Propeller Brewing

All posts tagged Propeller Brewing

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s shaping up to be a busy weekend in our region, so let’s dive right in!

• One of the most anticipated openings of the summer will be happening this weekend (maybe even today, if the weather cooperates). The Stillwell Beergarden location on Spring Garden a/k/a #BGonSG will be opening very, very soon. Featuring access from both Spring Garden and South Park, the bright red sea can features an expanded tap list of 10 beer and ciders, plus a pair of wines available at all times. While focusing on local beer is still the norm, look for special beers from elsewhere to be available, including DdC!. To keep fans of the Barrington Mothership happy, a small rotating selection of large-format bottles will be available for sharing, and there will be non-alcoholic options too, such as Propeller Sodas. While Chef Graeme Ruppel is holding court on Barrington, sous-chef Joe Martin(i) will be driving the food options on Spring Garden, with a rotating dozen-item menu, featuring everything from tacos to kofte, weiners to noodles, all cooked over wood and charcoal, for a backyard BBQ vibe. Keep an eye on Stilly’s BG webpage and twitter for today’s forecast of beer and accompaniments.

• In the same space as the Beergarden, Manual & Co will be running a Dairy Bar onsite with cool treats, pulled coffee shots, and more. Featuring new house-made soft serve and sundae options daily, they are also putting together their own popsicles and will feature cold-brewed coffee, served on a nitro tap. Open from 10-8 daily, follow along with their latest flavours and features on instagram and twitter.

• Halifax’s Propeller Brewing has released a brand new collaboration brew this week. Graceland Too is a White IPA, brewed with a little help from the crew from Barrie, ON’s Flying Monkeys. This 6.5% wheat beer features loads of hops for a solid bitterness and citrus aroma, complementing the weizen yeast characters, the same strain used in their Hefeweizen. The beer is available is bottles now at both the Gottingen and Windmill locations, and will see limited release in kegs and cask around the city. Due to the small batch size, it may not last long enough to make it to their growler filling stations, so be sure to drop by today for satisfaction.

• St John’s YellowBelly Brewery has released a new beer this week. Summer Wheat is a different take on their Wexford Wheat, featuring a different hopping bill, incorporating Sorachi Ace. That hop gives off notes of lemon, dill, and flowers, on a medium-light wheat character. At 4.5% ABV and 22 IBUs, it will be perfect for the coming warmer days. The beer is available on tap now, and due to the small batch size, will not be available in bottles.

• TrailWay has released a brand new beer, American Oatmeal. Brewed with a healthy amount of Flaked Oats, some Brown malt was also added to the grist to contribute to the roast character of the beer. It weighs in at 6.2% ABV and is available at the brewery taproom now, as well as select accounts in Fredericton. And while there, be sure to try out the new iteration of their Session IPA, brewed with a different hop schedule, featuring a mix of Australian and American hop varieties (including a sizable dry hop). 4.3% and about 40 IBUs. Finally, the taproom patio should be opening today, which offers plenty of additional, outdoor seating, to help keep up with the crowds that have been turning out for a pint or three! Milda’s Pizza will be in attendance from 4:30-8 today to keep you satisfied. And tomorrow will see the brand new Country Fried Wontons truck drop by to provide nourishment from 4:30-8:30.

• Newly-opened Annapolis Cider Company has a new cider on tap, Rhubarb Ginger. Freshly-pressed rhubarb and juiced ginger give this unfiltered 6.7% ABV cider a hazy look, and a tasty blend of aromas and flavours. This “Something Different” batch is the first in their plan of passing along $0.50 for every refill to a local charitable organization. This batch’s beneficiary is the Nova Scotia Nature Trust which is dedicated to protecting, forever, Nova Scotia’s most unique, rare and treasured natural areas through land conservation. Drop by Annapolis’ Wolfville location for a fill today!

• In tribute to this year’s OUTeast Film Festival in Halifax (June 16th-19th), Good Robot released a new beer, of sorts, yesterday. Shocking Pinks is a blend of their regular-lineup Goseface Killah Gose with pink lemonade and hibiscus tea. Described by the brewery as “tart, floral and fruity”, this 4.8% ABV blend is available now on tap at the Good Robot taproom, and at many of the OUTeast events over the weekend.

• Edmundston’s Brasseurs Petit-Sault has released their Summer 2016 seasonal this week. Lt. Ingall Cream Ale is 4.3% ABV light-bodied beer, with a nice aromatic punch from the use of Galaxy, in a quaffable package. The beer will be available exclusively at their Brewtique for pints and growler fills, and at next weekend’s Edmundston Jazz and Blues Festival.

• Tatamagouche Brewing is celebrating their Second Anniversary this weekend, with some special brewery-only deals and beers available. Starting today, they will be pouring their CBA-medal winning Two Rivers Baltic Porter, and a special cask of their Deception Bay IPA, conditioned on nectarines. Look for a special beer brewed with grist from Horton Ridge Malt to be released late next week. This SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) features the Annapolis Valley’s Organic Pale Ale malt, and hopped with Amarillo. And in early July, keep an eye out for a Session IPA brewed with the crew from Halifax’s Bishop’s Cellar, featuring Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc and a small addition of Amarillo.

• We now have more details on the 1st Anniversary beer being released by Upstreet next Friday, June 24th, during their 1st Anniversary event weekend. A Belgian Saison (aka Farmhouse Ale), De Novo I was brewed with a simple grist of Maritime Malt, hopped with Goldings harvested in New Brunswick, and fermented with two yeast strains: a Saccharomyces strain, and a Brettanomyces yeast blend from Escarpment labs in Ontario. Weighing in at 6% ABV, the brewery describes the beer as having “light candy and funky flavours”, with a dry finish. The beer will be available in bottles and on tap exclusively at the Upstreet taproom, and will be released June 24th at 6 pm, at the beginning of the Anniversary Beer Launch & Vinyl Party. Tickets are still available for their Field Trip, starting Saturday June 25 @ 6pm, featuring stops at 5 locations, with samples at each, ending up at The Alley for bowling and beer and food and music.

• Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing is bringing back two favourite hopbombs today. The Double Orange Ale (DOA) Double IPA is a SMaSH beer weighing in at 7.5% ABV and 100+ IBUs, getting its eponymous colour from a Nash-special technique, using only 2-Row malt and Citra hops. The Riddle of Steel IPA is slightly lighter, boasting 7.0% ABV and about 70 IBUs, in a West Coast IPA meets East Coast yeast. Both beers are available now for growler fills, at 4pm at Charm School next door for pints, and soon at beer bars in the region.

• Mill Street Brewpub has opened on the St John’s waterfront. Tied closely to the new Bier Markt location, they are brewing beer onsite, and supplementing the standard offerings from the Labatt-owned Mill Street line. We’ll have more details on the beers and brewhouse very soon.

• Congratulations to the crew from Beerocracy, whose crowdfunding campaign ended successfully early this morning! Look for this movie love letter to NB beer to be released in the fall in breweries, bars, and events around the province. To thank their great supporters, they have released a short movie, Ciderocracy, which will be featured in the film. Check it out now!

• In a story we mentioned in November, the small-batch brews produced by AB-InBev at their Alexander Keith’s Brewery on Lower Water Street in Halifax are now available. Brewing on a 20 hl system, Brewmaster Stefan Gagliardi has put together recipes inspired by the original beers brewed by Alexander Keith in the city. Studying as a Chemical Engineer, he turned his focus to beer a decade ago, working in Quality Assurance, and then managing the brewhouse in St John’s, NL. After a move to Halifax’s Oland Brewery as Quality Manager, he is now in charge of the Historic Keith’s Brewery production. Says Gagliardi, “Brewing is my creative outlet. I have always been inspired by experimenting with beer styles and interesting ingredients and will bring this passion to the original brewery. I am constantly inspired by the story of Alexander Keith’s brewery, and the local community and culture in Halifax. Alexander Keith’s has such strong roots here and that inspiration will never stop being part of the beer that is produced in this historic facility.” On what inspires the recipes, Gagliardi says, “We look at three points for inspirations – our heritage and history, local ingredients and finally great tasting and innovative ingredients. The great thing about the original Alexander Keith’s brewery is that it gives us the opportunity to develop small-batch brews that are new and exciting, and most importantly unique to the east coast. Innovation has always been part of our heritage and we’re excited to bring new flavours and styles to Nova Scotia beer lovers.”
Their flagship beer is Cornerstone Edinburgh Pale Ale, a 4.3% ABV, 30 IBU, brewed with a base of Golden Promise, and enhanced with a blend of Cara malts from Weyermann: Cara Red, Cara Malt and CaraFoam, for colour, flavour, and body. The hops chosen were UK East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, and Hallertauer Perle, for a traditional English Ale hopping schedule. Also available now is Alexander Keith’s Lunenburg Coffee and Cacao Stout, a 6.5% ABV full-bodied stout, featuring 5kg of Laughing Whale coffee in the mash, and 11 kg of cacao nibs directly in the boil. Golden Promise base malt, with Cara Malt, Chocolate, Special B and roasted barley lend the iconic colour and flavours.
The beers will be available the NSLC and ANBL in 6-pack and 650mL bottles, on tap at bars and restaurants around Nova Scotia, and for growler fills at the Historic Keith’s Brewery.

There’s lots going on in the next couple of weeks, let’s take a look!

• Big Spruce will be hosting their Farm to Fork Food Truck event all weekend. 12-7pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the folks from Cruisin’ Cuisine Food Truck will be set up at the brewery with plenty of beer-pairing options. This weekend’s theme is lobster, with several dishes featuring the local crustacean. For those unable to partake, there are plenty of non-lobster options as well. There will be musicians in the tasting room daily, be sure to check the event page for more details.

• Authentic Seacoast is opening their new brewing and distilling facilities in Guysborough this Saturday. The multi-million dollar building houses the brewing equipment to produce the Rare Bird line of beer, as well as producing spirits under the Sea Fever Rum, GLYNNEVAN Whisky and Fortress Rum names. The festivities kick off at 2pm, with public tours and tastings from 3-5pm. Juno award-winner Garrett Mason will be keeping the good times rolling, with a performance in the Rare Bird Pub, starting at 9pm. More details are available here. No word yet on hours of operation or tours going forward.

• For those in New Brunswick, drop by Railcar Brewing’s location Saturday, June 18th, for a Father’s Day Tasting event. From 6 to 8pm, enjoy five beers and take home a branded glass for only $20. Contact RC on Twitter or at their Curtis Road location (below AC Sharkey’s Pub).

• Now that their taproom is officially open for serving pints, Maybee Brewing is celebrating with an official Grand Opening party of Saturday, June 26th. Opening at 10 am for pints, and cans and growler fills to go, the real fun kicks off in the evening with the Chunky’s Food Truck, featuring Mexican food, on site from 5pm, plus live music starting at 6pm. Look for more details as they are announced on their event page.

• After the success of the last summer’s inaugural Tasting NB in Fredericton, this year’s event has been scheduled for Saturday, July 9th. Featuring an abundance of New Brunswick craft alcohol producers – including beer, cider, mead, and wine – the 3-hour (7 pm – 10 pm) outdoor event will once again be held at the Capital Complex, and will include at least 12 NBCAPA members, including Fredericton’s own soon-to-open Gray Stone Brewing. Tickets are on-sale now ($55 in advance; $60 at the door, depending on availability).

A few parting shots this week:

– Fredericton’s Grimross Brewery looking for part-time staff in the Taproom and Retail operations. Send them an email, or drop your resume at their taproom location.
– Red Rover also looking for staff, Sales Associates at their Cider House and Farmers Market stalls. Again, drop them an email for more details.
– Halifax’s North Brewing is releasing a small run of their Millie Beet Saison, a Stillwell collaboration beer. This time around, this 5.0% ABV brew will only be available in 750’s at the brewery and Battery Park location, beginning today, so drop by for a take-away.
– Lyons Brook’s Uncle Leo’s released their very popular Voh’s Weizenbier late last week. This 5.0% Hefeweizen is brewed with a traditional weizen yeast, and lots of wheat, for an unfiltered beer reminiscent of this classic German style. As there are only a few bottles left at the brewery, your best bet will be to find it out in the wild at better beer bars, and RockHead, in Halifax and Pictou County, and at the Townhouse in Antigonish.
– Garrison’s Seaport Blonde is back at the brewery, and in the wild. This 4.0% Blonde features Columbus hops, and a light body from 2-Row and Wheat malts. It is available now in 6-packs at the brewery and NSLC, and growler fills.

Good morning, and welcome to the weekend! Lots going on in beer news as usual, so let’s get started. First off, some local award winners!

• Big congratulations to the winners in our region at this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards in Vancouver, BC, last weekend.
– PEI Brewing was the big winner, taking four Gold medals at the blindly-judged competition. They earned the most medals (of any colour, let alone Gold) of any brewery in the country: Gold in English Style India Pale Ale, Rogues Roost IPA; Gold in Wheat Beer – North American Style, Gahan Sir John A. Honey Wheat Ale; Gold in Session India Pale Ale, Gahan Vic Park APA; Gold in Session Ale, Setting Day Saison.
– Tatamagouche had an excellent showing, with three medals awarded. Gold in Imperial Stout, Russian Imperial Stout; Gold in Barley Wine-Style Ale – American-Style, Giantess; Bronze in Baltic Porter, Two Rivers Baltic Porter. Clearly they know their big beers, as these brews are all above 8.0% ABV!
– Saint John’s Moosehead Brewery also earned a trio of medals for a few of their lager offerings: Gold in North American Style Lager, Alpine Lager; Silver in North American Style Amber Lager, Barking Squirrel Lager; Silver in Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager, Cracked Canoe.
– Garrison: Silver in American-Style Black Ale, Dirty Ol’ Town Black IPA.
– Stillwell: Silver in Belgian-Style Brett Beer, Two, their Second Anniversary mixed fermentation Saison (brewed at North Brewing).
– Red Rover: Silver in Cider with Herbs/Spices, Fall.
– Pump House: Bronze in Barley Wine-Style Ale – English-Style, Barley Wine.

Be sure to visit your local brewery and grab a bottle, can, and/or pint of these award-winning beers, and show them some love! The full list of winners can be found on the CBA website.

• A new brewery, slated to open in Halifax this fall, has just been announced this week. 2 Crows Brewing will set up shop on Brunswick Street, between Cogswell and Duke. Co-owner and Brewer Jeremy Taylor is an avid homebrewer, and after graduating with an MSc in Brewing and Distilling from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, has brewed professionally in British Columbia for several years before making the transition eastward. 2 Crows will feature a core lineup of four beers, with a bevvy of rotating seasonals and one-offs, all brewed on their 20 bbl (23 hL) brewhouse. Keep up-to-date with their progress by following their Twitter and Facebook pages.

• Beerocracy, a documentary about the brewing industry in New Brunswick, is in its final stages and getting closer to its planned release in July. In the meantime, directors/producers Shauna Chase and Alex Vietinghoff have started an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to help raise some final funds to pay for post-production costs such as audio mastering, translation and French subtitling, graphic design, and more. They’re already about 40% of the way to their $10,000 goal, which ends Thursday, June 16th. If you’d like to donate to the cause, there are plenty of perks available; based on donation, they range from beer glasses, posters, and digital downloads of the film to VIP screenings and even having your name in the credits! Don’t hesitate on your chance to be involved in a piece of NB beer history, and donate today!

• Only 3 weeks after releasing a pair of new brews, North has released yet another two new beers this week. First up is Gestalt, a blend of two different beers. One of the beers is a “Farmhouse Brown Ale” that was fermented with a specialty blend of yeasts, Fruit Bomb Saison (a Saison strain, an “enigmatic” Saccharomyces strain, and a Brettanomyces strain) from Escarpment Labs; the beer was then aged in stainless for over three months. Meanwhile, another batch with a “very simple malt bill” was fermented with another Escarpment blend, Old World Saison (two Saison strains). Both batches were ultimately blended at differing ratios until those at North were happiest with the outcome: a barnyard aroma, with “notes of cherry, tamarind, cola, subtle hay, and a lime zest finish”. Weighing in at 5.4% ABV, it’s available for growler fills now at the brewery, and is on tap at select accounts. Next up is version 2.0 of their Grisette, which comes in slightly stronger at 3.8% ABV, but still remains supremely sessionable. Some Torrified Wheat was added to the grist, and the hops were changed to Rakau and Ahtanum; also available now at the brewery, so pick them both up while you’re there!

• Fresh off their CBA win, Stillwell released a new beer yesterday that they brewed with the staff at Toronto institution Bar Volo‘s House Ales (a 150 L pilot brewery) earlier in the winter. Pekkolo is a Farmhouse Table Beer named after the hop variety, Pekko, used generously within. This American varietal gives the beer notes of lemon, thyme and mint in the aroma, “all of which dovetail nicely with our funky ‘house’ Saison culture’s flavour profile”, according to Stillwell. Hoppy, with a “soft tartness”, it weighs in at only 3.8% ABV (which allows it to live up to its Table – read: consumable in quantity – status), yet still exhibits a good amount of body, due in part to the sizeable addition of Flaked Barley to the grist. Only a small amount of this beer is available, so it will be available only on tap at Stillwell (with a simultaneous release in Toronto), and won’t last long!

• York County has a new cider on tap for growler fills, Sidra. Inspired by traditional ciders made in northern Spain, York County describes it as “very tart, with notes of unripe fruits”; slightly sour, with a cloudy appearance, it is quite still (very minimal carbonation). Intended on being poured from a height “of at least a yard” to give it a bit of froth upon consumption, it clocks in at 6.7% ABV. Drop by today to give this new “Spanish cider” a try!

• Federation of Beer is releasing a new beer today, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series. Star Trek 50th Golden Anniversary Ale was brewed at Garrison, using Pale and Wheat malts, and a light touch of Hallertau hops. This 5.0% ABV and 20 IBUs beer features a brilliant golden liquid with light frothy head, light malt body, and a slight fruity aroma, to go along with the spicy character of the noble hops. The bottles will feature one of twelve collectible labels, and are available at the brewery now in six-packs. It joins their Vulcan Red Session Ale and Klingon Warnog Roggenbier in the Star Trek licensed releases.

• Sydney’s Breton Brewing will be celebrating their First Anniversary later this month, and they are marking the occasion by expanding their reach across the province. Beginning Monday, June 6, cans of their Red Coat Irish Red and Black Angus IPA will be available at NSLC locations throughout the province, as well as Bishop’s Cellar and Harvest Wines. From Yarmouth, to Amherst, Halifax, and Sydney, the 473ml cans mean that grabbing a pint at the beach or on a hike will be that much easier. This also means that restaurants and other licencees will be able to stock them, so be sure to request them at your local public house. And be sure to drop by the brewery today from noon for the return of Food Truck Friday, with Little Rollin’ Bistro joining them until 7pm. There will be music starting at 4pm, and there is no cover for the entertainment.

• Shifting gears to another Island, the Newfermenters, Newfoundland’s Homebrew Club, are once again hosting a Brew-Off competition. Open to any amateur brewer on the island, entries can be made in the 21A: American IPA, or 21B: Specialty IPA (consult the BJCP 2015 style guidelines for more details). The beers will be judged by Liam McKenna, brewmaster of YellowBelly, and Raymond Feltham, BJCP-certified judge and owner of BrewCraft homebrew shop. The Best-Of-Show winning brewer will have the chance to visit Port Rexton Brewing after they open this summer, and brew up a full-sized batch for commercial release in the fall! Entrants must fill out a form and send it via email to the group before Monday June 6th, and the judging will take place July 3rd. Further details can be found on the Newfermenters Facebook page (or via email).

• Big Spruce has sent a new batch of their flagship Kitchen Party Pale Ale to Halifax tap accounts this week; this batch marks the first time in modern Nova Scotia history that a beer has been brewed entirely with 2-row malted in NS, by Horton Ridge Malt & Grain Co. According to the brewery, this newest batch differs from previous ones, as the malt lends the beer a “slight bitter orange flavour”. If you’re in Halifax, best track it down to give it a try for yourself!

• Moosehead has announced that they will be opening a second location in Saint John, in order to brew smaller batches of beer. Aiming to open in 2017, during their 150th anniversary, the brewery is aiming to produce 5000-6000 hL of beer annually, with a brewhouse somewhere in the range of 25 hL, along with a 1 hL pilot batch system. Karen Cousins, Moosehead’s Director of Communications, says that the major objective of this new brewery is to experiment with new styles, in order to keep up with the growing demand from craft beer drinkers in Atlantic Canada.

There’s a couple of events occurring over the next week that still have space for attendance…

• Tomorrow – Saturday, June 4th – is the first Burgers n’ Beer event to occur in Fredericton in some time, and there’s still a few tickets available! The first time the event will be held at the King Street Ale House, it will feature four different handcrafted sliders, each paired with a different Fredericton-brewed cask ale. Pouring will be TrailWay American Stout, Maybee Birdseye Pale Ale dry-hopped with NB Hop Hash, Picaroons ESB, and a TBD cask from Grimross. The event runs from 2-5 pm, and there are still a few tickets available (only $21 each)!

• Next Saturday, June 11th, Garrison is hosting their Backlot Bash!, in support of the Ecology Action Centre. Held in the parking lot of their new production brewery on Marginal Rd (about 100 metres from their retail and storefront location), the event features headliner July Talk, joined by Alert the Medic, The Brood and Three Sheet as amazing local opening bands. Tickets are still available, and Garrison beer, as well as local cider, will be served, with food trucks keeping people satisfied.

Have a great weekend! And before we leave you for good…

– TrailWay is re-releasing their Whitney Coffee Stout this weekend, marking the first time this popular dark ale has been brewed on their new system. Featuring the addition of cold-brewed coffee from local Whitney Coffee Company, it clocks in at 6.2% ABV, and is available now at their brand-spanking-new taproom, and should follow at select tap accounts sometime next week.
– BarNone has just released a new iteration of their IPA; no real details on what’s changed, but it should be popping up at tap accounts across PEI, and may make an appearance for growler fills at tomorrow’s Charlottetown Farmers Market, so best seek it out and judge for yourselves!
– Grimross has a “2nd generation” of their Brett Saison on tap at the brewery; slightly higher in ABV (6.2% vs. 6%), the brewery describes it with the words “crisp, bubblegum, and dry”. The original is also still on tap, allowing side-by-side comparisons to be made.
– Just a note that due to overwhelming response, Lazy Bear will not be attending this week’s Annapolis Royal Farmers’ Market. The good news is that the next batch of their Gut View Amber is *just* about ready, and should be back on June 11th. And keep an eye out for their retail hours at the brewery in Smiths Cove, starting later this month.
– Upstreet was bottling up something special this week, to be released in a few weeks. They will be celebrating their First Anniversary with a weekend of events June 24-26 at their taproom, as well as favourite restaurants and bars across the Island.
– Propeller is now serving flights of samples at their Gottingen St location. These are always a great way to taste through a brewery’s offerings, so that you can then grab a growler (or three) of your favourites!

Happy Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week! We hope those of you in the province, or nearby, will make it out to one or more of the events happening all week, including the Cape Breton Kitchen Party in Sydney, or the Beer & Beethoven in Halifax. Check out the #NSCBW Guide we published yesterday for the scoop on the next 10 days of beer fun! And keep your eyes open for plenty of new beer alerts throughout the week; we’ll do our best to retweet and FB-share them so you won’t miss out!

• After a sneak peek at this year’s Saltscapes Expo, Sober Island is officially open, and serving beer! Their current home in Sheet Harbour, Henley House, opened yesterday for the season, so Eastern Shore fans will now have access to a steady supply of their beers. Drop by for a pint of their Oyster Stout, English Golden Rye Ale, or their very own Henley House Private Ale. This 4.8%, 34 IBUs Ordinary Bitter features all late-addition East Kent Goldings hops, and is fermented with an English yeast for a taste of the UK. Sober Island will also have a brew on at this weekend’s Stillwell Open, and is gearing up for festival season, with plans to attend the Cold Waters Seafood Festival June 4-5, and NorthumBeerFest at Pictou Lodge June 11. They are also in the process of finding a Farmers Market location for the summer, so stay tuned for that. While set up at the market, instead of growlers, they will be using Crowlers, the can-on-demand system popular in the US. These 950mL cans are great for taking on the boat, camping, hiking, or to the beach, where glass can be dangerous/forbidden. They will be installing the system in their rolling beer trailer, and will eventually institute Crowler Delivery runs to town.

• Turning now to another Island, there’s a couple of new beers on tap at the Gahan House Brewpub in Charlottetown, PEI. First up is ESB, an Extra Special Bitter that comes in at 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs. Featuring late hop additions of East Kent Goldings and Fuggles to boost the herbal and earthy aroma, this classic British style has been pouring for awhile now. More recent is Belgium Blue, a strong (7.6% ABV) Belgian style that was fermented with a blend of yeasts, giving it a “spicy banana” aroma and flavour, according to brewmaster Trent Hayes. Be sure to stop by the brewpub soon to give both a try! And swing by the PEI Brewing Co. taproom for a taste of their newest cask, Chocolate Cherry Lager, a 4.5% ABV beer that has cocoa nibs and organic tart cherry juice added in-cask.

• In other brewpub news, Big Tide also has a new beer pouring at their location in Saint John. Cascade SMaSH IPA features a grist of German Pilsner malt, and lots of late- and dry-hop additions of the well-loved Cascade hop variety, sourced from local Darlings Island Farm. Weighing in at 5.25% ABV and 39 IBUs, this “very drinkable” beer has a “beautiful citrusy flavour and aroma”, according to the brewery. It’s available now at the brewpub for pints and growler fills. And coming soon from Big Tide is their Wild Weed Summer Ale, a 4.9% ABV, 15 IBUs Wheat ale enhanced with sweet gale, yarrow, lemongrass, cardamom, and coriander.

• Back to Nova Scotia now, Meander River has re-released their Summer Solstice Session IPA, a hoppy and sessionable beer perfect for when the warmer weather decides to stay for good! Hopped with Amarillo and Citra in the boil, it was further dry-hopped with Cascade to provide even more fruit and citrus characteristics in the aroma and flavour. This 4.5% ale is available at the brewery and Forum Farmers’ Market while it lasts. Meander River has also brought back their Scotch Ale, Surf & Turf, just in time for Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week. A silver medal winner at the 2015 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards, it was brewed with peated malt and seaweed to give it a “smooth, savoury taste with an earthy scotch finish”; it weighs in at 6.2% ABV.

• Propeller Brewing has released their newest One Hit Wonder this week. Lil’ SIPA is a 4.4% Session IPA, with 27 theoretical IBUs, but as is often the case in beer, the numbers do not tell the whole story! Massive late hopping favours aroma and flavour over bitterness, so this small package packs a massive taste wallop. As always, the OHW beers are ONLY available for growler fills at their Gottingen and Windmill locations, with select kegs sometimes sneaking out to local bars.

• After a brief hiatus, Spindrift‘s Seventh Wave Series returns this weekend. These smaller, pilot batches allow the creative minds at the brewery to run a bit wild, and brew up beers that would otherwise be impractical, or not feasible. The series continues Saturday during Open Brewery Day, with Raspberry Session Saison, a 5% beer with 6 kilograms of raspberries added to the batch. And if that wasn’t enough, it was dry-hopped with whole leaf Citra hops. Grab this beer starting at 11am tomorrow. And Spindrift will keep the Seventh Wave going all week, with a new one debuting every day (or whenever the previous beer empties). Next up is India Session Lager, a 4.4% light lager with massive amounts of Citra and Simcoe at flameout and whirlpool (while the beer chills), for a seemingly-low 25 IBUs, but with plenty of flavour and aroma from the volatile hop oils that would otherwise be boiled off if added earlier in the process. They have several 7W beers locked and loaded to release during NS Craft Beer Week, so be sure to follow their Twitter feed for the announcements.

• Fresh off the great announcement of $436,000 of ACOA funds destined for Cape Breton, Sydney’s Breton Brewing took delivery of a Cask canning machine this week, and will be packaging their core brands of beer in the coming weeks. Look for their cans to hit the shelves of the NSLC, and private stores in the first week of June. And be sure to drop by Breton tomorrow during Open Brewery Day, as they will be launching Crazy Angus DIPA. With the malt bill being an amped-up version of their Black Angus IPA, this 7.4% ABV beer features a massive citrus punch from 85 IBUs worth of hops, including the always-lovely Australian Galaxy.

• With little fanfare, Downeast Beer Factory opened Sunday. Located in the former Brewdebakers location at 612 Windmill Road, the bar and grill is currently serving product from across the province, with 14 beers and ciders on tap. In the coming weeks, they will be adding their own house-brewed beers to the lineup, including Mylde Wylde Blonde, Fiddler’s Irish Red and Game Changer IPA. Their unique building location features a drive-thru beer shop, which will allow them to sell beer to go from other Nova Scotia breweries, when it opens later in the spring.

• Speaking of openings, Stillwell has announced the new location of their mobile Beergarden: the vacant lot at 5688 Spring Garden Rd. Nestled between Bookmark and Eastlink and across the corner from the Public Gardens, it will feature their iconic converted shipping container slinging local and imported beer (upgraded to 10 taps) and handheld “Summertime BBQ” food. Their friends from Manual Food & Drink will be joining them in the space, for some sweet relief from the hot weather (think ice cream and pastries). Construction has already begun at the location, and they look to launch the space in early June.

In addition to NS Craft Beer Week, here are a few more beer events worthy of your attention in the next little while:

• Tomorrow, May 8th, Stillwell is holding the second of their Rare American Beer Series, with several bottles from Mystic Brewery in Massachusetts popping all day. The En Garde, Connards! Biere de Garde, Flor Ventus Barrel-aged Wild Beer, Saison Renaud Saison (also available on tap), and Table Beer will be available by the full bottle, or 5-7oz pours. Look for some special accompanying beers on tap, and, as always, great food from the kitchen.

• The next Meet Your Maker event at the James Joyce will feature Big Tide, and has been scheduled for next Friday, May 13th at 7:30 pm. As always, there is no charge to attend, just show up for some Big Tide beers (there will likely be four different ones on tap) and have a chat with brewer Wendy Papadopoulus!

• As part of this year’s Festival Inspire in Moncton, they will be holding a Craft Beer Village June 18th. We are still getting all of the ticket details, but we do know that Bore City, Celtic Knot, Flying Boats, Maybee, and Picaroons will all be in attendance.

• The date for the second annual Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Oktoberfest has been set for Saturday, September 24th at the Lion’s Club in Moncton. Featuring many local breweries pouring beer alongside local food stations, the 7:30-10 pm session (tickets $58+fee) will allow unlimited beer samples and a custom take-home glass; VIP tickets ($68+fee) will get you in at 6 pm, along with a special glass, guided beer tasting, and access to an industry panel discussion; a portion of the proceeds will go to the United Way. Keep your eyes on the event page, as tickets will go on sale sometime in July.

And in closing this week:

– Congratulations to Red Rover for winning medals at this year’s Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition! Their Blues, Fall, Fire, and White Witch all took home bronze medals at this competition. In celebration, they have (or had!) all these award winners available at their Cider House on Queen Street.
– Maybee Brewing has released their new Birdseye Pale Ale and recent Elevensies Espresso Stout in cans; a currently-ongoing issue with ANBL’s ordering system has prevented cans from hitting ANBL stores this week, but there’s still lots available at the brewery’s location on Wilsey Rd, so drop in to pick some up this weekend!
– The James Joyce recently registered their venue on the popular beer app/website Untappd, which means their entire draught list, event schedule, and more is available and updated in real time! Check it out here.
– Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing is releasing a new batch of the Double Orange Ale (DOA) today. This batch of the 7.5% ABV SMaSH was fermented with a famous Vermont yeast for even more juicy goodness. Grab a growler when the brewey opens at noon, or a glass at Charm School from 4pm.

That’s it for this week; have a great weekend!

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