Gahan House (Charlottetown)

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Friday Wrap-Up – News from Red Rover, Gahan/PEIBC, Hammond River, TataBrew, TrailWay and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2016-07-08
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Annapolis Cider Company, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Brewbakers, Charm School, FirkinStein Brewing, Fredericton Cider Festival, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Good Robot Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Maybee Brewing, Moncton Beer League, Newfermenters Homebrew Club, PEI Brewing Co., Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Red Rover Craft Cider, Schoolhouse Brewery, Tasting NB, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Urban Beer Hike. 4 comments

Happy Friday! After some great weather on the Canada Day weekend, we are back to the reality of Atlantic Canadian weather, so best to grab a growler, can or bottle, and stay inside to read the latest beer news from our region.

• Red Rover released a new fruit cider earlier this week – Dragon Slayer is named after Saint George, well-known for his dragon-slaying abilities and Targaryen-thwarting. The cider was co-fermented with locally-sourced cranberries, giving it a crimson hue. Subtly sharp and rather tannic, as described by the cidery, it finishes quite dry and weighs in at 7% ABV. It’s available at the Cider House and farmers’ markets for growler fills, and should be on tap at a few select bars/restaurants in New Brunswick, including 540 Kitchen & Bar and Snooty Fox in Fredericton, and Ducky’s in Sackville.

• Gahan House – Charlottetown has taken their Belgian Blonde Ale, Belgium Blue, and tweaked it a bit for some lucky New Brunswick beer drinkers! They added a special roast of local Receiver Coffee sourced from Tomila, Columbia, resulting in Coffee Belgian Blonde. The coffee is described by PEI Brewing Co. brewmaster Chris Long as “juicy, acidic, and fruity, with a mild chocolate flavour”. The original beer is light enough to let the coffee flavours shine through, “but complex enough to enhance the amazing aromas of this particular batch”. Clocking in at ~7.5% ABV, it’s available at all five ANBL growler stations this weekend. If you’re in Charlottetown and feeling left out, fear not – a couple of kegs were also sent to HopYard.

• And in other PEIBC news, the brewery has installed a used 7 BBL (~800 L) fermentor that will serve a dual purpose: growing up different yeast strains for seasonal batches, and for experimenting! Look for several new beers to be test-brewed over the coming weeks, including a dry-hopped version (with Ella and El Dorado) of their Sir John A’s Honey Wheat, a double-dry-hopped 1772 (Cascade first, then Simcoe and Mosaic), and a Saison dry-hopped with Goldings. And to celebrate their recent four Gold medals at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards, they have released The Gold Pack at the PEILCC, featuring cans of their Rogues Roost IPA, Setting Day Saison, Sir John A’s Honey Wheat, and Vic Park Pale Ale.

• Hammond River just brewed a new beer last night, and it’s one we’re confidant in saying hasn’t been attempted in these parts before! Rum Raisin Belgian Dubbel was brewed with a grist of Pilsner, Munich, Special B, Crystal, and Aromatic malts, and lightly hopped to 24 IBUs with Tettnang. Eight pounds of raisins were soaked in Eldorado 12 Rum, and then pureed and added to the end of the boil, along with plenty of Chapmans vanilla ice cream and dark Belgian Candi Syrup. Wait, there’s more – Madagascar vanilla beans will also be added during secondary fermentation. The targeted ABV is 7.1%, and on top of everything else, some of the beer may end up being barrel-aged! Look for the beer to be released over the next few weeks; we’ll keep you updated!

• Tatamagouche Brewing just canned and released their Cellar Slammer ISA, a new Session IPA brewed with the crew from Bishop’s Cellar in Halifax. Hopped with Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc and a small addition of Amarillo, look for lots of tropical fruit aromas and flavours in this 4.7% ABV summer sipper. It is available in growlers and cans at the brewery, and in cans at Bishop’s Cellar now.

• TrailWay has recently re-released two hoppy ales that they haven’t had out for awhile. First up is their American IPA, Hugh John Hops; heavily hopped (with Mosaic in particular) to come in “dank, fruity and piney”, it comes in at 6.8% ABV. Next is the return of Patio for the first time since its initial release last summer. An American Wheat Ale hopped entirely with Topaz – with almost all of it being added at flameout and the dry-hop, to give a huge blast of tangerine and citrus, without a lot of bitterness – it’s very sessionable at 4.7% ABV. Both beers are available now for pints and growler fills at the brewery, as well as on tap at select accounts across Fredericton.

• FirkinStein Brewing just released a new beer yesterday at the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market, Anchors Aweigh Pale Ale. Described by the brewery as “light and refreshing, with a crisp, mild hoppy taste, and mild bitterness in the finish”, it weighs in at 6% ABV. It should be available at tomorrow’s Bridgewater Farmers’ Market in growlers and grunters, with 500 mL bottles  following next week. They will also be attending tomorrow’s Food Truck Rally at the Hubbards Barn & Community Park, from 4-8pm.

• Propeller Brewing is bringing out their latest One Hit Wonder today, Citrus Pale Ale. Brewed with a grist of Pale and Wheat malts, this beer features a big citrus nose and flavour, thanks to generous addition of Curaçao orange peel and Ahtanum hops added during the whirlpool phase (after boiling is complete). Cascade and Centennial hops help to balance the malt, with the final beer details coming in at 5.8% ABV and a light 25 IBUs. The beer will be available on tap and in growlers at the Gottingen location this afternoon (drop by after work), and on Windmill later this evening, or first thing tomorrow. As always, a few of these OHW kegs do make it into the wild at select bars, so if you spot it, grab a pint!

• Halifax’s Good Robot has teamed up with Falmouth’s Schoolhouse Brewery to release a special beer ahead of this weekend’s Evolve Festival. Skratch Plaskett – Electric Tambourine Ale is a light-bodied 5.8% ABV Pale Ale, featuring a set of American and Australian hops: Warrior for bittering (contributing to most of the 25 IBUs), Cascade in the whirlpool for some flavour and aroma, and Summer as a dry hop for an Aussie aroma of stone, tropical, and citrus fruits. Skratch Plaskett is the result of 8 test batches and iterations, as the characteristics were honed in on their desired recipe for a crushable beer with lots of character. Much like the name implies, it is a true collaboration of a beer! The beer will be available at the Evolve Festival (happening near Moncton), as well as on tap/growlers at Good Robot and Schoolhouse’s market location shortly.

• And in more Good Robot news, keep your eyes peeled for the return of The Shocking Pink, their Gose blended with pink lemonade and hibiscus tea, as well as Burban Legend American Pale Ale v6.0, dry-hopped with currently-unnamed experimental hop 342 from Hop Breeding Company. This hop lends a floral, citrus, and melon characters to the beer. And for those loved, or missed and wanted to try, the New Zealand IPA Beta Brew that debuted at the Tap Room this week, the single keg is all gone, but will be returning in another iteration soon.

• Maybee Brewing has started canning another of their flagship beers – Stone House Tripel is now available in 500 mL cans for purchase at the brewery in Fredericton; they also should be for sale at the Picaroons General Store in Saint John by sometime next week. Also note that Maybee recently doubled their number of taps to 12, which means more new beers in the future, as well as several taps dedicated to other NB breweries for taproom purchase.

• Unfiltered has released another batch of Front Line Rocker, their 8% Double IPA brewed with the famous Conan yeast. It’s back on tap at the brewery and Charm School, at noon and 4pm today, respectively, and will be delivered to local bars very shortly. Be sure to drop by Charm School tomorrow afternoon for an Indochine Bahn Mi pop-up. Featuring Pork Belly marinated in Unfiltered’s Flat Black Jesus American Stout, they will be serving from 4-9pm (assuming the tasty treats last that long)

• Congratulations to the winners at last weekend’s Newfermenters Brew-Off! Bill Burton took Best-in-Show out of the 25 submissions, and will have a chance to brew his winning recipe with the crew at Port Rexton later in the summer. And speaking of which, PR has brewed the first beers on their new system, and are aiming to open in the next month or so!

As for what’s going on in the events section over the coming days and weeks…

• Annapolis Cider Company is throwing their grand opening party this weekend (Friday to Sunday), and to help celebrate, they’ll be offering tasting paddles – three 3 oz pours – of their three currently-available ciders for only $3. They’ll also be giving free tours of the cider cellar all three days, at 11 am, 2 pm and 4 pm.

• A final reminder that the second annual Tasting NB event happens tomorrow (Saturday, July 9th) in Fredericton at the Capital Complex, from 7-10 pm. Featuring 17 different producers of beer, cider, mead, spirits, and wine, your $55 ticket (if purchased in advance; $60 at the door) gets you unlimited samples for the evening.

• The Moncton Beer League is holding their second Urban Beer Hike on Saturday, July 23rd. The downtown walking tour will begin at Marky’s Laundromat at 1:45 pm, with several stops at various craft beer destinations in the city, before finishing at the Pump House brewpub around 5:30 pm. Each stop will feature beer and food samples, along with info sessions. Tickets are $49+fees, and are available online. Also note that ticket holders will receive $5 off their ticket for this year’s Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Oktoberfest (Saturday, September 24th).

• It’s a few months away, but the date has been announced for the 2nd Annual Fredericton Cider Festival: Saturday, October 1st, on the Brewbakers covered patio. Tickets are on sale now, with two options available: regular tickets are $56.50 each and get you a custom sampling glass and unlimited 4 oz samples from 1:00-3:30 pm, while the $65 VIP ticket gets you the same, plus early entry at noon. Both local and larger cideries will be pouring, with over 25 different types likely to be available to sample.

A few more notes before signing off this week:

– Big Spruce has re-released their Meek Thy Maker, a Red IPA hopped with Amarillo, Columbus and Citra (which is replacing Cascade this time around). It’s on tap at the brewery now, with growlers available at supplied Farmers’ Markets, and many tap accounts in Nova Scotia.
– Railcar has brewed up another batch of their Smoked Molasses Porter; it’s available now at the brewery, and will be hitting the Fredericton ANBL growler station (Prospect St.) at the end of the month.
– Petit-Sault brewed up a SMaSH beer yesterday, featuring ingredient sourced nearby: Pale malt from Malt-Broue South-East Quebec and Cascade hops from nearby Aroostook Hop in Northern Maine. Look for it to hit the taps at the end of July.

Despite the weather, enjoy your weekend! In closing, Atlantic Business Magazine is running an online poll where you can vote for your favourite Atlantic Canadian brewery; it runs until July 29th, and the winner will be featured in the September edition of the magazine.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Sober Island, Gahan House, PEI Brew, Big Tide, Meander River, Propeller, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2016-05-06
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Fest, Big Tide Brewing, Breton Brewing, Downeast Beer Factory, Gahan House (Charlottetown), James Joyce Irish Pub, Maybee Brewing, Meander River Farm and Brewery, NS Craft Beer Week, PEI Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Red Rover Craft Cider, Sober Island Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Unfiltered Brewing. 1 comment

Happy Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week! We hope those of you in the province, or nearby, will make it out to one or more of the events happening all week, including the Cape Breton Kitchen Party in Sydney, or the Beer & Beethoven in Halifax. Check out the #NSCBW Guide we published yesterday for the scoop on the next 10 days of beer fun! And keep your eyes open for plenty of new beer alerts throughout the week; we’ll do our best to retweet and FB-share them so you won’t miss out!

• After a sneak peek at this year’s Saltscapes Expo, Sober Island is officially open, and serving beer! Their current home in Sheet Harbour, Henley House, opened yesterday for the season, so Eastern Shore fans will now have access to a steady supply of their beers. Drop by for a pint of their Oyster Stout, English Golden Rye Ale, or their very own Henley House Private Ale. This 4.8%, 34 IBUs Ordinary Bitter features all late-addition East Kent Goldings hops, and is fermented with an English yeast for a taste of the UK. Sober Island will also have a brew on at this weekend’s Stillwell Open, and is gearing up for festival season, with plans to attend the Cold Waters Seafood Festival June 4-5, and NorthumBeerFest at Pictou Lodge June 11. They are also in the process of finding a Farmers Market location for the summer, so stay tuned for that. While set up at the market, instead of growlers, they will be using Crowlers, the can-on-demand system popular in the US. These 950mL cans are great for taking on the boat, camping, hiking, or to the beach, where glass can be dangerous/forbidden. They will be installing the system in their rolling beer trailer, and will eventually institute Crowler Delivery runs to town.

• Turning now to another Island, there’s a couple of new beers on tap at the Gahan House Brewpub in Charlottetown, PEI. First up is ESB, an Extra Special Bitter that comes in at 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs. Featuring late hop additions of East Kent Goldings and Fuggles to boost the herbal and earthy aroma, this classic British style has been pouring for awhile now. More recent is Belgium Blue, a strong (7.6% ABV) Belgian style that was fermented with a blend of yeasts, giving it a “spicy banana” aroma and flavour, according to brewmaster Trent Hayes. Be sure to stop by the brewpub soon to give both a try! And swing by the PEI Brewing Co. taproom for a taste of their newest cask, Chocolate Cherry Lager, a 4.5% ABV beer that has cocoa nibs and organic tart cherry juice added in-cask.

• In other brewpub news, Big Tide also has a new beer pouring at their location in Saint John. Cascade SMaSH IPA features a grist of German Pilsner malt, and lots of late- and dry-hop additions of the well-loved Cascade hop variety, sourced from local Darlings Island Farm. Weighing in at 5.25% ABV and 39 IBUs, this “very drinkable” beer has a “beautiful citrusy flavour and aroma”, according to the brewery. It’s available now at the brewpub for pints and growler fills. And coming soon from Big Tide is their Wild Weed Summer Ale, a 4.9% ABV, 15 IBUs Wheat ale enhanced with sweet gale, yarrow, lemongrass, cardamom, and coriander.

• Back to Nova Scotia now, Meander River has re-released their Summer Solstice Session IPA, a hoppy and sessionable beer perfect for when the warmer weather decides to stay for good! Hopped with Amarillo and Citra in the boil, it was further dry-hopped with Cascade to provide even more fruit and citrus characteristics in the aroma and flavour. This 4.5% ale is available at the brewery and Forum Farmers’ Market while it lasts. Meander River has also brought back their Scotch Ale, Surf & Turf, just in time for Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week. A silver medal winner at the 2015 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards, it was brewed with peated malt and seaweed to give it a “smooth, savoury taste with an earthy scotch finish”; it weighs in at 6.2% ABV.

• Propeller Brewing has released their newest One Hit Wonder this week. Lil’ SIPA is a 4.4% Session IPA, with 27 theoretical IBUs, but as is often the case in beer, the numbers do not tell the whole story! Massive late hopping favours aroma and flavour over bitterness, so this small package packs a massive taste wallop. As always, the OHW beers are ONLY available for growler fills at their Gottingen and Windmill locations, with select kegs sometimes sneaking out to local bars.

• After a brief hiatus, Spindrift‘s Seventh Wave Series returns this weekend. These smaller, pilot batches allow the creative minds at the brewery to run a bit wild, and brew up beers that would otherwise be impractical, or not feasible. The series continues Saturday during Open Brewery Day, with Raspberry Session Saison, a 5% beer with 6 kilograms of raspberries added to the batch. And if that wasn’t enough, it was dry-hopped with whole leaf Citra hops. Grab this beer starting at 11am tomorrow. And Spindrift will keep the Seventh Wave going all week, with a new one debuting every day (or whenever the previous beer empties). Next up is India Session Lager, a 4.4% light lager with massive amounts of Citra and Simcoe at flameout and whirlpool (while the beer chills), for a seemingly-low 25 IBUs, but with plenty of flavour and aroma from the volatile hop oils that would otherwise be boiled off if added earlier in the process. They have several 7W beers locked and loaded to release during NS Craft Beer Week, so be sure to follow their Twitter feed for the announcements.

• Fresh off the great announcement of $436,000 of ACOA funds destined for Cape Breton, Sydney’s Breton Brewing took delivery of a Cask canning machine this week, and will be packaging their core brands of beer in the coming weeks. Look for their cans to hit the shelves of the NSLC, and private stores in the first week of June. And be sure to drop by Breton tomorrow during Open Brewery Day, as they will be launching Crazy Angus DIPA. With the malt bill being an amped-up version of their Black Angus IPA, this 7.4% ABV beer features a massive citrus punch from 85 IBUs worth of hops, including the always-lovely Australian Galaxy.

• With little fanfare, Downeast Beer Factory opened Sunday. Located in the former Brewdebakers location at 612 Windmill Road, the bar and grill is currently serving product from across the province, with 14 beers and ciders on tap. In the coming weeks, they will be adding their own house-brewed beers to the lineup, including Mylde Wylde Blonde, Fiddler’s Irish Red and Game Changer IPA. Their unique building location features a drive-thru beer shop, which will allow them to sell beer to go from other Nova Scotia breweries, when it opens later in the spring.

• Speaking of openings, Stillwell has announced the new location of their mobile Beergarden: the vacant lot at 5688 Spring Garden Rd. Nestled between Bookmark and Eastlink and across the corner from the Public Gardens, it will feature their iconic converted shipping container slinging local and imported beer (upgraded to 10 taps) and handheld “Summertime BBQ” food. Their friends from Manual Food & Drink will be joining them in the space, for some sweet relief from the hot weather (think ice cream and pastries). Construction has already begun at the location, and they look to launch the space in early June.

In addition to NS Craft Beer Week, here are a few more beer events worthy of your attention in the next little while:

• Tomorrow, May 8th, Stillwell is holding the second of their Rare American Beer Series, with several bottles from Mystic Brewery in Massachusetts popping all day. The En Garde, Connards! Biere de Garde, Flor Ventus Barrel-aged Wild Beer, Saison Renaud Saison (also available on tap), and Table Beer will be available by the full bottle, or 5-7oz pours. Look for some special accompanying beers on tap, and, as always, great food from the kitchen.

• The next Meet Your Maker event at the James Joyce will feature Big Tide, and has been scheduled for next Friday, May 13th at 7:30 pm. As always, there is no charge to attend, just show up for some Big Tide beers (there will likely be four different ones on tap) and have a chat with brewer Wendy Papadopoulus!

• As part of this year’s Festival Inspire in Moncton, they will be holding a Craft Beer Village June 18th. We are still getting all of the ticket details, but we do know that Bore City, Celtic Knot, Flying Boats, Maybee, and Picaroons will all be in attendance.

• The date for the second annual Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Oktoberfest has been set for Saturday, September 24th at the Lion’s Club in Moncton. Featuring many local breweries pouring beer alongside local food stations, the 7:30-10 pm session (tickets $58+fee) will allow unlimited beer samples and a custom take-home glass; VIP tickets ($68+fee) will get you in at 6 pm, along with a special glass, guided beer tasting, and access to an industry panel discussion; a portion of the proceeds will go to the United Way. Keep your eyes on the event page, as tickets will go on sale sometime in July.

And in closing this week:

– Congratulations to Red Rover for winning medals at this year’s Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition! Their Blues, Fall, Fire, and White Witch all took home bronze medals at this competition. In celebration, they have (or had!) all these award winners available at their Cider House on Queen Street.
– Maybee Brewing has released their new Birdseye Pale Ale and recent Elevensies Espresso Stout in cans; a currently-ongoing issue with ANBL’s ordering system has prevented cans from hitting ANBL stores this week, but there’s still lots available at the brewery’s location on Wilsey Rd, so drop in to pick some up this weekend!
– The James Joyce recently registered their venue on the popular beer app/website Untappd, which means their entire draught list, event schedule, and more is available and updated in real time! Check it out here.
– Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing is releasing a new batch of the Double Orange Ale (DOA) today. This batch of the 7.5% ABV SMaSH was fermented with a famous Vermont yeast for even more juicy goodness. Grab a growler when the brewey opens at noon, or a glass at Charm School from 4pm.

That’s it for this week; have a great weekend!

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Nine Locks, Garrison, Mama’s Brew Pub, Spindrift, Gahan Halifax and Charlottetown, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2016-03-04
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: ANBL, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Breton Brewing, Cape Breton Beer Fest, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Flying Boats Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Garrison Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, King Street Ale House, Mama's Brew Pub, Nine Locks Brewery, North Brewing, PEI Brewing, Picaroons, Spindrift Brewing.

Happy Friday, beer fans! A brewery launch, plenty of beer launches and events, and the start of Fredericton Craft Beer Week. Let’s go!

• Nine Locks Brewing launched this week in Dartmouth. Located at 219 Waverley Rd, adjacent to the Mic Mac Tavern, they opened their doors Monday afternoon. They are currently selling two beers, an IPA, and an ESB. The India Pale Ale is 6.9% ABV and 70 IBUs, featuring loads of citrus and floral hop character and smooth bitterness, from first wort hopping, hop bursting (adding the majority of hops in the last 20min of the boil, retaining most of the aromatic oils), and dry hopping. The Extra Special Bitter is 5.6% ABV and 35 IBUs, featuring English East Kent Golding and Fuggles hops for a subtle Noble hop spiciness. The beers are currently available in growlers to go at the brewery (both 1L flip-top and 1.89L), with canning beginning before the end of March. When that happens, look for cans at the private beer stores in HRM, as well as a selection of NSLCs around the province. Also look for the full release of their Dirty Blonde and Porter before the end of March. The storefront is open Mon-Fri 12-9pm, Sat 11-9pm, and Sun 12-5pm 12-9. Congratulations to the entire Nine Locks family!

• It’s been a busy week at Halifax’s Garrison Brewing! The Awards Gala for the 8th Annual Home Brew-Off were last night. The 45 entrants, plus family, friends, and members of the public, gathered at Garrison’s tasting room to hear the results in the Experimental American IPA category. This year’s winning beer was Honey Chamomile, brewed by Mark Power. Using honey malt to complement the chamomile herb, it featured nice hop additions to give it the necessary bitterness and aroma the judges were looking for. Rounding out the Final Four were a Toasted Coconut IPA, Earl Grey Tea IPA, and Parmesan & Jalepeno IPA. Congratulations!

• Attendees were able to taste the top 3 winners, as well as get the first pours of last year’s winning beer, Mr. Robusto. Brewed by Dave Martin and the Garrison crew, this Robust Porter is 6.5% ABV and 33 IBUs. Notes of sweet chocolate are prominent, along with vanilla and caramel, but with enough hops to balance. Mr. Robusto is available for purchase in bottles and growler fills at the brewery now, and will be available at the private beer stores and NSLCs shortly.

• Last night also served as the release party for the final beer in the Cellar Series, To Prussia With Love. This big beer is a blend of their Grand Baltic Porter, along with Barrel-Aged Coast to Coastless Imperial ESB (their collaboration with Le Trou du Diable, Flying Monkeys, and Phillips). The barrels were from Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg, and had previously held rum. The beer weighs in at 10% ABV and 35 IBUs, and is available for purchase in bottles now at the brewery, as well as previous Cellar Series beers Ol’ Fog Burner and Grand Baltic Porter, the former being available at the private stores soon.

• Garrison Brewmaster Daniel Girard will be facing off against wine maker Pete Luckett March 31st at the Harbourstone Sea Grill and Pourhouse, in a Beer vs Wine Showdown. Five Courses of food are being prepared, with a wine and beer paired with each, with attendees voting on their favourites. Tickets are available through the Harbourstone now, via email or phone (902-428-7852).

• Fredericton’s Mama’s Brew Pub will be releasing their fifth beer early next week, an American Amber Ale. A slightly bigger beer at 6.1% ABV than their other releases, it’s lightly hopped with East Kent Goldings to 15 IBUs. The grist features Maris Otter, Crystal 70 L, Carafa and Wheat malt, lending the beer “toasted malt flavours and a pleasant fruitiness”, according to brewer Ryan Kingston. They’ve also brought back their Session IPA, at 4.2% and 24 IBUs, it features lots of dry-hopping with Citra and Comet for a great blast of citrus hop character.

• Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing will be continuing their Seventh Wave release today with Blueberry Phie. This 5.0% ABV Wheat Ale was aged on loose leaf Masala Chai Tea and PEI blueberry puree. Pouring with a thick white head (thanks to the high percentage of wheat in the malt bill), it features notes of blueberries, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla, for an experience like tasting savory blueberry pie. As with all of their Seventh Wave series, this beer is only available at the brewery in growlers, and in extremely limited amounts (they tend to sell out Friday afternoon), so grab some now to avoid disappointment.

• Gahan House Halifax released a brand new beer last night, Cranberry Sour. The beer was produced using a 48 hour sour mash, allowing the Lactobacillus on the grain to produce lactic acid for a sour bite, and then the fermentation was completed with brewer’s yeast. Cranberries were added after fermentation was complete, for a fresh aroma and tart character to complement the 3% ABV base beer. It is available on tap at the brewpub for pints, as well as growler fills.

• Gahan House Charlottetown’s Brewmaster Trent Hayes will be hosting a Brewmaster dinner at Fishbones Oyster Bar on Friday, March 11. Beginning at 7pm, Hayes will lead the four course meal of food and beer pairings, featuring local products in a beer-inspired presentation. Tickets are available now at both Fishbones and Gahan House.

• Details on the Cape Breton Beer Fest were announced yesterday. Scheduled for Saturday, November 19th at the Cruise Pavilion on Esplanade in Sydney, there will be both an afternoon and evening session, each 2.5 hours (with evening VIP tickets allowing early entry). Featuring primarily craft breweries, including Cape Breton’s own Big Spruce and Breton Brewing, the organizers are aiming for about 35 breweries in attendance, from Nova Scotia, the Maritimes, and beyond. Food vendors will be onsite to provide sustenance to keep the party going, and other vendors will be invited to set up tables to showcase the best Cape Breton has to offer. Early bird tickets (at a $10 savings) are now available online, and regular-priced tickets will be online, and in NSLCs shortly. We will update you with a brewery list when it is available.

• The ANBL will be opening a new location in Saint John today. Located at East Point Shopping, this location will also be the first expansion of the very popular Growler program since Sackville in late 2014. To celebrate the opening, Big Tide Tidal Wave Double IPA, Flying Boats Dixie Clipper IPA and Hammond River Nut Your Everyday Red Ale will all be available, with the three head brewers onsite. The store is open now, with a celebration at 1pm this afternoon, check out the East Point ANBL’s page for their current inventory and details.

• The Fredericton Craft Beer Fest Week kicks off today with an event at the James Joyce Pub: The 4th Will Be With You! A Star Wars themed evening, attendees are encouraged (but not required) to come in Cosplay, and there may even be members of the 501st Legion in attendance. The fun continues with a Beer and Cheese tasting at ANBL York Saturday afternoon, and the Johnny Be Good Pub Crawl that evening. Keep on top of it all with our Calendar, as well as the FCBF App, available for both Android and iOS. The app will be updated with the floor plan of the festival, in order to plan your afternoon or evening session most efficiently. Don’t forgot to drop by the King Street Ale House next Thursday for our Trivia Night! We’ll be putting your beer, brewing, and general knowledge skills to the test, and handing out great prizes courtesy of the breweries attending the Fest. And there are still a few tickets available for the Afternoon Session of the main Fest March 12, grab them now before they sell out.

A few parting shots this week:

– Distillerie Fils du Roy has brought back their spring seasonal, Stella Maris. This 7.5% ABV Biere de Garde is named in honour of the star in the Acadian flag. Look for it along the East coast of the province, and Fredericton, and check out Fils du Roy’s other offerings through the ANBL.
– North Brewing has brought back their Dartmouth Dark, with v2.0 hitting the shelves and taps today. This batch features Cannon espresso from Anchored Coffee, on top of their dark lagered ale. Look for it at both the Halifax and Dartmouth stores.
– PEI Brewing Company has released their Transmitter Coffee Stout, featuring coffee from Charlottetown’s Receiver Coffee. Available now at the brewery, look for it to hit Nova Scotia in the near future as well.
– Picaroons has released their Maple Cream Ale this week, available now at the Brewtique, and soon at ANBL locations.