Gahan House (Halifax)

All posts tagged Gahan House (Halifax)

Thursday Wrap-Up for March 28, 2024 – News from Trailway, Garrison, Ateepic, Tanner & Co, Gahan Nova Centre, Gahan Atlantic Home Brew Challenge, Big Spruce, Arcade, and more!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2024-03-28
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Arcade Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Gahan Atlantic Home Brew Challenge, Gahan House (Halifax), Garrison Brewing, Microbrasserie Ateepic, Sonnen Hill, Tanner & Co Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Thursday y’all! Thursday?? Yup! We figured we’d give ourselves a break from all of the beer writing tonight/tomorrow morning, so that we can enjoy a little break. While many breweries and your favourite taprooms and bars will be closed for Good Friday and/or Easter Sunday, it’s best to check their social media for the details on their opening days/hours if you are in need of an emergency four-pack or respite from the family. Plenty of new releases to tempt you today, so let’s jump right in!

Fredericton’s hop heads Trailway Brewing are back with another play on their flagship Hu Jon Hops, this time catering to those who like it hot… Hu Jon Heat! Keeping the hop schedule of the HJH that is beloved across the region, habanero and mango were added to give a solid infusion of capsaicin, pepper flavour, as well as a fruit sweetness to round out the beer. At 6.6% ABV, we figure this will go well with your asian-inspired dishes as well as on its own. On draught and in cans at Trailway now, with distribution coming soon!

In Halifax, Garrison Brewing is reminding all of us to Hold Fast in these wild and crazy times. This 5.5% pale ale features a straight-ahead malt bill of pale malt augmented by a portion of wheat, and was hopped in the kettle, and again post-fermentation, with Bravo, Chinook, and Lemondrop. Hazy-gold in appearance, you’ll find citrus on both the nose and palate in this medium-bodied and lightly bitter beer. It is available on tap and in cans at both their Seaport and Oxford Taproom locations, with 473ml cans also coming to the NSLC, Bishop’s Cellar, and the other private stores in HRM.

In Edmondston, NB, Microbrasserie Ateepic is celebrating sugar season with a new release this week. Camp Malin is a Maple Scotch Ale, featuring plenty of locally-sourced ingredients. The traditional grain bill was enhanced by some malt that was smoked in-house, and the beer was aged on maple chips charred on their grill. Both maple syrup from Sucrerie du Petit Camp as well as SylvAcer whiskey-infused maple syrup were added to the beer for a one-two punch of the sweet stuff. It is available at their golf course taproom on draught to enjoy onsite and in growlers, with a limited run of cans coming soon as well!

Chester Basin’s Tanner & Co Brewing has a new beer on tap and in cans this weekend, just in time for their Saturday HRM deliveries (hint, hint!). Brux IPA uses a yeast, known as Sacch Troi, that was previously thought to be Brettanomyces, due to its ability to form a pellicle and it’s significant fruity ester production (sorry, our nerd is showing). Kicking up the fruit factor another notch are Mosaic, Motueka, and Chinook. At 6.5%, this is a refreshing and easy-drinking IPA, and alo features locally grown and malted grains!

Despite the release date, we must assure you the following is not a joke!
One keg, one day only: Gahan House Nova Centre Head Brewer Ryan has thrown the Reinheitsgebot rules into the Halifax harbour, and is releasing Hot Dog Lager. Brewed well before any convenience store announced some sparkling water bullshit, this Pale Lager was brewed using hot dog water, and mashed with hot dog buns. Obviously not vegan-friendly, this 5.5% beer will only be on tap Monday, April 1st, and we imagine will go well with a burger or the chorizo penne. Sorry, no cans of this extremely limited brew, but you may be able to convince the staff to fill a growler of this glizzy beer!
Seriously, we promise that was not a joke!

Speaking of Gahan, their Atlantic Home Brew Challenge wrapped up last weekend, with judges from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia having the hard (ya right!) job of picking the best beers submitted in the (BHCP style 11B) Best Bitter and (BJCP Style 30A) Spice, Herb, and Vegetable categories. After the dust settled, Dave Gamble took top spot with his “Bitter Afterthought”, and Greg Rogers won the SHV title with his “Triple Beats”, a Belgian Tripel with Beets. Rogers’ beer was also the overall winner, which means he will be brewing up this beer at the Hub City Gahan location later this year, for a limited release. Congratulations to all of the entrants and winners, and big thanks to Gahan Beer for continuing to hold the competition and inspiring the brewers of tomorrow! More details are available here.

As we enter spring, we are seeing the return of some perennial favourites, including Big Spruce’s Cerberus IPA. Originally crafted as a three-heading conspiracy between NS Organic breweries, this year’s release is all Big Spruce, all the time! As in previous years, however, this is a one-shot deal, so you’ll be best served to grab this 7.5% ode to Galaxy, Mosaic, and Simcoe as soon as possible. Pouring at the brewery and a couple of better beer bars around the HRM today, cans will be coming next weekend to your favourite retailers.

Arcade Brewing in Burnside has been brewing up a storm recently, and have just introduced cans to their lineup. While enjoying a hand pulled pint of their real ale at their 80 Thornhill Drive location is always great, especially enjoyed while banging the flippers in their pinball room, you can now take cans of their Arcade Ale (4.1% British-style Pub Ale) and Peculier Ale (5.2% North Yorkshire-style Dark Ale) home to drink later.

Finishing off today is a heads up that Bishop’s Cellar has a quartet of new beers from Caledon, Ontario’s, Sonnen Hill. With generations of brewing experience, they take things slow and steady. On Bishop’s shelves tomorrow are the Heart Lake Pils, Frank Lager Franconian Lager, and two spontaneously-fermented offerings: No Worry and Riesling Beer.

Friday Wrap-Up for November 10, 2023 – News from Tanner, Maybee, Landwash, Lone Oak, Big Spruce, Truro Brewing, Bannerman, North, Tata, Unfiltered, and More!!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-11-10
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Benjamin Bridge, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge, Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, Compass Distillers, Escarpment Laboratories, Gahan Atlantic Home Brew Challenge, Gahan House, Gahan House (Halifax), Lake City Cider, Lakeview Hops, Landwash Brewery, Lone Oak Brewing, Maybee Brewing, Mosaic.Wit, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Rough Waters Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Church Brewing Company, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Unfiltered Brewing. Leave a Comment

The rumours of our demise were greatly exaggerated! What rumours , you ask? Well apparently we’re shit at starting rumours too, so nevermind. We’ve probably said this before, but it bears repeating: while there are four of us here at ACBB, we all have lives and jobs and responsibilities and plans, and sometimes we get to Thursday night and we realize that nobody remembered we blog and, well, it ain’t looking so good for tomorrow. Sometimes we manage to pull a post out of our collective arse on Friday morning anyway, but the last two weeks it was simply not to be. Many apologies, full refunds available in the alley out back (mind the rats). This week we’ll try to get you caught up on a little of what we missed previously, but mostly just try to get through this week’s new stuff. Be warned, though, three-quarters of the team is on the road and while you’re left with the wordy fucker (free one-year subscription to whoever guesses successfully), even he has his limits, so pardon the soul of brevity and don’t hold your breath for much wit. 

We’ll also remind you that this weekend Remembrance Day falls on Saturday, so your favorite brewery or taproom may elect to close for some or all of Saturday, on Monday, or not at all. So be sure to check socials before you make your plans. 

We’ll start this week on the South Shore of NS where Tanner & Co. Brewing has two new IPAs on the go, but ironically, “new” may not be the best descriptor for either of them. Though many know that the IPA style began in the UK over a century ago and that extra hops were generally used as a preservative for the long sea voyage to India, there have been few English IPAs of late to even try, not only locally, but around the world. So Tanner has taken up the cause of rectifying that with their aptly-named English IPA, a beer that keeps the classic British herbal and earthy hops moderate, while balancing with a prominent malt presence featuring notes of biscuit, caramel, and toffee. A rich amber colour completes the picture in this 6.5% ABV beer. Meanwhile, Tanner has also taken a much more modern IPA, one featuring Citra, Simcoe, Chinook, and Amarillo hops, local malts, and a yeast strain from Le Labo yeast lab in Quebec and then aged it for several months in oak barrels from Grand Pré Wines. The result is Barrel Aged IPA, a big beer, at 8.1%, that presents a “harmonious blend of hops and oak.” Look for both of these beers in cans from the brewery and the taproom in Chester where you’ll also stand a pretty good chance of finding them on tap. 

Fredericton’s Maybee Brewing has a new IPA this week as well, this one in the modern hazy NEIPA vein, but with a name that’s a callback to the 1970s. While some of you are wondering why anyone would refer to such ancient history, the old farts among us will no doubt have a snicker at The Knights Who Say NEIPA (and its spot-on label). Bursting with citrus, pineapple, mango, and bright orange juice aromas and flavors, they’re calling this one, “a tropical paradise in a glass.” The perfect companion to hunting for a shrubbery (one that looks nice… and not too expensive) or estimating the wingspeed of an unladen sparrow, no doubt. Find this 6.5% and 30 IBU juice bomb in cans at the brewery.

Like many breweries, we suspect even moreso in this region than in others, Mount Pearl, NL’s Landwash Brewery has long fielded questions about why they haven’t had a Red Ale available. Well now the questions can stop, at least for a while. Kicking Leaves is a perfect fall beer, deep amber in color, with notes of caramel, toffee, and a hint of rye. With an ABV of only 4%, it’s also extremely sessionable and you can pack a few for your hike in the crisp and cool fall air. This one is packaged and available only at the brewery this weekend, but headed out to all the usual spots in the coming weeks.

On another Island, Prince Edward that is, Lone Oak has released a brand new American Pale Ale. Although it contains the three most OG “C” hops from the Pacific Northwest of the US, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook, all of the hops in this brew were local, from Lakeview Hops. Paired with a grist of Pilsner and Vienna malt, though these hop varieties are known more for citrus, pine, and dank notes, the combination, the beer, and no doubt the terroir, have come together to yield a very melony character with some grapefruit and pineapple overtones. Find this smooth and refreshing 5.2% pale ale on tap and in cans to go at the brewery in Borden-Carleton and the Brewpub at Milky Way.

Completing the island trifecta, we have Big Spruce Brewing on Cape Breton Island, who push it to a quadfecta with the name of their new release! Who doesn’t love a brewery collaboration? We know that we sure do; fortunately we have breweries like Big Spruce around who may love a collab even more than most and this week they’ve got a brand new beer that they put together in concert with Truro Brewing. Isle of Lesbos is an ode to lager, and they’re classifying it as a “Greek Pilsner” coming in at 4.2% ABV. While we’re not so much familiar with that particular style, we figure those with a knowledge of Ancient Greek were able to cull it from urns and pottery shards. Regardless, as the weather in this part of the world gets colder and damper, this beer could easily put you in the mind of the sunny and warm Mediterranean. So maybe throw on a toga, grab your lyre, get yourself a 4-pack of this tasty treat from wherever you get your Big Spruce or Truro Brewing, and head down to the Symposium to wax eloquent on your love of beer and Sapphic poetry.

Back to the Rock, where Bannerman Brewing of St. John’s is amongst those breweries embracing the cooler season with darker beers. Ghost Town is a milk stout, which means it’s been dosed with lactose sugar, yielding a creamier mouthfeel and sweeter presentation to balance the usual roasty flavors and aromas of chocolate and other roasty things. Add some hints of caramel and some malt sweetness as well, and you have a smooth sipper that packs a bit of a punch at 6.0% ABV. Look for it pouring on tap or in cans to go from their spot on Duckworth Street.

If you’ve been a craft beer lover in Nova Scotia for a while, you know that each fall, North Brewing partners up with Benjamin Bridge winery to produce a special beer in the saison style that showcases the magic that can happen when beer and wine collide. This year’s base beer began life as a light saison in the fall of 2022 that was co-fermented with freshly-pressed Chardonnay grape juice from BB using the Cerebus yeast strain from Escarpment Labs. It then spent the winter months into 2023 in the tank to age, after which it was naturally carbonated before packaging, which, for the first time, was done in 473ml cans instead of big ol’ 750ml bottles. Why the change? Because the bottles, especially at that size, can be intimidating and a bit of a commitment to someone who doesn’t necessarily know if they’re going to like a saison, let alone a saison/wine hybrid. Hopefully this inspires some folks to try something new! Tasting notes include aromas of lemon, lime, and orange marmalade, with a little bit of saison character and a vinous character from the grapes. Still full-bodied while finishing dry, the bitterness is quite low and it lands at 7.5% ABV. Grab it at any of the North locations you frequent!

Continuing on the long term beer project train are two new entries from Tatamagouche Brewing. First up is Rosaly, a rose hip and lychee sour. After initial fermentation this golden sour was fed into an Italian red wine foeder where it hung out for nearly two years, taking on fruity notes to complement its sour base. Six more months of aging took place on rose hips and lychee fruit, which added berry, citrus and melon notes along with a subtle floral hint. Packaged in short (341ml) cans, you’ll find this 6.1% flavorful sour at the brewery, including online ordering, and no doubt some other places that stock Tata brews. Also recently released is Carmine, the “other” beer that began as that golden sour in the red wine foeder, only instead of lychee and rose hips, this one went onto dragonfruit puree for six months. Picking up more colour than flavour from the fruit, Carmine is closer to its original golden sour character, but you can safely expect some vinous character from the barrel along with a touch of melon and stone fruit. Lighter than the Rosaly at 5.6% ABV, this one has been packaged in a bigger format, 750ml bottles, for convenient sharing. Available at the brewery directly and for online ordering.

Let’s keep the train rolling on barrel aged beers, but this time up the ante. How high? NASH high. Five whole years ago, Unfiltered Brewing’s Greg Nash made an Imperial Brown Ale that was distilled by North End Halifax neighbours Compass Distillers and matured in oak barrels until earlier this year. Unfiltered then took possession of those barrels and filled them with their Twelve Years to Zion DIPA, which matured for eight full months. They then unbunged the barrels and canned the results, which they’ve named Whiskey Beer, a delightful tipple at a hefty 10% ABV, bearing the character of the DIPA, the barrels, and possibly some of that brown ale concoction as well. Find out for yourself as they’ve just packaged a second (and final, we believe) run this week. If you’re wondering what happened to the brown ale distillate, you might check in at Compass, where we’re told they’ve got a new product called Beer Whiskey! If you’re looking for something lighter for balance, you should also know that Unfiltered’s 4% ABV Belinerweiße is back today in cans and on tap at Charm School.

What could be more different than a huge spirit barrel aged DIPA? If you guessed a non-alcoholic (0.4% ABV) cider you win! Lake City Cider in Dartmouth has spun up a lighter alternative to their long-running Christmas-spiced seasonal so that those who are refraining can still drink something with bells on. Non-alcoholic Spice Up Your Life still brings the merry with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and dried orange peel; you’ll find it bottled in 750ml bottles just like its booze-bearing sibling (which is also available now). If you’re not ready for THAT season yet though, fear not. Lake City also has a brand new Peach Cider available with plenty of soft and round peach flavor complementing the familiar apple side of the proceedings. Fairly light, at 5.5%, this one has been packaged in cans.

Candid Brewing in Antigonish has released a new American Pale Ale called Schadenfreude, one of those amazing words from the German language that has both a complex meaning and is terribly fun to say in an over-the-top Teutonic accent. Meaning, “a feeling of pleasure derived from someone else’s misfortune,” we’ll let you scope out the branding on your own to get an idea of who they’re poking at. Featuring some modern banger hops in Citra, Loral, and recent belle of the hop ball HBC 586, you’ll find this 5.5% ABV number in cans and most likely on tap at the brewery.

Back up to Newfoundland, we have a three-way collaboration that has produced a brand new and rather interesting beer. Baccalieu Trail Brewing in Bay Roberts put their heads together with Rough Waters Brewing in Deer Lake and then they all collectively smashed skulls with homebrewers and beer lovers @mosaic.wit (who have done other collaborations with Rough Waters and Dildo Brewing as well) to produce Tree Way, a fruited sour IPA. Low on bitterness thanks to no hops at the start of the boil, and with a very restrained dry hop, this one saw the bulk of its dose of Mosaic hops late in the whirlpool, providing big hop notes to interact with açai and curuba (a species of passionfruit) to produce an “explosion of orangey-passionfruit, and a subtle touch of nostalgic fruit roll-up vibes.” This one has been canned, and you should be able to find it at select retail  locations around the Avalon Peninsula. (and, we expect, but have not confirmed, both breweries too!)

Continuing to take advantage of the foeders on hand at their facility in downtown Halifax, Gahan Nova Centre has a new small batch release available this week. Taking a portion of last year’s Foeder Aged Winter Warmer, they added red plums and continued to age the result an additional six months. Still with notes of cherry and sweet desserts, along with some tannins from the barrel, you’ll now find some tartness and plum flavors going on. Packaged in 375ml bottles, Red Plum Winter Warmer is 5.5% and is available not just in Halifax, but around the region from the to-go fridges at Gahan locations in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton.

Speaking of Gahan, you may remember this past spring when we announced the winner of the 4th annual Atlantic Homebrew Challenge presented by Gahan House. That beer, Herr Durstig, a German Pils, was brewed at Gahan Port City in Saint John with winner Al McLeod back in August. It’s being released in cans today across the region at all Gahan locations (the abovementioned plus Gahan Harbourview in St. John’s) and also at the PEI Brewing Company taproom. A sessionable lager at 4.8% ABV, it’s golden in color and crystal clear. With a malt backbone of 100% German Pilsner malt, it features local PEI-grown Tettnang hops, for a primarily floral hop nose with hints of citrus. Grab it in cans at your local Gahan location.

As always, the release of last year’s winning beer coincides with the announcement of this year’s competition. The 5th Annual Atlantic Home Brew Challenge will once again allow for entries under two BJCP styles: 11B Best Bitter and 30A Spice, Herb, and Vegetable. The style guidelines are available on the competition website for perusal and planning purposes; competitors can enter once per style if they’re feeling particularly ambitious. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top 5 in each style as well as for the overall winning beer, which will be brewed for canned release with the team at the winner’s local Gahan location. Entries are due for drop-off by March 2nd, 2024, with judging slated and announcement of the winners slated to take place later in March. If you’ve got other questions, definitely scroll to the bottom of the competition website for the FAQ and, if your question still isn’t answered, send an email to the competition team per the last FAQ entry. Good luck to all who compete!

Would you believe that there’s TWO homebrew competitions to announce this week? What a world we live in!! Big Spruce has announced the latest iteration of what is now the longest-running homebrew competition in the region, the 11th Annual Home Brew Challenge: Pomona vs Elysium. What are Pomona and Elysium, you might ask? Well, one is a city in California, and the other is the afterlife as conceptualized by the ancient Greeks, of course! But seriously, the real answer is even nerdier: they’re new yeast strains from Escarpment Labs. Both are targeted at IPAs, especially those of the hazy variety, with slightly different characteristics. Big Spruce has secured 25 pitches of each strain for a maximum number of entries this year of 50. Entrants may submit ONE beer this year, and may submit their preference for one or the other strain, but once one runs out allocation will be what’s left. Judging and the traditional entrants’ gala will take place at the Wooden Monkey in Dartmouth on February 4th, 2024. This year there will be two winners: the top beer made with each strain will be produced on the Big Spruce 7BBL pilot system and packaged for retail. Check out the link to the official Facebook page for the competition above for more information.

Here’s a few last quick tidbits to send you on your way for the weekend:

Trailway Brewing in Fredericton has a trio of returning favorites available now. Hu Jon Heavy is Hu Jon Hops, only MOAR. DIPA, 8%, fuller, hoppier. Then there’s a couple darker beers for the season. Beans is on the sweeter side, a 6.8% Oatmeal Coffee Stout featuring freshly roasted beans from Mill Town Roasters. Black Hops (back after a long hiatus) is a black IPA at 7% that balances zesty grapefruit with roasty character. All are available at Trailway locations and for online ordering.

Sydney’s Breton Brewing has a dark number of their own pouring again, Milk & Cookies is a smooth and slightly sweet milk stout with a “tasty hint of chocolate chip cookies.” Packaged in cans at 5.0% for sale at select NSLC locations across the province, it’s also on tap for fills and pints at the brewery.

Not to be outdone in the stout department, Wolfville’s Church Brewing Co has their Forgive Me Father American stout pouting again. Rich and chocolatey, with plenty of roasted malt flavor, it also features cold-steeped coffee from TAN Coffee. Looks like this one hasn’t been packaged (at least not yet) so you’ll have to hit the brewery for a pint.

And rounding things out this week is the biggest of the returning dark beers, Propeller’s Nanaimo Imperial Dessert Stout. Featuring all the flavors of the classic Canadian dessert, it’s a big’un at 10% ABV and in 473ml tall cans, so maybe plan your evening around that. Available at all the Prop shops and scheduled to be part of the NSLC holiday display.

Friday Wrap-Up for June 23, 2023 – News from Change is Brewing, Propeller, North, Bishop’s Cellar, Smokehouse, Big Spruce, Bannerman, Banished, and More!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-06-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Change Is Brewing Collective, Dildo Brewing, Gahan House (Halifax), Lone Oak Brewing, North Brewing, OG Ales, Propeller Brewing, Smokehouse Nano Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday (evening) y’all! A bit late posting today due to some staffing issues (get chris to bore you about the trip shenanigans next time you see him), but we are bursting/over-stuffed with beer news today, so let’s get right to it! Remember, as always, to enjoy responsibly and be kind!

We’re actually starting off today not with a beer, but something just as flavourful, and important, from our friends at Change is Brewing Co. You’ll remember them from previous collaborations with Boxing Rock Back to Birchtown, 2 Crows Good News and Great News, Good Robot Blackberry Freedom, Lake City Forest Glory, and North Brewing Cherry Brook Wheat and Deep Rooted Brown Ale (which we’ve heard is coming back again soon!). This week they teamed up with Propeller Brewing, who have been creating non-alcoholic sodas for many years, to release Wabanaki Soda. Starting with Grade A maple syrup from Indigenous-owned Wabanaki Maple, mixed with herbal birch extract, and fizzed up and bottled by Propeller! The label was designed by Change is Brewing’s own Jayme-Lynn Gloade, a member of Millbrook First Nation, inspired by a headdress made up of rays of sunlight, and celebrating Indigenous History Month. Bottles of Wabanaki Soda are available at all Prop Shops now, with the majority of proceeds going to Wabanaki’s Bareroots Initiative, working to reforest the region that they call home. We’ll have more on Deep Rooted’s launch in July, which will highlight the Africville 40th Reunion, as well as the folks from Change is Brewing who are curating a special running of the Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia tour, with beer as the theme! Congratulations to the Collective!

Speaking of the Change is Brewing Collective’s previous, and future, partners North Brewing, they have brought back another charitable collaboration this week. Black Lives Matter Golf, a locally-formed group with the goal to raise funds and awareness to break down social and economic barriers to make a more inclusive environment for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in golf. With buy-in from Grandview, the NS Golf Association, and Golf Canada, and now $1 from every can of BLMG to further their cause. Brewed to be supremely quaffable, whether on the course or not, this blend of North’s Lawrencetown Session and BYOB, cans of the 3.8% BLMG are available now at all three of North’s retail locations, and hopefully at a few golf courses this summer too!

And congratulations are in order to North, who are one of the recipients of a Halifax Climate Investment, Innovation, and Impact “Accelerating to Zero” $20,000 Grant, which they are using to design and implement a closed-loop system for reclaiming CO2 in the brewing process. While yeast generate lots and lots of Carbon Dioxide during fermentation, most of it is lost out of vents to prevent over-pressure situations. Later on, CO2 is either captured after most fermentation has completed, or added back during the condition phase, to provide the refreshing carbonation we enjoy. With that early-generated gas stored, it could be used later on. While the idea sounds simple, there are many factors to keep in mind during the operation, which this grant will help to suss out out.

The waterfront jewel of Halifax’s independent liquor stores, Bishop’s Cellar (hey, does anyone else hear an echo?) continues to celebrate 20 years in business with another community collaboration. This time, Propeller Brewing has stepped up to the plate with a riff on Propeller Pilsner, a beer that Bishop’s has sold since their opening day way back in 2003. Starting with the OG Prop Pils recipe, they kept it unfiltered in the kellerbier style and then put a modern twist on it with a dry hop of new school continental hop Saphir, which is known for aroma notes of strawberry, bergamot, and lemongrass. Packaged in 500ml bottles with a lovely design, Cellarbier is available today from both Bishop’s Cellar and all of the Prop Shops in the HRM.

Halifax has already seen one rural brewery come to the city in a big way with the Tusket Falls Beer Project having opened on Gottingen Street last year, and we’re seeing another one follow suit this week. From down in the Annapolis Valley in Berwick, Smokehouse Brewery is growing their brand and their capacity in one fell swoop with the opening of their Agricola Street Brewery & Taproom. While they will continue to operate their nanobrewery and taproom in their hometown, they’ve got a shiny new taproom in the city, complete with a new brewing system. The spot will have 20 taps, with craft beer, cider, and seltzers all made by the Smokehouse team, including five IPAs, some occasional taproom exclusives, and, of course, all your regular faves both for pints and cans to go. Hours will be 12pm – 10pm Sundays to Thursdays, and 12pm – 12am Fridays and Saturdays. No kitchen on site, but expect pop-ups to start in a few weeks along with the launch of an outdoor patio. Maybe stop by this weekend and check out the latest addition to what is becoming a burgeoning craft beer scene in North End Halifax, at 2710 Agricola Street!

Oh I’m the type of guy that likes to roam around / I’m never in one place I roam from town to town. So sang Dion in 1961 with his tune, The Wanderer, which was used as the theme of the classic 1979 street gang film, The Wanderers. Why is this relevant to a beer blog? Because there’s a new beer from Big Spruce out of Nyanza called The Wanderers and we can’t think of any other possible inspiration for the name! Somewhere between a dry hopped golden ale and a session IPA (or maybe those are just two viable descriptions), this one was double hopped with plenty of Citra, sure, but that big citrus hop aroma doesn’t negate the delicate floral and spice notes that are also very much presence. On the palate, look for lemon, pear, and cracker character leading to a crisp and dry finish. And at only 4% ABV this is one you’ll be able to sit and contemplate a few of without worrying about going overboard; just be sure to watch out for Ducky Boys!!

In Newfoundland, specifically St. John’s, the gang at Bannerman is ruing the terrible weather they’ve had so far this summer, but are hopeful that the sun and warmth scheduled for the next few days aren’t the only respite they’ll get all season. That said, they’ve got a brand new beer for you to enjoy in the sunshine, a collaboration with Iceberg Quest, an ocean tours operation with locations in St. John’s proper and on Iceberg Alley in Twilingate. Undertow is a tropical, fruity, and sessionable pale ale brewed with plenty of flaked and malted oats for a soft and creamy mouthfeel. Featuring tropical Galaxy and dank Strata hops, you should expect plenty of overripe fruit character balanced with a bit of a cannabis note. The goal for this one was to produce a beer that could be refreshing and sessionable during a day on the water, natch, and at 5.5% and plenty of flavor we can’t see why it wouldn’t be. Try it at the brewery on tap or in cans to go. And when you stop in, you’ll also be able to try their fresh off the packaging line Overripe, a brand new 6.8% IPA primarily hopped with HBC 1019, lending big notes of peach, candied orange, and pear. No cans just yet, but plenty to enjoy on draught or growlers to go!

West of St. John’s, in Paradise, NL, you’ll find another ‘B’ brewery, namely Banished Brewing, who are celebrating the onset of summer with one of the most summery styles: the fruited sour. Paradise Town – Apricot is the latest edition of the Paradise Town series of sours, and as you can imagine, it features the soft, sweet stone fruit character of apricots paired with the thirst-quenching character of a kettle sour. At 5.5% it’s not going to weigh you down too much, and it should pair very well with summery fare. Grab it now at the brewery on draught or in cans, and look for it to see wider distribution at other retail outlets starting next week.

Back in Halifax, Gahan Nova Centre has released another variant of their foeder-aged Table Beer. Initially sitting in the foeders that last saw the cherry and plum version for a good six months, pulling some of those extant flavors, it was then aged a further 6 weeks on Nova Scotia strawberries and rhubarb. Boasting bold fruit flavours and a tart finish, you may also sense subtle vanilla and rosewater notes in this very light and crushable 3.5% ABV beer. Packaged in bottles, you’ll find it for sale at the Nova Centre location as well as the PEI Brewing Company taproom, Gahan Port City (Saint John), Gahan Riverside (Fredericton), Gahan Hub City (Moncton), and the OG Gahan Pub (Charlottetown) and you can also expect it to reach Gahan Harbourview in St. John’s next week.

In PEI beer news this week we have a new one from Lone Oak. Rose Eh is a foeder-aged saison that was brewed in collaboration with Dildo Brewing Co up in Dildo, NL. Aged on Marquette grapes from Carmody Cove Vineyard, it’s got a gorgeous rose color. Boasting a light acidity and a dry finish, we also expect you’ll find some yeast character and some tannins from the wood. But the only way to know for sure is to try it! Look for it at all the Lone Oak locations, from the mothership at Borden-Carleton, to the Milky Way tap room and beer store, to their new spot in Cavendish!

We told you last fall that Off-Grid Ales, known more formally now as “OG Ales” underwent an ownership change. This weekend marks the opening of their new taproom in Magaguadavic, on route 635, on the family homestead of co-owner Tallyia. Still brewing with solar power and net carbon-neutral, the business includes not only the brewery and taproom, but a luxury domed camping experience on the shores of Magaguadavic Lake. If you’re in the area, do stop by and check out their lineup of sustainably crafted beers, enjoy some food from Quack Smoke Shack, who will be on-site all weekend, and maybe give some consideration to an extended stay in one of their domes (19+, no pets, but oh boy do they look lovely!!)

Dildo, Newfoundland’s eponymous brewery (and museum!) is once again hosting their annual Lager Fest for 2023. On Friday, July 7th, from 7 – 10pm, they will be pouring lovely lagers that they themselves have made as well as others from producers both local and far-flung on the Rock. If you’d really like to get your drink on without worrying about arranging a DD, a shuttle service is available for up to 44 folks provided by NL Bus Tours and picking up at the Walmart on Kelsey Drive in St. John’s (pickup at 5:30pm, drop-off at 12am). There will be plenty of musical entertainment and sample glasses provided to ensure you can taste everything available. Tickets are $75. Meanwhile, in preparation for the fest, or simply your own at-home lager drinking, we present Dildo’s three rules for maximal lager enjoyment:

  1. Don’t freeze your taste buds! Avoid serving your lager ice-cold. If beer is too cold, it can dull the flavours. Allow it to cool to the ideal temperature for optimal taste.
  2. Say goodbye to the bottle! Always pour your lager into a glass. This simple step releases the enticing aromas and allows the CO2 to escape, enhancing the full flavour experience.
  3. Engage your senses! Observe the colour, appreciate the aroma, and savour the taste. Engaging multiple senses enhances the overall beer-drinking experience. Cheers to the sensory adventure!