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Friday Wrap-Up for August 21, 2020 – News from Upstreet, Landwash, Niche, Truro, Route 19, Delta Force, and More!

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-08-21
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: CAVOK Brewing, Delta Force Brewing, Double Hill Cidery, Escarpment Laboratories, Good Robot Brewing, Island Malt House, Landwash Brewery, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, OktoberFest des Acadiens, Peppers Pub, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Quidi Vidi Brewery, Red Island Cider, Route 19 Brewing, Saucy Mouth, Shoreline Malting, Side Hustle Snack Bar, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Joyce, Truro Brewing Company, Upstreet Craft Brewing. 1 comment

Today marks the turn into the last month of Summer, at least as far as the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is concerned. But the realities of solar system mechanics and their impact on meteorology aside, we know that there’s still plenty of warm-weather beer drinking to be had in our region. Lucky for us, our region’s breweries and cideries are continuing to pump out top class liquids for our consumption. Read on for news about as many as we could find out about this week!

Last Friday (too late for a blog post then, sorry!), Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing dropped the latest in their Million Acres series, an ever-changing lineup of barrel-aged brews. This newest release is Million Acres – Barrel-Aged Cherry Saison, a 6.5% ABV beer brewed with malt from Island Malt House. The beer was put into barrels in January, and transferred back to steel about six months later. There, it was given a small dry-hop of Barbe Rouge (a French varietal), along with an addition of cherry purée. With a reddish colour, and aromas of cherry and leather, this bottled beer is showing off flavours of “deconstructed cherry pie”, as well as notes of grapefruit, lemongrass, orange pith, leather, straw, pie crust, and dill, according to the brewery. You can find bottles at both Upstreet locations in Charlottetown; they’re recommending that you don’t cellar this one *too* long, as it’s best-enjoyed within a few months. 

Hopping over to Newfoundland, where Landwash is excited to share details on a fresh new beer they’ve just canned, Platters Head. Billed as a hoppy Lager, the beer has a simple grist of 85% Pilsner and 15% Flaked Oats. Fermented with the Isar Lager strain from Escarpment Labs (is there a week where we DON’T mention Escarpment? [editor’s note: No]), the beer was lagered for five weeks, and dry-hopped with Amarillo and Azacca. The final 4.8% ABV brew is tasting crisp and clean, as a good Lager should, with plenty of fruit – including peaches and lemons – in the aroma, and a bit of dankness carrying over into the flavour. Congrats to recently promoted Head Brewer Alex on this release, the first he’s fully designed and brewed at Landwash! It’s available on tap and in cans; stop by the brewery for a taste this weekend (and grab some Saucy Mouth while you’re there, natch!). While you’re there, you can pick up some of their latest batch of Brackish Sour Ale, and they should have some super fresh That Much Ocean NEIPA available now as well!

Back to the mainland for New Brunswick Capital Region’s Niche Brewing’s latest release, another in their exploration of fun and exciting hop combinations. Lost in Translation is a 4.6% ABV Session IPA, with hop additions of Hallertau Blanc and Simcoe beginning in the boil, further enhanced by a heavy dry-hopping of more of the same hop pair, along with Citra. Foggy London Ale yeast from Escarpment did the heavy lifting, with the tropical and citrus vibes first and foremost, along with a touch of spiciness. As with most Niche releases, grabbing it on draught at your local watering hole is your best bet, with The Joyce in Fredericton, Peppers Pub in Saint John, and Halifax’s Bar Stillwell all the first spots to jump on kegs. And speaking of Stillwell, they are facing off against Dartmouth’s Side Hustle Snack Bar in a friendly head-to-head competition of kitchens, all in the name of raising funds for disaster relief, so we strongly encourage you to visit one or both spots this weekend. More details on their social media.

Hometown-proud Truro Brewing Co. has a couple of new beers hitting their taps over the last week, including their latest foray into the world of SMaSH (while we don’t seem to see as many of these beers these days, we figure you’re still all up to speed with what that acronym stands for), Halla Back Girl. This 5.8% ABV beer was brewed all Pale malt from Shoreline Malting, and hopped with a generous amount of Hallertau Blanc. Expect “a tropical, fruity aroma with hints of white wine and pineapple”, in a light orange, very hazy package. Also, last Friday the brewery launched Rubyfruit Grapefruit Sour, a tart and refreshing, 3.5% ABV fruited sour. Both beers are available on tap at the brewery, now.

Maybe we’ll actually be crazy and stick with one province for a moment, and move over to Route 19 Brewing, who have been experimenting on their 50 L pilot system. For those of you have been looking for a beer that tastes like peanut butter waffles covered in strawberry jelly, we guess you’re going to be excited by this one! Crunchy! is what the brewery is calling, yes, a “Peanut Butter Strawberry Jam Ale” (hey, don’t shoot the messenger, ok?). The malt used in the grist (including Biscuit, Carapils, and Honey malt) during brew day contributes biscuit and “fluffy batter flavours”, and strawberry puree was added during fermentation. What about the PB, you ask? Well, they didn’t want to overdo that aspect of the 6.5% ABV beer, so they added peanut butter extract directly into the brite tank (before carbing the beer) “one spoon at a time until the flavour was just right”. Maybe they should have named this one Goldilocks and the Peanut Butter Bears? We’ll just show ourselves out… Oh, we should also reiterate that there isn’t much of this beer around, so if you’re at all curious about what it tastes like, we recommend getting over there ASAP for a pint. And of course, those with nut allergies should avoid this one. Glad to see they’re back open after the awkward incident earlier in the month!

We go from one unusual but intriguing beer to another, stopping next at Good Robot Brewing, the place where misfit people can enjoy misfit beer 😉. Dreamed up by summer brewhouse intern Nathan, they’re going all in on a Chocolate Banana Porter named The Banana Wizard. A light 5.0% ABV Porter, fermentation was carried out by a Belgian yeast to promote banana esters and a touch of clove spiciness, on top of the rich chocolate, dark toffee, and toasted notes. To send it over the top, they dosed in some banana cream and chocolate extracts, for the full “chocolate covered frozen bananas on the boardwalk” experience (there’s always money in the banana stand!). This release is only available in cans, so fire up your Segway to head down to their Robie Street location, or order online for home delivery, and they’ll dispatch their stair car directly to your door.

Delta Force Brewing, Nova Scotia’s only Farmshed brewery, is back with a second big release after a few months creeping through the jungles and carrying out Top Secret missions. With several of the beers in this release taking months of patience to let the yeast and bugs play together, the window to grab the beers is now open! Returning are Anderlecht, their 6.0% ABV Belgian Single with Brett Lambicus, and Mean Time, their 4.8% ABV English Bitter brewed with their own shed-grown hops and fermented with Brettanomyces. They are joined by a new twist of their third release in April, the West Coast IPA Operation Stronghold, but one keg was dosed with Brett, developing some great funky notes and a touch of ester fruit character. All three of these beers are available in 500 mL bottles, at $8 apiece.

Joining those three are a trio of debut releases from Delta Force. Operation Sommar is a Dry Stout, putting an end to the trope that stouts can only be enjoyed in Winter (we also suggest anyone who thinks that should maybe reflect on the existence of Tropical Stouts). Be transported to an idyllic place in the Swedish countryside, where you can dance around the Maypole, be showered in flowers, and dress up like a bear (whether you want to or not). Chocolate, roast, but light and lively enough to be refreshing. Operation Saison is even more refreshing, harkening back to the days when Saisons were enjoyed freely by farmhands at the end (or during) a hard day’s work in the fields. Open fermented in a former milk jug, the floral and spicy character shine through, a testament to the malt, hops, and yeast working together in harmony. Both of these beers are also in 500 mL bottles, $5 each. Rounding out the beer offerings is Operation Assay, a Pale Ale fermented with Ebbergarden Kveik yeast. This is DFBC’s first foray into a “year-round elixir”, and they invite you to follow along on their journey.

So, how can you get your mitts on these beers? The best path to success is to send them an email (deltaforcebrewing@gmail.com) with your order request, and delivery address. Orders over $40 include delivery in Halifax, and arrangements may be possible for smaller orders or other areas of the region. Keep an eye on their IG page for more details as they’re released today.

Back to Newfoundland for the latest small batch release from Port Rexton Brewing. Summer vibes continue on the Bonavista peninsula, so plan your trip to PR to Wet Your Whistle. A 3.8% ABV Session NEIPA, it’s hoppy, hazy, and bursting with great citrus character. Light bodied and crushable, it’s perfect as a rehydration helper for the hot days we’ve been having. As it’s a small batch, it’s only available at the taproom in Port Rexton for pints and growler fills (still a few options at their St. John’s Retail Shop, fear not).

Dieppe’s CAVOK Brewing has teamed up with Bertrand’s Oktoberfest des Acadien to release a beer in its honour. With physical distancing requirements making the in-person Oktoberfest an impossibility, CAVOK has stepped up and brewed a beer to allow us all to celebrate the event together, apart. Keeping true to the inspiration from the original Oktoberfest in Munich, L’Oktoberfest des Acadiens is a 4.7% ABV Märzen, an easy-drinking lager with light toast and biscuit notes, and the perfect beer to fill your Maßkrug. Available in cans at the CAVOK brewery and taproom, it will see wide distribution in ANBL stores across the province.

Down the road from Dieppe and across the Confederation Bridge, Charlottetown’s Red Island Cider is launching a new cider for your enjoyment tomorrow. Part of their Ghost Ship series of limited edition beverages, Two Farmers is made with a blend of apples from two of PEI’s apple producers, one in Prince County (the Island’s “West side”), and one in Kings County (the “East side”). Together, the apples combined with yeast to produce a dry yet complex 6.5% ABV cider with a champagne color, and a bright and vinous nose. Additional tasting notes from the cidery include creamy honey, a touch of caramel, and a tannic finish. Sounds lovely to us! Even better, tomorrow’s launch will feature a special on this cider with local oysters from 4 – 7 PM on their limited space, properly socially-distanced patio. If you can’t make it, though, the Ghost Ship series does generally make its way into bottles, so you should be able to grab some to go as well!

Speaking of PEI cider (two PEI cider posts in one week? That’s got to be a record!), Caledonia’s Double Hill Cidery has a new release of their own. IslandSide was made with apples from Arlington Orchards, and was slowly-fermented and cold aged. It’s 5.5% ABV, and is tasting “fresh and crisp, with floral notes”. It’s available in cans right now at Double Hill, and should be available very soon at PEILCC stores (maybe even in time for the weekend!). 

And a couple more short mentions before we leave you to your weekend; we hope it’s a warm, sunny and beery one wherever you are!

Dartmouth’s North Brewing has the latest in their line of sour beers available now. Raspberry Plush features a whole whack of fresh raspberries pressed in-house, resulting in a beautiful bright pink colour and a beer bursting with flavour. At 4.5% ABV, it’s a perfect patio pairing partner (partner!). Grab it online or at their store on Portland Street when you’re there for some Side Hustle side action.

Quidi Vidi Brewing released an American Amber Ale earlier this week, simply-named Amber Ale. Billed as easy-drinking, with light caramel and biscuit-like flavours, as well as a touch of fruit character, it finishes dry with a firm bitterness. Coming in at 5% ABV, it’s available now at the brewery’s Hops Shop for pickup and delivery.

Friday Wrap-Up for June 26, 2020 – News from Change Is Brewing Collective, Good Robot, Black is Beautiful, Tidehouse, Tatamagouche, Island Folk Cider House, Bagtown, Upstreet and More!!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2020-06-26
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 902 BrewCast, Bagtown Brewing, Black is Beautiful, Breton Brewing, CAVOK Brewing, Change Is Brewing Collective, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Good Robot Brewing, Iron Rock Brewing Co., Island Hop Company, Island Malt House, New Scotland Brewing, NSLC, Ol' Biddy's Brew House, Pollen Angels, Secret Cove Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, Tidehouse Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing. 1 comment

Happy Friday folks! The region got a dose of great news with the announcement of the Atlantic Bubble coming next Friday, but that doesn’t mean you can forget everything we’ve been doing for the last 3 months (just look South for proof). Keep being smart about how you choose to get together with friends and strangers, and above all, spread love and not the virus. We’re taking next Friday off, so we hope this dose of beer news will keep you satisfied until then. And if not, we promise a full refund. Happy Canada Day, and remember that brewery taprooms, restaurants and bars are operating under different circumstances than usual, so check before heading out, and tip as generously as you can!

We want to start this week off with two brewing initiatives that are poised to make an impact on inclusivity and equity in the local brewing community, and beyond.

Good Robot Brewing Co’s brewer Giovanni Johnson, along with members of the Nova Scotian Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour population have come together to form the Change is Brewing Collective. Their first release will be coming mid-July, named Blackberry Freedom, a Pale Ale with blackberries. The group, and beer, is a challenge to other breweries in the province, dare we say everywhere, “to consider how they can be more inclusive for the BIPOC in their communities”. We can see this as a way of encouraging more breweries to engage members of their local BIPOC community for both staffing or patrons. We can get behind that! Look for Blackberry Freedom in July, and we’ll have a ton more with Gio and the Collective then.

And in an out-of-region initiative, but of utmost importance here, is the Black is Beautiful project. Hosted by Austin’s Weathered Souls, it is a worldwide collaboration for breweries to bring awareness and efforts to overcome injustices that many people of colour face. Over 900 breweries have signed up world-wide for the project, brewing a 10.0% ABV Imperial Stout, and directing 100% of the beer’s proceeds to groups focusing on racial justice, equality, and inclusion. So far in Atlantic Canada, we see two Nova Scotian breweries have stepped up to the plate. Halifax’s Tidehouse Brewing will be donating the proceeds to GameChangers902, a group of African Nova Scotians coming together to promote and mobilize change in the province, centralizing the experience, culture, and history of Black Nova Scotians. Tatamagouche Brewing is taking part as well, as they are committed to continued education, understanding and supporting people of colour, and are directing their proceeds towards groups educating and promoting awareness in the province. We want to encourage other breweries in the region, both small and large, to take part in this collaboration, because, while conversations on and efforts to remove systemic racism may be difficult and feel overwhelming, Black Lives Matter.

We’ve got big news for the island of Cape Breton, where Island Folk Cider House opened their doors last weekend. Located at 52 Nepean St in Sydney, just a stone’s throw from the Big Fiddle, they are open for retail sales of their initial release blends. Open Thursday and Friday, 12 – 7 PM, and Saturday 11 – 4 PM, you can grab cans of their Good Company 6.5% ABV cider, and Rebel Rosé 7.0% ABV blend of cider and cranberry wine. The cans feature artwork by local illustrator and cartoonist Alison Uhma. Their third release, the smaller batch Easy Beezy featuring local honey, sold out in just a few days, sorry, but more blends are on the way! If you can’t get to their retail location, fear not, as the Good Company is available at 14 NSLC locations across the province, from Yarmouth to Sydney, and Amherst to HRM. Plus kegs of both GC and RR are at several bars and restaurants on the Island as well as the South Shore, check out their Fb page for more details. You can also keep up to date on the fun on their Ig page. We’ll have a full Profile with IFCH up in the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, Congratulations to Jill and team!

After months of preparation and planning, Sackville’s Bagtown Brewing Co. finally opened up their new retail store at 45 Main St. last weekend. The new location is also the new home to the brewhouse, and while just across the street from where they were previously, allows them more space to sell more beer! In addition to Bagtown’s rotating offerings, you’ll also be able to grab cans and bottles from other New Brunswick breweries. If you’re in the area and would like to drop in to check out the new space/pick up some beer, they’re open today (Friday) from 12-6 pm, and Saturday 9am-3pm.  

Upstreet Brewing is celebrating a huge milestone this weekend: their brewery has now been operating for 5 years in Charlottetown, PEI. And while the ongoing need for social distancing means that they can’t throw a massive shindig for all their friends in the taproom, it’s not going to stop them from celebrating. The first aspect of that celebration is now traditional: DeNovo V is, appropriately, the 5th iteration of their mixed-fermentation saison birthday beer. Keeping it local, the grist features Island Malt House Pale, Wheat and Rye and the hop side has Island Hop Company Saaz along with some out-of-province Centennial and Ekuanot. Tasting-wise, it starts with an aroma of peppery lemon meringue accompanied by some mild funk, citrus and herbal notes. Lightly toasted sourdough comes through on the palate, leading to a very dry and crisp finish on this beer that weighs in at 6.5% ABV and 15 IBU. This year they’ve elected to bottle it in 500 mL bottles instead of the 750s used in previous years. If you’re on the Island you can definitely grab this one direct from Upstreet (whether that’s the brewery/taproom or Craft Beer Corner), but it looks like it may also make it to Halifax as well, where we’d imagine you’ll find it at some or all of the private stores in the city in the coming weeks.

The other aspect of Upstreet’s birthday celebration is a contest they announced today on social media: they’re offering folks a chance to win a $500 Upstreet gift card for themselves and $5,000 to a charity of their choice! Entering is easy: Post a photo with your favorite Upstreet beer (or Rewind Seltzer or East Coast Soda Co. Soda) on Fb or Ig, making sure to tag @upstreetbrewing and the charity of your choice and add the hashtag #cheersforcharitypei, then use the caption space to say how that charity is doing good in the community. Multiple entries per person are allowed, although each needs to nominate a different charity. There will be one winner of this contest announced July 10th at noon. So grab yourself an Upstreet beverage and your camera/phone, and get snapping for your favorite cause!

Speaking of 5th Birthdays, Breton Brewing is celebrating their own this Saturday! To help celebrate, they’re going to be releasing five beers as part of an Anniversary Series, with each beer being launched at a different date over the summer. A mixture of brand new beers and returning favourites, they’re starting off with one of the latter, Shipwreck DIPA. Hopped entirely with Mosaic, this 7.4% ABV hop bomb is hazy and pale amber in colour, with “aromas of mango, citrus, and peaches”, and lots more on the palate. Always a requested beer at the brewery, this is the first time Shipwreck has been available in cans. It’s available right now in the taproom, as well as for delivery in the CBRM; look for it to pop up at the private stores in Halifax next week, as well as home delivery in that area. And keep your eyes peeled for their next Anniversary release, which should be early July… we’ll keep you posted!

Now that the Good Robot taproom is officially up-and-running, they’re releasing some beers with feelings of summer – one new, and one returning. Seems natural to start off with the new one, so let’s begin with Fanny Pack, a dry-hopped Lager. Designing a brew for those of us looking for something light and refreshing for summer drinking, but with lots of bright hop character, Fanny Pack was brewed with a simple grist of Pale ale malt and flaked corn. Fermented with the brewery’s favourite Mexican Lager yeast strain, it was lagered appropriately and dry-hopped with Comet and Citra. The 4.8% ABV, straw yellow-coloured beer has citrus on the nose and palate, including notes of lemon and grapefruit, with low bitterness. Crushable as advertised, it’s available in cans at the brewery. And while picking up your cans for the weekend, you’ll notice that Viking Holiday is back, also in cans (and on tap)! This 4.2% ABV Pineapple Wheat beer was fermented with a Kveik strain, giving the brew notes of nectarine to complement the aromas and flavours from the pineapple added to the brew. 

Now that Ol’ Biddy’s Brewhouse is officially at full throttle (it should be noted that the taproom is still open for retail sales only), they’ve gone ahead and added some canned beers to their expanding lineup this week. Those of you who have been following the brewery since their humble, 1-bbl brewhouse days may recognize the names of two of the beers, which were originally released in 2018. The first of these is Orange American Bastard, a 4.7% ABV American Wheat beer that features late-boil additions of orange peel and coriander, as well as a touch of Cascade hops. Crisp, clean, and refreshing, a beer to pound back by your pool, or maybe share with someone ready to dip the toe into the waters of craft beer (“clever” metaphor, not insinuating that the beer is watery). The other returning brew is Call Your Bluff, a 4.9% APA originally brewed in collaboration with Todd Beal that has a “pungent grapefruit character”. 

The new beers are on the darker side of the spectrum, starting with Shady 80, a chocolate stout. Brewed with a variety of dark malts, this 6.3% ABV Sweet Stout has an addition of lactose powder to bump up the sweetness slightly, to balance the roast character in the beer. Rounding everything up is Engine 41, a 6.4% ABV Cherrywood Smoked Porter. “Big on taste, yet balanced and easy to drink”, expect some moderate smoke character, finishing with notes of chocolate and roast. All four of these beers are presently available in cans at the brewery, open regular hours this weekend, and then opening early next week on Tuesday and Wednesday (yes, July 1), 12 – 6 PM, to allow you to stock up for the Canada Day holiday.

Dartmouth’s New Scotland Brewing has a new beer on the radar, a hoppy, hazy APA named Beachcomber. The latest in their small batch series, the 5.5% ABV beer was intensely dry-hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic, and El Dorado. Hard to go wrong with those varieties! They’ve described it as “light-bodied, flavourful, and aromatic”. Available for delivery, and, of course, for pick-up at the brewery.

The crew at Pollen Angels have teamed up with Fils du Roy to produce Fils D’Abeille (Son of a Bee). You may be already wondering if a meadery teaming up with a distillery means mead + spirit(s), and you’d be right! Fils D’Abeille is a blend of Queen’s Nectar mead and oak-aged Gin Thuya, weighing in at a hefty 10.5% ABV. Described as a harmony of “honey, apples, Thuja occidentalis, juniper berry and coriander”, you can find this beverage at many ANBL stores across New Brunswick; be sure to continue to check the ANBL site for which stores are carrying bottles of the product.

A few more newsbites for you today before we dismiss the class…

There’s a new episode from your favourite hosted-by-three-guys, all about local beer, three digit podcast out for download and listenin’ as of earlier this morning. If you guessed 902 Brewcast, good for you! This is a tasting episode/chat about the latest news/answer social media questions episode, so all bases are covered. Download it wherever you normally download your favourite podcasts.

And in more great news, their faithful sponsor, Bishop’s Cellar Bishop’s Cellar Bishop’s Cellar, has re-opened their doors to the public, for in person shopping (Mon – Wed 10 AM – 6 PM, Thurs – Sat 10 AM – 9 PM), as well as online ordering for curbside pickup or province-wide delivery. (dm us for our address to send that cheque)

CAVOK Brewing has a very small, limited batch newly-available on tap, Dents De Lions. Brewed with local dandelions and citrus fruit, this 4.3% ABV, 6 IBUs brew can also be found online, for local delivery. As a side note, we also would like to invite CAVOK to drop by our homes later in the summer, for more dandelion harvesting. Free!

Unfiltered’s super-hoppy DIPA (well, one of them anyway), Fist of God (7.5% ABV) is back for the weekend. Described by the brewery as a “fruity, citrus, tropical, East Coast DIPA w/ West Coast roots”… well, we don’t know what else to say. On tap and in cans at the brewery now, and delivery options are also available (for orders made before 2 pm).

And with the good news happening around AtlCan, we’re seeing some spots hiring and expanding their scope. Here are two such businesses looking to bring some folks onto their team.

Way up (and we mean waaaaaaay up) in Labrador City, NL, one of the region’s newest breweries, Iron Rock, is looking to expand their team in the form of an Assistant Brewer and Cellar Person. This is potentially a combined position, however the immediate need is on the cellaring side, managing inventory and packaging while maintaining the brewery’s dedication to cleanliness and sanitation. Over time opportunities on the brewing side are expected to grow and so the applicant’s previous brewing experience is certainly a relevant factor. A full-time gig in Lab City, hours will definitely vary. If this sounds like you and you’re in town or willing to make a move, maybe check out the full details and job description and throw your hat in the ring!

Also in Newfoundland, Port au Port’s Secret Cove Brewing is looking to fill a position or two… or four, specifically! There’s a wide variety of jobs available, including working right in the brewing side of things (Brewery Operations – Canning and Distribution), into the taproom with the Taproom Manager position, as well as Bartending and Curb Shop staff, and finally, they’re looking for a cook! You need to be motivated and love everything involved with craft beer, and the cook position does require experience. For more details, check out the full info here, and if you’re interested, send a cover letter and resume to beer@secretcovebrewing.com.

Friday Wrap-Up for May 22, 2020 – News from O’Creek, CAVOK, North, Tatamagouche, Roof Hound, Niche, Propeller, Horton Ridge, TrailWay, Tanner & Co, and Breton

Posted by acbbshawn on 2020-05-22
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Breton Brewing, CAVOK Brewing, Escarpment Laboratories, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Roof Hound Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Welp, we’ve done it folks! Made it though another week. And a short one at that, though for us, the weekdays and weekends all kind of melt together now. Plenty of new and returning beer details below, and we’ve been updating the openings and changes in our Delivery/curbside pickup options page. As always, and you’d be correct if you guess we just copy/paste this part over week-to-week, if we’ve missed something important there, or just want to chat, get in touch via email or social media (Ig and Tw preferred). Take care of yourselves and each other! ❤️

Looks like Dieppe’s O’Creek Brewing has a new entry in their DUOH series (that’s “Duo Hops” for those of you not in the know), where they brew a NEIPA focusing on two different hop varieties. Their latest – DUOH Citra/Sabro – features two wonderful and maybe-not-so-easy-to-always-attain hops (Citra and Sabro, of course!), both of which provide one heck of a punch of tropical, fruity goodness, with “citrus, mango, and guava” coming through in spades. You can currently find this 6% ABV hop bomb on tap at CAVOK Brewing, and don’t forget that they fill crowlers of guest taps to go there! Woohoo! 

Speaking of CAVOK Brewing, they’ve got a new beer of their own currently pouring. Expérience Croisée 2 continues the series of the same name, where they blend existing beer styles to come up with something that is even better than the sum of its parts. In the case of this second beer of the series, it’s a blend of a Hefeweizen and a NEIPA, so you can probably use your imagination to come up with at least a general idea of what this beer will taste like. Wheat and banana from the Weizen end, with juicy, fruity flavours from the NEIPA side, it weighs in at 6.5% ABV. If you can’t make it into the taproom, they’re still doing deliveries in the area, and shipping Canada-wide, so make sure you check out the details for that option.

Now that the weather is FINALLY getting warmer, some of you are no doubt craving something both sour, and hoppy. Well, North Brewing has you covered with their latest, Plush. After the beer’s wort was boiled without hops, and partially cooled on its way to the fermenter, it was soured with Lactobacillus Blend 2.0 from Escarpment Labs. This blend is active at warm, but not hot temps (30 – 40ºC), so doing that step in the fermenter is possible (many of the rapid sours out there are done in the kettle so that the temperature can be elevated to 50ºC or higher). After an acidic base has been achieved, the wort was chilled to normal fermentation temperature (under 20ºC) and the yeast was added. This same technique is used in their Breakwater series of fruited sours, for those curious. Once fermented, the beer saw its first hops, being heavily dry-hopped with Vic Secret, Amarillo, and cryo Cascade. We think we’ll just let them describe the final product: “the first sip is like tumbling into a pillowy cloud of peachy, citrusy, tart luxury”. See, we’re not near that eloquent! It’s refreshing and easy-drinking at 4.5%, and is available in cans this weekend; better grab some while the drinkin’ is good!

Ooo, speaking of low-ABV, bright drinking beers, Tatamagouche Brewing just released their newest hoppy American Pale Ale, Bengy (pronounced ben-GEE, like that dog!). Very-heavily dry-hopped with Mosaic and Citra (two hop varieties you know will bring you to flavour town), this 4.9% ABV brew is tasting super-juicy and tropical, with no doubt some dank aromas and flavours in there as well. Bengy is available in cans on their website for delivery orders, both locally and across Canada, and for locals, at the Brew Shop, open 10 – 5 PM daily (12 – 5 PM Sundays), just tag your order with code BREWERYPICKUP to let them know you’ll be coming by for a no contact click and grab.

The new beers just keep pumping out of Nova Scotia, with Roof Hound Brewing throwing their hat in the ring with Blunderbuss, an American Pale Ale. Blunderbuss is defined as “a short-barreled large-bored gun with a flared muzzle, used at short range” (a la the movie Looper!), and also “an action or way of doing something regarded as lacking in subtlety and precision”. We’re pretty sure their beer is named after the LATTER definition! Regarding the actual beer, they added some Honey malt to the grist to give it a touch of sweetness, and then hammered the wort with large whirlpool additions of Azacca. After fermentation was complete, a large dry-hop of Citra finished it off, giving big notes of citrus throughout. There’s some bitterness in this 6% ABV brew as well, for those of you who do prefer some to go with your hop experience! 

Let’s head back to New Brunswick for a draught-only release from Hanwell’s Niche Brewing. Delving into lager territory for just the second or third time (who can keep track?), Lanai is a German Pilsner, leveraging Bohemian Pilsner malt, along with Hallertau Mittelfruh hops added both early and late in the boil, and fermented with the Isar Lager yeast from Escarpment Labs. This 5.0% beer was brewed back in January, and has been lagered for more than 3 months. Well, the wait is over, as the beer has been released in kegs, with the first of those going to Downtown Fredericton’s Graystone Brewing, for safe in-person enjoyment, as well as to-go in growler and crowler fills, we believe. While you’re there, you may have a chance to try one of the last pours of Niche’s Empty Garden, their Kveik-fermented American Pale Ale, released recently. 

In Halifax, Propeller Brewing is still celebrating the opening of their Quinpool location at The Keep condo/retail mixed use building, but that hasn’t slowed down the new beer releases at all! This week sees the return of two much-loved and oft-demanded favourites, both perfect for the warmer weather that the region has been teased with this week. First up is their Dark Berry Sour, which we’ve been assured will be available all summer, though we imagine that thirsty fans will do their best to drain the cans and fermenters in record time! Much like last year, the kettle-soured 5.0% beer features loads of blackberries, black currants, and black raspberries, but the new fruit addition of red raspberries brings a bright refreshing character, and lightens the final beer ever-so-much. Taking advantage of its tropical feels, Mosaic is used as a dry-hopping addition. DBS is available now at Prop’s three locations for contact-free pickup, delivery in HRM through their webstore, and will be found on shelves/for delivery through the Harvest, RockHead, and WestSide private shops.
The other new brew on the fridge shelves (physically and virtually) at Propeller today is Azacca Session IPA. At 4.5% ABV, this light-bodied hazy beer may be on the lower end of the IPA style, but certainly packs plenty of tropical character. In addition to the eponymous Azacca, El Dorado and Citra hops are added for a full-on experience of mango pineapple, tangerine, melon, and stone fruit, all in a small package. And speaking of… in addition to tall cans of the beer available at the brewery (and private stores), this beer will be found at NSLC locations in the 6 x 355 ml canned format in the near future (these are also at the brewery, fret not!). And great news, just like Dark Berry Sour, Azacca wil be around all summer!

Changing gears from hop- to malt-focus, a one-hour drive up the 101 will bring you to Horton Ridge Road, where Horton Ridge Malt & Grain find their home. They’ve released two beers this week, so let’s get you up to speed pronto! Simpler Summer Lager is a 5.0% ABV Amber Lager, featuring Light Munich malt as the base, with a touch of their special Honey Malt for light toast character with a touch of honey flavour (but light in the sweetness). Malt-forward, as you’d expect, but plenty drinkable and perfect for patios, beaches, and bonfires, when it’s safe to enjoy those.
What’s that saying, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play?” Well, that situation has definitely happened at Horton Ridge, as when Head Maltster Al wasn’t looking, Stephen and Connor decided to flip the script and brew up a Big Bad Double IPA. Al’s Away is a 7.7% Double IPA, leveraging both a load malts (you need a lot to get up to 7.7%!) as well as hops, to the tune of 60 IBU thanks to generous additions of  Citra and Mosaic. Tropical fruit flavours, grapefruit play on top of the malty backbone for an all-out assault on your senses. Both the Simpler Summer and Al’s Away are now available at the Malt House for pickup in 355 mL cans.

TrailWay Brewing is celebrating the re-opening of their tasting room this week, have welcomed Milda’s Pizza back onsite, and as if that wasn’t enough, have a brand new beer available! Sultana’s of Swing is a 7.5% ABV Double IPA, brewed solely with Sultana. You may recognize that hop by its previous name, Denali, but it recently received a moniker change. Bright, ripe pineapple, fresh tangerine, with a light pine finish. Sounds lovely! You can drop by the taproom to grab cans or growler fills (TW ones only), or stick around for a pint at a responsible distance from your neighbours. No bursting bubbles in there, folks!

On Nova Scotia’s South Shore, Tanner & Co Brewing have released a small batch of Sparkling Mead. Original is 7.2% ABV, using local honey and was fermented for over two months, conditioned for a couple of weeks, and then carbed up. This dry and fizzy mead is just available in limited amounts in bottles at their Duke Street, Chester location (and maybe for delivery if you’re quick!), and features label design by Hammerlock Design Co, a local graphic designer who is a big beer fan himself (hey Andy!).

Finally this week, Breton Brewing in Sydney has a new Session IPA hitting their shelves, and ready for delivery in CBRM and in early next week in HRM. Pink Boots Session IPA uses the hop blend by the same name put together by Yakima Chief, in celebration and support of Pink Boot Society, encouraging and supporting women brewery workers. Crisp and light at 4.5% ABV, it features floral and tangerine notes, and finished with a light bitterness. Refreshing, tasty, and for a great cause; we’ll cheers to that! Enjoy your weekend, everyone, and stay safe!