Hill Top Hops

All posts tagged Hill Top Hops

We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming bringing you all of the beer news you want (or need?) from around the Maritimes. Today is Earth Day! This is your friendly reminder to recycle your beer cans and bottles, use growlers, drink in the dark, bike to buy your beer, use your beer boxes and cardboard for arts and crafts! In all seriousness, many of our local craft breweries have many green and renewable initiatives that they would be happy to talk about. How you spend your money is important and we’re lucky to have many sustainably conscious breweries available to us. Onto the news!

Let’s kick off the week with a brewery celebrating Earth Day in a few different ways, Port Rexton Brewing. New in cans and on tap today is Discovery Global Geopark Juniper Ale. Named after the UNESCO-recognized Discovery Global Geopark that encompasses several sites on the Northern Bonavista Peninsula, this collaboration beer is 4.2%, and features additions of coriander, orange peel, as well as the eponymous juniper, as well as dashes and drips of honey, cinnamon, ginger, and star anise. The resulting beer is low in bitterness, but with enough fresh citrus and juniper character to contrast any malt and yeast sweetness. Sales from cans and draught (no growlers of this release due to its batch size) will benefit the park, elevating their education and program development.

If you’re looking for the perfect time to visit Port Rexton, btw, today is the day, as they are hosting two big events in the taproom today! At 3 PM, they are hosting their first monthly Pints & Pick-ups event, where they are encouraging folks to help beautify Robin Hood Beach just over the hill from the brewery. Gloves and bags are provided, and those who help pickup will receive a free beer in the taproom for their efforts! Under-age folks are welcome too, there are plenty of non-alcoholic options too. And stick around (Oh My Cheeses will be there!)/come back for Earth Day Trivia in the taproom at 7:30 PM.

The Juniper Ale joins a pair of other new/returning beers to the taps and retail shop this week. The latest in their gluten free line is Gluten-Free Raspberry Sour, a 4.3% sour, chock full of raspberry aroma and flavour, thanks to the additions of the fruit puree to the base beer. The sour joins Whitecap Session IPA, which returns for the Spring after a fall/winter hiatus. Just 3.8% ABV, but full of peach and pineapple aromatics, in a hazy and smooth base. Cans of both of these releases are also be available at their St John’s Retail Shop, open now for the weekend.

The crew at Trailway has a new one out this week and as you’d expect, it’s a hazy, juicy … actually, we are being told that this release is in fact an English-American hybrid take on an amber ale. Chancy’s Pub Ale pouts a deep amber colour with a creamy head. Showcasing malt notes of tasted barley, biscuits, toffee and caramel, you can also expect enough hop bitterness to keep things in balance, but still approachable and sessionable. Chancy’s comes in at 5% ABV and is available now in cans at the brewery. If you’re in Fredericton, drop by the taproom to try half-litre mugs from the side-pour tap and also keep an eye out for it on cask in the near future. And we couldn’t give you the latest TrailWay news without also mentioning the return of one of their most beloved IPAs, Green Island… 6% ABV, featuring hop character of pineapple, papaya, melon, and peach, with a soft mouthfeel. Cans, pints, and growler fills of Green Island are available now!

Back with another release from their ongoing series, Tatamagouche Brewing has released Intertidal: Mosaic this week. A solid IPA built around showcasing the big hop flavours, the grain bill uses Horton Ridge pale malt, along with their malted wheat and chit malt, along with some German Vienna malt to balance and support the heavy handed hopping. For the hop bill, Bramling Cross and Cascade are the mash hops, then Mosaic features in the whirlpool with some small amounts of El Dorado and Cascade to help showcase the Mosaic flavours. Using an English ale yeast to bring up the fruit forward, soft and full bodied, the beer is finally finished with a massive Mosaic dry hop with a touch of Vic Secret as a lifter hop. The end result is a 6% IPA full of bright flavours and delicious aroma of grapefruit, peach, berries and mango. Look for this directly from the brewery, order online or check your favourite private stores for 473ml cans. You’ll probably catch it on tap at some of your favourite Halifax establishments as well. 

The fine folks from Antigonish have two new beers available now for your enjoyment. First up from Candid is a beer release in conjunction with Andre Pettipas and the Giants and a special music event, (that already happened, but the beer is still available!) Live at the Elmo is a beer tribute for the upcoming album release featuring a show from the iconic Toronto music venue, The El Mocambo. The beer is a 4.5% Pale Ale inspired by the tropical palm tree logo from the venue. The beer is tropical in aroma and flavour and nicely crushable at 4.5%. This is available in cans and on tap from the brewery.

Another one available now from Candid’s 88 College Street taproom and retail spot is Zeitgeist! Another one at 4.5%, Zeitgeist is a 4.5% pilsner with some complimentary dry-hopping from a few different German hop varieties. This is also available now in cans and on tap at the brewery. 

Back in New Brunswick, Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewing is featuring a new release and a returning favourite. Rolling fresh out of the tanks is Sun Kissed Mimosa Sour. This 6.5% sour ale uses a carefully selected yeast strain to dry out the beer and features additions of fresh orange juice. This week also sees the return of the fan favourite, Killed By Death. This hazy Triple IPA is excessively hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Vic Secret, leading to a 10% TIPA that just begs to be sipped on a lazy Friday night. Check out the taproom now for both of these releases in cans and on tap. 

In Dartmouth, Spindrift Brewing has released the Brave Noise beer that we previously mentioned they were working on. Put in the hands of Sophie Zimmer, their full-time brewer, she and brewer/quality supervisor Kristi White elected to direct the proceeds towards a mental health organisation that provides access to counselling for abuse, specifically men’s abuse of their domestic partners. Look for the beer in cans only at both the Spindrift taproom in Dartmouth and Oak Manor in Antigonish; and also look for a QR code on the can that will direct you to Spindrift’s Code of Conduct, which is part of the accountability aspect of the Brave Noise movement.

Propeller is giving us a little preview of summer this week with the release of Passion Fruit Sour Ale. The kettle sour process gives a tangy profile to compliment that big passion fruit notes. This one is available in cans as of today (Friday) at the three Prop Shop locations around HRM and also for delivery/shipping on their webstore. While we’re talking about Propeller, we should also mention their Azacca Session IPA is back in all of its compact, sessionable glory. Cans of the 4.5% ABV SIPA that showcases the Azacca hop are now available year round!

Let’s kick off our Events section with a reminder of Propeller and Garrison Brewing’s collaborative 25th Anniversary Tap Takeover at Battery Park tomorrow… From opening at 11:30 AM until late, you’ll be able to grab ten different beer from each brewery, including several debuts hitting the taps for the first time, particularly the Battery Park X Garrison X Propeller collaboration that may *only* be available at BP tomorrow due to its size. Look to Propeller’s IG page for more details on this one later today.

East Duck St John’s Bar Brewdock is celebrating their First Anniversary this weekend, after a wild 12 months of pouring the best beer in Newfoundland and beyond, paired with great local fare! To celebrate, they have brought back the Boss Hogg burger that placed third in the Downtown Burger Battle. And of course they are featuring some great thinks to drink from both home and away, including freshies from Lab City to Corner Brook to Quidi Vidi and all points in between. Plus some visiting goodies from Ottawa’s Dominion City, as well as the lovely Pearl Morissette Winery. Check out what’s on tap here, then head in to celebrate with the crew! And more celebrations will be in order soon, as their “cousin” brewery, Banishing Brewing in Paradise, has received most of their brewhouse gear, so will be brewing beer in the coming weeks!

Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing doesn’t have any new beers to talk about this week, but they’ve surely got some events to talk about, so no respite for our typing fingers. Up first is Bike & Brew, an event that combines two of the 2C team’s favourite activities, cycling and drinking beer. Teaming up with Long Alley Bicycles and Halifax Cycling Coalition, the event will take place on April 30th. A couple of technicians from Long Alley will be on hand from 11AM to 2PM conducting half tunes which run $50 and include your first beer (sending you on the way to being half cut). Only 12 of these spots are available, so head to the sign-up page for full details and to get yourself one of those slots! Tune-up or not, for those who are riding, at 2PM the Cycling Coalition will be leading a 5km community ride around the north and south ends of the peninsula before returning to the brewery for a post-ride beer. If you’re really keen you can RSVP by DM’ing the Halifax Cycling Coalition Ig account or y’know, just show up and get your ride on! 

If you’re not into cycling, but you are into drinking beer, 2C still has you covered, especially on Thursday nights, as they’ve announced that for the foreseeable future the Tube Nights they’ve hosted a couple of times before are now going to be a regular Thursday thing! Show up any time after 5PM, order a tube of AC Light Lager, and ask for a magic coaster. As long as you leave the green side of the coaster facing up, the crew will continue to refresh your 9.5oz tube with more beer. Turn the coaster over to the red side when you need a break or are finished. Staff will maintain the tally and you’ll pay a paltry $3.50 per tube consumed. 

A few short newsbites before we dismiss you for the week…

One of NL’s littler breweries, Bootleg Brew Co in Corner Brook, has a brand new beer to suit your present circumstances: Currant Situation is a black currant and lemon meringue sour with plenty of tartness and a graham cracker finish coming in at 5% ABV. This one appears to have been canned, but we don’t see it available for online orders yet, so for now you’ll have to stop by the brewery to grab some.

Good Robot has brought back their ThemBot beer this week, and it’s bigger and better than ever! The 5.5% Sour Beer features even more guava and blackberry than their initial release last year, and in the spirit of sharing even more love around to everyone, has now upped the release to a 473 ml can. You can pick them up, or enjoy it on tap, from their retail/taproom on Robie Street, or order some online for local delivery! You can also grab a glass or pint at Lower Sackville’s TAPestry Beer Bar, where GR’s Liam will be guest bartending for the evening, ready to share stories from his time working in beer across the world.

We mentioned a couple weeks ago about Lunn’s Mill doing ЧЕРВОНІ ОЧІ (Red Eyes) American Amber Ale in support of the Brew for Ukraine initiative, and now we’re able to tell you the beer is being packaged today and will be available to order through their online store, or directly at their taproom in Lawrencetown and The Station in Bridgetown. While the pre-orders did bite into the availability, there’s still plenty to go around.

The crew at Tusket Falls has a new DIPA release this weekend. Featuring Strata, Mosaic and Citra hops, the 8% ABV Modern Creation, is available on tap and in cans at the Tusket Falls and Gottingen Street locations now. 

Looking to get into the beer business? We’ve got a few options for you this week!

Montague’s Copper Bottom Brewing is gearing up for the summer rush by hiring on folks to fill positions in both the taproom and brewery. Taproom Servers are needed to keep the good beer flowing, and Production Staff are in demand as well, to ensure the taps never run dry! And, for those folks who aren’t able to visit Montague, Summer Sales Representatives are needed to bring on new Island licensees (and keep the existing ones happy). Check their website for all of the details, including how to apply. 

Quinn’s Arms Pub opened on Halifax’s Quinpool Road in August 2021, and has been filling an English-Gastropub-sized hole on Quinpool ever since. They have recently announced that they will be launching a sister brewery, The Brewery by Quinns, just a couple of doors down. Details of the brewing side of things are a little light now (but we’re on the case!), however we do know that they are in the process of hiring folks for both Front and Back of House, as they extend out to a beer garden and keep pouring both their own beer as well as local favourites. Kitchen staff should hit up Chef James Millar, and Front of House should contact Manager Hollee Angelucci.

One more thing this week…

Unfortunately, we have to end the blog on a bit of a sour note this week, as one of Annapolis Valley’s breweries, Hill Top Hops’ Brewhouse was broken into not once, but twice during the last week. After breaking in the door and entering Friday night to size up the place, they returned Saturday night to steal a television, alcohol, destroying the jukebox to extract the money, as well as stealing equipment from the brewery. While the two events were captured on video, that will not restore the lost efforts and sense of safety in the building. We as a brewing community can help, however, by visiting their Brooklyn location (7232 Highway 14 West Hants, adjacent to the Tidal Bore Farm Market), and staying for a beer and buying more to take away. You can read more on their Facebook page. We’re wishing the Peters family a speedy recovery and resolution from this setback!

(Thanks to those of you who pointed out last week that the KOFI link does not get passed on from website to email, so here it is, if you feel like tossing us a few pennies to pay for the hosting and drinking fees the blog requires)

With licensees closed or greatly reducing accessibility, the beer and cider producers of the region are changing their approach to getting the good stuff in your hands. Many are offering delivery and curbside pickup to keep employees and drinkers safe. This is the time for local beer and cider, good food, and live music fans to step up and support the community in the ways that we’re able, by continuing to buy product, or ordering giftcards for use in the future, while still protecting ourselves and loved ones. We’ve moved the weekly news from March 20 to the end of the post, so this list is easily accessible.

Here is our unofficial and almost certainly “out of date as soon as we publish” list of what breweries and cideries are up to at the moment. If you have more recent info, PLEASE LET US KNOW, and we’ll update it here.
Last update: 1800 May 21.

New Brunswick

The ANBL is now open 11 AM – 6 PM, Monday – Saturday, other retailers are allowed to set their own hours. They are implementing curbside pickup as well. Uncorked Tours in Saint John is organizing Virtual Tours of the province’s breweries, keep an eye on their social media for the latest info. As of May 17th, some brewery taprooms and better beer restaurants have re-opened. If you go, do so safely, only with your bubble, and only if you feel well, etc, etc… We’ll keep updating this list with the latest delivery options, however!

13 Barrels
13 Barrels is offering free deliveries to the Bathurst area. Email (13barrelsbrewing@gmail.com) or call (506-546-5300) in your order, and they will come to you. List in link.

3Flip Brewing
3Flip Brewing is available on the DrinkNB.ca website for ordering, as well as occasional home deliveries in the Fredericton and Doulgas areas. Email them (3flipbrewing@gmail.com) for the details on what’s available and schedule.

Big Axe Brewery
Big Axe Brewery is open for bottle sales upon request. Call (506-575-1093), email (info@bigaxe.ca) or FB message them with requests.

Big Tide Brewing
Big Tide Brewing is open for take-away 12 – 2 PM and 5 – 8 PM daily.

Brasserie Chockpish
Brasserie Chockpish is only available via draught, and is now being sold through Picaroons, details below.

Brasseux d’la Cote
Brasseux d’la Cote is open for take-away 3 – 6 PM Mar 26-28. Pre-order and information on possible home delivery can be found via email (info@brasseuxdlacote.ca).

CAVOK
CAVOK Brewing is open 3 – 8 PM daily, and also offering free daily home delivery in the Greater Moncton Area. Minimum order of 6 cans ($6 fee, free if more than 24 cans, within 25 km of the brewery), order at their online shop or via email (info@cavokbrewing.ca). Order before 10 AM for same-day delivery. Can also package guest taps, including Grimross, Holy Whale, and O’Creek Brewing at time of publishing, please check social media for updates. Can now order outside of the region, including Canada-wide, shipping pricing varies.

Celtic Knot
Celtic Knot in Riverview has switched to a delivery-only service service the Greater Moncton Area. Text your order (506-988-2579) before 2 PM Wed – Sun, and you’ll receive it that day. $40 minimum, free delivery to Riverview, $5 elsewhere. Payment by EMT only.

Distillerie Fils du Roy
Distillery Fils du Roy has temporarily closed their retail in service of preparing hand sanitizer, but check their FB page for updates, as they are opening occasionally.

DrinkNB
DrinkNB.ca has been established to allow many producers to offer delivery, to Fredericton and Saint John and now Greater Moncton Area, perhaps further afield soon. Follow their IG page for updates.

Flying Boats
Flying Boats Brewing is offering Grab & Go, and Click & Collect options at their taproom. Email (info@flyingboatsbrewing.com) your request, await total to send to EMT to same address, and then pickup.

Foghorn Brewing
Foghorn Brewing is open 12 – 6 PM daily for take-away and pre-orders of bottles, cans, and growler fills. Delivery is also available via online ordering.

Four Rivers
Four Rivers is currently open 12-8 pm M-F and 12-6 pm Sat for beer-to-go purchases (cans and kegs) only.

Gagetown Distilling & Cidery
Gagetown Distilling & Cidery have closed their retail location, but are doing deliveries Tuesdays and Saturdays, via online ordering. They have also produced sanitizer that is available by donation.

Gahan Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John
The three New Brunswick Gahan locations are now open for take-away food and beer, order in advance via the MHG app or chowhound. Can also do online.

Graystone Brewing
Graystone Brewing is offering call-and-collect pickup service of cans and crowlers, Mon – Sat, 12 – 6 PM. Call (506-459-7710) from home, car, or safe distance away to request and pay, and they will bring the beer outside to your waiting vehicle.

Gridiron Brewing
Gridiron Brewing in Hampton is open for growler fills/exchange Thursday – Sunday, 4 – 6 PM. New growlers are available for purchase for $5, and proceeds from new growlers will be donated to the Hampton Food Bank. Deliveries of growlers will happen on the same days, order via email (info@gridironbrewing.com) or phone/text (506-607-3252) before 1:30 PM for same day delivery in the Hampton, Bloomfield, and Darlings Island area, between 2 – 4 PM.

Grimross Brewing
Grimross Brewing in Fredericton is maintaining 12 – 8 PM hours at their retail location, and have recently introduced a contactless pick-up option. Call (506-454-4810) in advance, or from the parking lot, to order, and it will be brought outside.

Hammond River Brewing
Hammond River Brewing is open for retail take-away daily 12 – 4 PM, with bottles, cans, and growler fills. Delivery to the Kennebecasis Valley is also available daily, no minimum, $5 delivery fee waived on orders above $30. Full list and details here, email (shane@hrbrewing.ca) to get your order in!

Holy Whale
Holy Whale Beer and Buddha Bear Cafe are open for pick-up Fridays (3 – 8 PM), and Saturday and Sundays (12 – 8 PM). They are also running occasional deliveries to Sussex and weekly Thursday runs to Greater Moncton Areas, details on their Facebook page. They are also making deliveries of nearby Scow Cider.

King West Brewing
King West Brewing, operating out of RustiCo in Fredericton, has recently introduced canned beer to go and for delivery Mon – Sat. Message them (Fb and Ig) or call in (506-451-3473) your request of beer and/or pizza. Minimum order of 8 beer, free delivery over $50 ($5 otherwise). Deliveries are usually made the same day, 2 – 6 PM (call or message 11 AM – 5 PM).

Long Bay Brewery
Long Bay Brewery is open for curbside pickup of bottles and growler fills, Wed – Sat, 12 – 6 PM. Call (506-847-4677) in advance, and do a no-contact pick up at the brewery later that day (give them at least 15 minutes, please!). Both 4-packs and growler fills are $12, and they are offering discounts on full case orders of beer, just ask!

Loyalist City
Loyalist City Brewing is now operating pickup and deliveries to the Saint John area. Use their online shop to order a growler fill or four-pack of beer, and they’ll bring it to you Wednesday or Friday. For pickup, fire them an email (beerstore@loyalistcitybrewing.ca, can also answer any questions you may have there) to ensure they’re around. Easy as that!

Mama’s Brewpub
Mama’s Brewpub is open for retail beer, and food to to, Tuesday to Saturday, 4 – 8 PM. Call (506-450-4303) ahead for curb-site pickup. Friday afternoon delivery is also available, by emailing (mamasbrewpub@outlook.com) before 10 PM Thursday evening.

Maybee Brewing
Maybee Brewing in Fredericton has closed their taproom and retail shop, however have implemented a delivery option, shipping Canada-wide for free. The way to beer success is via their online ordering page, where you can buy full cases of your fave beer(s), or mix and match to your hearts content. Also available on DrinkNB.ca

New Maritime Beer
Miramichi’s New Maritime Beer now has pickup and delivery options available: local deliveries Wed – Sun, and weekly deliveries to Fredericton on Thursday and Moncton Saturdays. Email (info@newmaritimebeer.com) or call (506-622-1200) your request, and they’ll come to you!

Niche Brewing
Niche Brewing has their latest bottled release, Bridget, available for sale and delivery via DrinkNB.ca. They are now also selling kegs for at-home enjoyment, contact them via Social Media (Fb/Ig/Tw) for the latest beer and price list. There may be some bottles of Bridge or Quintessential at your local ANBLs, too!

O’Creek Brewing
O’Creek Brewing has recently released their Route 117 in cans, and is available for delivery through CAVOK, and the ANBL locations in Richibucto and Dieppe.

Petit-Sault
Brasseurs Petit-Sault have established an online ordering portal, for onsite curb-side pickup and delivery orders. Order before noon for same-day delivery, Monday – Saturday, in Edmundston, Saint-Jacques, Saint-Basile and Verret areas.

Picaroons
Picaroons is now doing beer deliveries in Fredericton, and occasionally to Saint John. Email (BringMeBeer@picaroons.ca) or call/text (506-501-4144) to place an order, delivery runs are done 12 – 6 PM. Minimum order of 4 beer, free delivery above $25 ($6 below that amount). Kegs of their own, and some other breweries, also available, ask them for details.

Pump House Brewery
Pump House Brewery is open at their Fill Station daily for take-out sales of cans and bottles. They are also offering delivery in the Greater Moncton Area daily each afternoon. Order online or by phone (506-830-4677) before 5 PM for same day free delivery ($10 below $50 order, no minimum).

Red Rover
Red Rover still has the CiderHouse open for takeaway products from 3-7 pm M-Sat, and 1-5 pm Sun, but they’re also delivering in the Fredericton area. Delivery is $7 or free on orders over $100; check out their online store.

Brasserie Retro Brewing
Brasserie Retro Brewing is doing deliveries in the Grand Caraquet area: FB message or email (brasserie.retro@gmail.com) your request. 12 can minimum, no delivery fee.

Sussex Ale Works
Sussex Ale Works is open for take-home beers Tues – Sat from 2 – 6 PM. They’re filling single-fill, plastic 32 oz containers that they’re calling prowlers, which you can pre-order online. Delivery is also available in their local community.

Think Brewing
Think Brewing in Tweedside is not normally open for onsite visitors, but they have implemented contactless delivery in their delivery zone! Send them a message on Social Media (Fb/Ig) before Thursday’s deliveries. No minimum order, but depending on your location, fees will be waived above 6 or 12 bottle orders. Details here.

Tide and Boar Brewing
Tide and Boar Brewing is offering occasional bottle and growler deliveries to Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe while their gastropub is closed. The latest details are available here. Food options are also happening, including firing up their smoker for brisket and ribs. Get on it!

Tire Shack Brewing
Tire Shack Brewing in Moncton is open 2 – 8 PM daily for to-go beers, as well as daily same-day delivery to Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe (order before 2 PM, minimum order of 12 beer, free delivery over 24 cans, $5 below that). Order via email (info@tireshackbrewing.com) with your request from the list here.

TrailWay
TrailWay’s taproom is open for can and growler sales, daily from 12-7 pm. They’ve also started a delivery service in the Fredericton area, for minimum orders of 12 cans and kegs, with free delivery for orders of 24 cans or more (discounts too!). And they are now shipping to neighbouring Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Ontario. Check out their website for all of the details.

Yip Cider
Yip Cider is available for delivery in the Saint John River Valley area via online ordering, or at their location in Long Reach, on – Fri, 1 – 4 PM.

York County Cider
York County Cider has adjusted their retail sales hours (Sun – Tues, 1 – 5 PM, Wed – Sat, 1 – 7 PM), and are also doing home delivery of their products. Call (506-440-5146), email (yorkcountycider@rogers.com) or through Facebook Messenger for deliveries Thurs – Sat. Order before 2 PM for same-day delivery, free on orders over $50 ($5 otherwise).

Newfoundland

Newfoundland breweries are also doing the right thing and closing their taprooms, limiting growler sales to exchanges and/or selling only packaged product. Some are also continuing to ship to the NLC, but be sure to read the first item below on that. Update May 11: Breweries are now allowed to deliver directly to customers, so keep an eye here and on their social media for the latest information on who is going that route.

NLC
The NLC has made the decision to close their stores around the Province to the general public, and implementing online and phone orders for pick-up. Details here. Check out their COVID-19 related updates at their website where the latest news should always be available at the top of the homepage.

Baccalieu Trail Brewing Co.
In Bay Roberts, Baccalieu Trail has closed their taproom to retail sales, but are open Wed – Sun, 4 – 8 PM for pre-ordered curbside pickup. Must order online or by phone (709-788-2090) in advance. Check their Fb Page for updates.

Bannerman
In St. John’s, Bannerman Brewing has closed their taproom, but has in turn launched their To-Go Store, for pickup Thurs – Sat. You can order beer (of course!), but also coffee and food as well. Hit them up on the website, let them know what you want and when you’d like to pick it up, and they’ll get it ready for you. 

Boomstick Brewing Co.
In Corner Brook, recently-opened Boomstick Brewing has closed their taproom, and have implemented curbside pickup options. Open Wed – Sat, 12 – 5 PM, order online at least 24 hours in advance, then head down for a pickup. Double-check their social media (Fb/Ig) before heading out.

Bootleg Brew Co.
Still in Corner Brook, Bootleg Brew Co. has closed their taproom, but are open for curbside pickup. Order via phone (709-634-2964) daily 12 – 6 PM via Credit or Debit, let them know when you’d like to pick up, then head down to grab your request. Bottles and growler fills are both available (exchanged for a freshly sanitized one). Check their social media (Fb/Ig) for updates. 

Crooked Feeder Brewing
Still on the Western side of the Rock, Cormack’s Crooked Feeder Brewing is now closed to the public, but they have brought in contactless curbside pickup on Saturdays. Send an email (cfbcorders@gmail.com) with your request (here’s the latest list) and preferred pickup time. They will confirm the order and total, pickup time, and payment.

Dildo Brewing Co.
Across the way in Dildo, the eponymously-named Dildo Brewing Co. have re-opened their retail locations (at home and in St. John’s) for curbside pickup Thurs – Sat, 2 – 5 PM. Call (709-582-3335 Dildo, 709-221-1099 St. John’s) in advance, then pop by for a safe pickup. Keep an eye on their social media (Fb/Ig) for any updates.

Iron Rock Brewing Co.
In Lab City, Iron Rock Brewing Co. has enabled no contact pre-order pickup, Mon – Sat. Call (709-288-0441⁣), email (info@ironrockbrewing.com⁣), or order online, and then head to the brewery for pickup. Please keep an eye on their social media pages (Fb and Ig) for updates.

Landwash Brewery
Mount Pearl’s Landwash Brewery has closed their taproom for the time being, and are now offering contactless pre-order pickup, Tues – Sat, 12 – 6 PM. Order in advance, wait for your confirmation email, and show up safely pickup your order. Follow these directions to ensure safety and success. Check their social media (Fb/Ig) for updates. 

Newfoundland Cider Company
George’s Brook-Milton’s Newfoundland Cider Company has implemented a curbside pick-up ordering option, for Friday afternoons. Order in advance online, pop by the retail shop, and call the number on your receipt to collect your order. You can also get delivery in the St. John’s area as well, order through that link!

Ninepenny Brewing
In Conception Bay South, Ninepenny Brewing has begun offering curbside pickup a few days a week. Email The way to beer success is by ordering online, and then waiting for the confirmation when ready for pickup. Their social media (Fb/Ig) accounts have the latest details on offerings and dates. 

Port Rexton Brewing
Port Rexton Brewing has closed their taproom for onsite enjoyment, but to-go beers may be available by emailing (sales@portrextonbrewing.com) to set up contactless pickup. Their St. John’s Retail Shop is also open for contactless pickup, through online pre-ordering. Open Thurs – Sat, 12 – 7 PM, submit your order in advance, and await the confirmation email that it’s ready. Don’t forget to maintain that social distance, so don’t hang about the door, waiting in your car is cool! You can listen to music! And you can now order for delivery within ~20km of the SJRS, for Friday evenings. Sweet!

Quidi Vidi
With the Quidi Vidi Brewing Co. taproom and retail closed, they have set up daily contactless pickup. Call (709-738-4040) between 11 – 4 PM to order and drop by to pick up your beerses that same day (open everday, 11 – 6 PM). You can now order online for pick-up or delivery (Tues – Sat, $50 min order)! Just wait for your confirmation email/time for when it’s safe to pick up!

RagnaRock Northern Brewing Company Ltd.
St. Anthony’s RagnaRöck was hoping to have a plan in place this weekend for call-in to-go sales, but are still working through what that looks like. For now, keep an eye on their Fb and Ig pages for updates in order to find out when you might be able to get their beer again.

Rough Waters
Recently-opened Rough Waters Brewing Co. in Deer Lake has closed their taproom in accordance with Provincial and Federal recommendations and guidelines. They are available for occasional bottle pickups, and now delivery, just send them a message on social media (Fb/Ig) or email (info@roughwatersbrewing.com), where you can also stay up-to-date on any changes. They are still delivering their bottles to NLC locations around the province, however, so you needn’t go thirsty!

Secret Cove
Secret Cove has started a twice-weekly contactless curbside pickup option. Order online in advance, await the confirmation it’s ready for pickup, then pop by Wednesday or Friday for your fix. New growler fills, or exchange, no worries! Order by 1 PM on Wed or Fri for same-day success! Any questions, email (beer@secretcovebrewing.com) is best.

Split Rock Brewing Co.
Way up in Twillingate, though the taproom is now officially closed, Split Rock Brewing Co. has instated contactless pick-up. Send them an email (splitrockorders@gmail.com) with your request Monday to Saturday before 4 PM (5 PM on Saturday), and they should be able to set you up the same day. They have cans as well as growler fills for purchase/exchange.

Western Newfoundland
In Pasadena, Western Newfoundland Brewing will continue with production, but your only way to obtain their beer will be through the NLC.

YellowBelly
YellowBelly Brewery has implemented curbside take-out of their beer as well as food, menu available here. Can order online, call (709-757-3780) or email (yellowbellygm@gmail.com) to order, then pop by to pick up. Food-only orders are available for delivery, too. Keep an eye on their social media (Fb/Tw/Ig) for any updates they might post as to their plans for the next couple of weeks.

Nova Scotia

Big thanks to Kim Hart Macneill for compiling and updating the list of the province’s breweries’ evolving plans, and how we can help them and licensees during this time. As of May 10th, the NSLC has lifted the requirement to stay closed Sundays, and early closure, so breweries are able to once again return to their regular hours. As always, check with the brewery directly before heading there.

2 Crows
2 Crows is only open for online pre-orders (no retail walk-ins) and deliveries in the province (minimum order is 4 cans). Submit your order before 5 PM the day before to ensure success. Click-and-collect, HRM deliveries (free over $50), and free within NS over $75.⁣ Also shipping Canada-wide, Monday mornings.

9zero2 Brewing
9zero2 Brewing, the brewery onsite at Arisaig’s Steinhart Distillery expects to be setting up deliveries soon. In the meantime, they are concentrating on producing sanitizer, as are several of the other NS distilleries.

Annapolis Brewing Company
Annapolis Brewing Company has reduced their retail opening hours to Saturdays, 12 – 4 PM, for bottle sales only.

Annapolis Cider
Annapolis Cider Company has converted their Wolfville location to a Click and Collect pickup-only location Tues – Sat, 11 – 2 PM, available the following day. Online orders can also be shipped Canada-wide (multiples of 6, flat rate $15 over $100, free over $150).

Backstage Brewing
Backstage Brewing is open for retail sales/exchange of their own growlers, Monday – Saturday, 12 – 6 PM. Call (902-755-9371) or DM in advance is preferred, for contactless exchange. Look for bottles coming in the next weeks.

Bent Nail Brewing
Bent Nail Brewery is open daily 11 – 7 PM, and also offering free delivery of beer, with a minimum order of six bottles of their Bent Ridge wine. Details here.

Big Spruce
Big Spruce is open for to-the-car beer service at their retail shop, and is offering delivery Canada-wide (multiples of 12 cans and/or 6 bottles, mixing is OK, free shipping in NS, free above $125 outside of NS). Order online.

Boxing Rock
Boxing Rock is offering delivery daily in the Shelburne and HRM areas, and Wednesday and Friday in between (exact delivery date given after ordering). A minimum order of $50 which gets you free delivery in Shelburne and HRM, and it’s free for orders over $80 elsewhere in their area. Order online or via phone (902-875-2282, between 11 – 7 PM, can also call for pickup). Their Halifax location hosts, Local Source Market, has opened a click-and-collect shop where beer, as well as produce and other items, can be ordered.

Breton Brewing
Breton Brewing is open for retail pickup (or call 902-270-4677 and collect), Mon – Sat 11 – 6 PM (high risk folks may visit 10 – 11 AM). They are also offering next-day delivery Mon – Fri, both within CBRM, and now in HRM. Minimum delivery order is for 12 or more cans, with a $0.50 discount per can if ordering more than 24. For HRM orders under 24 cans, there is a $10 fee. Check here for their full offerings and further details.

Brightwood
Brightwood Brewery is doing deliveries to the Greater Halifax area (including Herring Cove, Fall River, and Porters Lake) Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, no minimum, $4 flat fee. Order online anytime before 2 PM that day for delivery, and use these promo codes for discounts (one per order, can be used on assorted beers, does not need to be all of the same type). Retail is open 12 – 8 PM, Monday – Saturday, 12 – 5 PM Sunday.

Bulwark Cider
Bulwark Cider is offering Canada-wide shipping through their online store, and is also offering pickup in New Ross. Use code SHIP20 to receive $20 off your shipping costs for 12 + bottles or cans.

Chain Yard Cider
Chain Yard Cider is open for retail pickup 12 – 7 PM daily (calling 902 407-2244 first is a good idea), as well as via delivery in Halifax (free over $40 orders), with shipping Nova Scotia (free for orders over $75) and Canada-wide (free for orders $150+). Order here for your apple fix.

Church Brewing
Church Brewing in Wolfville is open for retail sales, 12 – 8 PM daily. Call in (902-542-2337) or do online ordering to speed up the process. Local (daily) and HRM (Thursdays, order before 4 PM Wednesday) delivery is also available, 12 can minimum, delivery fee is waived for orders of $50 or more. Beer options available here.

Corberrie Cider
Corberrie Cider Company  has opened a pickup or delivery option for the Tri-Counties region, order online.

FirkinStein Brewing
FirkinStein Brewing in Bridgewater has teamed up with Fresh Cuts Market to offer delivery of food and beer in their area. Email (devinfraser@firkinstein.ca) for more details.

Gahan House
Gahan House Nova Centre is open for beer and food to go. Order through the MHG App or Chowhound. Can also order online.

Garrison Brewing
Garrison Brewing is open 12 – 6 PM for retail sales at both Seaport and Oxford Taproom on Quinpool, and has implemented Halifax-area delivery. Order online or via email (beer@garrisonbrewing.com) or phone (902-406-2174, can also request an instore-pickup that way), delivery minima and schedule vary. Email or call for anything not on the site (singles, bottles, outside-NS, etc) they may be able to help!

Good Robot Brewing
Good Robot remains open for retail sales, Mon – Fri 2 – 7 PM, Sat 12 – 7 PM. Pickup orders can be placed in advance via phone (902-446-1692). You can now get the Robots to come to you! Online ordering is available for Halifax and Dartmouth, no minimum (free over $40, $5 for orders $20-$40, $7.50 under $20). Same-day delivery if ordered before 6 PM. Can also order growlers, and exchange for your own. Also are fully refundable in person when this whole thing is over, so we suggest doing that. They are keeping their Monday Goodwill Bot is back, with $1 from each delivery and take-out product sold online or via retail that day goes to a worthy cause. Keep an eye on social media for the latest beneficiary!

Half Cocked Brewing
Half Cocked Brewing is implementing a delivery option for those in the Antigonish area. Bottles of their Tarred and Feathered are available, as well as growler fills. Email (halfcockedbrewing@gmail.com) your request and for full details.

Harbour Brewing
The Harbour Brewing is open Monday to Saturday, 11 – 5 PM, for pickup of cans and growlers, and can be pre-ordered via phone (902-410-8918). They are also delivering along the Eastern Shore, from Dartmouth to Sheet Harbour, daily, order by phone as well.

Hardisty Brewing
Newly opened Hardisty Brewing is continuing their no-contact delivery in the Colby Village area Thursday – Saturday afternoons, 4 – 5 PM. Contact them online to set up your delivery!

Hell Bay Brewing
Hell Bay Brewing in Liverpool is open occasional hours for curbside or window service, email (hellbaybrewing@eastlink.ca) or call (902-356-3556) or FB message in advance. Also doing deliveries in the region (within 20km of brewery, $5 delivery charge which is donated) on Thursday and Friday.

Heritage Brewing
Heritage Brewing in Yarmouth is offering delivery in the tri-county area. Order via text (780-274-0616) from the list of cans and growler fills available here, pay via EMT (minimum order $40), and your order will be delivered the following day (or the same day if ordered early enough). Growlers can be exchanged for a new sanitized one. Their taproom is open for retail sales, check social media for the information. They also have a new beer on tap (available in growler fills), Cranberry/Blueberry Sour Wheat, based on their Blueberry Grunt recipe. More next week.

Hill Top Hops
Hill Tops Hops in Newport is open for new/exchange growlers to go, as well as bottles. Wednesday – Friday 2 – 6 PM, Saturday 12 – 6 PM. Can order from the parking lot via phone (902-757-3510). They are also offering free delivery in the Hants County area M, W, F, on orders over $30. Smaller orders, or those outside the County may be available, just fire them an email (brewhouse@hilltophops.ca). They should be adding a shop to their website soon, too!

Horton Ridge Malt and Grain
Horton Ridge Malt and Grain are open Mon – Sat, 10 – 5 PM for to-go beer purchases, and have recently started canning beer to make it easier to enjoy.

Lake City Cider
Lake City Cider‘s retail is open 10 – 7 PM, and are doing free same-day delivery in HRM. Call (902-466-7818) between 10 AM – 5 PM to place an order. Can also order online, with shipping fees waived Canada-wide!

Lazy Bear Brewing
Lazy Bear Brewing is still open for their Thursday Growler nights (5 – 7 PM), Annapolis Royal Market (via pre-order), and has implemented a Thursday delivery service, and Saturday pick-up at Yukiko’s Oishi Sushi via pre-order. Call (902-440-0880) or email (info@lazybearbrewing.ca) or message them (Fb/Ig) for details and to submit your request.

Lunn’s Mill
Lunn’s Mill in Lawrencetown are offering free deliveries in Annapolis and Kings Counties. Order online before 10 PM the night before to ensure beer success the next day. Shipping outside of the region is also happening, with weekly trips on Thursday to HRM (also free!), and Canada-wide via Canada Post.

Maritime Express Cider
Maritime Express Cider in Windsor has implemented local delivery, as well occasional HRM trips. Order online. More on their Social Media (Fb/Ig).

Meander River
Meander River is open weekends for retail sales, as well as click-and-collect and delivery via online ordering. Free delivery Saturdays, and receive a free pint glass with a 12-bottle order.

Mountain Meadworks
Mountain Meadworks has their products available through the online versions of the Truro Farmers’ Market and New Glasgow Farmers’ Market, as well as direct via home delivery to the North Shore and Truro regions, as well as occasionally to HRM. Contact them via email (mountainmeadworks@gmail.com) to learn more and place an order.

New Scotland
New Scotland Brewing is open 11 – 7 PM Mon – Sat for take-away, as well as local same-day delivery (order cutoff 2 PM, minimum $35), order online or via phone (902-406-2337).

Nine Locks
Nine Locks Brewing is open for pre-ordered pickup, Mon – Sat, 10 – 7 PM. Call (902-434-4471) in advance. Free delivery is available in most of HRM, orders of $65 or more only, via their online ordering page.

Noggins Corner Cider
Noggins Cider is available at their market locations around HRM, as well as for delivery via online ordering.

North
North Brewing is implementing a Click & Collect ordering system at their Portland Street location, Mon – Sun. Pre-order online, and the beer will be available for pickup in approximately 30 minutes (wait for that email). Home delivery is now an option, to Dartmouth, Halifax and surrounding areas. Free delivery, $30 minimum order, also seven days a week. And they are now shipping beyond HRM, including Canada-wide! North’s sister bar and resto Battery Park is now open for curbside take-away. The details are on their site, but the Coles notes are you submit your burger and side and beer and wine order via email before 11AM, for pickup that evening, Wed – Sat, 3 – 8 PM.

Off Track
Off Track in Bedford is doing next-day delivery in the Bedford and Lower Sackville area, Mon – Sat. Order online for free next day delivery, minimum order of $28 (about two 4-packs). Their retail location is open for Click & Collect, Fri and Sat, 12 – 2 PM.

Ol’ Biddy’s Brew House
Ol’ Biddy’s Brew House is now open in Lower Sackville, and is offering contact-less Click and Collect service, in addition to in-person ordering. Check out their website for the latest offerings. Open Thurs – Sun, 12 – 6 PM (12 – 8 PM Fri and Sat).

Paddy’s Pubs
Paddy’s Pub in Kentville and Wolfville are offering daily pickup and delivery in their respective regions, 4 – 7 PM. Use the online ordering portal to request both food and beer.

Propeller
Propeller Brewing’s two retail location remain open, while maintaining social distancing. Drop by to order and pick up (12 – 8 PM daily). If you’d like to preorder and pay over the phone call: Hfx: 902-468-1026, Dart: 902-377-4706. Availability listed here. Delivery is also possible within the HRM, free for orders above $65, $5 fee for less than that, free glass for order above $100). Order online for delivery. If submitted before 3 PM, same day delivery in many areas of HRM. Same day for Bedford, Sackville, and Eastern Passage on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. No growler fills at this time, but kegs of your faves may be available for home enjoyment, just email them (michael@drinkpropeller.ca).

Rare Bird
A mixed 6-pack of Rare Bird Beer is available for pickup at the Acadian Maple store in Tantallon, as well as delivered Canada-wide, when ordered through their online portal.

Roof Hound
Roof Hound’s locations in Digby and Kingston remain closed, but they are doing deliveries of full cases all along the 101 to HRM and Yarmouth. Check the link for details.

Route 19 Brewing
Route 19 Brewing in Inverness is offering contactless brewery pick-up options, as well as daily free delivery to the Halifax area, and weekly delivery to the Sydney region. Text (902-258-5374) or email (orders@route19brewing.com) your requests. Both cans and kegs are available, with orders of 24 cans or more getting a $0.50 discount/can.

Saltbox Brewing
Saltbox Brewing in Mahone Bay is delivering within Lunenburg County and HRM several times per week, can be ordered via their online shop.

Schoolhouse Brewery
Schoolhouse Brewery in Windsor is open for Drive-up beer orders, Tues – Sat, 12 – 6 PM: drop by their location and call (902-792-4677), order and pay, and they’ll pop the beer in your trunk. May even be able to pre-order and save that wait time!

Sea Level & Millstone Harvest
Sea Level‘s Port Williams location is closed. Their Millstone Harvest location at 9146 Hwy 221 in Sheffield Mills is open Mon – Sat, 12 – 5 PM, and is also organizing deliveries. Pre-order via phone (902-582-2337), email (sealevelbrewing@gmail.com) or message on FB or IG. Pay by EMT or Card only.

Shipwright
Shipwright Brewing beer is now available to go in crowlers 2 – 7 PM Tuesday – Saturday. Can also call in advance (902-634-3300) for curb-side delivery. They are now doing local Lunenburg deliveries Tues – Sat, as well as a jaunt from Bridgewater to Chester on Fridays, just call in your order! Free delivery for a minimum of 4 crowlers, just $2 otherwise. While their downstairs neighbour Grand Banker is closed, gift cards are available to support and ensure great food in Lunenburg in the future!

Smokehouse
Smokehouse Brewery in Berwick is closed to drop-bys, but open for sales by appointment by calling first (902-680-5198 or 902-680-5243). Deliveries to the local area are also being made, call or email (info@smokehousebrewery.ca) orders for next day delivery (free over $50 orders).

Sober Island
Sober Island Brewing is concentrating on deliveries in their region, as well as further afield. Keep an eye on IG for the latest info, but currently offering free deliveries Wednesday and Saturday along the Eastern Shore (Sherbrooke to Musquodoboit Harbour), and to HRM Thursdays. In addition to their cans, they are offering to pick up groceries and pharmacy needs as well, to encourage social distancing and self-isolation for those at highest risk. Orders must be placed by 10am of the delivery date. Email (rebecca@soberbrewing.ca) or text/call (902-719-9463) requests. They have a temporary portal set up for HRM ordering, while they await a full website.

Sourwood Cider
Sourwood Cider are open for retail sales, as well as doing deliveries via online orders. Shipping is Mon and Wed and Fri, and free above $60, use code APOCALYPSE at checkout. Also shipping Canada-wide.

Spindrift Brewing
Spindrift Brewing is doing free deliveries of full cases of their product in HRM, order online.

Stillwell
Stillwell Brewing is offering free next-day delivery in HRM, 4 bottle minimum. Use code WILDTIME2020 at checkout, and include a number where you can be reached for curbside, contact-free, delivery. They also ship via CP Canada-wide. Just a note that Stillwell Beer Bar and the Freehouse are selling beer from the cellar and snacks via their Corner Store, and gift cards online as well.

Tanner & Co
Tanner & Co in Chester Basin is open for bottle and growler exchanges, and is offering online ordering and delivering to both the Lunenburg to Hubbards area (min. order is 6 bottles, free shipping above $75, $2 fee below that), and to Halifax (minimum order is $50, orders over $75 are free shipping, $5 below that). Both are running Fridays for the time being, submit your order by 12 PM to ensure you have beer that afternoon/evening. Add 6+discount code to your order for a discount on orders above 6 bottles, pickup or delivery.

Tatamagouche Brewing
Tatamagouche Brewing has a walk-up window for retail (Tues – Sat, 10 AM – 5 PM), call (902-657-4000) or email (pickup@tatabrew.com) or order online (and use code BREWERYPICKUP). They are continuing the deliveries Canada-wide through their online store (free shipping over $95).

Tidehouse
Due to their small (some many say tiny) sized taproom, Tidehouse has made the right decision to stay closed, with occasional can releases via delivery or curb-side pickup. Check out their Social Media (Fb/Ig) for details on what and when they’ll have next!

Trider’s
Trider’s Beer in Amherst is open for retail service Tues – Sat, 1 – 6 PM. Can also call in (902-614-8983) or email (contact@triderscraftbeer.com) to organize delivery in their local area.

Truro Brewing Company
Truro Brewing Company is back open again, and offering curbside pickup and NS-wide shipping through their online store. Curbside pickup is available Friday and Saturday afternoons, and province-wide shipping is only $10. Check the link for the latest availability, which currently includes 4 beers, including the return of Trackside Pale Ale.

Tusket Falls Brewing
Tusket Falls Brewing is open for pickup and deliveries. Call (902-648-3340) from the parking lot to order and pay, and they will bring the beer to your trunk. For those in Yarmouth County, free delivery is available (12 can minimum), call or email (info@tusketfallsbrewing.com). Delivery further afield along the 101 and 103 is done occasionally, email for details.

Two Islands Brewing
Two Island Brewing in Parrsboro is open a few days a week for retail sales of cans and growler fills/exchanges. Call (902-728-2221) or email (twoislandspayments@gmail.com) in advance to place your order, which can also include bread from the bakery.

Uncle Leo’s
Uncle Leo’s remains open, and will only be filling their own new growlers, 10 – 4 PM daily. Pre-orders only: Call (902-382-2739) or email (whiffens@eastlink.ca) with your order, and pre-pay via EMT or card. Deliveries now available within Pictou County, contact them for details.

Unfiltered
Unfiltered Brewing’s brewery is open daily 12 – 9  PM for click-and-collect purchases, and is doing free deliveries within ~5km of the brewery Tuesday to Saturday (order before 2 PM for same-day free delivery, $40 min order). 4-packs of cans, bottles, pre-filled growlers, and kegs (including filling your own ball- or pin-locks), online ordering here. May be able to accommodate requests from further afield via email.

Upstreet BBQ Brewhouse
Upstreet BBQ Brewhouse in Burnside has re-opened their doors for beer take-away, as well as take-and-bake offerings from their kitchen. Brisket, ribs, and chicken, plus some yummy sides, with their beers to go in cans and crowlers. Full list of offerings, as well as scheduled pickups, here.

Wayfarers’ Ale
Wayfarers’ Ale Society is open for beer retail and food take-away Mon – Sat 12 – 7 PM, as well as for delivery to the area. Call (902-300-3404) or order online to let them know what you’re craving (beer delivery province wide, delivery minimums and cost vary by region).

Bishops Cellar
Bishops Cellar has closed their retail location, and is offering occasional delivery-within-NS-only mixed cases of wine (and soon beer). Sign up for their newsletters to avoid missing out!

Harvest, RockHead, WestSide
WestSide Beer and Wine remains open 10 – 7 PM (10 – 11 AM reserved for at-risk public), while their sister stores Harvest Wines and RockHead are closed. Delivery is possible throughout NS, with free HRM delivery above $150, $400 elsewhere in the province, order online.

Liquid Assets
Liquid Assets, the Nova Scotia alcohol store at YHZ, has closed their retail location, but is able to do shipping within the province, PEI, and Manitoba, via online order. They will be doing twice-weekly deliveries in the HRM, for $5 fee. Also available by phone (902-873-2275).

Prince Edward Island

PEILCC
With many PEILCC locations closed, they have allowed manufacturers and Agency Stores deliver to consumers. We will update the list below as breweries inform us to their plans, but we think this is a swell idea! The Oaktree, Montague, Granville Street, O’Leary, and Souris stores are now open Monday – Saturday, 11 AM – 6 PM (10 – 11 AM for at-risk members of the public). More details here.

Barnone Brewing
Barnone Brewing is keeping to their Thursday-only schedule for the time, but are asking for orders to be submitted in advance by email (barnonefarm2@gmail.com) or text/phone (902-394-6897) for pre-filling of growlers (details on FB).

Bogside Brewing
Bogside Brewing is adjusting from their winter hours, and is open 1 – 6 PM Tues – Sun for can sales, and is encouraging pre-orders on their site or by phone (902-838-4384).  They are also offering delivery in the Charlottetown and Three Rivers areas Friday and Saturday (order cutoff time in 12), and Kensington and Summerside Thursdays (order cutoff is Wednesday 10 PM). Minimum order of 6 cans, free delivery over $50 ($10 below that) on the Island, and free shipping to NS and NB on orders over $100 (multiples of 12 cans only). The Wheelhouse in Georgetown is operating from their kitchen Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 – 7 PM, which means the brewery will also be open for takeout with your food! Life Pro Tip: Call (902-652-2474) in your food order in advance!

Copper Bottom
Copper Bottom is encouraging social distancing by directing customers to their website for online orders. Use the code SOCIALDISTANCE2020 at checkout to save 10%, and they’ll bring it out to your vehicle when you arrive (give them about an hour to assemble the order). They also are offering Canada-wide delivery! Free Shipping: PEI: Free over $50. NS & NB: Free over $100. Rest of Canada: Free over $200. Pre-filled growlers are also now available.

Evermoore
Evermoore in Summerside is adjusting their hours and is open Tues – Sat, 12 – 5 PM for backdoor can and growler sales. Keep an eye on social media for updates, and how to take part in their usual Thursday night trivia. They have added online ordering and 7 day-a-week delivery options to their local area. Cans, growlers, and kegs.

Gahan and PEI Brewing Company
Gahan and PEI Brewing are open for retail sales, and the restaurants are on the MHG Delivered app and site. Beer is now available on the MHG app!

Lone Oak
Lone Oak Brewing is open for can sales daily (Mon – Sat 11 – 6 PM, Sun 12 – 5 PM). Now that PEILCC allows it, you can have your online order delivered right to your door, Island-wide. Minimum order of 8 cans, no delivery fees.

Moth Lane
Moth Lane is open daily 12 – 5 PM for retail sales of beer in pre-filled growlers only.

Red Island Cider
Red Island Cider‘s taproom remains closed, but they are offering home delivery in Charlottetown, Stratford, Summerside, Queens County and Kings County. Order online for next-day delivery.

Riverdale Orchard
Riverdale Orchard‘s retail spot in Bonshaw remains open, but they ask for pre-orders at this time to ensure safe distance pickup. Please contact them via email (info@riverdaleorchard.com) or phone (902-218-0580), or via online ordering. They are now offering delivery on the Island, free for orders above $50 ($10 below).

Upstreet
Upstreet Brewing and their Craft Beer Corner location are open 12 – 8 PM daily for retail sales, as well as curbisde pickup. Call in (902-894-0543) or order online. Free same-day delivery to Charlottetown, Stratford and Cornwall ($5 fee below $75 orders), and 1-2 day delivery Island-wide. They have recently implemented the Upstreet Family Rewards, good for cash off future orders. They have also gathered in several other local producers to their online shop, to streamline your ability to stay home and stay safe.

HopYard
Friend of good beer HopYard Beer Bar has closed their taproom to onsite enjoyment, but are doing take-out (call 902-367-2599) with daily specials on their Instagram (and are on the TopServe delivery app), 12 – 8 PM.

New Beer News for March 20, 2020.

It’s not all logistics and “stiff upper lip” today, however; there are a few new beers that we spotted that we wanted to highlight, but let’s lead off with the opening of Nova Scotia’s newest brewery!

Located on the eponymous street in Colby Village (in the Cole Harbour area of the HRM), Hardisty Brewing has launched their product for the first time this week. An all-grain homebrewer for close to two decades, Charlene Robichaud (“everyone calls me Char”) has launched Hardisty to share her beer with her local community. There are cans of two beers available currently: their Block Party SMaSH, a 4.5% ABV, 30 IBU, Pale Ale, brewed with 2-Row and Simcoe, tropical and citrus flavour and aroma with a malty backbone, and Smoked Porter, 4.7% ABV and 26 IBU, with a lovely campfire aroma and light nutty flavour, thanks to Smoked and Chocolate malt additions, and hopped with Northern Brewer and Willamette. Look for more IPAs, Rye ales, and a Witbier to be released in the coming months. Hardisty will be launching their website shortly, where folks can sign up for their CSA-like Community Shared Brewery membership, but in the meantime, reach out to them on Instagram to request beer via their Thursday afternoon deliveries in the Colby Village area. We’ll have much more with Char coming soon! Congratulations!

Across the bridge in Halifax, Unfiltered Brewing has released a new beer this week, continuing in the single-hop series that has brought us DOA, Danko, Deity, Edgy, and many more, comes Satisfaction. Featuring the absolutely phenomenal Sabro hop, Nash used it in quantity throughout the process, for a solid bitterness, as well as a big aroma and flavour in the tropical realm, as well as with some resin and pine, in this 7.5% ABV beer. Available on draught for fills as well as in cans (see below for details on grabbing some).

A short distance away, 2 Crows Brewing has released a new beer this week as well, something a little darker. Counsel is an 8.3% ABV Imperial Stout that was brewed with a wide variety of malts, as is often typical for the style. These include assorted caramel malts, Roasted Barley, Chocolate malt, oats, and flaked barley. The wort was boiled for 24 hours (!!!… we’re well aware of 2 Crows’ extended brew days but this is outright ridiculous!) to greatly increase caramelization, and was then fermented with Oslo Kveik yeast, nice and warm. Once fermentation was complete, the beer was conditioned on French oak and toasted coconut (100 lbs worth), and then finally lagered for an additional 5 weeks. The final beer was canned (in 355 mL cans) and allowed to condition for three months to really have those flavours blend together. It’s tasting “roasty, smooth, and lush” with soft note of coconut, light tannin, and a clean finish. A beer like this deserves a launch party, but alas those days are behind us for now, so it’s available this weekend for delivery in the HRM, click-and-collect, and wider delivery via Canada Post. You can also pick up cans at the brewery to-go. For more info on 2 Crows shipping, check out our handy delivery section below.

Port Rexton Brewing has a new beer they’re releasing today, in the hope of celebrating the spirit of collaboration and community between breweries in this time of uncertainty and difficulties. Brewed with Rough Waters Brewing Co., Iron Rock Brewing Co., RagnaRöck Northern Brewing Company Ltd, Ninepenny Brewing, and Bannerman Brewing Co., it’s a “Nano” Kveik IPA called Next Generation 2020 that rolls in at an extremely sessionable 2.9% ABV, perfect for a little working from home day boil (ssshhhhh)! Lots of Galaxy and Mosaic in the dry hop, this beer is super hazy with plenty of aroma and flavor of light tropical fruit, soft candy, apple and pear, with a touch of a vanilla note on the finish from the Kveik yeast.

Today at noon, Garrison will be dropping Bringing Sexy Bock, the winner of their 2019 Home Brew-Off competition (aka the Good Old Days). The winning homebrewer was David Pepper, who got to brew his recipe on the Garrison system with head brewer Daniel Girard. The grist is nice and complex, with Munich, Aromatic, Extra Special, Vienna, Wheat, and Melanoidin malts all playing nicely together (but hopefully 6 feet apart). Hopped lightly with Hallertau (to 25 IBUs), this dark brown beer has “aromas of malt-rich bread, caramel, and dark fruit”. Over in flavour town, see if you can pick our caramel, pumpernickel bread, and black licorice, all balanced by a light bitterness. This 7.2% ABV brew was packaged in 473 mL cans, which can be picked up at either retail store; delivery is also an option within Halifax and Dartmouth (free if your order is $30 or more).

Rounding out the news this week is a happysad entry from Good Robot Brewing. They held their FemmeBrew competition on the weekend, where brew(st)ers were tasked with featuring local and foraged ingredients in their beer. After much deliberation, the winning beer chosen was a Grisette, brewed by beer writer Kim Hart Macneill, a longtime homebrewer. We *believe* her winning beer will be brewed on GRBC’s big system, just not sure of the timeline. The sad part of this story is that this week marked brewster Kelly Costello’s last week with GRBC, as she is moving onto other pursuits, namely obtaining a law degree. Now she’ll be mixing shit up and kicking butt on a bigger scale! Best of luck to Kello in the future, we’re sure it’s not the last we’ve heard from her!

Welcome to October 2019! While the temperature has dropped across the region, that’s only spurred on activity from our brewers. We’ve got plenty of great news from around the horn today, including two important openings happening this week in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Let’s get to it!

Let’s kick things off with Roof Hound Brewing, whose brewery and taproom are located just outside of Digby. With the acquisition of a new space in the heart of Kingston, they are expanding their operations east along the 101 Highway, bringing great beer and food to the folks in the Greenwood area. The new spot features a full kitchen, with the same diversity of offerings that fueled the Digby location, with nachos, burgers, tacos, and loaded fries on the menu. Beer-wise, the location features twelve taps of Roof Hound goodness, along with a full retail of bottles and growler fills. RHK (Roof Hound Kingston) will also be the site of their new barrel program, with beer aging in red and white wine barrels in the facility (and spirit barrels coming later). The first beer going into these barrels is a Brett and Sacch pale beer, which will sit for a spell before release. There is no brewhouse onsite, as the wort will be prepared in Digby and brought to Kingston for fermentation. Speaking of Digby, that location is closed this week as it undergoes a facelift, and will re-open next week with a new menu, with the much-anticipated return of pizza! During Fall and Winter, RHD will be open Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 PM. Roof Hound Kingston is located at 573 Main Street in the village, and is open daily 11:30 – 8 PM (closing at 9 PM on Friday and Saturday). Congratulations Roof Hound team!

Further East in the Annapolis Valley, you’ll find that the town of Sheffield Mills, famous for its Eagle Watch held every winter, now has a year-round attraction to entice visitors off the highway. Port Williams’ Sea Level Brewing, which opened in 2007, is now expanding 10 minutes up the road to 9146 Hwy 221, between Sheffield Mills and Canning. This new location is the Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, the province’s first estate brewery, with 22 acres of malting barley (yielding 38 tonnes of grain), as well as hops grown on-site. They are brewing on a 24 hectolitre brewhouse (20 barrel), which is coming online shortly, and including cider in their offerings in the future as well. Millstone Harvest features a taproom with twelve taps, and a retail space fully stocked with the canned offerings. While there is no kitchen onsite, there are some snacks available, and local food delivery or BYOF is encouraged. And fear not, their Port Williams location will remain open, featuring their retail spot with the full complement of canned and growler offerings, and the home of their Pilot brewery to experiment with new recipes and ingredients. Millstone Harvest is open this weekend for soft opening “Happy Hours”, 3 – 6 PM today, and 2 – 6 PM Saturday, and we encourage you to visit their new spot to check out their location and see their plans for the future!

Miramichi’s Timber Ship Brewing has been up and running since early this year, and now that the busy months of summer are behind us, they’re releasing their first seasonal since July. “Gourd”on’s Wharf Autumn Ale was named after the local Gordon’s Wharf, and as you may have guessed from the name, is a Pumpkin Ale. A toasty, malt-forward brew that features additions of pumpkin, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice late in the boil, it comes in at 5.8% ABV and 20 IBUs. You can find it on tap now at the Apero Lounge in Miramichi. 

If you like fruit IPAs, Big Spruce’s newest beer, Hopsitality, is the beer for you! This 7% ABV American IPA was hopped with El Dorado, Mosaic, and Nugget, and has an addition of organic pineapple juice concentrate. The colour of “ripe mango”, the beer has a strong aroma of pineapple (of course!), as well as “mango, fuzzy peaches and warm pine”. Moderately bitter in the finish, the flavour is strong with more pineapple, in addition to some grapefruit. But that’s not all from BS this week, as they’ve also released It Gose Without Saying, a Citra dry-hopped Gose. Tart, and with a light salinity, this 4.2% ABV Gose has aromas of “fresh cut lemon zest and ocean air, with meringue-like foam and the taste of fresh lemon curd”, according to the brewery. Both beers are available on tap at the brewery, and most-likely some of your favourite Big Spruce accounts as well. Finally, there’s a fresh batch of their NEIPA, Death Cookies, available, so you can hit some of that up, too!

We are also thrilled to announce the details of this year’s Home Brew-Off, the seventh year Big Spruce has hosted their homebrewing competition. This year’s theme is Kveik The East!, with the competition open to all beer styles, but they must be fermented with Kviek Voss yeast, provided by Escarpment Yeast Labs. Registration is now open, and you can get the ball rolling by emailing for an entry form, and to find out the details on where to pick up the yeast. Entries must be received by November 22nd, with the judging and awards ceremony taking place at Wooden Monkey Dartmouth November 24th. As always, the winning brewer will be invited to scale up their recipe for release at the Eat. Drink. Local. Event in January 2020. Best of luck to all entrants!

PEI’s Upstreet recently hosted Summerside native Tanya Davis for a three-week stint as their artist in residence where she produced a new collection of text-based work with a theme of “Climate/Change.” While we missed the boat last week in telling you about the Artist Talk she did at the Upstreet Taproom in Charlottetown, we’re not too late to tell you about the beer that the brewery released in concert with that work. Climate/Change is a bright and tropical IPA that “pairs well with existential questions.” Featuring notes of citrus and stone fruit, this 6% ABV and 40 IBU golden-coloured brew is refreshing and juicy. As of last week it was available at the Taproom, Craft Beer Corner, and at the Pour Authority in Founders’ Hall in Charlottetown. Hopefully that’s still the case for those who haven’t had a chance to try it yet!

Staying on the Island, Montague’s Bogside Brewing has a few new beers available in their taproom and retail space. Pitcher in the Rye is a 5.4% ABV Roggenbier, a German style known for its healthy use of rye malt in the grist. Working as a complement to their Wheat Kings County Hefeweizen, Pitcher uses a Weissbier yeast style to bring out banana and clove character, with the rye (making up a third of the grist) enhances that spicy flavour on the palate. Available on draught now, and cans shortly, it can be found at better beer bars around the island. And debuting more recently is a Double IPA brewed up as a collaboration with Tatamagouche co-owner Matt Kenny. Bogside’s Mark Patriquin began his brewing career at TataBrew, which later saw him attending VLB Berlin, and working for Central City and Four Winds in British Columbia, before returning home to the Maritimes. Celebrating that return is Holiday Island, an 8.3% ABV, 83 IBU DIPA, featuring loads of Galaxy and Mosaic for a taste of the Southern Hemisphere right here in Canada. It is available on tap in Montague and Charlottetown, with cans coming post-haste to their retail shop. May’sell pop by for a feed, drink, and grab some bacon and cans to go this weekend! 

And in “Coming Soon” news from Bogside, very soon will be Bogside’s first foray into cider, using their own crusher and press to see the whole process go down from fruit to glass. Next weekend should see the release of their newest beer, a Champagne/Brut IPA hopped with Hallertau Blanc and Huell Melon, which we’ll tell you more about next week. And keep your eyes on their social media for news of another beer that is just a couple of weeks from release. Lighthorse Lagered Ale is brewed in the classic Kolsch style, and is being released October 19th in celebration of the PEI Light Horse Regiment, the first on the island. $1 from each pint sold will go towards the Last Post Fund, and there will be plenty of fun to be had from 4 PM on the 19th, so be sure to drop by! 

Two of Nova Scotia’s highest-regarded breweries, North and Tatamagouche Brewing, have teamed up to brew a beer for those of you not quite ready to let go of summer, yet. Cool Melon, a Watermelon Kolsch,  is a light, easy-drinking 4.5% ABV beer that incorporated over 800 lbs of pulped watermelons (oddly, that doesn’t sound like a fun job to us!), and was hopped with Huell Melon. They’ve packaged this one in cans, which you’ll be able to find at both North shops starting today, and at TataBrew as well (word is they also have it on draught, there). This won’t be the last North/Tata collab you’ll be seeing; keep your eyes open for some fun blending and aging projects in the future!

Sticking with TataBrew, they’ve actually got a couple of new beers of their own launching this week. One is a traditional Lager brewed to squeak in to officially make it during Oktoberfest, Daybreak Kellerbier. Literally translating to “cellar beer”, Tata’s take on this ancient style (many speculate it originated in the Middle Ages) is a 4.8% beer that has “an intense gold to ripe mango colour”, with malty aromas of “sweet scone,  biscuit, white bread, and toast”. All of this malty goodness translates over to the flavour, along with hints of woodiness and grassy herbal notes, with a little lingering bitterness in the finish. Tata also has Haskap Berliner Weisse for us, a 4.3% ABV Berliner with an addition of organic Haskap berries from Sweet Earth Farms. Hazy and mauve-coloured, expect “bursts of blueberry and tart cranberry” to go with flavours of wheat in this crisp, sour, refreshing beer. 

There’s been a very odd lack of new release from 2 Crows over the past several weeks… but don’t worry, turns out they’re still alive! And we can prove it, with details of their latest beer, Old & New. The brewery’s newest Wild Saison, it was brewed with a 50:50 blend of Wheat and Pilsner malt from PEI’s Shoreline Malting. Hopped in the boil (to 20 IBUs) with Citra, Enigma, and Hallertau Blanc, the wort was open-fermented (a first for 2 Crows!) in one of their foedres, with a blend of house Saison cultures (along with some yeast they grew up from a recently-opened Brett beer from the US). Conditioned for four months, the beer was finally dry-hopped with Galaxy, Loral, Azacca and Tradition, and then packaged in cans where it was allowed to carbonate naturally. The final product is 5.4% ABV, and is tasting “super bright and lemony, with a pithy bitterness, a bit of new world tropical (mandarin orange, guava) notes and a great herbal backbone”. Sounds great to us! In addition to being available in cans at the brewery, they’ll also have it pouring on tap. 

Back to Oktoberfest beers with Brightwood’s latest, Siegestor. Their take on the Märzen style, it was brewed with a grist made up of Pilsner, Biscuit, Amber, and cherry wood Smoked malt. Hopped with Hallertau and Bramling Cross, this amber-coloured Lager has a good amount of bready character on the nose and palate, with “a hint of smoke” from the smoked malt addition. It finishes clean and crisp, and comes in at 5.5% ABV. It’s currently pouring at the brewery for pints and growlers, and should be available in cans sometime next week as well.

Church Brewing has a brand new beer hitting the taps and shelves of their Wolfville taproom and retail shop today, their first containing fruit. Til Death Do Us Tart is a 5.9% ABV Framboise, namely a Pale Belgian Ale with raspberries. Using a clean Belgian yeast, the tart character of the beer is all thanks to the large addition of fruit. Restrained use of Magnum and Perle lend a light earthy and spicy note, complementing the yeast character, and taking a backseat to the raspberries. It is available today (and all weekend!) in both cans and crowlers at their retail shop adjacent to the brewery. And keep your eyes peeled for Saltwater Joys, a 4.4% ABV Gose, brewed with Pink Himalayan Salt and coriander, and fermented with Voss Kveik yeast after a partial souring with Lactobacillus. It will be released next Friday, the 11th, at the taproom for flights and pints to enjoy onsite, and cans and crowlers to take away.

Let’s head back into HRM to Propeller, where they are launching just the second beer in their very limited bottle release series. Today’s release is Farmhouse Saison, a Saison that was fermented with a blend of yeast strains: a Saison yeast, and two Brettanomyces strains (B. anomalus and B. bruxellensis). The beer was aged in red wine barrels for 8 months before being packaged in 750 mL bottles. Conditioned in the bottle, it’s exhibiting aromas and flavours of fruity esters, spice, and tropical characteristics thanks to the Brett strains. There are only 280 bottles available, so there will be a 3 bottle per person limit. They go on sale today at both Prop stores, so don’t wait to pick yours up! Keep in mind that this type of beer will age and evolve beautifully, so you may want to grab more than a single. As an aside, tonight’s cask night beer is Porter w/ Coffee and Chocolate

Over in Fredericton, TrailWay Brewing has yet another new iteration of their Milkshake IPA, Velvet Fog, releasing at the brewery today. Those of you who are big fans of banana will be excited for this one, as it features an addition of close to 300 lbs of banana puree. They also threw in 25 lbs of toasted coconut, as well as the usual additions of lactose powder and pure vanilla extract. “But what about the hops?”, you may be asking (rightfully so, this IS TrailWay, after all). One of the newest, popular varieties out there, Sabro, was used to help bump the coconut character. The final result is a beer with huge banana aroma, and coconut and vanilla lurking in the background. They also wanted to make it clear that this beer is not hazy/murky like other Velvet Fogs* (see what we did there?), with “the banana addition aiding in flocculation tremendously”. You can find your cans, growlers, and pints of this 6.5% ABV brew at the taproom!

* For the record, Mel Tormé, the original Velvet Fog, was neither hazy, nor murky.

With fall in full swing and bigger, the bigger, darker beers are starting to make their appearance in the region. Cue Halifax’s Garrison Brewing who have once again brought back their Grand Baltic Porter, a beer they’ve released on a pretty consistent basis for quite a few years now. Big and burly, at 8.5% ABV, it’s got enough bitterness (37 IBU or so) to balance the rich and malty sweetness. With plenty of dark fruit, molasses and caramel, you should find it quite smooth thanks to the use of lager yeast, which is typical for the style. Find it in bottles at the brewery and, we expect other places where you normally get your Garrison fix. We’ve also had word that there’s a barrel-aged version of this one afoot, we’ll get the details of that to you once we have them.

Over in Good Robot land, they’ve got the latest in their Creature Feature series, Creature Feature VII – The Storm Beer. Luckily, it was actually brewed BEFORE Dorian hit, but the power was knocked out shortly after, meaning the beer/wort was left without temperature control during fermentation. Temps did get a little high, allowing the yeast to produce some “ripe fruitiness”. It was then dry-hopped with Rakau to give even more tropical character; look for this one – 5.3% ABV, 50 IBUs – on tap now. And we can fill you in on next week’s beer, Go Kart Jack Ass. A Scottish Ale brewed with some Scottish friends, it’s amber-coloured, with “low, subtly-spicy hop character, and a slight honey aroma”; 4.8% ABV, 19 IBUs.

Lots of beery events going on in the next couple of weeks in the region, with a pretty big emphasis on tomorrow! Check ’em out:

One of New Brunswick’s oldest and largest breweries (of the craft era, anyway), Picaroons, is starting a new fall tradition with their first annual Cst Robb Costello Memorial Oktoberfest. Festivities will kick off tomorrow, Saturday, October 5th, at noon, with a Fun Walk/Run to raise funds for the Cst Robb Costello Memorial Fund, a charity set up in his name to provide scholarships within the community and support both ongoing Police training and first responder families in crisis. Unfortunately, if you haven’t already it’s too late to sign up for the run event and there is no registration available at the event. But it’s NOT too late to support the cause and have some fun by purchasing tickets for the Oktoberfest celebration being put on by Picaroons. Hosted at the brewery in Fredericton, going from 2 – 6 PM tomorrow, tickets for the event itself are $30 (plus fees) and are available online through Eventbrite. While you’re purchasing, you’ll also have the opportunity to donate $20 or $50 (or an amount of your choosing) to the memorial fund. Your ticket gets you a commemorative stein, 2 beers and a sausage, with addition food and beer available for purchase on site. Pics has also brewed up a special batch for the event that they’ve canned with Craft Coast Canning, entitled Cst. Robb Costello Memorial Oktoberfest, a 5.7% fest-style lager. You can rest assured that beer will be pouring all afternoon, but given the packaging, we’d expect it will also be available for purchase at Pics locations and, hopefully, elsewhere.

PEI Brewing Company is holding their inaugural Okto-beer-feast event this weekend, putting their own spin on the traditional German event. The celebrations begin today with a “beer stein hoppy hour”, German-inspired food stations, food demonstrations, live entertainment and activities. It also marks the release of their newest seasonal, Scarlet Race Helles Lager, which attendees will be the first to try. Tomorrow’s event continues with happy hour, food trucks in the parking lot, photo booths, and more. There are games and competitions on the go throughout, with gift cards up for grabs! The weekend culminates in a live concert by Hoolerado at 9 PM. Tickets for the event are $10, or $15 for a “Beer Lovers Ticket”, which includes the first fill of your 32oz beer stein. Grab your tickets here!

If you’re in Halifax and itching to get your Oktoberfest this weekend, don’t worry, Garrison has you covered. Das Big Party takes place tomorrow, Saturday, October 5, at their Seaport Hall facility near the Halifax Seaport Market, which will be transformed into a Bavarian Biergarten. A family-friendly event, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be lots of beer. Admission is free to all and they’ll have live music starting with oompah music from 2 – 5 PM and followed by Kids Losing Sleep and Rain Over St. Ambrose starting at 6 PM as well as food for purchase from Asado Wood Fired Grill.

And Halifax’s Stillwell ain’t gonna let no dangling crane ruin their annual Oktoberfest celebrations! While this year’s event obviously can’t happen at the Beergarden location, it will still go on at Stillwell HQ on Barrington St. tomorrow, October 5th. The all-day, no-tickets-necessary party will feature steins of some of the finest Lagers and Lager-like beers available locally and beyond. But of COURSE it’s not going to stop just at beer… expect oompah music, and special food items from their wonderful kitchen, including currywurst and fries, schnitzel sandwiches, and pretzel bites with mustard and cheese sauce. It all starts at noon!

If you’re in the Annapolis Royal area this weekend and looking for a party, we’ve got one for ya! Annapolis Brewing is celebrating their 2nd Anniversary tomorrow, October 5th, and they want you to drop by to join in on the fun. The party starts at 3 pm – of course there will be plenty of beer flowing (with a free glass per person for the first 100 pints sold), in addition to axe throwing from 3-5 pm, and live music by Callehan from 8-11 pm. 

If you’re in Moncton on Sunday, October 6, you’ve got the opportunity to attend an Oktoberfest event that’s maybe a little different from the traditional big lederhosen-laden bash. Euston Park Social, New Brunswick’s newest Beer Garden, is hosting noted food, drink, and travel writer Evan Rail for a guided tasting of 6 beers and 6 Oktoberfest-style food pairings from Euston Park’s chefs, Gene Cormier and Manny Brison. Beers will be courtesy of New Brunswick breweries Grand Monk, Flying Boats, Holy Whale, Brasseux d’la Cote, CAVOK, and O’Creek Brewing. Tickets are $55 (plus fees) and can be purchased online through EventBrite up until tomorrow.

The Ladies Beer League of Halifax is putting on an event bringing together crafting and beer for a good cause. In concert with Kind Krafts and Garrison Brewing, and benefiting the Prescott Group, Crafty Fall Bevvy on October 10th from 8 PM to 10 PM at Garrison’s Seaport Hall will give you the chance to make some handmade cards, leather coasters, and/or bracelets while you socialize and sip some of your Garrison favorites. Admission is free and all crafting materials are provided. At the end of the session you’ll have the choice of purchasing your coasters and bracelets or donating them to be sold by Kind Krafts to benefit the Prescott Group, their charity of the season. Prescott Group operates vocational, personal development and employment programs for individuals with an intellectual disability. A worthy cause indeed. Check out the event page to sign up for your ticket (again, free, but a limited number of spaces are available).

And a few last quick mentions before we leave you to your Friday afternoon:

Chain Yard Cider is putting a call out for any apples that you may have (sexy or gross, doesn’t matter!), which they would like to use to brew a special “community cider”; a portion of the proceeds from this cider will go to Feed Nova Scotia. If you’re interested in participating, drop them a message on Facebook or email info@chainyardcider.com, and they’ll take it from there! 

Heritage Brewing has a new beer this week, Strawberry Rhubarb Kettle Sour, a 5% ABV kettle sour that was conditioned on strawberries and rhubarb (you probably guessed that!). Tart and refreshing, you can find it on tap now at the brewery. 

Hill Top Hops has released Harvest Ale (5% ABV), a wet-hopped beer for the season and de rigueur, we think for a brewery with its own hopyard; available at the brewery.

Niche Brewing in Hanwell has brought back the beer that launched them two years ago, and one that makes a frequent appearance on their brew schedule. Single Origin is a 5.0% ABV Coffee Sweet Stout, featuring Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans, as well as lactose power for a light sweetness. Find it at better beer bars in New Brunswick.

Think Brewing has rebrewed their American IPA, Train of Thought, but upped it to a DIPA that is bigger in both ABV (9.3%) and hops. Heavily dry-hopped with a dose of El Dorado and several other American varieties, it has tropical fruit, resin, and pineapple on the nose. Look for it at your usual Think tap accounts; it’s also on at the growler station at the York St. ANBL in Fredericton. 

York County Cider has released the latest in their bottled Seasonal Reserve line; Apple Pie (8.2%) was aged for three months in Cape Breton whisky barrels and has notes of “apple, oak, whisky, cinnamon, and vanilla”. You can find 750 mL bottles at various ANBL stores in NB, and it’s also on tap at York County’s taproom in Fredericton.