Saint John Beer Fest

All posts tagged Saint John Beer Fest

Another week, another bunch of great beer happenings in Atlantic Canada. Here’s the Friday Wrap-Up:

Picaroons Brewmaster Andrew Estabrooks is putting on a dinner tonight, at the Shadow Lawn Inn in Rothesay. Tickets are $70 (inc. tax and gratuity), available by phone or email. The menu features 5 courses, each paired with a different Picaroons beer. A great opportunity to enjoy some excellent food and beer, with tasting direction from the brewer himself.

For those of you not in Rothesay, Garrison Brewing Co.‘s Daniel Girard is taking part in a Brewmaster vs. Winemaker event tonight at the Halifax Club (1682 Hollis St, Halifax), squaring off against Avondale Sky Winemaker Ben Swetnam. Call or email the Club for tickets, pricing is $89 plus tax and tip. Both Daniel and Ben were given the menu in advance, and have chosen beer or wine that complements the five courses.

Big Spruce Brewing in Cape Breton has begun selling their beer! They have been open for a few hours each day this week, selling their Kitchen Party Pale Ale and Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout in growlers, as well as t-shirts and glassware. They are also now on tap at the Bras d’Or Yacht Club in Baddeck, where their official release party will be taking place this Saturday at 4pm. Drop by to say hello to the folks behind Cape Breton’s only Craft Brewery. Release parties in Sydney (April 12 at Governer’s Pub) and Halifax (April 20 at Wooden Monkey Dartmouth) are also upcoming.

Propeller Brewing has announced that they will be bringing back the Prop’r Cask Nights. It is held on the last Friday of the month (the next one is April 26th), and features a special cask of their beer (previous casks have been dry-hopped or had cherries added), and pair with a local food provider. This month’s catering will be provided by Jane’s Catering (formerly of Jane’s on the Common), and is sure to be a great time. Tickets are $20 ($25 at the door, but they don’t last that long), and available at the Propeller Shop on Gottingen St.

We’re seeing lots of great things happening on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. Hell Bay Brewing is brewing at their new, bigger, location in Mill Village (beer available on tap at Lane’s and elsewhere and in bottles at Premier Wines and Spirits in Halifax) and Boxing Rock Brewery is pouring the foundation for their brewery in Shelburne. We’ll have more news and profiles from these breweries soon.

If you don’t get your fill at next weekend’s Saint John Beer Fest, tickets for the Atlantic Beer Fest in Moncton are available now. It takes place May 25th at the Moncton Coliseum, and only afternoon session tickets are still available (2:30-5pm) for $49 (inc. tax). We hope to have a beer list for that shortly.

And finally, don’t forget to get out and buy a pint, bottle or growler from your favourite local brewery or brewpub. It’s one thing to talk about beer events, but the real fun is enjoying (responsibly, of course) the fruits of labour of your friendly neighbourhood brewer. Maybe we’ll see you out on a patio soon. Cheers!

Hello again beer fans!

A few updates since last week:

  • We had a great time at the Fredericton Craft Beer Fest at the Delta Fredericton Saturday. There were over 100 beers available from lots of local and farther afield favourite breweries, as well as  representatives from some new breweries that will be coming on the scene very soon. We’ll have a full report shortly. Thanks to the organizers and volunteers for a wonderful event! Looking forward to next year (they’ve already got some breweries signed up to return!).
  • Speaking of New Brunswick Beer Fests, the Saint John Beer Fest will be taking place April 13th at the Market Square in Saint John. Their VIP tickets are selling fast, so jump on them now. We’ll have a full write-up, with brewery and beer list, next week.
  • Also in Saint John, taking place at the Saint John Alehouse is Maple Mania, March 23rd. Picaroons Maple Cream Ale on cask along with lots of food cooked with or pairing with maple syrup. Sweet! Get your tickets at the Alehouse.
  • Attention Hop Heads: The Double IPA is back again from Propeller Brewing Co in Halifax. It is at the PropShoppe now, and will be in the private beer stores and NSLCs shortly. Sorry, not available in NB, PEI or NL.
  • It’s been on tap in Port Williams for a week, and Sea Level‘s  Dussel-port Altbier is now available for sale in cans at the brewery in Port Williams, and  Bishop’s Cellar, Harvest Wines, and Cristall Wine Merchants in Halifax.
  • The gala for Garrison Brewing Co‘s Home Brew-Off is next Thursday, when they will announce this year’s winning Blonde beer. We hear that there are at least two Brewnosers in the final four! It also means that last year’s winning beer, Kellye Robertson’s Rye IPA (name TBA at the gala), will be released the same night. We’ll be there for a full report, this event never disappoints!
  • The Coast’s annual Beer Guide is out this week, with lots of good articles on homebrewing for the Garrison Brew-Off, our friends at Bridge Brewing, NS cider and the weekly firkins at Rockbottom Brew Pub. Pick it up across Halifax, or read the digital flip version here.

Finally, you will be seeing another new handle posting articles and profiles soon. Shawn is a homebrewer and lover of all things beer, living in Fredericton. I managed to corner him at the Fredericton Craft Beer Fest, and he has graciously agreed to help Nick and I to keep the info flowing. There’s plenty of beer news in Atlantic Canada to keep us all busy, and only signs of it ramping up further! Thanks Shawn!

As per the event’s Twitter account (@SJBeerFest), there are still some tickets left for this Saturday’s inaugural Saint John Beer Fest. Tickets are available exclusively at Harbour Station and can be ordered over the phone at 506-657-1234 or 1-800-267-2800 or picked up at the Box Office during regular hours.  Tickets for this event cannot be ordered online.

Here is a link to a previous post about the brewers and beers that will be available.

For out of town travelers, a special Beer Fest room rate of $99 is available at the Saint John Hilton.  Either mention “Saint John Beer Fest” or “BEEA12” to qualify for the reduced rate.