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Friday Wrap-Up for Jan 27, 2023 – News from North Brewing, 2 Crows, Propeller, Trailway, Bannerman, Port Rexton, Ateepic, Lake City, and plenty more!

Posted by acbbdevon on 2023-01-27
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Lake City Cider, Lone Oak Brewing, Microbrasserie Ateepic, North Brewing, Péché Day, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tide & Boar Gastropub, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy end of January! For some of the region, this was the first time we’ve seen significant snowfall, for others, it just piled on. Wind and rain throughout the area was de rigueur, and we’re pretty sure we can expect the same weird mix in February as well. Thankfully, the region’s cideries and breweries have been keeping busy inside, giving us plenty to warm us up this time of year. Let’s start off with two big anniversaries being celebrated this weekend…

When North Brewing (known as Bridge Brewing at the time) opened their doors January 25, 2013, Rozina, Josh, and Peter were so busy with keeping up with demand that the idea of a Grand Opening fell to the wayside. 10 years later, they have moved from their original Agricola Street location to Cole Harbour, and opened a second location in Timberlea (in addition to the retail shop at Battery Park in downtown Dartmouth). And they are taking a beat to finally have that Grand Opening they deserve, in beer form! Grand Opening Saison began life back in September 2022, when they brewed a pale-coloured wort, and initiated fermentation with a mixed culture of yeast, Lactobacillus bacteria, and Brettanomyces yeast. Balancing the acidity and aromatics in a blended beer is a fine line that North has trod before, allowing both sides to shine through without either overpowering the other. After an extended 3 month fermentation period, the beer was bottled (and kegged) just before Christmas, and allowed to naturally carbonate and condition since. This 4.9% Saison is available for purchase at all of their retail locations and on-line shop now, look for orange and apricot, ginger and pepper in the glass and on the nose, with a full mouthfeel yet dry-finish on the palate.

Celebrate with the North crew at both their Portland Street and Timberlea locations until Saturday. Happy Hour runs 3 – 6 PM, there are door prize drawings today and tomorrow at 5, 6, and 7 PM, and they have special items on the menu for the fun, including a Pani Puri Party Platter (perfect pretty puff pastries), braised lamb poutine, and even a birthday cake cookie to top it off! Leveraging their foray into spirits, they are also serving up cocktails made with their Kaleidoscope Vodka, as well as their North X Compass Distillers Neighbours Whisky. Congratulations to the North family on 10 great years, and here’s to at least 10 more!

A newer kid on the block is also celebrating their anniversary this weekend, with Brunswick Street’s 2 Crows Brewing celebrating the sixth anniversary of their opening, January 28, 2017. And to celebrate this milestone, they are releasing six beers tomorrow! Talk about overachievers (and/or beer blogger haters)! The first four of the group are all related, so let’s start there… In Fall 2022, the 2C Brew Crew decided to throw caution to the wind, and go all out for a massive stout. Achieving a nearly 10% beer is no small feat, and they chose to use a reiterative mash to do that. In short, instead of sending the wort (sweet and sugary water) from the mash tun directly to the kettle, as most normal breweries would do (boring!), they instead sent it on to a second mash, to bump up the fermentable sugar level even more! The mash consisted of Maris Otter, Vienna, flaked oats, honey malt, and 6 various caramel and roast malts for colour, depth, and complexity. We can only imagine the stickiness experienced that day, and the lucky buggers who had to clean it up after. And the craziness continues, as to increase the sugar level, as well as encourage some deeper flavours, they boiled the wort for 20 hours! Whoa! During that time, they used Columbus and Bramling Cross to keep it from being too cloying, before fermenting with a robust yeast from Imperial. Post-fermentation, they just packaged the beer, and here we are… Not! Wanting the spread the madness even further, they split the batch into four, in order to explore four unique flavour profiles:

  • Mambo No. 1 is the original 9.7% base Double/Chocolate/Imperial Stout: smooth, full mouthfeel, and full of chocolate, and hints of roast and liquorice.
  • Mambo No. 2 was conditioned in the tank with a (metric?) shit ton of cocoa, as well as marshmallows and Graham crackers. Think S’mores in a glass, with all the fun things that come along with that.
  • Mambo No. 3 was also conditioned on cocoa, but in the spirit of “EVEN MOAR” saw even more toasted coconut in the tank. Chocolate and coconut, we’re thinking Bounty bars or classic choco-coconut balls.
  • Mambo No. 4 may be the most out-there of them all, as in addition to getting the cocoa treatment, this beauty saw the addition of coffee directly to the tank, as well as maple syrup. Chocolate chip pancakes with a cup of joe, natch.

Cans of the Mambos will be available tomorrow (Saturday) at noon in the taproom, or for delivery from their online shop, and are sold in a responsibly-sized 4x355ml variety four-pack. (FYI, subscribers to their newsletter were able to order and receive these a day early!)

Just when you think the 2 Crows would be taking their foot off the gas, they accelerate, and are releasing another wild and economically irresponsible beer, Squeezie. If you’ve heard the term Smoothie Sour, this is it. If you haven’t, strap in! Starting with a pale wort (grist of Pilsner, Golden Promise, and wheat), it was fermented with an acid-producing yeast to give a slightly acidic character. After fermentation was complete, the high alcohol beer was blended with an equal part of fruit puree, something that you would see at your local juicery or smoothie-ery… mango and banana in near-equal parts, with hints of passion fruit and coconut cream making up the rest. After thoroughly combining the beer and puree, the new concoction was carbonated and canned, and immediately sent through a pasteurization step to stop any (dangerous!) further fermentation in the can. Thick, juicy, a touch acidic from both the fruit and beer, and just begging for a shot of wheatgrass (resist that urge). Tall cans of  the 5% Squeezie will be available online and at the retail shop tomorrow during the celebrations.

Rounding out the half-dozen weekend releases is the return of 2C’s massive Triple IPA, Space Words. Triple the hops, triple the booze, six* times the fun! Right around 10% ABV, this beer was dry-hopped during and post-fermentation four times with Galaxy, Eclipse, and a hint of Comet (all space words, get it?), leading to a super aromatic, bold, and juicy big IPA. Also available on tap and in tall cans this weekend, it’s also joined by the latest of their Hop Water series, this one being Mojito. At 0.0% ABV, no need to worry about over-imbibing this beauty, which features lime zest and mint leaves, and a refreshing zip to clear the palate. This one is available to everyone today!

Lastly, let’s talk about 2 Crows’ party tomorrow. Open and available from noon, the folks from Coda Ramen (FKA Water and Bone) will be doing a slurpy pop-up in their space, with a couple of different ramen choices available along with some accompanying dishes. There’s only so much broth that can be transported, so this means you’ll want to get there early to avoid disappointment. And for those on the later shift (or arrive early then come back), there’s the return of Rock at the Brewery. From 7 PM til close, hear some wicked tunes from Touched, Norc, and Customer Service, to accompany your stout, smoothie sour, and TIPA imbibing. And speaking of stouts, Sunday from noon will be a Stout take-over, with seven in-house brewed stouts complemented by a trio from brewery friends: North Brewing will join Borden’s Lone Oak Brewing and Moncton’s Tide & Boar Brewing on the draught list. For those not stout-savvy, plenty of other options by the bottle and can pour will be available. Phew, what a weekend!

* or is it nine? Can we get a math ruling here?

Staying with (in?) the dark, Trailway also has a brand new release that’s available now. Sundae Best is a Chocolate Vanilla Soft-Serve Stout. This is a deep and dark but sweet stout with milk sugar (lactose) added, along with vanilla. It boasts a dominant chocolate flavour, but the beer remains soft and balanced, with just the right ABV richness ABV at 6.5%. It is available in cans now directly from the brewery in Fredericton. 

From the dark of winter to dreaming of summer days, Bannerman has teamed up with their friends and cohabitants NAMJIM for their second collaboration. Dubbed Beach Comber, it’s an IPA and features Thai tea dust, which is a mix of thai spices and Ceylon black tea. In what they’re already calling a staff favourite, this sweet, bold and juicy IPA uses Pilsner malt, toasted rice, and milk sugar in addition to a huge dry-hop of Sabro and Eclipse hops. It was then conditioned on the Thai tea dust and came out at 7% ABV. Medium-bodied, it brings some subtle flavours of citrus, coconut, cardamom and cinnamon; it’s available now directly from the brewery.

It’s been a bit of a delay to winter here, but if you’re up near Port Rexton, Newfoundland, generally, and Clarenville specifically, the White Hills Ski Resort is opening this weekend! Thankfully, the Port Rexton Brewing crew has a new brew for après ski. Golden Ale is a 4% crisp, clean, and balanced post-ski/board/work/anytime crusher. This will be available on tap or in cans at the Tips Up Lounge inside of White Hills, Port Rexton’s shops, on their website, and in distribution Newfoundland-wide next week wherever on the Rock you buy craft beer. 

In addition to the breweries celebrating anniversaries this weekend, you’ll want to head to Dartmouth tomorrow, here’s why:

Lake City Cider is in the heart of Dartmouth’s Downtown, and, in fact, their taproom is right in the centre of the action for Saturday’s Downtown Dartmouth Ice Festival Street Party! Portland Street is going car-free 12 – 5 PM, and there will be fun for all with ice carving, games, princesses, and more. Plus, nip into Lake City to grab a cup of hot cider (both alcoholic and non- so the kids can experience the delight of warm cider too), try their new cider cocktails like the Apple Spice, and maybe even grab a sweet dessert, as Antoinette’s Cheesecakes will be there with dipped cheesecakes from 12 PM until they sell out.

We’ll leave you with two final releases and a few events that fall under the “coming later” category

Up in the winter wonderland of Northern NB, Edmunston’s Microbrasserie Ateepic has a new wheat ale out. Wheatpecker comes in at 5% ABV and is infused with orange and raspberry. Grab it on tap now at the brewery. 

It’s still winter and Propeller is keeping things dark too; this week they’re releasing a new batch of their Mocha Oatmeal Stout, this one extra smooth and creamy owing to being packaged “on Nitro”. This oatmeal stout is 5.5% and brewed with chocolate and locally roasted coffee. Warm and sweet notes of brown sugar, milk chocolate and fresh espresso are all present in aroma and flavour of this 5.5% beer, which is nicely balanced at 28 IBU. It is available in cans at the three Prop Shops, for ordering on their website, and at private stores in Halifax. 

This next event is still a few weeks away, but given that it’s an annual favourite on the beer nerd calendar, we thought we’d remind you that February 18 is Péché Day. Every year, Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! rolls out kegs featuring variants of its legendary Péché Mortel imperial coffee stout, with distribution hitting a limited number of better beer bars around the world. As in previous years, Halifax’s Stillwell and Moncton’s Tide and Boar have been selected to participate in the event. We’ll have more details closer to the 18th, but we know this year’s variants will include Péché Latte, Péché Mortel Stout Mexicain, Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 and a special coffee edition with beans from Mystique Café.

In beer venue news, we have a teaser from our friends in (on?) PEI: Lone Oak Brewing started as the beloved brewpub and brewery in Borden-Carleton’s Gateway Village. Since then, they’ve opened a second brewpub and retail location just outside of Charlottetown. In 2023, they’re taking their game to the centre of the PEI tourism universe and opening Lone Oak Beer Garden in Cavendish! More info to come, but it’s time to get excited if you’ll be hitting PEI’s north shore this summer (paging D.F.). 

One last thing before we let you go… One of the Banished Brewing family is having a tough time, and they are looking to support their own, and give you a chance to do the same. Thacker, pup of Head Brewer Duncan Tennant, is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, that just underwent surgery to correct Intervertebral Disc Disease. He is on the mend now, with a successful recovery expected. In order to help with the (significant) bills, Banished is holding a fundraiser to pay for the surgery, and enter you into a random draw. Check out their GFM here, and every donation you make can go towards an entry into the draw. More on Thacker here!

Friday Wrap-Up for December 30, 2022 – End of Year Beer News from Secret Cove, Baccalieu Trail, Lone Oak and HopYard, Garrison, Bogside, Village Green, Propeller, North and Battery Park, Stillwell, Good Robot, plus a contest!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-12-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Battery Park, Bogside Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, HopYard, Lone Oak Brewing, Modern Brewer's Village Green, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Stillwell Freehouse. Leave a Comment

Well, you’ve done it! You survived another year! This is our 51st post of 2022, and 812th published since our launch in January 2012. Not bad for 10 years, eh? We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and learning along with us as we’ve tracked the Atlantic Canadian Beer, Cider, and Mead landscape, from the early days with fewer than 40 producers in the region, to today where our region boasts more than 300! There’s always something local and great to drink when you’re traveling in the Atlantic provinces, so we hope your 2023 brings the ability to do that for you all! We’ll be here, churning out the latest info on new breweries, cideries, beer, and events, to guide you along the way!

We’re kicking off the blog with a few releases from before Christmas, but we know are still around…

Celebrating their Fourth Anniversary mid-month, Port-Au-Port’s Secret Cove Brewing released their ode to the largest bird to grace Newfoundland and Labrador, with a beer of fitting proportions. The Great Auk is a 10% Triple IPA, featuring both a massive flavour and aroma from the hops and extra malt in the beer. The eponymous bird was rendered extinct in the region in the 17th century, though there is a widely accepted sighting noted in 1852 on the Grand Banks. The Great Auk the beer is alive and well, and available on tap at the brewery, and in cans at retailers across Newfoundland. Happy Fourth Anniversary Secret Cove!

Sticking to Newfoundland, Baccalieu Trail Brewing is celebrating the light show in Port de Grave with Christmas in the Harbour. This 4.0% beer is a light American lager, infused with just a touch of peppermint. May even pass as a candy-cane lager. The boats should still be lit up when you read this, so grab a four-pack from the brewery or your local beer shop, and head out Highway 72 to see the show!

From one island to another, PEI’s Lone Oak Brewing teamed up with their pals at Hopyard Beer Bar, and released Lil’ Hoppy. The first in what we expect to be a series, the partners are playing around with different hop varieties and techniques. For V1, they used loads of locally-grown Cascade hops during a mash hop phase, and waited until fermentation had died down to add Sultana and Nelson Sauvin, locking in that aroma. Look for notes of pineapple, citrus, and maybe even a touch of Sauv Blanc grape too. On tap at HopYard C’town and both Lone Oak locations, as well as in cans to take-away.

Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has a trio of new releases on tap these days, including a pair of small batch beers that are exclusive to The Oxford Taproom location on Quinpool. Krampus is the first of these, a 6.2% Black IPA, featuring the very aromatic Bravo, Simcoe, Zythos, and Mosaic, for a melding of citrus, pine, with chocolate and roast. And celebrating the location itself is Oxford Pale, a 5.5% Pale Ale, with Bravo, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Comet hops blended for some citrus and tropical notes of pineapple and mandarin orange. They’re open today for pints and retail, with tomorrow being a cafe and retail kinda day…

Embracing the season entirely is the release of Garrison’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wintervention. The 2022 edition of this familiar friend is 11.5%, and whose base Imperial Stout beer spent time hanging out in bourbon barrels before release in the share-worthy 650 ml format. Chocolate, roast, dark fruit meld with the vanilla, toffee, oak, and hint of booze from its temporary home. Bottles are available exclusively at the Seaport and Oxford locations, as well as through their website for local delivery.

One of our favorite trends of the last year or so has been more releases of lower-ABV English bitters. Although beers like Hell Bay’s English Ale, Sober Island’s Beachstone Bitter, Foghorn’s Esty’s Special Bitter, and Lunn’s Mill’s Pub Ale are core brands and longtime stalwarts, this year has seen all sorts of new bitters, including some from breweries you might not expect. In 2022 we saw, amongst others, the releases of Stillwell’s Best Bitter, Trailway’s Chancy’s Pub Ale, and, more recently, Tatamagouche’s Flintshire. Who knows, maybe part of the reason for this is the introduction of proper cask ale at places like the Stillwell Freehouse, or maybe folks are just looking for the next big thing after hopbombs, hazebombs, and crispybois, but regardless, as shared owners of a beer engine, we’re here for it! Anyways, that’s a bit of a long-winded introduction to the release of Proper Pub Ale from Montague’s Bogside Brewing. Coming in at a very quaffable 4.5% ABV and 25 IBU, you can safely expect a classic smooth taste profile with notes of toffee. Look for it on tap and in cans to go at the brewery.

Speaking of PEI and traditional English styles, Cornwall’s Village Green (by Modern Brewer) has two new beers for us this weekend and the first fits that description quite nicely. Often even lower in ABV than bitter, but just as suitable for the hand pumps, dark mild is one of the most sessionable beers ever. VG’s Dark Mild hits all the right notes, with toasty malt flavors, some subtle cherry esters, and a clean finish, all in a “tastes like another, and maybe another after that” 3% ABV package. Also being released is Altbier, also a very traditional style, but the German tradition rather than the English. A contrast to the lagers that came later, the “alt” in “altbier” means “old” as in “the beer we used to make.” Using bottom-fermenting ale yeast and not generally undergoing a lagering period, these are darker, more full-bodied beers, with some fruity esters and a decent bitterness from Northern Brewer hops balancing toasty sweet malt notes. Comforting on a cold day, but still not overly boozy, this one comes in at 4.9%. Both of these beers are available at the tap room for pints or in cans to go!

Continuing to find new and interesting ways to pump hops into beer are Propeller Brewing, who are releasing another new IPA today, this one not just full of lupulin, but lots of other fun things as well. Piña Colada IPA features Sabro, known for some serious coconut vibes, and Azacca, which tends to impart mango, papaya, and other tropical notes. These two together make a perfect combination, along with some actual coconut, vanilla bean, and lactose, to give the vibes of many people’s favorite umbrella drink. So you may be stuck in Atlantic Canada instead of having your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand in warmer climes, but you can at least crack one of these, sit back, and dream. Look for it as of today at all Prop Shops, online for home delivery, and at the private stores in the HRM as well. And speaking of the Prop Shops, we’ve been advised that Propeller has officially broken ground on their “coming in 2023” Bedford Highway location that was announced earlier in the year. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of that construction in the new year!

There’s a busy weekend shaping up in HRM, let’s get you in the know so you can take part in the fun.

Celebrating their 10th Anniversary in January is North Brewing, who have come a long way from their small beginnings on Agricola Street (opening as Bridge Brewing on January 23rd, 2013). And to kick off the fun is a New Year’s Eve Tap Takeover at Battery Park on Ochterloney in Dartmouth. From 11:30 tomorrow, Cole Harbour’s Finest will be pouring from the 20 draught lines behind the bar, featuring some old and new favourite beer, ciders, and vodka sodas. In the mix are a pair of new IPAs released this month. Teaming up with the Battery Park team, and a favourite customer of theirs, they have released Hazy Dave’s Juice-tastrophy. This 6.7% New England IPA is a scaling up of a recipe by Dave Wilcox, which is hoppy, hazy, juicy, and not at all a catastrophe. “It’s selling great”, says the brewery, and is available on tap and in cans at North Brewing’s retail and taproom locations for now, until it’s all gone!

Coming tomorrow at the North taprooms and Battery Park event is The Longest Night, another IPA, but different altogether. A Triple IPA, at 10.0% ABV, the big base of Pilsner malt is enhanced with Oats and Wheat for body, head retention, and foam stability. Hopping-wise, the Brew Crew opted for new-to-them Calypso and Talus for citrus aroma and flavour, complementing the Amarillo and Summit, familiar to fans of HiFi. Onlya touch of haze, the hops come through on the nose and flavour, but are not overpowering or bitter. On tap and in responsibly-sized 355ml cans.

More on their NYE event, is that a three course Prix Fixe menu option will be available after 5 PM, which comes complete with pairing North beer with what the BP kitchen has whipped up. Fans of their burgers will be happy to know that their full menu will also be available during that time. Check here for the details on the meal, and this post for the full taplist. Congrats to the North Crew on 10 years!

Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Halifax is The Stillwell Freehouse, who are hosting a pre-party Tap Feature by BC’s Dageraad Brewing. Frequent award-winners for the Belgian/Abbey style beers, they have sent along 8 to be enjoyed on draught tomorrow. Look for a Lacto-fermented Dubbel, a Tripel, both a clean and mixed culture fermented Quads (as well as one aged in a Rum barrel), and going off-brand with a Hazy IPA. They’ll be the only Stilly location open Dec 31, as HQ gears up for…

Bar Stillwell on Barrington is hosting a Levee January 1st, with a tap feature from Brasserie Dunham. Starting at 2 PM, there are a half dozen from Dunham on tap, including the Simplexite Pils collab with de Ranke, Biere de Table, Sierra Yakima New England Pale Ale (with Boreale). And from the kitchen, folks will be able to enjoy breakfast sandos, cheesesteak fries, and dunkaroos for dessert! (Note that the Freehouse is closed Jan 1 and both locations are closed Jan 2)

To celebrate the opening of their Elmsdale Brewery, Good Robot is going to be hosting an ACBB (aka, Nerdy) tour of their new facilities in the New Year. On January 21st, you, us, and a dozen other folks looking to learn more about Good Robot’s state-of-the-art brewhouse and gear will be given a tour by the folks who work so tirelessly behind the scenes. There is no cost to the event, but we do need you to win your way onto the guest list! To do that, post a picture/story/reel on social media of a favourite local beer/cider/mead you’ve enjoyed in the past twelve months, and be sure to tag us in it and use the hashtag #ElmsdaleTour. And if you’re not the SM kind, no problem, just fire us an email, send us a text, or release a carrier pigeon to let us know you’re interested! (We’d like to post/re-post to show what our readers are drinking, hope that’s OK) We’ll be drawing a whole buncha names Jan 18 at 6 PM, so your chances are good to take part! Looking forward to meeting you there!

And there you have it, our last post of 2022! Enjoy responsibly this weekend, be sure to check that your favourite brewery or bar is actually open before heading in (and whether they recommend reservations), and we’ll see you next Friday!

Friday Wrap-Up for November 25, 2022 – News from Port Rexton and Landwash, Bannerman, Breton, Rough Waters and The Newfoundland Embassy, Maritime Express, Beausoleil, Saltbox, Lake City, Garrison, Banished, and much, much more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-11-25
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Battery Park, Beausoleil Farmstead Cider, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Garrison Brewing, Happy Craft Brewing, HopYard, Lake City Cider, Landwash Brewery, Lone Oak Brewing, Maritime Express Cider, Mauzy Cidery, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Rough Waters Brewing, Saltbox Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Newfoundland Embassy, Tire Shack Brewing. Leave a Comment

We’ve made it to the end of another week and somehow it’s the last Friday of November, which means thousands of Atlantic Canadians will be precariously perched on ladders this weekend, stringing up holiday lights, and cracking a cold one as they step back and admire all of those randomly burnt out bulbs. As our neighbours to the south nurse their Thanksgiving hangovers, you’re likely being bombarded with countless Black Friday emails and posts. Before you buy that 3-in-1 combination air fryer, pasta maker, pizza oven that you’ll probably never use, take a scroll through the latest beer news, and consider directing your hard earned cash towards your favourite producer of fermented beverages instead. Or consider taking advantage of our one-day only ACBB sale where you can snag a one-year subscription to the blog for 50% off!

Let us catch you up on a pair of late-last-week releases that are now available throughout the Avalon craft beer convenience store. The crew from Mount Pearl’s Landwash made the trek out to Port Rexton to brew two beers from just one mash! Let us explain… At the end of the mashing period, the sugary water (wort) is separated from the barley and other malted grain in the mash tun, and transferred to the kettle for the boil. That leftover grain still has some sugary goodness left on it, and a second dose of water can be used to rinse the malt clean, giving rise to the start of another beer! This technique is known as parti-gyle brewing, and has been around for centuries. While the two resultant beers will have the same base grains, due to the concentration of sugars, they will have quite different potential alcohol levels, and can be treated with different intensities of hops and other ingredients.

Ursa Major Double IPA is the first beer to come out of that double-brew, weighing in at a hefty 8.5% ABV. Using loads of late-addition hops (low bitterness, high aroma and flavour), namely Sultana and Amarillo, it features orange, pineapple, and a hint of pine, on a slightly-sweet finish.

Ursa Minor IPA is the parti-gyled beer made from the second runnings of wort, with an ABV of just 3.9%. As it was boiled separately, a different combo of hops could be used in the kettle, in this case Lotus and Azacca, imparting citrus and stone fruit on the palate, with a dry finish.

Both of these stellar-inspired beers are available at Port Rexton and Landwash on tap for pints and growler fills, and distributed to Port Rexton’s St. John’s Retail Shop, as well as their other retail partners.

Staying in Newfoundland, Bannerman has a big weekend ahead with two new releases. First up is Red Eye, a coffee milk stout. To get the most possible coffee character into the beer, the team added coffee during every step in the brewing process, including broken beans in the mash tun, kettle and fermenter. Before packaging, some of the fermented beer was also soaked on more beans overnight, before being added back into the main batch. Combine all of that coffee with the addition of lactose and you’ve basically got your morning pick me up ready to go in beer form. The coffee for this one comes from Cape Coffee Roasters, a new roaster in Cape Broyle. Cans and pours are available now at the brewery with cans also seeing wider distribution through Bannerman’s usual channels. And what goes better with your coffee than a piece of toast with a bit of Nan’s homemade jam? Their next release, Either/Or is a fruited sour that combines big fruit flavour with some slight tartness, just like Nan’s jam. You’ll also find cans and pours of this one at the brewery, with cans seeing wider distribution later this weekend. 

Rolling over to Cape Breton, Sydney’s Breton Brewing has a brand new seasonal release for the holidays with Milk n’ Cookies Stout. Not your average stout, this one has additions of chocolate chip cookies from their friends at Not Just Cakes and lactose sugar to create a sweet, bitter and balanced brew. Easy drinking at 5% this is available on tap or in cans from the brewery and for delivery, and in select NSLCs, too. 

Back to Newfoundland for another round this week, Deer Lake’s Rough Waters Brewing teamed up with the fine folks of The Newfoundland Embassy in St. John’s for their latest release. Ambassador is a 4.7% German Pilsner, as the two teams wanted to maximize easy drinking and super refreshing as they came together. Light-bodied, crisp, clean, and able to pair with whatever you’re eating! Pints are obviously available at the Embassy now, with cans at Urban Market 1919, and wider distro through the NLC soon.

Kentville’s Maritime Express Cider has a pair of new expressions available in their shop. 2020 Sparkling Perry is an all-pear cider, aged on lees in the bottle for two years. This extended aging period in the bottle has allowed it to dry out completely (no residual sugar), and is sparkling for a bubbly rush of candied pear and tropical fruit. Joining it is 2021 Sparkling Sour Berry, their apple cider base co-fermented with raspberries and rose hips, and blended with two-year aged cranberry wine. Allowed to undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle before an extended cellaring period. Also finishing quite dry, the fruit additions lend much to the aroma and impart a tart finish.

Beausoleil Farmstead Cider in Port Williams has a new release this month, Valley Fields. Crisp Valley-grown pears and a field blend of estate-grown Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, and Frontenac Gris grapes, were co-fermented to finish dry, a light carbonation enhances the aromatic and light acidity in the glass. Their tasting room and retail shop at 1469 B Church Street in Port Williams is open 1 – 4 PM Saturday for visitors, or by appointment at other times.

Speaking of Beausoleil, wine- and cider-maker extraordinaire Melanie Eelman has once again lent her knowledge to the folks at Saltbox Brewing on the South Shore, helping them to launch Rosemary. Featuring Annapolis Valley apple cider, blended with a Marquette wine, infused with rosemary, this blend features herbal notes along with ripe apple, field berries, and a touch of spice. This 6.7% hybrid is available in cans at Saltbox and its sibling breweries.

Staying in the cider-verse, Dartmouth’s finest, Lake City Cider, has a brand new release that is winter-inspired. Gingersnap is a spicy and sweet little cider that uses Annapolis Valley apples, freshly pressed ginger root, and a bit of molasses for some balance. The fresh ginger is the star here, bringing you the fragrant nose and bit of refreshing spice like that you’d expect, all in a 7% package. It’s available now from the cidery in 473ml cans and is also available online. 

Rounding out the cider news for this week is the latest from Paradise’s Mauzy Cider. Once again taking advantage of feral and undeveloped apple trees, Devil’s Acid began life during the 2021 harvest. Starting with apples from Burin Bay and Golden Hornet Crabapples from Torbay, these were co-spontaneously-fermented with the skins of Dolgo crabapples, with the combination of crabapple varieties imparting a serious acidity in the glass. This 6.8% cider was bottle conditioned with a touch of apple juice for some carbonation. Like their other releases, look for them online for pickup in Paradise, and at cider, wine, and beer friendly spots around Town.

Staying in Paradise (we’ve got two tickets after all!), if you’re able to, hit up Banished Brewing for their brand new release, a collaboration with Toslow (a cafe, but generally delicious food establishment). Crosstown Cooldown is a Coffee Porter featuring beans from the Montreal roaster Traffic Coffee Co. The result is a highly drinkable, roasty and full beer with a great balance at 5%. This is canned and available now from the brewery and next week it will be hitting retailers.

Also new this week is the final form of the Puffin! If you’ve been following along with the themed releases from Banished, there were 3 previous variations and now the 4-pack is complete. New this week is Intergalactic Puffin, a triple IPA, the clear next step up from the previous Session NEIPA, NEIPA and double NEIPA, and coming in hot at 10% ABV. Very full, juicy, and surprisingly easy drinking for the style and ABV, it features loads of Mosaic during the boil and whirlpool, and was dry-hopped with equal parts Citra and Sabro, enhancing the citrus and tropical notes seen in the rest of the Puffin family. This beer is available now in cans from the brewery and will also hit retailers next week. If you’re looking to get the full vertical of the Puffin releases, you better hurry, as there is only a limited amount of Space Pufflin (Session NEIPA) left. Get your ticket to Paradise, pack your bag and leave tonight!

At the Seaport in Halifax, Garrison Brewing has a brand new release, which we’re already picturing having around for the holidays. Night Mooves is a Coffee Milk Stout that is lower on ABV (at 4.5%) but high on roasted coffee, dark chocolate and a bitter-sweet impression from combination of coffee, roasted malts, and lactose. Here’s the fun part for many of you, let’s look at the ingredients! The malt bill here features pale, munich, caramel & chocolate malts, along with some roasted barley. The hop bill gets balance and backing from the classic German Hallertau and the brew also features additions of lactose and coffee from West Ender Coffee. This one is available in 473ml cans now at both Garrison locations, on the website for delivery, and at Liquid Assets.

Boxing Rock has two new releases that are sure to appeal to fans of stone fruit flavours. Up first is Black and Tan: Stout and Pale. This one is a 5.2% ABV  blend of ​​Patricius, their Irish Stout, and a blonde wheat ale that saw an infusion of apricot, leading to a combo of roasty and stone fruit notes. Next up is Intergalactic, an American Pale Ale. A combination of new-world hops and an infusion of apricot leads to notes of pineapple, grass, and stone fruit. Cans of both are available now through Boxing Rock’s two retail locations and their online store. In other Boxing Rock news, their much revered Double IPA, Vicar’s Cross, is making its final appearance in bomber bottles after almost 10 years and over 1 million bottles sold! This DIPA was one of the first produced in Nova Scotia that was widely available in packaged format and introduced many budding craft beer enthusiasts to the style. To celebrate the retirement of the bombers, Boxing Rock is planning a package that includes a special edition commemorative bottle and a Vicar’s Cross hat. Pre-orders for the package go live on December 6.

Tire Shack Brewing out of Moncton has a brand new release this week, too, and if you’re noticing a theme this week of sweet treat additions to beer, you’re not alone. Scoop! There It Is! is an Apple Pie Ice Cream Beer (not a stout) released with a special ice cream recipe from Lost and Found Ice Cream in Moncton. The beer features a clean malt bill with a clear, amber colour, but features big additions of 100L of fresh ice cream (loaded with whole vanilla beans and cinnamon) and then 125 kilograms of apple pie filling. Both adjuncts were added during fermentation, so expect big flavours to carry through in a clean 5% beer. This is available in pints, cans and growlers directly from the brewery. 

We’ve got a new beer from Nova Scotia’s North Shore Tatamagouche Brewing, plus a way for you to enjoy it in the big city this weekend! Collusion Double IPA started life in the mash tun with a base of Horton Ridge pale and Shoreline Pilsner malts, amped up with malted oats and wheat, and combined with some Chit malt (the last having undergone a very short germination stage, leaving plenty of complex starch and sugar to increase mouthfeel in the final beer). After mashing, this saw a heavy-handed addition of Nugget hops early in the boil for bitterness, with a post-boil addition of a blend of Cascade, Centennial, and Bravo. Really taking this big IPA to the next level of aroma was a one-two punch of Citra and Mosaic oil extract for a big blast of citrus and tropical fruit. For fermentation they used a New England-style ale yeast, playing in the “hazy” realm, while still being eye-appealing. And while the yeastie beasties were working away, more hops were added, including Citra dry hop extract, the first time the Tata crew has played with this product. Collusion is out now, with cans, pints, and growler fills available at the brewery, and for those in HRM, the perfect time to try it may be at the Tatamagouche Tap Takeover at Battery Park Saturday! With 16 draught lines filled with a mix of new releases and old favourites, including a Baltic Porter from 2017(!), and Flintshire Pub Ale on the handpump, there will certainly be something for everyone! Plus door prizes for coming out and saying hi!

HopYard Beer Bar in Charlottetown is hosting the finals of the Battle of the Breweries this weekend, which also happens to be the battle of Montague! Bogside Brewing and Copper Bottom have each put their four best beer, cider, and seltzers forward in a race to finish kegs and sell the most pints until close Saturday. Stop in to show your support, because really, we are all winners in these sorts of competitions!

Sober Island Brewing is holding a Christmas-themed Brewers Dinner next Saturday, December 3rd, at their taproom in Sheet Harbour. A multi-course meal with SIBC beer pairings, all lead by Head Brewer Tim MacLeod. Tickets are available now, and we suggest grabbing them very soon, so that you can secure your choice in one of the courses, a Humble Pie Turkey Dinner or Vegetarian handpie.

A few quick newsbites before we let you go this week…

Moncton’s Happy Craft Brewing has a new release on draught this week, German Altbier. This hybrid of ale- and lager-techniques features the inclusion of kilned malts in the grain bill for a darker colour and a lovely toast and nutty character, with a balancing bitterness. This 5.0% ABV is available now at Happy’s Main Street location.

After a several month hiatus, Lone Oak Brewing has brought back their Boat Traffic Oatmeal Stout. Big and bold roast character is complemented with undertones of chocolate, coconut, and vanilla, thanks to a weeks-long oak-aging step before packaging. It is available on draught and in cans at their Borden-Carleton Taproom, their North River Brewpub, as well as PEILCC locations across the province.

Staying on the Island, PEI Brewing Company has a new seasonal available that they’ve dubbed Hour Delay. A chocolate stout brewed with cocoa and a selection of rich roasted malts to really bump up the chocolate flavor, it’s perfect for cozy nights by the fire as you watch the weather and say a little prayer or two for an hour delay in the morning. Or maybe one to enjoy in a cozy bed in the morning as you enjoy an hour delay? We’re not going to judge! You’ll find this 6% ABV and 30 IBU beer available across the island at the PEI Brewing Company Taproom, Gahan Beer Store, and select PEILCC locations.

Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing has announced the launch of their kitchen, with today (Friday) being the first day of operation. The full menu is available here, featuring a trio of different smash burger styles, grilled panini sandwiches, as well as beer & cheese soup, brussel sprouts, and even arancini! It launches at 2 PM this afternoon, check their social media for the full schedule as it is released.