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Friday Wrap-Up for January 19, 2024 – News from Truro, Shipwright, Upstreet, Tanner & Co, Trailway, Banished, Breton, O’Creek, Sea Level, Ragnarock, Ninepenny, Stillwell, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, and much more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2024-01-19
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Breton Brewing, Brewers Journal Canada, Canadian Brewers Choice Awards, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Foghorn Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Libra Non-Alcoholic Beer, Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, Ninepenny Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, OG Ales, RagnaRock Northern Brewing Company, Sea Level Brewing, Shipwright Brewing, Stillwell Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tire Shack Brewing, Together We Brew, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Good day, sweet world! The winter drudge continues as we get further into January and whether you’re just looking to keep warm, or stocking up for sports, there is always beer news to be had. We’ve got some new beers, returning beers and a fan favourite event all detailed below for your reading (and future drinking) pleasure.

Kicking off in the Hub of Nova Scotia, Truro Brewing Company has a brand new addition to their fridge and taplist. Lo/Hi is a Session New England IPA that is “lo” in alcohol and “hi” in hop aroma and flavour. If the name looks familiar to you, there may have been some inspiration from The Black Keys song of the same name. The grist for this is Pilsner malt and oats, featuring hops of Galaxy and the Pink Boots Blend (the 7th Pink Boots Blend, which is a mix of Ahtanum, El Dorado, HBC 638 and Idaho 7). The beer comes in at 4% ABV and is available now in cans and on tap.

Also, the fine folks at the brewery are looking for a part time sales representative for the Truro and New Glasgow area, so if you’re interested, apply through Indeed or email your resume to trurobrewco@gmail.com. 

Sticking in the Nova Scotia Session section of these scribbles, Shipwright Brewing is releasing Back Home. This Session IPA is packed with a grain bill of Golden Promise, Vienna, Munich and crystal malts with some oats in there to boot. Hopped with Pahto for bittering, Cascade and Sabro join the party with their dry-hopping additions. The fermentation comes from Escarpment Labs House Ale yeast which brings it all together with lots of citrus, tropical fruit, coconut, and pineapple in a 4.7% and 37 IBU package. This is available at the taproom for pints, growlers and crowlers!

The staff out of Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing have a new release for the people. Every once in a while there are special staff brews and this latest one is Balanced Breakfast, an Oatmeal Coffee Stout. Brewed up by Ryan Cheverie, who is a friendly face seen behind the bar at Upstreet’s Craft Beer Corner (CBC). At 5% this beer uses a Supremo Columbian roast from Caledonia House Coffee to help with the roasted and bittersweet flavours. This beer is on tap and in cans at their Taproom and CBC in limited quantities. It’s also available on Nitro at CBC.  Grab this one today, Islanders!

Mead alert! Our favourite Chester Basin brewery, Tanner & Co Brewing, has a new mead (use that honey, baby!) out with some lovely additions. Blood Orange & Motueka Sparkling Mead uses local honey, blood orange, and Motueka hops, to balance with each other on top of the base recipe of honey fermented mead. The sweetness of honey, zip and bitterness of the hops, and citrus notes from the blood oranges all come together in a punch of sparkling flavour at 5.9%. This one is canned and available from the brewery directly to pick-up at their locations or online for delivery. 

Red alert! Fredericton’s IPA rulers, Trailway Brewing, have a brand new release out now in the form of Answers in Red, a Red IPA. Dark, bready, and slightly fruity, the hops used bring some resin and pine notes for a well balanced 6% IPA. There isn’t a lot of this style around but you can think of it as a slightly stronger and hoppier Amber Ale, like the cousin of an American IPA, but sweeter and darker. It’s canned and available at their Fredericton and Saint John locations.

And fresh off the canning line is a new beer in support of the UNB Student Union Food Bank. Food security is important for all of us, especially young folks during a critical learning phase of life. A portion of the sales of Limeaid is being donated to the Food Bank, but you can also donate yourself at the link above! This 4.8% beer saves you the trouble of putting your lime and salt in your crushable lager, it comes pre-dosed! Zesty, with a hint of salinity, but very refreshing and enjoyable, do some good this weekend and pick up some Limeaid! Like Answers in Red, cans and draught are available at both Trailway locations.

Paradise’s beer options have expanded this week, thanks to the fine folks at Banished Brewing on Maverick Place. Continuing their ode to their homebase, Paradise Town – Italian Plum has hit the shelves, and draught lines, this week. Sweet, tart, and a lovely rosy pink colour, plenty of plum character shines through in this 5.5% ABV beer. You can find it in Paradise Town itself, and hitting the shelves elsewhere on the Avalon any day now!

Sydney, NS, darling Breton Brewing is continuing their own series of beers, as they extend their experimentation in the world of cold fermentation. Breton Lager #3 is the latest in that vein, keeping the Mexican Lager style from version 2, but switching up the yeast strain. The beer remains crisp and light, and above all, drinkable! This beer, as well as Breton Lager #2, are available at the brewery and Home Delivery in both the CBRM and HRM!

O’Creek Brewing out of Moncton has a new Double IPA coming to the people! Living in a Haze is a Hazy Double IPA that is big on the tropical notes and full of juiciness. The beer is 8% but only 25 IBU and features a lovely variety of hops. All added in the whirlpool and back later for dry-hopping is a mix of Mosaic, Sabro, Vic Secret and El Dorado. This is available on tap at the taproom today and will be canned early next week!

New Beer Alert in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley! Sea Level Brewing of Port Williams and Sheffield Mills has a new Asian cuisine-inspired beer on tap today. Thai-PA is 4.6% ABV, and light in colour, but not at all light on flavour! Lemongrass, lime leaves, thai chilies, and ginger. Sounds like the perfect pairing to something you may find available at nearby Noodle Guy, or whatever you want to whip up at home. For those looking for a fun night out at their Millstone Harvest Brewhouse should definitely pop by 7 – 9 PM tonight to enjoy some live music from Sky 45. A reminder that location is at 9146 Hwy 221 in Sheffield Mills, about 10 minutes outside Port Williams.

Look up. Waaaaay up. Ragnarock Brewing out of St. Anthony, Newfoundland has a new light lager. Loki’s Blaze is a canned 4% crispy light lager that is available at The Outdoor Shoppe and Western Petroleum for locals. More deliveries will be coming soon!

Moving south of St. Anthony (most things are south of St. Anthony, really), Ninepenny Brewing out of CBS (Conception Bay South, on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland), has a brand new beer that’s even a new style for them! Seal Cove Stout is an English Stout that is the first stout they’ve ever released! It’s highly drinkable at 5% and features a full body with dark chocolate and roasted coffee notes. This is available only at the taproom for now but will be available at retail stores over the coming weeks. 

Kempt Road’s finest foam friends at Stillwell Brewing have a new, freshly canned batch of their Pale Ale. At 5.3%, this West Coast Pale Ale is classic and delicious. You can check out the history of this beer and all the details back in our September post.

Speaking of Stillwell Brewing, you may have spotted that they hosted the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia Together We Brew brewday earlier this month. That beer will be coming in a few months, coinciding with the festival of the same name, being held April 6th at Pavillion 22 on the Halifax Waterfront. Together We Brew will see more than forty breweries from across the province bringing out their best and freshest beer to share with you! There are two sessions happening that day (afternoon 2 – 4:30 PM and evening 7 – 9:30 PM), with VIP tickets available for each that allow entrance an hour early. Early Bird pricing is on now, so be sure to snag them today!

Congratulations are in order to breweries and brewers across our region on making the shortlist of the 2023 Canadian Brewers Choice Awards. Hosted by Brewers Journal Canada, these awards require nomination, and then are judged based on their stories and the impact they have on the brewery, region, and industry. The Atlantic Provinces have been punching above their weight recently, with Tire Shack Brewery taking home Brewery of the Year and Branding of the Year in 2022, Esty of Foghorn taking home Brewer of the Year, and 2 Crows snagging top honours in New Beer of the Year for Class Maritime Dry Stout. This year’s shortlist includes: Libra Non Alcoholic for Brewery of the Year, Kellye Robertson of Good Robot for Brewer of the Year, Duncan Tennant of Banished Brewing for Young Brewer of the Year, who also is on the list for Community Initiative of the Year for their Paddles Up, Truro Brewing for Branding of the Year, and OG Ales for Sustainability Initiative of the Year. The winners will be announced Jan 31 as part of the MBAA District Ontario Technical Conference in Niagara-On-The-Lake.

Friday Wrap-Up for October 13, 2023 – News from O’Creek, Tire Shack, Trailway, Tusket Falls, Landwash, Big Spruce, and More!!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2023-10-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Annapolis Cider Company, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Change Is Brewing Collective, Copper Bottom Brewing, Half Cocked Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Iron Rock Brewing Co., Landwash Brewery, North Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Quidi Vidi Brewery, Schoolhouse Brewery, Tatamagouche Brewing, Tire Shack Brewing, Tobique River Trading Company, TrailWay Brewing, Tusket Falls Brewing. 2 comments

It’s been another busy week, as patios and Beer Gardens are beginning to close for the year (last chance for Stillwell BG is Saturday, weather-willing), darker beers are coming back in full force, and the never-stopping (not that we’d want it to) release of well-made IPAs continues unabated. Join us for a summary of almost two dozen releases from across our four Atlantic provinces! (Ed note: We’re gonna need a beer after this!)

Let us start with a duo of big IPAs from two breweries in Moncton, both hitting the taps and shelves today. First up is O’Creek Brewing once again flexing their hazy muscles with the release of Take On Me. Using a yeast that helps to keep all that hoppy goodness in suspension and closer to your nose, this beer was hopped late, and often, with the tremendous trio of Nelson Sauvin, Vic Secret, and the new HBC 586 (more on that in a moment). Massive tropical and citrus aromatics here, in a tidy 7.5% ABV package. And, speaking of packages, this freshly-canned beer is available today at their brewery on Barker in Moncton, as well as on tap there, and soon at better beer bars in the province.

Tire Shack, currently undergoing an incredible expansion of their facilities on John Street, is also releasing a great big hazy IPA today, telling the world that just because it’s getting a little cooler, there’s no need to let go of the tropical flavours just yet! They are continuing their Hip Hop Series, their ongoing exploration of flavour profiles from a showcased hop. Today’s release is Hip Hop Volume 9: HBC 586. A still-experimental hop from the Hop Breeding Company, HBC 586 is a stone fruit paradise, with mango, lychee, guava, and some orangey citrus in the mix. Beer nerds and home brewers, more info here. Sounds great in your breakfast smoothie, eh? Well, pop by Tire Shack today to grab some cans to try that tomorrow morning! And at only 8.0% ABV, it’s a fine substitution for a mimosa anyway. (Ed note: we are not responsible for anything that happens post-brunch if you substitute an 8% IPA for a mimosa)

Up the road in Fredericton, Trailway has a new delight for you with the introduction of Sunny B. You may remember their previous Sunny C, a step up the alphabet (and a step up in ABV) from the classic orange drink popular with the youths across North America. This iteration is still a small sour, at 3.5% ABV, and swaps orange for blueberry. Juicy and crushable, think of it like a blueberry mimosa, perfect for accompanying brunch or to give you a fruity kick to ward off the doldrums of a rainy and cool Fall day. Grab it in cans at either of their Fredericton or Saint John taprooms.

Continuing the trend of breweries whose names begin with the letter ‘T’, we have Tusket Falls, who have a sour of their own out this week that they’re calling Long Way Around. The latest in their series of “sour smoothies,” this one saw a dry hop of Citra and Strata for major citrus and dank hop aromas, an infusion of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries for a fruity punch, and lactose and Madagascar vanilla beans to sweeten and smooth it all out, balancing the Lactobacillus-driven sourness. A touch of sea salt puts the finishing touch on this one, which comes in at 6.5% ABV and is available now from the brewery or at their spot in North End Halifax.

Off the mainland and up to the Rock we find Landwash Brewery in Mount Pearl with something new and hoppy for us this week. Dog Park is a 4.5% ABV session IPA, but rather than the little hazies that have abounded in our region and across the continent over the past few years, this one instead leans into the classic West Coast profile. With malt notes of biscuit and toffee, and citrus, dank, and slightly spicy hop character, this one would be perfect to slide into a Yeti Colster® for sneaky sips while your pup pulls zoomies at the local off leash area. There are three can designs available, all featuring very good girls and boys owned by members of the Landwash Team; collect ‘em all! Find this one in cans and on tap at the brewery, with distribution to come at all the usual places you find their beer.

Now we head back down South, but to another island of note in our region, Cape Breton, where in scenic Nyanza, Big Spruce has a new one and a returning engagement. First up is Buntàta, a collaboration brew with a primary ingredient that might take you by surprise. It’s no secret that CB has one of the largest Gaelic-speaking populations outside Europe and the local Gaelic Business Initiative worked together with the Spruce team to come up with a beer to celebrate their culture. A “Gaelic Potato Ale” this one leaned on starches from farm-grown red, purple, and white potatoes, paired up with Big Spruce’s own Centennial and Mount Hood hops for an earthy and vibrant brew. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy thanks to the potatoes, but there’s still some malty caramel sweetness and subtle hop bitterness as well. More in the mainstream is the other release from BS this week, Alors on Danse, this one on its second go around. A hazy double IPA coming in at 7.1%, it leverages the Thiol Libre yeast from Escarpment Labs to help bring out lots of tropical flavors like gooseberry and passionfruit. Grab either (or both!) of these brews at the brewery and, no doubt, at other places where you tend to find Big Spruce beers.

Moving west to the Antigonish area, we find North Grant’s Half Cocked Brewing also has a new release, a hybrid of French and Belgian saisons. Old Barn Saison is bone dry, thanks to the hungry yeast that consumed all of the tasty sugar from the mash. It has also imparted some lovely pepper and citrus notes, further enhanced by the Saaz hops used throughout the boil. Refreshing, complex, a touch acidic…definitely a complex beer that warrants your further investigation! Grab Old Barn on tap this weekend, maybe while you pop in for brunch at The Crafty Cooks, who are setting up a buffet inside the brewery, 10 AM – 1 PM Sunday.

In cider news, Annapolis Cider in Wolfville, NS, has a new entry in their Something Different series. Melon Margarita sees the marriage of literal truckloads of watermelon goodness with honeycrisp apple juice, a bit of cucumber, for a vegetal smokiness, and some lime for that tart zip that says, “margarita.” Finished with fresh honeycrsip and watermelon juice, the result is sweet, yet tart, and very refreshing, at 5.2%. As with all ciders in the Something Different series, $0.50 of every fill goes to a charity and this time around it’s Shelter Movers Nova Scotia, a volunteer organization that helps individuals and families fleeing abuse.

Back up to Newfoundland, we find Banished Brewing in Paradise bringing the Hallowe’en goods with the return of their Skelephone IPA. Although they tried to do the same thing this year as last year, using blue spirulina to impart an eerie green hue, this year it’s less green than ever. Same recipe, same techniques, different result; they tried blending in the spirulina three times and each time it dissolved and then precipitated back out. We agree with the Banished team that’s a suitably sinister situation for this 5% seasonal. Fortunately, the spirulina is flavor-neutral and the beer tastes just fine, the glow in the dark can is still rad AF, and it is what it is, b’y. Find it on tap at the brewery and at retailers who tend to stock Banished beer.

Speaking of Banished, our friends at Bishop’s Cellar on the Halifax Waterfront have made an effort to bring some of their offerings to Nova Scotia beer fans. Available today in the store and for online orders are An Elaborate Series of Mirrors (American Lager, 5%), Mustard Pickles (Triple IPA collab with Lone Oak, 10.5%!), Clockin’ Out (Red Ale, 5.2%) and their flagship hazy Space Puffin (NEIPA, 6%). You may also see that last one appear at some of the other private stores in the city, but you’ll have to stick to Bishop’s for the others. A reminder that shipping is free on to addresses in NS on orders over $150 and quite reasonable on orders less than that, and they’ve also got a new Express Delivery Service (2 hours within select postal codes within the HRM, 12 noon – 8 PM Thu/Fri/Sat). They’ve also got a fall sale in progress across most of their product lines, so we ask, “What are you waiting for?”

A big birthday party this weekend in Labrador, and a workshop in Halifax coming up early next week.

Labrador’s Iron Rock Brewing is celebrating their Fourth Anniversary this week, with events all weekend, as well as a new beer, one with quite a history, to celebrate their accomplishment. First brewed by Dave Hurley as part of the Newfermenters Homebrew Club Advent Calendar in 2017, it took a little bit of help from his brother Brian to be delivered to the distribution point in St. John’s in time for the bottle share. And now, six years later, Dave is still the one brewing (albeit on a much bigger scale!), and Brian is helping with the Island logistics (and plenty more!). Orange Daydream Milkshake IPA is the beer, and marks batch number 261 on their system in Lab City. The 6.0% ABV beer is loaded with Equinox, Azacca, and Citra, and further bumped up with sweet orange zest, and a bit of lactose and house-made vanilla extract for that creamsicle mouthfeel. On tap now, with cans coming to the brewery, and beyond, in the next little while.

The Fourth Anniversary Fun continues this weekend with a full schedule, including Trivia tonight at 7:30, Beer Yoga tomorrow at 1 PM, and live music tomorrow night at 9 PM, courtesy of The Sun Dogs. Congratulations to the Hurley boys and the whole Iron Rock Family!

We’ve got an event put on by Prince’s Trust to tell you about this week and this one is put on with the Change is Brewing Collective. Prince’s Trust has been an organization based out of the UK (back when King Charles was the Prince of Wales) to fund opportunities for youth from disadvantaged communities in finding new opportunities and connections, and learning new skills in hopes of finding career paths and exploring new industries. The Prince’s Trust Canadian branch is featuring a Halifax workshop on Monday, October 16th, to discuss brewing industry opportunities and all of the jobs involved from brewing, marketing, supply chain, and warehousing. Giovanni and O’Neil from Change is Brewing will be giving a talk and then diving into a hands-on workshop. This is all free if you’re between 18 and 30 and can be in the North End of Halifax from 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM. You’ll need to register at the link here to attend.   

Staying on the job train, Tatamagouche Brewing is hiring part-time and full-time positions as a taproom associate. You have three ways to apply here if you live nearby and want the job: drop off your resume in person at the brewery, email, or via Indeed. Be sure to check the Indeed posting for even more details. 

Lots of quick mentions to end the post today, from further news about a new taproom to lots of re-releases around the region:

The news keeps coming out of 2 Crows and their new location (Oxford and Cork in Halifax, the old 4Cats Art Studio, if you didn’t read last week’s post). As we mentioned last week they’ve posted for a General Manager for the food and taproom and this week we get news that it’s Yeah Yeahs Pizza as the food partner! Moving from their Barrington Street location, they will be headed from the downtown to the West End for the 50-seat taproom location. This is a big newsbite and an awesome partnership and location. Yeah Yeahs should be closing their Barrington location at the end of the month, so check out the 2 Crows and Yeah Yeahs socials for more updates. 

If you’re near Perth-Andover in New Brunswick, the do-it-all (brewery, coffee roastery, music venue and more) Tobique River Trading Company has a new brew on tap. Oktober Brown Ale is available now at the brewery for pints and growler fills. It’s 5% and is malt forward but balanced out with some nice hop bitterness. 

As it truly is the fall harvest, we’re rolling right into Stout Season and North Brewing is bringing back Let the Good Times Roll, a 6% Golden Stout. The beer brings the comfortable warmth of a stout with some chocolate and coffee flavours, but with a golden coloured body from the light-on-roast malt bill. This is available now in cans from all three of North’s locations and online for home delivery and shipping. 

Sticking with another returning seasonal for Stout Season, Schoolhouse Brewery is bringing back Staffroom Stout, a collaboration with T.A.N. Coffee, their Windsor neighbours. Using cold-brewed organic coffee from T.A.N, this coffee stout has refreshing flavours of espresso and chocolate that is refreshing and flavourful. It’s 5.5% and available in cans from the brewery for a limited time. 

Kicking off a trio of Newfoundland beer news, Bannerman Brewing kicks us off with their seasonal release of Dressed to Kill. Just like the first time it was released it’s a fruited sour ale with additions of raspberries and blackberries. A dry-hopping of Mosaic then brings a lovely initial aroma to join the berry flavours. The 6% beer is available now on tap and in cans from the brewery.

Another Halloween-themed Newfoundland release comes to us from Port Rexton Brewing. Back with a seasonal dark beer release, Chasing Moon is a Dark NEIPA. A style that we haven’t seen too much of, the beer takes all those tropical and stone fruit flavours and aromas, and pairs them with a dark colour and slightly roasty profile with the use of dark malts. At 6.2% there is a lot of flavour in the juicy, smooth, slightly bitter and highly drinkable brew. Pick this up now at both Port Rexton locations, Marie’s and everywhere else around the island for distribution next week. 

Finishing off the Newfoundland trio, Quidi Vidi Brewery is teaming up with the (amazing) St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival for a new release to mark the occasion. Director’s Cut is a 4.8% American Pilsener that’s been canned and is available now, though the actual festival runs from October 17th until the 21st. 

Copper Bottom Brewing out of Montague, PEI is embracing the darkness as they bring back Eclipse, a Black IPA. This 6.5% IPA brings notes of citrus, pine, stone fruit and a slightly roasty body thanks to the dark roasted and coffee notes from the malt. The hop bill for this brings out those aforementioned flavours from Simcoe, Galaxy and Cascade and it comes in at 50 IBU. This returns on Saturday in cans and on tap along with some special and food music at the brewery. 

We’ll leave you this week, for the second week in a row, with some unfortunate news. Hammond River Brewing in Rothesay, NB, announced this week that they are permanently closing their doors. The first brewery to open in the Kennebecasis Valley, in fall of 2013, HR started very small, with a 1 BBL system in the basement of original brewer/owner Shane Steeves. That system was eventually replaced by something much larger and a brewery and taproom in town. They’d seen an ownership change in the last few years, but still seemed to be a going concern in the region. We’re sure they will be missed by lovers of craft beer in the KV. We remind you again that this is an extremely tough time for the industry and people continuing to support their favorite locals is likely to be a determining factor in brewery survival.

Friday Wrap-Up for September 22, 2023 – News from Stillwell, Breton, Trailway, O’Creek, Tatamagouche, Boxing Rock, Rackhouse, Baccalieu Trail, Boomstick, Shipwright, Lone Oak, Copper Bottom, Big Spruce, and a ton more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2023-09-22
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Banished Brewing, Boomstick Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Escarpment Laboratories, Lone Oak Brewing, North Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Rackhouse Brewing Co, Shipwright Brewing, Stillwell Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. 1 comment

The storm is past us and Oktoberfest events and releases are in full swing. With *that* storm past us, our country saw another storm of hate against our non-binary, queer and trans friends and community. We had a number of breweries and establishments offer support, safe-spaces and community gatherings, so with your likes, with your dollars, your time and effort, be conscious of who you’re supporting. We’ve got a full plate ahead of us this week so let’s get right into it!!

Your Friends in Foam™ at Stillwell Brewing are at it again, bringing you another beer you very well might not have realized was missing from your life. You may recall way back in the early-ish days of Stillwell Beer Bar, they worked with Greg Nash and Bad Apple Brewing (RIP) to work up a house batch of hoppy pale ale for the bar. Intended to be an evolution of what was then known as East Coast IPA (malty, very bitter, not so much with the hops), That’s Falcon Teamwork was paler and more hop-forward, with a balanced bitterness. Fittingly for the Stilly gang, this was ahead of the curve, and the world started seeing a pale ale and IPA trend away from the malt sweetness and the tongue-curling bitterness and towards presenting a fairly neutral slate on top of which all the newest hop cultivars from the Pacific Northwest and the Southern Hemisphere could shine. Fast forward a few years and we saw the rise of the hazies, where bitterness and maltiness dropped to barely perceptible levels and sweetness and mouthfeel went through the roof. 

Although it doesn’t feel like we’re in any danger of a decline in hazy hoppy juice bombs, Stillwell is coming full circle back to a style they themselves moved away from nearly a decade ago. Continuing with their, “what’s on the tin is what’s in the tin,” naming scheme, Stillwell Pale Ale has arrived. Based on a grist of predominantly UK Maris Otter, known for bringing a maltier character than North American two-row varieties, with a soupçon of Crystal 60 to round it out a touch more, it was, of course, decocted (CPR: DECOCTOR OF ALL THINGS) and treated with classic American hops Chinook, Cascade, and Simcoe. The result is a typically quaffable 5.3% ABV beer with some sweetness, balancing bitterness, and a citrusy and slightly dank hop character that’s reminiscent of many beers you may not have had in a long time but you’d probably love if you tried them again. And since you probably can’t get those ones in Atlantic Canada, we encourage you to try this one. On draught only for now at the taproom and Stillwell properties, expect them to put it in cans for wider sale later in the fall. Speaking of cans, if you’ve been missing Stilly Pils, more cans should be available at the brewery by mid-next-week (although many NSLC locations still seem to have decent stock). And lastly, speaking of the brewery/taproom, they’ve really started to hit their stride on events over the past month and if you’re looking for a really fun and chill space with cool things going on, you could do worse than to keep an eye on their Ig feed!

Now we’ll get into the Oktoberfest news, starting in God’s Country (does every island call their homeland God’s Country?), but specifically Sydney, Cape Breton. Breton Brewing has their Oktoberfest Lager out now in a classic Festbier style lager in a 5.8% malty German flavour, yet dry and crisp with enough balancing hop character. This is a new release for Breton, but they have done Marzen style under the same name in the past. The beer is available now from the brewery in pints and cans, and delivery in CBRM and HRM today. They’re closed on September 23rd and 24th, so stock up beforehand if you need to!

Although they’re known more for (very) hoppy things, Fredericton’s Trailway Brewing has been celebrating Oktoberfest for a few years now, and each year with the release of their Festbier. First brewed a couple of years ago, it features a German-style grist comprised of local ingredients and a classic German lager yeast, leaning into the bread dough character and light toasty notes, while leaving a touch of honey-ish sweetness. Rounded out with an herbal hop character and a light bitterness as befits the style, we expect that like all classic examples it very much tastes like another, just maybe be a bit cautious, as it’s 6.3% ABV! You’ll have plenty of opportunity to try it if you head down to the brewery and taproom for their Oktoberfest celebration tomorrow, Saturday, September 23rd, from 11am – 11pm. Beer garden, live music, an appropriately-themed menu from The Kitchen by Trailway, games, giveaways, and, of course, more. 

If easy drinking lagers and lederhosen aren’t your thing though, rest assured that Tw still has you covered with their other release this week, with a beer that’s probably about as far as you can get from that style (at least in one direction), the latest iteration in their series of smoothie sours they call The Blend. This time 5.3% and featuring cherry and raspberry, every can contains nearly 200g of pure fruit. This means a few things: it’s fruity as hell, you’ve got to keep it cold and drink it fresh, and you might want to roll the can around a little before you open it. Possibly for breakfast.

Not to be outdone by the uplanders in Fredericton, Moncton’s O’Creek also has two beers and an Oktoberfest party to tell you about this week. The first beer is, of course, a suitably festy one, their Amber Lager at 5% ABV. Medium-bodied, you can expect some toasty malt notes and caramel sweetness that should pair well with grilled meats (sausages, maybe?) and sharp cheese. You will be able to drink your fill of this one if you grab yourself one of the few remaining tickets to their Oktoberfest party tomorrow, Saturday, September 23rd, from 1 – 5pm. With full Bavarian immersion, your $60ish ticket gets you live music, a t-shirt, a stein, 32oz of beer, and plenty of fun. You can also look for their other new beer, Dry-hopped Saison, to be pouring now and available in cans: this one is suitably dry, with some lovely hop notes from a dry hopping of Citra and Motueka.

The last of our Oktoberfest celebrations to talk about this week is a three-day bash scheduled for Friday, September 29th to Sunday, October 1st at Tatamagouche Brewing on Nova Scotia’s North Shore. With on-site food by Moth and Moon on Friday evening from 4 – 8pm (happy hour from 5 – 7!), fresh pretzels on Saturday from Connie’s Bakery, and more Moth and Moon on Sunday from 2 – 6pm, your need for nibbles will be satisfied as you sip from a weekend-long Oktoberfest-themed tap list. Of course that tap list will feature Tata’s long-running fall seasonal, Lagerhosen. At 4.5% ABV, this is a thirst-quenching lager brewed with Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops for spicy and floral hints. Whether you can make the party or not, this one has also been packaged in cans for your enjoyment at home.

Rolling down to the other end of Nova Scotia, Boxing Rock brings us the last (of this week!) Oktoberfest release, this time featuring the aforementioned Märzen-style classic Bavarian lager. Equinox is their long-running take on the traditional style with a lot of pilsner malt, herbal German hops and bringing together the bready, malty, sweet flavours with a touch of spiciness in a 5% package. An annual release from the Shelburne brewery, you can pick up cans of this one at both locations and online. 

Back to New Brunswick where Rackhouse Brewing continues to release their barrel-aged and -inspired beers. Barrel-Aged Blonde is a flavourful and complex Blonde that spent time in a Brandy barrel, where it picked up notes of the spirit, as well as yeast notes from the Brettanomyces that has made its home in the wood. At 7.1% ABV, it shows both fruity and bitter notes married together. Available at CAVOK Brewing’s taproom in Dieppe, so though in the area should definitely take flight!

Heading up to Newfoundland, we find Baccalieu Trail has a new beer out, albeit a variation on a previous release, but one with a great story behind it. Ediacaran Fuse was a hazy IPA released a couple years ago that celebrated, “the multitudinous fossil discoveries in Newfoundland and Labrador.” Since that time, and somewhat oxymoronically, new fossils have been found in Conception Bay North that have revealed organisms completely new to science. What better excuse than to iterate on that previous beer than in celebration of what is literally a once-in-a-lifetime discovery? Ediacaran Fuse: Origins Edition sounds like it could be a tabletop RPG or a multiplatform video game, but it’s definitely a beer, a beer featuring all kinds of Australian and New Zealand hops, particularly Eclipse, Riwaka, and Strata, this beer offers, “a unique flavour that reflects early life’s journey across continents and epochs,” but also a whole lot of juicy hop character. Packaged in cans, look for this 6.0% beauty at the brewery in Bay Roberts.

Going very much west to Corner Brook, NL, we find Boomstick Brewing with their own variation on a previous release. Strawberry Rhubarb Lone Flamingo pretty much tells you what you need to know, with Boomstick’s version taking the same sour base they’ve used for previous Lone Flamingo batches and treating it to a heavy fruiting with strawberries and rhubarb. They’re pretty pleased with the way the base beer shines through this time, giving a light and bright character to support the ample fruit. It’s on draught in their taproom now, and packaged in cans to go, with further distribution likely in coming weeks.

Down on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, in Lunenburg, Shipwright Brewing has a new beer on the go. Wheels Are Turning is an American Wheat Ale that was treated to a dry hop. Built on a grist of wheat, pale, and Munich malts, it saw Hallertau Blanc and Lemondrop hops in the kettle along with orange peel before fermentation with Vermont Ale yeast from Escarpment Labs. A further dry hop with more Lemondrop tied it all together at the end with a final burst of citrus character. With a creamy mouthfeel balanced by a refreshing bitterness, this is a lovely beer for late summer (please nobody point out that it’s fall!) as you enjoy some cooler and drier air, especially in the evenings. Grab it for pints or crowlers/fills to go at Shipright locations, and also packaged in cans to go from the brewery.

Let’s hop (get it?!) over to PEI where we’ll start with the multi-locationed Lone Oak brewing who are introducing a brand new collaboration with Toronto’s Indie Ale House. Hang Your Hat! is an American style Brett Pale Ale coming in at 5.3%. This beer has additions of fresh Orange zest and peel in the whirlpool, along with orange concentrate during the fermentation with Thiol Libre (a thiol-unbinding yeast blend from Escarpment Labs that can enhance tropical flavours) and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis (a strain of Brett yeast derived from Lambic beers from Brussels, Belgium). The grain bill is Golden Promise along with some oats, and in the kettle, there were Amarillo hops and Phantasm powder (to bring out those Thiols!). There’s a lot going on in this one, and it’s a must try; it’s available while quantities last at all of their locations on tap and in cans to go at the Borden brewery and the cold beer store at their Milky Way location. And a heads up that their Cavendish location is now closed for the season. 

Sliding over to the Eastern part of the Island, Montague’s Copper Bottom is re-releasing the 70 Mile Yard Ale. Brewed in support of the annual 70 Mile Yard Sale, this beer is a celebration of the yard sale and their strong community. A refreshing hazy wheat beer with orange citrus flavour, it was hopped with old school American variety Cascade and is 5.0% and 15 IBU. It’s available only directly from the brewery, grab it right from the source in Montague today!

With some of the fake news that was going around the protests earlier this week, Nyanza’s Big Spruce has re-released their pale ale, Fake News, just in time. This is a bright, juicy pale ale showcasing the tropical and citrus flavours of a single hop, El Dorado! Find this 5.7% release available on tap and in cans at the brewery and also online to order for delivery. 

As the weather turns a little colder each year, Cole Harbour’s North Brewing thinks to bring back their Headline Milk Stout for a smooth, creamy and highly drinkable nightcap. This returning ale has been around since 2016 and is still 5.5% and features three different chocolate malts (including debittered chocolate malt), complemented with toasted nut and coffee notes. The addition of lactose lends a creamy and lightly sweet finish to the beer and it comes in at 30 IBU. Grab it on tap or in cans from all three of North’s locations. 

Sticking with the dark and creamy, Port Rexton Brewing has a similar theme with a truly seasonal release. Having been released in Fall and Spring editions, we see the return of their Fall edition of Shoulder Season, which is a dark cream ale. The beer is big on bready, malty flavour, but still features a crisp finish. Even at 5.5% it still gives some warmth with some toffee and dark fruit characters and a dark ruby red colour. This is available at the taproom this weekend in cans and will be available everywhere you can buy craft beer in Newfoundland in the coming weeks!

Next in this quadrilogy of deep dark returning beers is Propeller’s Nocturne dark lager. Brewed every year in support of the Nocturne: Art at Night festival that takes place in Halifax every fall, this jet black beer with a tan head carries notes of toasted bread, milk chocolate, and coffee, all of which are malt-driven. A lager yeast keeps those characters while ensuring that the beer finishes crisp, dry, and clean. At 5% ABV and 25 IBU, it’s a beer you can savor a few of without worry. Look for it at Prop Shops around the HRM and maybe check out the Nocturne website to plan some (free!) art appreciation in downtown Halifax, October 12 – 15th!

And finally in this group of dark beers this week is Candid’s Antigonight Dark Berry Sour. Brewed to celebrate the ongoing celebration of Art After Dark in Antigonish, this 5.0% ABV sour beer is full of raspberries and dark cherries, for a refreshing and tart beer. Enjoy it any night of the week, or prepare yourself for the celebrations to come later this fall and winter!

We’ll finish the week back in Newfoundland where Banished Brewing in Paradise has a couple of returning beers to tell you about. First up is Jim Time, named for the father of one of the owners, the real life Jim played a big part in getting the brewery up and running, and what better way to celebrate the man than to name a beer (in his favorite style) after him?! Generously hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Cascade in the boil before being even more generously dry hopped with more Citra and Mosaic, this very popular 8% double IPA is in its third, and hopefully best iteration. Joining it for sale this weekend is Portage Pilsner, a beer originally brewed in collaboration with the much-acclaimed Portage Restaurant. A 12º Czech-style Pilsner (so figure somewhere around 5% ABV), it’s an ideal beer for cracking on a cool evening around the campfire. Cleaner than ever, you can grab this one at the brewery, with further distribution to retail locations to come next week.