Grimross Brewing

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Friday Wrap-Up – New beers from Sea Level, Shiretown, Garrison, Rockbottom, Quidi Vidi, and Grimross, and more…

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-11
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Acadie-Broue, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Ladies Beer League, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Sea Level Brewing, Shiretown Beer, Uncle Leo's Brewery. 2 comments

Happy Friday! There’s a whole whack of new beers being released in Atlantic Canada this week, just in time for the long weekend. Here’s some info on them, and what else is going on in the region for beer news…

• Sea Level Brewing has released the third beer in their wet-hopped series. Hoptoberfest is a medium-bodied, Oktoberfest-style beer with a subtle hop flavor and aroma, according to the brewery. Brewed and wet-hopped with locally-grown hops, it has approximately 40 IBUs and an ABV of 5.5%. Currently on tap at The Port Pub, it may follow soon in cans and growlers. This one won’t last long; their Hopfazupa has already sold out at the brewery and at private stores in Halifax. Get it while you can (pun intended)!

• Due to some hop harvesting problems, Shiretown’s Runnin’ Down the Road IPA will unfortunately not be brewed this season. However, they do have another couple of new beers to make up for it! Available this week, Five Rivers is a golden ale that is unfiltered and has no fining agents added. Coming in at 5% ABV with approximately 25 IBUs, it is brewed with a variety of malts and hops and is “naturally clear”, according to the brewery. Soon-to-follow is the return of the popular Black Currant Wheat, a beer brewed with a high amount of wheat malt, and local black currants. With a 4.6% ABV and 17 IBUs, the beer has a “beautiful fuchsia color and smooth mouthfeel”. Both beers will be available for growler fills only, at the brewery.

• Meanwhile, Garrison Brewing has released the third beer in their One-Hop series. East Kent Golding (also known as EKG) is a hop variety that has been available commercially for over a century, and is well-known as one of the classic British hops. Following along the lines of your typical British Pale Ale, the beer’s hop presence won’t be as aggressive as North American IPAs (such as its predecessor, Citra One-Hop IPA). Described by the brewery as having “floral and fruity flavors, and an earthy nose”, East Kent Golding has 40 IBUs and an ABV of 6.5%; it is available now at the brewery and at NSLC and private stores in the province.

• Over at the Rockbottom Brewpub, brewer Greg Nash whipped up something different for the Ladies Beer League Spring Garden Take-Over last night. Synaptic Illusion is being billed as a “sour Saison”. The wort (the sugary liquid that will eventually become beer) is first soured with the bacteria Lactobacillus, boiled, and is then fermented with a Saison strain of yeast to produce a sour, tart, and slightly-funky ale. Get it on tap at the brewpub before it’s gone!

• And in yet some more new-beer news, Quidi Vidi Brewing has just released their Oktoberfest Lager. A malty, light-amber beer, it is currently available at the brewery, and appears to have reached various NLC locations as well. Oktoberfest (the event) may have just ended, but this is a great beer style, especially for this time of year, so drink it while it’s available!

• Finally, Grimross Brewing should be releasing their Belgian Rye IPA sometime this weekend. While we don’t have any details on the beer yet, owner/brewer Stephen Dixon has indicated that the beer will be available in growlers at the Picaroons Brewtique soon; the beer will likely also be on tap at the King Street Ale House when they open later in the month.

• In a recent article, the Huffington Post has named Uncle Leo’s Brewery one of the best 11 new breweries in Canada! Rebecca Whiffen, co-owner of the brewery, had this to say: “We were very grateful to be recognized. It is a great time to be part of the craft brewing community in Nova Scotia. The camaraderie makes it fun and provides a built-in support system for new breweries like us, contributing greatly to our success. I don’t know how many other industries you could say that about”. Congratulations, guys!

• The Ladies Beer League continues to impress with their scheduled events in Halifax: on November 17th, they’ll be hosting the city’s first Cask Beer Festival at the soon-to-open Stubborn Goat gastropub on Grafton St. There will be two sessions (1pm – 4pm and 5pm-8pm), and both genders are welcome! Tickets are $35 and go on sale online this Sunday, October 13th at 12pm. We’ll have a separate post on this event sometime next week to provide more info!

• If you’re looking to get into all-grain brewing, the CCNB is holding a Brewing Workshop on November 2nd and 3rd in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. The two days will involve a series of workshops and brewing demonstrations, as well as a tasting session after supper. Local brewers will be involved: Patrice Godin of Acadie-Broue will be hosting the tasting session and “Ingredients & Types of Beer” workshop, and Sean Dunbar of Picaroons will be there to talk about starting a microbrewery. Tickets for the event are $60 and can be purchased here; email Josée Landry (josee.landry@ccnb.ca) for more details.

That’s it for this week… enjoy your beer and turkey this weekend!

Friday Wrap-Up – Grimross Brewing Brews a New Belgian Stout, PEI Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale in NB, Details on New Yellowbelly Beer, and more

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-04
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, PEI Brewing, Propeller Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, Sea Level Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery, YellowBelly Brewery. 1 comment

G’day, beer friends! Time to end another beautiful week with some Atlantic Canada craft beer news…

• Stephen Dixon of Grimross Brewing recently brewed another Belgian-style Stout which should be pouring in Fredericton in the near future. Different from the previously-released Destrier Stout, the new beer has, “a little less roast, and a little more chocolate”, according to Dixon. The beer was brewed with hops from Southan Farms in Wicklow, and Maritime Malt, a malt variety from Canada Malting made exclusively from Maritime-grown barley. Remember to look for Grimross beers at the Picaroons Brewtique on Queen Street, and on tap soon at the King Street Ale House.

• As mentioned last week, the PEI Brewing Company has released their Pumpkin Ale across the Island; luckily, it has already made its way to several select ANBL stores in New Brunswick! Currently available in a few Moncton outlets, it should also be popping up soon in Fredericton and Saint John. Still no word if it will make it to Nova Scotia; we’ll be sure to let you know if it heads that way!

• Over in Newfoundland, we have some more information regarding Yellowbelly Brewery‘s soon-to-be-released seasonal beer. Revisiting their Republic Pale Ale from last year, the beer is brewed with Pale Ale, Munich, and Carastan as the base malts. A “hop bomb” brewed with locally-grown hops, it also features dry-hopping with the Australian Topaz variety, known for providing “resinous and grassy” qualities when used in this way. Coming in at 5.3% ABV, the beer should be released late next week, according to the brewery. It’ll be on tap at the brewery, and hopefully available for growler fills.

• Something very interesting from Liam McKenna, head brewer at Yellowbelly: TODAY, he will be giving a talk on beer’s role in our civilization. It is being held at Memorial University, Biochem room SN-4015 at 1pm. Beer has been much more important than most of us think, as recent articles and documentaries have shown. Essentially, you can thank your great-great-great-great-(…)-great grandfather for liking his wife’s beer enough to want to plant barley. Cheers to all you Brewsters out there!

• Sea Level Brewing‘s newest beer, the wet-hopped Hopfazupa IPA, is already available in cans despite just being released in draught form recently. Featuring fresh Cascade hops from Sea Level’s own hop farm, it has an ABV of 6.5%. If you live in Halifax, head on over to Harvest Wines, Bishop’s Cellar, or Cristall Wine Merchants to snatch some up while you can!

• With the City Harvest (cool map of the events here) happening in Halifax this Saturday, several breweries in the city have some events planned. First off, Garrison Brewing will be serving some special micheladas, a traditional drink originating in Mexico that features beer, lime juice, and various sauces, spices and peppers. For this concoction, Garrison will be mixing in a cask of their Harvest Wheat that has been infused with jalapenos. Getaway Farms will be on site selling some freshly-made tacos to go with the beer.

• Over at Propeller Brewing on Gottingen St., Chez Tess will be there for a collaboration… spiced pumpkin wraps with beer-marinated roasted vegetables. Great timing for this, as Propeller just released their Pumpkin Ale, which is now available in bottles and for growler fills at both brewery locations.

• And, lastly from City Harvest, Bridge Brewing is pairing up with Highland Drive Storehouse for a harvest vegetable and  beer tasting event Saturday evening. Bridge’s new Saison will be pouring for the first time; they will also have their Many Hands Wet-Hopped Imperial Pale Ale. The 5.5% Saison is a new addition to their year-round offering, and is similar to the Summer Ale that was very popular over the past few months, but with more hops for bitterness and aroma and Candi sugar for dryness, and they’ve dropped the orange peel.

• Bridge will also be taking part in a Beer Dinner at harbourstone sea grill & pour house on Monday the 7th. Their four beers will be paired with four courses of fresh and interesting cuisine all evening. The flyer with course and beer details can be seen here, and reservations can be made by calling 902-428-7852.

• In other Garrison news, their 3 Fields Harvest Ale has made it into some NSLC and ANBL locations, so those of us not in Halifax can enjoy this wet-hopped beer. Also, keep an eye out next week for the release of their third One Hop Beer (à la Comet and Citra). Sorry for jumping the gun last week. 🙂 It will also be available at the NSLC and ANBL stores

• There’s a new beer on tap at Rockbottom Brewpub, The Rookie. Brewmaster Greg Nash has worked with the recipe since its first release in June, and this low-alcohol (3.1%) but high hops (3.2 pounds/barrel) beer is even better. The idea behind his “American Mild” style is to pack a lot of flavour into a small beer, just like Milds in the UK, but with his own signature twist. For those of us who appreciate full flavour and aroma in a beer, and the alcohol content is a happy byproduct, this is a must-try.

• Also out this weekend, Uncle Leo’s Smoked Porter. Using a variety of malts (the base is Pale, with flavour, body and aroma from Chocolate, Smoked, Crystal, and Roasted), this beer will have a lot going on, with a great malty body and smoky aroma. It weighs in at 6.8% ABV, and hopped to 31 IBUs. It will be available in bottles and growlers at the brewery starting tomorrow (weekend hours are Friday and Saturday 2-7pm), and will make it to Bishop’s Cellar and Premier Wines mid next week.

Friday Wrap-Up – Contest for 2 Tickets to PEI Beer Festival, New Beers from Grimross, Shiretown, Picaroons and Rogues Roost and much more

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-08-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, BarNone Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Celtic Knot Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Grimross Brewing, Hart & Thistle, Meander River Farm and Brewery, PEI BeerFest, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Shiretown Beer. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, beer buddies! Time for another Friday Wrap-Up…

• The PEI Beer Festival is only two weeks away (Sept. 6th and 7th)! We’re partnering with the PEI Brewing Co. to put on a contest for 2 VIP tickets to the festival, through Twitter. All you have to do is take a picture of one of the 75 beers that will be poured at the festival (check the list here) and post it on Twitter, with the hashtag #PEIBeerFest. The winning photo will be selected by the PEI Brewing Co., and we will announce the winner Monday through our Twitter account. Good luck, everyone! Also check back for a full post with all of the details on the Fest early next week.

• Earlier this week, Grimross Brewing released their fourth beer in downtown Fredericton. “Bayard Belgian Blond” comes in at 7% ABV, and has a lot of fruitiness and spiciness to complement its Belgian character. Brewed using the same hops as the recent “Ben’s Bitter Pale Ale”, it’s also fermented with the same yeast strain, but comes across as a sweeter, less bitter beer that is “approachable, with lots of flavor”, according to brewer Stephen Dixon. It’s currently available in 750 mL growlers at the Picaroons Brewtique.

• Meanwhile, Shiretown is also releasing a new beer… the “Black Currant Bitter Wheat” is brewed with their “base wheat recipe” and local black currants, according to brewer Derek Leslie. With an ABV of 5%, it will be available only at the brewery for growler fills, for a very limited time. The launch will be next Thursday, so hurry over if you’re in the area!

• More new beer! Halifax brewpub Rogues Roost has a pair of new beers available on tap: a light and refreshing Blueberry Wheat (their first ever of this style), and a 6% Baltic Porter, with notes of smoke and chocolate. Both are also available in growlers to go, but enjoying the beer on their street-level patio on one of our few-remaining summer days is a good idea too.

• In support of the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation, Picaroons will be re-releasing their “Upstream Ale” for a limited time. Described as a “crisp and clean golden ale”, it has a sessionable ABV of 4.5%, and should be available in ANBL stores by early September. Twenty-five cents from every bottle purchased will go towards the ASCF.

• Greg Nash, has released another new beer in town. Hop Candy II, on tap now at the Hart & Thistle, is a 6.5% IPA, hopped at 3.6lbs/bbl with Centennial, Cascade and Falconer’s Flight. As with most hop-forward beers, the younger the beer the better, as the flavour and aroma can drop off significantly over time.

• What a busy week for new beer releases! And with hop harvest arriving soon in the Atlantic Region, we’ll be seeing some special beers coming through the pipeline soon. If you are in the Cabot Trail area today, drop by Big Spruce as they pick hops from their field and brew up a ~6% Harvest IPA. They are using the wet hops (picked minutes before use, only having to travel feet from field to brewery) continuously in the mash tun, kettle and a hopback. It should be a fun day out!

• Originally available only at Marky’s Laundromat, Celtic Knot Brewing beers will now be available at another location in Moncton. As of this week, The Tide & Boar Gastropub will begin pouring a rotating selection of Celtic Knot beers (based on availability), including their Hopicide IPA and “Not Joe Average” Pale Ale, as well as future releases such as the Loki Black IPA, Robert the Spruce, and Dark Passage Oatmeal Stout.

• Yesterday, Barnone Brewing had something special for those dropping in for their weekly Thursday growler fill from 6-8 pm – an opportunity to touch and smell their glorious hops! Barnone has been growing hops all season which are just about ready to be harvested for use in brewing, so they graciously allowed customers to experience up-front what fresh hops look, smell, and feel like.

• After we spotted a teaser picture of some excavation work posted on their Facebook page, we contacted Meander River Farm for an update on their upcoming brewery. Alan Bailey was kind enough to get us up to speed with their current situation: after four months of waiting on the NS Dept. of Environment, they will be able to operate as a farm-based microbrewery. Hooray! They will be brewing on a 3 barrel system, focusing on American-style Ales, using hops and other products from their 186 acre property (including honey and lavender, which, along with their hops, have all been used in Garrison beers). They plan to be selling beer by December, and we will certainly be keeping you up-to-date with all of the news! One exciting plan of theirs is to offer CSB (community-supported brewery) shares, similar to the CSA shares popular in the province. This allows for a more personal connection between the consumer and farmer/brewer.

• And more great news for beer lovers in Nova Scotia: as mentioned in our profile in June, the Antigonish Townhouse is ready to serve up their in-house-made beer! They’ve been working hard on perfecting the recipe and techniques, and even harder on getting all of the licensing and legal stuff in place. Within the next week or so, they will be serving it exclusively at the pub. A cask-conditioned English Bitter brewed with 2-Row, Crystal and a touch of Black and Flaked malt, the beer clocks in at 4.5%. The 42 IBU beer uses Challenger for bittering, and great English hops East Kent Goldings and Fuggles for flavour and aroma (including Fuggles for dry-hopping). The only thing this beer is missing is a name, which is where you come in! Send them a message on Twitter or Facebook with your suggestion for a name, and you could win a prize! It probably helps to be able to taste it first, but I have faith you folks can come up with some great names. We’ll let you know the moment the beer hits the hand pump!

• It’s still months away until the second annual Fredericton Craft Beer Festival (March 8th, 2014), but a new website has just been launched for the event. Keep an eye on the site (and this blog) for details on the festival, and follow them on Twitter and Facebook to keep up-to-date on breweries, beers, ticket availability, and more. They might be making some changes to the fest format, so weigh in to let them know what you think!

Lots of beer news this week… hopefully the trend continues! Have a great weekend!