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Friday Wrap-Up – News from Hammond River, Sea Level, Red Rover, Railcar, Maybee, Fredericton Poutine Fest, and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2016-01-15
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Boxing Rock Black Box Challenge, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Fredericton Poutine Festival, Good Robot Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Johnny Jacks Brewery, Maybee Brewing, Meander River Farm and Brewery, Paddys Irish Brewpub, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Craft Cider, Sea Level Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Good morning, beer fans! After the beer news overload we experienced last week, things have slowed down a bit… maybe the snow and colder weather has something to do with it? Either way, there’s still some news to share for this week!

• Hammond River has a couple of new beers in their pipeline… first up is a revamp of one of their first flagship brews, Hop Flash IPA. Brewer Shane Steeves simplified the grain bill to contain 2-row as the base malt, plus some CaraRed (the original beer also had Munich and Melanoidin malt in the grist). The hops have changed slightly: Warrior is used for bittering, with Chinook, Cascade and Centennial added during the boil for flavour, and Amarillo in the dry-hop (as opposed to Cascade in version 1). It still comes in at 66 IBUs and 6.6% ABV, but as Steeves explains, “The goal is to show how a different grain bill and slightly different hop profile can affect the taste profile of a beer”. Look for Hop Flash 2 to appear within a few weeks. HR will also be brewing a new beer soon, inspired by several Nut Brown Ales that Steeves brewed in his homebrewing days. This one is being categorized as a “Nut Red” Ale (“a cross between an American Amber and Irish Red”, says Steeves), with “lots of toasty, biscuity, and nutty flavours”. The recipe is still being hashed out, but we can expect it to come in at approximately 5.5% ABV. Finally, their Imperial Vanilla Porter is available once again at most HR accounts, with a lucky two (James Joyce and the Barrel’s Head) receiving the 9.2% ABV Bourbon version!

• Sea Level has just released their first Belgian-style beer, a Farmhouse Ale named New Moon. Fermented with a Belgian yeast strain to give the beer some spicy phenolics and fruity esters, there was also some Chinese rock sugar and dried orange peel added in the fermentor, with more orange peel added in the brite tank for further conditioning. A strong beer at 9% ABV, it is currently available in cans at the brewery retail store, and should also be at Harvest Wines & Spirits and Bishop’s Cellar today. Look for it to also pop up on tap at select accounts.

• Last Friday, we hinted at a big announcement coming from Red Rover, and they confirmed earlier this week that one of their goals has finally been reached! As of Tuesday, 750 mL bottles of their ciders are now available for sale at select ANBL stores. The initial launch includes their Spring, Fall, and Fire ciders, which are available at all four Fredericton ANBL locations, with most stores in Saint John following shortly, along with Dieppe (Regis St.); check online for updates on stock and locations. We can likely expect new seasonal releases to hit stores as well. RR’s Adam Clawson had this to say about the announcement: “We are really excited; it is a major milestone in creating a craft cider industry in New Brunswick. We would really like to thank all of our customers for their continued support, as this will now enable Red Rover to reach people unable to get to our farmers market and The Ciderhouse.”

• While we’re on the topic of new, local releases at the ANBL, both Railcar and Maybee Brewing announced this week that some of their beers should be on shelves very soon. Railcar’s first beers will be their Artisan Brown and Café Buzz Porter; both will be available in 500 mL bottles, and should be for sale by this weekend. Look for Railcar Red to follow in another two weeks. The Perth-Andover and Woodstock stores will likely be stocked first, with stores between Grand Falls and Fredericton hopefully following in the near future before further expansion to Saint John and Moncton by summer. Maybee Brewing will start off with their Work Horse IPA (one of their first two flagship beers), which will be available in 500 mL cans sometime next week. As above, be sure to check online for exact info on stock and locations. While not showing up at publishing time, check out these links for the ANBL’s current inventory of Railcar and Maybee beers.

• Tickets are now on sale for the Fredericton Poutine Festival on Saturday, April 2nd. This is the first time the event has been scheduled outside of the fall season, but after the continuing popularity of recent festivals, it was decided to have another one! April’s event will be very familiar to the most recent one on November 21st: it will take place at the Crowne Plaza, and will feature three different sessions, two of which offer various ticket options for anywhere from 4 to 16 beer tickets for 4-oz samples of a selection of over 20 local craft beer. And, of course, unlimited samples of approximately 15 different types of poutine, even more than last time! The brewery list is still being finalized, but this year’s festival will feature a majority of breweries located in Fredericton. Check out the ticket link for more details, and be sure to buy yours quickly – previous events have sold out quickly, and more than 40% of tickets have already been sold since going on sale yesterday morning at 11 am!

• Boxing Rock has released details on the Black Box Challenge, their first homebrew competition… with a twist. After paying a $45+HST entry fee, entrants will pick up their Black Box, which contains eight different malts, five hop varieties, and two yeast strains. Using any or all of these ingredients, you can brew any style that you want (under 9% ABV)… but you can’t use any outside ingredients (well, except water of course!). Each Black Box is identical, and contains enough ingredients to brew a 1-gallon test batch and two 5-gallon batches (depending on the style). Only one entry per person, and the number of entrants is being limited to twenty (you can register and pay online). Judging will take place at Stillwell on Sunday, March 6th; all entrants are required to make a short (<5 min) presentation on their entry for judges, highlighting their recipe planning, the brewday, and your final product. That presentation, along with the beer, will be judged, and the winning entry and brewer will be invited to scale up their recipe at Boxing Rock in Shelburne. The beer will be released in time for Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week in May. Half of the entry fees and proceeds from the full-scale batch will be donated to the Shelburne Loyalist Food Bank. Sign up today (there are only a few boxes left!) and pick up your Box from Stillwell starting Jan 23rd. Good luck!

• We’ve spotted several other new beers in the wild this week, but haven’t been able to gather too much information for you just yet. Rest assured, we’re on the case! In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the newest beers from Hell Bay (the return of their very popular R.I.P. (A), their 7.3%, 120 IBU, IPA), Meander River (Cold Porridge Oatmeal Stout), and a pair of new German-inspired beers from Paddys Irish Brewpub (Decem-beer Bock coming in at 6.1% and 15 IBUs, and a 6.8% Weizenbock).

Don’t forget to pick up a growler or pint of Spindrift‘s The Abyss Schwarzbier, being released today (with a special coffee-infused cask debuting last night at the Craft Beer and Local Food event). Check out the fun as Upstreet visits Halifax this weekend, with tickets for their Sunday Beer Pairing Luncheon at Stubborn Goat now on sale. And grab a pint of Johnny Jacks’ latest creation, Showshoe Winter Ale, at Sour Grape Cafe, and now on tap at the James Joyce. Brasseurs du Petit-Sault have re-brewed their Canon Franchetti Cappuccino Stout, and it should be available by mid-February; this batch is also going to be bottled this time around. And look for a trio of AlphaBrews (large scale Experimental batches) from the mind of Good Robot Brewmaster Doug Kehoe: their “Märzen“, a traditional Festbier with a cherrywood-smoked malt twist; a “Saison“, with a chewy plum spice character; and v3.0 of Burban Legend APA, dry-hopped with El Dorado for a citrus and watermelon aroma.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Petit-Sault, Unfiltered, Bad Apple, YellowBelly, Rockbottom, Big Tide, and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2015-12-11
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bad Apple Brewhouse, Battery Park, Big Tide Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Charm School, Christmas Beer Garden at the Market, First City Brewery, Garrison Brewing, Garrison Home Brew-Off Challenge, Good Robot Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, James Joyce Irish Pub, North Brewing, Railcar Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, Spindrift Brewing, Sunset Heights Meadery, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday everyone! Lots of new beers and taproom openings to tell you about today, so let’s dive right in.

• Petit-Sault just released their newest brew, Maxime Albert, a Belgian Tripel. Winner of the bronze medal in the Belgian-Style Specialty Ale category in the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards, it iss named after one of New Brunswick’s most famous bootleggers. The beer features a relatively simple recipe of Pilsner malt and Belgian candi sugar to boost the alcohol level (all the way to 9.3% ABV) and give a drier finish, both of which are indicative to the style. Hopped with Hallertau and Saaz to 35 IBUs, it was also lightly spiced with a “secret mix” of spices. Pouring with a “rich, golden honey” appearance, it has an aroma of sweet malt, spicy alcohol, and “light floral notes”, according to the brewery. Expect complex flavours of “malt, pepper, citrus, floral and herbal”, followed by a smooth alcohol warmth. The beer is currently on tap at the brewery and at all four ANBL growler stations this weekend, and should follow in bottles within the next few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled at your favourite beer bars/restaurant in the province, as it may turn up at these locations as well.

• Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing opened their adjacent taproom late last week, Charm School. In addition to the three core beers, and handful of seasonals now pouring (Daytimer Berliner Weisse, Hop Riot IRA, Flat Black Jesus American Stout, Double Orange Ale DIPA), they are also featuring a special collaboration release with  Jeff Saunders of Bad Apple Brewhouse. Smokeshow is an “Imperial Rauchbier” brewed with 100% Smoked malt; the beer was then aged on hickory for an entire year. It’s a big beer, coming in at a massive 11.2% ABV! The only way to grab this beer, for now, is on tap at 6041 North Street, so be sure to drop by for a pint. Charm School is open daily (except Monday) from 4pm.

• We now have more details on this year’s first batch of Yellowbelly‘s Mummer’s Ale. The grist is quite complex, with 2-row, light Carastan, Munich, Flaked Barley, Pale Chocolate malt and Black malt. Two different types of sugar (Belgian candi and turbinado) were also added, as well as local honey from Murray Meadows Farm. Including further additions of cacao nibs from the Newfoundland Chocolate Factory, and fresh-pressed cranberry juice from Rodrigues Winery. Weighing in at ~6.5% ABV, expect a warming, very complex brew! The Mummer’s will be released at the brewery mid-next week, and should also be available in bottles shortly thereafter.

• There’s a new beer pouring at the Rockbottom Brewpub these days, a special German-style brew. Sticke Alt is an Altbier, traditional to the German city of Dusseldorf. The name translates as “Secret Old”: Secret, as the breweries/pubs would keep this special brew on a hidden or unmarked tap handle, and only pour it for the regular patrons; Old, because this beer is closer to an ale than a lager (the refrigeration required for lager brewing is a relatively new development in beer’s history). The good news is, anyone can enjoy this brew at the ‘bottom! The grain bill features mostly Pilsner malt with a bit of German specialty malts for colour and body (and was brewed using the traditional Hochkurz step-mash schedule), and the hop bill is great Eastern European and Noble hops, featuring plenty of Dana, Magnum, and Saaz, for an American IPA feel from Continental European malts and hops. The final product comes in at 5.8% ABV and a hefty 50 IBUs, and is available now for pints as well as growler fills.

• Big Tide has brought back a seasonal favourite, their Santa’s Chocolate Porter. Brewed with 2-row, CaraMunich, and Chocolate malt, the beer is lightly hopped to 25 IBUs. Coming in at a sessionable 4.8% ABV, it features additions during secondary fermentation of vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon, making it a flavorful, spicy beer for the holidays. It’s currently on tap at the brewpub, and will be available for growler fills at all four ANBL stores at the end of next week (Dec 18th weekend).

• Also on tap now at Big Tide is Unbegrentz Lager, a Munich Helles. Featuring a Pilsner malt base, and generously hopped with Columbus and Hallertau, this beer features an addition of Labrador Tea for a twist on this traditional German style. The beer features 4.8% ABV.

• There’s plenty going on this month with Fredericton’s Sunset Heights Meadery! First up is a “bottle takeover” at the James Joyce Pub tonight. This Mead Your Maker event will feature several of their still meads, including THOR, Arthur’s Mischief, Hunt, Appily Married and the “Honey Cones” Dry Hopped Meads. The latter will be available as a set of eight 1 oz pours (featuring single hopped versions with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Fuggle, Galena, Nugget, Magnum and Willamette, as well as a 2 oz pour of each of their Multi-Hop and unhopped base versions. In addition, if you try this sampler ($20), you will be given the opportunity to buy a case of “Honey Cones” (this weekend marks the second release of these meads, which sold out at the first release in October) before they officially go on sale online. And keep an eye on the Pollen Angels store on the weekend, as a limited number of these expressions will be available for home delivery.

• Good Robot has announced that they will be opening their taproom at 2736 Robie very soon, and have released a video sneak peak at the space and plans. They will be pouring 12 taps, featuring their core lineup of brews, special casks/blends, and small batch experimental brews from homebrewers and friends of the Robots. As such, they will be temporarily pulling the Crown on the Ground Steam Beer from the brewing rotation, so fans should stock up now (they will still have it in kegs for a while, fear not!). Look for new brews like Marzen, Saison (which will be joining the regular lineup shortly), Session IPA (our own Chris was invited to help brew this collaboration), Smoked Molasses Porter, and many more as time goes on. Have a cool idea for a small-batch brew? Get in touch! The taproom will also feature food from some great local providers, including Food Noise, Halifax Press, and Salvatore’s Pizza.

• New Brunswick’s newest brewery, First City Brewery, has quietly made their debut in Saint John! Owned and operated by Adam McQueen and Jeff Gibbons, three initial beers are now listed through ANBL for beers bars and restaurants to order for kegs: their Extra Special Bitter, IPA, and Rhuberry Blonde Ale, with the IPA currently at the R-Bar in downtown Saint John. Plans are to be pouring at the Peel Pub and Bourbon Quarter in the very near future, with other accounts to follow shortly after. They will also have their beers at both the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and Saint John Beer Fest in 2016. Welcome, First City! We’ll have more info on the brewery and beers very soon.

• Dartmouth’s Spindrift Brewing has expanded their storefront hours to include Saturday hours (now M-F, 11-6, Sat 12-4pm). Drop by for samples and growler fills of their flagship Coastal Lager, which is also available in an unfiltered variant only at the brewery. Spindrift has also expanded their territory East, to Newfoundland. Coastal Lager hit the shelves of the NLC this week, and can be found from Labrador City to St John’s. Check the NLC site for locations near you.

• Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has put together a new take on their Weizen beer. Pear Hug Weisse is a 5.2% Hefeweizen with an addition of pear juice to the brew. Bringing in a sweet character and characteristic fruit flavour and aroma, it is a unique take on this old style. This limited-time beer is on tap at the brewery for samples and growler fills now, and will make it to local bars as well. The brewery has expanded their taps to pour 11 beers for growler fills, or onsite tasting. Joining the Pear Hug and their 5 core brands currently are Imperial IPA, Martello Stout, Risin’ Stein Weisse, Spruce Beer, and Winter Warmer. And remember, the Home Brew-Off entries are due February 11th, just two months away. Homebrewers from across the Maritimes are encouraged to take an American IPA, and make it something more, by adding herbs, fruit, different yeasts, etc. Details and forms are available on their site.

• Residents and visitors of Florenceville-Bristol in New Brunswick have a pair of new brews to look forward to this weekend. Railcar Brewing has released a pair of beers to keep you warm: Raspberry Stout is a 7.7% ABV American Stout, with raspberries added for a lovely fruit flavour and aroma, to offset the hefty 55 IBUs; Christmas Spiced Ale is a 5.5% ABV beer featuring spices reminiscent of gingerbread and mulled wine and keeping warm around the fire. Both beers are on tap at the brewery taproom now, along with their Artisan Brown, Cafe Buzz, Orange Rye, Trainwreck IPA; the taproom will be open daily until Christmas for growler and schwag sales, as well as rental for parties.

• Battery Park Beer Bar at 62 Ochterloney in Dartmouth opened yesterday, with a full complement of brews and food for thirsty patrons. Pouring beers (and wine and house-made soda) from across the province, the downstairs space also serves as North Brewing’s second storefront, offering growler fills and bottles to go. Debuting this week is Dartmouth Dark, a 4.5% dark lager with cold-brewed coffee from neighbours Anchored Coffee added to the brew. And just released today are bottles of Glenora Barrel Aged Strong Dark Belgian, available at both the Halifax and Dartmouth storefronts. North is open daily from noon, and Battery Park from 2pm (both are closed Tuesdays).

• A bit of an update concerning the upcoming Christmas Beer Garden at the Market in Fredericton, scheduled for Sunday, December 20th: due to overwhelming interest, tickets for the event have been sold out. Originally, a small handful of “early bird” tickets were made available, and included a special glass and four 20 oz beer tickets. More tickets were sold than originally planned; unfortunately, due to a limited number of people allowed to enter the market area, dropping in to the event is no longer an option. Luckily, organizers behind the market event already have bigger plans for next year’s holiday season, to allow more people to partake in the celebrations!

Just a few more notes for this week: The Grimross Dubbel Noel was just kegged, so look for that one to be popping up for growler fills at the brewery, and on tap in the area, any day now. The new hoppy Amber from TrailWay has been named – Good Aura – and is now pouring in Fredericton; more info on that beer in last week’s post. Hammond River just announced that their beers will now be available on tap at Moncton’s Tide & Boar; also, their new Foghorn Coffee Porter is on tap at Bourbon Quarter, Saint John Ale House, and The Barrel’s Head. Upstreet is holding a tap takeover at the Water’s Edge upcoming Ugly Sweater party on Friday, December 18th at 8 pm; along with their regular line-up, look for a special cask of their new stout, Black Tie Affair, featuring the addition of coconut and cocoa nib tea. Phewf! Have a great weekend!

Friday Wrap-Up – Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards Wrap-Up, and News from Pump House, Fredericton Cider Fest, Railcar and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2015-10-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Atlantic Canadian Brewing Awards, Fredericton Cider Festival, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Railcar Brewing, Red Rover Brewing, River Valley Micro, Sea Level Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stutz Cider, TrailWay Brewing, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday! We’ve got a summary of last weekend’s ACBAs, plus lots of new brews, so let’s get right to it!

• Last weekend’s Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards celebrated the high quality beers and ciders in our region. We reached out to ACBA organizer Mark DeWolf (Manager – Custom Content, Food & Drink at The Chronicle Herald) for his thoughts on the event:

“We were very pleased with the number of entries and overall quality of the beer and ciders entered into this year’s competition. This year’s Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards drew over 200 product submissions from more than 30 breweries and cideries from across Atlantic Canada. With 21 different producers picking up an award, it was clear that there is a high level of brewing and cider making in all corners of the region.  It was great seeing some old favourites and some new surprises take home awards. As an organizer, you can never predict what products and producers will win awards, all we can do is ensure that there is an equal opportunity for all the participants. To that end, the BJCP judges and volunteers should be commended. They were exceptionally professional in the manner with which they carried out their duties. Congratulations, of course, goes out to Garrison Brewing Company for winning their title as Brewery of the Year, Red Rover from New Brunswick for winning our newly created Cidery of the Year award, Rockbottom Brewpub for winning the title of Brewpub of the Year and Bad Apple Brewhouse for collecting the title of Beer of the Year for their exceptional Box Cutter IPA. We look forward to a bigger and better competition in 2016.”

Here are the winners in the individual categories:

#1) N.A. / European Style Lager
Gold Hop City Barking Squirrel Moosehead Breweries Ltd.
Silver Bohemian Style Pilsener Propeller Brewing Company
Bronze Alpine Moosehead Breweries Ltd.

#2) German Specialty Ales
Gold Rise ‘n’ Stein Heffewiezen Garrison Brewing Company
Silver Uncle Leo’s Altbier Uncle Leo’s Brewery
Bronze Stirling Hefeweizen Breton Brewing Co.

#3) UK Specialty Style Ales
Gold Bulldog Brown Ale Rockbottom Brewpub
Silver Raven Ale Paddy’s Brewpub
Bronze Uncle Leo’s Red Ale Uncle Leo’s Brewery

#4) N.A. Specialty Ales
Gold Bitter Get’er India Black IPA Big Spruce Brewing
Silver Ol’ Fog Burner Garrison Brewing Company
Bronze Sir John A Honey Wheat PEI Brewing Company

#5) Belgian Style Specialty Ales
Gold Simone et Hebert Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault
Silver La Buckdjeuve Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault
Bronze Maxime Albert Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault

#6) N.A. Amber / Red Ales
Silver Blue Heron Extra Special Bitter Sea Level Brewing Co.

#7) Fruit & Field Beers
Gold Thai Wheat Pump House Brewery
Silver Rhuby Social Upstreet Craft Brewing
Bronze Smashed Pumpkin Paddy’s Brewpub

#8) Pale Ales
Gold Vic Park PEI Brewing Company
Silver English Ale Hell Bay Brewing Co. Ltd.
Bronze Gimme Citra Big Spruce Brewing + Stillwell

# 9) Stout / Porter
Gold La Vaca Loca Barnone Brewing
Silver Revolution Russian Imperial Stout Propeller Brewing Company
Bronze Oatmeal Stout Rockbottom Brewpub

#10) India Pale Ale
Gold Box Cutter IPA Bad Apple Brewhouse
Silver Deception Bay IPA Tatamagouche Brewing Company
Bronze Fathom IPA Rockbottom Brewpub

#11) Experimental
Gold IPA Gastronome Garrison Brewing Company
Silver Surf & Turf Meander River Farm & Brewery
Bronze Uncle Leo’s Smoked Porter Uncle Leo’s Brewery

#12) Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer
Gold Barrel Aged Grand Baltic Porter Garrison Brewing Company
Silver Zirable Acadie-Broue Inc.
Bronze Rum Barrel Aged Dreadnot Tatamagouche Brewing Company

#13) Standard Cider & Perry
Gold Ship Builders Cider Cider House
Silver VeRRy PeRRy Red Rover Craft Cider
Bronze Stutz Original Cider House

#14) Specialty Cider & Perry
Gold Fire Cider Red Rover Craft Cider
Silver The Blues Red Rover Craft Cider
Bronze Stutz Wild Blueberry Cider House
Beer of the Year/Best of Show: Box Cutter IPA – Bad Apple Brewhouse
Brewery of the Year: Garrison Brewing Company
Brewpub of the Year: Rockbottom Brewpub
Cidery of the Year (new): Red Rover Craft Cider

Congratulations once again to the winners, and to all of our local breweries and cider houses for continuing to step up their game and improving the environment for local beer fans. Now on to the rest of our scheduled program…

• We finally have some news on the new IPA from Pump House; SPCA IPA was brewed in support of the Greater Moncton SPCA, and was officially released at the brewery yesterday. Heavily-hopped (with almost four times the amount of hops as their regular-release IPA) with a blend of “atypical hops”, this amber-coloured beer has an aroma of “grapefruit and citrus, paired with subtle hints of dark berries and a touch of phenol”, according to the brewery. The bitterness comes across as intense, yet with a “pleasingly palatable” flavour. Weighing in at 7% ABV and 50 IBUs, it’s available now in 500 mL bottles, exclusively at the brewpub in Moncton; a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to the GMSPCA. And Pump House’s Pumpkin Ale is out again; you can find it on tap at the brewpub, and possibly at select accounts in the province.

• The first annual Fredericton Cider Fest is being held tomorrow at Brewbakers, starting at 12 or 1 pm (depending on your ticket). Featuring approximately 25 different ciders from six producers (including Fredericton’s own Red Rover, winners of Cider House of the Year at last weekend’s ACBAs), the sold-out VIP tickets allow early entry at noon, as well as access to an info session, but there ARE still some regular-entry tickets left, which include unlimited samples and a special tasting glass. Red Rover will have two different cask ciders, one of which is their Hop Back in Time, a 7% ABV semi-dry cider that has been dry-hopped with a secret blend of varieties. With earthy and citrus notes in the nose, including hints of apple, the hops mix perfectly in the flavours to provide a slight bitterness and grassy notes on the finish. This one-off was brewed specifically for Cider Fest, so be sure to get your tickets if you haven’t already, so that you don’t miss out! For more info, check out our earlier post.

• Railcar Brewing will be celebrating their 1st Birthday on Saturday, October 31st. Drop by the brewery from 12 – 10 pm for cake and special pricing on pints and pitchers; the first 50 customers will also receive a free growler with purchased fill. Railcar has also just released Shogomac Stout, brewed with plenty of dark, roasted malts for a jet-black colour and coffee/chocolate aromas and flavours. Hopped with two additions of Southan Farms Goldings and one of Fuggles (to a total of 44 IBUs), it comes in at 5.8% ABV; you can find it now at the brewery and the James Joyce in Fredericton.

• Speaking of Railcar, they’ve had a guest brewer drop by and brew up a batch of Pale Ale, which is currently being poured as a guest tap at the brewery. Al Bannister is the owner of River Valley Micro, a homebrew shop in Woodstock, NB, who plans on opening his own brewery sometime in 2016. He recently brewed his Trout Pout Pale Ale on Railcar’s system, a 6.6% ABV and 43 IBUs beer hopped with Amarillo and Centennial. Bannister hopes to brew a Blonde Ale and American IPA (both with hops from Southan Farms) at Railcar in the near future, with other styles to follow. Drop by Railcar if you’re in the area, and get a sneak peek from this upcoming brewery!

• The season’s creeping to a close, but there’s still some Harvest beers hitting the shelves! Hell Bay has just released their High Tide Harvest Ale, hopped entirely with locally-grown hops from High Tide Hops Farm in Dayspring, NS. This 5% ABV ale showcases a “rich, malty body”, and “peppery notes” from the European yeast strain used for fermentation. It’s currently available at the brewery for growler fills, as well as on tap at Stillwell and White Point Beach Resort, and this weekend’s sold out Celtic Oktoberfest.

• Yellowbelly Brewery in St John’s is celebrating Oktoberfest with their newest beer … Oktoberfest! This is the first time YB has brewed a lager, taking a detour from their standard ale offerings. Brewed in the traditional Fest Bier style, this 6% ABV grain bill features Pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts, and was hopped with Styrian Goldings and Saphir to about 28 IBUs, and then allowed to ferment and condition cold for a month before hitting the taps. The resultant beer is very smooth with a nice noble hop character to complement the malt base, and as such is very easy to drink. And while at the pub, be sure to grab some of their Deep South, now in bottles to take away.

• Petite Riviere Vineyards has released a new cider in their Stutz lineup: Stutz Chai Spice. Featuring a special blend of Black Pepper, Cardamon, Cinnamon, Ginger, Madagascar Vanilla, and Star Anise, steeped in the cider post-fermentation. The base cider is 100% Annapolis Valley pressed apples, and uses the same blend as their standard Stutz, but with a lower residual sugar level. The spicing level is quite present, while allowing the bright apple notes and typical cider crispness to shine through. In addition to the pleasant flavour and aromas from the Chai spice blend, there may also be some relaxation and digestion benefits to the spices. The Chai Spice is available at the NSLC, along with the standard and Blueberry blends, as well as their Farmers’ market booths and shop in Petite Riviere.

• Grimross has released their Singel, another beer in their Belgian Abbey series. Brewed as a low-alcohol (4.8% ABV) and easy-drinking, flavourful ale, this beer is along the lines of what the Abbey monks brew for their own consumption, instead of for sale to the public. Very dry, and with a “clean malt aroma and crisp light mouthfeel”, it’s similar to their previously-released Monk’s Choice earlier this year. Look for it on tap at the brewery, and at better beer establishments in New Brunswick.

• There’s been rumours for months now, but TrailWay confirmed late last week that they will be undergoing a move and major expansion over the coming months. They have already ordered their 10 BBL (310 gallons, or ~11 hL) steam-fired system from DME, and will be opening on Fredericton’s north side sometime next spring. We’ll have more info for you as progress continues… cheers to more TW beer 2016!

• Don’t forget today is the first of the Meet Your Makers tap takeovers at the James Joyce; Big Axe will be on hand starting at 7:30 pm with ten taps pouring, including their newest beer, Anaphylactic Ale. Brewed with 3 kg of the rooftop honey produced on top of the Crowne Plaza, it also features the addition of lemon thyme that was picked locally at Big Axe. It comes in at 6.5% ABV and 26 IBUs. After its launch at the James Joyce, it will also be available at the Saint John Ale House and Tide and Boar in Moncton.

• As part of tomorrow’s City Harvest, Garrison has invited the crew from Morris East and their portable wood-fired pizza oven from 10am -4pm to share some great pizza and beer. And to complement that already-winning combination, Miller’s Kettle Corn will also be in the house. To celebrate, Garrison has created a special one-off cask of Sour Cherry Stout. They filled a cask with their Martello Stout, and used the juice from sour cherries to prime/condition the cask. There is only one of these casks, and is therefore only available for onsite consumption. Drop by between 10am to 4pm to enjoy the full pizza, popcorn, and beer experience. And speaking of Garrison, drop by harbourstone sea grill & pour house to get a taste of the Gastronome IPA beer they brewed for them, which debuted last night. Also, check I Love Local’s page (and Twitter) for a full list of City Harvest activities across the HRM, many more of them featuring beer, including a discount on growler fills at North Brewing.

That’s it for this week! Hammond River has just kegged up their latest batch of Too Hop to Handle, their 8.4% ABV and 162 IBUs (calc) DIPA; look for it at their tap accounts any day now. And keep an eye open for a special aged cask of their Sterke Monnik Belgian Quad, being tapped at Port City Royal Saturday, October 31st. Bad Apple Brewhouse teased a picture of them dry-hopping their latest batch of Mosaic Double IPA, we expect it to be released again in November. All of the proceeds from this beer are donated to local support groups for families and those living with Mosaic Down Syndrome, including funding for attendance to Brigadoon Village. Firkinstein Brewing have also begun selling at the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market Thursday mornings, in addition to their Hubbards Farmers’ Market stall on Saturdays. While they may not be at this coming week’s market (Oct 29) due to space availability, they will back permanently going forward. Look for them on tap at Bridgewater Local Tap House and the Grand Banker in Lunenburg very soon! Sea Level Brewing has brought back their Port in the Storm Porter for another year, available now at the Port Pub, brewery, and private stores; their Punkin’ Grinner Ale should be out now as well. And Bar Stillwell has announced that their Second Anniversary party will be taking place Sunday, November 15th. No tickets are required, just show up for some special beers they’ve been cellaring, and some great food to match. We’ll have more details on the party once they are available, including a new beer release or two.