

• In other TrailWay news, they should be releasing a new Double IPA (currently unnamed) sometime next week. Clocking in at about 8.1%, it was hopped heavily (to ~75 IBUs) with Centennial, Comet, Galaxy and Mosaic, so expect plenty of tropical, citrus, and dank notes in this beer! Like most of their hoppy beers, the malt bill was kept relatively simple to allow the hops to shine through.

• PEI’s newest craft brewery, Upstreet Craft Brewing, is holding a Block Party on Saturday, September 5th. This free event will be held outdoors in the Upstreet parking lot, and will feature local food vendors, live music (including Wrong Planet Band), lawn games, activities (big and small, for kids and adults), and a “pop-up barber shop” for all your hair-trimming needs; guided brewery tours will also be going on throughout the day. It’s family-friendly, so bring the kids! The party will continue inside the taproom after 8 pm. They’ll be releasing their highly-anticipated Boxing Rock collaboration beer, Rumble in the Alley: Round 1, a SMaSH India Pale Lager, and there MAY be a special guest or two on hand for the tapping! And in other good news, brewmaster Mike Hogan has confirmed that he will be brewing another batch of their Wheat IPA, White Noize in the next few days; look for that one to be released again in September.

• It’s Hop Harvest time in our region! Yesterday, the crew from North Brewing made the trek to Shelburne to visit Boxing Rock Brewing for their own harvest collaboration brew. Many Hands 3.0 features loads of freshly-harvested Cascade, Chinook, and Willamette, all from North brewer Josh Herbin’s Lazy Acres hop farm. This Pale Ale will weigh in just shy of 6% ABV, and be available at both breweries and their market and restaurant accounts in September.

• Several other breweries have/will be brewing up wet hopped beers. Hammond River will be brewing up some with their own home-grown hops next week, Rockbottom Brewpub is brewing up a Pale Ale today with some Annapolis Valley fresh hops, and Picaroons has started the brewing of their multiple Harvest Ales, sourced from hop farms across the Maritimes. Big Spruce will be harvesting their own farm-grown hops Wednesday, September 2nd, and Meander River will be harvesting theirs Saturday September, 5th, with brews to follow quickly thereafter (if you’re able to help pick in Nyanza or Ashdale, keep an eye on their respective social media feeds for details and rain dates, if necessary).

• Meander River has a few new beers on tap recently, and we wanted to keep y’all up-to-date with their releases. Summer Solstice IPA is a 4.5% ABV Session IPA featuring a balanced hoppy flavour and aroma thanks to Amarillo and Citra; it was further dry-hopped with Cascade. A lower alcohol, but full-flavoured beer, perfect for summer afternoons and evenings. Gristmill Wheat Beer is an unfiltered wheat beer, featuring a forward bitterness with lots of citrus and strawberry, with a characteristic banana aroma. This is a lighter 3.8% ABV. Their Dusty Road Hard Apple Cider is a bit bigger, at 5.5% ABV, but just as refreshing, as it finishes quite dry and crisp. This is a different blend of Annapolis Valley apples than their Shack Wacky release in the spring, and as such will have a different profile. Their 5.2% ABV Ashdale Honey Brown is also available now, featuring honey harvested right on the farm, and added to the lightly-hopped Brown Ale, for a slightly sweeter finish and notes of toffee. Look for these beers at the brewery, or their accounts around the province.

• YellowBelly Brewery in St. John’s, NL has released an alcoholic Apple Cider this week. Weighing in at 7% ABV, it is an off-dry cider, featuring some perceived bitterness from the high tannin content of the apples. It was fermented with champagne yeasts for a crisp and acidic bite. It is now on tap at the brewery and public house, and will be available in bottles next week.

• Red Rover has brewed up their first Perry; similar to a cider – in that it is an alcoholic beverage from fermented apple juice – it also incorporates juice from pears. Featuring a single variety of pear from Cocagne, NB, it was balanced with juice from Cox’s Orange Pippin apples. The batch has been maturing for the last six months, and is exhibiting a “sweet, floral nose, and softer palate than a cider”, according to co-owner/brewer Adam Clawson; it should come in at around 7% ABV. It will be released at the Cider House next Thursday for flagon fills, and will also make a limited appearance at the Farmer’s Markets that Red Rover frequents.

• Fredericton’s James Joyce Pub has announced details on their Mug Club, the first of its kind in the city. A yearly membership of $59.95 + tax gets you a personally-numbered mug with plenty of entitlements, including 24-oz pours for the price of 20-oz, food discounts, email updates on new beers tapped at the pub, and invitations to Mug Club-exclusive events. Only 30 mugs will be sold; check out the link for more details. The official launch will be October 1st, but you can head into the pub now to reserve your mug.

• Good news for beer fans in New Brunswick: the ANBL has announced that they have over 30 award-winning beers from this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards that will be available for sale at select stores this Monday, August 31st. The “Ultimate Beer Run” includes multiple styles from breweries all across the country; check out the full list (and participating ANBL outlets) here. Quantities are limited, so be sure to drop by on Monday if you have particular beers that you would like to try.

• La sixième édition de l’Oktoberfest des Acadiens se passe du 3 au 6 Septembre à Bertrand, NB. Avec de la musique et un ambiance bavaroise dans les après midi, et des spectacles avec des artistes de renoms les vendredi et samedi soirs. C’est une fin de semaine de plaisir et de divertissement pour toute la famille. Jeudi soir l’on vous propose une dégustation dirigée par Patrice Godin d’Acadie-Broue, intitulé “Le Tour du Monde avec de la Bière”, mettant en vedette certains accords mets et bières spéciales. La Grande Dégustation se déroule le samedi et le dimanche de 13h à 18h, où les visiteurs pourront déguster une centaine de bières différentes du Nouveau-Brunswick (y compris Acadie-Broue, Petit-Sault, Picaroons, Pump House, Savoie’s Brewhouse), le Canada (Glutenberg et Red Racer et beaucoup plus), ainsi que l’Europe (Chimay, Chouffe, et Weihenstephan par exemples). Pour plus de détails sur les billets et l’horaire complet Vous pouvez visiter leur site et leur page Facebook.

• The Sixth Annual Oktoberfest des Acadiens is happening September 3-6 in Bertrand, NB. Featuring live music daily, and major concerts Friday and Saturday evening, it is a full weekend of family fun and entertainment. Thursday evening features a tasting led by Acadie-Broue‘s Patrice Godin, entitled “Around the World with Beer”, featuring several special beer and food pairings. The beer garden will be open Saturday and Sunday 1-6pm, where visitors can sample from over 100 different beers from New Brunswick (including Acadie-Broue, Petit-Sault, Picaroons, Pump House, Savoie’s Brewhouse), Canada (Glutenberg and Red Racer and many more), as well as Europe (Chimay, Chouffe, and Weihenstephan for example). Ticket details and the full schedule is available on their website and Facebook page.

• Homebrewers, fire up those kettles, the 3rd Annual Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge is back! This year is a bit of a departure from previous competitions, as beers are being accepted in three different styles: Czech Dark Lager (3D), Altbier (7B), and Red IPA (21B). They will be judged using the new 2015 BJCP style guidelines. The top three beers in each category will win prizes, and the Best in Show beer will be brewed at Big Spruce, and released at the Third Annual Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration in January. Homebrewers may enter a beer in one, two, or all three categories for the same $25 entry fee. That fee also entitles entrants to a limited edition t-shirt, and new this year, entry to the post-judging party at the Wooden Monkey Alderney Landing November 28th. To take part, be sure to email Big Spruce for the official entry form before November 23rd, and drop off the beer before the 27th at the brewery or the Halifax drop-point. There are more details on the event’s Facebook page. As there are a couple of lagers in there, best to get brewing soon!

Enjoy your weekend! All four ANBL growler stations are pouring summery beers this week, including Petit-Sault‘s new John Stadig (an “Orange Ginger White ale”), Picaroons Dooryard, and Le Trou du Diable Blanche de Shawi. Be sure to drop by Rockbottom this weekend and next week as they host several acts from the Halifax Urban Folk Festival, and catch their FizzGig Ladies Beer League Imperial Red, and Farmer’s Daughter Farmhouse Ale before they are replaced by an English Brown Ale and a traditionally-brewed Marzen (featuring imported malts and the Hochkurz Double-Decoction mash technique). Cheers!

Friday Wrap-Up – Atlantic Canadian Winners at the Canadian Brewing Awards, plus news from Fredericton Beer Run, PEI Brewing, Big Axe and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-06-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Axe Brewery, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Bulwark Cider, Canadian Brewing Awards, Flying Boats Brewing, Fredericton Beer Run, Garrison Brewing, Halifax Seaport Beerfest, James Joyce Irish Pub, Moosehead Breweries, PEI Brewing Co., Picaroons, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, Schoolhouse Brewery, Stillwell Beer Bar, Sunset Heights Meadery, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Trou du Diable, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. 1 comment

Happy Friday, everyone! Our thoughts are now turning to summer, now that patios and outside dining can finally be enjoyed without having to wear our snowsuits! Grab a pint, and let’s talk beer!

• The 13th Canadian Brewing Awards Gala was held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Saturday night. Of the 125 medal-winning beers and ciders, a handful were from our region: Bulwark‘s Gold Cider took home Gold in Specialty Cider,  Garrison Brewing took home Bronze in Barley Wine for their Ol’ Fog Burner, Moosehead earned Gold in North American Style Blonde/Golden Ale with their Pale Ale, Brasseurs du Petit-Sault‘s La Kedgwick earned a Bronze in European Style Lager (Pilsner), PEI Brewing Company took home Gold in Brown Ale for their Iron Bridge Brown, Red Rover‘s Fire Cider took home Gold in Cider with Herbs/Spices, and Tatamagouche Brewing took home Bronze in Kolsch for their North Shore Lagered Ale. The Beer of the Year was Scona Gold Kolsch from Alley Kat in Edmonton, and Four Winds Brewing in Delta, BC, took home Top Brewery honours. Congratulations to all of the entrants and winners!

• It’s almost summer, which means that the Fredericton Beer Run is just around the corner! This is the third year for the annual event, and with more runners – and more beer! – it should be the best one yet. Held on Monday, August 3rd (New Brunswick Day), runners can choose to participate in one of three distances – 4, 6 or 12 km – starting at the Delta Fredericton at 10 am (all running tickets are $60 + fee). After your run, the sampling will begin! Every runner get 14 tickets, each of which is good for a 4 oz pour (runners will receive a custom-designed beer glass) from a selection of at least 30 beers, ciders, and meads in air-conditioned comfort back at the Delta. The brewery list has almost been finalized; expect to see around 15 breweries, most of which will be from New Brunswick. After the sampling is concluded, a bus will bring runners to the King Street Ale House for an after-party, where there will be drink and food specials on for the rest of the afternoon. And if you’re not into the actual “running” of this event, there are Coach’s Tickets available for $42 + fee, which allows you to cheer on your runner, and still sample all of the beer (note that you must attend with a runner)! The event is already over 50% sold (this year’s run will allow for up to 600 attendees), so don’t wait much longer! Tickets can be purchased online.

• PEI Brewing Co. has re-released a favourite limited-release beer from last year, with a bit of a twist. Vic Park Pale Ale is an APA with a grist made up of 50% 2-row and 50% Vienna malt; last year’s batch featured late hop additions of Citra and Kohatu hops, which resulted in a very fruity and tropical beer. This year, they’re using this beer in a single-hop series: every 2 weeks, the beer will be released featuring a different hop variety. This week’s Vic Park was hopped (and dry-hopped) heavily with Citra; varieties to follow will include Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy and Waimea, to mention a few. It weighs in at 45 IBUs and 5.7% ABV (brewer Chris Long has indicated that the ABV will likely decrease with the next batch), and is currently on tap at the brewery for growler fills and pints. You should also be able to find this series of beer on tap at Gahan House – Charlottetown, Fishbones, and a few other select bars/restaurants.

• Tomorrow (June 13th) marks the opening day of the Big Axe taproom in Nackawic, and you’re invited to celebrate! Opening at 2 pm, there will be five Big Axe beers pouring (The Hatchet, White Birch Porter, Shakesbeer Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, Double Bit, and their new, currently-unnamed English Pale Ale), along with a Red Rover cider and Sunset Heights mead. Souther Ukrainian food will be available for purchase from 5-7 pm, and Julio’s Garage will provide live music from 8-10 pm. Regular summer hours for the taproom will be Thursdays 12-7 pm, and Fri-Sat 12-9 pm.

• The James Joyce in Fredericton has started their new Happy Hour program, Craft Beer at Twilight Happy Hour. Featuring happy hour prices every night from 9-10 pm on a weekly-rotating New Brunswick craft brewery (subject to availability), it will continue for the duration of the summer (and hopefully beyond!). Picaroons is the first brewery currently featured, with TrailWay and Big Axe likely to follow.

• And speaking of the James Joyce/Food at the Crowne, as promised back in March, today marks the opening of their craft beer garden/open air BBQ restaurant at the Lighthouse on the Green in downtown Fredericton. Various barbecued fare will be available, and there will be three taps pouring at all times – two Picaroons beers, with a third tap rotating through different New Brunswick breweries (TrailWay will be featured first). Hours are 11 am – 10 pm; Fri-Sun only for the first two weeks, but daily after that for the entire summer!

• The official website for soon-to-open Upstreet Craft Brewing has launched! It’s chock-full of information on their beers, tasting room, and more, so be sure to check it out. They also released the first 50 memberships to their Mug Club… which quickly sold out. Sorry! No worries, they will be releasing more soon… add your name to the waiting list on the Mug Club link to be sure you get yours. Including your own handmade Upstreet mug (which resides at the brewery), bigger pours, discounts on growler-fills and merchandise, and invitations to member-exclusive events, it’s well-worth the yearly $60 membership fee! Look for their beer release before the end of the month, and Grand Opening in early July.

• A new upcoming brewery in New Brunswick has revealed itself ever-so-subtly on Facebook this week: Flying Boats Brewing, located in Shediac, is currently going through the process of getting their license to brew beer. Details are slim for now, of course, but we’ve been in contact with the owner/brewer, and will have plenty of information for you in the near future!

• Railcar Brewing in Florenceville-Bristol, NB has announced that they will soon be offering bottles of their beer for sale at the brewery. These will join their growlers already available for off-site consumption, and supplement the taps and other breweries’ bottles available in their tap room. Shortly after the launch in their retail store, the two initial bottled offerings be will be available at a handful of ANBL locations in their region. They will be using the 500mL format.

• Garrison Brewing is releasing their country-wide collaboration early next week, simultaneously brewed (and also to be released) by Phillips Brewing, Flying Monkeys, and Trou du Diable. Coast to Coastless is a 7.6% ABV Imperial ESB, brewed with Pale Ale, Kiln Amber (similar to Biscuit) and Crystal malts, UK hops Bramling Cross, Challenger and Admiral to 50 IBUs. Good news, folks who attend their Backlot Bash tomorrow will get a sneak peak at this new brew! Tickets are still available for the concert/celebration, with proceeds going to the Ecology Action Centre. For those unable to make it, look for it on sale at the brewery store Monday, and at the private stores shortly thereafter. And Garrison will also be launching their re-branded look tomorrow at the Bash, centering on their iconic cannon logo.

• Tickets for August 7&8’s Halifax Seaport Beerfest are now on sale. The 9th Annual Fest will take place once again at the Cunard Centre on the Waterfront. Tickets are $45+fees and tax, available online, and at Ticket Atlantic or NSLC locations (where you can save the fees). VIP options are available for each session as well, allowing festival goers some cool swag and access to the floor early and a Q&A panel with special guests. As in previous years, there will be a Friday evening session, and Saturday afternoon and evening sessions. 300 beers and ciders will be available for tasting (most of which are not normally available in NS), with an expanded Cask Pavillion, as well as Gluten-free and Ciders options. The ticket price includes drinks, and food will be available for purchase from Bramoso Pizza, Stubborn Goat and Waterfront Warehouse, all under $5. We will share more details on the beers pouring when available.

• Yellowbelly Brewery in St. John’s has a new beer on tap today, Black Gold. This 4.5% ABV black ale is balanced with 40 IBUs of the Brewer’s Gold hop (added during the boil as well as dry hopping early during fermentation, and later in cold conditioning). The colour for this brew comes from Midnight Wheat (at about 8% of the grain bill), which imparts the dark colour and chocolate character, without the astringency found in other roasted malts. The wheat also aids in great head retention, and gives a “puffed wheat” character. Grab it on tap beginning today, and pick up bottles at the store and NLC later next week.

• Speaking of Yellowbelly, they are looking for a Brewer and Apprentice in their brewhouse. These positions will be to assist Brewmaster Liam McKenna as they expand their offerings and distribution. The 10 hl brewhouse located in the heart of downtown (on the corner of George and Water Streets) brews for both onsite consumption as well as bottles in the NLC. While the Brewer position requires formal brewing training and/or experience, the apprentice job is the perfect position for those interested in the wonderful world of brewing! Interested candidates should send an email to yellowbellybrewerjob@gmail.com for more details and to submit a résumé.

• Congratulations to Schoolhouse Brewery, as they mark their first anniversary as a commercial brewery! Their Thursday evening growler delivery service continues to be popular with folks in Windsor and Falmouth, so be sure to sign up on their website. Keep up to date with their Southfield Project, where they will be brewing a beer from hops and malt, all harvested from one field, with the malt processed in their brewery.

• Today’s the day! The Stillwell Beergarden will open its sliding doors today, inviting residents and visitors alike to drink great local beer, cider, wine and hand-crafted lemonade right on the water. And they couldn’t have picked a better day for it! Ten taps, local sausages and snacks, get on it! Keep an eye on their Twitter and Facebook feeds for the opening time announcement.

Thanks for tuning in! Another few local beers are back on tap, including Hammond River Blueberry Ale and Shiretown Hop Hash. Petit-Sault‘s award-winning La Kedgwick should be available in bottles at ANBL stores by early July. And don’t forget that there’s still tickets left for Fredericton’s Canada Day Bash… lots of beer, food, and patriotism/fireworks!