Paddys Irish Brewpub

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Happy Friday! What better way to warm up the end of your week (after all this cool weather) than with some beer news?

• As we mentioned in our post on Wednesday, the members of the Board of Directors at Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault (the new Belgian-style brewery opening in Edmundston, NB next year) are looking to hire two brewers. They just posted the official job listing here; looks like it is for a start date of around March 1st, 2014. Check it out/pass it along if you’re interested; the deadline for résumés is December 22nd.

Picaroons is introducing a new type of growler for fills of their on-tap beers at the Brewtique in downtown Fredericton. An unbreakable, food-grade stainless steel Hydroflask, it keeps beer cold for many hours! It still holds the same amount of beer (1.89 L) as the old growlers, and can be brought back to the Brewtique for refills, of course. Each growler costs $50 to purchase; they’re available now at the Brewtique.

• Next Friday, November 29th, tickets for the 2014 Fredericton Craft Beer Festival will go on sale. With already more breweries and beers (with heavy emphasis on New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) than last year’s festival, it’s sure to be a great event! Like last year, tickets are $50 for regular admission, and $60 for VIP (which gets you entry into the festival an hour earlier). The festival will be held at the Fredericton Convention Centre on Saturday, March 8th. We’ll be posting more details on the breweries/beers offered in the future!

• The Beerthief Newfoundland and Labrador’s Artisanal and Craft Beer Club has partnered with a local manufacturer to offer etched glassware with their logo. At $8.50, one can choose a mug, pilsner, stemmed or tall “bar” glass. Contact Mike Buhler to order these.

Hell Bay Brewing has released a special one-off beer, “Latzenbier”. This German Altbier is full-bodied with slight toffee/malt sweetness, and roasted aromas, and bittered with German hops. It weighs in a 5.5% ABV and 45 IBUs, and is only available in growlers at the brewery in Liverpool. Hell Bay has been sending more of their beer to bars and restaurants in the HRM, so if you don’t see it on tap at your favourite watering hole, be sure to request it!

• The Pump House Brewery is releasing a new lager – Premium Pilsner is listed as a German-style Pilsner brewed with Saaz hops. Clocking in at 5.7% ABV with 30 IBUs, Pump House describes the beer as very pale straw-colored; the beer is unfiltered, so some haziness will be present. With a flowery, slightly spicy and grassy aroma from the Saaz hops, the beer finishes very dry with a moderate bitterness. It will first be available in gift-box form, in 750 mL swing-top bottles. We haven’t received confirmation as to when the beer will be available, but it should be very soon.

Quidi Vidi Brewing has re-released their Mummer’s Brew, just in time for the holiday season. An “Amber Ale” with an ABV of 6%, it’s described as being “full of caramel malt flavors and aromas”. Only a small amount has been brewed, and it’s only available at the brewery and NLC stores. Once it’s gone, it won’t be back until next year, so don’t wait to pick some up!

Big Spruce Brewing now has their Left Breton Organic Conspiracy Imperial IPA available at the brewery. This is the beer that saw BC’s Crannóg Ale brewers visit the brewery, bringing with them hops from Left Fields farm in Sorrento, BC (to complement the hops grown at Big Spruce’s Breton Fields hop farm). All of the hops used in the beer were grown organically on these two fields: Galena for bittering, along with tons of Centennial and Cascade at the end of the boil, and dry-hopped with Cascade and Willamette. The final stats on this beer are 7.4%ABV and 81 IBUs. Pick some up now at the brewery (it won’t last long); it should also be available at the Cape Breton Farmers’ Market in Sydney this weekend (along with some spent-grain granola). It may also be available at one exclusive tap in the province soon, keep your eyes open on their Facebook and Twitter feeds for that launch information. In addition to the Glenora-infused cask that Big Spruce had at the LBL Cask Fest, we were lucky enough to try the Bowmore 12-year-infused cask at Stillwell in Halifax. It’s gone now, but is another great indication of things brewing on Cape Breton.

Paddys Irish Brewpub has brewed up their newest eagerly-anticipated seasonal beer,  “Frost Biter” Winter Warmer. It has a chestnut colour, bolder body with notes of holiday chocolate, subdued bitterness at 10 IBUs, and a pleasant warming due to the slightly higher 6% Abv. Available at either their Kentville or Wolfville location on tap and in 2 liter Growlers in early December.

• Fans of Garrison‘s Spruce Beer, rejoice! The gang is at Meander River Farms today, collecting spruce tips and branches for their popular seasonal. This means the beer will be hitting shelves within a few weeks. Check back here for details, and their Facebook page for pictures of today’s hunt.

Field Guide, a great new restaurant on Halifax’s Gottingen Street has opened this past week. We went by for a great visit Wednesday, and will have a profile on them next week. They want to highlight the importance of the kitchen to the dining experience (you can watch the entire process of food preparation, from stove to plate and even the dish pit where the plate is cleaned after), and are passionate about local and seasonal food. Needless to say, they are big fans of local craft beer, and will be carrying NS beer exclusively.

That’s it for this week… enjoy your weekend!

FilmFestivalBanner

Paddys Irish Brewpub in Wolfville is hosting the Devour Craft Beer Film Festival, November 13-17. Over the course of five days, they will be showing three great beer films at the Brewpub. I spoke with General Manager John Fitzgerald about the Festival, and what attendees can expect.

ACBB: Please tell us about the films being screened at the Devour Craft Beer Film Festival.

John: The three films are: How Beer Saved the World, The American Brew and American Beer, and all three will play during every screening.

How Beer Saved the World – This show traces the important role that beer has played in human history from the probable origins of the first beer at the dawn of history to the development of a special beer for use in zero gravity space missions.

The American Brew – American Brew is a celebration of beer culture and history in North America. From European immigrants bringing brewers over with early settlers, through the prohibition and up to the sophisticated micro brewing industries of today, it’s enlightening, fun and goes well with a warm flagon of your local mash. Not likely to turn your Chardonnay sipping mother-in-law into a growler guzzling curmudgeon, but just about as interesting as it can get for us, the converted masses. Sit back, feet up and get educated on the cold stuff.

American Beer: a bockumentary – This movie is half roadtrip, half educationally hilarious jaunt through 38 of America’s craft breweries with five friends on a mission. That mission is to learn about beer, the craft brewing industry, and what makes it tick. Along the way they are educated and of course run into several mishaps. The film is a true testament to the American Craft brewing industry and the struggles that all the brewers and breweries go up against trying to educate the public and fight corporate America for their piece of the pie.

ACBB: How much is admission to the Festival?

John: Tickets to each screening are $10+HST, and are available at the Brewpub. That price includes a pint of beer, finger food buffet, a tour of the brewery, and of course the film! More drinks and food from the kitchen will be available during the screenings.

ACBB: When and where will the films be shown?

John: Showtimes are Wednesday Nov 13 and Thursday Nov 14 @ 6pm, Friday Nov 15 @ 9pm, Saturday Nov 16 @ 1pm and 9pm, and Sunday Nov 17 @ 1pm. The films will be shown in the Brewer’s Room on the second floor of the Brewpub. The Brewpub and kitchen will be open throughout, for those not attending the screenings.

Thanks to John for the great information. You can buy tickets in person at Paddys Irish Brewpub at 460 Main St, Wolfville, or by calling 902-542-0059. They are giving away a pair of tickets to the Festival on Facebook, so click to win!

Welcome to November! I hope all of last night’s tricks were fun, and your treats were Atlantic Canadian Craft Beer.
• Big Spruce Brewing is holding a homebrew competition as part of their contribution to the Craft Beer and Local Food Celebration event, put on by Local Connections in January (we’ll have a full post on it soon). The full information is available on their Facebook event, but the important details are: The competition is open to all Nova Scotian homebrewers. The style of beer is an American IPA, BJCP style 14B, one entry per brewer. Registration of intent closes November 7th, and beers are due at the brewery by December 2nd. Registration is $25, and that includes a Big Spruce t-shirt. The brewer of the winning beer, as chosen by the judging panel, will brew their beer on the 7 barrel system at Big Spruce, and be released at the event in January. So, homebrewers, start your kettles, and be sure to email Big Spruce to receive and complete the registration form.
Celtic Knot Brewing has a new beer in the pipeline – an English Barleywine, “Toque and Mitts” was brewed with Maris Otter, Chocolate Malt, Wheat Malt, and Crystal 120 L. A dark and malty beer coming in at about 7.5% ABV, it has approximately 33 IBUs and is brewed with Willamette, East Kent Golding, and Belma hops. We’ll keep you updated as to when this beer is available; it should be out around the beginning of December, available where other Celtic Knot beers can be found, The Tide & Boar and Marky’s Laundromat.
• Details for the beers being poured at the Fredericton Poutine Festival next weekend are now available on the event’s ticket site. Grimross Brewing will be serving their recently-released Belgian Rye IPA, as well as a new beer, their Belgian Porter (details below). Picaroons will be pouring their Yippee IPA, Blonde Ale, Winter Warmer, and 104th Regiment. McAuslan Brewery will have their Pale Ale, Apricot Wheat, and Oatmeal Stout, and McClelland Premium Imports will be bringing Steigl, Erdinger Dunkelweizen, Affligem Blond, and Fruli. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet as to what beers Pump House will have at the event. There’s still some tickets to the festival available; remember, the regular ticket gets your four 4 oz beer samples, while the “Beer Experience” gives you twelve samples.
• Back to Grimross Brewing, their Belgian Porter is just about finished and ready for release. A dark brown beer best thought of as a Brown Porter fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, it is described by owner/brewer Stephen Dixon as having a roasted aroma with hints of chocolate and dark candy, and flavours that start with roast and finish with chocolate and syrup. As mentioned, it should be pouring at the Fredericton Poutine Festival, and will likely be available in growlers at the Picaroons Brewtique soon!
• And in even more Grimross news, their beers are starting to make their way to Moncton! The Belgian Rye IPA has recently been available on tap at the Tide & Boar, and has reportedly been selling very well. Dixon has confirmed that this beer will continue to be sold at the T&B for the time-being, so if you’re in Moncton and haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance! Check out their latest blog post for more thoughts from the Grimross Team.
• Continuing with new-beer news, Hell Bay Brewing has released their new seasonal beer, Wee Heavy. A Strong Scotch Ale brewed with six different malts, it’s described by the brewer Mark Baillie as “a slightly sweet, rich and malty beer with caramel flavours and hints of smoke”. Coming it at 8% ABV and just under 20 IBUs, it’s currently available in bottles at the brewery, and should be arriving at Premier Wine & Spirits in Halifax this weekend.
Paddy’s Pub in Wolfville has released their newest seasonal beer, S’Mashed Pumpkin Ale. Weighing in at 5.2% ABV, the beer features a bright orange colour and hints of pumpkin pie spice, backed up by clean malt flavours of pilsner, Vienna and crystal malts. Like their Acadian Cream, Raven Scottish Ale, Annapolis Valley Ale and Blueberry Ale, the S’Mashed is also available in growlers at the pub. Unfortunately, their Chimney Swift Stout is not available in growlers, as it is served on nitrogen, and this technique does not fare well in bottles.
• Meanwhile, it looks like the Gahan House Pub plans on having a new beer to release soon. Details are extremely slim, but it appears to be brewed with locally-grown hops; where exactly the hops are from, however, remains to be revealed. It appears that the beer has been brewed at the pub, and not at the PEI Brewing Co.
• If you’ve been itching to get your hands on one of those hand-crafted Shiretown Beer steins, they’re available again! This is the third release of the mugs, which are made by Monique (Bujold) Brown of Barlicoco Pottery. Only 15 were made; at $35 each, they’re going fast. They can be purchased at the brewery, or check out their Facebook page for availability.
• A reminder that Garrison Brewing is serving up some special beers as part of their King’s Wardroom Wednesday Firkin events. This week’s beer was “Jack’O’Dubbel”, a Belgian Dubbel style Pumpkin Ale. If you are a King’s student, alumni or friend of one, don’t miss out on these special one-off releases, tapped promptly at 4:30pm.
The Antigonish Townhouse is catching up with the great demand for their in-house brewed beer, and Terry’s Best Bitter is in steady supply these days. The beer is treated like a traditional Real Ale and is cask conditioned and on hand-pump, so best drunk fresh, right at the bar, we figure. 🙂 We’ve not had a chance to try it yet, but reports are very favourable.
Stillwell Beer Bar is hiring a couple more people for their soon-to-be-open location. They are looking for both kitchen and front-of-house folks to round out their excellent team. Check their Kijiji ad for more details. Number one requirement: must love beer! There’s been a ton of work done at Stillwell since our visit last month; we’re looking forward to sitting down for a great pint soon!
• Finally this week, tomorrow is Learn to Homebrew Day. Organized by the American Homebrewers Association, this event is aimed at new (or soon-to-be-new) homebrewers looking to learn a bit more about their hobby, but all are welcome to take part. Despite its name, the AHA is an international organization, and there are events taking place in Atlantic Canada. Support your local homebrew shop and ask if they’ll be putting on an event. If not, why not offer to do one to share the great hobby with your friends and family? Sure, they always appreciate that bottle of homebrew you bring to the party/wedding/wake, wouldn’t they like to know how you made it? In Nova Scotia, Noble Grape is showing off a partial mash brewday at their Burnside store beginning at noon, and the Brewnosers are hosting a full mash brewday in Halifax, beginning at 10am (yes, it does take a bit longer to do a full mash, but the results speak for themselves!). Come on by if you are interested in learning more.
And stay tuned early next week, as we’ve got a great interview with a couple of members of the Ladies Beer League regarding the Cask Event taking place at the Stubborn Goat Gastropub November 17th.