Quidi Vidi Brewery

All posts tagged Quidi Vidi Brewery

[ed. Once again we’re posting our Friday wrap-up on Saturday. Real Life™ is a thing; whatchagonnado?]

Happy St. Patrick’s Day weekend! There are a lot of events going on at your local bars, pubs, and breweries, so make sure you show them some love instead of just going to the provincial liquor store and grabbing some Guinness! We won’t be listing all of the events and parties for Paddy’s Day (then we would never get out of here!) but be sure to check your local spots on social media to see if they have anything on the go. Let’s dive in!

We’ll start this week in Nova Scotia where the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia has released their annual fundraising collaboration beer, Together We Brew. This year representatives from member breweries gathered at Stillwell Brewing on Kempt Road in Halifax to brew a Dortmunder-style export lager. Using all-Canadian ingredients from Brew Culture, Shoreline Malting, and Escarpment Labs, it was brewed back in January before being given eight solid weeks of lagering time. Coming in at a comfortable 5.8% ABV, it’s got plenty of malt character, floral hop aroma, and a soft balancing bitterness, and it’s an excellent everyday beer and a great one to share with friends and show off the quality of NS craft beer. It’s available now in 473ml cans at NSLC locations and select breweries around NS.

If you’re the sort who keeps track of these things, or just a long time craft beer drinker in NS, you no doubt know what’s coming next. The release of the Together We Brew beer always heralds the coming of CBANS’ signature event, also called Together We Brew. This year taking place at Pavillion 22 at the Halifax Seaport you’ll find some 40 Nova Scotia craft breweries pouring their wares. Even better, they’re doing away with the tyranny of sample tickets, so maybe you won’t have to pick and choose quite as much (although you’ll still be expected to drink responsibly). Two sessions will be held on April 6th, one in the afternoon from 2 – 4:30pm, and one in the evening from 7 – 9:00pm. As always, VIP tickets are available that allow an extra hour of early tasting and a special souvenir tasting glass, and Designated Driver tickets are also available. All the relevant information and links to ticket purchase can be found on the event page at the CBANS website. Hope to see you there!

In 2022, an open-ended collaboration called Black Is Beautiful was created to support the efforts of the National Black Brewers Association in growing Black brewers across the US (and hopefully beyond). A recipe for an imperial stout was provided to breweries who wished to participate along with additional assets (label design, collateral). Each brewery pledged $1 (or more) from every can sold to the cause. This year it’s happening again, with Weathered Souls Brewing providing the recipe for a hazy IPA, Stout Collective providing the label design, and Blue Label Packaging Co even fronting the labels (breweries need only pay shipping). Nyanza’s Big Spruce Brewing is the first Atlantic Canadian brewery (that we’re aware of) to sign up and take part. Their version of Black Is Beautiful Volume 2 was released this week, following the published recipe pretty closely on the malt side, with 2-row malted barley, white wheat, Vienna malt, oats, and barley flakes (all organic, natch) building a solid base. Veering a little bit from the spec, the Spruce team went 50/50 with modern classics Galaxy and Mosaic for the hops, all of them added in a post-temperature reduction whirlpool and dry hop. The result is described as, “courage, bravery, and allyship wrapped in an unbelievably badass beer.” True to the spirit of the collaboration, Big Spruce will be spreading the proceeds between NBBA and longtime Big Spruce partner the African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition (ANSDPAD). Grab it in cans at the brewery and, we’d imagine, other places you’ve historically found Big Spruce beer.

Missed in last week’s round-up of beers brewed for International Women’s Day was an entry from Breton Brewing in Sydney, NS. Bearing the same name as previous IWD beers brewed at Breton, Waves Rise, it is in the champagne IPA (a.k.a. brut IPA) style, which generally describes a hoppy beer with a rather light body. Leveraging the Pink Boots hop blend from Yakima Chief, it boasts aromas of peach and stone fruit and aims to please both hop lovers and lighter beer lovers alike. Find this 5.8% gem on tap and in cans at the taproom, as well as other fine drinking establishments around the province (we spotted it at The Narrows in Halifax ourselves earlier this week!).

Another IWD beer we missed last weekend is a collab between Truro Brewing and Cole Harbour’s Hardisty Brewing. Wicked Roots is a dark ale that features root beer-inspired herbs and spices, including sarsaparilla, licorice root, star anise, and wintergreen. Hardisty even went so far as to serve it with vanilla ice cream as a float last weekend for their IWD celebration! We’re not sure if that’s still available, but this 5% beer was pouring at both breweries’ taprooms and a  portion was also canned (although we’re not sure if cans went to Hardisty).

In the Burnside Industrial Park area of Dartmouth we find the pseudonymous Burnside Brewing has a new one pouring this week, the latest in their Brew Lab series of smaller batch experimental beers. This time around the Burnside team experimented with a traditional Czech brewing process, namely single decoction, to produce a traditional Czech Pilsner. Also boasting malt from Czechia, Czech Pilsner #1 comes in at 4.6% ABV and is hopped with traditional Saaz, retro Sládek, and new school Bohemie, yielding a spicy, herbaceous, and citrus-tinged hop aroma to pair with its rich maltiness and balancing bitterness. Find this unfiltered and golden beer on tap and in cans at all three Burnside properties.

Village Green in Cornwall, PEI, released a new IPA this week, one that harkens back to the IPAs of yesteryear, with a chewy malt body, plenty of bitterness, and of course, big hop flavour and aroma courtesy of large additions of Citra in the kettle and for dry hop. Dubbed Undead IPA, you shouldn’t find it scary, but you might find it has notes of marmalade, candied citrus, and ripe stone fruit in this 6.8% beer. Find it at the brewery now on tap, and hopefully in cans to go.

Up in Newfoundland, two of the Rock’s best beer spots have teamed up for a collaboration. Bar Brewdock of East Duckworth Street in downtown St. John’s grabbed themselves some tickets to Paradise and visited Banished Brewing. On their mind was brewing up a big ol’ juice bomb to remind themselves of the summer days they hope aren’t too far away. If you’re familiar with the Banished oeuvre, this one started with a similar base to Makes Sense, but amped up to reach double IPA proportions. To that was added Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Cascade hops, including all three in a double dry hop. Finishing at 8.5% ABV, it’s truly hazy, with bitterness on the low end, a deep orange color, and plenty of citrus character that’s maybe even a little reminiscent of Five Alive™. Find it on tap at the brewery and at Brewdock, of course, and it’s going out to retailers in cans as well.

Staying in Newfoundland, but out to Quidi Vidi, where Quidi Vidi Brewery has a light new hoppy brew available. Glad Hands is the product of the sixth annual collaboration between the QV and Newfermenters Homebrew Club. Starting with a beer competition, it turns into a bottle share where all comers can sample eachother’s wares. Jamie Osborne provided the recipe for this one and it’s an easy drinking session IPA. Smooth and refreshing, it’s got plenty of citrusy aromas from the hops in a, “it’s quite alright to have another,” 3.9% package. It’s a limited edition, so grab it on tap at the QV taproom or pick up some cans to go while you can.

Over to New Brunswick where, in Fredericton, Trailway Brewing has a beer returning that hasn’t been seen in well nigh two whole years. You may remember the moment in the sun of the milkshake IPA, which generally marries the hazy IPA style with fruit and lactose to produce something not quite beer-like, but also definitely beer-like. Not the kind of style you’d find yourself banging four of in an evening, but certainly something that can scratch a (possibly weird) itch. This iteration of Velvet Fog is 6% and features cherry and mango flavors along with the sweetness of lactose and plenty of hops; it’s soft and round, and almost smoothie-like on the finish. Available in cans at the taproom in Fredericton and Union House in Saint John, you’ll also be able to pick this up at ANBL locations in coming weeks as well.

Only one event this weekend, but it’s a doozy and it’s already started!

If you’re in Halifax, you may have seen the news of the triple tap takeover between Tatamagouche Brewing, 2 Crows Brewing, and Lone Oak Brewing a few weeks ago and have been jealous of all that great beer in one place. Well today you get your chance. Starting today at open and running all the way to close, those three breweries will be doing it all again at Battery Park in Dartmouth. Will you find green beer? Probably not. Will you find a selection of fresh and delicious beer from some of the region’s best breweries? You sure will. Maybe we’ll see you there!

And a couple more things afore we go:

You down with P-O-G? Yeah, you know me! [ed. Alrighty there, Milhouse] 2 Crows Brewing has a new version of the Jamboree Sour Series, but this one features passionfruit, orange, and guava additions. Using a puree of passion fruit, pureed mango, orange puree along with the orange zest and juice, this is really just for summer.  It’s 4.8% and canned now, available at both 2 Crows locations and with certain NSLCs will be carrying this as well. 

Moncton’s O’Creek Brewing isn’t taking their foot off the pedal any time soon: they’ve got three new beers pouring this week. Czech Affair is a returning favorite, a Czech pale lager, Kozak Lager, brewed in partnership with the Ukrainian Club of Moncton (some proceeds contributed to the Ukrainian cause), and Sunny Brae Coffee Stout, which was brewed with coffee from local roastery Sunny Brae Coffee. All three are pouring at their taproom, but if you’re in Halifax with no plans to be in Moncton this weekend, you may still be able to sample some O’Creek, as Stillwell HQ has been pouring some of their wares of late.

Unfortunately this week we again need to finish with some sadder news. Off Track Brewing in Bedford announced this week that they will be closing on April 28th (or when they run out of beer). Bedford’s only brewery, they built themselves a taproom on Rocky Lake Drive that fostered a vibrant community spirit. Additionally, The Harbour Brewing Company in Musquodoboit Harbour has announced that they are for sale and will be ceasing current operations once they run out of beer. We raise a glass to the teams at both locations wish them all the best, whatever their futures may bring.

Hello! This is an introduction to a weekly post about the craft beer industry in the Atlantic provinces. Below you’ll read about new beers, events, news and anything your loyal beer bloggers get their hands on through the week. Read below, share with a friend and we hope you get to partake in some of the new happenings in your area. 

We kick off the week on PEI, as Village Green has a brand new release. NZ Haze is a azy IPA from the Cornwall crafter. At 6% it’s soft and pillowy, backed by Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. Adding Citra and Mosaic hops to the mix brings in fruity, tropical, and citrus flavours. This is available in cans and on tap now. 

Staying on the Island, Gahan has a new Vienna Lager out now. Ripple Effect Brew is brewed in the traditional style of the malty, sweet, caramel lager. This beer is brewed in support of the PEI Watershed Alliance with contributions from every sale going directly to the environmental group. The 5.2% beer is available in cans and on tap from Gahan Beer Stores and PEI Brewing Company’s taproom.

Over to Fredericton where Trailway has two new smoking hot releases. First up is Smoke and Mirrors, an 11.1% Barrel Aged Imperial Stout that is on tap only at the brewery. The barrel itself housed a peated Whiskey, whichl brings a rich and smoky flavour to this robust stout.

New to cans is Lagerfeuer, a 5.6% rauchbier (which is a smoked märzen). This lager is brewed with beechwood smoked malt, which adds to the caramel and biscuity flavour of a märzen, bringing a gentle bit of smoke to the palate. This is canned and available at both Trailway locations. 

Over to the West Coast of Newfoundland Deer Lake’s Rough Waters has two brand new releases to keep you warm in the winter months. First up is Grounded, a Coffee Stout that is 5% and canned and ready to roll out across NLCs next week. Second up is their belgian Tripel. This is a big release for the brewery as they’ve been wanting to brew and bottle this style of beer for a long time. Brewed in collaboration with Escarpment Labs, using their West Abbey yeast strain for an authentic flavour that is true to the style. Using a blend of malts and European hops, it was bottle conditioned before release. This one will also ship out over the weekend and should be around NLCs and Marie’s over the next week. 

A few bits of news out of Stillwell Brewing, the Halifax brewery who have had a busy start to the year. First up, Saturday February 24th, they’re hosting Big Speaker Freakout 8, a daytime dance for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Tickets are available here.

On the beer side, Czech-heads will be happy to hear that 10° Czech-Style Pale Lager is back in cans and on tap at the brewery. It will be back at Barrington HQ and the Freehouse soon, if not already by the time you’re reading this!

The team at North Brewing is adding to their back of house with a line and prep cook to work primarily out of Timberlea, but who will need to work shifts in Cole Harbour as well. As we can speak first hand to the culture and inclusion at the brewery, we encourage any and everyone to apply if possible. Check this link for more details, including pay, benefits and how to apply. 

A few more things before we let you go this week…

The Libra brand keeps pumping out the volume as they have a new entry coming out to their low alc lineup. Lemongrass Ginger Saison is their newest release, with the characteristics of a dry-finishing saison but with lemongrass and ginger to bring some more flavour. This will be available on March 1st for general distribution and is 0.4% ABV and packaged in the same 355ml format as their other offerings. 

Lawrencetown’s Lunn’s Mill Beer has a full-bodied and smooth beer out this week, Repaired Wee Heavy. At 7.2%, this is sure to warm you up as you enjoy it, and features just a hint of smoke for a lovely complement to the caramel and raisin notes. Available on tap and in cans at their taproom, and check out their stall at this weekend’s Wolfville Farmers’ Market if you are in the area.

New Maritime Beer in Miramichi is going dark for their latest release this week, with Golden Ticket Chocolate Brown. Dark malt is enhanced with the use of chocolate in the beer, and at 6.0% ABV, is good for one entry to good times! Available now at their spot at 55 Newcastle Boulevard, and coming to select ANBL and BAS locations across the province.

In Bay Roberts, Baccalieu Trail Brewing is welcoming back their Wintermen’s ESB. Harkening back to their opening in 2018, this “Extra Special Bitter” is light, has a touch of caramel on the palate, and despite the name, uses hops judiciously and is not very bitter at all. It is extra special, though! This 5.3% quaffer is available now at their taproom and in St. John’s, with cans (yay! after some delays with a breakdown in the canning machine) heading across the island before too long.

In the Gut, Quidi Vidi has a returning favourite of their own this week, their Imperial Coconut Porter. This 9.0% beaut is full of nutty, toasty, and dark caramel flavours, with the added benefit of toasted coconut to complete the package. Look for it at their taproom and Hops Shop location, as well as convenience stores and NLCs.

Finally this week, we wanted to share the news of the sale and ownership change of Dieppe’s Flying Boats Brewing. First started by Marc Melanson in his Shediac Bay garage in 2015 (learn more about the history in our Profile with Melanson), he expanded into a much larger space in Dieppe three years later, operating on a 1,500 litre system, serving an on-site taproom and retailers across the province (and Alberta). JALT Beverage Co was founded in 2023, with three of its four principals being the group that acquired Pump House in December 2020 (more on that sale here, here, and here). With JALT’s acquisition of Flying Boats, CEO Alex Noel says that they will continue the brand as previously, including retaining staff, with an eye to expand into the non-alcoholic market. We are excited to follow along and see what Flying Boats and JALT continue to do in the local craft beer and beverage scene. The full press release is here.

Here we are, nearly ten hours late for our usual posting time (sorry!) starting the second week of December. As we inch closer to the 12 Days of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, we can all appreciate the community around beer and breweries and getting together with friends and family. While you may be tucking into your favourite style of Advent Calendars, there are plenty of new releases below and exciting beery things happening in our region. 

We start out in Fredericton, New Brunswick, this week with Trailway Brewing who have a few updates for the masses. First up is Founder of the Feast, a brand new barrel aged barleywine. Aged in 28 year-old single malt barrels from Glenora Distillery, it brings a lot of complex flavours of malt, toffee and raisins. While it is 11.9%, it’s also very drinkable and smooth with the strong undertone of malt and barrel-derived oak flavours. Balanced with some Cascade and Magnum hops, this comes in at 74 IBU but presents as much less bitter. It is available in bottles in Fredericton and Saint John locations. We recommend trying this one at close to room temperature to get the most of the complex flavours. Next up is a new version of The Blend, their 5.3% Smoothie Sour, but this batch is a mixed berry flavour featuring blueberry, blackberry, strawberry and raspberry. Each can has about 200 grams of the berry blend, which still contains plenty of sugar, so make sure to keep them cold! Look for this in cans now at all Trailway locations. Last up from Trailway is a holiday event running until December 13th. The 12 Days of Giftmas is a special at both locations where every purchase you make enters you in a draw for dinner, an AirBNB night, gas cards and more. 

Hopping up to Newfoundland, Quidi Vidi Brewery has an exciting collaboration with Food Culture Place founders and authors. Bog & Barrens is a sweet gale and cranberry porter. As a Newfoundland-inspired beer, the collaboration with Lori McCarthy and Marsha Tulk is meant to follow their whole ethos: reviving, rejoicing and reinventing Newfoundland food. Sweet Gale is a floral herb frequently used in soups and cooking, while the cranberries are also local. The beer is a 5.3%, drinkable, dark and sweet release that will be available at NLC locations and convenience stores around the island. 

We head back to Nova Scotia where Garrison Brewing has some seasonal offerings making a return. First up is  the welcomed return of Spruce Beer. This strong ale uses local spruce and fir tips from Meander River Farm along with blackstrap molasses from Crosby’s. This historic style is a malty, complex, full-bodied, and warm offering that is perfect for the season. Balanced out with Centennial hops, the clean bitterness and warming flavours come together in a 7.3% robust ale. This is the first time we’re getting this release in cans and will be available only at the two Garrison locations at the Seaport and The Oxford Taproom. Also available at both taprooms is the return of their holiday glassware. There are a few different variations with various quotes from Holiday movies. They’re $8 and also available online for shipping and delivery. 

Staying in Halifax, and with OG breweries from the great craft beer expansion of 1997, Propeller is bringing us a brand new Cold IPA, Summit. This is a single hop IPA, with a cooler fermentation (hence the “cold IPA” designation) that is made to showcase the experimental HBC 586 hop. The hop variety itself is from Hop Breeding Company (a collaboration John I Haas and Yakima Chief Ranches). HBC 586 is recommended to be used as a whirlpool addition to bring big fruit flavours of mango, guava, lychee and citrus. This one ends up as a crisp, clean 6.1% and 65 IBU and it  is available today in all Prop Shops, online for delivery, and at private HRM stores. It will hit select NSLC locations in the coming weeks. 

From cold and crisp, to chocolatey and rich, HRM’s North Brewing has a sweet new treat for us this week. Black Forest Cake is a dessert stout in the brewery’s best effort to make a liquid cake. Starting out with a full-bodied stout using toasted oats for creaminess and dark malts for a rich flavour. It was then conditioned on 30kg of French brandy-steeped cherries from Noggins Farm and six pounds of cacao nibs from Rousseau Chocolatier. All together you get a 6% full stout that is very smooth, slightly fruity and great aromas of chocolate, berries and molasses. This is canned and available at all three North locations and online for delivery and shipping. 

Sticking in Nova Scotia, Tanner Brewing continues to bring frequent releases of unique older styles, styles so unique and/or old that we, beer geeks that we are, haven’t even heard of them! Foch is a 7% harvest saison fermented on Marechal Foch grape skins from Grand Pré Winery. The grape skins bring flavours of dark berry and, along with their saison yeast, a bit of spice to match the 25 IBU bitterness. This one comes out in 500ml bottles directly from the brewery; make sure you check out their delivery schedule from Bridgewater up to Halifax.

Burnside Brewing has a very exclusive release out of their Antigonish location, Oak Manor. They’ve got a Dry-Hopped Cream Ale at 5% that brings some tropical flavours and aromas to the light, crushable, slightly malty cream ale style. Teaming up for the dry-hop party are Citra, Moteuka and Rakau, not hops you’d normally associate with a cream ale, but an excellent explanation for the citrus and tropical party going on. There is only one keg of this at Oak Manor, so try it while you can! And great news, pints are a-flowing at their Common location at The Hub shopping centre in Truro!

One of our favourite ongoing series and hidden gems has always been Annapolis Cider and their Something Different cider series.They have a new one on tap in Wolfville, with Something Different Pink Pamplemousse. Not only is it one of our favourite French words to say, but this cider with its pink colour and puckering flavour really highlights the grapefruit. This is a complex cider, using a blend of three liquids, a grapefruit forward hop ferment (that steeped on lavender flower for over a week), an arrested strawberry wine ferment (that was less than half fermented) and a bit of raspberry juice. All together this comes out as at 6.9% with notes of berry and lavender, that is slightly sour and tart. Try this on tap while you can! Further, as always, $0.50 from each Something Different growler fill goes directly to a charity and this one will support Chrysalis House, a safe and non-judgmental environment providing shelter and outreach services for women and children.

Staying in the ciderverse, we have the latest from Mauzy in Newfoundland. All For A Laugh is a “Maple Sap Piquette.” This release from the 2022 season uses a pomace mix of their Mt Scio and Southern Shore apples that was rehydrated with maple sap from the Burin Peninsula. The mixture was macerated for seven days and conditioned and aged for eight months with dolgo crabapple juice. This finished at a 4.3% ABV and 36 cases of 341ml bottles were produced. Check out their website for shipping and delivery.  

You may be aware of the Christmas Tree that the province of Nova Scotia sends to the city of Boston every year as a symbol of thanks for the aid and kindness provided by Bostonians in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion in 1917, but you may not be aware of the beery collaboration going on between Harpoon Brewery and Big Spruce Brewing in a similar spirit. For a couple of years now, Big Spruce has released From Nova Scotia With Love around this time each year. This year they also welcomed BS alumnus Matt Wanamaker and his current brewery, The People’s Pint, from Greenfield MA, to take part. In contrast with some other year over year collaborations, rather than making the same beer every time, they have some fun and switch it up! This year the operative style is imperial stout, but with the riders “barrel aged” and “chocolate molé.” The barrel aging was courtesy of Glenora Distillery whiskey barrels, and the molé flavours were driven by Just Us! organic hot chocolate powder with chili spice in the kettle, and then some cayenne added during fermentation. Brewed using techniques to drive a big silky mouthfeel, the additional residual complex sugars will ideally make for a beer that ages well in the can. So maybe grab a few, some to enjoy now on a cold night in front of a warm fire, and a couple to sample over the coming months or even years.

If you’re not in the Annapolis Valley, Lazy Bear Brewing in Smith’s Cove, NS, might not be on your radar. They’re one of those breweries that have steadily focused on serving their local area and if some of their beer manages to escape to the big city, well, hopefully that’s a good thing for everyone. But if you’re in the HRM and are interested in trying some beers you might not have been able to get your hands on before, Lazy Bear is shipping to the city on December 13th. You can place your order online by noon on December 12th for pickup the next day between 4 and 5:15pm at the Windsor Street Sobeys. One of the beers you might be able to order is their latest, Colossal, a Belgian tripel; bottle conditioned and 9.4% ABV, best to make sure you’re not scheduled to operate any heavy machinery after drinking one!

Coming ‘round the horn of the southwestern portion of NS from the Valley to the South Shore, this week sees the re-release of a beer from the past out of Shelburne, NS, but also out of Truro, NS. In 2019 the last Boxing Rock Black Box Challenge on record (hint hint to Henry & Emily!) awarded the big prize to Hello Darkness, a Schwarzbier brewed by Truro brewer Jana Dellapinna, who has since gone on to great success, opening the recently expanded Truro Brewing Co. It’s that time of year when dark beers come out of the woodwork, so what better time for Boxing Rock to put out another batch of Hello Darkness? Dark malts, chocolate and spice on the nose, and a soft bitterness give way to a smooth mouthfeel followed by the characteristically dry finish you expect from a lager. Find this one at the source, no doubt Local Source at Windsor and Almon in Halifax, and, hopefully, wherever else you go for your BR fix. If you grab one, whilst you enjoy it you might speculate on whether we’ll see Brian Harvey’s Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire or Grafted or acbbaaron’s Oh Snap! make a return as well [Ed. note: please allow us a little bit of shameless self-promotion there along with another hint hint to Henry & Emily 😉 ]

We’ve got something beery for you on Agricola Street in Halifax this week, and then nearby in the West End as well:

Mark your calendars, beer nerds! Next Thursday December 14th, The Stillwell Freehouse will be pouring six different draft Lambics from Oud Beersel. As a part of this delicious event, they are hosting an official screening of the new lambic-loving 2023 documentary, Bottle Conditioned. The doc is an exploration into blenders, brewers, and the rise in popularity of the lambic style. You can call the Freehouse or send them a DM on IG to book a table in the back room for the 6pm showing of the movie!

Here are the 6 draft lambics they’ll be offering:

  • Oude Lambiek
  • Oude Lambic – 3 Year
  • Kriekenlambiek
  • Rabarber Lambiek
  • Rozenlambiek
  • Earl Grey Lambic

Our friends at 2 Crows are getting very close to opening their second location. As we’ve noted before, it’s in the West End of Halifax on Oxford/Cork streets (next to On The Mat and the former location of 4Cats Art Studio); Yeah Yeah’s Pizza has moved from their Barrington Street location to join them. They will be open next week, as they aim to do a soft opening if all goes to plan, and we can share their opening tap list for next week as they were so kind to share. Featuring ten taps from 2 Crows, a Sourwood cider and a Goodmore Kombucha, 2 Crows Oxford (official name) has 12 taps to serve the people!

Here are the ten 2 Crows offerings:

  • AC Light Lager
  • Pollyanna – Northeast IPA
  • Classic – Maritime Dry Stout
  • Fantacity – Belgian Wheat 
  • Jamboree Strawberry & Guava – Sour
  • Jamboree Blueberry & Lemon – Sour
  • Perfect Revelation – New England IPA
  • Home & Home – collaboration with Lone Oak – Hazy IPA w/ wine grapes
  • Battery Power – Hazy IPA
  • Letna – Bohemian Pilsner

Keep your eyes peeled on their social media and watch out for a soft opening and grand opening within the next week!

And a couple last items before we send you on your way for the weekend:

The Holiday releases continue up in Newfoundland, as we’ve got a few returning seasonals from a pair of Newfoundland breweries. First up is Rough Waters Brewing out of Deer Lake with Captain Gingersnap. This is a Gingerbread Milk Stout with that full bodied stout feeling, lactose added, and some additions of ginger, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves. This is canned, 5.9% ABV, and available now!

Next up is a pair of Holiday IPAs from Baccalieu Trail Brewing out of Bay Roberts. While the beers themselves are not holiday themed recipes, they’ve had a makeover on the label designs for the season. First up is Mad Crowd, a hazy IPA packed with Citra, Mosaic and Cascade hops giving you a lot of juice in a highly drinkable 5.5% brew, and sporting a nice red label.

Next up is Loud Crowd, a double dry hopped double IPA (DDHDIPA for short?). Sporting a festive green label, this version features generous hopping and dry-hopping of BRU-1, Citra Spectrum and Galaxy hops. They said they’ve really pushed their equipment for maximum hop saturation and this clocks in at 7.5%. Both of these are available now directly from the brewery. 

And for those of you visiting Halifax over the next few weeks, make sure to pop into Bishop’s Cellar, as they’ve had lots of beer-y treats pop onto their shelves from Bellwoods, Fairweather and Willibald. Over the next few weeks they’ll be getting in their usual imports from Chimay and Lindemans as well as Delirium Tremens mini-kegs, so keep an eye out as you stock up for your holiday wine and beer!