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Friday Wrap-Up – News from Half Cut Brewing, Hammond River, Big Tide, TrailWay, King Street Ale House, Flying Boats and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-07-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Tide Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Flying Boats Brewing, Half Cut Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, King Street Ale House, Picaroons, Railcar Brewing, Savoie's Brewhouse, Stillwell Beer Bar, TrailWay Brewing. 3 comments

Happy Friday folks! We’ve got lots of new beers (and a couple of breweries!) to keep you satisfied today.

• Fredericton beer lovers were alerted this morning to yet another new brewery in their city… and it’s open now! Half Cut Brewing is owned by Matt Corey, an employee at Picaroons; Matt will be brewing his first beers on the 7 BBL system at the Brewtique on Queen St. This isn’t the first time that Picaroons have lent their space and equipment to a new brewery – Grimross initially had their start there when they first opened two years ago. Half Cut has released their first beer this morning for growler fills at the Brewtique – Alter Ego is a 5% ABV Düsseldorf Altbier, a copper-coloured German ale/lager hybrid that features clean and malty flavours, and is balanced by a firm bitterness (47 IBUs). Head down to the Brewtique ASAP to give this new beer a try! In the meantime, we’ll have more info on Half Cut in the near future.

• Hammond River owner/brewer Shane Steeves was at the Big Tide brewpub last Saturday with brewmaster Wendy Papadopoulos for their first collaboration beer! They decided to focus on both a style and ingredient that neither of them had brewed/used before, and settled on a “Rhubarb Saison”. With a fairly simple grist of Pilsner and Wheat malt, plus a little Munich and Crystal 60 L, it was hopped lightly with Hallertau to about 28 IBUs. Seventy pounds of locally-sourced rhubarb was added to the beer in several stages – the boil, during primary fermentation, and when fermentation is complete – which should provide significant tartness to the finished product. Fermented with a dry Saison yeast, expect this Belgian ale to weigh in at around 6% ABV; it should be available on tap at Big Tide within a couple of weeks, and will hopefully pop up at several of Hammond River’s accounts as well!

• TrailWay has added another fruit beer to their summer line-up: Mango Wheat features the same grist as their popular Raspberry Wheat, with real mangoes – 10 lbs worth – added during secondary fermentation. Also hopped with notoriously-tropical varieties Citra and Galaxy (including more Citra in the dry-hop), expect this easy-drinking, 4.5% ABV beer to be perfectly-fruity for summer (even if the weather hasn’t felt like it, lately). It’s available on tap now throughout Fredericton.

• Last night, TrailWay also took part in the recent return of the weekly Thursday Cask Night at the King Street Ale House. Along with two casks of their IPA, Hugh John Hops (one infused with bourbon-soaked oak chips, the other dry-hopped a second time, with Comet), they released… another new beer! Summer Amber is on the lighter side of Amber-coloured, with a grist of 2-row, Munich, Crystal, CaraRed, and a hint of Chocolate malt. Hopped heavily with Centennial (and smaller amounts of Amarillo and Mosaic), it’s easy-drinking at 5% ABV, with a moderate bitterness in the finish.

• Ahead of their participation in the Halifax Seaport Beer Festival August 7-8, the fine folks from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery will be taking over the taps at both the Stillwell Beergarden and Barrington St mothership on Thursday, August 6th. Starting at 4pm, a fine selection of GLB beers will be pouring on the waterfront, taking over all of the Beergarden’s lines, with some special sausages and dogs to accompany them. Just one keg of each beer will be on, so once it’s gone, it’s gone! Entry tickets are $5+fees. And then, starting at 6pm, Barrington Street will be pouring a dozen of Brewmaster Mike Lackey’s favourite brews, which will be sure to include some rare-for-even-Toronto GLB brews, perhaps from their mixed fermentation, barrel-aged and other small-batch beers. And Lackey himself will be on hand to meet and greet. Tickets for entry to this event are also $5+fees, and after 8pm, the doors will be open to all (assuming there’s anything left). Tickets are available online now, and are sure to sell out soon!

• Flying Boats Brewing hasn’t been open very long, but that’s not stopping them from experimenting with new beers! First up is Dome Car, a Bohemian or Czech Pilsner that is brewed with plenty of the noble Saaz hop variety, providing lots of its characteristic spicy flavours and aromas. It registers at 36 IBUs and 5% ABV, and is currently on tap at Shediac’s Auberge Gabriele Inn. Owner/brewer Marc Melanson also brewed up a special beer for a special event (mentioned directly below): S-55 Special Mission Dark Pale Ale.  Featuring a “rich blend of malted and caramel-based barleys”, the beer is heavily-hopped (and dry-hopped) with Cascade to balance the sweetness from the malts. Named after an aviation feat that took place in Shediac in 1933 (more on that here), it comes in at 37 IBUs and 5.6% ABV.

• In celebration of the upcoming New Brunswick Day long weekend, Fredericton’s James Joyce Pub is pulling out all the stops and dedicating their 18 taps to all 18 breweries in the province. This will mark the first time that every brewery in New Brunswick is available on tap at the same time! Beers from the recently-opened Flying Boats Brewing (including the new brew mentioned above) and Savoie’s Brewhouse will join the line-up, as well as the recent Acadie-Broue/Big Tide collaboration La Gaboteuse, a Belgian IPA. Acadie-Broue will also have a tap for their Hefeweizen, Valdrague Weizen (more on that beer here). The kegs will be tapped at 3 pm on Friday, July 31st, and will continue flowing all weekend until they’re gone. Many of these beers will go quickly, so don’t wait to drop in! This feat likely won’t be accomplished again for quite some time!

• Speaking of Savoie’s Brewhouse, their listing at the ANBL has gone live today, which means this weekend should be the time to pick up their Chaleur Phantom Amber Ale (and their Island Lake Blonde shortly). They will also be participating (along with Charlo neighbours Shiretown Beer) in the Bon Ami Flavour Fest taking place at 7pm July 25th at the Lion’s Club on Adelaide in Dalhousie. Tickets are $35, and include beer, cider, and wine tasting, and finger food until 10pm, when the live music and dancing take over the hall floor.

• Petit-Sault has released Lt. Ingall – Summer Edition, a new take on Lt. Ingall, their “Session Pale Ale”. While the original was brewed entirely with malt from Quebec’s MaltBroue, the new beer features both Canadian 2-row and Munich malt for “more of a smooth maltiness”, according to the brewery. The hop schedule has also been changed, with Chinook and Centennial taking the stage. It’s still a very-sessionable 4.6% ABV; currently available at the brewery, it should also be joining the line-up at the ANBL Growler Stations in the near future. And be sure to drop by their Beer Garden at 45 rue de l’Eglise July 30-Aug 1, for some pre-Foire Brayonne fun.

• Railcar Brewing in Florenceville has a new beer out this week, Celtic Red Ale. This malt-forward 6.2% ABV Red features four different malts in the grain bill, with bittering from Fuggle and Golding from local Southan Farm to 17 IBUs for balance. Railcar has also given us some details on a new beer they’ve brewed especially for their local Festival of Flavour, being held Aug 9-15. Their Sweet Potato Porter features Pale, Munich, Caramel, Carapils and Chocolate malts, along with 8 kg of sweet potatoes in the mash tun. Magnum hops were used both in a first-wort hop and in the boil to balance the malt, and an addition of star anise and cinnamon spices was added to the boil. This 8.2% ABV beer will be available at the brewery beginning August 11, and at the Festival of Flavour Grand Tasting, Aug 15 at 6:30pm. Tickets for the Grand Tasting are $35, and available now. And join Railcar’s owner/brewer Mitch Biggar in a tasting of Maritime Craft Beer on Aug 12, complete with a tour of his brewery. Finally, keep your eyes peeled for Railcar’s debut on the ANBL growler program next week, with their Grapefruit Pale Ale on tap at the Fredericton ANBL.

Let’s hope the weather improves over the weekend! Grimross’ Table Oat Saison is now available. Brewed with 100% Oats, this beer is suitable for gluten-conscious drinkers, as oats themselves contain no gluten, but they were not processed in a gluten-free facility, so those with celiac disease should be aware of that. Look for more details on the brew here. PEI Brewing’s latest Vic Park Pale Ale single-hop variant is out, this time using the Australian Galaxy hop. Big Spruce was visited by home brewer Jason Spears to brew up this year’s batch of Tip of the Spear Spruce Tip IPA, look for it to hit the taps mid-August. And drop by today for oysters (until 6:30pm) and music from Keith Mullins (starting at 3:30pm) during their Food, Music, and Beer Friday. Drop by Halifax’s Good Robot for a growler fill of their core lineup this weekend, and you can also grab a taste of some pilot brews that may be released in the coming months. Look for a Lichtenhainer (a sour and smoky low alcohol German style) and Kentucky Common (a pre-Prohibition malt and corn beer from Kentucky). Bishop’s Cellar has received a new shipment from several breweries that is hitting the shelves today, including a handful from Evil Twin, as well as a Summer Wheat from Anchor Brewing, cider from Brickworks Ciderhouse, and a collaboration between Le Trou du Diable & Dieu du Ciel!. A reminder that they take internet orders and deliveries across the province for those who cannot make it into their Halifax shop. Sign up to their Behind the Taps mailing list for the latest details. And Chris will be doing something a little different next weekend, visiting a few Maine beer sites and events, including a Brews & Views Beer Pairing Dinner at Stratton Brook Hut near Kingfield, Maine, and going for a bit of a beer and raft adventure on the Kennebec River, at The Forks, Maine. Keep an eye open for additional info next week.

Friday Wrap-Up – News and Brews from Flying Boats Brewery, Red Rover, Garrison, Fredericton Craft Beer, King Street Ale House and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-07-03
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Authentic Seacoast Brewing, BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Breton Brewing, Flying Boats Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, King Street Ale House, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Welcome to the first Friday in July! We hope your Canada Day was a festive one, and you were able to celebrate with a local pint. Let’s see what other new beers you’ll soon be able to taste around our region!

• New Brunswick’s newest brewery, Flying Boats Brewing in Shediac, has released their first beer, Picnic Train Witbier. A refreshing, easy-drinking seasonal release named after a “popular summertime train service between Moncton and Pointe-du-Chene wharf to bring passengers to Parlee Beach in the early part of 1900s”, it was brewed with Flaked Wheat, malted Pilsner and some Flaked Oats in the grist. In true Witbier-style, bitter orange peel and coriander were added to the beer at the end of the boil to provide some additional spiciness/fruitiness to the aroma and flavour. Lightly hopped to balance the sweetness, the beer comes in at 5.5% ABV, and is currently on tap at La Coast Restaurant et Bar and Auberge Gabrièle Inn, both of which are located in Shediac.

• Flying Boats should also be releasing their Dixie Clipper IPA on tap in the near future. Continuing with the locally-named theme, Dixie Clipper refers to “one of the planes that flew into Shediac Bay during the 1920-30’s as a weekly Pan Am flight from New York to Shediac, then onward to Europe and return”, according to brewer/owner Marc Melanson. Hopped (and dry-hopped) predominantly with Chinook to 68 IBUs, it weighs in at a moderately-strong 6.5% ABV. Expect notes of both pine and grapefruit in this hoppy ale. And look for two additional new Flying Boats beers (currently TBD) to be served at next Saturday’s Tasting NB!

• Red Rover has released a special cider this week, Get with the Beet. They sourced fresh beet juice from Real Food Connections, and added it to the apple cider base before conditioning. The rough juicing allows significant beet character to shine through on both the nose and palate, with a bright red colour highlighting the blend. The ABV is listed as 7.0%, and will be available at their market stalls in Fredericton, Kingston, Saint John and St. Andrews, their Cider House and on tap at select locations.

• Garrison Brewing is releasing a new beer today, Seaport Blonde. Brewed in celebration of the spot where they work and play, this American Blonde Ale is light bodied, and has a dry, crisp finish. It features an ABV of 4.0%, from the 2-Row and Wheat malt grain bill, and is lightly hopped with Columbus to 8 IBUs. This new brew is on tap and in bottles at the brewery now, and will be debuting in the NSLCs very shortly.

• There’s another beer event coming soon to Fredericton from those behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and the King Street Ale House. Ice Cream n’ Beer will be held at the KSAH on Sunday, July 26th from 6-9 pm, and will feature six different local craft beers (8 oz pours) paired with six different “craft ice creams” created by chef Aaron Fraser.  The brewery/beer list will be confirmed once the ice cream creations come in! Tickets are $35 (taxes and fee included) and can be purchased now, online.

• Yellowbelly Brewmaster Liam McKenna has put a different spin on the latest batch of their YellowBelly Pale Ale, on now at the brewery. The grain bill is the same, for 4.5% ABV, however McKenna has swapped out the traditional Nugget and Cluster hops used normally in this year-round staple. In their place, Sorachi Ace was used for the bittering and flavour additions, with a charge of Mosaic used for dry-hopping, for an aromatic blast. This is truly a one-off iteration of the Pale Ale, so be sure to check it out at the brewery today.

• Railcar Brewing has made progress with their bottling plans, as you should be able to buy their Summer Sessions IPA (a single-malt and single-hop – or SMaSH – beer featuring the Citra variety) and Grapefruit Pale Ale in 500 mL bottles at the brewery by next weekend, according to brewer/owner Mitch Biggar. They’ve been brewing a lot of fruit-based beers for the warmer weather, all of which have their standard Pale Ale as a base, but with different organic brewer’s fruit extract and real peel/flesh added. Variations so far have included raspberry, watermelon, black currant, and mango, in addition to the rebrewed grapefruit version; they all measure 5.5% ABV. Right now, they’re planning on having bottles at various ANBL locations sometime next month. In the meantime, Railcar beers are also on tap at the James Joyce and Isaac’s Way in Fredericton, A.C. Sharkey’s Pub in Bristol, and Larlee Creek Public House in Perth.

• We have some more details on the new English Pale Ale released in mid-June at the official opening of the Big Axe taproom. This golden-amber-coloured ale was brewed with the English pale malt Maris Otter, along with some Crystal malt for both colour and caramel/toffee notes. Hopped to about 50 IBUs with Goldings and Galena, it weighs in at 6% ABV. It’s currently available at the brewery for pints and growler fills, and at the James Joyce in Fredericton.

• For Charlottetown residents, it just got easier to get your hands on BarNone beer! Last Saturday, they made their first appearance at the Charlottetown Farmers Market, where they were selling growlers of their beer. Despite the minimal announcement, locals were quick to snatch up plenty of growlers; for those of you who were unaware, BarNone will return tomorrow morning, and weekly thereafter! Tomorrow’s offerings should include their IPA and La Vaca Loca Sweet Stout, and perhaps their FarmAle Saison, depending on availability.

• Big Spruce Brewing‘s first Food Truck Friday was a grand success last week, despite the poor weather. Today looks to be a little nicer, and the folks from Free Range Bio Farm will be back with their bright yellow food truck. They will be serving up Bratwurst, Schnitzel and Pulled Pork Sandwiches, with potato salad and sauerkraut. To wash all of that down, grab some of the second release of The Silver Tart (Sour Raspberry Wheat), the return of Spin Me White Round Wheat IPA, Tim’s Dirty American IPA, and Bitter Get’er India Black IPA. Accompanying the food and drinks will be entertainment from local musicians Ferris and Shauna Matthews Asaph.

• After a very successful launch on Saturday, Breton Brewing have announced details of their official Launch Party, taking place July 18th at Flavor on the Water. An event full of food, music, and of course, beer will run 5:30-1am that night. Four bands will be playing that evening, Keith Mullins, Jordan Musycsyn, Pretty Archie, and Slowcoaster. Tickets to the event are $30 (which includes a free Breton beer), with a VIP option for $60 which also includes free hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening (including PA Marinated Pulled Pork Sliders, Hefeweizen Marinated Fish Tacos, and Breton Brewing Bold BBQ & Local Maple Jumbo Wings). Tickets can be purchased at the brewery, or online.

• And speaking of Breton, they will be filling growlers at their Keltic Dr location again tomorrow, 10-5pm. Joining their Stirling Hefeweizen and Black Angus IPA on tap will be their Sons of Hector, a 5.0% ABV, 30 IBU Brown Ale. Before their tasting room opens later this month, their brews can be found at Flavor on the Water, Governor’s Pub, Iona Heights Inn, Old Triangle, and Talo Cafe in Cape Breton, and in Halifax at The Argyle, Stillwell (both Barrington and the Beer Garden), Stubborn Goat, and Tom’s Little Havana. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates on their opening hours, as they may vary until their tap room is open.

• Upstreet Brewing opened their doors Friday evening, and have been going great guns ever since. All three of their beers, Rhuby Social Strawberry Rhubarb Wit, Do-Gooder Pale Ale and Commons Pilsner are now available at the brewery tap room for pints and growler fills. They can also be found on tap at several spots in Charlottetown, including Baba’s Lounge, where they are hosting tonight’s Quittin’ Time Sessions at 6-8pm, and at tomorrow’s Village Feast in Souris, hosted by Chef Michael Smith.

• Do you have any wild hops growing on your property, or have spotted some on the side of the road? If so, AgCan PEI researchers Aaron Mills and Jason McCallum want to hear about them! They are looking for truly Maritime hop varietals (either native, or from early crops brought from Europe) that are resistant to pests and mildew in our area, and may possibly have some unique flavour and aroma characteristics. If you have any leads, email Aaron Mills.

• And finally this week, Rare Bird has released their Spruce Ale seasonal beer this week at their Guysborough brewery. Black Spruce buds were added to the boil, to complement the medium-bodied beer’s flavour and aroma. This 5.5% ABV and 53 IBU beer will also be bottled, and should be showing up in the private beer stores in HRM shortly.

Looks like a nice weekend coming up, be sure to enjoy it with some local craft beer! If you’re in Fredericton, TrailWay has released a new iteration of their Raspberry Wheat; in addition to fresh raspberries, Raspberry Pomegranate has had – you guessed it – pure pomegranate organic juice added during secondary fermentation. Look for it on tap at the KSAH and 540 Kitchen & Bar. Petit-Sault‘s IPA, Soeur Catherine, should now be available in bottles at several ANBL stores across the province, with more locations following soon. Also check out their Tante Blanche on all four growler stations, and Hammond River‘s Hawaiian Pale Ale is on at Kennebcasis Valley, but get there soon, as half of the kegs were sold by closing time yesterday! Drop by Rudder’s Brewery & Restaurant in Yarmouth for a taste of their new Lighthouse Lager, a 4.3% ABV Australian-style lager, hopped with Southern Cross hops. And finally, good news for those of us unable to make it to Big Tide for the release of their May collaboration brew, La Gaboteuse II, with Acadie-Broue – a few kegs of this Belgian IPA were saved and will be making their way to the Tide and Boar in Moncton, and the James Joyce in Fredericton very soon. Be sure to try it if you can, it’ll be gone in record time!

Friday Wrap-up – Two New English IPAs from the North & South NS Conspiracies, News from Upstreet, Sea Level, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-05-15
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Good Robot Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, King Street Ale House, Moncton Beer League, North Brewing, NS Craft Beer Week, Propeller Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve been swept up in the fun and excitement that is #NSCraftBeerWeek, with lots of great events, dinners, and tap takeovers. There are still a few events this weekend, including tonight’s Brews Cruise on the tall ship Silva and Tap Takeover at Windsor’s Spitfire Arms (featuring Meander River, Schoolhouse and Sea Level), tomorrow’s sold out Full House Craft Beer Fest, and Sunday’s Brewer’s Brunch at the Stubborn Goat, so be sure to take them in.

• The Race the Kegs event will take place tonight at the Gahan House Harbourfront. Racing in from the Bedford Yacht Squadron on 24-foot sailboats, the North and South teams will be competing to see who can get their kegs tapped and pouring first. The event kicks off around 6:30pm. The “South” team (Boxing Rock, Gahan House, Hell Bay and Sea Level) are releasing Rule 42 – brewed with all English hops (Challenger, Phoenix, and Bramling Cross), the beer was named after the the boat-racing rule (stating that only the wind and water can be used to increased, decrease, or maintain a craft’s speed). It clocks in at 5.3% and 50 IBUs. As for the “North” team (Big Spruce, Good Robot, North Brewing, and Uncle Leo’s), their Northern Bight was brewed with plenty of Crystal 120 L for colour, and to boost the “spicy body”. Hopped entirely with UK Goldings in the boil, and dry-hopped with… well, that’s a secret, and we can’t tell you! This 6.3% ABV, 60 IBUs ale was fermented with Nottingham, a dry English yeast. May the best beer win! No tickets are necessary to come take part in the fun, and there will be plenty of other NS Craft Beer on tap as well to celebrate the event. These two beers will then be available for growler fills at their participant breweries, and on tap at bars around the province.

• With their opening day getting closer and closer, Upstreet Craft Brewing has announced details on their first three beer releases. The first is Commons Pilsner; brewed in the Bohemian style, the beer was named after its birthplace – in the 18th century, the brewery location used to be known as the “Commons”, or the outskirts of Charlottetown proper. Fermented with a lager yeast strain, this Czech-style beer is brewed with real Czech ingredients, including Bohemian floor-malted pilsner malt, and lots of Czech Saaz hops (with plenty being added late in the boil to increase the spicy aroma/flavour indicative to the style). Coming in at 4.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, this “balanced and crisp” Lager is the perfect style for summer-drinking!

•  Next up is an American Pale Ale named in honor of all those who helped the brewery come to fruition… Do-Gooder APA. Proudly brewed using 50% Maritime Malt, it features a malty backbone and medium bitterness, with a blast of citrus and fruitness in the aroma, thanks to hop bursting (adding most of the hops very late in the boil). Something to satisfy the hopheads but also accessible for those who don’t think they like hoppy or bitter beers. The Do-Gooder weighs in at 5.5% ABV and 45 IBUs. And we’ve heard a rumour about a Belgian-inspired fruit beer to be revealed shortly!

• Sea Level has released their returning summer seasonal, Summer Blonde Pilsner. Brewed with 100% Maritime Malt, this “crisp, refreshing” Lager is hopped with the aptly-named Australian variety, Summer. Coming in at a sessionable 4.8% ABV, the beer finishes with a fairly-firm bitterness, at 40 IBUs. You can find it at the brewery now for growler fills and can purchases; look for it at private liquor stores across Halifax, soon.

• The folks behind Lake of Bays, a craft brewery from Baysville, ON, are coming to New Brunswick, and there will be a a series of beer dinners to celebrate:

In Fredericton, the Lake of Bays’ owners will be dropping by the King Street Ale House on May 27th, and Chef Aaron Fraser will be putting together a four course meal to pair with their offerings. The beers will be Rock Cut Lager, Crosswind Pale Ale, Spark House Red Ale, 10 Point IPA, Old North Mocha Porter, and a special Cask beer brewed for the event. Tickets will be going on sale very soon, keep on eye on the KSAH Facebook and Twitter feeds for details.

In Moncton, they are partnering with the  Moncton Beer League and local Chefs Dan & Cheryl McLenaghan for an event at La Teraz, on May 28th. A four course menu will be paired with four different Lake of Bays beer, plus a few others, and a souvenir glass. The dinner begins at 7:30 (doors at 6:30), and tickets are available now. The last Moncton Beer League dinner sold out well before the event, so don’t delay! Early bird tickets are available until May 20th for a $10 savings, ticket sales close May 23rd. Sales from this event will help support the Humanity Project. Keep up with the event on Facebook or Twitter.

• The Brewnettes and Beerthief Artisanal and Craft Beer Club are putting on a tasting of Evil Twin beers next Thursday at the Quidi Vidi Brewery. Starting at 7:30, attendees will have a chance to taste four beers from this Danish gypsy brewery: Low Life Pilsner, Freudian Slip Barleywine, I Love You With My Stout Imperial Stout, and Molotov Cocktail Imperial IPA. Pretzels and hummus will be provided, and the Quidi Vidi bar will be open throughout the event. To reserve your spot, please do so via email before Tuesday. This is a members only event, but membership is free, and open to all beer-loving women in Newfoundland.

• Sunday’s Stillwell Open was a great event, with a dozen breweries and homebrewers competing in a blind tasting, with attendees voting on their favourite Backyard BBQ beers. The competition was fierce, with the winning beer revealed around 7pm. And, believe it or not, our very own Chris McDonald was the winner! He brewed a Lemon & Ginger Witbier on the pilot system at Good Robot, and the crowd seemed to enjoy the combination of lemon aroma with ginger spice and “snap”. Tatamagouche’s Sunrise Trail Session Ale,  Boxing Rock’s Sessionista, and Big Spruce’s Silver Tart all finished extremely close in the voting, with less than 0.5 points (out of 40) separating the top four. We’re looking forward to next year’s event already!

•  The event also served as the launching pad for a few new beers in our region,  Propeller Brewing’s latest One Hit Wonder, The S’Wheat Life. This 4.5% ABV Wheat Beer is light in bitterness, at 10 IBUs, and is available now at both the Dartmouth and Gottingen breweries for growler fills. Garrison Brewing released Le Saison Froide, a Saison brewed with Mint, Japanese Tea, and Lime, weighing in at 4.2% ABV, and will be available shortly at the brewery for growler fills. They have also released the next in their “Pucker Up” series, Apricot Saison, and their Sugar Moon Maple will be available at the brewery this weekend. And as mentioned above, Big Spruce’s Silver Tart is now available for growler fills, and select bars across the province. They used 125 pounds of raspberries to achieve the wonderful flavour and striking colour, and used Lactobacillus bacteria to achieve the acidic character of the beer. A little more on the background here.

Have a fabulous long weekend… it’s looking like some nice weather, so get out there and enjoy it with some local craft beer! The seasonal Pump House Weizen (~5.2% ABV) is back on tap at the brewpub, and is also available for growler fills at all four ANBL growler stations this weekend. The Bad Apple Brewhouse Tap Takeover continues into the weekend at Tom’s Little Havana, and includes two brand new beers, Honey Wagon Honey Pale Ale, Tom’s Smoked Porter, and returning favourites Mosaic DIPA, Box Cutter IPA and APA. The Grimross Maritime Pale Ale (more info here) is now pouring at the brewery for both growler fills and on-site consumption. Those behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival have been hinting at an upcoming Canada Day event; all we know at the moment is that it will be a smaller, exclusive event, but we’ll have more info on that (and other plans up their sleeves) very soon! The SmartBrew system at the Nook & Cranny is in place, and they are fermenting their Wheat Ale, IPA and Pale Ale now. And homebrewers, today is the last day to register and drop off your entries for the Brewnosers Homebrew Competition at your local Noble Grape.