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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 – Red Rover to Open Ciderhouse Soon, Today is Stout Day, New Beers from Big Tide, Shiretown, Yellowbelly, Boxing Rock and more

Posted by acbbshawn on 2013-11-08
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Authentic Seacoast Brewing, Beerthief, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Red Rover Brewing, Shiretown Beer, YellowBelly Brewery. 2 comments

Happy Friday, everybody! That means it’s time for some Atlantic Canadian Beer News:

• Living in New Brunswick and waiting for an update from Red Rover Brewing? Well, good news… they recently announced (via an email bulletin to supporters, or “Red Roverlutionaries”) that they moved into their new location – the “Ciderhouse” – in mid-September! Over the past six weeks, plenty of equipment has been trickling in, along with their first shipment of apples… about 56,000 lbs worth! They have finally received their liquor license, and should begin brewing cider as soon as juice has been pressed. While the first batches of cider likely won’t be available until sometime in January, they hope to have their retail shop at the Ciderhouse open before Christmas, so you can purchase merchandise, including 1-L fliptop growlers (with refill certificates to be used when the cider is available). Right now, the plan is to have at least three different cider varieties on tap; in addition to growler fills, the cider should start popping up at different beer bars and restaurants in the province.  For those of you who aren’t supporters, it’s not too late to become one! Click here for details. For more info on Red Rover, check out our interview with them from May.

• For those of you who love your dark beers… today is International Stout Day! It’s the third year of the now-annual event, and beer bars and breweries around the world are releasing special beers and planning events to celebrate the several beer styles in the Stout family. Garrison Brewing Co. is having a “Stout Day Challenge”: participants can take a picture of themselves drinking Garrison’s Martello Stout and tweet it with the hashtag #MartelloStout and #StoutDay along with the beer bar/restaurant location. The winner will receive a Stout Gift Pack that includes beer, a T-shirt, and a bar towel. Get tweeting! Mother’s Pizza in Halifax is baking some of their pies with Martello Stout, very cool!

• Also just in time for Stout Day, Big Tide Brewing will have their Whistlepig Stout back on tap at the brewpub. Described by the brewery as a “dry American Stout”, it’s brewed with dark roasted malts and oatmeal, producing a “nutty, chocolate aroma” and English hops. It comes in at 4.8% ABV and 42 IBUs.

• Big Tide is also re-releasing their Tidal Wave Double IPA. This is the third time they’ve brewed this beer, which started out in life as a collaboration with Greg Nash. It is close to 100 IBUs but really well balanced, and has lots of citrus notes from Columbus and Cascade hops. Deceptively drinkable at 9% ABV.

• Shiretown also has a couple of new beers, both currently available at the brewery for growler fills. The Choke Cherry Wheat (following the release of their popular Black Currant Wheat) is brewed with their base wheat recipe and locally-grown choke cherries. “Woody, with tannins up-front”, the beer has an ABV of 5% and 17 IBUs. Siren’s T’ale is their new “bittersweet” Red Ale that is brewed with a variety of Caramalts; also at 5% ABV, it has slightly more bitterness (30 IBUs) to balance the sweetness from the malts. Look for this one to be available in bottles at ANBL stores by sometime in December.

• Meanwhile, in Newfoundland, the Yellowbelly Brewery is about to release their newest beer. Still unnamed, it’s a new Pale Ale brewed exclusively with Topaz, an Australian hop known for its intense aroma of citrus and “dank” overtones. The beer is brewed with 95% Pale malt and 5% Carastan, and has 70 IBUs and an ABV of 5.5%. It’ll be available on draft only at the brewpub, and should be tapped sometime early next week.

• As we quickly mentioned in the Ladies Beer League Cask Event interview (the event is now sold out, by the way), Boxing Rock Brewing has released their newest seasonal, Crafty Jack English Brown Ale. It features a rich, roasty malt profile, and classic English hops. It comes in at 4.2% and 29 IBUs. It is currently available at the brewery store in Shelburne, this weekend at the Halifax Seaport Famers’ Market and next week at the private beer stores in Halifax (650mL package size).

• If you live in the Fredericton area and are looking for a job in the beer industry, Picaroons is currently looking for another driver to deliver beer across New Brunswick… and beyond. If you’re interested, email your resume (or questions about the position) to chris@picaroons.ca.

• Bridge Brewing announced last week on their Facebook page that they will no longer be attending the Historic Farmers’ Market in Halifax. They hope to be at another market in the near future; in the meantime, you can still get your growlers filled and buy merchandise at the brewery on Agricola Street. And remember they’ve extended their hours on the weekend: Sat 12-9, Sun 12-6.

• Rare Bird Craft Beer in Guysborough will soon have their Rare Bird Pale Ale available in the NSLC, previously only available on tap or in growlers at the Antigonish Farmers Market and Stepping Stone Cafe. It is an East Coast interpretation of this classic beer style, using pure artesian water from Nova Scotia’s pristine Eastern Shore, Rare Bird Pale Ale starts with a nice hit of hops on the nose, a delicious balance of specially selected malted barley and both English and North American hops in the middle and a dry finish that delivers a refreshing beer of rare character, at 7.0% ABV. We will have more from Rare Bird closer to the release date.

• November 16th, the Beerthief and Beckett on Wine are holding an Oktoberfest tasting and dinner at Bitters Lounge on the MUN campus in St. John’s. The dinner will feature five courses of Belgian beer and food pairings prepared by Chef Julie Purchase, lead by Tom Beckett. Tickets are $52, and can be secured by contacting Tom via email.

• Also on the 16th, Maison Tait House in Shediac will be hosting a beer tasting, featuring Picaroons beer paired with Chef Mike Harris’ creations. Picaroons owner Sean Dunbar will be leading the tasting of the five pairing courses. Tickets for this event are $59, and can be secured by calling or emailing Maison Tait House.

Have a great long weekend! Hope to see some of you at the Fredericton Poutine Festival on Sunday, drinking local craft beer!

Friday Wrap-up – Big Spruce Holding Homebrew Comp, New Beers from Celtic Knot, Grimross and Paddy’s Brewpub, and lots more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2013-11-01
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Celtic Knot Brewing, Fredericton Poutine Festival, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Garrison Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, homebrewing, Ladies Beer League, Local Connections, McAuslan Brewery, Paddys Irish Brewpub, Picaroons Traditional Ales, Pump House Brewery, Shiretown Beer, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stubborn Goat Gastropub. 1 comment
Welcome to November! I hope all of last night’s tricks were fun, and your treats were Atlantic Canadian Craft Beer.
• Big Spruce Brewing is holding a homebrew competition as part of their contribution to the Craft Beer and Local Food Celebration event, put on by Local Connections in January (we’ll have a full post on it soon). The full information is available on their Facebook event, but the important details are: The competition is open to all Nova Scotian homebrewers. The style of beer is an American IPA, BJCP style 14B, one entry per brewer. Registration of intent closes November 7th, and beers are due at the brewery by December 2nd. Registration is $25, and that includes a Big Spruce t-shirt. The brewer of the winning beer, as chosen by the judging panel, will brew their beer on the 7 barrel system at Big Spruce, and be released at the event in January. So, homebrewers, start your kettles, and be sure to email Big Spruce to receive and complete the registration form.
• Celtic Knot Brewing has a new beer in the pipeline – an English Barleywine, “Toque and Mitts” was brewed with Maris Otter, Chocolate Malt, Wheat Malt, and Crystal 120 L. A dark and malty beer coming in at about 7.5% ABV, it has approximately 33 IBUs and is brewed with Willamette, East Kent Golding, and Belma hops. We’ll keep you updated as to when this beer is available; it should be out around the beginning of December, available where other Celtic Knot beers can be found, The Tide & Boar and Marky’s Laundromat.
• Details for the beers being poured at the Fredericton Poutine Festival next weekend are now available on the event’s ticket site. Grimross Brewing will be serving their recently-released Belgian Rye IPA, as well as a new beer, their Belgian Porter (details below). Picaroons will be pouring their Yippee IPA, Blonde Ale, Winter Warmer, and 104th Regiment. McAuslan Brewery will have their Pale Ale, Apricot Wheat, and Oatmeal Stout, and McClelland Premium Imports will be bringing Steigl, Erdinger Dunkelweizen, Affligem Blond, and Fruli. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet as to what beers Pump House will have at the event. There’s still some tickets to the festival available; remember, the regular ticket gets your four 4 oz beer samples, while the “Beer Experience” gives you twelve samples.
• Back to Grimross Brewing, their Belgian Porter is just about finished and ready for release. A dark brown beer best thought of as a Brown Porter fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, it is described by owner/brewer Stephen Dixon as having a roasted aroma with hints of chocolate and dark candy, and flavours that start with roast and finish with chocolate and syrup. As mentioned, it should be pouring at the Fredericton Poutine Festival, and will likely be available in growlers at the Picaroons Brewtique soon!
• And in even more Grimross news, their beers are starting to make their way to Moncton! The Belgian Rye IPA has recently been available on tap at the Tide & Boar, and has reportedly been selling very well. Dixon has confirmed that this beer will continue to be sold at the T&B for the time-being, so if you’re in Moncton and haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance! Check out their latest blog post for more thoughts from the Grimross Team.
• Continuing with new-beer news, Hell Bay Brewing has released their new seasonal beer, Wee Heavy. A Strong Scotch Ale brewed with six different malts, it’s described by the brewer Mark Baillie as “a slightly sweet, rich and malty beer with caramel flavours and hints of smoke”. Coming it at 8% ABV and just under 20 IBUs, it’s currently available in bottles at the brewery, and should be arriving at Premier Wine & Spirits in Halifax this weekend.
• Paddy’s Pub in Wolfville has released their newest seasonal beer, S’Mashed Pumpkin Ale. Weighing in at 5.2% ABV, the beer features a bright orange colour and hints of pumpkin pie spice, backed up by clean malt flavours of pilsner, Vienna and crystal malts. Like their Acadian Cream, Raven Scottish Ale, Annapolis Valley Ale and Blueberry Ale, the S’Mashed is also available in growlers at the pub. Unfortunately, their Chimney Swift Stout is not available in growlers, as it is served on nitrogen, and this technique does not fare well in bottles.
• Meanwhile, it looks like the Gahan House Pub plans on having a new beer to release soon. Details are extremely slim, but it appears to be brewed with locally-grown hops; where exactly the hops are from, however, remains to be revealed. It appears that the beer has been brewed at the pub, and not at the PEI Brewing Co.
• If you’ve been itching to get your hands on one of those hand-crafted Shiretown Beer steins, they’re available again! This is the third release of the mugs, which are made by Monique (Bujold) Brown of Barlicoco Pottery. Only 15 were made; at $35 each, they’re going fast. They can be purchased at the brewery, or check out their Facebook page for availability.
• A reminder that Garrison Brewing is serving up some special beers as part of their King’s Wardroom Wednesday Firkin events. This week’s beer was “Jack’O’Dubbel”, a Belgian Dubbel style Pumpkin Ale. If you are a King’s student, alumni or friend of one, don’t miss out on these special one-off releases, tapped promptly at 4:30pm.
• The Antigonish Townhouse is catching up with the great demand for their in-house brewed beer, and Terry’s Best Bitter is in steady supply these days. The beer is treated like a traditional Real Ale and is cask conditioned and on hand-pump, so best drunk fresh, right at the bar, we figure. 🙂 We’ve not had a chance to try it yet, but reports are very favourable.
• Stillwell Beer Bar is hiring a couple more people for their soon-to-be-open location. They are looking for both kitchen and front-of-house folks to round out their excellent team. Check their Kijiji ad for more details. Number one requirement: must love beer! There’s been a ton of work done at Stillwell since our visit last month; we’re looking forward to sitting down for a great pint soon!
• Finally this week, tomorrow is Learn to Homebrew Day. Organized by the American Homebrewers Association, this event is aimed at new (or soon-to-be-new) homebrewers looking to learn a bit more about their hobby, but all are welcome to take part. Despite its name, the AHA is an international organization, and there are events taking place in Atlantic Canada. Support your local homebrew shop and ask if they’ll be putting on an event. If not, why not offer to do one to share the great hobby with your friends and family? Sure, they always appreciate that bottle of homebrew you bring to the party/wedding/wake, wouldn’t they like to know how you made it? In Nova Scotia, Noble Grape is showing off a partial mash brewday at their Burnside store beginning at noon, and the Brewnosers are hosting a full mash brewday in Halifax, beginning at 10am (yes, it does take a bit longer to do a full mash, but the results speak for themselves!). Come on by if you are interested in learning more.
And stay tuned early next week, as we’ve got a great interview with a couple of members of the Ladies Beer League regarding the Cask Event taking place at the Stubborn Goat Gastropub November 17th.