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Friday Wrap-Up for April 26, 2024, The Final One – News from Around Atlantic Canada

Posted by acbbaaron on 2024-04-26
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Foghorn Brewing, Godspeed Brewery, Landwash Brewery, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Stillwell Freehouse, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

We’ve known you all of our lives, at least that’s how it seems… Since Canadian Beer News had their last post in December, the fellows here at ACBeerBlog have been hemming and hawing around how much longer we can do these Friday Wrap-ups. With so many breweries in the region and ourselves with kids, family, and life, we needed four people to keep this going the last few years and recently we’ve gone back down to three. We all love beer (still!) and we all love the friends, memories, trips, and community we’ve found thanks to beer across Atlantic Canada and beyond. From reading this blog, to writing for this blog, our families probably still have no idea what we’re talking about, but we are grateful for our readership and the ability to be part of this community.

Our thanks to everyone who helped us in one way or another over the last decade. Greg Delaney for starting this mess, Shawn Meek for his years of writing (even when he had a day job and a brewery side hustle), and Devon Gillis for his couple of years of contributions. All of the brewery staff who we bugged over the years for “the nerdy info”, often at inopportune times, and especially those who probably didn’t have “marketing and communications” in their job description. But especially the readers, of course; although we honestly have no idea how many people actually were reading, we had to assume there were at least a few, and that’s why we kept doing it.

What will we do now, at least on Thursday nights and Friday mornings? Probably a lot less typing. And frantically scanning social media. And complaining about how many beers 2 Crows released that week (Happy Birthday Jeremy, you made us quit! 😘). And telling Chris to, “stop looking now, we’ve got enough dammit!” The blog site isn’t going away, but you’ll probably find it gets a bit of an overhaul in the coming weeks. At the very least we’d like it to remain a record and a resource for folks going forward. We’ve also talked a bit about writing some of the pieces we never found the time to write; things about the industry, trends, opinions, brewery profiles (‘member those?!), etc. We make no commitments whatsoever, though, of course. Our social media accounts will remain, at least Instagram anyway, so if you’re looking for us, that’s probably the best way to go. Now, on to the news!

When Tatamagouche Brewing takes on a style they haven’t done before you can generally rest assured that they’re going to do it well, and we have every reason to suspect that such will be the case with their latest foray into Continental beer styles with Altbier. A classic German style, “alt” in fact translates to “old” as in, “this is the beer we used to make (before we started making lager).” Consistent with the style, you should find Tata’s version to have plenty of malty character, with biscuit and graham cracker leading the way thanks to generous use of German malts, balanced with enough hop bitterness and character from local Styrian Goldings hops to keep it from being cloying. Cold-conditioned to ensure a crisp finish, this 4.9% mahogany beauty is available in cans and will no doubt make an appearance on tap at better beer bars. Couple that with a “fresh” release of their Solitude Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, and you’ve got a full meal of Tata to enjoy this weekend!

Copper Bottom Brewing, hailing from Montague, PEI, also has a beer this week based on a traditional style that will hopefully usher in the warmer weather. Pursuit is a 4.0% Kolsch, a style that hails from Cologne Germany, and is the basis for many “Lagered Ales”. In a time that the concept of lagering and bottom-fermenting yeast was taking hold in the country’s breweries, those in Cologne were made to swear an oath to stick with the traditional ale yeast, which is top-fermenting. To compete with the crisp and clean lager beers available, however, the resourceful breweries would ferment with ale yeast, but then lager, or “keep”, the beer to keep the fruity ale character in check. Much like in 17th Century Cologne, Copper Bottom’s is also supremely drinkable, light, refreshing, and crisp. The Hallertau Mittelfruh and Saaz hops lend a touch of Old World character to the clean base of Pilsner and Vienna malts. On draught and in cans at the brewery now, and making its way across the province this weekend!

Straight outta Rothesay, Foghorn has a brand new release to satisfy your need for a summertime thirst quenching hazy IPA. Sundog is a New England-style IPA that brings all the hazy and tropical vibes you want for the summer. The malt bill for this is a blend of 2 row and Pilsner along with some oats for a smooth and beefed up body. The hops are a mix of Citra, Eclipse and HBC 1019 and the New England Ale yeast brings it all together. The beer will be available in 473ml cans on the shelves at ANBL for the next few months but they already have plans to brew it again as spring turns to summer. It’s 6% and 20 IBU, so look for it if you’re in New Brunswick for the summer!

Terp alert! With April 20th in the not so distant past, Landwash has a new dank beer called Best Buds. That could describe your blog boys, too 🙂 This beer is a very dank west coast IPA with some earthy and pine notes from CTZ, Cascade and Bru-1 hops. This beer features an addition of Pineapple Express terpenes which have a tropical, pungent, pine and fruit aroma. There are no THC or CBD products in this beer, but the flavour and aroma should be right on point! The beer is 6% and available in cans from the brewery. 

In Charlottetown, PEI, Upstreet Brewing has a new beer from their Staff Brew series of beers that are conceived by members of their staff. This time it’s Ace who’s responsible, a friendly face at both the taproom and Craft Beer Corner. Described as, “jam in a can,” the simply named Raspberry Beer is a 5.0% light pale ale dosed with raspberries for an ideal sunny summer afternoon tipple. Find this one pouring at both Upstreet Island locations and also available in cans to go.

Bannerman Brewing, of Duckworth Street in downtown St. John’s has a brand new dark beer with a twist for us this week. Nine Lives is a porter that was brewed with the cats of the Bannerman staff. (Those of us who have cats know that their contribution was probably watching in disinterest and occasionally knocking something off something else) Starting with oats for mouthfeel and chocolate malts for roastiness on top of a traditional barley malt base, this one saw some aging time on blueberry and dark currant purées that contributed notes of dark fruit and berries to complement the chocolate and biscuit malty notes. Find this 4.8% gem in cans and on tap for pints and fills at the brewery and taproom.

Across Conception Bay from St. John’s we find Bay Roberts and Baccalieu Trail Brewing Co, who have a new malty one of their own to mention. Clock Tower Munich Dunkel is, well, a Munich dunkel. For those unfamiliar, it’s a dark lager style, built on a base of largely Munich malt, lightly hopped, and generally fermented cool with a Saccharomyces pastorianus strain of yeast. In this case the team at BT added a single decoction mash to bring a little extra magic to the proceedings. Named for the clocktower bells to which historic brewers would sync their mash times, this one provides the yin to the yang of Baccalieu Trail’s lighter Helles or High Water Munich helles. At 5% you’ll find there’s plenty of opportunity to consider the malty flavors, low bitterness, and crisp finish. Grab it in cans from the brewery and, we expect, anywhere else you find Baccalieu Trail beers.

North Sydney’s Breton Brewing is back with another fruited sour beer in their Let’s Jam series. Let’s Jam Cherry Lime Sour is… well… a 4.0% sour that pours a lovely pink hue, and is bursting with flavours of cherry and lime. Tart, light, and refreshing, cans and draught of LJCLS are in the taproom now, with home delivery an shipping province-wide from their website.

If you’re out and about in Halifax’s North End tomorrow, you will definitely want to pop in to the Stillwell Freehouse to check out their tap feature from Toronto’s Godspeed Brewery. This excellent Japanese- and Czech-inspired brewery rarely makes it this far east, so you should take advantage when the opportunity presents itself! Open from noon, there will be seven Godspeed beers pouring, including the debut of their Kiri, a 5.1% Belgian Witbier. 

After recently opening ticket sales for the Newfoundland Craft Beer Festival, Banished Brewing has also announced that they will be hosting Banished Fest in July. On July 12th and 13th, the taps will be featuring breweries from across North America on the go, with beers from Badlands, Dunham, Lone Oak, 2 Crows, Trailway, Stillwell, Other Half, and half a dozen more. Each brewery will have a dedicated tap or two during the event, and as one keg kicks, it will be replaced by another beer from the same brewery, and will be rotated between sessions, so that there will be a new roster each time. Those in the Golden Growler club will have the opportunity to fill up on any leftover beer at the end of the weekend (should there be any!). Tickets for the three sessions are now available, grab them quickly before they disappear!

Though they’re still probably best known for their hoppy stuff, Trailway Brewing in Fredericton has very much diversified their offering in the last few years and their Czech Pilsner Yada Yada has been a big part of that. Those who love it can rejoice as it’s back in the fridges and back on the taps, with biscuit-y malt, lively carbonation, and a balancing bitterness in a 5.0% ABV package.

Big Spruce has three…Three…THREE beers returning for your enjoyment this week. Canadian Tuxedo is their 6% haskap berry-infused sour ale, this time with some additional funk from some swimming time with Brettanomyces. Blursday is a favorite hazy IPA of many, coming in at 6.6% and bursting with mango, papaya, and lychee. Wrapping things up is What Could Possibly Go Wrong, an organic double IPA at 8% based around the relatively new Nectaron hop known for imparting passion fruit, stone fruit, and pineapple characters. These are all available in cans from the source and elsewhere you get your Spruce fix.

On Nova Scotia’s South Shore, Tanner & Co. Brewing is re-releasing their Kuitbier, a traditional Dutch style of beer from the 16th century. Made with oats, wheat, and barley, much of it local, it’s got a smooth malt character paired with subtle herbal notes. Canned and ready to go from Tanner retail, it’s 4.7% ABV.

A business lasting fifty years is something to be celebrated, and Port Rexton is doing just that with their release this week. Their 5.0% Golden Ale, released seasonally, is sporting a new label designed by the folks at St. Michael’s Printshop, an artist-first print studio in St. John’s, celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year. Their facilities include studio and exhibition spaces, printing and lithography services, for both established and emerging artists. Support two local businesses that support their community, with one tasty beer! Available now in Port Rexton and at their St. John’s Retail Shop, with cans and draught further afield real soon!

Thanks for reading this far, and for following along over the last twelve years of near-weekly posts! Remember, this isn’t goodbye, it’s, “We have confidence you can find a great locally-made beer near you, now go out and grab it!”. We’ll still be coming to your inbox, and the blog site, with brewery Profiles and other news on occasion, so “See You Later” until then! Aaron, Chris, and Damian

Friday Wrap-Up for January 12, 2024 – News from Pump House, North, Dildo, Breton, Party Time, 2 Crows, Sea Level, Boxing Rock, Tata, Sourwood, Banished and More!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2024-01-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Dildo Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Loyalist City Brewing Co, Maybee Brewing, North Brewing, Party Time Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Saltbox Brewing, Schoolhouse Brewery, Sea Level Brewing, Sourwood Cidery, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing. Leave a Comment

Is your January still dry, or strangely wet due to the weather? Unless you’re in certain parts of Cape Breton, New Brunswick or Newfoundland, it has been a weird weather start to the year with more wind and rain on its way this weekend. Look at us, typical Maritimers, always talking about the weather. Let’s talk about our other favourite thing, beer (and beer adjacent drinks, events, jobs, media, news, etc.)!

We’re kicking off this week’s beer news with an oldie but a goodie. While we’ve been celebrating lots of anniversaries and birthdays of breweries over the last few months, Pump House Brewery is celebrating their 25th year! Officially opened in September of 1999, they’re kicking off year 25 with a new beer. If you used to show up to parties or barbecues with that classic 12 pack of bottles from the NSLC/ANBL/NLC/PEILC, there is no doubt some nostalgia you have for this brewery and their big anniversary. Who doesn’t remember their first Blueberry Ale?! While we can’t believe time flies so quickly, their new beer is a far cry from those early days. Evolution is a Brut IPA that finishes clean and crisp, but still packs a lot of flavour thanks to the hop bill of Warrior, Citra, Simcoe and El Dorado. Packaged in cans, it’s 6% for an approachable beer that should appeal to all of their customers over time. Look for this in all Pump House locations and potentially some other retail locations as it rolls out over the next few weeks. 

Last week we highlighted some non-alc options for the people (Dry January or not!) and North Brewing decided to join the party in their own way. More in the category of “low ABV” than “no ABV,” Pocket IPA is an ultra light IPA coming in at 2.5% but still high on flavour and body. This small little buddy is brewed with pale malt, Vienna malt, and oats. For the hops, its single hop star is Mosaic.  With low bitterness, medium carbonation, and lots of hop aroma, this is an anytime crusher that can suit a lot of different purposes and activities, and you can put it in your pocket anywhere you go with its 355ml format. It’s available now at all of the North locations and their online store. 

The winter months are classically the time for darker beers and their associated roastier flavors and Dildo Brewing is leaning into that by releasing a brace of beers in collaboration with their neighbours around the other side of Trinity Bay, Trinity Coffee Company. First up is Cappuccino Stout, featuring oats in the grist for a smooth mouthfeel to pair with the rich cappuccino taste thanks to an infusion of Trinity coffee beans. At 5.4% you could probably go full Italian style and have one for breakfast! On the other end of the spectrum, at least the color spectrum, we’ve also got White Stout, a beer for those who like “darker” flavors but aren’t into the slight astringency that can come with classic roasty stout ingredients. Coming in at 5.8% ABV, it’s got plenty of classic stout flavor, and an additional coffee kick from Trinity coffee beans. Look for both of these new releases at the Dildo merchandise shop and their Water Street bottle shop as well.

The gang at Breton Brewing in Sydney, NS, is taking some time during these cold months to prepare for the warmer ones to come. In this case that means brewing up some small batches of lager to ensure that when the sunny weather starts to hit they’ve got the ultimate light lager to put in your hand (or your beach cooler or your softball kit bag). While version #1, which was released just before the holidays, is still pouring in the taproom, the new one is ready to go on tap and in a limited number of cans. This time it’s a Mexican lager, which usually implies perhaps a bit of corn adjunct as opposed to the rice often used in the American light lager style. Crisp, light, and clean, and weighing a paltry 4.0% ABV, as you sip you can cast your mind forward to summer and how nice it might be to neck one of these after mowing the back 40.

Continuing with the Mexican theme, but switching from lager to ale, Mount Uniacke’s Party Time Brewing has done up a new recipe called Party at Mexi’s, a 5%, 35 IBU amber ale. Haligonians of a certain age may fondly remember the days when “Party at Mexi’s” was an after work tradition on Spring Garden Road. These days Mexicala Rosa’s have relocated out to Bayers Lake Business Park, but they’re still serving some of the longest-running Californian-style Mexican cuisine in the region, and now they’ll be serving a local beer to go along with it. That’s right, Party Time’s latest has been brewed for Mexi’s themselves and they’re hoping to start serving it tomorrow (Saturday, January 13th)! You may also see it also appear at Mexi’s Moncton location in the future. 

Staying in the HRM, downtown on Brunswick Street to be precise, 2 Crows has a new small batch they’ve put together for a special event at the brewery. Sickeningly Sweet was built on a blueberry and lemon sour base with a whole bunch of peaches and Nova Scotia honey added. Sweet, sour, and super fruity, it was developed with local drag star Diana B. Tease as a companion to the Canada’s Drag Race Season 4 Finale viewing party that they hosted last night. If you’re lucky, though, there will still be some of this one pouring at the taproom!

Sea Level Brewing has a new brew that has a fun accompanying video to show the process behind its production. Farmhouse Ale is their latest small batch creation that uses ingredients from their farm (just down the road from their brewery). The beer features hopes indigenous to the area that were discovered by Randy Lawrence who worked with the Harvie family (who purchased Sea Level a few years ago) to continue the use of the hops in Sea Level beer after the sale. These hops were believed to have originated with the Acadian settlers in Sheffield Mills. Additional Centennial hops were used to dial in the right bitterness and flavour. Kveik yeast was used here to bring it all together and stick with the farmhouse style that is hazy with pineapple, tangerine and pine flavours. It’s 4.6% and only available on tap at the brewery. We should note it’s also a small batch as this was the first harvest of the hops after their relocation. Try this one out now and look for it in a larger production in coming years when the hops are producing a larger yield. 

A fun contest of sorts out of Boxing Rock is our event of note for the week:

Down Shelburne way, Boxing Rock has a fun contest going on to mark Dry January’s end. To give everyone something to look forward to, they’re hosting a beer recipe contest! The goal is to design a beer that we can look forward to drinking once Dry January runs its course. 

Here’s the rub:

  1. Craft a beer recipe! (This is due 11:59 PM Atlantic Time on Monday January 15th)
  2. Create a pitch video!  (This is due 11:59 PM Atlantic Time on Thursday January 18th)
  3. Donate what you can to Feed NS. (There is a link on the application form)

If you’re the talented winner, you’ll be invited down for a brew day, given credit on the can, and provided with five cases of the end product to drink, hoard, or share with your beer-loving friends!

Check out all the details at the contest page here. 

Lots of places either need folks now or are looking forward to the busier months of the year; if you’re considering working in beer, peep the below for potential possibilities.

If you’re looking for work for your or someone you know, we’ve got some industry jobs in PEI, NS and Fredericton that we’re helping to get the word out!

  • Copper Bottom Brewing – Montague, PEI. They’re looking for a full-time Canning Line Operator. Check the link here to apply. 
  • Saltbox Brewing – Various Locations, NS. Summer Students come get your beer on. It’s only January, but they’re already looking for people to work their Mahone Bay, Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Wolfville locations for retail, packaging and events in the busy season. Check the link here to apply. 
  • Grimross Brewing – Fredericton, NB. They want a new bartender that can work some daytime hours. If interested, please email resumes to taproom@grimross.com.
  • Maybee Brewing – Fredericton, NB. These fine Freddy folks are in need of a part-time Taproom Server for 2-3 shifts a week, mostly evenings and weekends. You can apply in person at 559 Wilsey Rd, or email your resume to ashley@maybeebrew.com. 

This week we’re going to do something a little different (but something we’ll potentially do again), because there A lot of returning beers this week to breweries across the region. Coming off of the busy holiday season, it’s always nice to see what styles and old favourites are returning to the shelves and taps of our favourite breweries. Here we go with a second list! 

  • Tatamagouche Brewing
    • Apres Cream Ale, 4.5%. After taking home a Bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards, this beer is back in 355ml cans, but now also in a 12 pack box! Grab this in-store or online.
    • Dusk Schwarzbier, 4.9%. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen this roasty, coffee and caramel-y dark lager and now it’s back in a smaller 355ml canned format! Available at the brewery and online.
  • Sourwood Cider – WABAMO Hopped Session Cider, 4.0%. This crusher is back with a new and improved recipe that is a little lighter in alcohol and acidity. Highly drinkable with citrus and floral flavours and aroma, this is in 355ml cans at Bishop’s Cellar and online from the brewery. 
  • Bannerman Brewing – Shore Leave Dry-Hopped Fruited Sour, 5.2%. Previously available when Bannerman first opened four years ago, this drinkable sour is dry-hopped with Mosaic and conditioned on blood orange and pineapple puree. This is available at the St. John’s brewery on tap and in cans.
  • Tanner & Co. Brewing – 1320 Cold IPA, 6.5%. One of the popular styles of 2023, was something that Tanner has done previously. Using local malt, the hops featured in this one is where the name comes from experimental hop variety YQH 1320 which will no doubt get a trade name in the coming year. It’s known for bringing big flavours of guava, citrus, and pineapple. 
  • Banished Brewing – Mirrors American Lager, 5%. The crushable king returns to cans, as this crisp lager is hopped with Saaz and Hallertau Blanc. It’s available now from the brewery and cans will be going across the province of Newfoundland through the week.
  • Schoolhouse Brewery – Fuzzy Peach Double IPA, 7.9%. A style that’s out of ordinary for the brewery, this big banger is back for a warm, boozy winter with a peach flavour! Grab this one from the Windsor brewery on tap and in cans. 

This isn’t usually something we post about, but it’s always fun to highlight the production and behind the scenes action of our regional breweries. Since Good Robot has been settled into their new Elmsdale location for over a year, they’ve been doing more than just brewing Good Robot beer. Take a look at this YouTube video that provides insight into what they’ve got going on in terms of equipment, canning details and capabilities of the facility.

Saint John residents (Saint Johners? Sea Dogs?) rejoice! Loyalist City Brewing has a new taproom and cocktail bar right above their existing location at 60 Water Street. The Second Story brings an elevated experience for craft beer, craft cocktails, and a very modern and refined space with lovely views of the harbour and port. We can say first hand that it’s a spot to check out if you’re in town. The current hours are 5pm ‘til Midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but extended hours and special events are soon to be announced on their Instagram page. Cheers to good news!

Friday Wrap-Up for December 1, 2023 – News from Artisan Brewing, Tanner & Co, Port Rexton, Bannerman, Breton, Great Roads, Boomstick, Seasoned Plate, Candid, Trailway, Sea Level, Copper Bottom, and Landwash!

Posted by acbbchris on 2023-12-01
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Artisan Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Boomstick Brewing, Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Great Roads Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Sea Level Brewing, Seasoned Plate, Tanner & Co Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Welcome to December in Atlantic Canada, or as we like to call it, Decembeer! Cheesy puns aside, we know that with the turn of the month comes the real ramping up of the holiday season, and breweries are working to get their end-of-year seasonals and special releases out of the tanks and into our eager hands, so we anticipate plenty of new releases to talk about over the next few weeks. We’ve also got a new spot open in New Brunswick and a couple of anniversaries to tell you about this week, so without further ado, let’s get to it!

Felicitations! Artisan Brewing at 66 Roseberry St. in Campbellton is finally serving their own beer! After being open for for over a year, and offering the largest selection of NB-brewed beer in Northern New Brunswick, their long term plan of brewing in-house is now a reality! They have launched their menu with four beers created on their 600 litre DME system: Original Lager, La Blonde a Jo Blonde, North Shore Session IPA, and Buck Fever White. The brewing team brings decades of experience to the table, led by Elise Cornellier Bernier, co-Founder and Head Brewer of A l’abri de la Tempete on Iles-de-la-Madeleine, with Zach O’Kane and Marc LeBlanc in the brewhouse. The taproom shares space with Smoke on the Water BBQ, and features two dozen more taps from their NB brewery pals. Growlers can be filled with your favourite beer, after enjoying a pint onsite.

From Northern NB to Nova Scotia’s South Shore, Tanner & Co Brewing has the latest release as they continue to explore historical styles. Princesse is an historical style from the Netherlands, created in tribute to Anna van Honnover, Princess of Oranje-Nassau in the 1700s. With a base of Horton Ridge Munich malt, the beer uses a combination of coriander, licorice root, and orange peel to deliver very special aromatics and flavour, fit for royalty. Cans and draught of this 4.1% ABV beer are available from both Tanner locations, and cans are available for delivery across the province and beyond.

Port Rexton Brewing is taking a decidedly hazier route this week, as they bring back their Continuum Series. Focussing on hop-forward, often single hop beers, the latest beer of the bunch is Continuum with Zappa Hops. Yes, named after *that* Zappa, these hops are grown exclusively in Washington’s Yakima Valley, but originated several thousand km south growing wild in the mountains of New Mexico. As such, the hop itself is dichotomous, with tropical fruit and fruity pebbles on the nose, yet the flavour leans toward pine and a touch of spice. Used throughout the boil, cooling, and fermentation, the 6.4% ABV beer has a medium-high bitterness to match the malt. Available on tap and in cans at the taproom, in cans at their St. John’s Retail Shop, and at better beer merchants very soon.

It seems in recent months as though more breweries in the region are starting to explore the saison style a bit again after what seemed to be a bit of a lull; and we’re all for it! Bannerman Brewing in St. John’s is the latest to release one, and it’s a doozy. New Perspective was brewed with cardamom and allspice, then conditioned on pear juice to bring a fruity character to match with those spices as well as the characteristic flavour contributions of the saison yeast strain. The result is a 5.0% beer that is complex, but also dry and refreshing. Also brand new from Bannerman is another twist on an established style, concocted with Selina from The Merchant Tavern down the block on Water Street. Hot Take is nominally an IPA, but one that was conditioned on pineapple and Thai chilis, which imparted both a slight fruity sweetness and a bit of spicy heat. You’ll find this super smooth 6.2% beauty on tap exclusively at Bannerman and The Merchant; cans are already available at the brewery and are being released into the wild next week.

Embracing the season is Breton Brewing, who have brought back their Gingerbread Holiday Ale. Based on the London ESB style, this 5.5% beer saw additions of ginger, cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg to heighten the experience. If that weren’t enough, they’ve got a new release as well that’s also got “holiday” written all over it. A Munich Dunkel-style lager, with plenty of toasty malt and a lovely dark brown color with deep red overtones, it was infused with chestnut flavor. Sounds to us like a great beer to enjoy by the fire. Chestnut Lager is 5.4%, and it and the Gingerbread Holiday Ale are available at the brewery, and for home delivery and shipping across the province through their online shop. 

A quick one-two punch of Blueberry beers returning to the region: Great Roads Brewing in Lower Sackville, NS, has brought back their Blueberry Wheat Ale, a 4.1% light bodied beer with just enough blueberry to get the point across. Meanwhile, in Corner Brook, NL, Boomstick Brewing has brought back Nan’s Puddin’, encompassing all of the goodness of traditional baking, with blueberry, lemon, and vanilla in a tight package. Both spots have their beer on tap and in cans to go!

Our good pal Chef Stephen Barrett at Seasoned Plate continues to highlight the great independent breweries in Nova Scotia through a variety of avenues, including videos, posts, and now, a series of Holiday-themed beer and food pairings. These recipes are ones you can create at home, with Barrett highlighting a brewery and/or beer that will complement or contrast what’s on your plate. With seasonal recipes paired with beers from Yarmouth to Sydney, Chester to Tusket, they will be accessible to all! Keep an eye on SP’s Instagram page for the details as they drop, with the first video featuring Sober Island coming tomorrow!

In Antigonish, NS, Candid Brewing Company is celebrating their community with a benefit beer they’re calling Village. A light lager at 4.0% ABV, $1 from every pint and $2 from every six-pack sold throughout the month of December will be donated to the Antigonish Community Fridge. It’s already on tap at the brewery and will be available in cans to go next week.

Trailway’s Union House Taproom in Saint John took a bit of a hit recently, with an overzealous transport trailer taking out their sign. Apparently the driver missed the No Left Turn sign… Rather than get upset, the Tw Crew has made the most of the situation, and are releasing No Left Turns IPA today, to really drive the point home. As they wanted to match the smashing of their sign with some of equal power, they have released it as a SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop), featuring their house Pale malt, and all El Dorado hops throughout, the beer shows citrus, lemon, and tropical vibes. Cans and draught of the 5.6% IPA are available in Fredericton and Saint John now, keep your eyes peeled for them to hit the shelves elsewhere in the province as well.

Last week we mentioned that Sea Level Brewing out of Port Williams, NS, is celebrating their 16th anniversary and the 4th anniversary of their Millstone Harvest Brewhouse location and we’ve got news of a special beer release to toast with at their Anniversary Celebration that’s happening today. Buffalo Bourbon Barrel Blend is an excellent case of “does what it says on the tin” excepting that it’s not actually been canned. A blend of Sea Level’s Port in the Storm Porter and High Street Wee Heavy was pumped into a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel and left to condition for 13 months. When it came out, it had picked up oak and whisky characters as well as a smoky finish from the barrel to pair with the rich and smooth chocolaty flavours inherent to the beer. Coming in at 7% ABV, it’s only available at the taproom for pints and a very limited run of 118 bottles (sporting a lovely label and wax seal). Head on down and toast the crew to help celebrate their anniversary and maybe grab one for the beer lover on your holiday shopping list (if you’re like us, that beer lover might be you!)

Happy Sixth Birthday to Copper Bottom in Montague! Celebrating tomorrow with live music from 1 PM, there will be an oyster bar onsite, and happy hour pints. One of those could be Birthday Beer 6, an 8.0% Imperial Peanut Butter Stout. Featuring Chocolate Malt, real peanut butter, and milk sugar, this beer features a rich and full bodied mouthfeel, with the flavour of Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Come on out to party with the CB crew, and big congratulations from the ACBB Family!

It’s also that time of year for Mount Pearl’s Landwash Brewery to celebrate their opening, which happened in December 2018. The Newfoundland Beer Scene has exploded since then, with a handful of openings since then, and a handful more expected by December 2024. In the meantime, let’s get you sorted for the fun in Mount Pearl! Wednesday, December 6th, marks their actual 5th Anniversary, and as such, they are giving everyone a deep discount on their beer, which includes a pair of holi- and birth-day themed debuts. Time Capsule is a Imperial Fruited Sour, absolutely full of puree from grapefruit, lime, mango, orange, and tangerine, and rounded out with some lactose, for a real fruit smoothie/juice box kinda vibe! But sporting an 8.0% tag means this is for adults only (but still fine for weekend breakfast/brunch). Their other new release will be Unrequited Dreams, a 10.0% Mint Chocolate Milkshake Stout. It’s pretty much all there in the name, but let’s give you a little more detail. Featuring cacao nibs from JACOBEAN Craft Chocolate, and vanilla beans, lactose, and peppermint added right in the fermenter, think After Eight, but in liquid form. Cans and draught of both of these will be available Wednesday Dec 6, so hold tight until then! Keep an eye on Landwash’s IG for all of the Anniversary fun next week/end.