Gahan House (Charlottetown)

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Friday Wrap-Up for December 16, 2022 – News from Microbrasseries Ateepic, Gahan, Ol’ Biddy’s, Serpent, Shipwright, Tatamagouche, Unfiltered, Mauzy, Sourwood, Tire Shack, PEI Brewing, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbdevon on 2022-12-16
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, Gahan Atlantic Home Brew Challenge, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Good Robot Brewing, Mauzy Cidery, Microbrasserie Ateepic, Ol' Biddy's Brew House, PEI Brewing Co., Serpent Brewing, Shipwright Brewing, Sourwood Cidery, Tatamagouche Brewing, Tire Shack Brewing. Leave a Comment

It’s the most wonderful time for a beer! This week saw much of the Maritimes experiencing its first winter storm. Luckily, our wonderful local producers of fermented beverages continue to pump out tasty new ones to help keep us hydrated during all of the shovelling and cozy inside while we wait for the storms to pass. A friendly reminder that lots of breweries across the region are continuing to offer special holiday discounts in their online stores, along with seasonal gift packs featuring new brews, merch and other goodies. Be sure to keep them at the top of your list as you finish up your shopping over the next few days. A quick logistics note from the ACBB Head Office: with the festive season fully in swing, we’ll be taking a break from publishing next Friday, December 23, with December 30 being a tentative “Go”, but that may change. In the meantime, keep an eye on our Instagram account where we’ll continue to share new releases and other happenings. Happy Festivus to the Rest of Us, and read on for this week’s beer, mead and cider news. 

Congratulations to Microbrasserie Ateepic in Edmundston on now having their own beer available! The Ateepic taproom, located at the Fraser Edmundston Golf Club at 570 Rue Victoria, has been open since May, serving up 20 craft beer from across the province, and now has flexed the capabilities of their Specific Mechanical 1200 litre (10 BBL) brewhouse, and released four of their own beers. Available on draught for in-house or growler enjoyment are Little Gear Pale Ale, Big Gear IPA, Pin Noir Oatmeal Stout, and Party Kolsch, joining the Northwestern NB collab NOir Dessert Stout that Ateepic took part in with Brasseurs du Petit-Sault, Grand Falls Brewing, and Microbrasserie Novum Boreas. While hours may change slightly during the next few weeks due to the Holidays, currently they are open Wednesday 4 – 8 PM, Thursday and Friday 1 – 9 PM, Saturday 1 – 8 PM, and 1 – 5 PM Sunday. Keep an eye on their Fb and Ig pages as they announce new beers or changes in hours. Felicitations encore to Hubert and the Ateepic team!

As all our longtime readers know, the AC Beer Blog’s interest in beer doesn’t end with commercial products, we’re big supporters of the Homebrew scene as well! And with the post-COVID world opening up again we’re starting to see one of our favorite things come back: homebrew competitions. We’re happy to report that after a year off, the 4th Annual Maritime Atlantic Homebrew Challenge (Presented by Gahan House) is back! But first, in the name of unfinished business, is the release of the winner of the 3rd annual competition, held back in late fall of 2020. Hazy McHazeface, a 6.5% Hazy IPA designed by competition winner Trevor McLean, will be available soon (if not already) at all Gahan locations (except Harbourview in St. John’s) packaged in cans, but also on tap by times. Featuring flaked oats for a creamy mouthfeel and tonnes of tropical fruit aromas and flavours thanks to generous post-boil and dry hop additions, it still maintains a clean finish.

If you’re a homebrewer and you’d like to be like Trevor and see your beer brewed for limited release, the 2023 competition is your big chance. As is somewhat traditional for this competition, you’ll be able to enter one of two styles: German Pilsner and Altbier. Both German in origin, and both delicious at their best, the Pilsner sees light and crackery malt profile, a firm hop presence, and a crisp dry finish thanks to lager yeast and a cool conditioning period. At the other end of the spectrum is the Altbier, or “old beer”, not as in “stale” but as in, “the beer that we used to make before we discovered modern malting, lager yeast, and cold conditioning.” Although it’s also on the hoppier side for a Continental beer, malt is still the star of the show, both in terms of flavour and aroma and the deep red color that is a hallmark of the style. The deadline to submit your beer is March 3, 2023, which gives plenty of time to brew and condition either style. The entry fee is $30 payable through Eventbrite. Entries can be dropped off at any of the Gahan locations in the region. Judging will take place in a central location and an announcement of the winning beer will be made shortly thereafter. If you have questions for the organizers you can email them at homebrewchallenge@gahan.ca. Good luck to all who enter!

We mentioned one winner last week, but we now have the full list of Atlantic Canadian winners in the 2022 Canadian Brewers Choice Awards, presented by Brewers Journal Canada. Foghorn Brewing’s Head Brewer Andrew Estabrooks won over the judges with his nomination package to take home Brewer of the Year. In addition to winning Brewery of the Year, Tire Shack Brewing’s own Henrique Soares was shortlisted for Young Brewer of the Year. And New Beer of the Year went to Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing, for Classic Maritime Dry Stout. Congratulations to the breweries and brewers!

And now onto the new beer news, starting in Lower Sackville’s own Ol’ Biddy’s Brewhouse. If you’re trimming the tree, or watching a yule log burn, it’s always nice to have some liquid accompaniment in your glass. One of those could be their Vanilla Bourbon Christmas Stout. Weighing in at a hefty 7.6% ABV, the notes of vanilla and roast and light bourbon all meld together like a warm beer sweater, a favourite for those of us who enjoy imbibing during this time of year. Joining it is Merry Ryesolution Christmas Ale, the 9.4% ABV bigger sister, featuring rye malt that imparts a natural spiciness to the full-bodied ale. Rye-solution is available in bottles only, while the Bourbon Stout is a draught only release, both available in limited quantities to enjoy at the brewery or to take away.

From the wilds of Spryfield comes a beer with a label that is both wild and refined. Serpent Brewing’s Elementary is an oatmeal stout that arrives on the stronger side at 6% ABV. Chewy, yet still roasty and dry with an assertive bitterness, it was dry hopped with Amarillo to provide a subtle orange marmalade finish. It’s been pouring on the taps since yesterday for pints and growler fills, but you should see bottles in the fridge in the coming days.

Heading down the South Shore of NS to Lunenburg, we find Shipwright Brewing has a new beer pouring for pints to stay or crowler and growler fills to go. Cross Island Common is named for the eponymous island in the approach to Lunenburg Bay. It follows the tradition of the California Common (a.k.a. “Steam Beer”) style with spicy and woody Northern Brewer hops taking center stage on top of a toasty, slightly sweet malt base built with pale, Munich, caramel, biscuit, and chocolate malts. Highly carbonated, with a medium almost creamy mouthfeel, this one is an easy drinking 5% ABV and 30 IBU.

Back up to the North Shore of the province we find that Tatamagouche Brewing has a trio of re-releases available just in time for the holidays. First up is Eventide Vienna Lager, a 4.8% ABV amber lager that’s like a hug in a can. Brewed with all German ingredients, it’s medium-bodied with a crisp finish and flavours and aromas of lightly toasted honey oat bread. Second we have Tata’s wintertime post-activity beer, Apres. A cream ale at 4.5% ABV, it’s designed to be super-easy drinking after clearing the driveway or a day on the slopes or the local pond. And last is Ketch, their Berlinerweiße. Only 3.1% ABV, with the classic bright acidity and subtle funk that the style is known for, expect it to provide a tasty low alcohol option and/or a pleasant way to reset your palate after a bunch of heavier seasonals. Look for all of these to be available for order on the website in coming days or, if you’re in the area, at the brewery; we suspect some cans and kegs will also reach distro in the HRM at the very least.

Speaking of re-releases, in the HRM Unfiltered Brewing has a Christmas miracle on the go in the form of Sparkling Motherfucker, a 4.0% low-calorie (4.5g carbs) beer containing sodium, chloride, and potassium electrolytes. Sound like a sports drink? WELL IT’S NOT. Also gluten-reduced (<10ppm), you’ll find it in 473ml cans at the brewery, perfect for stuffing into stockings or pouring down your throat in an effort to tolerate friends, family, and the holidays in general.

Back in Paradise, Mauzy is releasing the last bottling from its 2021 season. Humbled In Love, is a 6.4% ABV blend of mead and cider . The mead portion features a spontaneous fermentation of Brown’s Family Farm Blueberries and Baccalieu Trail Honey. This was blended (30% mead, 70% cider) with Mauzy’s blend of spontaneously fermented feral and Golden Hornet Crab apples, with the resulting liquid being conditioned on freshly picked white rose petals. Expect lots of blueberry notes, baked berries and a bright acidity. Only 10 cases are available so don’t delay if you’re interested. 

Sticking with blended ciders, next up is Frontenac Gris + Ida Red, from Halifax’s Sourwood. This blend of Front Gris grapes and hand-picked organic apples showcases the complexity that can be achieved when the worlds or cider and fruit wine combine. Bottles of the 9.0% ABV Frontenac Gris + Ida Red are available now at the taproom or through their online store. 

We mentioned Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewing above, but they also are celebrating the release of three beers this week in their John Street taproom. Bumbleberry Sour is a sour with a blend of berries reminiscent of the pies or “crisps” of the same name. Cranberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, as well as cherry and pomegranate all went into this 6.0% beer, to amp up the fruit to both complement and enhance the tart base beer. Continuing the long-running series is Hip Hop Vol 8 – Sabro Double IPA. Sabro used throughout the process of this 8.0% beer means it is overflowing with coconut, lychee, with a touch of citrus. And returning to the taps and shelves is Roman Road Italian Pilsner. Crisp and effervescent, Tire Shack’s version has just a touch of hops. If you pop into the taproom Saturday at noon, People for Animal Wellbeing will be onsite to take pictures of your pets to fundraise for their important activities, and selling tickets for The Big Draw for PAW too!

Speaking of our animal friends, PEI Brewing is helping out the PEI Humane Society with the release of Loyalty Brew, a 4.5% Blonde Ale. This limited edition beer is available at the PEIBC Taproom and the Gahan Beer Store in Atlantic Superstore, with $1 from each can going to the shelter supporting lost, homeless, and abandoned animals.

A few short things before we leave you…

Sydney’s Breton Brewing has released Bah Humbug Holiday Bitter, a 4.7% British Bitter featuring Old World/Noble hops lending citrus, berry, floral, and spicy notes, all on a smooth caramel base. Available now at the brewery in cans and on draught.

Candid Brewing in Antigonish released a couple of new beer after we posted last week, so let’s get you up to date… Space Coyote is a 7.5 % Double/Imperial IPA, featuring loads of Comet and Galaxy hops (get it?), ready to shoot you to the moon and beyond. Mango, pineapple, and guava tropical notes and complemented by a solid dank character. And in another vein completely is the 5.2% Golden Pig, a Czech Pilsner. Featuring Saaz hops, GP underwent a six week lagering process, keeping it crisp, clean, and easy drinking. Cans of both beers are available at their taproom on College Street.

Rounding out this week’s news is Good Robot’s latest release, Late Night Milk Stout. In case you were wondering what to leave out for Santa next weekend, perhaps this will fit the bill. At 5.0% ABV, this stout features a lovely addition of lactose (aka milk sugar) to soften any harsh notes, and leave a little bit of residual sweetness in the can. Available at the Robie Street location, and the now-open Elmsdale retail shop. A note on the latter, as they celebrate with a Grand Opening there tomorrow. Open 12 – 8 PM, all beer and merch is 10% off, and there are quirky prizes to be won for those who visit. At 1 PM, there is even a tour of their facility planned, grab your free tickets here. We’ll soon be sharing some info on a tour for those unable to make it tomorrow, so keep your January 21 free if you’d like to hit up a tour in the New Year.

Friday Wrap-Up for December 9, 2022 – News from Landwash, Port Rexton, Tatamagouche, Breton, Serpent, Tire Shack, Gahan, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2022-12-09
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Battery Park, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Breton Brewing, Canadian Craft Brewers Association, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Good Robot Brewing, Gray Stone Brewing, Graystone Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Mauzy Cidery, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Serpent Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Church Brewing Company, The Village Tap House, Tire Shack Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday everyone! We hope it’s been a good week for all of you, and we doubly hope you will be able to (responsibly) enjoy your work parties, friend get-togethers, or taking in the cheer of the season this weekend, rather than contending with the malls and traffic to buy gifts. If your loved ones are anything like us, they’ll appreciate a selection of beers from around the region, so be sure to check out the many breweries offering shipping across the region, or pop into your local good beer store for one- stop shopping!

Happy Fourth Anniversary to Mount Pearl’s Landwash Brewery! They’ve been out there on Commonwealth Ave, making and slinging the good stuff since 2018, bringing locally-made beer to their local community. And to celebrate their accomplishments over those four years, they have released Develop or Perish Belgian Double (Dubbel). Staying true to the original style by using some darker malts as well as dark-coloured Candi sugar, they also were sure to use a Belgian yeast to enhance the toast and lightly sweet notes with some banana and clove on the nose, ending in a rich finish. The 6.3% beer is available on tap and in cans now, with the latter sporting a quote from Joey Smallwood upon which the beer name was based. Much like Smallwood, Landwash is looking both back on their progress, and forward to what they will become, so be sure to be part of that future and pop out to their spot, open Wednesday through Sunday.

Landwash’s recent co-conspirators on Ursa Minor Session IPA and Ursa Major Session Double IPAs, Port Rexton Brewing has a new beer celebrating the season. Tibbs the Saison is their annual ode to the cooler months, a Belgian Saison where the yeast shines through, with notes of bubble gum, cinnamon, clove, and banana, with a hint of pepper spiciness on the palate. At 6.6%, it has a bit of a warming quality, exactly what you need for this time of year! It’s available now at the brewery, and their St. John’s Retail Shop, at the local convenience stores, and at their Online Store, which has recently begun offering Canada-wide shipping! Available across the nation, except Newfoundland for some reason, now is the time to order if you are looking to receive the beer in time for Tibbs Eve. And you can even get those two new PRBC-LB collabs included in the box.

Hot off the heels of their takeover at Battery Park, Tatamagouche Brewery has a special new beer available in cans this weekend. Old Fangled is a very special take on their Darling English mild, over a year in the making. Taking a couple hundred litres of the base beer, it was transferred to a Cognac Barrel, and a healthy pitch of Brett Lambicus yeast and bacteria blend from Escarpment Labs, where the beasties were allowed to chew away for a full 10 months. During that time, thanks to both the additional fermentation of complex sugars, as well as some residual cognac in the barrel, the beer’s level rose from 3.6% to 6.0% ABV. With that bump in potency comes a leveling up in complexity as well, with notes of cherry, date, chocolate, and light acidity as well. The beer was allowed to condition in 355ml cans to develop a natural carbonation, and they are available now at the brewery, and from the brewery’s webshop, too. And hey, if you act quickly, you can take advantage of free Canada-wide shipping this weekend!

We’ve got a few nuggets of holiday cheer coming out of Sydney, Cape Breton. Breton Brewing has a wonderful holiday release that gets you right in the mood for winter. Fireside, a Belgian Dubbel is a rich, malty treat showcasing St. Remy Belgian yeast and a mix of European specialty malts. This is hopped to balance, but overall brings sweet toffee notes and a delicious malt body with some fruity esters in a 6.6% package.  Also, the can design is fun and festive and one of their best yet. This one is available now from the taproom and online. 

Another special release from Breton is a collaboration that is even more limited. A collaboration with PRO Skates (in Halifax) sees the two companies teaming up to raise funds for Feed Nova Scotia. The beer is a limited edition can design of Black Angus IPA. There is a launch even on Saturday December 10th from 1pm-5pm. There are a few cans available at the Sydney brewery as well. $2 from every can sold will go to Feed NS. At the launch event there will be samples and t-shirts! The t-shirts are also a collaborative design and $5 from every t-shirt sale will also go to Feed NS. 

To round out the Breton tri-fecta of news, the fine folks are hiring in Sydney and Halifax. They need a part-time delivery driver in Halifax and a full-time brewer and cellar hand in Sydney. Check out their careers page to apply.

Back on the mainland, Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing has two new releases out this week. You may recall their previous release of Forbidden Fruit, a blueberry Belgian blonde. Well, it turns out they bought way too many blueberries and their blunder is paying off for their thirsty patrons. The remaining berries have been put to use in Blueberry King, a 5.3% ABV fruited sour. This one starts with a grain bill of wheat, oats and pilsner malt. It then saw an extended fermentation of about 3 months of the blueberries (nothing quick about this sour). This is a small batch release, so is only available for pints at the taproom. Next up is An Ode to Sabro, an IPA that showcases the tropical and coconut-forward Sabro hop, with some Perle also added for bittering. This one will be available for pints and growler fills. Both sound like great options to enjoy alongside Serpent’s new taproom food offerings. 

Next up are two great newsbites from Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewing. First, a new release, to get you into the holiday spirit, Candy Cane Stout. Expect notes of peppermint and chocolate in this 5.5% holiday sipper, and could even be used as a complement to a cream liqueur… And you can celebrate along with Tire Shack, as they have just won Brewery of the Year in the 2022 Canadian Brewers Choice Awards! Hosted by Brewers Journal Canada, the contest was judged by an independent group of industry folk, based on nominations of the brewery’s business wins and plans for the future. Congratulations to Jerica, Alan, Henry, and the rest of the team!

In downtown Halifax, Gahan House Nova Centre has been somewhat quietly pushing out some fun stuff to augment their standard PEIBC offerings. The latest of these, from brewer Ryan Shirtliff, is one that’s been a little while in the making. Taking advantage of one of the on-site foeders and the microflora contained within, as well as bottle- and keg-conditioning, Table Beer features bright acidity, fruity tart cherry and plum notes, and a sherry and oak finish that remains smooth. Six months in the barrel yielded lots of complexity in a quaffable 3.9% ABV package. Even better, taking advantage of the other Gahan locations, the joy has been spread out around the region, with this one available at all Gahan House locations (Port City in Saint John, Riverside in Fredericton, Hub City in Moncton, and the OG Gahan Pub in Charlottetown), as well as the PEI Brewing Company taproom and the Gahan Beer Store!

Down the South Shore, Tanner Brewing is releasing Blended Chai Milk Stout. Coming in at 9.0% ABV,  this is a milk stout of the imperial variety, sure to keep you warm during the chilly, damp nights we’ve been having. The batch of beer was split on brew day, with half of it spending 6 months in rum barrels from Ironworks Distillery, and the other half fermented on chai tea from Tea Brewery. The result is a complex sipper that is now out in 500 ml bottles and also on tap at their downtown Chester taproom.

Trailway is releasing a new version of a beer we last saw about two years ago, An Anomaly. Originally brewed in the NEIPA style, this iteration is more akin to an American Pale ale, using a non-house yeast to produce a fruitier ester profile. This time around it showcases a combination of hops, Citra, Mosaic and Galaxy, that lead to lots of tropical fruit notes, berries and a touch of dankness. Cans of the 5% ABV IPA are available now at the brewery. 

Paradise NL’s, Mauzy Cider has a new release this week, another one showcasing local ingredients from the 2021 harvest. This is All Paradise features Strawberries from Lester’s Farm in St. John’s, honey from Baccalieu Trail Honey, along with Burin “Feral” Apple Pomace and Montmorency cherries. The strawberries were allowed to spontaneously ferment into a wine, and blended with Take Me Away Piquette to the tune of 4.2% ABV, before a dose of unfermented apple juice for bottle conditioning and carbonation. As such, you’ll want to chill well and open cautiously when it’s time! So, how can you get your hands on a bottle? Fire up the Sonoma and head out to Paradise, specifically at Banished Brewing’s location on Maverick Place, and you can secure your order ahead of time through their webshop.

Big Spruce is re-releasing a few of their greatest hits from 2022 this weekend. First up is Україна, a 4.9% Ukrainian Pilsner featuring the Zlato Polissya hop. Staying sessionable, they’ll also have their 4.9% English Pub Ale, Hoom Is Where the Heart Is available again. This one uses Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles hops, all grown on-site in the Big Spruce hopyard. Cans of both are available now at the brewery, in their online store, and through Bishops Cellar. 

If you find yourself, like many people, a little cash-strapped in this inflation-affected holiday season, Halifax’s (or is it Elmsdale’s now?) Good Robot Brewing has gone out of their way to try to help you have a little beery cheer on a budget. The Recession Special 8-pack is what it says on the tin(s): 8 beers for a measly $16.79. You’ll get two each Recession Special Red and Recession Special Blonde along with four Recession Special IPA. The Red is described as, “slightly nutty with a hint of dark fruit and caramel,” the blonde, “wheaty, slight citrus and low on hops,” and the IPA, “honey, stone fruit and grapefruit.” Sounds like right in the wheelhouse for those styles to us, and at an extremely affordable price. Just remember these are only available in 8-packs, and only at Good Robot locations, on Robie Street in Halifax and Industrial Way in Elmsdale. And if you are interested in being part of their new brewery in Elmsdale, or have a go in their taproom kitchen in Halifax, check out their job postings!

The denizens of West Bedford and/or commuters along Larry Uteck are no doubt aware, but other folks in the HRM may not be, that there’s a new beer bar up and running in the plaza on Bloom Lane by the roundabout. Featuring 35 taps of mostly Maritime-brewed beer & cider, along with wine and spirits of course, The Village Taphouse is intended to be, “a community hangout where we can celebrate our Canadian Spirit with the drinks we love.” Sounds like a noble cause to us! Wolfville’s Church Brewing is eager to help celebrate the new place, and have collaborated to produce Village Pillage, a Belgian Golden Strong Ale, non-filtered, that is pleasantly fruity and spiced with coriander, bittered to 45 IBU with Tomahawk and finished with a hint of noble Saaz hops. What’s “strong” about it? Wellll, you best plan to bring a DD or your bus pass with you because this one comes in at a hefty 10.9% ABV. Only available at the Taphouse and in a very limited supply at Church, it’s one more reason to check out this new spot for pints!

We’ve got some news from the downtown Halifax private liquor store just in time for the weekend, as they’ve got some new releases in the fridges and shelves. Bishop’s Cellar has a fresh local beer delivery in stock and a big Belgian order just landed as well, with all of these treats launching today! While not all of these beers are new to Bishop’s, some of the pricing on the Belgian lambics is better than you may remember, so make sure you check out their website to order online. Or, just pop right down if you can and explore IRL.

Here’s the local list which sees a few new to Halifax beers.
Serpent –  Long Lake Pilsner
Tatamagouche –  Collusion Double IPA & Old Fangled Barrel Aged Mild Ale
Big Spruce – Ykpaïha Ukrainian Pilsner

Next up is 5 releases from Belgium’s de Ranke: 

  • Guldenberg 330ml
  • Noir de Dottignies 330ml
  • XX-Bitter 330ml
  • XXX-Bitter 750ml (variation of XX-bitter, with an additional 50% more hops)
  • Cuvee de Ranke 750ml

Another five releases are available from 3 Fonteinen as well and there are a lot of cases available.
Belgian treats, aplenty!

  • Oude Gueuze 375ml
  • Golden Blend 375ml
  • Intens Rood 375ml
  • Oude Gueuze 1500ml (only 18 magnums available)
  • Oude Kriek 750ml

And a returning favourite, the Belgian powerhouse Delirium’s Delirium Tremens 5L Mini Keg is available so you can share as much of the tasty Strong Blond Ale with whomever you wish!

Just one event on the radar this weekend, be sure to send others along if you know of/see them!

One of Atlantic Canada’s better beer bars, Battery Park, is celebrating its seventh anniversary this weekend, and they’re throwing a party on Saturday (December 10th) to celebrate. Drop by for great beers from Nova Scotia’s best breweries and cideries, free cupcakes, and plenty of brewery giveaways throughout the day. Happy Anniversary to Battery Park from your friends at ACBB.

Last couple of newsbites this week before we let you go…

In a bit of interesting news, Graystone Brewing has announced the re-branding of their flagship Patagonia beers, after a request from an extremely well-known US-based clothing company. No stranger to trademark issues (remember when the brewery opened as Gray Stone, or when they were caught up in this boner?), Patagonia Outdoor Clothing Company reached out to them in 2021 asking them to stop using the “Patagonia” moniker. While another company entirely owns the “Patagonia” trademark for beer in the US, the clothing maker has been brewing since 2016 and more recently released a collaboration beer with Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware, and that could have been the prompt to reach out to Graystone. A possible name change has been planned on for quite a while, as Graystone owner Wes Ward acknowledges in this CBC interview, and Patagonia “worked with and supported” them in the transition. The new branding is available now, and will replace stock at ANBL and other stores in the coming weeks.

And finally this week, the Canadian Craft Brewers Association has announced that New Brunswick’s Christine Comeau is now their Executive Director. Formerly with Craft Alcohol NB, Comeau brings with her plenty of experience in the brewing and marketing spaces, and recently co-chaired the Canada Beer Cup. The CCBA is the national association to which provincial and territorial brewery associations are members, and advocates for modernizing the federal excise tax, promoting the Independent Craft Brewery seal, compliance with the upcoming CFIA labeling requirements. We’re most excited for improvement in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in the industry, and Codes of Conduct for breweries, events, and festivals for beer, and will be reaching out to Comeau for more on both important topics.

Friday Wrap-Up for November 25, 2022 – News from Port Rexton and Landwash, Bannerman, Breton, Rough Waters and The Newfoundland Embassy, Maritime Express, Beausoleil, Saltbox, Lake City, Garrison, Banished, and much, much more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-11-25
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Battery Park, Beausoleil Farmstead Cider, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Garrison Brewing, Happy Craft Brewing, HopYard, Lake City Cider, Landwash Brewery, Lone Oak Brewing, Maritime Express Cider, Mauzy Cidery, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Rough Waters Brewing, Saltbox Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Newfoundland Embassy, Tire Shack Brewing. Leave a Comment

We’ve made it to the end of another week and somehow it’s the last Friday of November, which means thousands of Atlantic Canadians will be precariously perched on ladders this weekend, stringing up holiday lights, and cracking a cold one as they step back and admire all of those randomly burnt out bulbs. As our neighbours to the south nurse their Thanksgiving hangovers, you’re likely being bombarded with countless Black Friday emails and posts. Before you buy that 3-in-1 combination air fryer, pasta maker, pizza oven that you’ll probably never use, take a scroll through the latest beer news, and consider directing your hard earned cash towards your favourite producer of fermented beverages instead. Or consider taking advantage of our one-day only ACBB sale where you can snag a one-year subscription to the blog for 50% off!

Let us catch you up on a pair of late-last-week releases that are now available throughout the Avalon craft beer convenience store. The crew from Mount Pearl’s Landwash made the trek out to Port Rexton to brew two beers from just one mash! Let us explain… At the end of the mashing period, the sugary water (wort) is separated from the barley and other malted grain in the mash tun, and transferred to the kettle for the boil. That leftover grain still has some sugary goodness left on it, and a second dose of water can be used to rinse the malt clean, giving rise to the start of another beer! This technique is known as parti-gyle brewing, and has been around for centuries. While the two resultant beers will have the same base grains, due to the concentration of sugars, they will have quite different potential alcohol levels, and can be treated with different intensities of hops and other ingredients.

Ursa Major Double IPA is the first beer to come out of that double-brew, weighing in at a hefty 8.5% ABV. Using loads of late-addition hops (low bitterness, high aroma and flavour), namely Sultana and Amarillo, it features orange, pineapple, and a hint of pine, on a slightly-sweet finish.

Ursa Minor IPA is the parti-gyled beer made from the second runnings of wort, with an ABV of just 3.9%. As it was boiled separately, a different combo of hops could be used in the kettle, in this case Lotus and Azacca, imparting citrus and stone fruit on the palate, with a dry finish.

Both of these stellar-inspired beers are available at Port Rexton and Landwash on tap for pints and growler fills, and distributed to Port Rexton’s St. John’s Retail Shop, as well as their other retail partners.

Staying in Newfoundland, Bannerman has a big weekend ahead with two new releases. First up is Red Eye, a coffee milk stout. To get the most possible coffee character into the beer, the team added coffee during every step in the brewing process, including broken beans in the mash tun, kettle and fermenter. Before packaging, some of the fermented beer was also soaked on more beans overnight, before being added back into the main batch. Combine all of that coffee with the addition of lactose and you’ve basically got your morning pick me up ready to go in beer form. The coffee for this one comes from Cape Coffee Roasters, a new roaster in Cape Broyle. Cans and pours are available now at the brewery with cans also seeing wider distribution through Bannerman’s usual channels. And what goes better with your coffee than a piece of toast with a bit of Nan’s homemade jam? Their next release, Either/Or is a fruited sour that combines big fruit flavour with some slight tartness, just like Nan’s jam. You’ll also find cans and pours of this one at the brewery, with cans seeing wider distribution later this weekend. 

Rolling over to Cape Breton, Sydney’s Breton Brewing has a brand new seasonal release for the holidays with Milk n’ Cookies Stout. Not your average stout, this one has additions of chocolate chip cookies from their friends at Not Just Cakes and lactose sugar to create a sweet, bitter and balanced brew. Easy drinking at 5% this is available on tap or in cans from the brewery and for delivery, and in select NSLCs, too. 

Back to Newfoundland for another round this week, Deer Lake’s Rough Waters Brewing teamed up with the fine folks of The Newfoundland Embassy in St. John’s for their latest release. Ambassador is a 4.7% German Pilsner, as the two teams wanted to maximize easy drinking and super refreshing as they came together. Light-bodied, crisp, clean, and able to pair with whatever you’re eating! Pints are obviously available at the Embassy now, with cans at Urban Market 1919, and wider distro through the NLC soon.

Kentville’s Maritime Express Cider has a pair of new expressions available in their shop. 2020 Sparkling Perry is an all-pear cider, aged on lees in the bottle for two years. This extended aging period in the bottle has allowed it to dry out completely (no residual sugar), and is sparkling for a bubbly rush of candied pear and tropical fruit. Joining it is 2021 Sparkling Sour Berry, their apple cider base co-fermented with raspberries and rose hips, and blended with two-year aged cranberry wine. Allowed to undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle before an extended cellaring period. Also finishing quite dry, the fruit additions lend much to the aroma and impart a tart finish.

Beausoleil Farmstead Cider in Port Williams has a new release this month, Valley Fields. Crisp Valley-grown pears and a field blend of estate-grown Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, and Frontenac Gris grapes, were co-fermented to finish dry, a light carbonation enhances the aromatic and light acidity in the glass. Their tasting room and retail shop at 1469 B Church Street in Port Williams is open 1 – 4 PM Saturday for visitors, or by appointment at other times.

Speaking of Beausoleil, wine- and cider-maker extraordinaire Melanie Eelman has once again lent her knowledge to the folks at Saltbox Brewing on the South Shore, helping them to launch Rosemary. Featuring Annapolis Valley apple cider, blended with a Marquette wine, infused with rosemary, this blend features herbal notes along with ripe apple, field berries, and a touch of spice. This 6.7% hybrid is available in cans at Saltbox and its sibling breweries.

Staying in the cider-verse, Dartmouth’s finest, Lake City Cider, has a brand new release that is winter-inspired. Gingersnap is a spicy and sweet little cider that uses Annapolis Valley apples, freshly pressed ginger root, and a bit of molasses for some balance. The fresh ginger is the star here, bringing you the fragrant nose and bit of refreshing spice like that you’d expect, all in a 7% package. It’s available now from the cidery in 473ml cans and is also available online. 

Rounding out the cider news for this week is the latest from Paradise’s Mauzy Cider. Once again taking advantage of feral and undeveloped apple trees, Devil’s Acid began life during the 2021 harvest. Starting with apples from Burin Bay and Golden Hornet Crabapples from Torbay, these were co-spontaneously-fermented with the skins of Dolgo crabapples, with the combination of crabapple varieties imparting a serious acidity in the glass. This 6.8% cider was bottle conditioned with a touch of apple juice for some carbonation. Like their other releases, look for them online for pickup in Paradise, and at cider, wine, and beer friendly spots around Town.

Staying in Paradise (we’ve got two tickets after all!), if you’re able to, hit up Banished Brewing for their brand new release, a collaboration with Toslow (a cafe, but generally delicious food establishment). Crosstown Cooldown is a Coffee Porter featuring beans from the Montreal roaster Traffic Coffee Co. The result is a highly drinkable, roasty and full beer with a great balance at 5%. This is canned and available now from the brewery and next week it will be hitting retailers.

Also new this week is the final form of the Puffin! If you’ve been following along with the themed releases from Banished, there were 3 previous variations and now the 4-pack is complete. New this week is Intergalactic Puffin, a triple IPA, the clear next step up from the previous Session NEIPA, NEIPA and double NEIPA, and coming in hot at 10% ABV. Very full, juicy, and surprisingly easy drinking for the style and ABV, it features loads of Mosaic during the boil and whirlpool, and was dry-hopped with equal parts Citra and Sabro, enhancing the citrus and tropical notes seen in the rest of the Puffin family. This beer is available now in cans from the brewery and will also hit retailers next week. If you’re looking to get the full vertical of the Puffin releases, you better hurry, as there is only a limited amount of Space Pufflin (Session NEIPA) left. Get your ticket to Paradise, pack your bag and leave tonight!

At the Seaport in Halifax, Garrison Brewing has a brand new release, which we’re already picturing having around for the holidays. Night Mooves is a Coffee Milk Stout that is lower on ABV (at 4.5%) but high on roasted coffee, dark chocolate and a bitter-sweet impression from combination of coffee, roasted malts, and lactose. Here’s the fun part for many of you, let’s look at the ingredients! The malt bill here features pale, munich, caramel & chocolate malts, along with some roasted barley. The hop bill gets balance and backing from the classic German Hallertau and the brew also features additions of lactose and coffee from West Ender Coffee. This one is available in 473ml cans now at both Garrison locations, on the website for delivery, and at Liquid Assets.

Boxing Rock has two new releases that are sure to appeal to fans of stone fruit flavours. Up first is Black and Tan: Stout and Pale. This one is a 5.2% ABV  blend of ​​Patricius, their Irish Stout, and a blonde wheat ale that saw an infusion of apricot, leading to a combo of roasty and stone fruit notes. Next up is Intergalactic, an American Pale Ale. A combination of new-world hops and an infusion of apricot leads to notes of pineapple, grass, and stone fruit. Cans of both are available now through Boxing Rock’s two retail locations and their online store. In other Boxing Rock news, their much revered Double IPA, Vicar’s Cross, is making its final appearance in bomber bottles after almost 10 years and over 1 million bottles sold! This DIPA was one of the first produced in Nova Scotia that was widely available in packaged format and introduced many budding craft beer enthusiasts to the style. To celebrate the retirement of the bombers, Boxing Rock is planning a package that includes a special edition commemorative bottle and a Vicar’s Cross hat. Pre-orders for the package go live on December 6.

Tire Shack Brewing out of Moncton has a brand new release this week, too, and if you’re noticing a theme this week of sweet treat additions to beer, you’re not alone. Scoop! There It Is! is an Apple Pie Ice Cream Beer (not a stout) released with a special ice cream recipe from Lost and Found Ice Cream in Moncton. The beer features a clean malt bill with a clear, amber colour, but features big additions of 100L of fresh ice cream (loaded with whole vanilla beans and cinnamon) and then 125 kilograms of apple pie filling. Both adjuncts were added during fermentation, so expect big flavours to carry through in a clean 5% beer. This is available in pints, cans and growlers directly from the brewery. 

We’ve got a new beer from Nova Scotia’s North Shore Tatamagouche Brewing, plus a way for you to enjoy it in the big city this weekend! Collusion Double IPA started life in the mash tun with a base of Horton Ridge pale and Shoreline Pilsner malts, amped up with malted oats and wheat, and combined with some Chit malt (the last having undergone a very short germination stage, leaving plenty of complex starch and sugar to increase mouthfeel in the final beer). After mashing, this saw a heavy-handed addition of Nugget hops early in the boil for bitterness, with a post-boil addition of a blend of Cascade, Centennial, and Bravo. Really taking this big IPA to the next level of aroma was a one-two punch of Citra and Mosaic oil extract for a big blast of citrus and tropical fruit. For fermentation they used a New England-style ale yeast, playing in the “hazy” realm, while still being eye-appealing. And while the yeastie beasties were working away, more hops were added, including Citra dry hop extract, the first time the Tata crew has played with this product. Collusion is out now, with cans, pints, and growler fills available at the brewery, and for those in HRM, the perfect time to try it may be at the Tatamagouche Tap Takeover at Battery Park Saturday! With 16 draught lines filled with a mix of new releases and old favourites, including a Baltic Porter from 2017(!), and Flintshire Pub Ale on the handpump, there will certainly be something for everyone! Plus door prizes for coming out and saying hi!

HopYard Beer Bar in Charlottetown is hosting the finals of the Battle of the Breweries this weekend, which also happens to be the battle of Montague! Bogside Brewing and Copper Bottom have each put their four best beer, cider, and seltzers forward in a race to finish kegs and sell the most pints until close Saturday. Stop in to show your support, because really, we are all winners in these sorts of competitions!

Sober Island Brewing is holding a Christmas-themed Brewers Dinner next Saturday, December 3rd, at their taproom in Sheet Harbour. A multi-course meal with SIBC beer pairings, all lead by Head Brewer Tim MacLeod. Tickets are available now, and we suggest grabbing them very soon, so that you can secure your choice in one of the courses, a Humble Pie Turkey Dinner or Vegetarian handpie.

A few quick newsbites before we let you go this week…

Moncton’s Happy Craft Brewing has a new release on draught this week, German Altbier. This hybrid of ale- and lager-techniques features the inclusion of kilned malts in the grain bill for a darker colour and a lovely toast and nutty character, with a balancing bitterness. This 5.0% ABV is available now at Happy’s Main Street location.

After a several month hiatus, Lone Oak Brewing has brought back their Boat Traffic Oatmeal Stout. Big and bold roast character is complemented with undertones of chocolate, coconut, and vanilla, thanks to a weeks-long oak-aging step before packaging. It is available on draught and in cans at their Borden-Carleton Taproom, their North River Brewpub, as well as PEILCC locations across the province.

Staying on the Island, PEI Brewing Company has a new seasonal available that they’ve dubbed Hour Delay. A chocolate stout brewed with cocoa and a selection of rich roasted malts to really bump up the chocolate flavor, it’s perfect for cozy nights by the fire as you watch the weather and say a little prayer or two for an hour delay in the morning. Or maybe one to enjoy in a cozy bed in the morning as you enjoy an hour delay? We’re not going to judge! You’ll find this 6% ABV and 30 IBU beer available across the island at the PEI Brewing Company Taproom, Gahan Beer Store, and select PEILCC locations.

Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing has announced the launch of their kitchen, with today (Friday) being the first day of operation. The full menu is available here, featuring a trio of different smash burger styles, grilled panini sandwiches, as well as beer & cheese soup, brussel sprouts, and even arancini! It launches at 2 PM this afternoon, check their social media for the full schedule as it is released.