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Atlantic Canadian Winners from the 2023 Canadian Brewing Awards

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-06-06
Posted in: Atlantic Canada Beer News, Beer Events. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Boomstick Brewing, Burnside Brewing Company, Canadian Brewing Awards, Canadian Brewing Awards Conference, Foghorn Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Hampton Brewing Company, Lone Oak Brewing, Long Bay Brewery, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, Nine Locks Brewery, Novum Boreas, O'Creek Brewing, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. 1 comment

This past weekend was a big one in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as breweries and brewing industry folks descended into town bringing welcome gifts in liquid form, not unlike the rain pouring down to quell the nearby wildfires. It was a weekend that people could get together within the industry to celebrate, learn, and grow against a backdrop of some good ol’ East Coast hospitality, for the second time in 5 years. 

While we celebrate all the winners across the 59 categories of the Canadian Brewing Awards, your pals here at the ACBB are here to bring you the AC summary of the CBAs. Last year, we had 19 Atlantic Canadian award-winners across all categories and this year we’ve added eight more on top of last year’s tally. In total, 18 different breweries from our region brought home accolades.

Here’s a breakdown by province of the 2023 award winners:

Starting at the top of the table, New Brunswick hit big with three gold winners in the following categories:

The other gold on the board came from a big weekend winner out of Newfoundland:

Secret Cove, specifically out of Port au Port, also brought home another 2 awards, to complete the trifecta.

  • Irish And Scotch Ales – Red Vinyl , Secret Cove Brewing – SILVER
  • American Style Imperial India Pale Ale – The Great Auk, Secret Cove Brewing – BRONZE

Two other Nova Scotia breweries also scored a treble, interestingly enough, these two just released the Twin Shores collaboration beer together. 

  • Belgian-Style Sour Ale – Barrel Aged Lambic Style Ale, Propeller Brewing – BRONZE
  • English Style India Pale Ale – India Pale Ale, Propeller Brewing  – BRONZE
  • American-style Brett Beer – Wilder Brett IPA, Propeller Brewing  – BRONZE
  • Baltic Porter – Two Rivers Baltic Porter, Tatamagouche Brewing – SILVER
  • Cream Ale – Apres, Tatamagouche Brewing – BRONZE
  • Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – Tempest, Tatamagouche Brewing – HON. MENTION

We had a few breweries bring home a pair of awards as well and one of them has a Gold listed above, so we’ll list the rest of those doubles below:

  • Oatmeal Stout – Boat Traffic, Lone Oak Brewing – HON. MENTION
  • Low Alcohol Beer – Noble, Lone Oak Brewing – SILVER
  • Barley Wine-Style Ale – Ol’ Fog Burner, Garrison Brewing – BRONZE
  • Historic/Regional Beers – Spruce Beer, Garrison Brewing – BRONZE

Here is the full list of winners broken down by Province for the Atlantic Canadian winners:

New Brunswick

  • English Style Pale Ale – Golden Grover, Foghorn Brewing – SILVER
  • French and Belgian Style Saison – Cheval D’or, Grimross Brewing – GOLD
  • Porter – Black Door, Hampton Brewing – BRONZE
  • European Style Lager (Pilsner) – Operation Feed Pilsner, Long Bay Brewery – BRONZE
  • Cream Ale – 8 Secondes, Novum Boreas – GOLD
  • Belgian-Style Brett Beer – Into the Wild, O’Creek Brewing – BRONZE
  • Belgian-Style Sour Ale – Pretty Please, Trailway Brewing – SILVER
  • Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – Event Horizon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, Trailway Brewing – GOLD

Newfoundland & Labrador

  • Session Ale – Liquid Sunshine, Boomstick Brewing – HON. MENTION
  • Gluten Free Beer – Gluten Free Lager, Port Rexton Brewing  – BRONZE
  • Irish And Scotch Ales – Red Vinyl, Secret Cove Brewing – SILVER
  • North American Style Blonde or Golden Ale – James Blonde 00709, Secret Cove Brewing – GOLD
  • American Style Imperial India Pale Ale – The Great Auk, Secret Cove Brewing – BRONZE

Nova Scotia

  • Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – Bière de Coupage, 2 Crows Brewing – SILVER
  • North American Style Amber/Dark Lager – Toller Red, Burnside Brewing – BRONZE
  • Barley Wine-Style Ale – Ol’ Fog Burner, Garrison Brewing – BRONZE
  • Historic/Regional Beers – Spruce Beer, Garrison Brewing – BRONZE
  • German-Style Sour Ale – Girl, Hold My Earrings, Lunn’s Mill Beer Company – BRONZE
  • North American Style Amber/Red Ale – Right Some Red, Nine Locks Brewing – BRONZE
  • Belgian-Style Sour Ale – Barrel Aged Lambic Style Ale, Propeller Brewing – BRONZE
  • English Style India Pale Ale – India Pale Ale, Propeller Brewing – BRONZE
  • American-style Brett Beer – Wilder Brett IPA, Propeller Brewing – BRONZE
  • Baltic Porter – Two Rivers Baltic Porter, Tatamagouche Brewing – SILVER
  • Cream Ale – Apres, Tatamagouche Brewing – BRONZE
  • Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – Tempest, Tatamagouche Brewing – HON. MENTION

PEI

  • Oatmeal Stout – Boat Traffic, Lone Oak Brewing – HON. MENTION
  • Low Alcohol Beer – Noble, Lone Oak Brewing – SILVER

Congratulations to all of our winners and we hope all who visited Halifax for the awards and conference enjoyed our part of Canada; we hope that our readers can mark these breweries and beers for further exploration during their travels!

For the full gamut of winners from coast to coast, head on over to the Canadian Brewing Awards. 

Friday Wrap-Up for March 31, 2023 – News from Big Spruce, Sober Island, Tatamagouche, Tusket Falls, Banished, Landwash, and More!!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2023-03-31
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Annapolis Cider Company, Banished Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Dildo Brewing, Four Rivers Brewing Co., Grimross Brewing, Iron Rock Brewing Co., Landwash Brewery, North Brewing, Ol' Biddy's Brew House, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Rackhouse Brewing Co, Secret Cove Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, Together We Brew, TrailWay Brewing, Tusket Falls Brewing, Twin Harbour Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday y’all! Warmer weather, buds breaking through the snow, patios being shoveled off, it really is beginning to feel like spring! Of course, we’ll have to keep our snowblowers and scrapers close at hand, but let’s hope the worst of winter is behind us. And let us now turn to beer, because that’s why you tune in every week! Oh, and as next week is Good Friday, we’ll be giving you an All Killer, No Filler post next Thursday to set your (hopefully) long weekend up for beer and cider success! (Note to breweries, please hit us up early next week to be included, in case we check out even earlier than usual)

Never ones to do something half-assed, the Fine Family of Big Spruce is celebrating their Tenth Anniversary in a big way this weekend! April 1, 2013 is when the little farm brewery on a hill in Nyanza, Cape Breton first opened their doors, and they’ve been pumping out the good stuff and raising a little heck, ever since! At a time when there were fewer than 20 breweries in the province, and none in Cape Breton, Jeremy White and family purchased a home, planted some hops, and got to work to bring Organic beer to Nova Scotia. Check this interview from 2012 and update in 2013 for a bit of nostalgia on the brewing scene back then… Over the ten years since, they have released well over 200 different beers, fought back against outdated and backwards rules from the province and the NSLC, all while having a heck of a lot of fun. 

They are celebrating in a massive way this weekend with the release of a Birthday Box mixed case of new brews and returning favourites, just in time to kick off Nova Scotia Craft Beer Month. Giving full details on all twelve would be a full hour-read on its own, so we will tease you with the names and info to at least get you ready.

  • Kitchen Party Pale Ale – This is a throwback to the original recipe that they launched in 2013, that has undergone some tweaks over the years. 5.6% ABV
  • Cereal Killer Glenora Whiskey Barrel Aged – Taking their Stout and aging it in whiskey barrels will lend tons of vanilla, wood, and spirit character, without a ton of booziness. 5.8% ABV
  • Canadian Tuxedo – An ode to the denim on denim look, local Organic haskap berries punch up this Brettanomyces-fermented sour beer. 6.0% ABV
  • Bolt From The Blue – Another fruited sour, this time using locally-grown Organic blueberries. 4.5% ABV
  • Snailblazer – Just because it’s low ABV doesn’t mean it’s not full of flavour! A 4.5% ABV Session IPA with experimental HBC 843 hops.
  • Put Me In Kölsch – A dry-hopped pale lagered ale, refreshing and thirst quenching for those days in beer league softball. 4.9% ABV
  • Hug Bunny – A returning favourite Gose, the light salt character keeps you wanting more. 4.0% ABV
  • Blursday – A new release, a 6.6% ABV hazy IPA.
  • Brew Rodeo – Another new IPA, this one uses a cryogenic extraction of fresh, not dried, Citra hops, to capture the just-picked character of the hop harvest, stabilizing it for any-time-of-the-year enjoyment. 7.0% ABV
  • The Cat’s Pyjamas – Another experimental hop IPA, weighing in at 7.2% ABV
  • What Could Possibly Go Wrong – A Double IPA featuring the tropical and citrus New Zealand-grown Nectaron hop. 8.0% ABV
  • Under The Mountain – A Cascadian Dark Ale, aka Black IPA, the winner from this year’s Homebrew Championship, brewed by Alex Hunt. Chinook, Simcoe, and Centennial, for tons of pine and resin on a smooth dark malt base. 6.2% ABV

Wow! What a line-up! The great news is that there are a few hundred of these Birthday Boxes available at Big Spruce, or online for delivery across the province or Canada-wide, going on-sale today at 6 PM (delivery tomorrow), so set your alarms now!

Joining the new releases from Big Spruce is the return of their annual American IPA release, Cerberus. Celebrating the best of Organic ingredients, especially hops, it is hopped throughout the process, including in the kettle and later in the tanks post-fermentation, to give you both flavour and aroma bursting from the can. As always, this is a once a year treat, so don’t delay in picking it up from the brewery, their shop, or better retailers around the province.

If you manage to finish your case of new beer on the weekend, congratulations! But the good news is if you do, or happen to miss out, then you can enjoy any and all of these new and returning releases on draught at Battery Park next Thursday, April 6, as they host Big Spruce for a massive Tap Takeover. From 11:30 until late, Nyanza is taking over the taps to showcase it all to the public. And great news, as Friday is a holiday for most, hopefully you needn’t worry about having to head to work the next morning! Birthday Cake is served at 7 PM, and the Big Spruce Crew will be onsite celebrating along with everyone!

From one island to another, Sober Island Brewing has a brand new release coming out today. A light, dry-hopped Saison, Saison du Sheet Rock is a fun, light twist on a delicious style. We’re happy to bring you the details on this one, as this one brings a malt bill of Pilsen, Vienna and light Munich to bring lightly toasted and soft bready flavours. The hops in this one are all American, which isn’t traditional, but works well with the recipe. Citra, El Dorado and Centennial play up the citrus, stone fruit and a bit of spruciness. The Belgian yeast adds the peppery contrast and brings the dry finish you’d expect from the style. Overall, this comes in at 4.0% and 26 IBU and should be a great take on the style. This debuts at their beer release party tonight (Friday, March 31st) at 7 PM at the brewery, and a cask version will be available at the Together We Brew Beerfest tomorrow. Cans are available at the taproom as well. 

Staying in Nova Scotia, Tatamagouche Brewing has a brand new beer that stays in the Saison family. Peppy is a pink peppercorn and rosehip Saison. This brew was inspired by a family kombucha recipe that has botanical and grapefruit aromas with a tart citrus flavour.  Along with classic Belgian yeast, the pink peppercorn and rosehips were used as a dry “hop” to bring very bright floral, sweet, and berry notes with a peppery aroma. The finish of this 5.9% beer is dry and herbaceous and it is available today in 355ml cans from the brewery and online and may pop up around some private stores as well in Halifax. 

Another brand new beer out of Nova Scotia comes to us courtesy of Tusket Falls Brewing. Something to Say is a Hazy Session IPA that continues with the brewers’ current fascination with New Zealand hops. This 4.6% tropically flavoured beer features Pacific Sunrise along with a bit of Citra. The Pacific Sunrise has hints of lemon and orange flavour with some melon and mango notes as well. This one is available in cans and on tap at the Tusket brewery and will be available in their Halifax Beer Project location soon. 

We’re starting our Newfoundland-themed section now, sharing news from seven breweries from the Rock. Starting out with Banished Brewing, they’ve got a new beer and a fresh release of an old favourite. Private Line is a 4.7% Kölsch that embodies the cool, crisp style with a touch of sweetness from European malts. This is available at the brewery now and will be going to Newfoundland retailers through next week. The Banished crew also has a fresh batch of their Double New England IPA, Intergalactic Puffin, which is the 8% offering of their Puffin line. 

Other news from the brewery is that they’re hiring part-time and full-time positions for retail and bartending positions. To apply please submit a resume & a cover letter to kris@banishedbrewing.ca. 

The second stop on our Newfoundland swing is Landwash Brewery and they’re bringing us Garden Party, a Session IPA. This release coincided with Blue Jays opening day and brings the hope of Spring, Summer and fun, social days ahead. This is 4.2% and available in cans today. 

Bringing in a friend, Landwash has a new collaboration with Baccalieu Trail Brewing. Freeze & Thaw is a Northern German Pilsner to commemorate this time of the year and frosty mornings in Newfoundland.  Staying true to the style, this lager went through a double decoction mash and brings that nice bitter bite and floral aroma from German Spalter Select and Saphir hops. The result is a 5% canned beer available from the regular locations of Marie’s and NLC on the Avalon peninsula, and will be coming to the rest of the island next week. 

Staying in the province, but jumping over to Lab City, Iron Rock Brewing is releasing the second of its cellar series with Le Fer Du Monde. This Belgian-style tripel, a clever play on the name of the ever popular (although now macro-owned) tripel out of Quebec, translates to the Iron of the World. Their take on the style was oak-aged and then bottle conditioned. Expect notes of dark fruit, vanilla, and oak, with a touch of warming alcohol character. This one can be aged for up to three years, or enjoyed fresh (“why not both?” is our suggestion).  Bottles will be available today at the taproom with wider retail distribution next week. 

Dildo Brewing is getting you in the mood for spring with its newest release, Maibock. Their take on the German Helles Bock comes in at 6.5%, featuring Pilsner, Vienna and Munich malt, with the malt sweetness complimented by the spicy notes derived from the exclusive use of Spalter Select hops. Cans are available today around the bay in Dildo and at the downtown St. John’s retail store, with wider distribution via the NLC next week. 

Over on the west coast, Secret Cove Brewing is releasing Ocean Dust, a 4.6% ABV German gose-style ale. Their version includes the traditional additions of coriander and orange peel, with the salt harvested from Newfoundland sea water. Expect a slight tartness, along with orange pith, marmalade and a hint of ocean water. Find it on tap at the brewery now with cans next week at the brewery, and wider distribution to follow.

We’ll finish off the streak of Newfoundland and Labrador releases with this year’s version of Wild Ale from Port Rexton Brewing. This one is co-fermented with two ale yeasts, a cleaner American yeast, and a Belgian Saison yeast, before a secondary fermentation with Escarpment Labs’ Brett D strain. The resulting 6% wild ale is packed with esters and phenols, including banana, spice and floral notes. A small addition of pineapple puree rounds out the fruity fermentation-derived flavours. You can find it on-tap at the brewery now, with cans at the brewery and the St. John’s retail shop. It will see wider distribution in cans across the Province next week. 

Let’s head to Fredericton to start a little Nouveau-Brunswick swing, where Trailway’s newest release is honouring one of beer’s crown jewels, Allagash White, from Portland, Maine. Trailway’s take on the Belgian-style wheat beer, or wit, features bready malt notes, hints of orange peel and coriander (from additions of both items) and a light grassy note from the hops. Main Land is available in cans at the brewery now, with cans hitting the Saint John taproom soon.

Heading way up to Bathurst we find Four Rivers Brewery releasing a special beer brewed on international Women’s Day. Hitting the taps today at the brewery is The Women Brew Too, an IPA brewed, as you might expect, by one of the brew team, Megan Kinsman, along with a group of community-driven women in Bathurst. All proceeds from this one will be donated to Maison de Passage House in Bathurst.

Nanobrewery Twin Harbour, in Saint Anthony/Saint-Antoine on the Eastern shore of New Brunswick, has a couple offerings to talk about this week. First up, fans of their Cap Enragé 6.0% West Coast-style American IPA will be happy to hear that it’s back on tap after a long hiatus. No word on packaging for now, but you’ll at least be able to grab a fill at the brewery. Along with that they’ve also got a new beer they’re calling P’tit Prince, which is a variation on their popular blonde ale, Côte d’Or. Featuring the same grain bill but a different hop combination, it’s a very quaffable beer that should be perfect for the nicer weather that’s sure to come along any time now. Locals know this, but visitors to the area should be aware, Twin Harbour has limited hours (usually Thursday evenings from 6-8pm) and you’ll need to check social media (Fb, Ig) to be sure to know when they’re open!

Barrel-aging specialty brewery Rackhouse out of Nackawic, NB, has a new treat out this week, and, as is de rigueur for this brewery, one that’s been some time in the making. A classic witbier was aged in a former apple brandy barrel for six months, where it both mellowed and took on some tropical flavors of primarily pineapple and passion fruit that should be perfect for the coming patio season. A limited-edition run of 375ml bottles is also expected, so keep your eyes out for that. For now, however, your best bet to try this 8.5% beer is at the Big Axe or Moonshine Creek taprooms and hopefully the Joyce and the Uncorked Tours taproom in Saint John.

Our contractually* obligated** cider content this week comes from Annapolis Cider in Wolfville, where they’ve got a new entry in their Something Different series. Cranberry Mimosa is a play on the classic breakfast cocktail, with a twist, of course. Citrusy, thanks to fresh tangelos and navel oranges which were soaked in AC’s base cider for a few weeks, it’s got a sweetness that is balanced by a crisp finish of grapefruit and orange peel notes. Fresh-pressed cranberry juice complements the citrus backbone and also provides a hint of ruby red color to this 5.3% ABV cider. As with all entries in the Something Different series, this one is only available for pints and fills at the cidery and $0.50 of every fill goes to a charitable cause, in this case, Elderdog Canada.

* Hahaha. We have no contracts.
** Hahahahaha. We have no obligations either.

No new events on the docket to mention, but we trust that if you’re in the HRM area (or willing to travel for beer events) you’ve already got your ticket(s) to tomorrow’s Together We Brew.

Brewery hiring season is kicking into gear as breweries prepare for the hectic summer season.

North Brewing in Halifax is looking to staff up, with several positions available in both the “seasonal front-of-house” and “line cook/prep cook” categories at both their Timberlea and Portland Street locations. Prospective applicants are encouraged to check out all the job details on North’s website under the “Job Postings” link and then follow the instructions to apply.

A couple of quick hits to take you home (country rooooooads):

Fredericton’s Grimross has two beers from different ends of the spectrum back on tap. Hop Blonde is pale, clear, crisp, and refreshing at 6.0% ABV, and Maritime Black IPA is dark, roasty, and dank, with plenty of bitterness in a 6.2% package. Find them both at the brewery packaged in cans to go.

Fans of beer in Lower Sackville can check out their local Ol’ Biddy’s for a new beer this weekend. Their second-ever lager will go on tap on Saturday. They’re being coy with the details at this point so you’ll just have to head down tomorrow and see what it’s all about!

Friday Wrap-Up for December 30, 2022 – End of Year Beer News from Secret Cove, Baccalieu Trail, Lone Oak and HopYard, Garrison, Bogside, Village Green, Propeller, North and Battery Park, Stillwell, Good Robot, plus a contest!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2022-12-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Baccalieu Trail Brewing, Battery Park, Bogside Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, HopYard, Lone Oak Brewing, Modern Brewer's Village Green, North Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, The Stillwell Freehouse. Leave a Comment

Well, you’ve done it! You survived another year! This is our 51st post of 2022, and 812th published since our launch in January 2012. Not bad for 10 years, eh? We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and learning along with us as we’ve tracked the Atlantic Canadian Beer, Cider, and Mead landscape, from the early days with fewer than 40 producers in the region, to today where our region boasts more than 300! There’s always something local and great to drink when you’re traveling in the Atlantic provinces, so we hope your 2023 brings the ability to do that for you all! We’ll be here, churning out the latest info on new breweries, cideries, beer, and events, to guide you along the way!

We’re kicking off the blog with a few releases from before Christmas, but we know are still around…

Celebrating their Fourth Anniversary mid-month, Port-Au-Port’s Secret Cove Brewing released their ode to the largest bird to grace Newfoundland and Labrador, with a beer of fitting proportions. The Great Auk is a 10% Triple IPA, featuring both a massive flavour and aroma from the hops and extra malt in the beer. The eponymous bird was rendered extinct in the region in the 17th century, though there is a widely accepted sighting noted in 1852 on the Grand Banks. The Great Auk the beer is alive and well, and available on tap at the brewery, and in cans at retailers across Newfoundland. Happy Fourth Anniversary Secret Cove!

Sticking to Newfoundland, Baccalieu Trail Brewing is celebrating the light show in Port de Grave with Christmas in the Harbour. This 4.0% beer is a light American lager, infused with just a touch of peppermint. May even pass as a candy-cane lager. The boats should still be lit up when you read this, so grab a four-pack from the brewery or your local beer shop, and head out Highway 72 to see the show!

From one island to another, PEI’s Lone Oak Brewing teamed up with their pals at Hopyard Beer Bar, and released Lil’ Hoppy. The first in what we expect to be a series, the partners are playing around with different hop varieties and techniques. For V1, they used loads of locally-grown Cascade hops during a mash hop phase, and waited until fermentation had died down to add Sultana and Nelson Sauvin, locking in that aroma. Look for notes of pineapple, citrus, and maybe even a touch of Sauv Blanc grape too. On tap at HopYard C’town and both Lone Oak locations, as well as in cans to take-away.

Halifax’s Garrison Brewing has a trio of new releases on tap these days, including a pair of small batch beers that are exclusive to The Oxford Taproom location on Quinpool. Krampus is the first of these, a 6.2% Black IPA, featuring the very aromatic Bravo, Simcoe, Zythos, and Mosaic, for a melding of citrus, pine, with chocolate and roast. And celebrating the location itself is Oxford Pale, a 5.5% Pale Ale, with Bravo, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Comet hops blended for some citrus and tropical notes of pineapple and mandarin orange. They’re open today for pints and retail, with tomorrow being a cafe and retail kinda day…

Embracing the season entirely is the release of Garrison’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wintervention. The 2022 edition of this familiar friend is 11.5%, and whose base Imperial Stout beer spent time hanging out in bourbon barrels before release in the share-worthy 650 ml format. Chocolate, roast, dark fruit meld with the vanilla, toffee, oak, and hint of booze from its temporary home. Bottles are available exclusively at the Seaport and Oxford locations, as well as through their website for local delivery.

One of our favorite trends of the last year or so has been more releases of lower-ABV English bitters. Although beers like Hell Bay’s English Ale, Sober Island’s Beachstone Bitter, Foghorn’s Esty’s Special Bitter, and Lunn’s Mill’s Pub Ale are core brands and longtime stalwarts, this year has seen all sorts of new bitters, including some from breweries you might not expect. In 2022 we saw, amongst others, the releases of Stillwell’s Best Bitter, Trailway’s Chancy’s Pub Ale, and, more recently, Tatamagouche’s Flintshire. Who knows, maybe part of the reason for this is the introduction of proper cask ale at places like the Stillwell Freehouse, or maybe folks are just looking for the next big thing after hopbombs, hazebombs, and crispybois, but regardless, as shared owners of a beer engine, we’re here for it! Anyways, that’s a bit of a long-winded introduction to the release of Proper Pub Ale from Montague’s Bogside Brewing. Coming in at a very quaffable 4.5% ABV and 25 IBU, you can safely expect a classic smooth taste profile with notes of toffee. Look for it on tap and in cans to go at the brewery.

Speaking of PEI and traditional English styles, Cornwall’s Village Green (by Modern Brewer) has two new beers for us this weekend and the first fits that description quite nicely. Often even lower in ABV than bitter, but just as suitable for the hand pumps, dark mild is one of the most sessionable beers ever. VG’s Dark Mild hits all the right notes, with toasty malt flavors, some subtle cherry esters, and a clean finish, all in a “tastes like another, and maybe another after that” 3% ABV package. Also being released is Altbier, also a very traditional style, but the German tradition rather than the English. A contrast to the lagers that came later, the “alt” in “altbier” means “old” as in “the beer we used to make.” Using bottom-fermenting ale yeast and not generally undergoing a lagering period, these are darker, more full-bodied beers, with some fruity esters and a decent bitterness from Northern Brewer hops balancing toasty sweet malt notes. Comforting on a cold day, but still not overly boozy, this one comes in at 4.9%. Both of these beers are available at the tap room for pints or in cans to go!

Continuing to find new and interesting ways to pump hops into beer are Propeller Brewing, who are releasing another new IPA today, this one not just full of lupulin, but lots of other fun things as well. Piña Colada IPA features Sabro, known for some serious coconut vibes, and Azacca, which tends to impart mango, papaya, and other tropical notes. These two together make a perfect combination, along with some actual coconut, vanilla bean, and lactose, to give the vibes of many people’s favorite umbrella drink. So you may be stuck in Atlantic Canada instead of having your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand in warmer climes, but you can at least crack one of these, sit back, and dream. Look for it as of today at all Prop Shops, online for home delivery, and at the private stores in the HRM as well. And speaking of the Prop Shops, we’ve been advised that Propeller has officially broken ground on their “coming in 2023” Bedford Highway location that was announced earlier in the year. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of that construction in the new year!

There’s a busy weekend shaping up in HRM, let’s get you in the know so you can take part in the fun.

Celebrating their 10th Anniversary in January is North Brewing, who have come a long way from their small beginnings on Agricola Street (opening as Bridge Brewing on January 23rd, 2013). And to kick off the fun is a New Year’s Eve Tap Takeover at Battery Park on Ochterloney in Dartmouth. From 11:30 tomorrow, Cole Harbour’s Finest will be pouring from the 20 draught lines behind the bar, featuring some old and new favourite beer, ciders, and vodka sodas. In the mix are a pair of new IPAs released this month. Teaming up with the Battery Park team, and a favourite customer of theirs, they have released Hazy Dave’s Juice-tastrophy. This 6.7% New England IPA is a scaling up of a recipe by Dave Wilcox, which is hoppy, hazy, juicy, and not at all a catastrophe. “It’s selling great”, says the brewery, and is available on tap and in cans at North Brewing’s retail and taproom locations for now, until it’s all gone!

Coming tomorrow at the North taprooms and Battery Park event is The Longest Night, another IPA, but different altogether. A Triple IPA, at 10.0% ABV, the big base of Pilsner malt is enhanced with Oats and Wheat for body, head retention, and foam stability. Hopping-wise, the Brew Crew opted for new-to-them Calypso and Talus for citrus aroma and flavour, complementing the Amarillo and Summit, familiar to fans of HiFi. Onlya touch of haze, the hops come through on the nose and flavour, but are not overpowering or bitter. On tap and in responsibly-sized 355ml cans.

More on their NYE event, is that a three course Prix Fixe menu option will be available after 5 PM, which comes complete with pairing North beer with what the BP kitchen has whipped up. Fans of their burgers will be happy to know that their full menu will also be available during that time. Check here for the details on the meal, and this post for the full taplist. Congrats to the North Crew on 10 years!

Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Halifax is The Stillwell Freehouse, who are hosting a pre-party Tap Feature by BC’s Dageraad Brewing. Frequent award-winners for the Belgian/Abbey style beers, they have sent along 8 to be enjoyed on draught tomorrow. Look for a Lacto-fermented Dubbel, a Tripel, both a clean and mixed culture fermented Quads (as well as one aged in a Rum barrel), and going off-brand with a Hazy IPA. They’ll be the only Stilly location open Dec 31, as HQ gears up for…

Bar Stillwell on Barrington is hosting a Levee January 1st, with a tap feature from Brasserie Dunham. Starting at 2 PM, there are a half dozen from Dunham on tap, including the Simplexite Pils collab with de Ranke, Biere de Table, Sierra Yakima New England Pale Ale (with Boreale). And from the kitchen, folks will be able to enjoy breakfast sandos, cheesesteak fries, and dunkaroos for dessert! (Note that the Freehouse is closed Jan 1 and both locations are closed Jan 2)

To celebrate the opening of their Elmsdale Brewery, Good Robot is going to be hosting an ACBB (aka, Nerdy) tour of their new facilities in the New Year. On January 21st, you, us, and a dozen other folks looking to learn more about Good Robot’s state-of-the-art brewhouse and gear will be given a tour by the folks who work so tirelessly behind the scenes. There is no cost to the event, but we do need you to win your way onto the guest list! To do that, post a picture/story/reel on social media of a favourite local beer/cider/mead you’ve enjoyed in the past twelve months, and be sure to tag us in it and use the hashtag #ElmsdaleTour. And if you’re not the SM kind, no problem, just fire us an email, send us a text, or release a carrier pigeon to let us know you’re interested! (We’d like to post/re-post to show what our readers are drinking, hope that’s OK) We’ll be drawing a whole buncha names Jan 18 at 6 PM, so your chances are good to take part! Looking forward to meeting you there!

And there you have it, our last post of 2022! Enjoy responsibly this weekend, be sure to check that your favourite brewery or bar is actually open before heading in (and whether they recommend reservations), and we’ll see you next Friday!