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Friday Wrap-Up for November 4, 2022 – News from North Brewing, Tatamagouche, Landwash, Banished, Propeller, Trailway, Tire Shack, Bannerman, Tusket Falls and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2022-11-04
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Benjamin Bridge, Bishop's Cellar, Cask in the Sticks, Dildo Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Church Brewing Company, Tire Shack Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Tusket Falls Brewing. Leave a Comment

Greetings, beer fans. It’s Friday and the weather is looking niiiice this weekend, so get into those outdoor drinks while you can. Can you believe it’s November?! If you’ve got some Halloween treats kicking around, there will be many drinks to pair up with some sweet and salty leftover treats. Let’s truly get into fall, transition to winter and bring on the warmer, boozier, darker beers, but also, it’s always lager season. Basically, as always, drink what you want and it never hurts to try something different, so let’s get onto some new stuff!

We’re starting off this week with one of our favourite annual releases. North Brewing’s Saison de Chardonnay (2021) is available now! Remember when this used to come out right before Christmas? While we know the aging process dictates release dates, so let’s talk about it! As always, this is a collaboration with Benjamin Bridge. North brewed a Saison with the addition of Chardonnay grape juice from the 2021 crop from the winery. Brewed last year, this was conditioned for 7 months in stainless. After that, it was bottled and conditioned for another 5 months and it’s ready for release! Getting beautiful notes of lime zest, tangerine and apricot, we already recommend picking up a few of these for special events and holidays. This is 7.6% and available in 750ml bottles at all 3 of North’s locations, online and on tap at all 3 locations as well. 

Heading north (from North), Tatamagouche Brewing has another release in their Intertidal series. This time, they’re heading west to feature Ekuanot hops grown in Yakima Valley in Washington. Intertidal: Ekuanot West Coast Pale Ale is a west coast inspired Pale ale which is crisp with some orange citrus flavour with a bit of cedar and a well balanced malt backbone. This is available now at the brewery and online at 5.3% and in 473ml cans.

We’ll head out to Newfoundland this week, and we’re starting out with Dildo Brewing and some barrel aging to start us off right! Barrel-Aged Export Stout is coming at you (and all of us!) this weekend. A base stout starts with a nice mix of caramel and roasted malts before we bring the barrel into play. Post-fermentation, the base stout spent 11 months in American oak bourbon barrels. Bringing out flavours of vanilla, caramel and a deep toastiness, let this one warm up as you sip on it. Still quite drinkable at 6.8%, this one is available at the brewery in Dildo or the St. John’s location now in 473ml cans. It will be available in wider distribution across the island in the coming weeks, as well. 

Staying on The Rock, Banished Brewing has a brand new release joining their Puffin lineup. Interplanetary Puffin is a Double New England IPA, being a beefed up version of Space Puffin, their 6% NEIPA. Interplanetary Puffin comes in at 8% and is currently available at the brewery and will be available at retailers across Newfoundland late next week. Completing the Puffin line is the Session NEIPA, Space Puffling at 4%, so grab all 3 if you can!

Rounding out the Newfoundland trio this week is a new beer and a launch party at Landwash Brewery. Fitz’s Cold Lager is an ode to an iconic St. John’s sign that used to reside on Topsail Road. The sign read “Fitz’s Cold Beer” and the folks at Landwash won a charity auction and now they’ve had it cleaned up, refreshed and re-wired and is in the taproom. To celebrate, Landwash is having a beer launch this Saturday featuring the Fitzpatrick family themselves coming to officially light up the sign at 2 PM.  They’ll also be pouring $6 pints all day of the lager.  The beer is a light and crisp Czech-Style pilsner, coming in at 4.4%. The Newfoundland water is soft and should feature nicely for this style. The beer will be available in 8x355ml cans or 4 packs of 473ml cans and is available at the brewery Saturday, but will launch across the rest of the province and local shops and NLC later next week.

Hopping down to Fredericton, those IPA loving folks at Trailway Brewing have a true-to-style West Coast IPA launching this week! Bearstream is a departure from the brewery’s signature hazy IPA and is a classic, clear, golden IPA with those notes of pine, resin and nice bitterness, with some nice orange and lemon profile as well. Hopped up with Cascade, Chinook, Columbus and Amarillo, Bearstream is 7% ABV. This is available now on tap and in cans and will be available across the ANBL and other locations on tap over the coming weeks.

Lawrencetown’s Lunn’s Mill Beer has a new release this week, ready for you to enjoy this after. It’s a Double IPA … pretty much says it all in the name, doesn’t it? This is release #2 in the Lazy Brewer (Lazy Beer Namer, maybe?) series, as they work their way through some classic styles. Big hop usage in this 7.5% beer, with Cascade enhanced by Mosaic and Citra late in the boil and again in a generous dry-hopping. Available on tap and in cans right now, for enjoyment/pick-up at their taproom, or for local delivery or Canada-wide shipping via their website.

Elsewhere in the Annapolis Valley, Church Brewing Company has a pair of releases gracing their taps for the first time this week. First up is a collaboration with their friends at Serpent Brewing in Spryfield, and keeping in their communal wheelhouse, it’s a Belgian beer. Growing out of the long friendship of Head Brewers Steve and Glen at Church and Serpent, respectively, this 12.0% Quadrupel was brewed back in April, and has been hanging out for the right time for release. And that time is now! Belgian Strong  is light amber in colour, and thanks to the malts and yeast used, features dark fruit, molasses, and spice aromatics, with a touch of alcohol heat (unsurprisingly). It is available on draught in the Church taproom, and to go in growler fills. No word yet if it is also on at Serpent’s location. 

Also new and available on tap and in cans now is a Church exclusive, Forgive Me Father, a 5.9% Coffee Stout. The beer saw the addition of cold-steeped coffee from T.A.N. Coffee from just down Main Street, to enhance the already-present roast character from the malts. Not yet on their website, so best to call in, or better yet, pop by their Main Street Wolfville location to ensure you don’t miss out!

Back in HRM, Propeller is releasing another drop of its 10% TIPA, Leviathan. Previously released last year, you can expect big notes of tropical fruit, higher bitter (to the tune of 100 IBUs), but also a smooth and rounder drinking experience from the addition of lactose. Cans are available today at Prop’s four retail locations and will soon see distribution on some NSLC stores.

St. John’s’ Bannerman Brewing is leaning into the Fall season with two releases this week. First up is a taproom only dark ale called Past Tense. This one was made with a grain bill of Pilsner malt, flaked corn and some caramel and roasted malts, leading to notes of toffee and raisin. A light dry hop with some German noble hops also lends some herbal/spice notes. You can grab Past Tense on tap at the brewery now. And while you’re down there, why not check out the return of their Marzen-style lager, Safe Bet. Using a blend of Vienne, Caramel and Pilsner malts, this one packs a ton of nutty and sweet malt flavours in a sessionalbe 5.5% ABV package. Cans of Safe Bet are available now on Duckworth Street. 

Tusket Falls Brewing has a returning favourite releasing this week. First released last year,  While You’re Waiting is back! This peach, mint, Sour IPA has a lovely tropical profile and features Motueka, Galaxy and Citra hops. With additions of real peaches, spearmint, vanilla bean, sea salt and lactose, this is packed with refreshing notes with a smooth mouthfeel coming in at 6.5%. This is available now at the brewery in Tusket and the Tusket Falls Beer Project in Halifax on tap or in cans. It is also available online for shipping across Canada. 

In “coming soon” beer news, Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewery is celebrating their Third Anniversary this coming Wednesday, November 9th. Pints are on sale all day, and they are of course releasing a new beer to celebrate. Teaming up with nearby business, and frequent collaborators Halo Donuts, they have brewed Cel-O-Bration, a Birthday Cake-flavoured beer that included 20 kilograms of Birthday Cake donuts from Halo! Wow! Wednesday will be a blast, with a balloon drop and prizes that evening, and the party will continue on the weekend (Nov 11 & 12), as they have a pop-up kitchen visit by Euston Park, more donuts, and even a visit by a miniature horse (named Lil Sebastien, we hope). And congratulations to Henry and the TS crew for their Gold medal win in the Canada Beer Cup Triple IPA category, as their Killed by Death took home top honours. There are a few cans left, so grab them now before they’re gone for another year.

Tomorrow marks the return of the Cask in the Sticks event, a community-led beer festival that moves around to different regions of rural Nova Scotia. Sober Island Brewing in Sheet Harbour is hosting this year’s event, and they are hosting Big Spruce, Breton Brewing, The Harbour Brewing, Lunn’s Mill, Tatamagouche, Uncle Leo’s, as well as a pair of homebrewers, all showing off their best beers in casks. In addition, as this is an outdoor event, there is a onesie competition, free event toque (have to stay warm, right?), a S’more station, and more fun! Grab your tickets here.

A few more newsbites before we let you go today…

If you’re around downtown Halifax soon, they have some new releases in stock and some nice beer news they’ve passed along to us. New in the shop this week are the following:

2 Crows –  OK OK OK,  5.1% Farmhouse Ale

2 Crows –  Classic, 4.1% Maritime Dry Stout, in a new format! 6x355ml.

Garrison –  Dunkel Breaking My Heart, 5.1% Dunkel, Dark German Lager

Schoolhouse – Principal Ale, 4.7% Pale Ale  (now a regularly stocked beer)

And for some importing updates, you’ve seen Samuel Smith ales in stock over the past year or so at Bishops, and they’ve got Oatmeal Stout and Chocolate Stout are back again for the winter.

A pair of returning favourites from Nyanza’s Big Spruce to close out this week. The Respect Your Elders BerlinerWeisse with Elderberry is back, made with berries harvested from their own farm, and added early in the brewing process to allow them to ferment with some Brettanomyces yeast for a melding of funk and tart in this dry seasonal beer. And kicking it to the West Coast is Old School, as West Coast IPA with big malt and hops both getting equal billing, At 8.0% ABV, the malt definitely shows up to support the massive hop additions throughout the brew, for a serious bitterness on the palate. Both beers are available on draught and in cans at the brewery, online ordering, and coming to better beer establishments across the province.

Friday Wrap-Up for October 21, 2022 – News from Bannerman, Tatamagouche, Propeller, Sober Island, Garrison, Loyalist City, Village Green, Truro Brewing, Libra, and a ton more!

Posted by acbbdevon on 2022-10-21
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 12 beers of christmas, 2 Crows Brewing, Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Fest, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Bogside Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Half Cocked Brewing, HopYard, Libra Non-Alcoholic Beer, Loyalist City Brewing Co, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, Mauzy Cidery, Modern Brewer's Village Green, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Roof Hound Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, Truro Brewing Company. Leave a Comment

We are back at full strength this week at the blog, and the breweries must have known, because we’ve got an overfilled post for you today from all 4 provinces, and plenty of events to keep you busy for the next few weekends. Let us tarry no further and get right to the good stuff!

We’re going to start this week with three returning engagements from around the region, starting in the East End of St. John’s, NL, where Bannerman Brewing has brought back Early Rise, their fruited sour IPA. Hopped with Citra and Sabro before being refermented on mango puree and pomegranate concentrate, and bolstered with an addition of lactose, the result is a full-bodied and heavy beer with lots and lots of fruit and hop character, but also a slight acidity that complements the fruit and sweetness, and a balancing bitterness on the finish. It’s both on tap and available in cans to go at the shop, but look for it to see wider distribution in the coming days and weeks.

Also returning for the second time in 2022 after a successful run in 2021 is Black Flower from Tatamagouche. An American Stout, once again the brew team leaned into the “American” aspect of that style with copious amounts of hops. In place of last year’s classic Cascade and Centennial, this year’s batch leverages piney and spicy Chinook and piney and woody Nugget (both from HOOH Hop Farms in BC) for a bit of a different feel. A medley of malts builds a solid base to balance those hops, with chocolate, caramel, dried fruit, and firm roasted flavours coming to the fore. An English yeast strain ensures plenty of body carries forward, and though it’s a fairly middling 5.5% ABV, the brewery describes it as tasting like a young RIS. You’ll just have to try it for yourself to find out! With any luck, just like last year we’ll see a cask or two of it go on at the Stillwell Freehouse for a different take on the same beer.

Last, but definitely not the least of our returning beers is one that many folks in the region might remember as a gateway to craft beer. Earlier in 2022 as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations, Propeller Brewing conducted a poll on their socials about which beer their fans would like to see brought back for a limited run and, of course, Stone Fruit won. But the runner-up? That beer was the venerable Honey Wheat, one of the breweries’ stalwart brands throughout their first 20 years, but unseen since its retirement batch in 2018. Brewery staff from past and present were invited to the brew day to celebrate this old friend. Brewed with both barley and wheat, along with Nova Scotia honey from Cosman & Whidden in Greenwich, it was fermented slightly cool to ensure a clean presentation and little distraction from the subtleties of the honey. The result is 5% ABV and is now available exclusively on tap for pints and growler fills at all Prop Shops.

And if you’re in Halifax and you’re looking for something even more retro than Prop Honey Wheat, you can check out Movie Mania at Propeller Arcade, four seasonal movies on three nights. On October 25th, Canadian cult classic “George’s Island” (1989) is playing, and on October 26th, it’ll be a “mystery movie.” On both of those nights admission is free, but we suggest reserving your spot by picking up a ticket at the Arcade today. On October 30th you’ll find the last outdoor screening of the year, a double-feature of “Ernest Scared Stupid” and “Pumpkinhead.” Gates open at 4pm, with the first flick commencing at 6 and an intermission at 7:30. Taz Records will be on-site selling horror movies, soundtracks, and merch, and Asado BBQ will have eats for the buying. And, of course, Propeller will be selling beer! Tickets for the big night are $30, also available at the Arcade. So gawan, get yer spooky on (but remember to dress warm!!)

Switching from things we’ve seen before to brand new beer, Sober Island Brewing has a new seasonal available in their Autumn Session Series that shows their continued love for traditional English styles. Hardwood Mild is what it says on the tin: a Dark Mild ale that arrives at a very sessionable 3.8% ABV. With six types of barley malt coming together for a complex malt profile, you can expect notes of roasted nuts, chocolate, and biscuits. To add to that is a lovely deep brown colour. Available from the brewery in cans, but note that they’ve switched to their winter hours: Thursdays 2 – 9pm, Fridays and Saturdays 12 – 7pm, and Sundays 12 – 5pm, with occasional later hours on any given night for events.

Following the earlier release of their hazy pale ale, Garrison is rolling out another 25th Anniversary beer, this time a Champagne IPA. This one starts off with a grain bill of 2 Row, flaked rice and oat malt, before seeing hop additions of Galaxy, Topaz, Idaho 7, and Simcoe. The champagne quality comes from the yeast used which produces a highly effervescent carbonation. Look for notes of citrus, mango and stone fruit, and a light bitterness of only 21 IBUs. The 6.0% ABV Champagne IPA is available now at the two Garrison retail locations and will see broader distribution via the government monopoly and private stores soon. While we are on the topic of Garrison, one of their Oktoberfest exclusives from a few weeks ago, Dunkel Breaking My Heart, has now been canned, and is available exclusively at the Seaport and Oxford locations. 

Speaking of Oktoberfest, Saint John’s Loyalist City is releasing Bestest Mensch, their take on a German Marzen. This one features a grain bill of Vienna, Munich and Pilsner malts, imported straight from Germany by Weyermann Speciality Malts. Fermented with Global Lager yeast, it was then lagered to provide the crisp and refreshing drinking experience the style is known for. You can expect a moderate malt profile along with some classic floral hop notes from the German hops in this 5.2% Marzen. This one will see release in draught format only, on tap at the brewery this weekend. 

Next up is a double release week from Cornwall’s Village Green. First up is the 7.5% ABV Double Porter. Starting off with two British malts, Marris Otter and English Brown malt, it then sees a generous addition of Centennial and Chinook, both on the hot side and via a dry hop. Find it on tap and in cans at the brewery starting at 4:00 PM today (Friday). Also keep an eye out for their Dorf Pilsner, a German Pils that made its debut at the HopYard Brewery Battle last yesterday. More details on that below!

Back on the mainland, the fine folks at Truro Brewing Company have a new release that’s joining their core lineup. Little Dyke Pilsner, is a German take on the style with a moderate hop presence that’s been fermented to a sessionable 5.0% ABV. You can find it on tap and in cans at the brewery now. And, just in time for spooky season, the brewery will be showing Evil Dead II at the taproom tonight at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $5 at the door. 

We here at ACBB appreciate all forms of fermented beverages, including the non-alcoholic variety. Upsreet spin-off Libra is releasing a new beer in collaboration with Juno-winning musician Serena Ryder, Libra Lavender Sage Cream Ale. Expect a balanced drinking experience with notes of, you guessed it, lavender and sage, along with a mild honey character. Check out the Libra online store for ordering info. 

Bogside out of Montague, PEI is back with another fundraiser for the PEI Humane Society. Last year they raised over $4,000 for the society and this year, six pack sales of Gimme Shelter (a Blonde ale) will provide $6 to PEI’s only animal shelter. The beer itself is a crisp, approachable 5% North American blonde ale which will satisfy many beer drinkers all across PEI. Pick this up directly from the brewery, or order online for delivery.

If you’re near Antigonish and things have calmed down post-Fiona, Half Cocked has an exciting beer release available now. NOBO is a Norwegian Farmhouse Ale that uses a no-boil technique and features the Voss strain from the Kveik family of Norwegian farmhouse yeasts. Additions of juniper berries, Pinot (Grigio, we think) and butterfly pea blossom give this a purple hue and herbaceous flavours and atoms. There is a touch of acidity, it’s dry on the finish, and it’s 4.5% ABV. Check this one out on tap or in 355ml cans directly from the brewery.

Mauzy Cider, currently based in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, has their second release this week, making the most of a bad situation. When hurricane Larry hit Newfoundland in September 2021, the apple trees were full of apples in various stages of ripening. Of course, Larry had other ideas, and millions of these were sent off the trees whether they were ready or not. Enter the Mauzy team, who quickly sprang into action and collected the “feral” fruit from around town so that they did not go to waste. Aided by some honey from Baccalieu Trail Honey Bees, this spontaneously fermented cider was aged for 8 months before bottling. Tannin- and acid-forward, the 7.0% cider has been packaged in just 30 cases of 750ml bottles, and is available to purchase now. And downtown cocktail bar Papillon is holding a release party this Sunday at their 152 Water Street location. 8 PM until late, with Shuck NL there providing oysters to pair.

While Mauzy hangs out in their space, host brewery Banished has been ramping up their production as they now offer Canada-wide shipping. And new today is Skelephone, a shocking 6.0% ABV IPA. Starting from the glow in the dark can, you can tell this is going to be a different beer… Starting from one of their established IPA recipes, they used the Cryo Pop hop blend from Yakima Chief for a stone fruit and tropical character. But most shocking will be the appearance of the beer, which is blueish-green, thanks to the addition of blue spirulina algae. While odourless and flavourless, it lends its colours in a big way, making this beer impossible to miss! Skelephone is debuting in the taproom today (fresh off the canning line), and out to their normal retail partners next week.

Sticking to the Rock, Port Rexton has released their annual celebration of St. John’s The Adelaide Oyster House, It’s a Vibe! Celebrating 8 years in business, AOH has been a long time supporter of PRBC, so it’s only fitting that the brewery returns the favour. This year’s edition is a kettle sour with Mango and Guava, resulting in a tropical cocktail that will have you dreaming of down south. Available exclusively on tap at the brewery and Adelaide currently, if there’s any left, they’ll send cans out to the rest of the Island!

In “coming soon” beer news, 2 Crows Brewing has teased a new release coming in a couple of weeks, but we wanted to help spill the beans early to ensure you don’t miss out. Starting life during a November 2021 brewday, the malt bill consisted of 69% Shoreline Pilsner, 16% Flaked Rye, and 15% Flaked Rice. Hopped in the mash with Chinook, then early with Sterling before a hefty dose in the whirlpool (while cooling after the boil) with Bru-1. Fermented with Verdant yeast (commonly used for NEIPAs) and the 2Crows House Funky Foedre Culture™, cultivated from many batches passing through their large wooden fermenters. After fermentation completed and the yeast were just starting to nap, they added 200 kilos of Apricot puree to call them into duty once again. After that second round of fermentation was completed, the mad scientists in the brewery added fresh lime juice and zest to up the ante. Once the extra natural sugars were chewed up, the beer was transferred to a stainless steel fermenter, where a soupcon of locally-harvest sea salt was added, care of OK Sea Salt in LaHave. This final addition marked the end of intervention, as the beer was packaged and allowed to carbonate naturally in the can, before its upcoming release. The resultant OK OK OK is a lovely melding of juiciness, tart, and funk, with a hint of salinity drawing you back for more. First dibs of this limited release will be going to 2C Newsletter subscribers next Friday, so be sure to sign up in the next day or two. We’ve saved you some clicking to find the link. Those of you who miss out on the early access will be able to grab it online, their retail shop, or local private store(s) November 8th.

Where to go and have a beer-y blast this weekend? Read below to learn more!

Charlottetown’s HopYard is once again holding their Battle of the Breweries, taking place over the next several weeks. On now is the fierce head to head to head battle between Lone Oak, Double Hill Cidery and Village Green, as each producer brings forth new releases and core brands, in the effort to sell the most pints Thursday through Saturday. The winner of this weekend will move onto a Semi Final before the big Finals, November 24-26. Next weekend’s competitors, Barnone, Moth Lane, and PEI Brewing, kick off their fun at 11:30 October 27, with the final first round of breweries, Bogside, Labatt, and Upstreet, duke it out November 3 – 5.

Here’s something you don’t see a lot, a brewery having a yard sale! Both Good Robot locations (Elmsdale and Halifax) will be having beer on sale, with up to 50% off some of their lineup. They’re doing a mass clear out to make room for a lot of new products and we’re sure their new production out of Elmsdale is pumping out some tasty treats. The yard sale will be on today at both locations, so if you’re an early reader of this, get on over if you can, while supplies last!

Next weekend is the return of the Cox & Palmer Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Fest, happening at the Moncton Coliseum October 29th. There are still tickets available for both the afternoon (2-4:30 PM) or evening (7:30-10 PM) sessions, and your ticket includes unlimited beer, cider, mead, and spirit samples from more than 20 producers. There are also a handful of food vendors to keep you perked up and satiated. There will also be some Electric Vehicles on display for those who want to learn more about them. Grab your tickets at the link above before they’re gone!

This is as close we’ll get to posting “urgent” news on the blog, but the 12 Beers of Christmas in St. John’s only has tickets left for one of their days! This event is a fun one for Newfoundland craft beer fans, and the Saturday session is all sold out! There are still tickets left for Friday November 25th and all of the local breweries will be there and of course, way more than 12 beers! They’ll be food, ugly sweaters and more! It’s a month before Christmas, so it’s a good time to start spreading the cheer and drinking beer! Check out the link for tickets here, if you can be at the St. John’s Farmers Market on that date, of course.

A few more things before we dismiss you this afternoon…

A bit of news out of Bishop’s Cellar and their latest offerings, they’ve got some Bellwoods brews for the Halifax locals. Original Jelly King is now a core beer at Bishop’s and this will ALWAYS BE IN STOCK*. What a time to be alive.

Other Bellwoods offerings available for a limited time starting today:

  • PIG IPA
  • Jelly King Plum
  • Bellweiser

They’ve also got some recently released local beers available now as well:

Tanner Brewing – Altbier

North Brewing – Sweater Weather

Propeller – Porter 

* except when it’s not, because people bought it all, because of course sometimes they will, because it’s awesome!

Big things are happening for Roof Hound, as they’ve bought the roof! They’ve bought their building where their Kingston taproom and restaurant reside, as they are building towards their future, Roof Hound Public House. Shifting away from Digby and taking over the former space of The Crossing restaurant in Kingston, they’re going to be working on a huge new project in the heart of Kingston by expanding their current space and adding accommodations, too! Stay tuned to their socials and we’ll be sure to keep you updated here, too!

And as a service to our homebrewing readers to close out the blog today, a heads up that Lawrencetown’s Lunn’s Mill Beer is hosting their first Homebrew Competition! Dubbed the Winter Home Brew Challenge, they are looking for your best seasonal ale, in the Amber to Brown colour spectrum, and 4.5 – 6.5% ABV. They’re teaming up with Noble Grape for this competition, and the beers will be judged blindly by their team of experts, and the winning entry will see their beer brewed and distributed! You have until December 8th to submit your 6-pack of entries at one of their drop-points in HRM, Annapolis or Kings Counties. Fire them an email at events@lunnsmill.beer for more info, including details on the post-judging party where the winners will be announced, where your $25 brewing entry fee is your ticket to food, beer, and fun!

Friday Wrap-Up for October 7, 2022 – News from Delta Force, Tanner & Co., Garrison, Propeller, 2 Crows, Boomstick, Trailway, and More!!

Posted by acbbchris on 2022-10-07
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, 902 BrewCast, As Is Beer Bar, Bar Brewdock, Boomstick Brewing, Bootleg Brew Company, Carmody Cove Vineyard, Delta Force Brewing, East Hollow Cider, Evil Twin, Finback Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Grimm Artisan Ales, Hudson Valley Brewing, Lightfoot & Wolfville, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, Mauzy Cidery, Nocturne Halifax, Propeller Brewing, Serpent Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Threes Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Uncorked Tours, Unfiltered Brewing. Leave a Comment

Anyone else feel like they blinked and suddenly September was gone? Fine weather followed by a straight humdinger of a hurricane will do that, we guess. Apologies for our absence last week, but everyone needs a break sometimes, and frankly we trust that y’all know how to log into Fb/Ig/Tw on your own and troll for beer news. Won’t have nearly as many crappy puns, but we guess that’s what you pay us for! We’d also be remiss not to mention the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and the fact that beer/cider pairs perfectly with preparing, eating and cleaning up after a turkey dinner. So grab your favorite local Pilsner, pale ale, saison or dry cider, start brining your bird, and scroll through for this week’s news.

The very special gang at Delta Force Brewing has something new to talk about this week, and if you guessed it was another Ukraine beer you’d actually be wrong (this time, anyway). What it is, though, is the result of leveraging the age-old technique of parti-gyle brewing whereby two (or more) batches of beer are produced from one batch of grain. The first is a “big beer,” usually high in gravity and robust in flavor, whilst the second is a “small(er) beer,” often a daily drinker type. If you’re a fan of the brewery, you’re probably familiar with Operation Wessex, ∂F’s 8.0% fireside sipper; well the new Operation Lil’ Wessex was produced by rinsing further sugars from an OW mash and fermenting the result to produce a second beer. But wait, there’s more! After undergoing a secondary fermentation with brettanomyces, it was further aged on apple pomace (the stuff leftover after apples have been pressed for cider) to produce a very light but very seasonal tipple at 4.0% ABV. And if small beer meets funk meets cider isn’t your jam, you should know that Operation Triufino, their Mexican-style Vienna Lager is also back in stock. You can buy both of these beers along with many others, including their 3-pack of Baurenhofschuppen Märzen variants (plain, Bretted, and aged on apple pomace), at their online store for delivery in Halifax.

Across the Province from the Annapolis Valley is Chester Basin’s Tanner & Co. Brewing, who are celebrating their 5th anniversary this weekend. Although there are still details remaining to be released, we know that they’re planning a little shindig at the brewery with some special beers, sausages and pretzels from Old Black Forest, and a little bit of afternoon music. You’ll find their Barrel-Fermented Saison on tap and in bottles to go, as well as their Ginger IPA and ESB, both exclusive to the taps. Do check Tanner’s socials (Fb/Ig/Tw) for more details on Saturday’s happenings. Congrats to Dan and the team at Tanner on a fruitful five years, and we look forward to seeing what they develop in the next five. 

From a brewery celebrating five years to one celebrating twenty-five, we find Garrison Brewing with a brand new beer available. Twerp is a “tiny sour IPA” which seems pretty self-explanatory to us. Featuring plenty of hops, with an emphasis on southern hemisphere varieties, including Bravo, (Australian) Cascade, El Dorado, Galaxy, and Topaz, this hazy and golden beer sports a bold bitterness at 46 IBU to balance the hop flavors and the tartness from kettle souring, all in a 3.8% ABV package. You’ll find this zesty and sour brew in cans at all Garrison retail spaces as well as on tap at the Seaport and the Oxford Taproom.

The other NS brewery celebrating 25 years this year is Propeller Brewing and while they’ve not got a new one for us, they do have the return of a special seasonal. Continuing their annual tradition, Propeller is supporting Nocturne Halifax by sharing the proceeds from their annual release of Nocturne Black IPA. Hopped with Amarillo and Falconer’s Flight hops, you can expect an amalgam of tropical fruit and dank piney aromas married to a malty backbone with roasty touches of dark chocolate and coffee. Strong and balanced, but maintaining a dry finish, it tips the scales at 6.7% and is the perfect accompaniment to Art at Night. Check out the festival website to peruse the projects and plan to grab some Nocturne at Propeller’s Gottingen, Quinpool, or Windmill Road locations (or online!) and help support the art and energy of the fest.

Everyone knows that Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing sometimes takes things to extremes with their brewing, and this week is no exception, with two beers hitting the shelves, both over three years in the making. Up first is Soirée, a barrel-aged sour red beer/wine hybrid. On the beer side, it started with a base batch of Flanders-style red that was brewed in June 2019, and fermented and conditioned in oak with a melange of microorganisms. Then, in fall of 2021, the wine side began when the 2C team visited Carmody Cove Vineyard in PEI where they collected a whole bunch (well, bunches and bunches) of Petite Pearl, Marquette, and Muscat whole cluster grapes. After carbonic maceration, the grapes were pressed on-site and the juice was fermented into wine. This wine was blended with the beer and the two were allowed to get friendly for a while before bottling and bottle conditioning for several months. The result keeps the character of the Flanders Red, but adds subtle wine notes. 

Next up is Grapes! which also began life as a batch of Flanders Red brewed in June of 2019. This one (or perhaps this portion) was aged extensively in port barrels until fall of 2021, when it met a large amount of Marquette pomace from Lightfoot & Wolfville. Melding with the residual sugars, tannins, and acids,  and refermenting over several months, the beer was drawn off the pomace and packaged into cans, which were in turn conditioned for another seven months or so. The result is described as “zippy, jammy, [and] complex,” but also, no doubt, “Grapey.” Both of these delights are available at the brewery now, but we’ll pass on the caution from the brewery: chill them both well before opening as they are both very lively!

Boomstick Brewing in Corner Brook, NL, has a new beer in the taproom, and fans of smooth and creamy stout will no doubt rejoice to find out it’s pouring on nitro! Townsite celebrates Boomstick’s home neighborhood in Corner Brook, where you’ll also find Bootleg Brew Co., making it a very densely crafty place. An Irish Stout at a very sessionable 4.4% ABV, it’s a great after work pint, with the roasty character of the darker specialty grains playing off the velvety mouthfeel imparted by the nitro tap. Try it on tap for best results, but consider grabbing some to go from their West Street retail; it’s not quite the same, but pour it hard and drink it fairly quickly and you’ll still get some of that lovely creaminess.

It’s no surprise that one of our region’s most IPA-focused breweries has a new beer out featuring Phantasm, a Sauvignon Blanc grape-derived powder that brings piles of tropical potential to beer, but it is a little surprising that they took so long to do it! Now available from Fredericton’s Trailway Brewing is Phantasmagoria, a 5.6% ABV IPA packed with plenty of passionfruit, berry, and guava character. Dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Cryo Citra, you can expect a pungent and dank aroma to go with all that fruit, and a soft mouthfeel, but also a dry finish. Grab it at the brewery in cans.

You may have heard that Stillwell Brewing is up and running and making and selling beer out of their new digs on Kempt Road in Halifax (special weekend hours this Saturday from 11 – 4 PM!). You may have even sampled some of those tasty, tasty beers for yourself. But do you have the whole story on how it’s all gone down since the halcyon days of sharing a brewhouse at Propeller’s Gottingen Street location? Probably not. But you could probably learn a lot of that stuff if you tune your podcast-ma-phone to the 902Brewcast and check out their new episode with Chris, Nikki, and Grant from the Stilly B set.

For all we know it’s sold out already, but if you’re looking for a can of something that can take your your brain away (and by away, we might mean, “permanently”), Unfiltered brewed up a batch of the aptly named 10% ABV Warning Label and released it to a post-Fiona world last Friday. Still have some storm-related angst coursing through your veins? This liquid hop candy might be just the thing to quell that. Or at least make it bearable. Available in cans, of course, but also for fills (hahaha, fuck!) to go.

It may be a holiday long weekend, but that’s not stopping breweries, cideries and better drinking establishments across the region from hosting events for their thirsty patrons; hell, it might even be encouraging them! 

First up is a release party for a new cidery out of Paradise, Newfoundland focusing on spontaneous fermentation. The first release from Mauzy is Take Me Away Piquette, featuring apple pomace from feral Burin Bay apple. Naturally fermented to 4.7% ABV, this one was also bottle conditioned with Baccalieu Trail Honey. Bottle pours from the 20 cases they produced will be available throughout the evening at Brewdock on Duckworth Street. We’ll be sure to provide more info on Mauzy’s launch plans as details emerge.

Starting today, two of the lovely, but maybe somewhat lesser known breweries in Nova Scotia are trading their taps for the rest of the weekend! Serpent Brewing out of Spryfield and Lunn’s Mill in Lawrencetown (Annapolis Valley version) are making their beers available at the other’s taproom! At Lunn’s Mill, you’ll find Serpent’s Crystal Crescent Strawberry Kolsch and White Mountain Belgian Whit. At Serpent Brewing, you’ll find two tasty Lunn’s Mill brews, First Cut IPA and Pub Ale ESB.  This is an excellent exchange for two breweries that really support their local communities and we hope this keeps happening throughout our region!

If you’re in Saint John, love beer, and love Oktoberfest, you’ve probably felt a small hole in your heart in past years. Well, Uncorked Tours  is bringing an outdoor, open-air beer event in true Oktoberfest fashion. North Market Street in Saint John will be transformed into a beergarden (biergarten, even!) and to celebrate this inaugural event, they are giving away tickets, drink tokens, and tasting glasses for the event. Check out how to enter here.

Atlantic Canada’s northernmost brewery, Lab City’s Iron Rock, is turning 3 and to celebrate they’re hosting a party at the brewery next Saturday, October 15. The day’s events will include lots of special beers, an appearance from Hurley’s Texas BBQ, a pumpkin carving contest, and a giant jenga tournament (register by October 12 for that one), with donations going towards the Hurricane Fiona Relief Fund. The day will be capped off with an 80s dance party starting at 9:00 PM for which tickets are available at the taproom.

Halifax’s Stillwell(‘s?) continues to spoil Halifax and area beer fans with events and next week is no exception. The crew from Manhattan’s As Is Beer Bar will be in town and they’re somehow planning to sneak 12 kegs and over 25 beers/ciders into their checked luggage. The event will take place Thursday, October 13, with tickets available now. The taplist will feature ciders from New York’s East Hollow and beer styles including IPAs, Kölsch, and sours from some New York state legends, including Grimm Artisanal Ales, Threes Brewing, Evil Twin, Finback, and Hudson Valley. This is the first time that most of these breweries have graced a taplist in Atlantic Canada. Only 20L is available of each of the 12 draught offerings, and for that reason, Stillwell is including an early-bird ticketed event from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Tickets are available now on their website with the option of a seated ($20) or standing ($10) session. At 7:00 PM, the doors will open for the rest of the public to try whatever’s left (which may not be much if your favourite bloggers have anything to say about it).