Good Robot Brewing

All posts tagged Good Robot Brewing

While there are ghosts and goblins creeping around every corner, we promise no scares or frights in today’s post. We’ve got new brews and events across the region, so adjust your witch hat and Harry Potter glasses, and read on!

The Change is Brewing Collective recently got together with Music Nova Scotia and A. Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery to celebrate the 25th anniversary of MusicNS and to give back to local communities. Dubbed Pier Beer and brewed on Mi’kma’ki, “It gives recognition to the melting pot of diversity & culture in Unimaki, Cape Breton.” A maple and spruce amber lager, it’s got very fall-friendly notes of maple, floral spruce, gingerbread, and cinnamon. So grab a sweater and head down to the Keith’s brewery on Lower Water Street to grab some.

Speaking of Fall collaborations, up on the Rock in Bay Roberts, NL, Baccalieu Trail Brewing has collaborated with Darkstar Coffee Roasters in nearby Carbonear to produce Have Your Cake & Eat It Too, a coffee cake-inspired brown ale. Brewed with demerara sugar and some sweeter malts for caramel and honey sweetness along with some burnt caramel character. Finished in the fermenter through conditioning on cinnamon bark and vanilla beans for a week, it’s got some distinct “dessert vibes” while still managing to weigh in at a fairly light 5.5% ABV. Sounds like a tasty Autumn tipple to us! Grab it on the Avalon Peninsula now, with distro reaching Central and Western Newfoundland in coming weeks.

Champions in terms of news volume today are the lovely folks at North Brewing, who have a new location and two returning beers for your pleasure this week. First up is the long anticipated full opening of their Timberlea taproom as of today. Although beer has been available at this location at retail for a year or so now, various delays (who ever heard of opening delays in the craft beer industry?!) have kept them to can and bottle sales until now. Featuring a 60-seat dining room to rival their spot in Cole Harbour and a very similar (possibly identical, to start) food menu, expect North’s usual fabulous “Cheers your neighbour” hospitality, just on the light side of Halifax Harbour. Open for full service food and beverage at 11:30am six days a week, Tuesday to Sunday, closing at 10pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, and 11pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, they’ll also have the retail store open on Mondays from 12 – 8pm.

And if you’re wondering what to drink during your first visit to their new spot, they’ve got a couple of bangers back in circulation. First up, released just after we posted last week, is Cinnamon Bun imperial stout. A 9% ABV soft and sweet punch in the face, look for flavors of cinnamon with lots of body and sweetness. A once-a-year brew, grab it soon before it’s all gone. And just out today, timed perfectly for the opening of their TIMBERlea location, is the return of Timberbock, a 6.2% ABV amber lager, quite Märzen-lize, with plenty of body, but still a lovely crisp-like-the-fall-air finish. Grab one or both of these, along with your fave North core offerings, when you check out their new digs.

With the spooky weekend coming, we’ve got some Halloween themed beers and events going on this weekend. 2 Crows is going to have a special spooky version of Pollyanna (their flagship NEIPA) pouring from Friday to Sunday. Bloody Polly is the result of blending 20kg of blood orange into their current Pollyanna recipe, resulting in 150L available through the weekend. This turns the tropical vibes up in Pollyanna and adds even more juice. They’ve also got a movie screening on Halloween with free popcorn at 7 PM!

Staying in the theme of seasonal releases, Propeller is re-releasing Chocolate Orange Porter, a dark, big bodied porter, with flavours of roasted malts backing the tasty combination of chocolate and orange. At 5%, it’s a very approachable and tasty brew and it is available now in Propeller’s three locations, soon to be available in the Halifax private stores as well, and then at the NSLC as December approaches. Move over, Terry!

Trailway is back with this year’s version of Spooky! This is a “candy” sour that you may remember from last year that features blue raspberry flavours and leverages spirulina to give it a blue-green hue. This is available now from the brewery in 473ml cans and a limited number of kegs have been distributed around Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John as well.

Paradise’s Banished Brewing is back this week with two new releases. First up is a collaboration with St. John’s food truck Liqoursauce. This one is a 4.5% ABV mini-Dortmunder style lager. Cans are available now at the brewery and will be hitting Banished’s regular retail outlets next Thursday. Next up is Skelephone, a 6% IPA hopped with the Cryo-Pop blend from Yakima Chief. This one also saw an addition of blue spirulina algae to give the beer a halloween friendly blueish-green tinge. Rumour is the label also has some spooky vibes. Try cracking one in a dark room or in Paradise (by the dashboard lights, of course) to confirm.

Big Spruce is celebrating local legend Mattea Roach’s return to your screens during the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions with the release of Who is Mattea Roach? This 4% ABV session IPA saw a heavy Citra dry hop, leading to notes of tangerine and pink grapefruit. Cans are available now at the Sprucetique and through the online store. Mattea will be appearing in the Tournament of Champions on November 11, with a special warm up match airing on November 8.

Back in New Brunswick, Maybee Brewing Company has a new sour hitting the taps, with Give up the Gose. This darker take on the German Gose style incorporates the traditional coriander and sea salt additions, but also features chocolate wheat malt to give it a dark brown colour. Find it on tap at Maybee now.

Mount Pearl’s Landwash Brewery has a fun new four pack that riffs on its popular Brackish sour ale, featuring a favourite of the blog, sea salt from the Newfoundland Salt Company. Using the Citra-hopped base beer as a starting point, the first variation is Ruby Line, which incorporates additions of raspberry and lime. Next up is Pineapple Brackish, which swaps the Citra hops for southern hemisphere Wakatau, and sees an addition of pineapple during the conditioning stage. This one is also available in singles at the brewery. Rounding out the four-pack is Tangerine Brackish, which also sees an addition of Ekuanot hops. Grab it now at the brewery, with distribution across the Avalon next week and throughout the rest of Newfoundland later in November.

With all the various Fall-inspired beers around, it’s up to Annapolis Cider to balance things with a seasonal cider. Part of their Something Different series is Autumn Sweater, a 6.4% ABV cider with plenty of warmth for the incoming chill. Based on fresh pressed McIntosh apple juice, several hundred pounds of ripe peaches were added and co-fermented for 6 weeks. True Ceylon cinnamon bark and local pear juice bring complexity and additional warmth. Extra points if you get the musical reference, which you can hum as you sip. As with all Something Different ciders, this one sees $0.50 from the sale of each refillable bottle got to charity, in this case Hope Worldwide Canada (Halifax branch). Available only in Wolfville at the cidery.

Where to go and have a beer-y blast this weekend? Below is our Events section!

Three of everyone’s favourites are teaming up for a Sunday special! Taco Bellwoods is this Sunday, as the Stillwell Freehouse, is hosting Beverley’s Taco Service for food and Bellwoods Brewery for beer! The Bellwoods will be fresh kegs of some Bellwoods classics along with some fresh releases. Jutsu, Roman Candle, Jelly King, Cat Lady, Monogamy (Vista hops are showcased in this one), Goblin Sauce and Bellweiser are all expected to be on tap, but head down on Sunday if you can to check out all the goodies. Bring your family, friends, or go solo. Taco Bellwoods for all!

A few more quick hits before we dismiss you for the rest of the weekend …

Christmas creep is in full effect at Ol Biddy’s with the release of Naughty or Nice, their 7.6% AVB double chocolate stout. Keep on eye on the NSLC shelves for this one if you can’t make it to the brewery in Lower Sackville.

Apparently, chocolate stout is a thing, because Good Robot also has a new release out this week with their Chocolate Mint Nitro Stout. Look for notes of cocoa, mint and vanilla in this 5% cozy sipper.

Unfiltered continues their recent streak of Friday releases with the return of Here It Comes. Featuring hops from Quebec’s Duke25 Hops, this 7.5% DIPA features a big punch of citrus flavour and aroma. Cans are available now on North Street.

We are back at full strength this week at the blog, and the breweries must have known, because we’ve got an overfilled post for you today from all 4 provinces, and plenty of events to keep you busy for the next few weekends. Let us tarry no further and get right to the good stuff!

We’re going to start this week with three returning engagements from around the region, starting in the East End of St. John’s, NL, where Bannerman Brewing has brought back Early Rise, their fruited sour IPA. Hopped with Citra and Sabro before being refermented on mango puree and pomegranate concentrate, and bolstered with an addition of lactose, the result is a full-bodied and heavy beer with lots and lots of fruit and hop character, but also a slight acidity that complements the fruit and sweetness, and a balancing bitterness on the finish. It’s both on tap and available in cans to go at the shop, but look for it to see wider distribution in the coming days and weeks.

Also returning for the second time in 2022 after a successful run in 2021 is Black Flower from Tatamagouche. An American Stout, once again the brew team leaned into the “American” aspect of that style with copious amounts of hops. In place of last year’s classic Cascade and Centennial, this year’s batch leverages piney and spicy Chinook and piney and woody Nugget (both from HOOH Hop Farms in BC) for a bit of a different feel. A medley of malts builds a solid base to balance those hops, with chocolate, caramel, dried fruit, and firm roasted flavours coming to the fore. An English yeast strain ensures plenty of body carries forward, and though it’s a fairly middling 5.5% ABV, the brewery describes it as tasting like a young RIS. You’ll just have to try it for yourself to find out! With any luck, just like last year we’ll see a cask or two of it go on at the Stillwell Freehouse for a different take on the same beer.

Last, but definitely not the least of our returning beers is one that many folks in the region might remember as a gateway to craft beer. Earlier in 2022 as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations, Propeller Brewing conducted a poll on their socials about which beer their fans would like to see brought back for a limited run and, of course, Stone Fruit won. But the runner-up? That beer was the venerable Honey Wheat, one of the breweries’ stalwart brands throughout their first 20 years, but unseen since its retirement batch in 2018. Brewery staff from past and present were invited to the brew day to celebrate this old friend. Brewed with both barley and wheat, along with Nova Scotia honey from Cosman & Whidden in Greenwich, it was fermented slightly cool to ensure a clean presentation and little distraction from the subtleties of the honey. The result is 5% ABV and is now available exclusively on tap for pints and growler fills at all Prop Shops.

And if you’re in Halifax and you’re looking for something even more retro than Prop Honey Wheat, you can check out Movie Mania at Propeller Arcade, four seasonal movies on three nights. On October 25th, Canadian cult classic “George’s Island” (1989) is playing, and on October 26th, it’ll be a “mystery movie.” On both of those nights admission is free, but we suggest reserving your spot by picking up a ticket at the Arcade today. On October 30th you’ll find the last outdoor screening of the year, a double-feature of “Ernest Scared Stupid” and “Pumpkinhead.” Gates open at 4pm, with the first flick commencing at 6 and an intermission at 7:30. Taz Records will be on-site selling horror movies, soundtracks, and merch, and Asado BBQ will have eats for the buying. And, of course, Propeller will be selling beer! Tickets for the big night are $30, also available at the Arcade. So gawan, get yer spooky on (but remember to dress warm!!)

Switching from things we’ve seen before to brand new beer, Sober Island Brewing has a new seasonal available in their Autumn Session Series that shows their continued love for traditional English styles. Hardwood Mild is what it says on the tin: a Dark Mild ale that arrives at a very sessionable 3.8% ABV. With six types of barley malt coming together for a complex malt profile, you can expect notes of roasted nuts, chocolate, and biscuits. To add to that is a lovely deep brown colour. Available from the brewery in cans, but note that they’ve switched to their winter hours: Thursdays 2 – 9pm, Fridays and Saturdays 12 – 7pm, and Sundays 12 – 5pm, with occasional later hours on any given night for events.

Following the earlier release of their hazy pale ale, Garrison is rolling out another 25th Anniversary beer, this time a Champagne IPA. This one starts off with a grain bill of 2 Row, flaked rice and oat malt, before seeing hop additions of Galaxy, Topaz, Idaho 7, and Simcoe. The champagne quality comes from the yeast used which produces a highly effervescent carbonation. Look for notes of citrus, mango and stone fruit, and a light bitterness of only 21 IBUs. The 6.0% ABV Champagne IPA is available now at the two Garrison retail locations and will see broader distribution via the government monopoly and private stores soon. While we are on the topic of Garrison, one of their Oktoberfest exclusives from a few weeks ago, Dunkel Breaking My Heart, has now been canned, and is available exclusively at the Seaport and Oxford locations.

Speaking of Oktoberfest, Saint John’s Loyalist City is releasing Bestest Mensch, their take on a German Marzen. This one features a grain bill of Vienna, Munich and Pilsner malts, imported straight from Germany by Weyermann Speciality Malts. Fermented with Global Lager yeast, it was then lagered to provide the crisp and refreshing drinking experience the style is known for. You can expect a moderate malt profile along with some classic floral hop notes from the German hops in this 5.2% Marzen. This one will see release in draught format only, on tap at the brewery this weekend.

Next up is a double release week from Cornwall’s Village Green. First up is the 7.5% ABV Double Porter. Starting off with two British malts, Marris Otter and English Brown malt, it then sees a generous addition of Centennial and Chinook, both on the hot side and via a dry hop. Find it on tap and in cans at the brewery starting at 4:00 PM today (Friday). Also keep an eye out for their Dorf Pilsner, a German Pils that made its debut at the HopYard Brewery Battle last yesterday. More details on that below!

Back on the mainland, the fine folks at Truro Brewing Company have a new release that’s joining their core lineup. Little Dyke Pilsner, is a German take on the style with a moderate hop presence that’s been fermented to a sessionable 5.0% ABV. You can find it on tap and in cans at the brewery now. And, just in time for spooky season, the brewery will be showing Evil Dead II at the taproom tonight at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $5 at the door.

We here at ACBB appreciate all forms of fermented beverages, including the non-alcoholic variety. Upsreet spin-off Libra is releasing a new beer in collaboration with Juno-winning musician Serena Ryder, Libra Lavender Sage Cream Ale. Expect a balanced drinking experience with notes of, you guessed it, lavender and sage, along with a mild honey character. Check out the Libra online store for ordering info.

Bogside out of Montague, PEI is back with another fundraiser for the PEI Humane Society. Last year they raised over $4,000 for the society and this year, six pack sales of Gimme Shelter (a Blonde ale) will provide $6 to PEI’s only animal shelter. The beer itself is a crisp, approachable 5% North American blonde ale which will satisfy many beer drinkers all across PEI. Pick this up directly from the brewery, or order online for delivery.

If you’re near Antigonish and things have calmed down post-Fiona, Half Cocked has an exciting beer release available now. NOBO is a Norwegian Farmhouse Ale that uses a no-boil technique and features the Voss strain from the Kveik family of Norwegian farmhouse yeasts. Additions of juniper berries, Pinot (Grigio, we think) and butterfly pea blossom give this a purple hue and herbaceous flavours and atoms. There is a touch of acidity, it’s dry on the finish, and it’s 4.5% ABV. Check this one out on tap or in 355ml cans directly from the brewery.

Mauzy Cider, currently based in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, has their second release this week, making the most of a bad situation. When hurricane Larry hit Newfoundland in September 2021, the apple trees were full of apples in various stages of ripening. Of course, Larry had other ideas, and millions of these were sent off the trees whether they were ready or not. Enter the Mauzy team, who quickly sprang into action and collected the “feral” fruit from around town so that they did not go to waste. Aided by some honey from Baccalieu Trail Honey Bees, this spontaneously fermented cider was aged for 8 months before bottling. Tannin- and acid-forward, the 7.0% cider has been packaged in just 30 cases of 750ml bottles, and is available to purchase now. And downtown cocktail bar Papillon is holding a release party this Sunday at their 152 Water Street location. 8 PM until late, with Shuck NL there providing oysters to pair.

While Mauzy hangs out in their space, host brewery Banished has been ramping up their production as they now offer Canada-wide shipping. And new today is Skelephone, a shocking 6.0% ABV IPA. Starting from the glow in the dark can, you can tell this is going to be a different beer… Starting from one of their established IPA recipes, they used the Cryo Pop hop blend from Yakima Chief for a stone fruit and tropical character. But most shocking will be the appearance of the beer, which is blueish-green, thanks to the addition of blue spirulina algae. While odourless and flavourless, it lends its colours in a big way, making this beer impossible to miss! Skelephone is debuting in the taproom today (fresh off the canning line), and out to their normal retail partners next week.

Sticking to the Rock, Port Rexton has released their annual celebration of St. John’s The Adelaide Oyster House, It’s a Vibe! Celebrating 8 years in business, AOH has been a long time supporter of PRBC, so it’s only fitting that the brewery returns the favour. This year’s edition is a kettle sour with Mango and Guava, resulting in a tropical cocktail that will have you dreaming of down south. Available exclusively on tap at the brewery and Adelaide currently, if there’s any left, they’ll send cans out to the rest of the Island!

In “coming soon” beer news, 2 Crows Brewing has teased a new release coming in a couple of weeks, but we wanted to help spill the beans early to ensure you don’t miss out. Starting life during a November 2021 brewday, the malt bill consisted of 69% Shoreline Pilsner, 16% Flaked Rye, and 15% Flaked Rice. Hopped in the mash with Chinook, then early with Sterling before a hefty dose in the whirlpool (while cooling after the boil) with Bru-1. Fermented with Verdant yeast (commonly used for NEIPAs) and the 2Crows House Funky Foedre Culture™, cultivated from many batches passing through their large wooden fermenters. After fermentation completed and the yeast were just starting to nap, they added 200 kilos of Apricot puree to call them into duty once again. After that second round of fermentation was completed, the mad scientists in the brewery added fresh lime juice and zest to up the ante. Once the extra natural sugars were chewed up, the beer was transferred to a stainless steel fermenter, where a soupcon of locally-harvest sea salt was added, care of OK Sea Salt in LaHave. This final addition marked the end of intervention, as the beer was packaged and allowed to carbonate naturally in the can, before its upcoming release. The resultant OK OK OK is a lovely melding of juiciness, tart, and funk, with a hint of salinity drawing you back for more. First dibs of this limited release will be going to 2C Newsletter subscribers next Friday, so be sure to sign up in the next day or two. We’ve saved you some clicking to find the link. Those of you who miss out on the early access will be able to grab it online, their retail shop, or local private store(s) November 8th.

Where to go and have a beer-y blast this weekend? Read below to learn more!

Charlottetown’s HopYard is once again holding their Battle of the Breweries, taking place over the next several weeks. On now is the fierce head to head to head battle between Lone Oak, Double Hill Cidery and Village Green, as each producer brings forth new releases and core brands, in the effort to sell the most pints Thursday through Saturday. The winner of this weekend will move onto a Semi Final before the big Finals, November 24-26. Next weekend’s competitors, Barnone, Moth Lane, and PEI Brewing, kick off their fun at 11:30 October 27, with the final first round of breweries, Bogside, Labatt, and Upstreet, duke it out November 3 – 5.

Here’s something you don’t see a lot, a brewery having a yard sale! Both Good Robot locations (Elmsdale and Halifax) will be having beer on sale, with up to 50% off some of their lineup. They’re doing a mass clear out to make room for a lot of new products and we’re sure their new production out of Elmsdale is pumping out some tasty treats. The yard sale will be on today at both locations, so if you’re an early reader of this, get on over if you can, while supplies last!

Next weekend is the return of the Cox & Palmer Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Fest, happening at the Moncton Coliseum October 29th. There are still tickets available for both the afternoon (2-4:30 PM) or evening (7:30-10 PM) sessions, and your ticket includes unlimited beer, cider, mead, and spirit samples from more than 20 producers. There are also a handful of food vendors to keep you perked up and satiated. There will also be some Electric Vehicles on display for those who want to learn more about them. Grab your tickets at the link above before they’re gone!

This is as close we’ll get to posting “urgent” news on the blog, but the 12 Beers of Christmas in St. John’s only has tickets left for one of their days! This event is a fun one for Newfoundland craft beer fans, and the Saturday session is all sold out! There are still tickets left for Friday November 25th and all of the local breweries will be there and of course, way more than 12 beers! They’ll be food, ugly sweaters and more! It’s a month before Christmas, so it’s a good time to start spreading the cheer and drinking beer! Check out the link for tickets here, if you can be at the St. John’s Farmers Market on that date, of course.

A few more things before we dismiss you this afternoon…

A bit of news out of Bishop’s Cellar and their latest offerings, they’ve got some Bellwoods brews for the Halifax locals. Original Jelly King is now a core beer at Bishop’s and this will ALWAYS BE IN STOCK*. What a time to be alive.

Other Bellwoods offerings available for a limited time starting today:

PIG IPA
Jelly King Plum
Bellweiser

They’ve also got some recently released local beers available now as well:

Tanner Brewing – Altbier

North Brewing – Sweater Weather

Propeller – Porter

* except when it’s not, because people bought it all, because of course sometimes they will, because it’s awesome!

Big things are happening for Roof Hound, as they’ve bought the roof! They’ve bought their building where their Kingston taproom and restaurant reside, as they are building towards their future, Roof Hound Public House. Shifting away from Digby and taking over the former space of The Crossing restaurant in Kingston, they’re going to be working on a huge new project in the heart of Kingston by expanding their current space and adding accommodations, too! Stay tuned to their socials and we’ll be sure to keep you updated here, too!

And as a service to our homebrewing readers to close out the blog today, a heads up that Lawrencetown’s Lunn’s Mill Beer is hosting their first Homebrew Competition! Dubbed the Winter Home Brew Challenge, they are looking for your best seasonal ale, in the Amber to Brown colour spectrum, and 4.5 – 6.5% ABV. They’re teaming up with Noble Grape for this competition, and the beers will be judged blindly by their team of experts, and the winning entry will see their beer brewed and distributed! You have until December 8th to submit your 6-pack of entries at one of their drop-points in HRM, Annapolis or Kings Counties. Fire them an email at events@lunnsmill.beer for more info, including details on the post-judging party where the winners will be announced, where your $25 brewing entry fee is your ticket to food, beer, and fun!

M-m-m-my Fiona. Welcome to the AC Hurricane Blog where we’ll give you all the details about Hurricane Fiona! In all seriousness, we wish nothing but safety for all beer drinkers and even the non-beer drinkers in PEI, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia this coming weekend as we’ve seen lots of events and plans changed this coming weekend due to the upcoming weather impacts. Stay safe, get some beer, check on your friends and family and why not share this blog with a friend or two? There’s a bit of news this week, so we’ll get on with it. Stay alert, stay safe and like North Brewing says, Cheers Your Neighbour!

New Brewery Alert! While The Brewery by Quinns has been open at 6273 Quinpool Road for a couple of months now, they have just begun serving their own beer in the past week. Brewed on their 400 litre system located adjacent to the large taproom, there are three TBbQ beers on tap right now, thanks to Brewer Adam Campbell. Harvard St is a 4.3% Session Ale, featuring lots of ripe tropical fruit, including passion fruit, while remaining light on the palate, thanks in part to its dry finish. Tommy’s Tipple is a 5.0% Blonde Ale, with a bready malt character supporting the light ester fruitiness from the yeast, on a med-light body with a nice finish. The biggest of the bunch is the Armdale 8 IPA, a 6.0% IPA, with plenty of citrus and pine character from the hops used throughout the brew, sustained by a medium body and dry finish. Available on draught for onsite consumption only, for now. We’ll have plenty more with Adam in a profile of The Brewery by Quinns on the blog early next week, so keep your eyes peeled to this page!

Fresh off a new brewery and retail opening, Stillwell Brewing has Kompakt available now! You may recognize the name of this from its delicious 355ml Kölsch-inspired brew from 2 years ago (and the lovely branded stange glasses). Now with an even more traditional recipe and a fancy new can, Kompakt is a 4.8% lagered ale. Previously 5%, this classically cellared ale with 2 months of lagering uses German-grown and -processed Pilsner malt, complete with decoction mash now it’s possible on their new kit, is deliciously hopped with Hallertau Mittelfrüh, and Kölsch yeast that behaves just as expected in this hybrid fermentation schedule (including natural carbonation for max old school vibes). Pick this one up in 473ml cans directly from the Stillwell Brewing retail spot at 3670 Kempt Road, or order it for delivery or shipping. They’ve got 4 beers cold in the fridge, so check their hours online and swing by when you can!

New from Propeller (in a super secret limited release pilot batch) is Secret IPA. This IPA only uses late addition hops, using Vic Secret, Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin with a crispy base of Pilsner malt. These punchy hops bring the citrus, peach and passionfruit in flavour and aroma. This is 6% and 60 IBU and look for this at the brewery and there may be a few other kegs floating around some other establishments.

There’s a new brew from the Antigonish-based Candid Brewing, as we’re in full swing with the harvest season and Oktoberfest, the brewery is releasing Tilt-a-Whirl, an Oktoberfest-inspired Amber Lager. This is 5.8% and should bring those copper, malt flavours with a very clean finish. Highly drinkable and perfectly paired with a pretzel! Tilt your glass and give this beer a whirl!

Sticking with the Bavarian inspiration, Quidi Vidi Brewing is releasing their own Oktoberfest beer. This is a Marzen and this lovely amber German lager has a touch of bitterness to join that nice toasty, sweet malt profile. This 5.5% lager is canned and available at their hops shop, NLCs and convenience stores across the lovely province of Newfoundland.

Delta Force Brewing has some sneaky Marzen of their own out this week, available in a mixed trio: their OG Baurenhofschuppen Marzen, previously only available on draught, is now in bottles. It is joined by the returning crowd pleasing Baurenhofschuppen mit Brett, the same beer but undergoing a secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces for some funky and fruity notes (this one is available on its own, btw). These are joined by the all-new, and possibly blasphemous, Brett version with Apples, thanks to aging on apple pomace (what remains after juicing). Check out their website for ways to buy these today.

It can’t all be beer today, so let’s insert more apple content thanks to the Annapolis Cider Company. They are launching the latest in their Something Different series today, Starberry. Bright red in colour, it features plenty of fresh raspberry character, plus spicing from infusions of star anise and fennel seed. Offering a character that works perfectly for the changing of the seasons, we’re wondering if trying it warm may take it to the next level? As with all of their Something Different releases, this has a charitable component, with $0.50 of each refill will support the Micmac Benevolent Society, whose goal is to “assist Mi’kmaq/Aboriginal Peoples of Nova Scotia to flourish, prosper and live decent lives as enjoyed by the majority of non-Aboriginal Nova Scotian society, having regard to their social, cultural and economic differences”.

We’re starting a little trio of Harvest-themed beers, and we’re starting the trio with Copper Bottom Brewing and their release of Tanglewood. Brewed for the Harvest Home Festival, Hurricane Fiona has ruined the festival plans, but have no fear, the beer is still coming out! This is a 4% sessionable Harvest ale, which is really a hazy session beer, using fresh Azacca hops, a malt bill of 2-row, wheat and oats and S-04 yeast to bring it all together. This is 25 IBU and bringing those lovely Azacca flavours of pineapple, mango and citrus. Proceeds from this beer’s sales will go to support Atlantic Canadian artists through the Tanglewood Rising Tides program from the brewery. Find this beer in 473ml cans directly from the brewery.

Next up on the harvest train is Maybee Brewing with a straight up Harvest Ale. A 6% showcase featuring local New Brunswick ingredients, this ale features 2-row malt from Monquart Maltouse and fresh, whole-cone Cascade hops from Lakeview Hops. These hops are as fresh as they come as they were picked and brought to the brewery on the same day. These hops bring this ale to 45 IBU and well balanced. Harvest Ale is canned and available from the brewery now!

Bringing up the rear of the triple-Harvest club is Big Spruce Brewing, with a 2022 update of Major Hop Lips. After a huge hop harvest day, the Nyanza folks picked a massive load of Cascade, Mt Hood, Chinook and Challenger hops and went into this IPA minutes later with some of that wet hop, fresh picked, whole cone magic. This Fresh hopped Harvest Pale ale comes in at 5.7% and is available on tap now and in cans. You’ll want to get this and drink it to make it as fresh as possible, may we suggest checking their online shop for shipping and local delivery? MHL joins Don’t Make Me Tap The Sign, the Hazy IPA collaboration with Beer. Diversity.’s Ren Navarro, now out in cans as well. And check below for details on their Tap Takeover at Battery Park scheduled for October 1st (postponed from tomorrow)!

Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has been busy preparing a trio of fall-themed releases, just in time for its Oktoberfest event that we’ll tell you about in a second. First up is Dunkel Breakin My Heart, a dark German-style lager that comes in at 5.2% ABV. Look for clean malt flavours that include notes of chocolate and coffee. Next up is their take on the Marzen style, SchitzenGiggles, a copper-hued lager that has a light hop bitterness and comes in at 5.7% ABV. Both of these German-style lagers will be available exclusively on-tap at the Seaport and Quinpool taprooms, in addition to the Oktoberfest event. Lastly, is the annual release of their HefeWeizen. This take on the Bavarian wheat ale features the traditional notes of banannance and clove, and pours with a fluffy white head. The 5% ABV hefe has been canned for those looking to bring something Oktoberfest vibes home.

Despite the poor weather during the next 24-36 hours, there are still some events we encourage folks to keep in mind if they find themselves with some extra time post-cleanup. While this weekend’s PEI Beer Festival has been re-scheduled to February 2023 (click through before Sept 30 for more details on getting your money back, if necessary), perhaps you’re close enough to check the second weekend of TAPestry Beer Bar’s Oktoberfest, or one of these other events…

More on the Garrison Oktoberfest event, taking place at The BG aka Halifax Beer Garden at Summit Place on the Halifax waterfront. Starting Sunday at 12 PM (or as soon as they can open, should there be more cleanup time needed), and running all week until next Sunday, October 2nd, there will be a full complement of Garrison German-inspired beers on the taps, joined by German food features, live music from The Roving Steins and The Swell Guys, games, and much more. We suggest showing up in time to enjoy the kickoff party and cask-tapping at 2:30 PM Sunday, a great way to shake off the Fiona Blues!

Dartmouth’s Battery Park will be kicking off their Fall with the first in the monthly Tap Takeovers October 1st, with Big Spruce taking over the space for the day. With some current favourites, cellared choices, as well as a sneak peek at a couple of “Coming Soon” offerings, there is something for everyone on the go. DJ Douvet will be on the Ones and Twos from 7 PM for some great curated tunes. Amongst the 19 taps and casks are The Inhaled Affirmative Bohemian Pilsner, Lilliputian Nano IPA, Altruism Awaits Altbier, Black is Beautiful Toasted Coconut and Jamaican Rum Barrel-Aged Stout, with the yet-to-be-released Cosecha Spiced Ale in the mix.

Exact tap details are a bit light on this one, but mark your calendars that Stillwell Beer Garden is holding their annual Oktoberfest celebration Sunday, October 2nd. From previous years, we can attest that it’s always a blast with roving musicians encouraging thirsty attendees, plenty of games on the go, and of course some great German-style beer and food on offer, starting a noon. Peep their social media in the link above to learn more next week!

Just one job posting to tell you about this week, and it’s in the Front of House at Good Robot’s Robie Street Retail and Taproom location. They are looking for a General Manager, working with both Retail and Taproom teams, to keep everything running smoothly and everyone on both sides of the counter/bar are happy. Learn more, and apply, through their Indeed posting.

And if you’re looking to listen to something in the dark this weekend, be sure to grab the latest release from the 902 BrewCast, as Tony sat down with Richard and Joseph of Escarpment Labs during their recent trip to Halifax, to learn more about what the company has to offer its customers, and what Richard and Joseph are brewing up themselves these days. Special appearance by the disembodied voice of Kyle, too! Grab the episode here, or better yet, subscribe in your favourite podcast app.

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