Off Grid Ales

All posts tagged Off Grid Ales

Greetings, June bugs. Outside (and really, inside) of beer, it’s an important month for inclusivity, equity, celebration and learning. It’s National Indigenous History Month in Canada and Pride Month is widely-celebrated in North America in June as well. We don’t want to get on the soap-box too much here, but supporting your local, independent, craft brewers is always important, but we do encourage you to know where you’re putting your dollars. Some may use this special month as a chance to change a can design or change their branding or logos to have rainbows or Indigenous support, but please try and support those that really want to make a change for their communities, their breweries, their employees and everyone they serve. Some breweries just simply care, and we know most of our readers do, too. Now, onto the sunshine and beer news!

As we like to do, let’s kick off the post with details of a new brewery opening in our region. Banished Brewing, located in Paradise, Newfoundland, has sent the first few kegs of their beer out this week. Kegs of the initial trio of releases are pouring now at Bar Brewdock in East Duck, with cans coming to local distribution at Marie’s, Ultramar, and NLC locations next week (and soon their own retail shop at 9 Maverick Place, but keep an eye on IG for those details). So, what can you expect to drink from Banished? First up is Out The Gate, the fittingly-named Belgian Single/Singel, at 5.3% ABV, with a light malt and hop character, with a nice yeast-derived bubblegum note, while remaining refreshing. Up next is Space Puffin, a 6.0% ABV New England IPA, juicy, hazy, and full of citrus and tropical goodness for the warmer months ahead. This is the first in the “Puffin” line, keep an eye out for many more! And the newest kid on the block is NO NO NO NO YES NO. Cheeky label, eh? Big props to Paul George Hammond for this and all of Banished’s branding! This EI (Employment Insurance) Pale Ale is 4.5% ABV, light enough in alcohol to warrant having a few in the afternoon while you wait for your check to come in! These are all pouring now at Brewdock, with the Out The Gate making its way to Port Rexton Brewing on their guest tap in the next few days. And those on the West Coast will be able to get their first tastes of Banished at tomorrow’s Newfoundland & Labrador Craft Beer Festival in Corner Brook. And those in Lab City still have time to grab tickets for June 11th’s Big Land beer festival at the Legion. Congratulations to Craig and the team at Banished, we’ll have plenty more from them next week (more new beer and nerdy details and their plans for the summer!).

And speaking of new breweries, we have word that the under-new-ownership BarNone Brewing will be holding their first event at Barn One tomorrow! Doc MacLean will be blowing the roof off the joint, and there will be plenty of beer pouring to accompany that. They may even be set up to fill some growlers, just like the old days! This is a ticketed event, so email them for more details and to get your name on the list!

Bannerman Brewing, fresh off its inclusion in the list of the Top 50 Bars in Canada, is releasing a new pale ale, in collaboration with Iceberg Quest. Designed as a more sessionable offering, Undertow comes in at 5.5% ABV, perfect for sipping while out on the water searching for bergies (did we mention it will be available on-board Iceberg Quest’s tour boats?). Flaked and malted oats were added to the malt bill to give a soft mouthfeel, with dry-hop additions of Galaxy and Strata leading to hop notes of tropical and overripe fruit. In addition to being available onboard, cans and pints of Undertow can also be found at Bannerman’s taproom.

Tanner Brewing is back and these Chester brewers never disappoint with new styles, flavours and doing their own thing. They’re featuring a new hop variety, Harlequin, in their new beer of the same name. A UK hop that is very fruity with big passionfruit, peach and pineapple flavours and aromas, the Harlequin IPA features this hop in the boil and for dry-hopping. It is available in 500ml bottles and is 6.5% and 60 IBU. Get it from their stores and online for their weekly deliveries. 

Quidi Vidi is partnering with Jordan Blake, a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Homebrew Club, the Newfermenters, for the release of Catharina Sour. The crew is getting creative with flavours and styles, concotting what they are calling a strawberry coffee sour. Cans of this 5.5% ABV sour are available today at the hop shop in Quidi Vidi and will see broader distribution to QV’s other retail partners next week.

In Sydney, Breton Brewing has a new seasonal release available now. Bringing the classic style to Nova Scotia (and we want more of it, whenever we can get it), West Coast Pale Ale is exactly as advertised. This clear, golden, fruity, citrus, hoppy and bitter pale ale is a treat, popping with a generous dry hop of Simcoe and Cascade. This 5.4% and 45 IBU IPA is available in 473ml cans from the taproom and also on tap; it’s also available online for delivery in CBRM and HRM. 

Spryfield’s Serpent Brewing is staying busy over the upcoming week with three new releases! Each release is a small batch run that will be available in cans only (no kegs or bottles). First up is Crystal Crescent Strawberry Kolsch. Named for the famous beach(es) (IYKYK) in nearby Sambro, this 5.9% take on the style sees an addition of strawberries to their Days End Kolsch. Next up is Cosmic, a Strawberry Guava IPA. Also coming in at 5.9%, this ale features a blench of kolsch and English yeasts to amp up the fruity esters. Expect lots of guava character along with grapefruit and jammy berries. Finally, we have Foiliole, a 5.9% hoppy witbier. This one combines a Belgian Witbier yeast with large dry hop additions of Citra and Simcoe. Expect the classic spice notes from the yeast, along with plenty of fruit character from the dry hop. Keep your eyes on Serpent’s social channels for the exact release dates throughout the week as these small batches are likely to move quickly. 

Would you believe that Fredericton’s favourite hop hustlers, Trailway Brewing, have now turned SIX? We do because we found out about it last weekend after we posted our Friday Wrap-up, and as punishment/penance, they’ve given us a fully 2 Crows-sized release to write up. The short version is, they released FOUR new beers (IPA variants, natch) all with a bit of a naming theme, and packaged them as a four-pack for maximum delight.

Up first is Tubesock Tanline, a West-coast IPA weighing in at 6.4% ABV. Not in the usual TW wheelhouse of juicy hazies, this one presents prominent biscuity and toasty notes that balance a dank, floral, and spicy hop profile and, of course, a firm old school bitterness. Sounds pretty textbook to us!

Next comes Soul Patch, an IPA made with newish hop variety Zappa and arriving at a hefty 7%. Also not in the totally typical Tw style, this one saw additions of tangerine purée and lactose to bring it into the Milkshake IPA territory. Featuring notes of passionfruit, stone fruit, and sweet citrus (maybe even reminiscent of fruity pebbles) thanks to the aforementioned Zappa plus some Citra and Cashmere, you can expect it to be pillowy soft and sweet-ish, with plenty of pungent hops.

Third in the mix is Turtleneck Tanline, representing a style they’re calling Piña Colada IPA. This 5.9% juice bomb (almost literally) was hopped nearly to death with Sabro and Vic Secret before being refermented on pineapple juice and then cold conditioned on coconut flakes. The result does what it says on the tin, and you might even think about pouring it into a poco grande glass and garnishing it with fruit!

Last in the four-pack comes Rattail Tanline, a double dry hopped IPA with one of the highest hopping rates that the gang at Trailway has ever smashed into a beer (and folks, that’s saying something!). With stalwart hazebomb varieties Citra, Galaxy, and Sultana, leading the way, there’s also a brand new variety from South Africa called Southern Sublime in the mix. Look for notes of Juicy Fruit™ gum and tropical fruit alongside floral and dank kush-like notes from this 6.5% hopjuice.

We know that these four-packs were sent out to Picaroons Saint John and CAVOK Brewing in Dieppe last weekend, but we don’t know how much is left there or at Trailway’s own taproom. You’ll just have to hope on your drive over. Meanwhile, kegs of all of these beers have been sent around the province, including Attepic in Edmundston. Hopefully those of us in the other Atlantic Provinces will get a chance to sample some of these hoppy delights as well! Happy Birthday to Trailway and here’s to another six years!

In Halifax, 2 Crows has a new beer out this week that’s intended to both represent and give back to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In order to do that, they teamed up with queer members on their staff, Mairi, Mairi, and Tessa, who helped put it together. The Agenda is a grapefruit and basil Radler with a splash of orange and 100% of the proceeds from its sale will be donated to South House Halifax, Kjipuktuk/Halifax’s only full time gender justice center. To celebrate this release in style, the brewery will be having a party with a Rhinestone Cowboy theme next Saturday, June 11th, with tasty morsels from Cafe Aroma Latino and DJ EFFA spinning (country-tinged?) tunes from 7PM to close. So grab your favourite stetson and a bolo tie and head on down to maybe do some line dancing and familiarise yourself with The Agenda.

Nyanza’s finest, Big Spruce Brewing,  is back with a new brew for June! Saison Opener is a perfectly named beer as we roll into summer. A foedre-fermented Saison brings classic saison flavours with a touch of funk. Finished off with a dry-hopping of Huell Melon, you’ll get nice aromas of melon and spice in this lovely 4.9% summer sipper. This is available on top now at the brewery, different outlets and will be canned next week. 

Island-hopping from Cape Breton to Newfoundland, up on the Avalon Peninsula in Mount Pearl Landwash Brewery has brought back their Prickly Fish “tiny” pale ale for the summer. Named for the wee little stickleback fish that heavily populate the brackish waters and tidepools around Newfoundland, the beer is as adorable as the little fishies it’s named after. Coming in at 3.2%, it’s got some hop pop with a lemon/pineapple/fruit cup vibe and a hazy appearance. Rolling out to all the regular spots where you find Landwash beers, including their own spot, this is a limited release, so don’t wait too too long before grabbing yourself some!

Further north on the Rock, we find Port Rexton Brewing, where they’re releasing a brand new beer in a brand new packaging format. Small Trek is a 4% ABV light lager that they’re calling “the perfect summer sipper”. You can safely expect this one to be clean, crisp, and refreshing, but also convenient. Available, like most other PR brews in 473 mL cans, this one is also being packaged in 355 mL cans that are available in 6-packs (with compostable rings!), a first for the brewery. Already available at the tap room, it should also have appeared on the shelves of their Saint John’s Retail Shop by the time you read this, and will see wider distro through the usual channels in the coming days and weeks.

Sticking with the island theme a little longer, Montague, PEI’s Copper Bottom Brewing is celebrating the arrival of patio season with their new Sour IPA. Part of their Field Trip series of fruited sour beers, this one also brings some hops. Which one(s)? You’ll have to taste yourself and try to figure it out. Bright, tart, and tropical, this beer is 5.0% ABV and available at the taproom for pints, and in 473 mL cans to go, for online orders, and at select PEILCC locations starting this weekend.

Wolfville’s Church Brewing Co. is jumping on the easy drinking lager train in time for summer. Atlantic Lager is a 5% ABV lager that features Pilsen malt alongside Magnum and Saphir hops. Expect herbal notes, alongside floral or lemony aromas. Keep an eye on Church’s social channels for release details.

O’Creek Brewing in Dieppe, New Brunswick, has a new canned product out this week! Paradox Ale is a New England IPA, full of big tropical punch notes of citrus, mango, and pineapple, with a touch of coconut in for good measure. This is a limited release, so head to CAVOK Brewing and Dieppe and Greater Moncton-area ANBL stores to grab cans of this 6.0% summer sipper today! And we may be letting the cat out of the bag a little early, but big things are oming for O’Creek in 2022, with a larger system, larger space of their own, and wider distribution of more beer on the horizon! We’ll be sure to pass along the important information as soon as we have it!

While we here at ACBB like to focus on informing you about locally produced beverages from across the Atlantic Provinces, we’d be remiss not to occasionally mention when some really cool beer from outside of the region becomes available (especially when it is purveyed by fine folks like Bishops Cellar). Average weeks of anticipation (you’re damn right we are constantly checking the new releases page), three releases from Toronto’s Bellwoods Brewery are hitting the shelves in 473 ml cans. Head on down to BIshops (or order online) for your chance to grab Ratclops Pale Ale, Roman Candle IPA and Jelly King today. It’s a real treat to be able to enjoy fresh hoppy beers from Bellwoods without making the trip to the Big Smoke. Kudos to Bishops for figuring out the logistics of getting the freshies here under cold storage, which is more than we can say for a certain government monopoly. For a more local option, Tanner’s Wheat Beer is making its return to Bishops as well.

If you’re reading this before Sunday, June 5th, Candid Brewing has a contest and a new beer to go along with it! First up, the beer (of course)! Twist My Arm is a 5% pale ale, starring Cascade hops that is intended to be easy-drinking with a nice punch of flavour. The contest is for an upcoming show on Saturday June 11, as The Fabulously Rich play a 3-hour set dedicated to The Tragically Hip. The winner will also win a prize pack from the brewery in addition to the tickets. Check out their social media for contest details.

Just in time for summer, tourists, and NBers travelling around their own province, the lovely St. Andrews in New Brunswick is home to a brand new brewery space and taproom that is now open. Right downtown, Saint Andrews Brewing  is open with 12 taps, a big patio and some snacks. Don’t worry, though, they will also still be on tap at other local establishments in Saint Andrews. While we will have more news coming, we can tell you they’re open 7 days a week with their favourite English-inspired ales and more.

Staying in New Brunswick, Off Grid Ales changed ownership after the the former owners followed through on plans to sell the brewery about a year ago. While Off Grid is known for being entirely self-sufficient (and tasty!), their 15-barrel production system powered by solar panels and wind turbines will be moving into a bigger space and switching to cans later this month. The move to Magaguadavic (only 20min west from the current Harvey Station location) will also see an increase to a 30-barrel system. The move is planned to be complete in early August following the New Brunswick long weekend. Check out the full news article here

A few bits of news out of Boxing Rock, as they’ve rebranded their 6.6% IPA and it’s available now at most NSLCs in 4x473ml packs. Also, those of you in Halifax may not have known about their location on Agricola within Local Source. The pairing has been hard at work moving to their bigger and better location at the corner of Windsor and Almon, so keep an eye out for their official opening date. 

We are officially in holiday season, which means the breweries in our region are working overtime to keep you well stocked for however you celebrate, or don’t, the season. Check out what should be in your mug or glass below, in between pints of eggnog.

Tanner & Co Brewing in Chester has a pair of new beers on our radar, available for purchase at both their taproom at 59 Duke Street right in town, as well as their Chester Basin brewery on Angus Hiltz Rd. The first is Field Blend, the second of their Harvest Release lime featuring Nova Scotia grape skins (the first being Millot, which is still available in limited quantities). Field Blend is a Belgian Saison fermented on a blend of 50 kg of Riesling & Viognier grapes skins from Planters Ridge in Port Williams. Spicy notes from the yeast meld with notes of pear and apple, in a nice and dry finishing 6.8% ABV beer. And released last week is Cherry Almond Milk Stout. No, it doesn’t contain Almond Milk, but cherries, almond, and lactose (aka, milk sugar). After initial fermentation with London Ale yeast, this beer spent time in rum barrels from Lunenburg’s Ironworks Distillery. This 8.0% ABV beauty is available in bottles and on tap at the brewery and taproom.

Fredericton’s Picaroons Brewing Company dropped a bomb on the Capital City last week with the release of five different barrel-aged beers. All of them are available in limited quantities in bottles, with a pair of them also available on draft. Here’s the lowdown:
#1: Their Plaid to the Bone Scotch Ale aged for 12 months in Wild Turkey bourbon barrels. Plenty of bourbon character, and will be available in kegs for draught at select licensees as well as in bottles.
#2: Their Plaid to the Bone Scotch Ale aged in Jim Beam bourbon barrels for several months, but showing the spirit less-so than #1. Also available on draught and in bottles.
#3: This is the Plaid to the Bone from a single Jim Beam barrel, showing a bold and unique character from the blend found in #2, and so they wanted to highlight it on its own. One keg was packaged, complementing the bottles.
#4: This is a departure from the PttB, as they’ve taken their Winter Warmer and aged it in a Jim Beam Rye barrel. Something different also happened during the aging process, as this beer has turned lightly acidic, with a tart quality on the nose palate. Just one barrel, so this is limited to bottles.
#5: The only blend of the releases is two-thirds Winter Warmer aged in barrels, blended with one-third 2019 Winter Warmer. Plenty of the dried fruit and spice notes from the base beer, with lighter oak and vanilla notes than the other releases.
All bottles are available at their retail locations in Fredericton, Saint John, and St Stephen, with select kegs of a few of these at their own taprooms and a couple of licensees around the province.
Also keep an eye out for a pair of Holiday themed releases out now, their Blitzen Coffee Stout, made with Java Moose Coffee’s Hazelnut and French Vanilla beans, and Xmas Tree IPA, a take on their Pivot brewed with spruce tips.

Sticking not-too-far-from-Fredericton, the town of Harvey is home to Off Grid Ales, who has done their first canning run, and promptly sent the brand new release to ANBL shops. Morning Light is a 4.2% ABV English Amber Ale, featuring a base of Maris Otter malt and hopping from traditional Noble hops to the tune of 25 IBUs. Light and nutty malt is complemented by spice and woody notes from the hopping. In addition to being their first canned offering, it’s actually a can exclusive, with the majority of the beer sent to local ANBLs in six-packs of 355s. Find it close to you by checking this link, with it now available in Fredericton, Oromocto, and Saint Andrews, with ANBLs in Saint John and Moncton coming soon. Plus Black’s Grocery & Cafe in Harvey Station.

Yesterday was a special day for the Battery Park and North Brewing families, as they celebrated the 4th Anniversary of BP’s opening with a full North Tap Takeover. If you’re lucky, a few gems will still be pouring by the time you read this. No tap takeover is complete without a few special releases, and this was no different, as it marked the latest in the series of collaborations between North and Benjamin Bridge winery in Gaspereau Valley. Saison de Petite Pearl began life as a clean saison, and then got the BB treatment: for the first time, the crew at North received whole grapes (rather than must or pomace) of the Petite Pearl variety, which they crushed by hand (by foot) at the brewery before adding the entire ~220 litres of must and skins to the beer for a second fermentation. After completion, the 7.4% ABV hybrid was bottle conditioned and is now available for purchase at both North retail spots (at Battery Park and their new location at 899 Portland Street). Also available now is the barrel-aged version of last year’s collab release, Saison de Chardonnay. Just a single French oak barrel was filled with last year’s SdC, and sat for 10 months, before packaging and release. This release is in very limited quantities, with just 20 cases available (there’s only so much room in a barrel!), and is also 7.4% ABV and available now at both spots.

This week Propeller in Halifax is releasing a collab between the brewery and the Propeller Arcade called Polybius, named after a mysterious game of that name around which an urban legend involving the FBI and/or CIA developed in the early 1980s. Did US government agencies really create a mind-control experiment in the form of an arcade game in the early 80s? Nobody knows for sure, or if they do, they ain’t talkin’. Regardless, over the past year or so the Propeller Arcade has become an urban legend of its own in a positive way, bridging beer and a love of retro (and not so retro) gaming. Polybius is a hazy and juicy pale ale that’s sure to pair well with blips, bleeps, dings, and dongs. It’s available at the brewery in cans and for fills and pints, as well as in the Arcade itself, of course. This weekend also marks another all-ages afternoon at the Arcade, with kids welcome on Sunday from 12 – 8 PM (ed: we were originally told 12 – 4), as well as the appearance starting tonight of a special surprise game and a corresponding high-score competition that will see the winner go home with a Sega Genesis. And if you’re planning on heading down after work this afternoon, today’s cask will be their Porter with smoked black tea. Lastly, if you know anyone who’s a financial whiz and looking to get into (or stay in) the beer industry, Propeller is advertising for a Controller, responsible for all financial aspects of the business. If that sounds like you (or maybe someone you know), you can check out the full job ad on Career Beacon.

Up in Nyanza, Big Spruce is releasing a beer with a name that’s an ode to one of the colorful expressions of Cape Breton dialect. Conniption Fit is a Golden Ale at a gentle 4.0% ABV, so you can have a couple and not blow your chances at winning Meat Darts. Crisp and refreshing, and only 10 IBU, it’s designed to be an easy-drinking option for the holidays. So really a beer that’s all about kicking back, relaxing, and strictly NOT having a conniption fit. Also in Big Spruce news, they’re once again running their Holiday Home Delivery service this season. December 20th will be the Cape Breton run and 21st will be the HRM. You can order any combination of cases of 24 cans or boxes of 12 bottles (mixing allowed for both!) as well as any swag they’ve got going on from the Sprucetique. Full details on what’s available can be found on the Fb event page and you can place and pay for your order by calling 902.295.ALES (2537). Then all you need to do is wait for the magic yellow van to reach your driveway on the appointed day with all your goodies tucked inside.

Niche Brewing in Haaaanwell, NB, have a new beer on the go this week, a bit of a departure from their usual mix of hoppy and yeast-driven styles. Cocio might very well be named after a chocolate milk drink from Denmark, but what it turns out to be is a 5.5% ABV porter brewed with Chocolate Rye (a “healthy portion”, per their wont). Neutral American yeast was leveraged to ensure that the focus of this beer is solidly on the malt flavors, yielding a beer with strong notes of milk chocolate, an undertone of spicy rye, a smooth mouthfeel, and a slightly sweet, roasty finish. The first pours of this one are most likely to be found at The Joyce, Ringo’s Grill, Peddler’s Creek BBQ and CAVOK Brewing.

Today sees the release of TrailWay Brewing’s first barrel-aged beer, 3rd Room. This particular beer started off in one of the brewery’s stainless steel fermenters, and was then moved to conditioning tanks and inoculated with a blend of Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus strains. The beer was then moved again, this time to Chardonnay barrels where it was allowed to age for a little over a year before packaging in 750 mL bottles. Bottle-conditioned for a further 6 months, the 6.3% ABV beer is exhibiting “moderate acidity, buttery Chardonnay character, plenty of oak; overall quite clean but with some background fruity funk”. There’s only 200 bottles of this one available; they go on sale at the brewery starting today. If you’re grabbing a bottle this weekend, they’ll also have a new iteration of their 8% ABV fruited DIPA, Hopical Trop; this batch was hopped with Mosaic and conditioned on blueberries and oranges. It’ll be available on tap and in cans.

Sticking with beer and wood*, 2 Crows is releasing a new foedre-aged beer this Saturday, Run By Night. This beer, a Grisette, was brewed back in July with Pilsner, wheat malt and raw wheat, and was hopped lightly in the boil with Huell Melon and Azacca. After fermentation with a blend of the brewery’s house cultures in one of their oak foedres, they added 700 lbs of whole Damson plums from Noggins Corner Farm. The beer was allowed to condition on the fruit for eight weeks before packaging in cans, where it carbonated naturally. The final product comes in at a highly-sessionable 3.4% ABV (and 12 IBUs), and is tasting “bright and tangy, with a cool marshmallow and marzipan vibe from the plum pits”. *

Rothesay’s Foghorn Brewing has a wood-aged, wild beer release of their own this week, The Vanishing. They started with their Winter Warmer, Old Forte, and aged it for approximately six months in a red wine barrel from Dunhams Run (Kingston, NB). At this point the funk was coming through strongly, and the beer was allowed to sit for another six months before it was moved into a stainless tank… where it was conditioned on 50 lbs each of blueberries and raspberries, along with a pitch of Lactobacillus bacteria for souring. It was finally packaged in 650 mL bottles, and is tasting “funky, fruity, sour and crisp”. These types of beers are understandably difficult to replicate, so best get yourself to the brewery’s taproom to grab a bottle or two, as it’s a very limited release and won’t be available again.

Montague, PEI’s, Bogside Brewing has released the first in their SMaSH series of beers, featuring different malts from the island’s own Shoreline Malting. This week’s release is a Munich Dunkel, incorporating only Munich Malt and Northern Brewer hops. Copper in colour, and a happy 4.7% ABV and 22 IBUs, while the beer is malt-driven in flavour, it finishes dry and crisp, true to the original style. It is pouring from the Bogside taps now, and may hit a couple of licensees across the island over the next week, when cans will also be available thanks to the roving merry band at Craft Coast Canning.

As the air gets colder and the snow starts to fly, the Winter Ciders start to make their appearance across Atlantic Canada. Maritime Express Cider has got you covered with Snowed In, a Winter Cider that is big (8% ABV) and spicy. With notes of “cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and nutmeg”, along with aromas of fresh apple pie, it tips toward the sweet side for a cider, and reportedly goes down just a touch too easy… so drink in moderation! You can find it on tap and in bottles at the cidery; they also recommend giving it a try warmed up (the cider, not you).

Up in Mount Pearl, southwest of St. John’s, NL, Landwash has released the second batch of a beer that they acknowledge as one of the silliest beers they’ve ever brewed (and they’re counting the 100+ brews they did at Folly Brewing in Toronto). Is it a Milkshake IPA? A Pastry-like Pale Ale? A Sour IPA? A Key Lime Pie Sour Pastry Pale Ale? We don’t know either, but it’s something alright. Brewed in collaboration with the Merb’ys (aka the Newfoundland & Labrador Beard and Moustache Club), Bellyshake is oat-heavy, uses a Vermont yeast-strain and contains lactose, so it’s bound to be hazy and very smooth on the palate, but is also hopped with Sorachi Ace, a Japanese hop known for very herbal and lemony notes. And if that weren’t enough, it was conditioned on strawberry puree, vanilla, and “lots” of key lime juice. A true plethora of flavors vying for palate space. You can grab this ones in very swankly labeled cans at the brewery along with One Wave Blonde, Burn Your Boats (Bourbon barrel-aged RIS), and, as of yesterday, their Home & Away APA. We suggest moving quickly though, and/or keeping an eye on Landwash social media, as their beers move fast and holidays are a-comin’.

Back downtown in St. John’s, Bannerman Brewing has released their first dark lager, Only Shadows. Going traditional, they have embraced the Schwarzbier style, choosing Pilsner, Vienna, and dark and roasty malts to complete the grist. As such, big flavours of coffee and chocolate shine through on a light bodied beer with a dry finish. This 4.8% ABV beer is available now by the glass and in growler fills to enjoy there or take away. Take note that they’re closed for a private event this afternoon after 5 PM, so maybe leave work a few minutes early (or heck, we give you permission to take the whole afternoon off) to avoid disappointment.

Let’s keep the Bannerman connection going, but talking about a beer available in Nova Scotia, thanks to Wolfville’s Church Brewing. There’s a strong connection to Nfld as Church’s brewer Andrew Bartle is from Grand Falls, and is friends with Bannerman’s Dave Bridger and Phil Maloney. It only makes sense, then, that they’d team up for a collaboration brew. Enter Best Kind IPA. Playing in the Hazy IPA field, this bright light coloured beer started from pale malts and was fermented with Escarpment Labs’ Voss Kveik yeast, one of the famous Norwegian farmhouse yeasts to emerge in the last couple of years. Already bursting with bright citrus notes thanks to the yeast, these Best Kind pals took it to another level with generous hopping from El Dorado, Mosaic, and Idaho 7, to the tune of 2 kilos per hectolitre. Best Kind is launching at the brewery and restaurant on Main Street Wolfville tomorrow, available on tap for flights and pints, as well as their retail shop in cans and crowler fills, with cans also available at everyone’s favourite retail spot in Halifax, Bishop’s Cellar. And for those pals reading this post in Newfoundland, we have great news: Santa will be delivering a few kegs to Bannerman, so you’ll be able to grab a pint of it there soon enough.

In Halifax, Good Robot has a new beer on the go, but you’ll only be able to get it at the brewery. The first of Kelly Costello’s Beta Brews to be put into a cask, it was brewed with a couple of local beer nerds Steve Crane and Chris McCain who it turns out, like Kelly, are originally from New Brunswick. What better name for this one, then than Drive Thru Province. Nominally an ESB, with an emphasis on the ‘B’, it was brewed with British Pale malt, Flaked Barley, and Brown Malt, hopped with Cluster and Magnum, and fermented with a yeast known variously as London ESB and the Fuller’s strain. At 5.6% ABV, it’s definitely up there for a British style ale, but it’s the 104 (calculated) IBUs that should really set this one apart. Set for tapping on the traditional Beta Brewsday this coming Tuesday, December 17th at the GR tap room on Robie Street in Halifax. And keep your eyes open for Et Tu? Brut IPA which we told you about last week, it’ll actually be tapped next week.

A couple of events happening in Fredericton you should check out this weekend…

The folks behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival are once again hosting the Christmas Beer Garden at the Market, taking place this Sunday, December 15th. Between 10 AM – 2:30 PM, pop by Boyce Farmers’ Market for a little break from the hustle and bustle of the season. Your ticket get you a glass to take home and your first 4 beer tickets (refills after that are $5). You can grab food from any of the dozens of vendors and bring it into the beer garden, it seems like the perfect opportunity to graze your way through the market while enjoying a pint! We do not yet have the full brewery list, but do know that Cross Creek Brewing and Big Spruce beers will be pouring, plus a few more New Brunswick breweries. Grab your tickets here right now!

And there are still a limited number of tickets for Saturday’s Christmas Brewery Tour of Fredericton, with buses doing tours of both the South and Northside of the city, hitting up perennial favourite breweries and cideries. Your ticket gets you a flight of beers or ciders at each stop, enough to wet your whistle and keep you going. Grab your tickets here!

And just a few more newsbites before we dismiss you from class this week…

Digby’s (and Kingston’s, more recently) Roof Hound Brewing has a pair of new beers pouring this week, on different sides of the flavour spectrum. Philosophers Pineapple Sour is a 3.6% ABV fruity, acidic, yet dry kettle sour bumped up with plenty of pineapple, with a touch of sage on the go as well. And keeping with the season, Chicken Bone Stout, yes, those chicken bones, done with a nitro touch, which you can grab now at Kingston, and at Battery Park sometime very, very soon. In-house enjoyment only, no growlers or bottles. Ed: after posting, we were informed that Roof Hound’s Digby location is open by appointment only over winter, while Kingston is open during the season.

Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing is releasing their Third Place Imperial IPA this weekend, available for the first time in cans. This 8.5% ABV features loads of Mosaic, Galaxy, Idaho 7, and Azacca, for a mix of tropical notes for those holding on to the last vestiges of nice weather. Grab it tomorrow at Upstreet’s spots on tap and in cans, with cans hitting the shelves of the PEILCC next week. And head into the taproom this evening at 6 PM to see the Upstreet crew light their Christmas Tree, sing some carols, and drink some hot chocolate (and/or beer!).

With the holidays fast approaching, we thought we’d let you know about the new option that breweries and cider houses in our region are exploring, online shops! While you still need to be 19+ to order and receive the goods, and it’s not yet a thing in all provinces, the progress is welcome for those of us not able to visit breweries or better beer shops across the land. We know that these breweries are currently rocking and rolling with online sales, are there any others that we’ve missed? Let us know! 2 Crows, Lunn’s Mill, Stillwell, Tatamagouche

The crew at 902BrewCast have released a new episode this morning, with two active members of the Nova Scotia beer community. Kim Hart Macneill has been writing about beer in the province for several years, with a regular beer column in Halifax Magazine, plus a person. Jesse Hitchcock is a former employee in a Maritime brewery, avid beer fan, and human. They joined Phil and Tony to drink some beer and shoot the breeze about the goings on in the beer scene and beyond. Grab the episode here!

And finally, do you remember the call for wild hops that AgCan scientists Jason McCallum and Aaron Mills made a couple of years ago? Well, they have released that research this week, in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. Together with Spencer Gallant of Lone Oak Brewing, who was completing his Masters in their lab, they have summarized their work on the characterization of hops, and looked at novel ways to do non-invasive identification of the subspecies of the plant. Or as they put it much more elegantly, “The native lupuloides accessions examined possess only trace amounts of this compound in their leaves (<0.10 total flavonols), suggesting its potential utility as a novel, leaf-derived chemotaxonomic marker for subspecies identification purposes. A leaf-derived taxonomic marker is useful for identifying wild-growing accessions, as leaves are present throughout the entire growing season, whereas cones are only produced late in summer. Additionally, the collection of cones from 10-meter tall wild plants in overgrown riparian habitats is often difficult.” If you’re as keen as we are about learning more, download the article here! Congrats to wortly, spirko, and jaymac (I just made one of those up, you decide which one).

A happy Friday to all the beer lovers in the region; we hope everyone had a happy (and hoppy) IPA Day yesterday! With a long weekend looming in all four provinces, we hope we have the news you need to plan your weekend in the best way possible: around beer and beer-related events!

• After many months in the making, Hammond River Brewing‘s new taproom will officially open today at 4 pm. With live music and food available on site, and seven taps of HR beer flowing for pints and growler fills, can you think of a better way to spend your Friday evening? We can’t either! Congrats to owner/brewer Shane Steeves and everyone else involved in the transition; we look forward to what HR will be brewing up in the near future. And keep your eyes out for the first bottles of HR beer, the first of which, their Hop Flash IPA should be available next week!

• Late last week, Nine Locks released their latest brew, Apricot Blonde, which they’re describing as a “North American Weizen” (read: American Wheat Ale). Flavoured with, yes, apricot, it finishes dry and refreshing, and at a light 5.1% ABV and 15 IBU, is another beer fit for these dog days of summer. The entire batch of this beer was canned, so drop by Nine Locks’ location to grab a handful of cans before hitting the cottage this weekend.

• Halifax’s Tidehouse Brewing has released another pair of beers this week, in order to keep their Farmers’ Market and “Tidehouse Tiny Tasty Beverage Room” (aka on-site 8-seat taproom) customers happy. The first to hit the taps was 2Market2Market, a German Helles beer, featuring a light body and spicy and flavourful hop character from a combination of Perle and Saaz hops. This beer proved to be extremely popular with the patrons at the Tantallon and Hubbards Farmers’ Markets, with it selling out within the past week, but we’ve been assured it will be returning before too long. Hungry Ryes, we can attest, is still pouring and will be available this weekend… A 5.6% ABV Pale Ale, it features a healthy dose of Rye malt for a light spicing, and a blend of Columbus and Northern Brewer hops for a complementing flavour profile. And watch this space, and their social media, for the launch of one or two brand new brews in the coming days.

• Were you a fan of the recent release of 2 CrowsCrosswired, their first foedre-aged beer? Hey, so were we! Well, good news, they’ve got another foedre beer coming out tomorrow, and it sounds like a doozy (doozy meaning “good”)! Fandango is a 6.8% ABV, 54 IBU Milkshake IPA that was heavily hopped and dry-hopped with Azacca, Citra and Galaxy. Conditioned in the Calvados foedre for approximately 2 weeks, the beer was then transferred back to a stainless fermenter, where the 2 Crows crew added some lactose powder, whole vanilla beans, 220 kg of mango purée and 30 kg of peaches. Oh yeah, and they dry-hopped it, AGAIN. Hazy, orange-coloured, creamy, and tasting “like pure juice, with a touch of tannin and bright fruitiness from the Calvados”, we’re betting that this one will be popular! Luckily, a full batch was brewed (maybe the 220 kg of mango purée gave that away), and it will also be available in cans, as well as on tap, so be sure to pick some up Saturday from noon! Note: no growler fills.

• As we promised a few weeks ago, Red Rover is releasing their third Summer Series cider today with Barrel Reserve #2. This is a “Bourbon Oaked Blueberry Cider” that was originally entered in the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition in April, where it won 2nd Best in Class in the Specialty Cider & Perry category. RR describes this 7.2% ABV cider as having “lots of vanilla and oak up front, with a fresh blast of blueberry and bourbon on the finish”. As with their other special releases, it will be available at the Cider House today at 5 pm in 750 mL bottles, in a very limited supply, and may pop up at some Farmers markets this weekend as well.

• While on the topic of Red Rover, they also released a brand new cider this week, Siesta. This 7% ABV semi-dry cider was infused with fresh lime and mint, giving some delicious complementary flavours to go with all the hot weather we’ve been having. It’s available now at the Cider House for pints and flagon fills, and should pop up at a few RR tap accounts.

• After initially launching late last year in Harvey, NB with four flagship beers, Off Grid Ales is officially releasing their first new beer, Smooth Sailing Pale Ale. Described by the brewery as light-bodied and mildly spicy, it was hopped with Warrior and Chinook to 30 IBUs, with late additions of Centennial and Mosaic to give flavours of citrus and tropical fruit. It comes in at 5.5% ABV, and will be available in bottles only for the first few weeks, at select ANBL stores. Look for it to follow in kegs by the end of the summer, where it will likely pop up at one or more of the ANBL growler stations.

• Amherst’s Trider’s Craft Beer has brewed up Blue me Away!, a blueberry beer. Incorporating locally-grown blueberries, absolutely no extracts were harmed in the making of this beer. Bluish-purple in colour, and with a subtle blueberry flavour and aroma, it weighs in at just 5% ABV and 14 IBUs. Drop by their Anson Avenue location for a growler fill today, and maybe chat with the folks about helping to fill the Part-Time Sales and Packaging position they currently have open.

• Those Good Robots are up to it again, with the latest, and last (so they tell us!), in their SMaSH Pale Ale series. With all of the Smash Mouth banter within the GR community, it is only fitting that the California-based band actually named the beerBeer Mouth. At 5.5% ABV and 39 IBU, the Single Malt featured is Marris Otter, and the Single Hop is Wakatu, a New Zealand hop. The straw-coloured beer features a tropical fruit aroma, on top of a lightly herbal and grassy flavour, with a touch of lime. Beer Mouth is on tap now, for pints and growler fills both. Today’s Cask in the Sun is a Leave Me Blue Creamsicle, a sweeter take on their Kentucky Corn beer, and next week’s small-batch BetaBrewsday is Ale for Seaware. Brewed by staff members Pat King and Kelly Costello, this 4.5% ABV Golden Ale features maple syrup in the boil and added after fermentation. A light dose EKG was added for a touch of floral character and offsetting bitterness (low, at 16 IBU). This week’s Brewsday is pushed back to Wednesday the 9th, as many of the Good Robot crew with be on Prince Edward Island to celebrate their Tap Takeover at Upstreet on Monday, August 7th.

• Speaking of Upstreet, massive congratulations to them on achieving B Corp certification! This independent certification recognizes businesses that meet a rigorous standard of social and environmental performance, and using their business to make positive changes in the world. Learn more about Upstreet’s road to B Corp Certification here.

• Halifax’s Propeller Brewing continues to bring out regular entries in their Gottingen Small Batch series. This week, brewer Cameron Crerar brings us a beer named for the Tasman Sea, which lies between his homeland, Tasmania, and New Zealand, home of the primary hop variety used, Motueka. Tasman Pale Ale is 5.2% ABV and 38 IBU, with a hoppy and citrus aroma from the aforementioned hops, hints of malt and caramel, and a crisp and clean finish. You’ll find it on tap at the Propeller Tasting Room for pints by 5 PM today, with growler fills available starting early next week.

Bad Apple Brewhouse has never had problems with their beers’ popularity, but according to owner/brewer Jeff Saunders, their recently-released Black Currant Gose has been their fastest-selling beer yet! Brewed as a classic Gose – tart and salty – black currants obtained from local farms were also added, and at a sessionable 4% ABV, it sounds like a great summer beer. It’s available at the brewery for growler fills, but probably won’t last through the weekend, so hurry up if you want to grab some! It’s also on tap at a few of the better beer establishments in Halifax.

• Grimross has released the 5th one-off in their Scratch series this morning at the brewery. Scratch #5: Nut’n Abbey is a 7% ABV ale fermented with an Abbey yeast strain, giving this brown-coloured brew some Belgian phenolics and esters to go with the nutty, malty flavours from the grist. Drop by the taproom for a pint or growler, and check out your favourite Fredericton watering hole to see if it’s on tap.

• In Saint John, NB, Loyalist City released a new beer this week to celebrate International IPA Day. Building on the experiences developed through their One Hop Series, this time they’ve made a New England style IPA that features El Dorado, Amarillo, and Mosaic hops. A New England-style water profile aids in big hop aroma and flavour, with citrus, pineapple and mango prominent, a hazy yellow appearance, and a slight sweetness. Dubbed Backslide IPA, it’s loaded with tropical fruit flavours but is still balanced enough to be a refresher on a hot summer day. You should see it springing up at Loyalist tap accounts this weekend and you’ll find it at the brewery from now on, as it’s being added to the regular lineup!

• Earlier this week, a story in the Guardian confirmed that Summerside will be opening its first brewery sometime in the near-ish future. Alex Clark, owner of the OpenEats restaurant in downtown Summerside, is planning to open a brewery in the former train station location (currently the Summerside Rotary Library) on Central St. Many details still need to be ironed out and confirmed, but the initial plan is to open the brewery on its own before eventually adding a taproom and adjoining dining room. Check out the story above for more details, and as always, we’ll keep you updated!

Some notable events for beer lovers are coming up in the region as well, this weekend and beyond!

• A reminder that North Grant’s Half Cocked Brewing is holding their launch party this evening at The Townhouse Pub in Antigonish. From 4:00pm, enjoy their five beers, and meet and chat with owners Greg Oicle and Matt Thompson. And look for HC’s growler days and Farmers’ Market visits to ramp up in the coming weeks. Learn more about Half Cocked in yesterday’s Profile post.

• The Stillwell family is welcoming back one of their favourite (and ours) Quebec breweries to take over their taps this weekend. From noon Saturday at the Beer Garden on Spring Garden, and Sunday at 4:00pm at HQ on Barrington, a total of 22 taps and a handful of bottles from Shawinagan’s Trou du Diable will be available to any and all comers. Saturday’s theme is “Hops & Lagers”, featuring a bevvy of lighter beers and hoppy IPAs, with Sunday’s session leaning “Sour & Strong”. The list is too long (and awesome) to post here, so we encourage you to check it out on their IG page, and rest up for a busy weekend.

• There are still tickets available for next weekend’s Halifax Seaport Beerfest, happening at the Cunard Centre. With Friday, August 11th evening session, and Saturday, Aigist 12th afternoon and evening sessions, there are plenty of opportunities to try some of the 350+ beer and cider that will be available. Grab your ticket to fun today!

• Attention, Fredericton… the sour beers are coming! The James Joyce Irish Pub is hosting Tarte Diem, a sour beer tap takeover, on Saturday, August 26th. Featuring a wide assortment of sour beers (ranging from Lambic-style beers to hoppy sour ales) from breweries across the Maritimes, all you have to do as a beer drinker is show up when they open at 3 pm, and pay by the pint or flight! There will also be three different awards given out during the event: a Best of Show based on the decision of a group of judges made up of individuals from the brewing industry, a Best of Show from “uneducated judges” (their description, not ours!), and a People’s Choice, where drinkers like you pick your favourite sour brew. Check out the link above for an up-to-date list on participating breweries, and which beer(s) they’ll be bringing.

• Also in Fredericton on Saturday, August 26th is Ales for Animals, hosted by the Fredericton SPCA. Held from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at the Picaroons Roundhouse, your $50 ticket will get you a selection of taster beers from Big Axe, Graystone, Grimross, Maybee, Picaroons, Railcar and Trailway. Tickets are available at the FSPCA, Picaroons, Grimross, and at the door. Help support a great cause, and get to sample some local beer at the same time!

Enjoy the long weeked! Before we let you head out of your place of work (go ahead, no one minds!), a couple more quick things to share:

Celtic Knot has brewed up a batch of their Monkeytown – their 4.5% ABV, 20 IBUs Mango American Pale Ale – on their brand new system; it’s available now at the brewery for growler fills, and should be on tap at your favourite CK licensee. Rounding out their taps today are the Ryetious Rye IPAÉire Irish Red, and For Shore Session IPA.

– Truro’s Salty Dog is collaborating with local bike shop Bike Monkey to brew up a 7.1% ABV and 70 IBU Double IPA for hop lovers, and they’ve got a contest running to celebrate. You can get in on the draw by filling a growler or buying a can of Bike Monkey DIPA at Salty Dog, or by purchasing a pint at the Nook & Cranny Brewpub or Sauced Wood-fired Pizza. The winner will receive a bike valued at $650 complete with a growler carrier.

– Windsor’s Schoolhouse Brewery has released a brand new beer this week, Recess Pilsner. Details are light at the moment, but we do know that it is currently available at the brewery on tap and in bottles, and bottles should also be available at the HRM private stores in the coming days.

– And speaking of Schoolhouse, we told you a couple weeks ago about two Brew Ha-Ha! events featuring their beer. The first, two weeks ago at the brewery in Windsor, was a great success. Tomorrow night’s event will be at the Company House in Halifax and we’ve got a promo code for you: buy your tickets in advance using the code “GetSchooled” and get $5 off the regular $20 price.

 

– In Mahone Bay this evening at 7 PM Saltbox Brewing will be launching a special commemorative can for their Cream Ale to help kick off Heritage Boatyard Weekend.