PEI BeerFest

All posts tagged PEI BeerFest

Details on this year’s PEI Beer Festival, Sept. 5th & 6th, 2014

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-08-21
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer Festivals. Tagged: PEI BeerFest. 1 comment

peibeerfest

This year’s Prince Edward Island Beer Festival, produced by the PEI Brewing Co., will be held on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5th and 6th. We recently chatted with Alex Douglas, Director of Branding and Community Engagement with the PEI Brewing Co., to find out a few more details on the festival.

This is the first year that the festival will be held indoors, at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel. According to Douglas, this was a natural decision due to the unpredictability of weather and consequent protection from the elements. Also, the new ballroom where the festival will be held has a patio overlooking Peakes Quay, which should provide an enjoyable atmosphere for festival attendees.

There will be three tasting sessions over the weekend; two evening sessions, Friday and Saturday, from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, and a slightly shorter afternoon session on Saturday from 2:00 – 4:30 pm. Evening tickets are $40 (+tax and fee), and the afternoon tickets are $30 (+tax and fee). Tickets are still available; they can be purchased online, or in-person at the PEI Brewing Co. There are also discounted hotel & ticket packages available through the Delta; call to inquire (1-877-450-7752). We’ve been assured that Designated Driver tickets will also become available soon, for $15 online.

What does your ticket get you?

• Unlimited beer samples

• Live entertainment at each session (featuring several local bands; check out the beer fest web page for details)

• Voting in the Cask Contest

• Access to several on-site games

In regards to the Cask Contest, attending breweries have been invited to create a cask beer for the festival; festival goers will have the chance to try all cask offerings and vote on their favorite of the festival. Participating breweries in the contest will include PEI Brewing Co., Garrison, Picaroons, and possibly more. As for the games, we don’t have full details as to what they will entail, but Douglas said to expect “some classic East Coast-style party games to be played”.

There will be food available for purchase from several vendors at the festival. No word as to which vendors will be participating yet, however, details should follow on the festival’s website and social media links soon.

As for the beer, the mostly-completed brewery and beer list has been released on the festival’s website. Atlantic Canadian breweries attending include PEI Brewing Co., Garrison, Picaroons, and Pump House. Like last year, there will be over 75 different beers pouring, so attendees should have plenty to choose from.

Starting tonight, we’ll be holding a contest to give away two tickets to the festival; any session, winner’s choice! It’s easy to enter… take a picture of any of the beers that will be at the festival, and Tweet it or share it to our Facebook page, with the hashtag #PEIBeerFest. Only one entry per person; the contest will begin immediately and continue until next Thursday, August 28th at 11:59 pm. That gives you a whole week, so don’t miss out on your chance to win!

And remember, stay tuned to the festival’s Facebook page and Twitter account for more updates on food, entertainment, and beer over the next couple of weeks!

Friday Wrap-Up – News From Propeller, Gahan House, Bad Apple Brewhouse, PEI Beer Festival, Hammond River and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-08-15
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, Bad Apple Brewhouse, Big Axe Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Burgers n' Beer, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Grimross Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, PEI BeerFest, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Propeller Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Shiretown Beer, Uncorked Tours. 1 comment

Good morning beer fans! Thirsty yet? If not, here’s some Atlantic Canadian beer news to get your beer-appetite going…

• Propeller Brewing ‏has released their latest One Hit Wonder beer, Summer Blonde Lagered Ale. Their latest growler-only beer is a light bodied beer, thanks to the Wheat, Pale, and Pilsner malts, and weighs in at 4.8%. Hopped with Centennial to 22 IBUs, the beer is well balanced, and very drinkable. Part of the smooth character of the beer is thanks to the particular conditioning process the beer went through: after its one-week primary fermentation, the ale was lagered for three weeks. It is available at both the Halifax and Dartmouth locations, but if it’s anything like previous One Hit Wonders, not for much longer! And there are just a handful of tickets left for tonight’s Prop’r Cask Night featuring a sausage feast from Agricola St Brasserie’s Chef Ludo Eveno. Your ticket gets you in the door for the food and beer, including a special cask prepared for the evening. Also part of Sausage Fest is Tuesday’s Brews & Brats Tap Takeover at Lion & Bright, featuring nothing but One Hit Wonders and other special one-off beer.

• Following their recent announcement concerning their expansion into Halifax at the old Hart & Thistle location on the waterfront, the Gahan House has announced that they’ve chosen their brewmaster for this location. Karen Allen has been brewing at the PEI Brewing Co. in Charlottetown for the past two and a half years, and was part of the first graduating class from the Niagara College Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. Karen has confirmed that the Halifax brewhouse will be used solely to brew specialty and seasonal batches, including trial batches for possible future releases from the PEIBC. The grand-opening will take place on September 4th, and will feature Business Lunch IPA, a sessionable, hoppy beer that the PEIBC has brewed in the past, this time dry-hopped heavily with a New Zealand hop variety, and a currently-unnamed high-ABV Belgian beer that “hopefully will be dry, funky, and have an earthy European hop aroma”, according to Allen. With a total of 17 taps on hand, there will be plenty of room to serve all PEIBC/Gahan brands, as well as additional offerings from other Atlantic Canadian breweries, Allen has confirmed. We’ll have more on the grand opening in the near future!

• Bad Apple Brewhouse has released their Barrel-aged Black & Tackle Russian Imperial Stout this week. This beer started out life as the 9% ABV Black & Tackle Russian Imperial Stout, and then spent a few months in whisky barrels from Glenora Distillery (producers of Glen Breton), picking up lots of vanilla and oak character, and increasing the alcohol to 11.5%. This release marks the first time Bad Apple beers are available in bottles in the four private beer stores in HRM: Bishop’s Cellar, Cristall Wine Merchants, Harvest Wines and Spirits, and Premier Wines & Spirits. Also look for Bad Apple American Pale Ale on tap at The Union Street Cafe/Wick Pub in Berwick, The Kings Arms in Kentville, and Roy’s Lounge at the Westin Halifax. Those that make the trip to Somerset will be rewarded with growler fills of both of these beers, plus the next exciting beer on its way through the brewery.

• Tickets are now on sale for the 2014 PEI Beer Festival, which will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5th and 6th at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel in Charlottetown. Friday will have an evening session from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, while Saturday will have both an afternoon and evening session, from 2:00 – 4:30 pm and 6:30 – 9:30 pm, respectively. With live entertainment, games, and a “Cask Contest”, it should be a great time! Tickets ($40+tax and fee for the evening sessions, $30+tax and fee for the afternoon session) can be purchased online, or in person at the brewery. There are also hotel/ticket packages available through the Delta; designated driver tickets will also be released in the near future. We plan on posting more details on the festival next week in a standalone post.

• Hammond River Brewing has re-released their Back in Black Oatmeal Stout. One of the original beers from their launch, this is an Oatmeal Stout with Star Anise added for a subtle licorice flavour, the beer weighs in at 5.2% ABV and 30 IBUs (all from East Kent Goldings). Currently on tap at Bourbon Quarter in Saint John, and the Barrel’s Head in Rothesay. Also keep an eye out for the last round of kegs (for this summer) of Blueberry Ale to hit the taps in the Saint John region (currently at Bourbon Quarter, other spots shortly). This light bodied beer is 5.4% ABV and 14 IBUs, and features loads of real blueberries for lots of flavour and aroma. And in a couple of weeks, locals can look forward to Hammond River’s last summer seasonal, a Watermelon Wheat. We’ll have more details on the beer when it becomes available.

• The PEI Brewing Co. has a new beer on tap only at the brewery – Blood Orange Tangerine IPA has the pure juice of blood oranges and tangerines mixed into their 1772 IPA, resulting in a beer that “brings out a nice juice flavour that slightly masks the bitterness and alcohol of the IPA, making it a bit more refreshing and drinkable”, according to brewmaster Chris Long. It comes in at about 6.2% ABV and 50 IBUs. Their popular Sydney Street Stout (5.3% ABV) was also brewed last week, and therefore should be making its appearance throughout PEI and NB early next month; we’ll keep you updated on future news involving this beer, including special blends planned by the brewery.

• In other PEIBC news, keep your eyes open for a mixed, canned seasonal pack being released in the near future. This 4-pack will include two PEIBC standbys – Sir John A’s Honey Wheat and Blueberry Ale, both in cans for the first time – and two new beers. Black Banks Cascadian Dark is a blend if their 1772 IPA and Sydney Street Stout, and is named after an area in Western PEI where the cliffs appear black due to layers of peat moss. The other beer is Harvest Time Lager, another hoppy, sessionable Lager featuring a New Zealand hop variety for the aroma (their first attempt was Landing Day Lager, earlier in the summer). Expected release for this mixed pack is around September 5th in PEI only, as part of the province’s culinary festival, Fall Flavours. Canned singles will start to show up in the retail fridge at the PEIBC a week or two later.

• Brasseurs du Petit-Sault is releasing their collaboration with Patrice Godin of Acadie-Broue, L’effrayab’ Tintamarre today at noon. Brewed to celebrate National Acadian Day, this Saison features a spicy and citrus aroma, fruit and a slight tart flavour, and a dry finish (more recipe details in our previous post). It will only be available on tap at the Brewtique, Resto-Bar Le Deck, and Station 127. Look for their Tante Blanche Wheat Beer and Bob LeBoeuf Blonde Ale on tap, and in bottles at the ANBL as well.

• Next month, Burgers n’ Beer – an event organized between the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and reLiSH Gourmet Burgers – is returning to Fredericton! Similar to the first events held in April, it will involve six pairings of different sliders and beers/ciders. For this event, the 8 oz samples will include offerings from Red Rover Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, and Quebec’s Le Naufrageur, with there likely being two beers/ciders from each. It will be held at reLiSH’s uptown location on Tuesday, Sept. 30th from 8 pm – 10:30 pm; tickets are $45 and can be purchased online. The event sold out last April, and tickets are already 40% gone, so don’t wait to buy yours!

• Following up last summer’s beer tasting cruise, Uncorked Tours has scheduled a New Brews Cruise for Saturday, August 23rd. Like last year, the cruise will take place on the Voyageur II, an authentic Mississippi river boat, and will feature a 3-hour cruise on the Saint John River… with beer and cider! Ticket holders will be entitled to six different beers/ciders, as well as lots of appetizers – NB cheese, charcuterie, condiments, bread, fruit, vegetables, crackers, pretzels, etc. The beer/cider being poured will mostly be from NB breweries that have opened over the last year-and-a-half – Big Axe, Grimross, Hammond River, and Red Rover – along with Big Tide. Brewers from at least some of the breweries will be present to talk about their products. The ship also has a bar on board for wine, spirits, and commercial beer bottles if guests are interested in additional purchases throughout the cruise. The ship departs from the Saint John Marina at 6:00 pm; tickets are $75 (+HST) and can be purchased online. They also have an Oktoberfest Cruise planned for October 4th; we’ll post more details on this one soon!

• Looking to test your art skills… in the world of beer? Well, soon-to-open Railcar Brewing is holding a contest to design a label for one of their inaugural beers, Railcar Red. Full details are available via a PDF file on the page-link above, but involve submitting original artwork and personal details in-person at the brewery, or via email. The contest is being held until August 30th; the winner will receive bragging rights and a $250 prepaid debit card.

• Speaking of Railcar, they’ve teamed up with The Castle Inn in Perth-Andover to put on an “Oktobeerfest” in the fall. Details are still being finalized, but there will be several NB breweries attending, including Picaroons, Pump House, Shiretown, and of course, Railcar. The event is planned for Saturday, October 18th; you can purchase a general admission ticket (which includes a commemorative glass and 15 beer tickets) for $40, or a VIP ticket for $145, which also includes overnight accommodation at the Inn for you and one guest. Additional beer tickets will be available for $1 each. Get your tickets online; we’ll post more as details become available!

• After having released their new IPA in 6-packs this summer, Pump House is retiring an old favorite from bottle release – S.O.B. will now only be available on tap at the brewpub and through various bars and restaurants in the Maritimes; it may return in bottles as a seasonal release within the next couple of years. Look for the IPA to debut on NSLC shelves next week. They’ve also recently announced that they have their Hefeweizen seasonal on tap again at the brewpub; great style to finish off the warm days of summer, so get down for a pint!

A few final beer notes to end off today: Rogues Roost Brew Pub has their Kolsch summer seasonal on tap (and available in growlers), the Antigonish Townhouse will be tapping another pin of Terry’s Best Bitter today at 5pm, and Big Spruce is brewing up another batch of Tim’s Dirty American IPA, winner of last year’s Home Brew Challenge, look for it in September.

Friday Wrap-Up – New Beers and News from Boxing Rock, Picaroons, Pump House, Big Tide, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2014-08-01
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2014 Fredericton Beer Run, Acadie-Broue, Antigonish Townhouse, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Celtic Knot Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Halifax Seaport Beerfest, Hammond River Brewing, Ladies Beer League, North Brewing, PEI BeerFest, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Propeller Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Rudder's Brewpub. 2 comments

Good morning, beer fans! As August begins (try hard not to think about summer ending), it’s time for more local beer news…

• Boxing Rock has released a new beer – Sessionista, a “Bold Session Ale”. Brewed to be available as an easy-drinking summer beer (and at 3.5% ABV, it certainly is very sessionable), it has a heavy malt aroma “reminiscent of an English Bitter” with hints of lemon blossom and orange, according to the brewery, along with “roasty malt notes on the palate followed by a pithy lemon-lime finish”. This is a limited-release beer, so pick some up while you can. It’s available in 650 mL bottles at private liquor stores in Halifax, in one-litre growlers every Saturday at the Halifax Seaport Market and the Shelburne Farmers’ Market, and at the brewery, while supplies last. Look for it on tap at select beer bars in Halifax, as well.

• This weekend (August 1st-3rd), the 9th annual Sappyfest (an independent music festival) is being held in Sackville, and Picaroons has brewed up a special beer for the event. Currently going by Secret Show Ale, this 4.5% ABV, 20 IBUs beer will be served during the festival on tap in the main tent, and afterwards should be available at both Ducky’s and Thunder & Lightning. With a malt base of Pilsner and a little wheat malt for head retention, it’s hopped with Tettnanger and Saaz, and brewed “in a Kolsch frame of mind”, according to brewmaster Andrew Estabrooks; that is, fermented cool to minimize production of fruity esters and diacetyl.

• There’s a new beer on tap at the Pump House brewpub, their Raspberry Wheat. A great style for the warm weather of summer, the brewery describes the beer as a German style wheat beer, “bombarded” with 40 kg of raspberries. “Tart and refreshing”, it comes in at 5.5% ABV. It won’t last long, so get down to the brewpub (and select restaurants/bars around Moncton) for a taste.

• Big Tide Brewing is celebrating their 5th Anniversary on August 5th, and they’ve brewed up a special beer to celebrate! Anniversary Amber Ale is a “malty, full-bodied ale” that is brewed with five varieties of specialty malts and five hop varieties (Willamette, EKG, Nugget, Fuggles, and Cascade), and will clock in at 55 IBUs and, yes, 5.5% ABV. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to determine what else Big Tide has in store for their anniversary plans on the 5th, but keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates.

• The PEI Brewing Co. is looking to release a new beer, a currently-unnamed Coffee Stout. They’ve brewed two different versions, and need your help in picking out which one is best! Drop into the brewery in Charlottetown, purchase a sample of each, and fill out a ballot indicating your choice for your favorite. Not only will you be helping the brewery decide which beer to brew on a larger scale, but you’ll also be entered to win two VIP tickets to this year’s PEI Beer Festival (Sept. 5th & 6th).

• It looks like last Saturday’s grand-opening for Brasseurs du Petit-Sault in Edmundston was a great success, and we now have a little more info on their Acadie-Broue collaboration beer that we mentioned last week. As previously noted, the beer brewed is from the recipe for Acadie-Broue’s Belgian Saison, Tintamarre. However, with this batch (brewed on a much larger scale on Petit-Sault’s system), Acadie-Broue owner/brewer Patrice Godin has dry-hopped the beer with 5 kg of Amarillo and Simcoe. Along with Amarillo in the whirlpool addition, and the Belgian yeast strain used for fermentation, this should be a very fragrant beer! Due to the slight changes, this batch will be named L’effrayab’ Tintamarre; “L’effrayab” is a local Madawaska county expression that translates to “incredible”. With an ABV of ~6-6.5% and 36 IBUs, it should be ready in time for National Acadian Day on August 15th; it will be packaged in kegs only, so look for it at bars/restaurants in the area. We’ll keep you updated as to where exactly it will be served.

• The new beer news rolls on, with Rudder’s Brewpub announcing that they’ve recently tapped Midnight Crossing Brown Ale. Brewed with Pale Ale malt as the base, along with wheat malt and two other specialty malts, it is hopped with two English varieties and one from New Zealand. Clocking in at 6% ABV and 26 IBUs, it pours with a tan head and a dark brown color in the body, and has “smooth drinking with a slight bitterness in the finish”, according to brewmaster Mike Ferguson.

• A few weeks ago, we reported on a new beer from Hammond River, a California Common named Gammie. Well, that beer is now available! A well-balanced and easy-drinking beer at 5.3% ABV and 37 IBUs, you should be able to find it on tap now at Shiretown Publicans and The Barrel’s Head; it may follow at Hammond River’s other accounts in the near future.

• The Antigonish Townhouse is starting something new today… IPA Cask Night! Their first cask ever – Terry’s British IPA – should be tapped at 5 pm, to coincide with the birthday of one of their favorite regular customers. More one-off casks will follow over the coming weeks, to allow the staff to get the whole process down; they hope for it to become a regular bi-weekly event after that. This will give brewer Terry Piercey the freedom to do a bit more experimenting for future brews.

• The Ladies Beer League put together a great-looking event that’s being held during Halifax’s Local Connections Sausage Fest (Aug. 14th – 24th). Unfortunately, it’s already sold out! Dubbed the LBL Roof-top Cask Party at Scanway, there will be three casks tapped: Propeller Pilsner, Garrison Honey Lavendar, and Boxing Rock Hunky Dory Ginger; special sausage morsels from Scanway will also be available. Tickets were $10, and include a take-home glass and first fill (pay-as-you-go afterwards). Looks like the LBL will have to start holding more beer events so everyone can attend!

• And in other Sausage Fest news, both Garrison Brewing and North Brewing are participating in a Sausage Brunch and Beer Brunch at harbourstone sea grill & pour house on Sunday, August 17th. From 10 am – 3 pm, there will be a variety of handcrafted sausages available, along with several beers from both breweries; tickets are $39.

• The 8th Annual Halifax Seaport Beerfest is almost here! It will be held August 8th – 9th at the Cunard Centre, and tickets are still available. While we plan on providing all the information you need sometime next week, we wanted to point out that the full brewery/beer list has been posted on their website. With over 110 breweries pouring about 275 different beers and ciders – including an additional 15 unique casks from eight Atlantic Canadian breweries – it’s shaping up to be another great beer festival for our region. Tune in next week for more details!

• Duo Wine Bar is holding a patio beer dinner on Wednesday, August 6th (rain date August 13th) at 6:30 pm. There will be five courses and eight different beers being served, with several beers from American breweries Goose Island and Brooklyn Brewery. More importantly, one of the courses will feature a special release of Celtic Knot Hopicide that has been “additionally hopped”, paired with traditional German Curry Wurst. Tickets are $120 (tax and gratuity included); send them an email to reserve yours.

• Looking for a job in the beer business? Well, with their expansion in progress, Garrison Brewing is hiring… specifically, for the position of Marketing, Retail & Event Coordinator. Two to three years experience in marketing, retail, events, etc. is required; if you’re interested, send a cover letter, resume, and references to Tracy Phillipi.

• This year’s annual Fredericton Beer Run, being held this Monday, August 4th (New Brunswick Day), has sold out! We’ve talked about the event in previous posts, but to re-hash, it involves a 6 km or 12 km run, followed by beer sampling at the King Street Ale House, where participants will be able to try fourteen 4 oz samples of various beers from local breweries. Check out their Race Roster page for a list of participating breweries (Railcar will not be pouring, but they will be present and selling beer swag).

• And speaking of the Fredericton Beer Run, the brain behind this event belongs to Lloyd Chambers, who also runs the yearly Fredericton Craft Beer Festival. Lloyd has confirmed that planning for next year’s FCBF has already begun; while March 7th, 2015 is still many months away, we can assure you that there’s already something new and special in mind! Looking forward to sharing more as the date gets closer!