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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 June 23, 2023 – News from Change is Brewing, Propeller, North, Bishop’s Cellar, Smokehouse, Big Spruce, Bannerman, Banished, and More!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-06-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Change Is Brewing Collective, Dildo Brewing, Gahan House (Halifax), Lone Oak Brewing, North Brewing, OG Ales, Propeller Brewing, Smokehouse Nano Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday (evening) y’all! A bit late posting today due to some staffing issues (get chris to bore you about the trip shenanigans next time you see him), but we are bursting/over-stuffed with beer news today, so let’s get right to it! Remember, as always, to enjoy responsibly and be kind!

We’re actually starting off today not with a beer, but something just as flavourful, and important, from our friends at Change is Brewing Co. You’ll remember them from previous collaborations with Boxing Rock Back to Birchtown, 2 Crows Good News and Great News, Good Robot Blackberry Freedom, Lake City Forest Glory, and North Brewing Cherry Brook Wheat and Deep Rooted Brown Ale (which we’ve heard is coming back again soon!). This week they teamed up with Propeller Brewing, who have been creating non-alcoholic sodas for many years, to release Wabanaki Soda. Starting with Grade A maple syrup from Indigenous-owned Wabanaki Maple, mixed with herbal birch extract, and fizzed up and bottled by Propeller! The label was designed by Change is Brewing’s own Jayme-Lynn Gloade, a member of Millbrook First Nation, inspired by a headdress made up of rays of sunlight, and celebrating Indigenous History Month. Bottles of Wabanaki Soda are available at all Prop Shops now, with the majority of proceeds going to Wabanaki’s Bareroots Initiative, working to reforest the region that they call home. We’ll have more on Deep Rooted’s launch in July, which will highlight the Africville 40th Reunion, as well as the folks from Change is Brewing who are curating a special running of the Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia tour, with beer as the theme! Congratulations to the Collective!

Speaking of the Change is Brewing Collective’s previous, and future, partners North Brewing, they have brought back another charitable collaboration this week. Black Lives Matter Golf, a locally-formed group with the goal to raise funds and awareness to break down social and economic barriers to make a more inclusive environment for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in golf. With buy-in from Grandview, the NS Golf Association, and Golf Canada, and now $1 from every can of BLMG to further their cause. Brewed to be supremely quaffable, whether on the course or not, this blend of North’s Lawrencetown Session and BYOB, cans of the 3.8% BLMG are available now at all three of North’s retail locations, and hopefully at a few golf courses this summer too!

And congratulations are in order to North, who are one of the recipients of a Halifax Climate Investment, Innovation, and Impact “Accelerating to Zero” $20,000 Grant, which they are using to design and implement a closed-loop system for reclaiming CO2 in the brewing process. While yeast generate lots and lots of Carbon Dioxide during fermentation, most of it is lost out of vents to prevent over-pressure situations. Later on, CO2 is either captured after most fermentation has completed, or added back during the condition phase, to provide the refreshing carbonation we enjoy. With that early-generated gas stored, it could be used later on. While the idea sounds simple, there are many factors to keep in mind during the operation, which this grant will help to suss out out.

The waterfront jewel of Halifax’s independent liquor stores, Bishop’s Cellar (hey, does anyone else hear an echo?) continues to celebrate 20 years in business with another community collaboration. This time, Propeller Brewing has stepped up to the plate with a riff on Propeller Pilsner, a beer that Bishop’s has sold since their opening day way back in 2003. Starting with the OG Prop Pils recipe, they kept it unfiltered in the kellerbier style and then put a modern twist on it with a dry hop of new school continental hop Saphir, which is known for aroma notes of strawberry, bergamot, and lemongrass. Packaged in 500ml bottles with a lovely design, Cellarbier is available today from both Bishop’s Cellar and all of the Prop Shops in the HRM.

Halifax has already seen one rural brewery come to the city in a big way with the Tusket Falls Beer Project having opened on Gottingen Street last year, and we’re seeing another one follow suit this week. From down in the Annapolis Valley in Berwick, Smokehouse Brewery is growing their brand and their capacity in one fell swoop with the opening of their Agricola Street Brewery & Taproom. While they will continue to operate their nanobrewery and taproom in their hometown, they’ve got a shiny new taproom in the city, complete with a new brewing system. The spot will have 20 taps, with craft beer, cider, and seltzers all made by the Smokehouse team, including five IPAs, some occasional taproom exclusives, and, of course, all your regular faves both for pints and cans to go. Hours will be 12pm – 10pm Sundays to Thursdays, and 12pm – 12am Fridays and Saturdays. No kitchen on site, but expect pop-ups to start in a few weeks along with the launch of an outdoor patio. Maybe stop by this weekend and check out the latest addition to what is becoming a burgeoning craft beer scene in North End Halifax, at 2710 Agricola Street!

Oh I’m the type of guy that likes to roam around / I’m never in one place I roam from town to town. So sang Dion in 1961 with his tune, The Wanderer, which was used as the theme of the classic 1979 street gang film, The Wanderers. Why is this relevant to a beer blog? Because there’s a new beer from Big Spruce out of Nyanza called The Wanderers and we can’t think of any other possible inspiration for the name! Somewhere between a dry hopped golden ale and a session IPA (or maybe those are just two viable descriptions), this one was double hopped with plenty of Citra, sure, but that big citrus hop aroma doesn’t negate the delicate floral and spice notes that are also very much presence. On the palate, look for lemon, pear, and cracker character leading to a crisp and dry finish. And at only 4% ABV this is one you’ll be able to sit and contemplate a few of without worrying about going overboard; just be sure to watch out for Ducky Boys!!

In Newfoundland, specifically St. John’s, the gang at Bannerman is ruing the terrible weather they’ve had so far this summer, but are hopeful that the sun and warmth scheduled for the next few days aren’t the only respite they’ll get all season. That said, they’ve got a brand new beer for you to enjoy in the sunshine, a collaboration with Iceberg Quest, an ocean tours operation with locations in St. John’s proper and on Iceberg Alley in Twilingate. Undertow is a tropical, fruity, and sessionable pale ale brewed with plenty of flaked and malted oats for a soft and creamy mouthfeel. Featuring tropical Galaxy and dank Strata hops, you should expect plenty of overripe fruit character balanced with a bit of a cannabis note. The goal for this one was to produce a beer that could be refreshing and sessionable during a day on the water, natch, and at 5.5% and plenty of flavor we can’t see why it wouldn’t be. Try it at the brewery on tap or in cans to go. And when you stop in, you’ll also be able to try their fresh off the packaging line Overripe, a brand new 6.8% IPA primarily hopped with HBC 1019, lending big notes of peach, candied orange, and pear. No cans just yet, but plenty to enjoy on draught or growlers to go!

West of St. John’s, in Paradise, NL, you’ll find another ‘B’ brewery, namely Banished Brewing, who are celebrating the onset of summer with one of the most summery styles: the fruited sour. Paradise Town – Apricot is the latest edition of the Paradise Town series of sours, and as you can imagine, it features the soft, sweet stone fruit character of apricots paired with the thirst-quenching character of a kettle sour. At 5.5% it’s not going to weigh you down too much, and it should pair very well with summery fare. Grab it now at the brewery on draught or in cans, and look for it to see wider distribution at other retail outlets starting next week.

Back in Halifax, Gahan Nova Centre has released another variant of their foeder-aged Table Beer. Initially sitting in the foeders that last saw the cherry and plum version for a good six months, pulling some of those extant flavors, it was then aged a further 6 weeks on Nova Scotia strawberries and rhubarb. Boasting bold fruit flavours and a tart finish, you may also sense subtle vanilla and rosewater notes in this very light and crushable 3.5% ABV beer. Packaged in bottles, you’ll find it for sale at the Nova Centre location as well as the PEI Brewing Company taproom, Gahan Port City (Saint John), Gahan Riverside (Fredericton), Gahan Hub City (Moncton), and the OG Gahan Pub (Charlottetown) and you can also expect it to reach Gahan Harbourview in St. John’s next week.

In PEI beer news this week we have a new one from Lone Oak. Rose Eh is a foeder-aged saison that was brewed in collaboration with Dildo Brewing Co up in Dildo, NL. Aged on Marquette grapes from Carmody Cove Vineyard, it’s got a gorgeous rose color. Boasting a light acidity and a dry finish, we also expect you’ll find some yeast character and some tannins from the wood. But the only way to know for sure is to try it! Look for it at all the Lone Oak locations, from the mothership at Borden-Carleton, to the Milky Way tap room and beer store, to their new spot in Cavendish!

We told you last fall that Off-Grid Ales, known more formally now as “OG Ales” underwent an ownership change. This weekend marks the opening of their new taproom in Magaguadavic, on route 635, on the family homestead of co-owner Tallyia. Still brewing with solar power and net carbon-neutral, the business includes not only the brewery and taproom, but a luxury domed camping experience on the shores of Magaguadavic Lake. If you’re in the area, do stop by and check out their lineup of sustainably crafted beers, enjoy some food from Quack Smoke Shack, who will be on-site all weekend, and maybe give some consideration to an extended stay in one of their domes (19+, no pets, but oh boy do they look lovely!!)

Dildo, Newfoundland’s eponymous brewery (and museum!) is once again hosting their annual Lager Fest for 2023. On Friday, July 7th, from 7 – 10pm, they will be pouring lovely lagers that they themselves have made as well as others from producers both local and far-flung on the Rock. If you’d really like to get your drink on without worrying about arranging a DD, a shuttle service is available for up to 44 folks provided by NL Bus Tours and picking up at the Walmart on Kelsey Drive in St. John’s (pickup at 5:30pm, drop-off at 12am). There will be plenty of musical entertainment and sample glasses provided to ensure you can taste everything available. Tickets are $75. Meanwhile, in preparation for the fest, or simply your own at-home lager drinking, we present Dildo’s three rules for maximal lager enjoyment:

  1. Don’t freeze your taste buds! Avoid serving your lager ice-cold. If beer is too cold, it can dull the flavours. Allow it to cool to the ideal temperature for optimal taste.
  2. Say goodbye to the bottle! Always pour your lager into a glass. This simple step releases the enticing aromas and allows the CO2 to escape, enhancing the full flavour experience.
  3. Engage your senses! Observe the colour, appreciate the aroma, and savour the taste. Engaging multiple senses enhances the overall beer-drinking experience. Cheers to the sensory adventure!