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Friday Wrap-Up – New Beers from Picaroons, Pump House, Gahan House, Sea Level, Rogues Roost, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-11-15
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Authentic Seacoast Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Gahan House (Charlottetown), King Street Ale House, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Pump House Brewery, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Schoolhouse Brewery, Sea Level Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar. Leave a Comment

Good morning, everyone! We’re halfway through November already… here’s some beer news for the week to distract you from the oncoming stress of the Christmas season…

• As mentioned in yesterday’s post concerning the opening of the King Street Ale House in Fredericton, Picaroons has released a new beer. A Smoked Porter called “Ember Ale”, it was brewed with Beech Smoked Malt from Weyermann, and Phoenix hops. Featuring a smokey flavor that “isn’t overpowering”, according to Picaroons Marketing Director Dennis Goodwin, it comes in at about 5% ABV with 15-20 IBUs. It will be served exclusively at the King Street Ale House, only while supplies last. A cask of it will also make an appearance at the sold out Ladies Beer League Cask Event at the Stubborn Goat in Halifax this Sunday.

• Last week, Pump House released a new beer on tap at their brewpub in downtown Moncton. A Schwarzbier (sometimes known as a German black lager), the brewery describes it as having “subtle hints of chocolate and coffee leading into a light-bodied, clean finish”. A great beer style to ease non-dark beer drinkers into, is has an ABV of 7% (higher-than-normal for this style of beer), and will be on tap for a limited time only.

• Over on PEI, the PEI Brewing Co. released a new beer on tap exclusively at the Gahan House. An American Pale Ale brewed at the Gahan brewpub, Long Creek Late Harvest is brewed with locally grown hops. While Gahan has not indicated which variety(ies) of hops were used, they describe the beer as “fully filtered, with a dark orange color”. The ABV clocks in at 6.5%.

• Sea Level Brewing has released their latest seasonal beer, “Crossing Muddy Waters Brown Ale”. From brewmaster Randy Lawrence, we heard that the name originated from playing as a child: when out with friends, crossing one of the many bridges over the Acadia dykelands and tidal rivers, they would always yell, “We’re crossing muddy waters!”. This highly anticipated seasonal beer is a medium bodied ale with medium maltiness provided by chocolate and caramel malts. It is balanced with a subtle hop flavour from the Mosaic hop. A nicely rounded, easy drinking North American style Brown Ale. It clocks in at 5.5% ABV and 40 IBUs. Cans will be traveling to the city today, supplying Bishops Cellar, Cristall Wine Merchants and Harvest Wines and Spirits. At the brewery in Port Williams, there are six pack cans and 1 Litre refillable growlers available. Their very popular Mojo Rojo Red Ale will be back in growlers and cans shortly. Keep up with the latest info on their Twitter page, too.

• Rogues Roost Brewpub has their new Cream Ale on tap and available in growlers. Clocking in at 4.5% ABV and 25 IBUs, the Golden ale features quenching and delicate flavour, with the Czech Saaz hops giving it a light body with a hint of floral aroma.

• After previously announcing that they would no longer be attending the Historic Farmers’ Market in Halifax, Bridge Brewing has confirmed that they will be at the Alderney Landing Farmers’ Market in Dartmouth. The market runs Saturday morning 8am-1pm, and Bridge will have all five of their beer available, as well as glassware. For those afraid to ferry over to the Darkside, the brewery is open weekends 12-9 Saturday, and Sunday from 12 to 6.

• Stillwell Beer Bar in Halifax is opening this weekend! Beginning Saturday, the much-anticipated craft beer bar will open its doors at 1672 Barrington Street, and delight us with great craft beer from the Maritimes and beyond. Hours are M-S 4pm-2am (closed Tuesday), Sunday 11-11. We’ll see you there! We’ll have a report from opening weekend shortly, feel free to remind yourself how far its come from an earlier post.

• A little ahead of schedule, Rare Bird Pale Ale is showing up in NSLCs across the province, from Yarmouth to Sydney, Amherst to Porter’s Lake. We’ll have a full report from the brewery and brewmaster next week, so in the meantime, pick up a bottle and enjoy!

• News from another new brewery, Schoolhouse Brewery, is coming in. They will be opening in April 2014 in West Hants, Nova Scotia. Owner Cam Hartley will be keeping us up to date on their progress over the fall and winter. Right now, however, they are looking for a brewer to join the Schoolhouse team. Check out their Facebook page to get all of the latest info.

• Big Spruce Brewing in Cape Breton showed off a very slick forged steel dual-growler holder earlier this week, available at the brewery. It brought to mind that we should put together a holiday gift-giving guide for the favourite beer drinker in your life. Look for that in a couple of weeks, and if you have any suggestions, send them in!

Friday Wrap-Up – PEI Brewing Co Oktoberfest, Picaroons Tap Takeover, Big Tide Pumpkin is back, New Beers from Sea Level and Garrison and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-25
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Beerthief, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Hart & Thistle, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Railcar Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Uncle Leo's Brewery. 5 comments

It’s the last Friday of the week, which means it’s time for more Atlantic Canada Beer news!

• This Saturday, October 26th, the PEI Brewing Co. is holding their Oktoberfest celebration at their location in Charlottetown, from 1-6 pm. With no charge for admission, there will be live entertainment and lots of food and beer for purchase; they will also be providing tours of the brewery for half-price. In addition, they will be holding their 1st Annual Growler Challenge! For $10, entrants will have a growler filled with the beer of their choice. All contestants will then hold the full growler at arm’s length, parallel to the ground; the person who holds out the longest without bending their arm wins a $100 gift card from the Murphy Hospitality Group (which can be used at the brewery). All contestants get to keep the growler afterwards, of course!

• Speaking of the PEI Brewing Co., it looks like their popular Lobster Ale from this summer is going to continue to be available through the coming months. While this Saison will still be found in bottles, it will likely start turning up on tap at the brewery and other restaurants/bars in the Maritimes. It’s currently available at many ANBL stores in New Brunswick as well.

• Tonight, Picaroons will be hosting a tap-takeover at Wilser’s Room in downtown Fredericton. Starting at 5 pm, all twelve taps will be dedicated to Picaroons beers, including their latest seasonal release, Harvest Ale, as well as special releases Plaid to the Bone and 104th Regiment. Live music by Nick Ferrio starts at 9 pm.

• And while we’re on the subject of Picaroons, they’ll be releasing their very popular Winter Warmer seasonal on November 1st. Based on the English Barleywine style, it clocks in at 7.3% ABV. No events are planned for the official release as of yet; follow them on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated!

• If you missed Big Tide Brewing‘s Pumpkin Ale brewed with fresh hops last month, good news! Brewer Wendy Papadopoulos has confirmed that a second batch has been brewed, again with locally-grown pumpkins that have been roasted in maple syrup and spices. While there were no more “fresh” hops left to use in the brewing process, Cascade and Hallertau hops were added to the boil; the 5% ABV beer also has cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander and ginger added in the brewing process. Get it at the brewpub (available on tap and for growler fills) before it’s gone!

• Garrison Brewing have released two fall favourites this week: their Martello Stout and Winter Warmer. With notes of chocolate and coffee, the Stout will be available for growler fills and bottles. The Winter Warmer, brewed with cinnamon and clove, and with notes of plums and dark fruit from the dark demerara sugar used, and a little more warming at 7.0% ABV, will be available in bottles only. Both are available now at the brewery, and bottles will be filtering out to the private stores shortly.

• Sea Level has released their fourth wet-hopped beer of the season, their Punkin’ Grinner Ale. This is a new creation for brewmaster Randy Lawrence, clocking in at 5% ABV and amber in colour with a unique balance of spicy and sweet. It features all local ingredients with roasted baby pam pie pumpkins from Sea Level’s own gardens, honey from Cosman & Whidden and Cascade hops grown on the Annapolis Valley floor. It is available now on tap at the Port Pub and in 1 Litre refillable growlers at Sea Level Brewing. Cans should be on their way to Halifax for this coming weekend, at Harvest Wines and Spirits, Cristall Wine Merchants and Bishop’s Cellar. Also take note that this will be the last Sunday that the brewery will be open for the year, so take advantage of the nice fall weather and go for a drive to the Valley this weekend.

• Uncle Leo’s Brewery and Big Spruce Brewing are both taking part in the Swine & Stein event at Pictou’s Palace Theatre this Saturday, 5-10pm. Your ticket ($15 in advance from Uncle Leo’s or Stone Soup Cafe, $20 at the door) gets you inside for a massive pig roast and great entertainment from local artists. The beer is extra, but we know you won’t mind paying for these two excellent breweries’ beers.

• The Hart & Thistle Gastropub will be celebrating brewmaster Greg Nash‘s 29th (again!) birthday in style tomorrow. Starting at 11am, they will be serving up a special burger, pork belly sliders and smoked brisket sandwiches. Oh, and beer too: the currently available Dank & Stormy DIPA, as well as a special 2012 keg of Commissar RIS. It will also mark the tapping of the 2013 edition of Hop Mess Monster, Nash’s ode to hops. This year’s beer clocks in at 11.5% ABV and 533 IBUs (calc), and features hops anywhere and everywhere throughout the brewing, fermenting and conditioning period. The ACBB will be in attendance, so come say hi!

• It looks like Railcar Brewing has finally found a new location for their brewery! After plans fell through to open in Railcar 3 at the Shogomoc site, owner/brewer Mitch Biggar recently announced on his Facebook site that the brewery will be located in the rear unit at 9172 Main St. in Florenceville-Bristol. With 1800 square feet available, Mitch plans on opening the retail store and tasting area by the end of the year, with the brewery hopefully producing beer sometime in early 2014.

• Bridge Brewing will be releasing their fall seasonal tomorrow, a Belgian IPA. The beer clocks in at 6.5% and 60 IBU, from the Centennial, Chinook and Brewers Gold hops. This is a very interesting style, with the spice and fruit character of the yeast blending very well with the hops. And don’t forget that they’ve extended their hours: Open Monday to Thursday 12-7pm, and until 9pm Friday and Saturday, and open 12-6pm Sundays.

• If events in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Pictou, or Halifax aren’t enough to satisfy you, don’t forget about Boxing Rock‘s Grand Opening Saturday in Shelburne. There are still spots available on their free tours, and there will be lots of fun activities, food and beer to celebrate their opening. Check last week’s post for more details.

• Premier Wine & Spirits in Halifax, purveyors of great beer, wine and spirits in Halifax, is looking for part-time clerk people. They are looking for folks to work 15-20 hours a week, and of course a knowledge (or love!) of beer and wine is a big plus. Drop off your resume at the store at 1535 Dresden Row between 10-8.

• The latest offering from the Newfoundland Artisanal and Craft Beer Club (aka Beerthief) is closing this Sunday. The brewery being highlighted this go-around is Muskoka Brewery, after a very successful offering in the summer. Their Dark Ale, Craft Lager, Twice As Mad Tom IPA and Winter Jack (Tennessee whisky barrel-aged Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout) are all up for grabs. To sign up and/or put in a request, contact Tom Beckett.

• Late addition to Friday Wrap-up: A reminder that signup to the Picaroons and New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association Homebrew Challenge is due November 1st. Beers can be dropped off Nov 1-15 at the Picaroons Brewtique on Queen Street. More info is available in our previous post. Good luck to all NB Homebrewers!

Another week with lots going on! Have a good weekend…

Atlantic Canadian Breweries Representing at Cask Days in Toronto

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-10-17
Posted in: Beer Events. Tagged: Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Granite Brewery, Hell Bay Brewing, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Propeller Brewing, Pump House Brewery, RockBottom Brewpub, Uncle Leo's Brewery. 1 comment

caskdays2013-posterweb

This Saturday and Sunday, October 19th and 20th, the people behind barVolo in Toronto will be hosting the 9th Annual Cask Days, a beer event that involves 230 cask-conditioned beers and ciders from 124 breweries in Canada and the United Kingdom. Often referred to as “real ale”, cask-conditioned beers have their fermentation completed in the cask, which acts as the serving vessel. The beer is often served warmer and less-carbonated than your typical draught beer, and give the brewers plenty of opporunity to try new ingredients and techniques with their beer. Several breweries from Atlantic Canada will be featured at the festival; here’s what they’ll be serving up to those lucky enough to attend the event in Toronto:

Big Spruce Brewing – Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout

Boxing Rock – Wet Willie Harvest Ale

Bridge Brewing Co. – Strong Dark Belgian

Garrison Brewing Co. – East Kent Golding IPA (from their One-Hop series)

Granite Brewery – Old Peculiar

Hell Bay Brewing Co. – English Ale

PEI Brewing Co. – Pumpkin Porter

Picaroons – Mildred Irish Red – this is their Irish Red that has been dry-hopped with local Goldings hops from Southan Farms in Wicklow, NB.

Propeller Brewery – E.S.B., dry-hopped with Fuggles

Pump House – Premium Lager

Rockbottom – Greg Nash IPA – we’re not sure if this is something new for Cask Days, or if they just named it after Nash by accident… unfortunately we weren’t able to get further details in time. However, rest assured it has a fair amount of hops!

Uncle Leo’s – Smoked Porter

If you’re going to be in the area (or are reading this from Ontario), there are still tickets available for several of the sessions, here. Cheers to our breweries showing what we’re capable of brewing here in Atlantic Canada!