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Pre-Christmas Wrap-Up – News from Johnny Jacks, Unfiltered, Upstreet, PEI Brewing, Gahan Halifax, and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-12-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Axe Brewery, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Good Robot Brewing, Granite Brewery, Gray Stone Brewing, Grimross Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, Johnny Jacks Brewery, Maybee Brewing, PEI Brewing Co., Port Rexton Brewing Co., Pump House Brewery, Red Rover Craft Cider, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. 8 comments

Despite the holiday season, our brewing friends have not slowed down one bit! From new breweries to new beers and holiday events, this week has been a busy one!

• Another new brewery has quietly opened in New Brunswick – Johnny Jacks, located at 281 Restigouche Rd in Oromocto, is the newest nanobrewery in the province. Father and daughter David and Vanessa Foss, along with Young Joo Lee, are sharing the brewing responsibilities on their 100 L Blichmann system. The brewery is named after a colourful homebrewing grandfather in the family, Jack ‘Johnny’ Gullison, and is currently serving two beer styles on tap next door at the Sour Grape Cafe (which is co-owned by David Foss). The first beer is their Smokin’ Amber, a “caramelly, sweet, earthy, rich and warm” beer that weighs in at 5.1% ABV and 29 IBUs. The next, Showshoe Winter Ale, is a darker ale that the brewery describes as “layered chocolate with a whisper of vanilla”; this one is a bit stronger at 5.7% ABV and 32 IBUs. While currently only on tap at the Sour Grape, they hope to be able to expand to other accounts in the near future. We’ll have more details on their venture, soon!

• Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing has released a new beer this week, Hyper-Galactic India Pale Lager. The IPL is the cousin of the IPA, featuring assertive hop aroma, flavour, and bitterness, but brewed using lager yeast for a crisp finish, minimizing the characteristic esters and other yeast-derived aromatics from most ale strains. Hyper-Galactic comes in at 7% ABV and around 75 IBUs, with hop aromatics of passionfruit, mango and tangerine dominating. Loads of Australian went into this beer for a taste that’s outta this world! (sorry, I’ll see myself out) Hyper-Galactic is available at the brewery and adjacent Charm School now, and will be on tap at Unfiltered’s other tap accounts shortly. The arrival of the IPL signals the departure (for now) of the very popular DOA (Double Orange Ale), but we understand it will make a return in the New Year. Be sure to grab a pint or snarl of the slightly-modified Exile on North Street IPA, changes to the hopping schedule have this beer exhibiting big hop aroma, while still registering as gluten reduced (less than 5ppm). And for those of you in the The Club, your 2015 edition Barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout, King of Kings, is ready for pickup. Enjoy this 11.9%, 100 IBU brew during the next few chilly months, or save the bottle for enjoyment later (this style of beer is perfect for aging in a cellar). For those not in the club, you may be SOL.

• On January 1st, Upstreet will be participating in Charlottetown’s New Year’s Day Levee schedule, with a day full of music, food, and (of course) beer! The 2016 Kick-Off will begin at 10 am, and takes place all day until 10 pm. Six different bands will provide live music from 10:30 am on, $4 pints will be pouring in the taproom (as well as various beer cocktails), free brewery tours will be put on, and a special brunch menu will be available from chef John Pritchard. Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going to Upstreet’s brand new Do-Good Fund. This charitable program has been set up to support community initiatives throughout the year; a portion of the proceeds from every Do-Gooder APA will go into this fund. And in other Upstreet news, their White Noize White IPA (7% ABV, 70 IBUs) is now available for purchase in bottles at the brewery and select PEILCC stores; be sure to pick some up, they make the perfect last-minute stocking stuffer!

• Not to be outdone, PEI Brewing Co. is also holding their own Levee event on January 1st; with last year’s inaugural event attracting over 500 people, they hope to have even more this year. Full bar service at the brewery will be available, with $2 half-pints featured, along with free chili and gourmet popcorn, and live entertainment. And if you’d like to really enjoy yourself, there will be a free shuttle running throughout downtown to take you to and from the brewery! There’s no charge to attend.

• There’s a new Double IPA on tap Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax) this week. Weighing in at 7.8% ABV and about 90 IBU, this big brew features loads of Topaz dry-hopping, for resinous, grassy, and fruit aromas to complement the assertive bitterness. It is on tap for enjoyment on the waterfront now, as well as for growler fills. And look for a pair of lagers from Brewmaster Karen Allen in the new year, including a Schwarzbier in early January.

• The opening of the Good Robot Tap Room in Halifax has allowed the creative juices of Brewmaster Doug Kehoe to flow freely, and as such, he’s put together some experimental brews. The latest to hit the taps is a Märzen. This traditional German Amber beer is given the GR Twist by small additions of Smoked and Rye malt. German hops, in Magnum and Tettnang, were used for a light bitterness and aroma. The 5% Märzen is available on tap at the Tap Room only, and will not last long, so don’t delay. And just a note that the brewery and Tap Room will be open regular hours during the Christmas holiday; check their website for hours.

• Nackawic’s Big Axe Brewery released a new beer at their tap room yesterday, Soleil Belgique IPA. This golden-coloured 7.4% Belgian IPA was brewed with floor-malted pilsner malt and toasted wheat, for a medium body and pleasant mouthfeel. Generous amounts of European hops (including Jaryllo) offer a fantastic aroma of pineapple to complement the yeast aromatics of clove and sage. Look for Soleil Belgique on tap at Big Axe’s accounts around Fredericton shortly.

• The James Joyce has tentatively scheduled their next Meet Your Maker event for Wednesday, December 30th, featuring soon-to-open Maybee Brewing. If all goes as planned for licensing, this will be an official launch party for the brewery as well. Two of their flagship beers will be pouring (Roseway Red and Workhorse IPA), and owner/brewer Paul Maybee will be on hand to chat beer and answer questions. For more info on Maybee Brewing and their beers, check out our Q&A with Paul from October.

• Halifax’s Bar Stillwell will be closed for the next few days (Dec 24-26), and again on Dec 31, but they are holding a levee of their own on January 1st. Opening at noon, they will be featuring a load hoppy, sour, wood-aged, and vintage beers from the cellar all day. And of course, they will have some excellent food to complement, including smoked brisket, a special breakfast sandwich, and pajeon. A few more specific details are available here.

• Need some local cider for Christmas or New Year, but don’t have time to pick it up? Red Rover to the rescue! Customers in Fredericton can fill out an online order form and receive (or send) a gift pack of cider to keep them warm during this holiday week. Details are available here. They’re also offering a Christmas Selection Case, which includes twelve 750 mL bottles (four each of their Spring, Fall and Fire) for $108, which saves you $1 per bottle.

• Bottles of YellowBelly’s Mummer’s Brew (this year’s release is a Cranberry Chocolate Porter) are flying off the shelves at both the brewery and NLC. Adding to that Christmas feeling is their Cranberry Cider, a 6.5% ABV cider prepared with West-Coast Newfoundland cranberries. It is on tap at the brewery now, and will be available in bottles shortly at select NLCs.

• And in more great news for Newfoundland breweries, the crew at Port Rexton Brewing received word that the environmental assessment for their future location has been approved by the Minister. This was a non-trivial hurdle to overcome in their future home, and it’s very exciting to come through before major construction was to take place. Look for their launch mid-2016.

A few parting notes this morning: Grimross has announced that they’ve officially hired their new brewer, Martin Henderson, a graduate of Niagara College’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management. Congratulations, Martin! Look for their Dubbel Noel (and Pump House’s Winter Warmer) on the ANBL growler fill stations this week. The barrel-aged version of Tatamagouche’s Ging’ Sync: Rye Rye Rye will be launching very shortly. Look for it in bottles at the brewery store shortly. Halifax’s Granite Brewery has their popular Darkside Black IPA back on tap for growler fills at the brewery, and their tap accounts around HRM. And more good news for Fredericton beer fans, Gray Stone Brewery has found their forever home! The brewery will be opening at 221 King Street in 2016. A reminder that the provincial stores (as well as many private and brewery stores) will be closed Dec 25 & 26, so today may be your last day in a while to pick up some local craft beer. Be sure to check your favourite bars’ and restaurants’ website or social media pages before heading out for a pint over the next few days, just to be sure. Have a safe Christmas, and we’ll hit you with another batch of beer news next week.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Big Tide, Big Spruce, Red Rover, Bad Apple, Flying Boats, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-11-06
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bad Apple Brewhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge, Big Tide Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Flying Boats Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Granite Brewery, Grimross Brewing, Half Cut Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, Marky's Laudromat, Meander River Farm and Brewery, PEI Brewing Co., Picaroons, Red Rover Craft Cider, Rudder's Brewpub, Storm Brewing in Newfoundland, The Brewnosers, TrailWay Brewing. 1 comment

Happy Friday! There’s lots of new beers – and some other beer-related news – out this week for our region; time to start getting caught up…

• Saint John’s Big Tide Brewing released a brand new beer this past weekend. Bockman-Turner Overweiz is a Weizenbock, meaning a dark wheat beer (Dunkelweizen), but brewed to a higher ABV (hence the “bock” moniker). The BTO weighs in at 7.6% ABV, and was brewed with a grain bill of half wheat malt, with the remainder composed of German Munich, Bohemian Pilsner, Crystal and a touch of chocolate malt for colour and roast flavour. Hallertauer hops were used throughout, and a top fermenting German Wheat Ale yeast was used to bring out the characteristic banana and clove aromas to round out the brew. It is available on tap now at the brewpub, and in growler fills to go; it was a small batch, so it won’t last much longer… drop by today!

• Big Spruce Brewing has brought back their very popular The Whole 9 Yards Scotch Ale. First released in April 2014 as a beer celebrating their First Anniversary, this latest version again features the addition of Glenora Glen Breton Rare 10 year Single Malt Whisky to the batch to enhance the roast, peat, and smoke characteristics of the underlying Scotch Ale. Available now at the brewery for samples and growler fills, and on tap at better beer bars in the province. And don’t forget, time is quickly running out on Big Spruce’s Third Annual Home Brew Challenge. If you haven’t already brewed up your Red IPA (or Dark Czech Lager or Altbier), you might be able to squeeze it in under the wire this weekend!

• Last night, the second Meet Your Makers tap-takeover event was held at the James Joyce Irish Pub. Red Rover Craft Cider was featured, with a total of ten taps pouring various regular-release and special one-off ciders. Two brand new ciders made their debut at the event: first off is their Tinderbox, a semi-dry cider featuring notes of vanilla, that has been aged with the addition of bourbon and oak (this one was brewed specifically for the Guy Fawkes Day-themed tap takeover). Next up was the Bee for B, another semi-dry blend which was made with honey produced on the roof of the Crowne Plaza hotel; this one will continue to be on tap exclusively at the James Joyce for the foreseeable future. Also, the White Witch made its triumphant return last week and was on tap last night; first released last fall, it features plenty of fresh orange zest and locally-grown cilantro out of Wellwood Farm in Saint John. All three ciders are, as usual for Red Rover, 7% ABV.

• Somerset’s Bad Apple Brewhouse has a few returning favourites on tap at the brewery these days. Their award-winning Mosaic Double IPA is back on tap at the brewery now. This 8% ABV big IPA is brewed to showcase the Mosaic hop, and it does that in spades, featuring big aromas and bitterness. All of the proceeds from Mosaic are donated to attend camp at Brigadoon Village and other community projects, to support families and those living with Mosaic Down Syndrome. This is something very close to the Bad Apple family, as one of owner Jeff Saunder’s children has Mosaic Down Syndrome. In addition to the brewery (where a limited number of bottles will also be available), the beer will be on tap at Lion & Bright, Stubborn Goat, and La Torta Pizzeria in Wolfville, as well as few spots in New Brunswick.

• Also available from Bad Apple is their Operation Green Ring, a 5.0% ABV Cucumber Mint Wheat Ale. It was brewed with Delta Force Brewery, two members of the Brewnosers Homebrew Club. Using fresh local mint and cucumbers, this field beer features lots of mint aroma and cucumber flavour, coming together with a great Wheat base. It is available now at the brewery for growler fills. And keep your eyes peeled for the return of their Russian Imperial Stout, currently conditioning and waiting for release closer to Christmas. As in some previous releases, a good amount of this brew is being barrel aged in Glenora casks.

• There’s a new beer from Flying Boats currently hitting taps; Beach Cruiser DIPA is a test batch of sorts that came in at 7.2% ABV and 72 IBUs. Featuring a “generous” dry hop, it was also hopped at several points throughout the boil with four different varieties: Magnum, Centennial, Amarillo and Chinook. It’s currently on tap at the James Joyce, and should be on a rotating tap at Marky’s Laundromat later this month. The newly-installed pilot system at the brewery is also up and running, with the first test batch currently undergoing active fermentation. More on that beer, soon!

• Meander River will be releasing their latest batch of cider this weekend: First Frost Hard Apple Cider is a 5.5% ABV apple blend featuring juice from Fair Acres Farm. “A touch sweeter and juicier” than their original dry cider releases, according to the brewery, it still finishes very crisp. It will be released this weekend at the brewery, and at Christmas at the Forum (Fri-Sun) in Halifax. And speaking of Meander River, the crew from Garrison dropped by yesterday to collect spruce boughs for their Spruce Beer winter seasonal. Look for that beer in the coming weeks.

• Over at Granite Brewery in Halifax, they have a new beer on tap for pints and growler fills. Described as a “Red Ale” by the brewery, Flander’s Fields was brewed with honey and ginger to give it extra aroma and flavour to go with the maltiness from the grist. It weighs in at an easy-drinking 5.3% ABV, and will be available at the brewery until it’s gone (approximately three weeks).

• Fredericton’s Half Cut Brewing (operating out of the brew system located at the Picaroons Brewtique) recently released their second beer, an American Brown Ale named Belligerent Brown. Described as roasty and hoppy with “notes of dark chocolate and dried dark fruit”, it was hopped heavily with Centennial and Chinook. While technically on the higher end of bitter with a calculated 74 IBUs, it comes in at an easy-drinking 5.4% ABV. It’s available for growler fills at the Brewtique, and should be on tap around the city at the King Street Ale House, James Joyce, 540 Kitchen & Bar, and Snooty Fox.

• It’s getting closer to the official ticket-release for the 2016 Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, and those behind it all have been releasing some sneak peeks for what they have in store for the Fourth Annual event! Organized by Lloyd Chambers, this will be the first time the event has been stretched into Fredericton Craft Beer Week, featuring plenty of beer-related activities from March 9th-12th, finalizing with the beer festival on Saturday. There will be two sessions this time around (afternoon and evening), both of which will feature the largest gathering of Atlantic Canadian craft beer yet – 45 confirmed breweries pouring over 160 different types of beer, cider and mead. We’ll have lots of information as we get closer to the events, but for now, keep in mind that tickets for the festival will go on sale at 11 am on Friday, November 27th through their website. Stay tuned for more!

• Rudder’s Brewpub in Yarmouth has released a new beer this week, Runic Stone IPA. Weighing in at 5.6% ABV and 46 IBUs, it was brewed with a load of late hopping in the boil by Cascade, Columbus, Saaz and Sorachi Ace hops, and was further dry hopped with more Saaz and Sorachi Ace. This hop schedule allows for a big hop aroma, without the beer being too bitter. It is named after the Runic (or Fletcher) Stone in the local museum, thought to be a Norse artifact, discovered in the early 19th century. While the exact origins of the stone are unknown, it is certainly part of Yarmouth’s history. Grab its namesake beer on tap at Rudder’s while it lasts!

• TrailWay has brewed up a fresh batch of their popular Session IPA, and next week it’ll be a little easier for those in Fredericton to get their “fill”! As of next Thursday, 250 L of this hoppy, ~4.3% ABV beer will be making its way to the Prospect St. ANBL for growler fills. This will be TrailWay’s first time at the ANBL growler station since last March. And in other TrailWay news, Dan Mason and Jake Saunders of TrailWay Brewing have officially signed the lease on the location for their new brewery when they expand in 2016; located at 280 Main St. on Fredericton’s North Side, they hope to be producing beer on their 10 BBL system by Spring.

• Grimross has added two new fermentors to their existing line-up, and with this minor expansion comes the need for more assistance in the brewery! As a result, they are currently looking to hire a full-time brewer. Interested parties can find the full list of requirements here, and resumes should be sent to stephen@grimross.com.

We hope everyone has a great weekend! Petit-Sault‘s award-winning La Buckdjeuve has returned; it’s currently on tap at the brewery for growler fills. Picaroons has brought back their popular seasonal, Winter Warmer; you can find it on tap at the Brewtique, at select beer bars/restaurants across the province (and beyond?), and in 500 mL bottles at ANBL stores. PEI Brewing Co. will be re-releasing their Transmitter Coffee Stout later this month; featuring a new blend of beans from Receiver Coffee. And don’t forget to grab a bottle of their Hell Street barrel-aged Doppelbock on sale at the brewery now. While there, grab a pint of their latest cask, SmOAKed Brown, a smoked version of their Iron Bridge Brown, aged on oak chips. Storm Brewing in Newfoundland has brought back their winter seasonal Coffee Porter, available at their usual licensee and retail locations. Rockbottom Brewpub in Halifax has released a new seasonal themselves, Strawberry Blonde, a 5.0% ABV fruit beer.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Breton Brewing, Pump House, Red Rover, Petit-Sault, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-01-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Axe Brewery, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Breton Brewing, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Granite Brewery, James Joyce Irish Pub, King Street Ale House, North Brewing, PEI Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, Rockhead Wine & Beer Market, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Sea Level Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery. 1 comment

Good morning! What better way to celebrate the end of January, and the beginning of Superbowl weekend, than by reading about beer?

• In addition to the snowstorm blowing outside Tuesday morning, there was a storm erupting on Twitter, with the announcement of a new brewery coming this Spring to Sydney, Cape Breton. Breton Brewing is the collaboration between two homebrewers Bryan MacDonald and Andrew Morrow. We will have more details on their endeavour soon, but we do know that they will be using a 15 barrel (18 hectolitre) steam-fired system, and the 5000 square foot brewery and tasting room will be located on Keltic Drive. Keep an eye on their Twitter feed for now, and we’ll update you when their Facebook and website are published.

• There’s a new beer on tap from Pump House at their brewpub in Moncton – Easy Amber 4.3 Session Ale. The name pretty much says it all, as this is a sessionable Amber Ale coming in at 4.3% ABV. While an easy-drinking beer, the brewery describes it as having a “full malt taste” thanks to the addition of kilned Amber and Munich malts, giving both toffee and caramel flavors. It’s also lightly hopped with Tettnang and Saaz, giving only a touch of bitterness at 12 IBUs. It’s also currently pouring at the Dieppe ANBL this week for growler fills, and will be available on tap at select bars/restaurants across the Maritimes in the near future.

• Red Rover released a new cider yesterday, just in time for Fredericton’s winter celebration, Frostival (Jan 23rd – Feb 15th). Fire Cider is a 7% ABV semi-dry cider brewed with fresh ginger, and is now available for flagon fills at the Ciderhouse. While it can be served cold (like Red Rover’s other brands), they encourage you to drink it warm, to bring a little heat into your life during these cold winter months! Just pop it in the microwave (40 seconds per 300 mL/10 oz), and you’re good to go! Look for it at the Boyce Farmers Market this Saturday, and on tap for a limited time at the King Street Ale House soon.

• We have a few more details on the Cappuccino Stout from Brasseurs du Petit-Sault that we mentioned a couple of weeks ago. They just brewed it last Saturday, and are hoping to have it released by the second week of February! Canon Franchetti is named after pastor/architect Nicolo Franchetti from Edmundston’s St. John the Baptist Church, which was destroyed in a fire last September. The beer was brewed with coffee from three downtown Edmundston cafes, including Cafe Lotus Bleu, Sucré Salé and Boutique Au Bout Du Monde. Look for it on tap soon, and if you’re not in Edmundston, make sure to request it for growler fills at your nearest ANBL growler-filling station!

• It’s sold-out already (within one day!), but we thought we should fill you in on the latest one-off beer from Railcar Brewing, Vanilla Brown Sugar Stout. Brewed with four malts and three hop varieties, this massive dark beer (9.9% ABV) had 6 lbs of brown sugar added at the end of the boil and real vanilla beans in secondary, making this a sweet, strong monster of a beer! But don’t feel bad if you missed out – owner/brewer Mitch Biggar has assured us that he will be brewing it again!

• While on the topic of Railcar, they just announced details on their 1st Annual Railcar Brewing Home Brew-Off. Open to all homebrewers in the Maritimes, the competition style is Scottish Export (14C) from the new 2014 BJCP Style Guidelines. Entries must be all-grain (no kits, extracts or sugars are permitted), and will be evaluated in a blind tasting by a panel of non-BJCP judges. The winner will get the opportunity to brew their beer with Mitch as a full-sized batch on the Railcar system, for commercial release as a Railcar seasonal! Registration is $15; each participant will receive a special 2015 Railcar Brew-Off glass. Entries are due by Thursday, March 26th (six 341 to 500 mL bottles are required); the top four will be selected for final judging. Awards and prizes will be handed out the following Thursday, April 2nd. For more information on rules and prizes, check out the link above. Fire up those kettles, homebrewers!

• In other homebrew competition news, Brasseurs du Moncton Homebrewers are holding one of their own… sort of. The St. Patrick’s Day Beer Challenge is more of an excuse to get Moncton-area homebrewers together to evaluate each other’s beers, specifically in the style of either Dry Stout or Irish Red Ale. There’s no entry fee or official prizes yet (other than bragging rights), and it’s a great opportunity to meet other homebrewers and taste their beers. Keep an eye on the link above for final details on the date and location, but expect the event to occur around March 15th, shortly before St. Patrick’s Day. Six weeks is plenty of time to put together a solid brew, so get to it!

• Granite Brewery has released a small batch of Winter Warmer, and it is available now. Malt-forward and “very English”, this strong beer weighs in at 5.8% ABV. We expect that folks who enjoy Peculiar and Old Cardinal will enjoy this beer. It is available in growlers at the brewery, and will make it to finer beer establishments in Halifax soon. And a reminder that time really flies: Granite is celebrating their THIRTIETH Anniversary this year! To celebrate, Brewmaster Kevin Keefe will be bringing back some of their classic, and perhaps forgotten, beers for us local drinkers. Congratulations to the entire Granite family!

• From Nova Scotia’s oldest craft brewery, to one of its youngest, North Brewing is celebrating their second anniversary this weekend. And we get the presents! They are offering their 1.89 litre growler fills for $10, Friday through Sunday. This weekend also marks the release of their Coffee-Infused Belgian Milk Stout cask at Smiling Goat at Bishops Landing. They used Cold-brewed Kenyan Karindundu beans from Java Blend Coffee Roasters. Drop by from 4-6pm to try it out, for only $1/4oz sample. When you drop by the brewery, you may notice a new face, as their retail/bottle-filler/spirit animal Grant is moving on to another local business.

• Uncle Leo’s has released a new seasonal, Winterschlaf, a German Hybrid Beer. This Kolsch-style beer was brewed in collaboration with Matt Vohs, who also assisted with the Weizen last year. Brewed with pilsner malt and a small amount of Munich malt, bittered with German Tettnanger hops, and weighing in at 5.5% ABV. They fermented the beer with an ale yeast, but cold, to keep the yeast character minimal (reduced ester profile). When trying the beer for the first time, Vohs smiled and said it tasted just like the beer he drank while living in Cologne. Well done! Look for growlers at the brewery, bottles at the private stores at the end of next week, and at better beer bars in the province, including Piper’s Landing in Lyons Brook and Apple Seed Diner in New Glasgow.

• RockHead Wine & Beer Market opened yesterday at 2651 Windsor Street, in/adjacent to the Sobeys grocery store. They launched with three beers on their growler station: RockHead Pale Ale (brewed for them by Garrison Brewing), Tatamagouche Brewing’s Butcher Block Red, and Sea Level High Street Scotch Ale. They will be adding a beer from Uncle Leo’s shortly. Their hours are Monday-Saturday 10am-10pm & Sundays 10am-8pm. Their new Twitter, Facebook, and website are up now, to keep an eye on their specials and new arrivals.

• Speaking of Garrison Brewing, they have brought back their Unfiltered Wheat. This hazy American Wheat is 4.6%, and very easy drinking. Don’t forget that their Barrel-aged Spruce Beer is being released tomorrow, along with lots of other Barrel and Cellar-aged beers, at their Cellar Saturday event. Doors open at 10am, and we’ve seen the list, and there are several beers that folks will definitely want to pick up (2009-2013 Ol’ Fog Burner and their Barrel-aged counterparts, 2009 Grand Baltic Porter, aged Winter Warmer, and much more). There may be a ticket or two left for tonight’s Ol’ Fog Burner Vertical tasting (which also allows early access to the Cellar!), contact Justin for more details.

• PEI Brewing Co. is bringing back their Spud cask for the second year in a row, to coincide with today’s 2015 Spud Event being held at the brewery. This year’s Spud is their Beach Chair Lager that has been dry-hopped with Citra and Comet, two very citrusy and flavorful hop varieties; it comes in at a sessionable 4.5% ABV, and 20 IBUs. The event will also feature live music, food, and trivia; tickets are $10, and the doors open at 7pm.

• Muwin Estate Wines, producers of Bulwark Cider, have installed two new 200 hectolitre tanks, with plans to add two more. The extra capacity will allow them to expand their production across more Canadian provinces, as well as into the US and UK markets. Over the past year, they have already doubled both production and staff at their location. In addition to expanding their territory, the extra capacity will allow them to expand their cider line further, and we can share that their next new product will be a hopped cider. We’ll have more details on it closer to the release.

• Good news, Fredericton beer drinkers! The James Joyce Irish Pub (located in the Crowne Plaza downtown) is greatly increasing their craft beer offerings! They’ve added new tap lines to their current selection (for a total of 18) and are in the ongoing process of filling them with new beers, most of which are from local breweries. This week includes the addition of Petit-Sault Tante Blanche and Big Axe Wrath of Putin; keep your eye on the Food at the Crowne Facebook page for updates on their taps!

• There have been some major changes at Rogues Roost this week. Brewmaster Lorne Romano, who has been with the brewpub since its opening in 1999, is no longer with the company. Going forward, Karen Allen will be taking over the brewing responsibilities at the Roost. Allen is the brewmaster at Gahan Halifax Harbourfront (and will remain in that position), and has brewed on Rogues’ system previously, so she will fit right in to the cramped space and high pressure situation of brewing at this busy brewpub. Rogues’ core products will remain untouched, but Allen will bring her own twist to seasonals and one-offs. Keep an eye out for PEI Brewing/Gahan beer at Rogues, as they plan to expand their number of taps, and begin to pour beer from other Murphy Group brands.

• This big change has not slowed down the new beer releases, as there will be a new English IPA out next week at Rogues Roost, and an English Bitter at Gahan House. And next Tuesday’s cask (remember it is Industry Night every Tuesday, where members of the beer business enjoy staff-priced pints) is the Bitter with fresh lemon zest, and lightly dry-hopped with Sorachi Ace.

Enjoy your weekend! For those in the Antigonish area, look for Big Spruce Brewing at tomorrow’s Antigonish Winter Market, at the Antigonish Mall 10am-2pm. Don’t forget that the King Street Ale House Superbowl party (no cover) is all-day Sunday, where a new one-off American IPA from TrailWay Brewing will be pouring.