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Friday Wrap-Up – New Beers and News from Boxing Rock, Picaroons, Pump House, Big Tide, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-08-01
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2014 Fredericton Beer Run, Acadie-Broue, Antigonish Townhouse, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Celtic Knot Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Halifax Seaport Beerfest, Hammond River Brewing, Ladies Beer League, North Brewing, PEI BeerFest, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Propeller Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Rudder's Brewpub. 2 comments

Good morning, beer fans! As August begins (try hard not to think about summer ending), it’s time for more local beer news…

• Boxing Rock has released a new beer – Sessionista, a “Bold Session Ale”. Brewed to be available as an easy-drinking summer beer (and at 3.5% ABV, it certainly is very sessionable), it has a heavy malt aroma “reminiscent of an English Bitter” with hints of lemon blossom and orange, according to the brewery, along with “roasty malt notes on the palate followed by a pithy lemon-lime finish”. This is a limited-release beer, so pick some up while you can. It’s available in 650 mL bottles at private liquor stores in Halifax, in one-litre growlers every Saturday at the Halifax Seaport Market and the Shelburne Farmers’ Market, and at the brewery, while supplies last. Look for it on tap at select beer bars in Halifax, as well.

• This weekend (August 1st-3rd), the 9th annual Sappyfest (an independent music festival) is being held in Sackville, and Picaroons has brewed up a special beer for the event. Currently going by Secret Show Ale, this 4.5% ABV, 20 IBUs beer will be served during the festival on tap in the main tent, and afterwards should be available at both Ducky’s and Thunder & Lightning. With a malt base of Pilsner and a little wheat malt for head retention, it’s hopped with Tettnanger and Saaz, and brewed “in a Kolsch frame of mind”, according to brewmaster Andrew Estabrooks; that is, fermented cool to minimize production of fruity esters and diacetyl.

• There’s a new beer on tap at the Pump House brewpub, their Raspberry Wheat. A great style for the warm weather of summer, the brewery describes the beer as a German style wheat beer, “bombarded” with 40 kg of raspberries. “Tart and refreshing”, it comes in at 5.5% ABV. It won’t last long, so get down to the brewpub (and select restaurants/bars around Moncton) for a taste.

• Big Tide Brewing is celebrating their 5th Anniversary on August 5th, and they’ve brewed up a special beer to celebrate! Anniversary Amber Ale is a “malty, full-bodied ale” that is brewed with five varieties of specialty malts and five hop varieties (Willamette, EKG, Nugget, Fuggles, and Cascade), and will clock in at 55 IBUs and, yes, 5.5% ABV. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to determine what else Big Tide has in store for their anniversary plans on the 5th, but keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates.

• The PEI Brewing Co. is looking to release a new beer, a currently-unnamed Coffee Stout. They’ve brewed two different versions, and need your help in picking out which one is best! Drop into the brewery in Charlottetown, purchase a sample of each, and fill out a ballot indicating your choice for your favorite. Not only will you be helping the brewery decide which beer to brew on a larger scale, but you’ll also be entered to win two VIP tickets to this year’s PEI Beer Festival (Sept. 5th & 6th).

• It looks like last Saturday’s grand-opening for Brasseurs du Petit-Sault in Edmundston was a great success, and we now have a little more info on their Acadie-Broue collaboration beer that we mentioned last week. As previously noted, the beer brewed is from the recipe for Acadie-Broue’s Belgian Saison, Tintamarre. However, with this batch (brewed on a much larger scale on Petit-Sault’s system), Acadie-Broue owner/brewer Patrice Godin has dry-hopped the beer with 5 kg of Amarillo and Simcoe. Along with Amarillo in the whirlpool addition, and the Belgian yeast strain used for fermentation, this should be a very fragrant beer! Due to the slight changes, this batch will be named L’effrayab’ Tintamarre; “L’effrayab” is a local Madawaska county expression that translates to “incredible”. With an ABV of ~6-6.5% and 36 IBUs, it should be ready in time for National Acadian Day on August 15th; it will be packaged in kegs only, so look for it at bars/restaurants in the area. We’ll keep you updated as to where exactly it will be served.

• The new beer news rolls on, with Rudder’s Brewpub announcing that they’ve recently tapped Midnight Crossing Brown Ale. Brewed with Pale Ale malt as the base, along with wheat malt and two other specialty malts, it is hopped with two English varieties and one from New Zealand. Clocking in at 6% ABV and 26 IBUs, it pours with a tan head and a dark brown color in the body, and has “smooth drinking with a slight bitterness in the finish”, according to brewmaster Mike Ferguson.

• A few weeks ago, we reported on a new beer from Hammond River, a California Common named Gammie. Well, that beer is now available! A well-balanced and easy-drinking beer at 5.3% ABV and 37 IBUs, you should be able to find it on tap now at Shiretown Publicans and The Barrel’s Head; it may follow at Hammond River’s other accounts in the near future.

• The Antigonish Townhouse is starting something new today… IPA Cask Night! Their first cask ever – Terry’s British IPA – should be tapped at 5 pm, to coincide with the birthday of one of their favorite regular customers. More one-off casks will follow over the coming weeks, to allow the staff to get the whole process down; they hope for it to become a regular bi-weekly event after that. This will give brewer Terry Piercey the freedom to do a bit more experimenting for future brews.

• The Ladies Beer League put together a great-looking event that’s being held during Halifax’s Local Connections Sausage Fest (Aug. 14th – 24th). Unfortunately, it’s already sold out! Dubbed the LBL Roof-top Cask Party at Scanway, there will be three casks tapped: Propeller Pilsner, Garrison Honey Lavendar, and Boxing Rock Hunky Dory Ginger; special sausage morsels from Scanway will also be available. Tickets were $10, and include a take-home glass and first fill (pay-as-you-go afterwards). Looks like the LBL will have to start holding more beer events so everyone can attend!

• And in other Sausage Fest news, both Garrison Brewing and North Brewing are participating in a Sausage Brunch and Beer Brunch at harbourstone sea grill & pour house on Sunday, August 17th. From 10 am – 3 pm, there will be a variety of handcrafted sausages available, along with several beers from both breweries; tickets are $39.

• The 8th Annual Halifax Seaport Beerfest is almost here! It will be held August 8th – 9th at the Cunard Centre, and tickets are still available. While we plan on providing all the information you need sometime next week, we wanted to point out that the full brewery/beer list has been posted on their website. With over 110 breweries pouring about 275 different beers and ciders – including an additional 15 unique casks from eight Atlantic Canadian breweries – it’s shaping up to be another great beer festival for our region. Tune in next week for more details!

• Duo Wine Bar is holding a patio beer dinner on Wednesday, August 6th (rain date August 13th) at 6:30 pm. There will be five courses and eight different beers being served, with several beers from American breweries Goose Island and Brooklyn Brewery. More importantly, one of the courses will feature a special release of Celtic Knot Hopicide that has been “additionally hopped”, paired with traditional German Curry Wurst. Tickets are $120 (tax and gratuity included); send them an email to reserve yours.

• Looking for a job in the beer business? Well, with their expansion in progress, Garrison Brewing is hiring… specifically, for the position of Marketing, Retail & Event Coordinator. Two to three years experience in marketing, retail, events, etc. is required; if you’re interested, send a cover letter, resume, and references to Tracy Phillipi.

• This year’s annual Fredericton Beer Run, being held this Monday, August 4th (New Brunswick Day), has sold out! We’ve talked about the event in previous posts, but to re-hash, it involves a 6 km or 12 km run, followed by beer sampling at the King Street Ale House, where participants will be able to try fourteen 4 oz samples of various beers from local breweries. Check out their Race Roster page for a list of participating breweries (Railcar will not be pouring, but they will be present and selling beer swag).

• And speaking of the Fredericton Beer Run, the brain behind this event belongs to Lloyd Chambers, who also runs the yearly Fredericton Craft Beer Festival. Lloyd has confirmed that planning for next year’s FCBF has already begun; while March 7th, 2015 is still many months away, we can assure you that there’s already something new and special in mind! Looking forward to sharing more as the date gets closer!

Friday Wrap-up – News from Railcar Brewing and the ANBL, Rockbottom, Rare Bird, Big Tide, Grimross and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-07-18
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2014 Fredericton Beer Run, ANBL, Antigonish Townhouse, Authentic Seacoast Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Ladies Beer League, Local Connections Halifax, Paddys Irish Brewpub, Propeller Brewing, Railcar Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, YellowBelly Brewery. 2 comments

We start off this week’s Wrap-Up with some disheartening news, and a call to action. But fear not, there’s lots of positive news to report on as well!

• Railcar Brewing has been planning to set up shop in Florenceville-Bristol, NB. After a change in plans in which their original planned location in the Shogomoc Historical Railway Site was scrapped, they have now opened their retail shop and brewery just a few minutes down Main Street. However, they are facing a brand new major hurdle from the ANBL. They’ve just received notice that a late-June board meeting has decided that before a Brewery Agency Store licensee may sell any beer at their location for off-premises consumption (by means of bottles or growlers), they must first sell 10,000 litres of product through the ANBL network within 12 months (whether it be kegs delivered to bars, or bottles sold at ANBL stores). For a very small 1 BBL (Beer Barrel, 117 litres) brewery like Railcar, this would mean brewing, fermenting, conditioning, kegging and/or bottling, selling, and delivering to the ANBL or to restaurants and bars (possibly not in their home region) two full batches per week, assuming no spillage or spoilage. For a very small brewery whose business plan concentrated on sales direct from the brewery (including investing several thousand dollars in growlers that may become unusable), this is disastrous, and may handcuff them from opening. Railcar owner Mitch Biggar has been on CBC Radio and TV spreading word of how this will affect his small business, but keep in mind this will affect all future NB breweries as well. Mitch will be meeting with the ANBL next week, and we hope that he will still be able to open the week of Aug 10, which coincides with the Florenceville Festival of Flavour.

• When we heard of this change, we contacted ANBL president Brian Harriman for comment. He was kind enough to respond, and he assured us, “We are going to have discussions with stakeholders who were in process of starting breweries prior to development of this new strategy. We want to do all we can to support industry development to see the micro brewery industry prosper in NB”. While this is encouraging to hear, we feel the consultations with stakeholders should have taken place before these new rules were implemented.  Mr Harriman goes on, “We believe that our new policy will serve to strengthen our business. We also feel that the 100 HL requirement is a manageable number for new brewers.” While we understand that the ANBL’s goals are to generate income and control the sale of alcohol in the province, we believe that these requirements are not manageable for new brewers who may be transitioning into this industry as a part-time endeavour, or are trying to generate the least amount of debt possible. Dozens of kegs for licensees and hundreds of bottles for the ANBL are not cheap!

• So, what can you do about this? We encourage you to read and sign an online petition created by friends and neighbours (and potential suppliers) of Railcar, Kathryn and Nick Southan of Southan Farms in Wicklow. While this petition is specific to Railcar’s issue (and others that may be in the middle of licensing), we feel that signing it shows your support for the idea that before any rules are implemented, discussions with breweries, big and small, should be taking place. We suggest that either different production tiers are implemented in the licensing strategies, or allowances for breweries to sell primarily (or exclusively) for off-site consumption at their brewery locations. To assist with the extra financing he will need to comply with these restrictions, he has just launched a crowd-funding plumfund page.

And now on to the happy part of the week, new beers and other news…

• Rockbottom Brewpub has released their newest beer, Bloodletter Belgian IPA. From Brewmaster Greg Nash, they are giving their Belgian-style brew the West-Coast treatment! Weighing in at 6.3%, and with a calculated 217 IBUs, this is a light-coloured but not light on flavour beer! In addition to the characteristic yeast flavour, the beer was spiced with coriander and cumin at flame-out, and generously hopped throughout with Bravo (in the mash and first wort), Dana (at flame-out) and Kohatu (dry-hopped). As Nash put it, “MMmm West-Coast-Belgian-American-NewZealand-Slovenian-hopped-spiciness in a glass.” They will also be putting on a coffee-infused version of this beer, so check out that blend. And be sure to drop by Wednesday for the tapping of the Firkin at 4pm. Lots of exciting blends and beers start their life out in a Firkin, so it’s a great to get a sneak peak of what Nash is up to in the brewery!

• Rare Bird Craft Brewing in Guysborough has released their Maple Ale this week. Brewed with local maple sap in place of water throughout the brew, this 5.5% beer ends up with a light body and copper colour. Maple syrup is also added to the wort, but the hops help to keep it from being overly sweet, for a nice balance. The beer is in rotation at Stillwell Beer Bar in Halifax and at the Rare Bird Pub in Guysborough, and will be available in the private stores in the near future.

• Big Tide Brewpub in Saint John has released a couple of new beers since last week’s post. Tidal Wave Double IPA hit the taps late last week, and was one of the beers poured at the Picaroons Brewer’s Bash last weekend. We’re not sure about this incarnation, but previous versions of this beer weighed in around 9%, and loaded with multiple dry hop additions for a wave of hop flavour and aroma. Also new on tap is a return of the Haffe Wit, a Witbier brewed with a special blend of spices for their own twist on the style.

• Grimross Brewing has released their newest beer. Summer Serendipity is now available at the Picaroons Brewtique on Queen Street in Fredericton. Unfortunately, it was released late last night, so we do not have all of the details, but can pass along the tasting notes from brewer Steven Dixon: “Floral sweet lemongrass aroma, tropical fruit taste and subtle hop bitterness.”

• Paddys Irish Brewpubs in Kentville and Wolfville have released their newest summer seasonal, Dom Arthur Kolsch. Details are light on their recipe, but this style is a light hybrid between lager and ale, and goes well with beautiful patio weather!

• Yellowbelly Brewpub in St John’s has released a summer version of their Wexford Wheat, Summer Wheat. The base recipe is the same, but uses Topaz dry-hops for a different aroma and flavour. We’re not sure how long it will last, so be sure to drop by!

• There are still a few spots left in this year’s Fredericton Beer Run, to be held August 4th. Runners can choose to participate in a legitimate 6km or 12km run, and then enjoy beer from New Brunswick craft breweries afterwards. You must run to drink the beer, though there are a few “Coach’s Tickets” available (must register with a runner). It is being run by Lloyd Chambers, who also organizes the great Fredericton Craft Beer Festival. Sign up today, only a couple more weeks of training!

• The Chronicle Herald newspaper in Halifax has put together a Nova Scotia Craft Brewery Guide with a description of the brewing process, list of NS breweries (no brewpubs, yet), map of their locations, and amateur tasting notes.

• Propeller Brewing Company has re-launched their Open Brewery Tours at their Gottingen St location. While you normally need nine or more friends to book a brewery tour (or pay for strangers to come drink with you), every Wednesday 6-7:30pm in the summer, you can drop by solo or with a handful of friends, and pay the regular $15. During your time there, you’ll have a chance to sample lots of their regular lineup, as there’s usually a seasonal or two on tap as well.

• The Ladies Beer League is looking for your help! They are teaming up with Boxing Rock Brewing to create a special cask for their event during the Local Connections Sausage Fest, held August 14-24. Check out their Facebook page and make your suggestions. If yours gets picked, you will win a t-shirt and bragging rights! Stay tuned for more details on the LBL event, too.

• These new beers won’t be available for a few weeks, but we’ll be keeping our eyes (and mouths) open for Garrison’s Honey & Lavender Beer that was brewed Monday, and Big Spruce’s Pump Le Mousse, a grapefruit wheat beer.

• And Happy Second Anniversary to the Townhouse Pub in Antigonish! They celebrated by releasing a special British IPA brewed on their system upstairs. Fortunately/unfortunately, it sold out in a matter of hours, so if you weren’t there to enjoy Sunday, you’ll have to wait until Terry brews it again (we hope soon!).

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Celtic Knot, Big Axe, Rudder’s Brew Pub, Bad Apple, BarNone, Sea Level, Pump House, Shiretown, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-05-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2014 Atlantic Beer Festival, Bad Apple Brewhouse, BarNone Brewing, Big Axe Brewery, Big Tide Brewing, Brewer's Bash, Celtic Knot Brewing, Garrison Brewing, King Street Ale House, Ladies Beer League, Noble Grape, Pump House Brewery, RockBottom Brewpub, Rudder's Brewpub, Shiretown Beer, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tide & Boar Gastropub, Trou du Diable. 1 comment

Good morning beer fans! There’s lots going on in the craft beer world in Atlantic Canada this week, so let’s get started…

• Celtic Knot Brewing announced that they have ordered three more 102 L fermentors to keep up with demand for their beers. Currently on tap at Marky’s Laundromat and The Tide and Boar in Moncton, as well as Ducky’s in Sackville, obviously beer drinkers are enjoying what Celtic Knot has been brewing! Their recently-brewed Session IPA, For Shore, featuring New Zealand and Australian hops, should also be appearing soon; for more info on that beer, check out our previous post.

• Big Axe Brewery has added yet another new beer to their line-up… Shakesbeer Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (named after owners Peter and Tatiana Cole’s chocolate labrador dog, Shakespeare) comes in at 6% ABV and is described as a “full and silky-bodied stout”, with an aroma “rich in caramel malts, chocolate, and hints of vanilla”. With a roasty and earthy hop character in the flavor, the beer is now available for growler fills at the brewery in Nackawic. And if you’re in the Sackville area, you can now find Big Axe beer on tap at Ducky’s; their Chanterelle Cream Ale was just tapped this week!

• It’s been out for a little while, but we wanted to share full details on Yarmouth’s Rudder’s Brew Pub’s latest seasonal beer. Brewmaster Mike Ferguson has brewed up Bunkers Island IPA, named after the peninsula in Yarmouth Harbour where an Irving Oil bunker oil tank farm was located. This Black IPA was hopped using Southern Cross exclusively, by means of five additions all added late in the boil, for a big aroma and flavour blast, and light on calculated bitterness. A generous portion of Midnight Wheat was used to generate the dark hue characteristic of this style. The beer weighs in at 6.3% ABV and 42 IBUs, and is available on tap and growlers and squealers at the pub. If you’re headed to or from Portland, Maine, on the ferry, be sure to drop by for a pint!

• Bad Apple Brewhouse in Somerset, NS, has released their newest beer, The Impresser Double IPA. This massive beer weighs in at 10.2% ABV, and 300 calculated IBUs, thanks to generous hopping throughout the entire process, from using Chinook flowers in the mash, of course lots of hops (including Citra) throughout the boil, and again dry hopped in the fermentation and conditioning tanks. The powerhouse Conan yeast was used to tear through the high-test wort, and will only enhance the hop flavours and aromas with its signature characteristics. The Impresser is available now in Squealers only at the brewery, and may make it on tap at your local watering hole, but will not last long, so jump on it now!

• Coming soon from Bad Apple Brewhouse is their Mosaic Double IPA. Brewed with a generous dose of the Mosaic hop varietal, this beer was brewed to raise awareness of Mosaic Down Syndrome. Donations from the sale of the beer will be made to the Nova Scotia Down Syndrome Society, as well as to Brigadoon Village, who run camps throughout the summer, including a camp over the Father’s Day weekend for families with children with Down Syndrome. This 8% ABV, 120 calculated IBU beer will be released at the beginning of June.

• We now have some more details on the new seasonal, Summer Solstice, brewed by BarNone a couple of weeks ago. Designed to respect the longest day of the year, and to celebrate the sun, it’s an unfiltered, moderately-hopped ale that is brewed with several varieties of hops, and dry-hopped with Citra (also the dominant variety in the beer). It weighs in at 4.8% ABV and slightly hoppier than the Summer Sessions. It made its debut last evening at BarNone’s weekly growler night (every Thursday from 6 – 8 pm), with positive feedback from customers, according to co-owner/brewer Don Campbell. Last night also featured some delegates from Ireland and live local music. BarNone has also announced that they’ve brewed a collaboration beer with Bicycle Craft Brewery from Ottawa; that beer was just kegged earlier this week. We’ll have more details on the beer in next week’s Wrap-Up!

• Garrison Brewing has announced a special Twelve Cask Bar Top Takeover event at Stillwell Beer Bar on June 21st. Featuring a dozen one-off cask conditioned beers, and highlighting local ingredients, this will be a great event. The day is divided in two: the First Sips event starts at noon, with $10 tickets getting you a special glass and first pour, and these limited number of tickets are available directly from Stillwell. Starting at two, the doors will open again, and as the first wave of folks get their fill, general entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis (for the same $10 deal). We got an inside scoop as to the great beers that will be making an appearance on the 21st: Brewer Kellye Robertson made her first pin a Blueberry Wheat Chai Tea using Oxford Blueberries & Chai from The Tea Brewery in Mahone Bay. We’ll have more details on beer in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

• Also from Garrison, a brand new beer! Building on the feedback and popularity of their Test Batch beers, they are releasing an India Pale Ale. Weighing in at 6.5% ABV and 50 IBUs, Waimea, Citra, Columbus and Amarillo hops lend the beer a citrus and tropical fruit aroma to balance the malt backbone. It is available now in 6-pack format at the brewery, and will soon be in the NSLC and private beer stores. It is joined by a re-release of the the ever-popular NiTWiT Belgian-style Wheat Ale, which started off life as the 2010 Home Brew-off winning beer. The beer weighs in at 4.8% ABV and 12 IBUs, and true to the Witbier style, was brewed with coriander, and offers a orange and tropical fruit aroma from the special yeast.

• Sea Level Brewing in Port Williams, NS, has released their very popular seasonal Apple Blossom Ale this week. Brewed with pilsner malt and Nelson Sauvin hops, this beer is infused with fresh Valley apples. The beer is 4.8% ABV, and lightly hopped. Brewed as a celebration of the 82nd Annual Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival, being held May 28-June 2, the beer is currently on tap at the Port Pub, in growlers and cans at the brewery today, and early next week in cans in Halifax, and on tap at select spots around the province.

• Last week, we mentioned that Pump House will be releasing a new IPA in six-packs at the end of this month, to coincide with the Atlantic Beer Festival on May 31st in Moncton. In related Pump House IPA news, they are looking for a catchy name for their Draft IPA, and they’re holding a contest requesting some help! If you have an idea for a great IPA name, post it to their Facebook page, and you could win a pizza party for four at the brewery, which includes two pitchers of the new beer.

• If you’re a fan of Shiretown‘s Big Brown Ale (currently at the brewery for growler fills, and on tap at select accounts in New Brunswick), good news! They’ve confirmed that it should be available in bottles at ANBL stores in the near future. No official date yet, but expect to see it sometime this year. Coming in at 5% ABV and 28 IBUs, the brewery describes it as “malty, roasty, and chocolatey, with a nice bit of bitterness and a big mouthfeel”.

• Tickets to Picaroons‘ Brewer’s Bash beer festival went on sale earlier this week, and a few more details on the event have trickled in. The $25 ticket price gets you a 5 oz tasting mug, and eight beer tickets; additional tickets are $1 each. Like last year, the event will be all day from 11 am – 11 pm, and you can come and go as you please. Expect several food options, live music, and a heck of a lot of beer from breweries all across Canada. Once we find out more details on that end, we’ll be sure to let you know! And keep in mind, they’re still looking for volunteers… shoot them an email if you’re interested.

• The King Street Ale House in Fredericton is hosting another beer and food pairing, this time featuring Quebec brewery Unibroue. Featuring five courses from Chef Aaron Fraser, and five different Unibroue beers (including their popular anniversary beer, 17 Grande Réserve), tickets are $65 and can be purchased online. It all takes place next Wednesday, May 28th, from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. And just before that event (3-4:30pm), Beer Sommelier Sylvain Bouchard of Unibroue will be hosting a free tasting at the York Street ANBL location. There are a limited number of seats, so RSVP today.

• Moncton’s Tide and Boar Gastropub will be hosting a special visitor from Trou du Diable next Thursday, May 29th. In the province for the Canadian Brewing Awards, Isaac Tremblay from the brewery will be on hand to pour a keg or two of their beer (including MacTavish in Memoriam Pale Ale), as well as having some special bottles for purchase. No tickets necessary, just drop by to say hello, grab a pint, and chat about beer!

• Big Tide Brewpub in Saint John, NB, recently released Fogbound Hemp Pale Ale. An original recipe of theirs, this is a West Coast style Pale Ale, weighing in at 5% ABV and 50 IBUs, thanks to Cascade and Tradition hop varietals. Hemp oil was used during the brew, imparting a lovely nutty flavour to complement the big hop aroma. It is on tap and available in growlers now. Speaking of growlers, they have lifted the temporary weekly limit on growler sales, as they were were having a bit of trouble keeping the beer on tap. Great news, be sure and drop by this weekend to celebrate!

• Rockbottom Brewpub has announced that the very popular Thulsa Doom Double IPA has run out, however they are rewarding their fans with a very special 20L pin of Oak-Aged Double Hoppelganger. This 10% ABV beer was first released in August 2013, but has been cellared with love and care by Brewmaster Greg Nash, and it will be interesting to see the changes in the beer over time. On tap soon will be HaliLager a Euro-style lager at 4.5% ABV brewed with Hersbrucker and Cascade hops to 17 IBU. Crispy.

• Unfortunately, the Ladies Beer League / Noble Grape Home Brew Workshops scheduled for this weekend and June have been postponed until July. Scheduling conflicts are to blame, but fear not, ticket holders will be reimbursed, and will have first dibs on tickets for the next Workshop. Stay tuned here for more details. Stay tuned, too, for details on the next LBL special event, to celebrate their first anniversary. We know it’ll be a fun one!

• The results from this year’s “Best of Halifax” food awards via The Coast are now in! Here’s a summary of the beer-related awards, with Gold, Silver and Bronze listed, respectively:

– Best New Bar: Stillwell, The Stubborn Goat, Lion & Bright

– Best Beer Selection: Stillwell, Maxwell’s Plum, The Stubborn Goat

– Best Brewpub: Rockbottom, Rogue’s Roost, Henry House

– Best Craft Brewery: Garrison, Propeller, North Brewing

Congratulations to all the winners!

Phew, that was a long one today! As the weather improves and folks are hitting the decks and patios, as well as a few new breweries opening in our region, we’re sure the good beer news will keep on flowing in! Thanks for joining us this week, and until next week, Cheers!

Late addition: We were overwhelmed with stories this week, and totally forgot to announce the random lucky winner of tickets to next weekend’s 2014 Atlantic Beer Festival. Congratulations to the crew from the Drink N Brew blog! We’ll be in touch to give you details. We’ll be starting another contest next week, so stay tuned.