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Friday Wrap-Up for January 5, 2024 – News from Hardisty, Truro, Libra, NOMAD, Garrison, Gahan, Big Spruce, Lake City, 2 Crows, Stillwell and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2024-01-05
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge, CBANS, Enjoy Nomad, Gahan Atlantic Home Brew Challenge, Garrison Brewing, Hardisty Brewing, Lake City Cider, Libra Non-Alcoholic Beer, Stillwell Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company. Leave a Comment

Happy 2024! We hope you were able to find a bit of relaxation and community these past few weeks, whether it be with (or away from) family, friends, pets, nature, or alone with a great book, podcast, or however you felt most at ease. We were fortunate to do a combination of all of those, and are thankful for each other and for you, our faithful readers. We missed a few new releases while we were away, and we’ll of course miss others in the future, so don’t be shy about letting us know some great cider and beer news that’s happening in your neck of the woods. The best way is via email, but you can also DM or tag us on Instagram to get our attention. This week’s post is short and sweet, as we, and the breweries, ease their way into the New Year. As always, please support local when and if you’re able, especially during these traditionally slower months for producers and restaurants and bars. Support in moderation, of course!

Just before year-end, Hardisty Brewing opened their taproom in Cole Harbour, Dartmouth. Graduating from production at their home nearby, Char and Laura have brought in Amber to complete the brewing team on their expanded equipment in the new space. 230 litre batches are now possible, thanks to the equipment they picked up from Truro Brewing Company’s own recent expansion. The Hardisty taproom is fully equipped with a half-dozen taps, and an extensive selection of meat and cheese to build your own CHARcuterie board (sorry, couldn’t resist!), and a full retail shop for your take-away needs. Keep an eye on Hardisty’s website and social media for updates, and pop by their location at 958 Cole Harbour Rd, Tuesday to Saturday, from noon til 8 PM. Congratulations again!

A little bit of a change this week, as we highlight some non-alcoholic products from the region, as we know many of you (and us) are taking a little breather from booze in January. You’re already aware of the Libra line produced by Upstreet Craft Brewing, and we were introduced to NOMAD Pilsner, and more recently Witbier, “brewed” by the fine folks at Tatamagouche Brewing. This week saw the launch of another in the region, Instead, produced for Garrison Brewing. For sale now from their shops, and soon at private stores in HRM, the Blonde and IPA are both flavourful, crisp, and clean, you’ll never even notice there’s no alcohol!

For those looking for a bevvie with another flavour profile, don’t forget about Lake City Cider’s line of non-alcoholic ciders, which happen to be on sale this week!

And if you’re looking for a bit more in both alcohol or character, Trailway Brewing’s Hu Jon Hops Ultra will fit the bill! At just 1.5% ABV, it’s chock-full of hops, and raring to go!

If you are someone who is already an experienced homebrewer, or one of the lucky group of folks gifted a kit or equipment over the Holidays, let us tell you about a couple brewing competitions that you can enter, to receive some honest feedback and guidance on improving your craft. Or win fabulous prizes; that could happen too!

Prince Edward Island’s Gahan House is once again sponsoring the Atlantic Home Brew Challenge, which is open to amateur brewers in any of the four Atlantic Provinces. Celebrating their presence that started in New Brunswick, and has spread to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and most recently Newfoundland and Labrador, Gahan is looking for folks to submit their best Best Bitter, or Spice, Herb, and Vegetable Beer. While you have until March 2nd to drop off the beer to your local Gahan House, we highly recommend signing up today to ensure you do not miss out on the opportunity! The top beers in each category will win cash prizes, with the Best in Show also winning the opportunity and honour of brewing their beer on a big scale! Former winners have gone on to fame and fortune in their own right, and you could be the next to wear the crown! More details are available at the Challenge website above.

Meanwhile, across the Northumberland Strait (or near enough), Nyanza, Cape Breton’s Big Spruce Brewing is hosting the latest in what we believe to be the longest-running homebrew competition in the Maritimes. Now up to the 11th edition, this year’s official title is 11th Annual Homebrew Challenge: Pomona vs Elysium. A face off featuring two brand new (really really brand new, very few commercial breweries have used these) yeast strains from Escarpment Labs, homebrewers are being challenged to make their best IPA. Twenty-five pouches of each strain were available and to date 36 total pouches have been claimed. That means there’s room for fourteen more entrants. A winner for each strain will be crowned and a batch of each winning beer will be brewed on Big Spruce’s pilot system for province-wide distribution. Check the linked official Facebook page for the event for all the details you need!

While our friends at 2 Crows Brewing are enjoying the recent opening of 2 Crows Oxford, their birthday is right around the corner. January 27th will mark their 7th Anniversary with an all day event at the Brunswick Street brewery. There will be 7 new anniversary beers, including collaborations with OK Sea Salt, Yeah Yeah’s Pizza and some returning favourites and a new mystery beer. Food will be served at noon by Luke’s Small Goods and when 8 PM rolls around, it’s time for the beats to drop, as Skunk Motel, Pavel Stroke and June Body will be playing their tunes. As usual, there are no tickets, reservations or cover. Stay tuned to the brewery’s social media for any updates (Sour Sunday anyone?) or changes and we’ll be sure to include a reminder the week of. 

As they have every year for the last half-decade or so, many of the member breweries of CBANS have once again converged to produce a collaborative beer for the year. This year we feel like they’re doing it a little earlier than usual, but we also suspect that’s got to do with the beer and where it’s being brewed. This week saw 30+ folks from 15+ breweries converge on Kempt Road and Stillwell Brewing for this year’s Together We Brew, where they put together a ((possibly double-)decocted, natch) batch of something that’s destined to be called Export Lager. Though it won’t be available until spring, for long-term cold-conditioning reasons, when it is you’ll be able to find it around the province at various breweries, NSLC stores, and private stores as well. Look for our announcement of its availability and tasting notes then! And special thanks to Stillwell Brewing for hosting, Brew Culture, Escarpment Labs, and Shoreline Malting for ingredients support, and (eventually) Hart Printing for the cans!

Friday Wrap-Up for June 16, 2023 – News from Bay de Verde, Tatamagouche, Bannerman, Banished, Bootleg, Tusket, CAVOK, Seasoned Plate, Truro, BrewHQ, Lunn’s Mill, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2023-06-16
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Arcade Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, BarNone Brewing, Bay de Verde Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bootleg Brew Company, Brew York, BrewHQ, CAVOK Brewing, CBANS, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Good Robot Brewing, Good Robot Commons, Lone Oak Beer Garden, Lone Oak Brewing, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, Propeller Brewing, Seasoned Plate, Tatamagouche Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Tusket Falls Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday and hello Summer! The wildfires in Nova Scotia seem to be under control and our prayers for rain were answered. With a little more mental and emotional capacity, we can focus on lots of beer news as we ramp into the busy season for your favourite beer-y locations.

The beer landscape in Newfoundland is getting a little busier, as a new brewery opens on the Northern tip of the Avalon. Bay de Verde is a community of 400 people located at the mouth of Conception Bay, about 2 hours from downtown St. John’s. And on Noonan’s Lane in BdV is the Bay de Verde Brewing Company, who are opening their doors today! Launching with a handful of beer, named in honour of the area they call home: Backside Blonde (4.5% ABV) is named after one of two harbours encompassing the town of Bay de Verde (the other being the eponymous Bay de Verde); Barter House Red (5.5%), named in honour of the building that the brewery calls home. Also available is Trail Time, an Apricot Sour. These first three will be available on draught in their taproom, as well as in cans to go. Joining them on draught only is Speckle Trout Stout, for those looking for something a little darker. And launching next week is Island Pond Ale, an IPA. The brewery is open today from 3 PM, and again tomorrow 12 – 10 PM, and Sunday 2 – 8 PM. In addition to cans and growler fills to take away, you will be able to enjoy their beer in the taproom! Much more with Kim and Co of Bay de Verde soon! We\ve updated the Good Beer Map with all of the details you need to plan your weekend adventure!

This weekend the gang at Tatamagouche Brewing is celebrating nine wonderful years of providing some of our favorite barley-based liquids (and other liquids as well!), and of course that means some celebratory releases! First up is this year’s iteration of Saltwater Cowboy, their tequila barrel-aged gose. Expect perhaps a bit less acidity this year than in previous batches, but that same touch of salinity and hint of lemon to go along with the tequila character from the barrel. Next up is a pair of dark beers with a common starting point, a big, rich porter. Beginning with a grist of Horton Ridge pale malt, Munich, and Vienna, the brew team added some caramel malts for sweetness and body, and chocolate wheat and Carafa Special III for balancing roastiness. It was bittered with Magnum to the tune of about 30 IBU and dosed later in the boil with unsung hop variety Celeia before heading to the fermenter where, rather than the lager yeast used in their multi-award-winning Two Rivers Baltic Porter, it was inoculated with good ol’ US-05, but fermented cooler than usual for a still clean, but quicker result. Half the batch then went into Knob Creek Bourbon barrels while the other half was destined for Foursquare Rum barrels where they slept soundly for a year or so, picking up hints of their respective spirits and their wooden sarcophagi. After packaging, they were laid down again for a few months to take the slightly boozy edges off. At 10.1% and 9.8%, respectively, Lilith (Bourbon) and Lila (rum) are big beers, but you can still expect plenty of subtlety in their depths. Expect a smooth integration of the Bourbon in Lilith and some fruit and baking spice character in Lila, whilst both exhibit oak tannins and vanilla from the barrels. Our recommendation is to get a couple (or more!) of each, sharing and contemplating the complexity of one with friends now, and coming back again in a year or two to see how they’ve evolved. Lastly, fans of Tata’s ongoing Intertidal IPA series can rejoice, as there’s a new one hitting the shelves. Using one of the hottest new hops on the market (so new it hasn’t been given its proper name yet), this one is called Intertidal HBC 1019. While that may not quite roll off the tongue, the beer itself will likely roll smoothly down your gullet. Built off a pretty standard NEIPA grist, with pale malt and Vienna, but also haze-friendly malted oats, wheat, and rolled barley, it was mash hopped with Cascade, whirpooled with HBC 1019 along with another newer variety, Nectaron and old school Chinook, before being fermented with a yeast blend (S-33 and K-97) and then hammered in the dry hop with more HBC 1019. Expect a luscious mouthfeel, medium bitterness, and a smack in the mouth of oranges that give way to peach, melon, and hints of vanilla and coconut. All of these beers are available now at the brewery in cans or for online ordering. Even better, if you spend $95 or more within the Maritimes, or $150 or more elsewhere in Canada (except the Territories and Manitoba), you’re eligible for free birthday shipping! And if you happen to be in the environs of the brewery this weekend, definitely plan to head down and check out their on-site celebrations all weekend long.

Back in Newfoundland, Bannerman has a new tap-only release. Picture This is a cream ale that started with a base of Pilsner malt, flaked corn, caramel malt and a touch of ground coffee from Cape Broyle’s Cape Coffee roasters.  It was then dry-hopped with a blend of British and French hops before being conditioned on more coffee, this time using cracked beans. Using coffee in a lighter beer allowed more subtle coffee notes like fruit and honey to come forward, without being overpowered by the roastiness. The 4.8% ABV Picture This is on tap on Duckworth Street now for pints and growler fills, with cans coming next week.

Staying with the lovely B breweries on the Rock, Banished Brewing has released Little Jim, a Session IPA, a 4% version of their Jim Time DIPA which was dedicated to their friend that helped get the brewery up and running. This smaller version keeps the same flavours of notes of citrus, melon, and mango. It is available now in cans and on draught at the brewery and will likely be available at the shops across Newfoundland as well. But we suggest getting it at the source and trying the newly opened Best Friend Burger food truck located at the brewery to feed both your mind and soul!

Hitting the treble for the Newfoundland B breweries, Bootleg Brew Co has a new brew celebrating 20 years of Cycle Solutions serving the cycling community of Corner Brook. 20 Years Sippin’ Beers is a Hazy IPA brewed for Pete and the Cycle Solutions crews. The name comes from the anniversary shirt from the store that is a play on ”20 Years Changing Gears” shirt and the beer is a New England style IPA that is very juicy and packed with Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo hops. This is canned and available on tap from the brewery. 

The Tusket Falls crew has a new iteration of Next Phaze available now. A Hazy IPA release where they continually iterate, this is the second batch (can stamp is 06/05/23) and still focuses on the Phantasm additions. For this release there is no mash hop addition, but Citra and Riwaka are otherwise featured throughout. Using a base of a thiolized Cosmic Punch yeast to unlock that Phantasm, this should bring some big aromas of citrus and tropical fruit in a 6.4%  This is canned and available at both locations (North End Halifax and Tusket). 

We’ve got a new one from New Brunswick’s CAVOK Brewing, as they’re bringing the light and refreshing drinks for the coming season. La Coast is a light lager with lime additions at 4.3%. Perfect for the summer! This is a light lager with fresh lime puree added for secondary fermentation. This is available directly from the brewery on tap for growlers and pints and also in 473ml cans!

Chef Stephen Barrett at Seasoned Plate is kicking off the second season of Pints & Plates this week, as they release recipes for food that can be made at home, showcasing a Nova Scotian brewery and beer to pair. This week is a feature with Truro Brewing Company, using their Willow St Wheat in a cucumber salad, and pairing it with their Trackside American Pale Ale. The full recipe and story behind the brewery is out now, and check out the documentary of Pints & Plates, featuring several of this season’s breweries (plus a unique beverage with history from the other side of the world, brewed in Nova Scotia!). 

Speaking of TBC, they will be moving from their current location just down the street to 72 Inglis Place in downtown Truro. Today is their last day in their current location, so help drink them dry, so they have fewer kegs to move! The new location will be opening July 8th, and therefore some events that were planned for late June have been postponed. We’ll have lots more on their new spot in early July.

For those looking to dip their toes into homebrewing, or take a breather from the tough job of making wort and stick to straightforward fermentation, BrewHQ has the answer for you! This week, they used the system at their Burnside location, which also serves as the brewhouse for Arcade Brewing in the same space, to brew up a bright and bitter wort for you to take home. Packaged in aseptic bladders, you’ll want a milk crate or other appropriate container to handle it safely for the trip back to your fermentation vessel. With an OG of 1.062, and expected FG of 1.013 (yeast and temp dependent, of course), you’ll have yourself a 6.5% ABV, 50 IBU IPA hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe, for tropical and stone fruit characteristics. They are also brewing up a wort for a Blonde Ale today, so you may be able to feed two birds with one seed with a visit to 80 Thornhill Drive this afternoon! And if you prefer to visit your local homebrew shop, you should be able grab the IPA now, and Blonde later this weekend, at Noble Grape locations in Bayers Lake, Coldbrook, and Cole Harbour.

In addition to Tata’s birthday bash this weekend there’s something afoot in NS for next weekend too.

Just one event to tell you about today, but we want to be sure you grab tickets before they sell out! Lunn’s Mill is hosting a Drag Trivia Night next Friday, June 23rd. With performances from Queera Bangs and Hellebore Mandrake in between rounds of trivia about Drag, Pride, and LGBTQ+ history and culture, it is sure to be a super fun evening. And of course, Lunn’s Mill is releasing a new beer to celebrate, Peachy Queen! Based on their Charming Molly Blonde, PQ was aged on peach puree for a vibrant colour and loads of stone fruit character. You’ll have to wait until next Friday for the beer to launch at trivia, so be sure to grab your tickets today to avoid missing out!

A couple breweries in the region are looking for staff; maybe you’re the one?

The PEI folks at Barnone are hiring a Bartender and Manager, so if you’re handy to that area of the Island and love beer, shoot them a resume here. They also appear to have a new Coffee Blonde on tap, and are open Friday night (5-10 PM) and Saturday afternoon (1-5 PM) this week.

Staying with the PEI hiring news, Upstreet Brewing is hiring in Charlottetown. They’re looking for a Brewery Assistant in a full time position, welcoming people new to the industry as well as those already having worked in beer. The job is described as having the opportunity to grow with the company and experience with brewing industry jobs. Check out the listing and full details here. 

And here are your last beery bits before you go forth and stock up for the weekend:

The robots have been busy in Halifax, as their third location is ready to roll! Good Robot Commons is opening this evening directly across from the Halifax Commons specifically on North Park and Nora Bernard (formerly Cornwallis). The new, dog friendly, inclusive, outdoor, food-offering, beer-offering space opens up at 6 PM today (Friday, June 16). You can follow the fun at their location’s brand new IG handle.

Lone Oak continues their expansion across the Island on Monday, as they open their Lone Oak Beer Garden at Avonlea Village in Cavendish. The location features seating for more than 100, with most of it being outside on their partially-covered patio. All of the beer you’ve grown to love in Borden-Carleton, Charlottetown, and Fox Meadow in Stratford, is now close to the beach at Cavendish! Keep an eye on things through the Beer Garden account. 

We’ve got a few needles of news dropping out of Nyanza’s Big Spruce Brewing this week. Guava Get Me Some is a returning favourite IPA that doesn’t shy away from the guava flavour and aroma, as it uses real guava puree along with El Dorado & Mosaic hops . This is zesty, bold and refreshing. Get this one (and it’s always lovely can design) from the brewery or online. It’s 6.4% and 62 IBU. and available now.

In other news, we’ve got the first non-alcoholic beer coming out from them with Kitchen Partly. Yes, you read that right, Kitchen Partly, not Party! This is absolutely trying to match Kitchen Party note-for-note, but in a 0.5% version. This could be pretty huge for the non-alc drinkers who struggle to find their go-to NA offering, especially on the hoppier side. Look for itonline and at the brewery now, but it will also be rolled out to restaurants and other shops across the province. 

Propeller has a new pilot beer on draught at their Gottingen and Quinpool taprooms today. Brewed on the small system on Quinpool Road, Propeller Gose stays true to the German style, incorporating lots of wheat in the grain bill, light acidity from Lacto, and salt to keep the beer refreshing. Low in alcohol and bitterness, this could be a summer sipper, however it won’t last that long, so pop by either/both locations this weekend!

Chris from Brew York visited our neck of the woods last weekend, as he made a tour of a half-dozen breweries in the St. John’s area. He has highlighted them on his Instagram, as well as included a cheeky ranking of the five macro-brewed-Newfoundland-exclusive beers in this week’s Substack. Read more there!

Friday Wrap-Up for June 9, 2023 – News from Jym Line and CBANS, Garrison, Trailway, Banished, Tanner & Co, North, Breton, Annapolis, Mauzy, Upstreet, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2023-06-09
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Annapolis Brewing Company, Backstage Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bogside Brewing, Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, CBANS, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Gahan House (Halifax), Garrison Brewing, Hardisty Brewing, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, Jym Line Glassware, Lake City Cider, Mauzy Cidery, North Brewing, Paul G Hammond, Serpent Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tapestry Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, Think Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Two Islands Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, Yarmouth Craft Beer Festival. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday y’all! We hope those who attended the Canadian Brewing Awards and Conference in Halifax enjoyed their time here, and went home with some hardware in their carry-on. And that the hangovers didn’t make this week too unbearable! There was a decent enough showing from the AC breweries (summarized here), and we can all work together to have an even better showing in Hamilton next year!

In light of the devastating fires that have been burning in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for the past two weeks, Jym Line Glassware, provider of glasses and growlers to many Atlantic Canadian breweries, has launched a fundraiser with the Craft Brewers of Nova Scotia to launch Together for NS. At participating breweries, you can help by donating a minimum of $20, and in return you’ll receive a specially-branded glass and a large sample of beer to say thanks! All of that donation will go to the Canadian Red Cross and their Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canadian Fire Relief, with both the provincial and federal governments matching that donation as well! That one sample is worth at least $60 to those looking to rebuild their lives, with the goal to sell all of the glasses to raise more than $150,000. More details on the participating breweries is here (and is growing), there should be one in your neck of the woods!

One beer launched last weekend for the CBAC, but after blog publishing, was the Nova Scotia collaboration Fer ‘Fax Sake!. Garrison Brewing welcomed in breweries from around HRM and beyond to take part in this “Welcome to Nova Scotia” beer, with Backstage Brewing out of Stellarton, Antigonish’s Candid Brewing, Colby Village’s Hardisty Brewing, Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing, and Two Islands Brewery from Parrsboro. This 5.0% Pale Ale was formulated to be juicy and quaffable, and features plenty of late-usage hops, with Apollo, Citra, Eclipse, Idaho 7, and Simcoe filling the bill. Think tropical, with mango, papaya, and lychee notes throughout. Grab this in small cans, perfect for packing in and out on a hike, at the host brewery’s retail locations!

Fresh off of some new awards from the CBAs, Trailway Brewing has two new releases. No rest for the winners… First up is a new iteration of The Blend, their Smoothie Sour series. This one features pineapple, passion fruit and black currant, with each can having about 200 grams of pure, real fruit. With all smoothie sours, keep these cold and try to drink as fresh as possible, and a little rolling beforehand won’t hurt to even it out. There is lots of real fruit to chug down in a tasty 5.3% package. Get this in cans only, and available at Fredericton and Saint John locations.

Second up is a brand new release with a cool label that may seem familiar. Sunny C is an Orange sour made with orange juice concentrate. The concept here was a brunch beer, sort of like a mimosa. The sour style works well with the citrus and orange, pairing nicely with the tartness. This is 3.5% and totally crushable. This is available now in cans from both locations. 

Paradise’s Banished Brewing is celebrating some vibrant new artwork in the brewery this week, as their long-time artistic collaborator Paul G Hammond unveiled a massive mural named Astral Puffins’ Paradise. Check out the Making Of video, as well as the finished product! And what better way to celebrate than with a new beer, and PGH label, release?! Paint With Light does just that, featuring a painter working on a canvas. When first grabbed from the freezer or backpack, the canvas is blank, ready for anything the painter (or drinker) may wish to fill in. But when brought into sunlight, the canvas springs alive with colour, thanks to the UV-activated photochromic ink used. A beautiful and fitting tribute to this relationship, named thanks to Jason Normore and his attitude towards photography. The beauty does not stop with the label, as the beer inside the can lives up to the high bar set on the outside. A 6.0% Hazy IPA, double dry hopped with Loral Cryo and the Cryo Pop blend, both offering plenty of tropical aroma with very little hop material to increase yield. Think citrus and floral, pineapple and stone fruit, both on the nose and on the tongue. Available at the brewery on tap and in cans, and coming to local retailers real soon!

Chester’s Tanner & Co Brewing is wading into the Cold IPA style, a bit of a tongue-in-cheek amping up of the traditional West Coast IPA style, and rebuff of the juicy/hazy IPAs of the past several years. Conceived as a clean IPA with a pronounced bitterness, featuring a bit of corn or rice in the malt bill to reduce the sweetness of residual sugar, keeping it crisp and easy drinking. And decidedly not hazy/thick, and not just another name for an India Pale Lager! For a fun treatise from the originators of the style, Wayfinder Beer out of Portland, OR, check this out. Back to Nova Scotia, and Tanner is rolling out 1320 Cold IPA, at 6.5% and about 50 IBU, it fits right in the pocket of the style. The name is inspired by an experimental hop, YQH-1320, which has imparted flavours and aromas of guava, grapefruit, pineapple, and even a hint of coconut in the beer. Malt from Horton Ridge is in the glass too, supporting our local malting company to boot! Cans of 1320 are available at both Tanner locations (at the brewery in Chester Basin, as well as their taproom in the town of Chester), as well as their online shop for local and HRM delivery.

North Brewing is releasing a beer this week that is of its time but also a reflection of history (but fairly recent history). It’s safe to say that IPA is still a dominant style in the craft beer world these days, but it’s also fair to say that many, if not most, of the IPAs on the market these days would be well-nigh unrecognizable as such to a craft beer drinker from, say, 2004 (although, to be fair, the opposite might be true as well for those who started drinking craft after 2015 or so). North Brewing’s new Let’s Go! IPA is a bit of a throwback to the darker, clearer, and more bitter standard that many of us cut our teeth on. Featuring pale malt, Munich, and some crystal malt for flavour and colour, they leveraged four different hop varieties (probably at least a couple of which begin with the letter ‘C’) across both the kettle and the whirlpool, yielding a well-rounded hop character. Carefully keeping the bitterness in check to ensure it’s not too foreign to the modern palate, the team is quite happy with the way it turned out. You can grab this 6.1% beer in cans at all North locations and it will also hit the shelves at the NSLC next week.

We’ve got a limited release out of Breton Brewing this week and its return to bottle-conditioned form! Stirling Hefeweizen is a core brand in cans, but like last year, Breton is featuring a limited run of 500ml bottles that have undergone a bottle conditioning process for several weeks, staying true to the style’s European roots. The recipe is their same authentic German Hefeweizen style and features the big lovely banana and clove flavours you would come to expect. Still staying at 4.6% and very delicious, this is available today from the brewery and online for delivery in CBRM and HRM. 

In Annapolis Royal, the folks at Annapolis Brewing are the latest to ask an online “AI” (ChatGPT in this case) to produce a beer recipe and produce the result. As always, we recommend reserving judgement on the concept as long as the beer is good. Produced on their one barrel pilot system, the beer is a classic APA, with a full malty body and a balancing hop character. Dry hopped with a touch of Centennial that, full disclosure, wasn’t part of the recipe as written, subtle hints of pine and spice pair with citrus for an easy drinking pint. Due to the small batch nature of this one, ChatGPT Pale Ale is only available on tap at the brewery on St George Street in downtown Annapolis Royal.

The gang at Mauzy Cider, operating out of Banished Brewing in Paradise, NL, have a new release this week, and let’s just say there’s a lot going on there. Forest Farmer’s Piquette is, as is right in the name there, a piquette, meaning it is primarily made by adding water to previously pressed fruit, macerating for a period to pull out the remaining sugars, and then fermenting the result. In this case, as Mauzy is a cidery, the pomace was from apples, namely William’s Pride, Liberty, and Honeycrisp from Jefford’s Orchard in Kelligrews and additional Honeycrisp from Mt. Scio Farm. Local Paradise water (“the essence of life!”) provided the rehydration. Giving the product a bit of extra kick were Centennial hops from Jenning’s Farm, which were co-fermented in the primary. Once primary was done, a secondary fermentation was undergone that featured lees from Mauzy’s Dolgo crabapple cider and De Chaunac grape skins from Fixed Farms. Lastly, at packaging, Baccalieu Trail Honey was used to bottle condition the result, which comes in at 4.6% ABV. Only 60 cases of 341ml bottles of this ultra-local product were produced and we’ll be honest, we’re a little jealous of the folks who are going to get to try this one. Expect a refreshing and spritzy, but also slightly funky experience, with a touch of salinity to encourage that next sip. Look for it at Banished, but also at a few other places around the area, including Bar Brewdock, Chinced Meats, Papillon Cocktail Bar, Portage Restaurant, and Toslow.

From one island to another, Upstreet Brewing comes to you this week with a new iteration from their Neon Friday IPA series. This new release, in the NEIPA style, is a big tropical bomb packed with as much hops as their system can handle. Featuring big amounts of flaked wheats and oats, the hop bill features as much cryo Idaho 7 and cryo Mosaic as could be handled in the whirlpool. The hop part doesn’t stop there, as Idaho 7 and Azacca dry hopping rounds out the beer. There are big peach, pineapple and mango flavours. This one is for sale at the taproom and Craft Beer Corner and PEI Liquor stores for the summer. It may be available in Dartmouth later this summer as well. 

We’ve got two beer festivals in Nova Scotia going on this weekend, check at least one of them out…

If you’re from down that way, you know exactly what the LCLC is! The South Shore Nova Scotia venue is hosting a craft beer and cider festival on Saturday, June 10th. Tickets are about $50 and the show will feature bevvies from Annapolis Brewing, Annapolis Cider, Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, Bulwark, Burnside, Breton, Firkinstein, Libra, Lunn’s Mill, Propeller, Saltbox, Sourwood, Tanner. Get your tickets here. Oh and the LCLC is the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre and it just rolls off the tongue!

And for those even further down the South Shore, the Yarmouth Craft Beer Festival is also being held tomorrow, June 10th. The Rodd Grand Hotel on Main Street will be hosting breweries, cideries, and wineries from across the province, including Boatskeg, Casa Nova, Coldstream, Corberrie, Heritage, Lunn’s Mill, Maison Meuse, Nine Locks, Rudder’s, Saltbox, and Tusket Falls. Grab your tickets now!

Gahan is hosting a cool event at their Halifax location in the Nova Centre (is this another chance to link to our CBA award winners post since Gahan is just next door). On Thursday, June 15th, at 6pm, they’re hosting a Behind the Brew event where they’ll discuss recipe design, brewing process and beer and food pairings with Gahan Nova brewer Ryan Shirtliff. This is a $40 event and you can buy tickets here. 

Looking to get in the beer biz? Look no further!

Love beer and live in Montague? Love beer and want to live in Montague? Bogside Brewing has a great opportunity with an assistant brewing position. With a full-time, salaried position, the successful candidate will be helping with brewing, packaging, cellaring and logistics. Check the link here to apply. 

Those looking to sling some great Nova Scotia beer in Lower Sackville, heads up! TAPestry Beer Bar is hiring! They are looking for someone to take on 3 or 4 shifts per month to start, and ramp up as things get busier. Of course, knowing beer is a big plus, as is experience already in the bar or brewery serving world. Check out this post and pop-by for a chat with Ian today!

A few more newsbites before we release you for the week!

We’ve got two returning releases from the two-headed calf brewery. Tatamagouche Brewing brings back a pair of Berliner Weiße buddies in Buddha’s Hand and Guava Heist. First up, Buddha’s Hand is a type of citrus fruit from Asia that is zesty and is quite similar to lemon. This is 3.8%  and with some floral notes on top of the lemonade type flavour in a thirst quenching summer hit. Guava Heist adds real guava to the Berliner Weiße base, with the base beer aged on organic guava. Big guava flavour comes through here in a really refreshing package. These are both available from the brewery, online and will likely show up at some private stores around HRM. 

Short and sweet (or tall and sweet, if you’re talking about the cans!) update from Lake City Cider. Watermelon is a brand new release from the Darkside cidery (Darkcidery?) that is a blend of their apple cider, blueberry and watermelon. It’s a bit dry, but also sweet, with a great punch of watermelon flavour for the hot summer ahead.  This is 6% and available at the cidery on tap and in 473ml cans (and online, too!).

Now to a returning beer with some wider distribution for Spryfield’s finest. Serpent Brewing’s Townie Overpass Syndrome NEIPA and is the second product of Serpent’s to hit the NSLC shelves and will be available in 40 locations as of next week. As a reminder for this beer, it’s basically a Belgian New England IPA, using Belgian Witbier yeast with their New England IPA recipe. The hop bill features large helpings of Mandarina Bavaria, Amarillo, and Ahtanum. This is 6.3% and 40 IBU and if you want to try it now, you could get it from the Serpent brewery.

In other news, we are joining the celebrations for Think Brewing who are moving to a new and larger space in Moncton as of June 1st! They’ll be adding a new beer release to their core lineup and are moving to bigger and better things. There will be more news to share with Think in the future, so stay tuned here and on their social media pages.