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Friday Wrap-Up – News and New Beers from Grimross, Garrison Brewing, Shiretown Beer, Picaroons, Rogues Roost and Much More!

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-12-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Beerthief, Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Great Canadian Beer Expo, Grimross Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, King Street Ale House, PEI Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Saint John Beer Fest, Sea Level Brewing, Shiretown Beer, Stillwell Beer Bar, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, Craft Beer Fans!

• Following very successful sales in Fredericton (on tap at the King Street Ale House and growlers sales at the Brewtique) and Moncton (on tap at the Tide and Boar Gastropub), Grimross Brewing recently began selling their beer in Halifax. Earlier this week, both the Ben’s Pale Ale and Belgian Rye IPA appeared on tap at Stillwell to great enthusiasm from their customers. If you’re in the Halifax area and missed out on your chance to try these beers, follow Stillwell on Twitter to see when they make an appearance there again! And don’t worry, Fredericton-local fans, they’ve just stocked the Brewtique fridge with more Rye IPA.

• Spruce fans, rejoice! Today’s the day that Garrison Brewing is releasing their highly-anticipated Spruce Beer. Brewed using a truck-load of spruce and fir harvested from Meander River Farms, and blackstrap molasses from Crosby’s in Saint John, the beer weighs in at 7.5% ABV. The brewery doors opened at 9 this morning, and folks were picking up the beer shortly thereafter. For us working stiffs unable to visit the brewery this morning, a cask of the beer will be tapped at 4pm, so you can sip it while you buy a bottle (or case). The beer will also be available at the local private beer stores, NSLC, and also at select ANBL stores beginning next week. Also look for a cask of it to be available at Stillwell soon.

• Meanwhile, Garrison Brewing has expanded distribution of their beers outside of Atlantic Canada – their Imperial IPA is now available in Ontario at select LCBO stores. If the beer proves popular with Ontario beer fans, it could become a regular product at the LCBO. Along with Garrison’s Mixed 6 recently becoming available in Alberta, this shows that the brewery is slowly starting to expand… hopefully we’ll see further growth in the not-too-distant future!

• Shiretown Beer has a previously-available brew returning for growler fills at the brewery. Big Brown Ale is an English-style Brown Ale that has a “complex bill of specialty malts, leaving well-balanced hints of roast and chocolate”. It is lightly-hopped to 20 IBUs, and clocks in at 4.5% ABV. Drop by to get some of this beer before its gone!

• Just an update concerning Picaroons‘ 12 Beers of Christmas event, which started yesterday (with the return of the popular “Dunkel Wisemen”, their Dark & Stormy Night brewed with dark chocolate and orange peel, which sold out in a little under an hour) – the time of the daily growler release for the Christmas beers at the Brewtique has been changed to 4 pm. Remember, each day’s beer will be announced on Picaroons’ Twitter feed around noon, and there is a 2 growler-per-person limit.

• Speaking of Picaroons, they’ve released an online survey for those of you who enjoy their beers. Check it out here; it should only take a minute or two to complete. They’re looking to learn a little more about drinking habits of Picaroons fans, so help them out and fill out the survey!

• Rogues Roost has released their popular Russian Imperial Stout seasonal beer this week. Brewed with tons of dark roasted malt, the beer starts with liquorice and treacle flavours, and ends with roast and coffee flavour and aroma. The beer weighs in at 9% ABV and 50 IBUs. This black beauty will not be available in growlers, so pull up a stool at the bar, and have a pint or two!

• Hell Bay has released their newest seasonal, Black Fog Oatmeal Stout. This dark beer features lots of roasted aroma and flavour with hints of chocolate and coffee and weighs in at  5.5% ABV and 36 IBUs. It is currently available in kegs and growlers at the brewery, and will shortly be released in bottles as well. Look for it at your favourite bar or private beer store soon!

• Boxing Rock has also released a new seasonal, the U-889 Russian Imperial Stout. We do not have many details on the beer , but do know that it weighs in at 8.89% ABV and a hefty 65 IBUs, and that vanilla was used during the brewing process, so this will be an interesting RIS! It is currently available in bottles and growlers at the brewery, and at Bishop’s Cellar and the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market this weekend. Look for it on tap and cask at Stillwell soon as well!

• Sea Level Brewing has announced their much-loved High Street Wee Heavy Scotch Ale will be available soon. Brewmaster Randy Lawrence first brewed this beer in the mid-nineties as a tribute to his grandfather who was born and lived on High Street, Inveraray, Scotland. An ale with a complex malty body and a slight hint of smokiness in the finish. Smooth, easy drinking and brewed in time for the longer darker nights. Good and Strong, ABV 6.3%. It will be available soon in growlers and on tap at the Port Pub, and cans at three of the private beer stores in Halifax.

• For those of you attending the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival on March 8th, 2014 (if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, there’s still some available), the Crowne Plaza-Lord Beaverbrook downtown (right across from the Fredericton Convention Centre, where the event is being held) has a special rate of $109/night for ticket-holders. Check out this link to reserve your room now. Also, if you would be interested in volunteering for the Fest, contact FCBF on Twitter or by their website. It will be a fun night!

• As we mentioned previously, Big Spruce held their homebrew competition last Friday. The winning brew was Tim Gregory’s Dirty Grain IPA, which beat out 16 other entries for the best American IPA. We chatted with Tim about his win, and he had this to say, “The name comes from me being a very disorganized brewer and rushing to get my grain crushed while the strike water is heating and dumping them all over the basement floor, and then sweeping them up and back into the mill (hey, it’s all pre-boil right?). I was really shocked and excited when I found out [I’d won].  Just before bed I logged onto wifi on my phone and it immediately buzzed and said that like 13 people had mentioned me on facebook.  I logged on and saw the post that I’d won.  I was pretty surprised, I didn’t even know the judging was going down that night.” He will be heading up to Nyanza next Friday to brew his beer with Jeremy on the big system, and it will be released at the Local Connections Craft Beer and Local Food Celebration January 14th at the Halifax Club. Congratulations, Tim!

• St John’s YellowBelly Brewpub is holding a customer appreciation event next Wednesday (Dec 18th). Free hors d’oeuvres and music from 4-9pm, and sample Brewmaster Liam McKenna’s great beers (including the recently released Mummer’s Brew winter seasonal). All of YB’s friends and fans are invited, just be sure to RSVP via email before Monday.

• The Beerthief is holding another tasting next week, this time it is beer and olive oil. An interesting combination, to say the least, but we think it will work quite well. They are partnering with O’Leva Oils and Vins for the event. There will be five beers and oils tasted, each chosen to pair with each other. Attendees will also leave with a 60mL bottle of their favourite oil of the evening. The beers to be tasted are de Koninck, Liefmans Goudenband, and three beers from The Bruery. To take part, please email Tom Beckett to reserve your spot.

• Tickets for the Saint John Beer Fest are now on sale! The event will be taking place 7-9:30pm, Saturday April 5th, 2014, once again at Market Square downtown. The list of attending breweries is not yet available, but we have been assured that it will be even bigger and better than last year, complete with more unique and interesting entertainment (remember last year’s Atlantic Cirque performers?). Tickets are available at Harbour Station (online, by phone or in person). VIP tickets are also available, which will allow early access to the event.

• The Great Canadian Beer Expo is coming to your town! Well, if you live in Sydney, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, and Charlottetown, it is. The multi-city Expo will offer attendees the chance to taste and enjoy 120+ different beers. The ticket format is slightly different than most others in our region: entrance is $25, and then beer sample tickets are purchased for $1 per 4oz pour. Tickets are now on sale, and we will release more details as they become available. The Expo’s first stop is two nights in Sydney, NS, January 24th and 25th, at the Centre 200. And a lucky attendee from each stop on the tour will win a trip for two to Munich for Oktoberfest!

• Be sure to check out PEI Brewing Company’s Facebook page for their great twelve days of Christmas gift ideas and specials. There’s a new feature every day, so check back often.

That’s all for this morning, but stay tuned, as we’re working on several more posts for next week, it’s going to be a busy one! Here’s a teaser: we’ll have a full profile on Nova Scotia’s newest brewery, Bad Apple Brewhouse.

Friday Wrap-Up – Beer News from Picaroons, Quidi Vidi, Pump House, Shiretown, Big Spruce, Beerthief and more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-12-06
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Beerthief, Big Spruce Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Pump House Brewery, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Rogues Roost Brewpub, Shiretown Beer, Stillwell Beer Bar. 2 comments

Howdy, craft beer fans! What’s going on in the world of good beer in the Atlantic provinces this week?

• Next Thursday, December 12th, Picaroons will begin their 3rd annual “12 Beers of Christmas”. Every day at 3 pm, until December 23rd, a new one-off Christmas beer will be released for growler fills only at the Brewtique in downtown Fredericton. Picaroons will announce through Twitter and Facebook every day at noon which beer will be released that day; this has been a very popular event the last couple of years, so be sure to get to the Brewtique quickly, as the beers usually sell out within hours. For those of you familiar with this over the past couple of years, you can expect to see most of your favorites returning, along with two to three new experimental Christmas beers!

• In more Picaroons news, their gala for the New Brunswick Home-Brew Challenge (co-sponsored by the New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association) was held Sunday. Twenty-six brewers submitted 42 entries in the Standard/Ordinary Bitter category. The best beer, judged by Picaroons Brewmaster Andrew Estabrooks and Doug and Shane of the King Street Ale House, was brewed by Joe Goodine of Moncton. In addition to a year’s free membership into the NBCBA (which allows taking part in their group buys and access to their yeast library, among other perks), Joe has also won the opportunity to brew a batch of his beer with Estabrooks on the Picaroons system at their Brewtique on Queen Street. This will be happening early in the new year, and will be released shortly thereafter. Some notes from the gala, thanks to NBCBA president Chris Craig: Over fifty people were in attendance to witness the announcement and taste the top beer (and got to judge the beers themselves for the Fan Favourite). Estabrooks mentioned that he had chosen this style of beer because it is difficult to hide mistakes, as a good Bitter has low hop and alcohol character. This resulted in some excellent, but similar, beers to judge between. For this reason, six beers actually advanced to the final (up from the five they had originally planned on). The folks at Picaroons devoted a significant amount of time to the competition, as well as almost all of the prizes and swag given away (including limited-edition growlers, towel and glass to all entrants, complemented by NBCBA glass and voucher for reduced membership fees). The NBCBA was thrilled with the response and the event in general, and excited to work with Picaroons and other breweries in the future, whether it be more competitions, or collaborations. Congratulations to everyone involved from the ACBB!

• Over in Newfoundland, Quidi Vidi Brewing will soon be releasing their QV Winter Ale. Described by the brewery as a “dark, rich ale; smooth and malty with just enough bitterness to balance it out”, it comes in at 6% ABV, and is brewed with coriander, cacao and vanilla. Expect to see the beer at NLC stores shortly before Christmas.

• In other Winter Ale news, Pump House Brewery now has their newest beer, the Nor’easter Beater Winter Warmer, on tap at their brewpub in Moncton. We know that the beer clocks in at 7% ABV, but other details are scarce. If it’s similar to other Winter Warmers, expect the beer to be malty and rich, with little to no hop presence, and a bit of alcohol warmth.

• Shiretown is adding their second beer to their bottled line-up. We first mentioned Siren’s T’Ale – a “bittersweet Red Ale” with 30 IBUs and 5% ABV – early last month; the beer is being released to various ANBL stores today. Check the Products page of the ANBL website to see which stores near you are carrying the beer!

• Rogues Roost Brewpub in Halifax held their first “Brewmaster Monday” this week. It is a chance to meet and chat with Brewmaster Lorne Romano, and sample what he is cooking up in the brewhouse. It was very successful, and the next event will be held January 13th. Contact them for more details closer to the date. We also received word that their tasty Russian Imperial Stout is currently conditioning in their brite tank, and will be released mid-month. We’ll have more details for you next week.

• Today is the judging of the Big Spruce Homebrew Competition, in advance of their appearance at the Local Connections Craft Beer and Local Food Celebration (a few tickets are still available!). The 17 American IPA entries will be judged by nine BJCP judges, and the winning brewer will work with Brewmaster Jeremy White to scale up their beer to a full batch, which will be released in the New Year, and a cask of it will be served at the January 16th event. Good luck to all entrants!

• Unfortunately, Big Spruce ran into some bad luck this week, but have a heck of a story from it. Probably due to the high winds and rain/sleet, the brewery was without power for two days while they were in the middle of mashing their Kitchen Party Pale Ale. Rather than give up, they kept at it (sparged the mash by hand, bucket by bucket!), and once the power did come back, were able to finally get the beer happy. To make it a truly different batch of beer, Jeremy tweaked the recipe, adding chocolate and roast malt, as well as upping the hopping rate like mad. It’ll be a totally different beer, and we’re excited to try it in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, check out their Facebook page to offer suggestions for the name of this unique brew.

• Halifax’s Stillwell Beer Bar will be holding a special event this Monday, “Tripel Trouble”. Featuring several Quebec-brewed Tripels (Charlevoix‘s Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus, Dieu Du Ciel!‘s Herbe a Detourne, Unibroue‘s La Fin du Monde and Le Trou du Diable‘s La Buteuse and P’tite Buteuse), on tap for the first time in Nova Scotia. The tap list will be rounded out by Maritime-brewed Belgian-style beers, and chef Graeme Ruppel will be whipping up some great Belgian snacks for the evening. The event starts at 4pm, and runs all evening. Be sure to drop by, as they will also be releasing details and tickets for their New Year’s Eve event.

• Hell Bay Brewing posted some interesting news yesterday: their iconic mine logo will be featured in an upcoming Kevin Smith movie, Tusk. Owner Mark Baillie shared some more details with us: the film features a scene in a bar, and the Hell Bay logo will be seen on glasses, tap handles, bottles, etc. The producers of the film sought out Baillie after discovering the Hell Bay logo. Very cool!

• The Beerthief is at it again! The latest offering from the Newfoundland Artisanal and Craft Beer group is beer from Meduz Brewery in the South of France. They are brewing French beer, with a Belgian twist. The beers available are an Amber, Blanche/Witbier, Blonde, Doree/Golden, and Hiver/Winter beer. The deadline to order is Sunday, Dec 8th. As usual, contact Tom Beckett to order the beer, which is expected to hit the NLC shelves in February 2014. Sunday is also the deadline to order some of the Beerthief-branded glassware, a few more details are available here.

Thanks for checking in… have a great weekend, everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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