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Friday Wrap-Up – News from Tatamagouche Brewing, Unfiltered, Big Spruce, Picaroons, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-10-16
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Atlantic Canadian Brewing Awards, Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Celtic Oktoberfest, Hammond River Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Lion & Bright, Picaroons, Red Rover Craft Cider, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing. Leave a Comment

There are several new beer releases this week, plus some events worth attending, coming up in the next couple of weeks. Let’s get right to it!

• Tatamagouche Brewing has been busy recently, and we all get to reap the rewards. Firstly, they have released an additional number of bottles from their Giant Beer series, featuring Giantess Barleywine, Baltic Porter, and Rum Barrel Aged Dreadnot Black IPA, joining the last few Russian Imperial Stout bottles they had released last month. These are the last bottles from the initial run, and would do very well with a few months of cellaring due to the higher alcohol content. We received word that a new batch of barrel-aged Dreadnot will be out shortly, after spending some time in Ironworks rum barrels.

• Another specialty beer from Tata out again is their Horns Over Hooves Double IPA, brewed with the crew from Stubborn Goat. For the first time, this 8.0% ABV and 80 IBU beer will be available on tap, in growlers, AND cans, with the latter available soon at the private stores in Halifax. And, in another first, Tata has sent a shipment of beer to the NSLC. Cans of their North Shore Lagered Ale will be available throughout the province in the coming weeks, allowing drinkers from Yarmouth to Sydney to enjoy their wares. Hopefully this helps to continue the trend of greater access to NS craft beers at the NSLC.

• And finally in Tatamagouche news, their latest new beer was released yesterday. Ging’ Sync : Rye, Rye, Rye is a 5.5% ABV and 17 IBUs ale. On top of the spicy rye notes from the malt bill and Cascade and Willamette hops in the base beer, 6 kg of ginger and sweet orange peel was added in the kettle and hopback, for a ginger spice and citrus aroma. Another kilo of ginger was added during the conditioning stage to amp up the ginger aroma and bite, for a true Rye and Ginger character. Their firkin for Cask Days (more on that below) features even *more* fresh ginger, along with caraway seeds, for a heightened Ging’ Sync experience. And keep an eye open for a barrel-aged version of the brew, Giant Beer: Dark n’ Stormy, out in the coming months.

• Unfiltered Brewing is releasing another SMaSH (single-malt and single-hop) Double IPA today at the brewery. All Falc’d Up was brewed with 2-row base malt and plenty of Falconer’s Flight hops; Falconer’s Flight is actually a combination of several different varieties, giving heavy amounts of tropical, citrus, and floral notes. Weighing in at 7.5% ABV and a calculated 100+ IBUs, this should be the perfect beer to replace the extremely-popular previous SMaSH DIPA, Double Orange Ale. Hop on down to the brewery today to get your growlers filled!

• Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza is holding a beer lunch/beer launch today. Starting at noon, they will be serving up slow-roasted pig, courtesy of local farm Forever Green Organic Farm. This 80kg heritage breed pig will be paired with Apple/cabbage slaw, Gallo Pinto featuring Big Spruce-farm grown beans, along with pico de gallo and tomatillo sauces, mole and others. And to wash it down, the Smokin’ Jack It Pumpkin Beer will be launched at noon. Joining the taps will be their latest specialty brew, Gimme Nelson, a conspiracy brew with Bar Stillwell. In the same vein as their Gimme Citra beer from the summer, this 5.7% ABV and 34 IBU American Pale Ale features loads of the New Zealand hop, Nelson Sauvin, late in the boil and in dry hopping, for an emphasis on the aroma and flavour of the hop, rather than the bitterness. And speaking of launching, throughout the afternoon, they will be using their trebuchet to launch pumpkins into the Bras d’Or lake (or as close as they can get them ;)). From 2pm, their house band, Asaph Deuce, will be keeping everyone entertained. Don’t worry if the weather doesn’t look too friendly, there is a tent set up in the parking lot just in case. As such, people are asked to park on Yankee Line Rd.

• Over in New Brunswick, Picaroons has released a couple of new beers for growler fills at the Brewtique. First up is Ginger Ale; consisting of a “wide and varied malt bill” made up primarily of Pilsner, Wheat malt, and Rye malt, along with “significant amounts” of Munich and Vienna, it was lightly hopped with Amarillo and Mt. Hood. In addition, real ginger root was added both in the boil and the hop percolator, along with generous helpings of lemon peel and Rooibos tea. All this comes together to give the beer a slightly sweet taste, similar to a fall ginger tea, with a “pleasant herbal finish” according to the brewery. This amber-coloured ale weighs in at 6% ABV and ~20 IBUs. Pics has also just put out their Magnum PEI, a hop-forward American Amber Ale that has been hopped with fresh Magnum from My Father’s Farm in Pownal, Prince Edward Island. Only a single batch was made; as mentioned, it’s available at the Brewtique for growler fills until it’s gone.

• Speaking of Picaroons, they’re holding a Harvest Ale Dinner at Lion & Bright in Halifax on Sunday, October 25th from 6 – 9 pm. The $50 ticket price includes three courses with beer pairings, with all food featuring freshly-harvested local ingredients. Picaroons’ Tony Goss will be hosting the dinner, telling the story behind every beer that will be paired throughout the evening. Only 45 tickets are available; they can be purchased at the event link above.

• Petit-Sault is releasing yet another brand new beer today, Simone Hébert, a Belgian Dubbel named after “an important land owner” in Edmundston in the early 19th century who stood up to American commissioners who claimed his lands were on American territory. Brewed with a little bit of Chocolate malt and plenty of dark Belgian candi syrup to give it the style-classic notes of dark fruit and mild chocolate, it comes through as “rich, malty, and fruity with a surprisingly dry finish”, according to the brewery. Hopped lightly with Willamette and Hallertau to 20 IBUs, it weighs in at 7% ABV. This one will be available only at the brewery for growler fills, so get over there to give it a try!

• Tickets are selling quickly for October 24th’s Celtic Oktoberfest in Port Hawkesbury. Featuring unlimited sampling from seven breweries and one winery (Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, Breton Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Hell Bay, Tatamagouche, Uncle Leo’s, and Eileanan Breagha Vineyards), food from ten different local producers is also included (Barykin Bistro, Buschmann Free Range Bio, Clove Hitch Bar & Bistro, Dancing Goat Cafe & Bakery, Fleur De Lis Tea Room, Governor’s Pub & Eatery, Louie’s Cosy Corner, Martin’s Fine Bakery, Miller’s Tap & Grill, and the NSCC Culinary Program). And of course, live music throughout the evening from Nuallan and Beech Hill. Grab your tickets today, it will be a blast!

• Next week will mark the 11th Anniversary of Cask Days in Toronto. Put on by the family crew that owns Bar Volo, it is a celebration of Cask beer. Thanks to the folks at Bar Stillwell, there will be more than a dozen Maritime beers available at the fest again this year. The full list of beers is available here. We reached out to the breweries to find out more details on which beers they would be sending. There are several new beers on the list that we will share the details of, when they are released in our region.

Big Spruce: Bitter Getter India Black IPA and Gimme Nelson American Pale Ale, collab with Stillwell.

Boxing Rock: The Darkness Cascadian Dark Ale and Vicar’s Cross Double IPA

Breton Brewing: Celtic Colours Maple Lager

The Brewnosers: Special Bitter

Garrison Brewing: Imperial Chocolate Stout and Vulcan Ale – Genesis Effect Red Session IPA

Hell Bay: English Ale

North Brewing: TBA

PEI Brewing: Island Vibes American Pale Ale and Roll Out The Barrels (Barrel Aged Lager w/ Brett)

Pumphouse: Thai Wheat

Tatamagouche Brewing: Rye & Ginger

Unfiltered Brewing: Exile on North Street IPA, Flat Black Jesus American Stout, and Twelve Years To Zion Double IPA

Upstreet: Gravedigger Imperial Pumpkin Ale

• Attention Halifax beer fans! Tomorrow marks the last day of the 2015 season for the Stillwell Beergarden, so be sure to drop by for a pint. We reached out to co-owner Andrew Connell for his thoughts on its inaugural year on the waterfront:

“I was personally really surprised at the response from people in and around Halifax. We wanted to create a space for ourselves to hang out, somewhere outside with an awesome view and good beer on tap. When we opened it felt like people had been waiting for that exact thing for way longer than I realized! At the height we were really surprising ourselves with the amount of beer we ordered from individual breweries every week. The problem became not having enough keg room space to have enough beer for a busy weekend! Halifax based breweries saved us, emergency keg deliveries several times a week just to keep up with demand – they were awesome. The response of the community in Halifax was incredible and we definitely put craft beer in to a lot of people’s hands who were completely new to the idea – I’m sure you can appreciate that it always feels great to do that and to be on the front line supporting Nova Scotia craft beer. As far as next year goes, if we are able to do the Beergarden again, we just want to raise the bar for the whole experience. The best selection of Nova Scotia craft beer that we can get our hands on, more variety on the snack side and we’ll invest in making the space more fun (lawn games!) and more comfortable.”

We’re certainly looking forward to seeing them on the waterfront again next year, showcasing the best the NS breweries have to offer, to locals and visitors alike.

• Boxing Rock will be hosting a Harvest Party at their Shelburne brewery tomorrow. From 1-4pm, they will be holding free brewery tours, live music, serving up beer sausages, and have pumpkin-themed games for the whole family. At 2pm, co-owner and -brewer Henry Pedro will give a presentation on the Science of Beer. Expanding on his Mash talk at the Discovery Centre event during NS Craft Beer Week, he will go into more detail on the entire process, sure to satisfy both the brewing novice and beer nerd.

Have a fantastic weekend! Hammond River has a couple of favourites that have returned to tap accounts: both the Imperial Vanilla Porter (including the Bourbon-version) and Imperial Breakfast Stout (this time with more bacon!) should be available at better beer bars in the Quispamsis/Saint John region, and hopefully at the James Joyce at some point as well. Red Rover has also re-released their very popular Fall Cider, a 7% ABV semi-dry cider that has real cinnamon sticks added in secondary. If you haven’t tried Petit-Sault’s Oktoberfest, La Padrix, yet, it’s currently at all four ANBL growler stations. Hell Bay‘s
hop harvest beer will be released shortly, featuring fresh hops from local Dayspring hop farm. Also, look for 6-packs of their English and Dark Cream ales at the NSLC, replacing the 500ml format. Best of luck to all entrants in this weekend’s ACBAs. With 200 entries from across the Maritimes, the judges have their work cut out for them! We’ll be sharing the details of the winners next week. And from the folks organizing the ACBAs, a reminder that their Cicerone prep course for Certified Beer Server and Certified Cicerone are beginning this week. Get in touch with Peter Goneau for more details.

Friday Wrap-Up – Launch of Spindrift Brewing and York County Cider, Plus New Beers From Celtic Knot, Hammond River, Big Spruce, Unfiltered, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-09-25
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Bulwark Cider, Celtic Knot Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Moncton Beer League, North Brewing, PEI Brewing Co., RockBottom Brewpub, Rudder's Brewpub, Spindrift Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Brewnosers, Unfiltered Brewing, York County Cider, Your Father's Moustache. Leave a Comment

It’s been another busy week in the Atlantic Region! Another new brewery has launched in Nova Scotia, a new cidery will be opening soon in New Brunswick, and there are more new beers (and return of seasonal releases) than you can shake a stick at; not to mention several great events for you to check out this weekend. Let’s get to it!

• Spindrift Brewing in Dartmouth now has beer available for purchase. While their storefront is not yet open, their Coastal Lager is available now in several NSLCs around the province (with that list growing daily). This 5.0% ABV Amber Lager has an initial province-wide launch in cans, with tap accounts soon, and growler fills at their Burnside location upon its opening in the coming weeks. Look for our profile of them early next week, and go grab a can now!

• There’s a new cidery coming to Fredericton – York County Cider recently got the final approval to move into 418 York St downtown. They’re hoping to launch by the end of October; their first five products should include a Dry, Semi-Dry, Hopped, Ginger, and Blueberry version. Plans right now are to distribute in 12 oz bottles, along with one confirmed tap account in the city (with likely more to follow); growler fills are also a strong possibility. We’ll keep you updated on their progress, and should have a Q&A with owner/brewer Ed Teale in the near future!

• Meanwhile, the string of wet-hopped seasonal beers continues! First off is a “Harvest ale version” of Celtic Knot‘s American IPA, Hopicide. Owner/brewer Bruce Barton was generously given a large amount of fresh Cascade from Amherst, NS homebrewer Jeff Smith, all of which were used as a single dry-hop addition in the already-brewed beer. Look for this batch to pop up on tap at various Celtic Knot accounts very soon. And in other Celtic Knot news, they will be brewing an Oyster Stout version of their Oatmeal Stout, Dark Passage, soon; this one will feature the addition of oyster shells at the beginning of the boil, followed by the meat and juices added near the end. We’ll keep you updated on its release.

• Moving on to Hammond River, they’ve once again released their Harvest Ale. This season’s batch was wet-hopped with a large amount of fresh Cascade that was harvested at the home of owner/brewer Shane Steeves. A West-Coast style IPA, it weighs in at 70 IBUs and 7% ABV and features a “simple grain bill” to let the hops shine through. It’s been popping up at selects bars/restaurants over the last week or two; only two batches were brewed, so if you haven’t tried it yet, find it quickly before it’s gone!

• Big Spruce has released their annual hop harvest beer, Craig Goes Yard. An American IPA clocking in at 6.7% ABV, and features a combination of wet and freshly-dried hops, all harvested from their on-premise hop farm. East Kent Goldings and Mt Hood were used wet, while a healthy dose of dried Chinook made it into the boil, and the beer was further dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria. The multiple hops give a great combination of complex aromatics, with the brewery describing the final product as “deeply flavourful”. Look for it on tap at the brewery during today’s Food Truck Friday, around Halifax and Sydney, and at tonight’s Hops n’ Brats event (more details below).

• Unfiltered will be releasing their first single-varietal fresh-hopped beer, Hop Riot India Red Ale, at the brewery today at noon. This one features the addition of a total of 272 kg (!!) of wet Centennial hops, grown locally and sourced through the Maritime Hop Growers Cooperative. The hops were used within 6 hours of harvesting in PEI, so expect a blast of fresh hop aromas and flavours in this 7.3% ABV Red IPA. We can only imagine how much work this brew day must have been, with the sheer weight and volume of hops in their brew system.

• Big Tide has released three hop harvest beers, all part of their Indian Beach series. The three varieties used in these beers – Cascade, Hallertau, and Nugget – were grown locally at Dunhams Run Estate Winery at Gorham’s Bluff on the Kingston peninsula, historically known as Indian Beach. The first beer is Indian Beach Kolsch-style, which is their regular-release Karnival Kolsch (4.8% ABV) brewed with fresh Cascade. The Indian Beach Pumpkin Ale (5.2% ABV) also uses Cascade, along with fresh local pumpkin that has been cut up and roasted with several spices, and added to the mash of Pale Ale malt. Both beers are available on tap now at the brewpub. Coming early next week is the final beer, Indian Beach Harvest Ale. With a grist of 2-row and CaraMunich, it was hopped with all three of the fresh varieties, and comes in at 5% ABV.

• In PEI, BarNone has just released a batch of their award-winning Sub Stanchel Amber that has been wet-hopped with Cascade grown on their farm, with some wild PEI native hops grown nearby in Stanchel (or directly under it). It’s currently available at the brewery, and on tap at the Olde Dublin Pub and Old Triangle in Charlottetown. BarNone is also releasing a new beer that was brewed in tribute to co-owner Hugh Campbell, who passed away last month. 333 Somewhat Irish Red is brewed in the style of an Irish Red, but features more hops… specifically, 3.33 kg of freshly-dried whole hops were added as a dry-hop addition. Both beers will be pouring at a special music event being held at the brewery tonight, featuring Nudie’s Country Duets with Hannah Rose, plus Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar. The show begins at 8 pm; tickets are available online.

• In case you didn’t know, there are always a few in-house brewed beers on at Your Father’s Moustache in Halifax, courtesy of Rockbottom in the basement. The latest to hit the taps is a wet-hopped version of their Red Duster American Pale Ale. This 5.5% ABV Pale Ale was brewed with a healthy dose of locally-grown Centennial hops, but instead of typical floral or piney aromatics, these wet hops deliver a massive orange and sweet citrus aroma and flavour.

• Downstairs at Rockbottom, they have a couple of seasonals in addition to their four core lineup: Bulldog Brown Ale is a 4.5% ABV English Brown with a light and semi-sweet body, toasted aromas, and mild toffee flavour. It’s lightly hopped to 25 IBUs using traditional earthy English varietals. The Märzen Red Lager is a malty, amber German lager traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest. At 5.9% ABV and 25 IBUs, it features a bready malt flavour, restrained bitterness, and a dry finish. Be sure to drop down for a pint of each, and don’t forget their Wednesday weekly firkins for a taste of something different (this week’s was a Schwartz Bier Black Lager).

• Finally in harvest beers this week, North Brewing has released their second of the year (after the Many Hands collab with Boxing Rock): Setting Sun. This wet-hopped version of their Saison features brewer Josh Herbin’s own Cascade, Chinook and Willamette hops. If that wasn’t enough, the beer was aged on 12 kg of sour cherries from Stirling Fruit Farms in the valley. The cherries come through brilliantly in the aroma, coupled with a citrus flavour and bitterness, and pepper finish from the yeast. The beer is available now at the Agricola St brewery for growler fills, and will make it on tap at just a few spots around the city shortly. And the crowdfunding for their new partnership with Brooklyn Warehouse, Battery Park Beer Bar, is entering its last week. Things are definitely taking shape at the new location in Dartmouth, with the grand opening happening in the coming weeks.

• PEI Brewing Co. has re-released their Pumpkin Ale seasonal. An Amber Ale that includes the addition of plenty of local pumpkins and squash, it’s also spiced with whole nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cassia, and fresh ginger. The grist also features Victory malt for a “toasty sweetness”. Hopped with Magnum to 25 IBUs, it clocks in at 5.8% ABV. It’s available now at the brewery in bottles and on tap, and will be at the PEILCC and licencees shortly, and select ANBL and NSLC stores, soon.

• Next week should also mark the arrival of Rogues IPA, which was brewed at the PEI Brewing Co. Brewed “in the style of an American IPA”, it actually features a lot of British ingredients, such as Maris Otter malt (along with Crystal 40 L and Torrified Wheat), Goldings and Target hops, and was fermented with Burton Ale yeast. This 6% ABV, 70 IBUs ale should be released in cans at the brewery next week, with PEILCC  and NSLC stores to follow shortly afterwards; ANBL stores should eventually be seeing some, too. The beer is based on the IPA served at Rogues Roost brewpub in Halifax, which closed last week, due to the building being demolished for renovations. Be sure to raise a can of Rogues IPA to toast the life of this Halifax institution.

• Moving back to Pumpkin beers: Garrison has re-released their Double Jack Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Brewed with Cinderella pumpkins (a variety regarded as a superior dessert pumpkin) from the Dill Family, the beer was also spiced with cinnamon, clove, allspice and nutmeg. Hopped with Millenium to 30 IBUs for “a light bitterness to offset the malt and spice character”, it weighs in at a might 8% ABV. It’s currently available at select NSLC stores, and will follow shortly at the brewery and tap accounts. And for those heading to the Halifax Oktoberfest this weekend (more details below), you will be able to enjoy three new brews on tap: the Hammer-Schlagen Brau, Nass Hopfenweisse, and Rise ‘n’ Stein Hefeweizen.

• Bulwark Cider will be releasing an Oak-aged blend later this fall, and they’re currently holding a Label Competition for the bottles of this new cider. The competition is open to all artists, and entries should not include any text (name of the brand and cider); the winner will receive a cash prize and TBD cider prize. The deadline for entry is October 6th at 1 pm; eight finalists will be chosen by Oct 12th, and will then move on to final judging in a display at Bar Stillwell. For more information on how to enter, check out the link above.

• Next Friday, October 2nd at 7 pm, Rudder’s Brewpub will be holding their 10th Annual Brewer’s Dinner. Reservations are required, and include a 4-course dinner, with each course paired with a different Rudder’s-brewed beer. Contact the brewpub today to reserve your seat!

• Finally brewers, don’t forget to submit the forms for the second annual Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards. Today is the last day to register, with beers due in a couple of weeks. This year’s Awards has expanded to an entire week of events, including seminars and dinners for both brewers and open to the public.

There are lots of events on the go this weekend, so be sure to get out for some great local beer:

• The Ladies Beer League will be holding a Food and Beer Pairing at Bishop’s Cellar this afternoon, beginning at 5pm. Nine beers from Bishop’s shelves will be paired with some small plates and snacks from a local chef. Tickets are $20, and available online.

• The Tatamagouche Oktoberfest is being held today and tomorrow; this is the 36th year for Atlantic Canada’s largest Oktoberfest, and there’s plenty of events going on both days, including a Beer Garden tonight from 6-11 pm. If you’re attending, keep your eyes open for Tatabrew‘s just-released Lagerhosen.

• The Halifax Oktoberfest is also taking place this weekend, with a craft beer/sausage event, Hops & Brats, taking place today from 5-11 pm. Entry is $16 and includes five beer samples from local craft breweries; of course, plenty of sausages will be available for purchase as well. Tickets are available online. Tomorrow there will be an Oktoberfest & Kinderfest from 11 am – 11 pm, featuring traditional German food, games, music, and plenty of Garrison beer and Bulwark cider. Entry is free until 6 pm; afterwards, it becomes a 19+ event, where entry is $20 and includes a 500 mL Stein to keep, and your first fill.

• Saturday afternoon, the Moncton Beer League will be going on an Urban Hike to five different craft-beer-friendly bars in the downtown area; more details on this event in an earlier post. Those who purchase tickets to the Hike will receive a $5 discount on the upcoming Atlantic Canadian Craft Beer Oktoberfest, being held October 9th at the Moncton Crowne Plaza. We’ll have more details on the Oktoberfest next week; in the meantime, tickets are on sale now.

• And for those who are looking for a fun group of homebrewers to hang with, the Brewnosers Hoptoberfest event is being held Saturday afternoon and evening. Check the thread on the forum for details, and though it is a private event, anyone looking to chat, snack, and taste and enjoy great beer, of course, is welcome! There will be at least 20 different homebrew kegs of all types, and hop-infused sausages, especially made for the crew by Cavicchi’s Meats.

Wow, another extremely busy week! There’s even more new beers coming soon, including the first seasonal from Breton Brewing, Celtic Colours Maple Lager, and an Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Upstreet Brewing (actually a collaboration brewed with award-winning homebrewer Ryan Palmer)… more on these beers, soon. Boxing Rock has re-released their Black IPA, The Darkness; it should be popping up, now. If you live in Fredericton and are thinking you’d like to work in a brewery, Maybee Brewing Co. is now accepting resumes for positions in the New Year; send along yours via email. Have a fantastic weekend!

Friday Wrap-Up – News from TrailWay, Upstreet, Boxing Rock, North Brewing, Hammond River, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-08-28
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 540 Kitchen & Bar, Acadie-Broue, ANBL, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Canadian Brewing Awards, Hammond River Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, King Street Ale House, Meander River Farm and Brewery, North Brewing, OktoberFest des Acadiens, Picaroons, Red Rover Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday everyone! Sadly, this marks the last Wrap-Up of August, but that doesn’t mean that the beer news is slowing down at all.

• TrailWay released a new beer yesterday – this one was actually brewed by Catherine Saunders and Alex Sorenson under the watchful-eye of their significant others, Jake Saunders and Dan Mason (owners and brewers of TrailWay). Appropriately-named Better Half, it’s a Blueberry-Lime Fruit Beer that had real lime zest and 35 lbs of local blueberries added after fermentation was complete. With a simple grain bill consisting of mostly Pilsner malt, and very minimal hopping, it’s a refreshing and easy-drinking (at 4.5% ABV) end-of-summer beer, with some sweetness and tartness from the fruit. You can find it on tap now (or very soon) at the King Street Ale House, James Joyce Pub, 540 Kitchen & Bar, and Vault 29.

• In other TrailWay news, they should be releasing a new Double IPA (currently unnamed) sometime next week. Clocking in at about 8.1%, it was hopped heavily (to ~75 IBUs) with Centennial, Comet, Galaxy and Mosaic, so expect plenty of tropical, citrus, and dank notes in this beer! Like most of their hoppy beers, the malt bill was kept relatively simple to allow the hops to shine through.

• PEI’s newest craft brewery, Upstreet Craft Brewing, is holding a Block Party on Saturday, September 5th. This free event will be held outdoors in the Upstreet parking lot, and will feature local food vendors, live music (including Wrong Planet Band), lawn games, activities (big and small, for kids and adults), and a “pop-up barber shop” for all your hair-trimming needs; guided brewery tours will also be going on throughout the day. It’s family-friendly, so bring the kids! The party will continue inside the taproom after 8 pm. They’ll be releasing their highly-anticipated Boxing Rock collaboration beer, Rumble in the Alley: Round 1, a SMaSH India Pale Lager, and there MAY be a special guest or two on hand for the tapping! And in other good news, brewmaster Mike Hogan has confirmed that he will be brewing another batch of their Wheat IPA, White Noize in the next few days; look for that one to be released again in September.

• It’s Hop Harvest time in our region! Yesterday, the crew from North Brewing made the trek to Shelburne to visit Boxing Rock Brewing for their own harvest collaboration brew. Many Hands 3.0 features loads of freshly-harvested Cascade, Chinook, and Willamette, all from North brewer Josh Herbin’s Lazy Acres hop farm. This Pale Ale will weigh in just shy of 6% ABV, and be available at both breweries and their market and restaurant accounts in September.

• Several other breweries have/will be brewing up wet hopped beers. Hammond River will be brewing up some with their own home-grown hops next week, Rockbottom Brewpub is brewing up a Pale Ale today with some Annapolis Valley fresh hops, and Picaroons has started the brewing of their multiple Harvest Ales, sourced from hop farms across the Maritimes. Big Spruce will be harvesting their own farm-grown hops Wednesday, September 2nd, and Meander River will be harvesting theirs Saturday September, 5th, with brews to follow quickly thereafter (if you’re able to help pick in Nyanza or Ashdale, keep an eye on their respective social media feeds for details and rain dates, if necessary).

• Meander River has a few new beers on tap recently, and we wanted to keep y’all up-to-date with their releases. Summer Solstice IPA is a 4.5% ABV Session IPA featuring a balanced hoppy flavour and aroma thanks to Amarillo and Citra; it was further dry-hopped with Cascade. A lower alcohol, but full-flavoured beer, perfect for summer afternoons and evenings. Gristmill Wheat Beer is an unfiltered wheat beer, featuring a forward bitterness with lots of citrus and strawberry, with a characteristic banana aroma. This is a lighter 3.8% ABV. Their Dusty Road Hard Apple Cider is a bit bigger, at 5.5% ABV, but just as refreshing, as it finishes quite dry and crisp. This is a different blend of Annapolis Valley apples than their Shack Wacky release in the spring, and as such will have a different profile. Their 5.2% ABV Ashdale Honey Brown is also available now, featuring honey harvested right on the farm, and added to the lightly-hopped Brown Ale, for a slightly sweeter finish and notes of toffee. Look for these beers at the brewery, or their accounts around the province.

• YellowBelly Brewery in St. John’s, NL has released an alcoholic Apple Cider this week. Weighing in at 7% ABV, it is an off-dry cider, featuring some perceived bitterness from the high tannin content of the apples. It was fermented with champagne yeasts for a crisp and acidic bite. It is now on tap at the brewery and public house, and will be available in bottles next week.

• Red Rover has brewed up their first Perry; similar to a cider – in that it is an alcoholic beverage from fermented apple juice – it also incorporates juice from pears. Featuring a single variety of pear from Cocagne, NB, it was balanced with juice from Cox’s Orange Pippin apples. The batch has been maturing for the last six months, and is exhibiting a “sweet, floral nose, and softer palate than a cider”, according to co-owner/brewer Adam Clawson; it should come in at around 7% ABV. It will be released at the Cider House next Thursday for flagon fills, and will also make a limited appearance at the Farmer’s Markets that Red Rover frequents.

• Fredericton’s James Joyce Pub has announced details on their Mug Club, the first of its kind in the city. A yearly membership of $59.95 + tax gets you a personally-numbered mug with plenty of entitlements, including 24-oz pours for the price of 20-oz, food discounts, email updates on new beers tapped at the pub, and invitations to Mug Club-exclusive events. Only 30 mugs will be sold; check out the link for more details. The official launch will be October 1st, but you can head into the pub now to reserve your mug.

• Good news for beer fans in New Brunswick: the ANBL has announced that they have over 30 award-winning beers from this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards that will be available for sale at select stores this Monday, August 31st. The “Ultimate Beer Run” includes multiple styles from breweries all across the country; check out the full list (and participating ANBL outlets) here. Quantities are limited, so be sure to drop by on Monday if you have particular beers that you would like to try.

• La sixième édition de l’Oktoberfest des Acadiens se passe du 3 au 6 Septembre à Bertrand, NB. Avec de la musique et un ambiance bavaroise dans les après midi, et des spectacles avec des artistes de renoms les vendredi et samedi soirs. C’est une fin de semaine de plaisir et de divertissement pour toute la famille. Jeudi soir l’on vous propose une dégustation dirigée par Patrice Godin d’Acadie-Broue, intitulé “Le Tour du Monde avec de la Bière”, mettant en vedette certains accords mets et bières spéciales. La Grande Dégustation se déroule le samedi et le dimanche de 13h à 18h, où les visiteurs pourront déguster une centaine de bières différentes du Nouveau-Brunswick (y compris Acadie-Broue, Petit-Sault, Picaroons, Pump House, Savoie’s Brewhouse), le Canada (Glutenberg et Red Racer et beaucoup plus), ainsi que l’Europe (Chimay, Chouffe, et Weihenstephan par exemples). Pour plus de détails sur les billets et l’horaire complet Vous pouvez visiter leur site et leur page Facebook.

• The Sixth Annual Oktoberfest des Acadiens is happening September 3-6 in Bertrand, NB. Featuring live music daily, and major concerts Friday and Saturday evening, it is a full weekend of family fun and entertainment. Thursday evening features a tasting led by Acadie-Broue‘s Patrice Godin, entitled “Around the World with Beer”, featuring several special beer and food pairings. The beer garden will be open Saturday and Sunday 1-6pm, where visitors can sample from over 100 different beers from New Brunswick (including Acadie-Broue, Petit-Sault, Picaroons, Pump House, Savoie’s Brewhouse), Canada (Glutenberg and Red Racer and many more), as well as Europe (Chimay, Chouffe, and Weihenstephan for example). Ticket details and the full schedule is available on their website and Facebook page.

• Homebrewers, fire up those kettles, the 3rd Annual Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge is back! This year is a bit of a departure from previous competitions, as beers are being accepted in three different styles: Czech Dark Lager (3D), Altbier (7B), and Red IPA (21B). They will be judged using the new 2015 BJCP style guidelines. The top three beers in each category will win prizes, and the Best in Show beer will be brewed at Big Spruce, and released at the Third Annual Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration in January. Homebrewers may enter a beer in one, two, or all three categories for the same $25 entry fee. That fee also entitles entrants to a limited edition t-shirt, and new this year, entry to the post-judging party at the Wooden Monkey Alderney Landing November 28th. To take part, be sure to email Big Spruce for the official entry form before November 23rd, and drop off the beer before the 27th at the brewery or the Halifax drop-point. There are more details on the event’s Facebook page. As there are a couple of lagers in there, best to get brewing soon!

Enjoy your weekend! All four ANBL growler stations are pouring summery beers this week, including Petit-Sault‘s new John Stadig (an “Orange Ginger White ale”), Picaroons Dooryard, and Le Trou du Diable Blanche de Shawi. Be sure to drop by Rockbottom this weekend and next week as they host several acts from the Halifax Urban Folk Festival, and catch their FizzGig Ladies Beer League Imperial Red, and Farmer’s Daughter Farmhouse Ale before they are replaced by an English Brown Ale and a traditionally-brewed Marzen (featuring imported malts and the Hochkurz Double-Decoction mash technique). Cheers!