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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 – News from Upstreet, Boxing Rock, Sunset Heights Meadery, NB Beer Tours, Unfiltered, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-08-14
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Battery Park, Big Axe Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Breton Brewing, Bulwark Cider, Celtic Oktoberfest, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Halifax Oktoberfest, Hell Bay Brewing, Jester King, King Street Ale House, Local Connections Halifax, Maritime Hop Growers Cooperative, New Brunswick Beer Tours, North Brewing, Picaroons, Propeller Brewing, Railcar Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Sunset Heights Meadery, Unfiltered Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. 1 comment

Good morning! Looks like there’s some hot weather coming our way for this weekend… what better way to cool off than with news about our favourite beverage?

• Last weekend, PEI’s Upstreet Craft Brewing had a special visitor: Emily Tipton, Boxing Rock‘s co-owner and Beer Engineer. Tipton and Upstreet brewmaster Mike Hogan brewed their first collaboration beer on Upstreet’s system, a SMaSH IPL (single-malt and single hop India Pale Lager) named Rumble in the Alley: Round 1. Featuring a grist of 100% Maritime malt, and hopped entirely with Amarillo to 50 IBUs, it was fermented with Upstreet’s house Pilsner yeast and should clock in at about 6% ABV. Islanders can expect to see this one become available before the end of August; look for a couple of kegs to also pop up in Halifax sometime in the future. This should be just the first of many collaborations between these two breweries; they already have a history of working together, including when the Upstreet crew visited Boxing Rock last winter, and ended up lending a hand to help brew Cinnamon Spin.

• The hop plants at Sunset Heights Meadery are growing strong, and owner/brewer John Way already has plans for them! He’s brewed up a single 120 L batch of mead, which will be separated into eight 15 L “mini-batches”, each of which will be wet-hopped with a different variety (including Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Fuggles, Galena, Magnum, Nugget, and Willamette). These small batches will be bottled and sold as 8-packs (200 mL per bottle), allowing the consumer to sample each type. If you’re attending the Autumn Mead Release Party on October 24th (there are only a few tickets left), you’ll have guaranteed access to purchase one set; leftovers – if any – will be available via their soon-to-go-live online store.

• The itinerary has been finalized for the next trip from New Brunswick Beer Tours, which will be held on Saturday, October 17th. The River Valley Tour is actually a rehash of their first highly-successful tour last fall, and includes stops at Petit-Sault in Edmundston, Railcar in Florenceville-Bristol, and Big Axe in Nackawic. The tour bus leaves the King Street Ale House in Fredericton at 9 am, and should return around 6 pm later that day. Beer samples from all three breweries are included, as well as many sampling opportunities on the bus itself, and a box lunch. Tickets are now available;  an early-bird price of $88 (taxes and fee included) will apply until September 1st.

• After opening just a couple of weeks ago, Unfiltered Brewing is releasing their first seasonal today at noon. Daytimer is a kettle-soured Berliner Weisse that has been dry-hopped with plenty of Mosaic, a variety well-known for providing high levels of tropical fruitiness. Combined with the natural tartness of this style and it’s high drinkability at 3.4% ABV, Haligonians should be looking at the perfect beer for hot-weather consumption. And drop by Unfiltered anytime after 3pm today to pair your growler with a dog from the T-Dogs hotdog stand.

• Speaking of dogs (and T-Dogs specifically), details are being released for this year’s Sausage Fest, put on by the Local Connections Halifax crew. A preview of the event is happening tomorrow, during Sausage Fest Roadshow on the pedestrian-only (on the weekend) Argyle Street. T-Dogs will be there to serve up some pizza- and donair-dogs; many other community groups and vendors will be attending as well. Sausage Fest begins in earnest Sept 19th, with a day-time Sausage Throwdown, and an evening Sausage O’ The Night event, with both events hosting at least nine NS breweries and a half-dozen restaurants with their sausage creations. In fact, several breweries will be releasing special brews for the week: Boxing Rock is releasing Kerfuffle APA, a dry-hopped malt-balanced Pale Ale; Bulwark will have Hopped Citrus Cider, an apple cider featuring Cascade and Comet hops; Garrison is releasing Hammerschlagen Brau, a Marzen; and Propeller will be bringing Wind Swell Wheat, a Cascade-hopped American Pale Wheat beer. And on Friday, Sept 25th, the waterfront will host a Hops & Brats event to kick off Halifax Oktoberfest, with many NS breweries in attendance to share their beers to pair with different German fare. And just a note, LCH’s Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration is returning January 14th at the Marriott Harbourfront, and Early Bird tickets are on sale now.

• AND, speaking of Dogs, Dawgs, and Dogg, the folks at Good Robot are hosting a Hair of the Dog event Sunday. Grab your puppy(ies) and drop by after 11am for a dog spa treatment by the folks at All 4 Paws Pet Services; while there, enjoy a custom-made T-Dogs hot dog, grab a pint of GR beer, and listen to some Snoop Dogg. $20 will get you a dog wash, hot dog, and 12oz beer (the music is free). $2 from each combo package will be going to ElderDog Canada. While on-site, grab a taste of their Goseface Killah Gose v1.1, dubbed Sour Soul, which was brewed using more acidulated malt than the first release, for an additional acidic character. And with their Tap Room slated to open this fall, they are now taking applications for servers and bartenders, so be sure to bug Josh while you’re there!

• The Celtic Oktoberfest is returning on October 24th for their second year in Port Hawkesbury. A “celebration of local food, music, and beer”, attendees can expect plenty of all three, with the four hour event featuring beer from ten different Nova Scotia breweries, food from ten Cape Breton restaurants, and live music from many local musicians. So far, Big Spruce, Breton Brewing, Boxing Rock, Garrison, and Hell Bay are confirmed to be pouring, with others likely being announced soon. Tickets are now on sale, with early-bird pricing at $50 (+ fee) available until September 1st.

• The folks from North Brewing and Brooklyn Warehouse have announced plans for their new spot in Dartmouth. Battery Park beer bar & eatery will open in October at 62 Ochterloney Drive in Dartmouth. In addition to the bar and restaurant, it will feature a brewing system on-site, with North’s current 5 BBL (600 litre) brewhouse making the trip across the bridge. Beers brewed in Dartmouth will be special brews available only at Battery Park, or for growler fills at the brewery shop. In its place at North’s Agricola St location, a new 10 BBL (1200 litre) steam-fired system will be commissioned. This brew-house from DME will incorporate a boiler capable of burning biodiesel, taking a big step towards North’s plan of reducing their environmental footprint. As part of the launch of this new endeavour, Battery Park is running a crowdfunding campaign.

• Stillwell Beer Bar will be hosting an exciting pair of out-of-province breweries September 1st. Brasserie Dunham from Quebec’s Eastern Townships and Jester King from just outside of Austin, TX, are two breweries at the forefront of innovative recipes and techniques, both with extensive barrel- and mixed-fermentation beers in their roster. They recently brewed up a collaboration beer, and are meeting again in Quebec for another brew day and the release celebration. Part of the celebration will include a brewers’ visit to Stillwell, where the two breweries will be taking over the taps, as well as bringing a load of bottles. Tickets for the event go on sale today at noon, and will offer first sips of the beers in a 6-8pm session, after which the doors will be open to all. A warning that many of the beers will be in short supply, and some will almost certainly run our during the initial early session. For more information on the breweries and which beers will be pouring, check out Stillwell’s Blog.

• The Maritime Hop Growers Co-op are hosting Open Hop Yard Days this month, giving NS beer enthusiasts a chance to check out a few of the farms growing hops in the province. For the next three Sundays, from 1-4pm, folks can visit Breton Fields, High Tide, Meander River, Wallace Ridge, Wentworth Creek, and Wysmykal Farm hop farms to learn about the process of growing hops, as well as the business of hop growing. For those already growing hops, or looking to start, there is an information session presented by Perennia August 19th in Aylesford, with information on best practices for harvesting and drying hops. With many of the members in attendance, it will be a great opportunity to talk about the opportunities available. The Co-op has been around since 2009, and has 15 farm members (ten in NS, three in NB, and two in PEI). Those interested in more information on joining the Co-op, growing hops as a hobby, or buying hops, should check out their Facebook page.

• YellowBelly Brewery in St John’s has released a new IPA this week, Deep South. Hopped to 60 IBUs with varieties from the Southern Hemisphere (specifically, Pacific Gem from New Zealand and Mosaic from Australia), the beer comes across as “dry and bitter, with serious overtones of lychee and grapefruit”, according to the brewery. YellowBelly decided to ferment this IPA with an American ale yeast, as opposed to their British house strain, which should allow the fruity hop characteristics to shine through even more. It weighs in at a manageable 6% ABV; get down to the brewpub to give it a try!

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend, and keep cool with some good, local beer! Garrison Brewing’s Honey Lavender is back for another year. This 6.3% ABV ale features loads of lavender from Meander River Farms, and honey from Cosman & Whidden; it’s available in 650 mL bottles at the brewery. Stubborn Goat Gastropub has added grunters to their repertoire. This new ability to offer 0.95 litre pours is a continuation of their “social dining” concept, encouraging groups to share a few glasses of several different craft beer options during their meal. Breton Brewing ‏is looking to hire some folks in their retail space, as well as for delivery and assistant brewer positions. Contact them for details. Finally, Picaroons is starting to see some of their new brewery equipment coming in, with the arrival of several new tanks this week in Fredericton. Stay tuned for more updates…

Friday Wrap-Up – New Beers from Propeller, Nook and Cranny, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Big Axe, Picaroons, and many more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-06-05
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Breton Brewing, Canadian Brewing Awards, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Garrison Brewing, Good Cheer Trail, Good Robot Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Isaac's Way, Meander River Farm and Brewery, Picaroons, Picaroons cat contest, Propeller Brewing, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Stillwell Beer Bar, Sunset Heights Meadery, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Nook and Cranny, Tom's Little Havana. 1 comment

Good morning, beer lovers! It’s the end of another week, and it’s absolutely chock-full of Atlantic Canadian beer news… let’s get right to it:

• Propeller has released their newest One Hit Wonder, Point Pleasant Pale Ale. An APA hopped entirely with the Columbus variety, the brewery describes it as “crisp and balanced”. It weighs in at 5% ABV, and at only 27 IBUs, expect a beer that isn’t quite as bitter as others of the same style. As always, it’s available for growler fills at both Prop Shop locations, and on tap at better beer establishments throughout Halifax.

• As we promised last week, we have some info on two new beers currently on tap at The Nook and Cranny. First off is their Black Beer’d IPA, a Black IPA that is very dark as per the style (thanks to a grist including Carafa Special II, along with Carapils and CaraMunich for specialty malts). Weighing in at 5.8% ABV and 38 IBUs, it’s dry-hopped with plenty of Centennial, Cascade and Galaxy for lots of tropical and citrus aromas/flavours. Next is the Spitting Alpaca, an American Pale Ale hopped with Pacific Jade and Cascade, and dry-hopped with Galaxy; this one comes in at 5.2% ABV and 18 IBUs. This is the first iteration for both brews, so expect some recipe tweaking over the next few batches until they’ve settled on what they (and customers) like best. In the meantime, get down there for a pint and/or growler fills! Also, look for another fruit-based wheat beer in July (their Blueberry Wheat is currently the most-popular beer on tap).

• Their first beer, Caraquet Flyer, was only released last month, but Distillerie Fils du Roy now have a second brew available, and it’s at all four ANBL growler stations this weekend! Stella Maris (named after the star in the Acadian flag, representing Mary, the patron of mariners) is inspired by the French style, Bière de Garde, which means “beer that has been kept or lagered”. A fairly-strong (7.5% ABV), malty beer, it was brewed with French malts and hops. The brewery/distillery is referring to it as a “Bière de Garde Régions d’Acadie”, not unlike some French styles of alcohol being specific to where they are made (e.g. Champagne). If you’re in the Petit-Paquetville region, you can also find 750 mL bottles of both beers available at their store, open 10-5, Mon-Sat; the Caraquet Flyer is also available in bottles in select ANBLs.

• Big Axe has a new rendition of their Blonde Ale currently available on tap and at the brewery for growler fills and pints. The Hatchet has the same grist as the previous Blonde Ale, but has been hopped more heavily (with Perle and El Dorado) later in the boil, to boost the aroma of the beer. It still comes in at an easy-drinking 4.6% ABV, and 30 IBUs. Look for it at the usual Big Axe accounts to enjoy it on tap, including new addition Isaac’s Way, where it will be part of their summer beer menu.

• Earlier this week, on June 1st, Picaroons released their seasonal Watermelon Wheat, MelonHead; this day also marked the revealing of the winning cat in their Melon Head label contest. Sir Winston Snaggletooth (!), owned by Jordan Stephens, takes the honour of gracing every bottle of MelonHead released this season. MelonHead is available now at the Brewtique for growler fills, and should be on tap at select bars/restaurants across the province, and in bottles at ANBL stores this weekend.

• Hell Bay Brewing has released a new beer this week, with a bit of a twist. Their OPA (Oatmeal Pale Ale) is now on tap at the brewery and soon at select bars, and weighs in at 5.0% ABV. While oats are used occasionally in Stouts to impart a fuller mouthfeel and some residual sweetness, they are seldom used in other beer styles. The smooth mouthfeel offered by the oats pairs well with the crisp hop character (weighing in at 49 IBUs), for a balanced and easy- drinking summer beer. The OPA will be available all summer, with the possibility of bottles into the private stores later. Hell Bay also teased the label for a beer coming in July, Hell’s Anvil!. This Smoked Dry Stout is being brewed in collaboration with the CanIron X Blacksmiths Conference being held in Baddeck, Cape Breton, July 2-5. Beware, Smithing is thirsty work, and we civilians may have to wait for a re-brew of the beer, perhaps in the fall.

• Attention Halifax Beer Fans! The Stillwell Waterfront Beergarden is set to open within the next few days. Located at Summit Plaza, steps from “The Wave”, the bar is located in a converted shipping container, and features outdoor, but sheltered, seating. Delivery of the container, built by Halifax’s Skin + Bones Building Desgin Workshop, took place yesterday, with the taps installed by BeerTech Darught Systems shortly thereafter. The seating area is set, and the staff is receiving training today, so look for the big announcement from the Stillwell crew on Twitter later in the weekend, or very early next week. As a reminder, they will be serving beer, cider and wine on tap, and food will focus on easy snacks and sausages, with some being handmade by chef Graeme Ruppel, as well as local producers Sweet William’s, Roselane Farm, with bread and buns from Gingerbread Haus.

• Meander River Farm and Brewery released a new beer last night, launched at the Taste of Nova Scotia 12 Tides event. Summer Solstice IPA is a Session Ale, weighing in at 4.5% ABV. The lower alcohol certainly does not mean lower flavour, as the beer features lots of flavour and aroma from Amarillo and Citra hops, with an extra dry-hopped blast of Cascade. It is available at the Brewery in Ashdale all weekend (along with their Honey Brown), and will make an appearance shortly on tap at Stillwell.

• Earlier this week, Meander River invited Garrison Brewmaster Daniel Girard to Ashdale to brew up a special beer, for a series of special dinners happening this summer. Dining on the Ocean Floor will be taking place four times this summer (June 27, July 25, August 15 and September 12) at Burntcoat Head in the Minas Basin, the site of the world’s largest tides. And during the lowest tides each month, Taste of Nova Scotia is holding a dinner on the beach (which was, just hours earlier, 15 metres underwater!), featuring Flying Apron Cookery, Newell’s Jewels Edibles (foraged food) and Avondale Sky winery. The beer is a strong Scotch Ale, featuring peated malt, with the addition of seaweed.

• And speaking of Garrison, they teased a collaborative Coast-to-Coast release scheduled for later this month, featuring Phillips Brewery in Victoria, Flying Monkeys in Barrie, and Troue du Diable in Shawinigan. We’ll share the details once they’ve been released.

• Tatamagouche Brewing will be installing a canning line later this month. They will be canning their core line of beers (Hippie Dippie Pale Ale, North Shore Lagered Ale, and Butcher Block Red), as well as a rotating seasonal or two, beginning early July. These will supplement their growler and bottles already available, in a more stowable and beach- and boat-friendly package.

• BarNone released a new beer – of sorts – at their weekly growler night last evening, Pale Indian Ale. Described by the brewery as a “variation” on their regular-release IPA, this one was brewed by BarNone assistant brewer Johnny. Details are being kept secret, so all we can recommend is to try it out if you have the chance, and compare it to their regular IPA. Their Route 225 Root Beer (non-alcoholic) made its return at last evening’s Growler Night as well.

• Next Wednesday, June 10th, drinking craft beer in northern New Brunswick will get a whole lot easier! Caraquet’s La Brôkerie is opening a separate craft beer bar, La Chope, which will feature six craft taps. On opening, expect to see three beers from Petit-Sault (La Kedgwick, Louis XVII, and Soeur Catherine), two from Distillerie Fils du Roy (Caraquet Flyer and Stella Maris), and one featuring a Pollen Angels mead.

• This Sunday, starting at 9 am,  Sunset Heights Meadery will be selling tickets for their Summer Mead Release Party. If you pre-purchased your ticket at the Spring Mead Release in April, you should be receiving it soon; for those who did not pre-purchase, there will be a limited number of 16 available. The event will take place on Sunday, July 5th, from 2 pm – 6 pm, and will feature six 2 oz pours of new meads (and some past favourites), paired with an appetizer, four different reLiSH sliders, and a dessert. More samples and food repeats will follow. As well, attendees can purchase up to 24 bottles of mead with guaranteed availability (and the possibility of more, depending on availability), and can reserve a ticket to the Autumn party at the current, locked-in price. Tickets are $55 + tax.

• There are still tickets available for Northumbeerfest Craft Beer & Music Festival, being held this Saturday at Pictou Lodge. It features entertainment by Meaghan Blanchard, Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys and Tim Chaisson. Beers will be available from Big Spruce, Garrison, Tatamagouche and Uncle Leo’s. The event doors open at 5pm, tickets for the Fest are $40+tax, and are available by phone (902-485-4322) or email.

• As we reported previously, the building that houses Rogues Roost and Tom’s Little Havana will be demolished in the fall. We can now report that Tom’s new location has been chosen, in the City Centre Atlantic Mall, using the entrance located adjacent to former tenant Premier Wines & Spirits and Top Cuts (which is moving elsewhere in the mall). This will now lead directly into Tom’s and The Fireside (when it moves from Brunswick St), both of which will share a common kitchen. No word yet on Rogues Roost’s new location.

• Speaking of moving, North Brewing owner Peter Burbridge is teaming up with the Brooklyn Warehouse crew, and taking over the Nectar Restaurant location when it closes at the end of the month. Their beer-centric project will be opening in the fall, at the 62 Ochterloney Street location. Details are slim beyond that at the moment, but stay tuned for more details as they are revealed.

• Breton Brewing brewed the inaugural batches of three beers this week, for release in a few weeks. We are able to share the historically-inspired names of the beers, but we’ll have to wait a little while before tasting these beauties. Black Angus IPA is named after Giant Angus MacAskill, who lived in Englishtown. Stirling Hefeweizen is named after William Alexander, the first proprietor of what is now Nova Scotia. Sons of Hector Brown Ale is named after the famous ship Hector, which brought Breton’s owners’ ancestors to Pictou from Scotland in 1773. Look for a full profile of Breton Brewing in the next couple of weeks, and their beer release shortly thereafter!

• The Good Cheer Trail officially launched in Nova Scotia June 1st. This is Canada’s first winery, craft brewery and distillery trail, and encourages visitors to get on the road and visit the producers of our local beverages. An accompanying passport can be picked up at your local brewery or brewpub, or an online passport can be used to check-in along your journey. There are a few of the province’s breweries not listed (due to onsite tasting limitations), but don’t let that stop you from visiting them all this summer! In addition to enjoying the great products each stop is offering, as a bonus incentive, a free t-shirt will be offered to those who collect 10 stamps on their passport (while supplies last). We’ll see you out on the Trail!

• This weekend is the 13th Annual Canadian Brewing Awards and Craft Brewers Conference, being held in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We wish all of the Atlantic Canadian breweries and ciderhouses taking part the best of luck! The Awards Gala will be taking place Saturday night at 7:30 pm AST, and we’ll be tuning in live to cheer on our local breweries. You can too, by following the stream link on the front page, and by following the @CdnBrewAwards or #CBAs2015. And for those that can’t tune in live, the winners will be updated on this page Sunday or Monday.

That’s it for this week! Good Robot‘s Crown on the Ground Steam Beer Mini-Festival, featuring music, Halifax Press Food Truck, and other fun times, is taking place Sunday [changed from Saturday], starting at noon. Be sure to drop by for a taste of the new beer, and their other three offerings. Tonight, starting at 10:30 pm, Resto-Bar Le Deck will be celebrating their 2nd anniversary with a Picaroons and Petit-Sault tap-takeover; there will be live music as well, so be sure to check it out if you’re in Edmundston. PEI Brewing Company has been serving their popular Blood Orange IPA at their Kensington Road location, but hurry in, it sells out quickly! Baba’s Lounge in Charlottetown has been undergoing renovations over the past week, and will be returning on June 7th (hopefully) with lots of taps (12) to serve lots of craft beer (including soon-to-open Upstreet)! And finally, voting is now open for The Coast’s Best of Halifax 2015. Be sure to let them know what your favourite Brewery, Bar, and Restaurant are!