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Thursday Wrap-Up for August 27, 2020 – News from Tidehouse Brewing, New Scotland, Lone Oak, Tatamagouche, Brightwood, Tanner & Co, Shipwright, Breton, Tire Shack, Annapolis Cider, and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2020-08-27
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, 902 BrewCast, Annapolis Cider Company, Big Spruce Brewing, Black is Beautiful, Breton Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, BSG Canada, Cabot Golf, Foghorn Brewing, Heritage Brewing, Hops Connect, Ladies Beer League, Lone Oak Brewing, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, New Scotland Brewing, North Brewing, NSLC, Propeller Brewing, Secret Cove Brewery, Shipwright Brewing, Shoreline Malting, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Station, Tidehouse Brewing, Tire Shack Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Happy Friday Thursday everyone! Surprise! We’ve got a full dance card this evening and tomorrow, and rather than leave you thirsty and no clue what to drink on the last weekend of August, we figured we’d hit you up a day early. Fingers crossed that the weather cooperates for all of the new beers to be enjoyed as we take on the Bubble by boat, foot, or bike, with an awesome local beer in hand. Here’s the heads up to no fewer than a dozen new beers and ciders  to enjoy from around the Atlantic provinces. Cheers!

Let’s start off the week with a beer project whose purpose and benefits are becoming even more poignant daily. The Black Is Beautiful Beer Collaboration was started by Marcus Baskerville of San Antonio’s Weathered Souls Brewing, as a way to elevate the voices of, and lend real financial support to, groups working to identify, overcome, and remove, racial injustice. Tidehouse Brewing in Halifax is the second Nova Scotian brewery to release Black is Beautiful (Propeller Brewing’s draught-only release sold out in record time!), and the first to package it in cans. Tidehouse has gone all out, as they are wont to do, putting together a massive 11.0% ABV Imperial Stout. Featuring a full roast base, the addition of coffee, dark chocolate, and a touch of lactose, for a supremely flavourful and enjoyable beer to be enjoyed with friends. They did not do this all on their own, of course, with frenemies 2 Crows Brewing lending a hand to can the 25 flats of beer, and The Printing House Canada for providing the handsome labels at cost. That help means that more money can go towards Tidehouse’s chosen charity, Game Changers 902. This collective has been busy for months hosting rallies and community events in Nova Scotia, and the financial assistance from the project will allow them to continue this vital work of speaking truth to power, and to all of us. Black Lives Matter. You can lend your support by picking up Black is Beautiful from 2 PM tomorrow, until they’re sold out. And while you’re there, grab the brand new Undertow IPA. Using Horton Ridge Malt Pale malt, with Vienna and Acid malt to complete the grist, this 6.6% ABV is hopped with Azacca, Huell Melon, and Pacific Gem, resulting in some lovely tropical notes of mango and stone fruit. While they may have been caught in the undertow of COVID, it looks like the Tidehouse crew is keeping their heads above water and continue to push the envelope in the NS beer scene.

Downtown Dartmouth is buzzing with new beers these days, so let’s head across the bridge next! New Scotland Brewing is serving up a fresh new beer with a fresh new hop rarely seen in these parts, Pahto. Highland Light is just 3.7% ABV, but packs plenty of flavour into its small package. Inspired by the German Leichtbier, known as a style taking the “Light American Lager” back to the Old World, using high quality ingredients. Pahto is a high Alpha hop known to exhibit plenty of Noble hop characteristics, with its sole addition in the whirlpool enough to give a bit of bitterness, and great herbal, floral, and earthy goodness. This is the latest of New Scotland’s series of beers fermented with the KRISPY Kveik strain from Escarpment Labs, and when kept cool (this was fermented at 13 Celsius), it mimics a lager strain with less fruity esters and the beer is crispy and crushable. You don’t have to take our word for it, grab your own cans of Highland Light at the brewery on Alderney Drive, or for home delivery in HRM (and shipping elsewhere) at their Online Shop. And while you’re there (in person or virtually), pick up cans of their Britecider, a 6.1% ABV off-dry cider made with local apples, and dry-hopped with Centennial hops from Fundy Hops. The hops and apple come together in a fun way to add a citrus accent to the apple base, in a bright and crisp package.

The release of Lone Oak’s newest beer was originally scheduled for next week, but they’re so excited about it (and so are we!), that they bumped it up to THIS Friday. Otis is an Oat Grisette brewed with barley and, yes, a generous amount of oats. Fermented with the brewery’s house yeast culture, it was aged for six months in their oak foeder and is finally ready for your enjoyment. Coming in at a sessionable 3.6% ABV, the beer has “notes of lemon zest, hay, and mild oak”, and finishes nice and dry. Grisette is somehow still an overlooked and underappreciated style, but its popularity is slowly growing, so let’s all continue to buy those great examples that are available! Otis is conveniently going to be available in 355 mL cans, perfect for you to take on those last few camping weekends, trips to the beach, etc. that we’ve got left (sob). Find it at the brewery tomorrow, where you can stock up on plenty of it to last you through Labour Day weekend.

Tatamagouche Brewing is debuting a trio of beers this week; two are returning favourites, the other a brand new release. Mussed Up is a 7.9% ABV Double IPA, featuring heavy additions of Enigma and Hallertau Blanc hops for a solid bitterness as well as tropical notes. Petite Milo grape must was added after two days (during active fermentation), imparting so much great grape and wine-like character in there as well, for a unique combination. Next up is Amrita, the Brett IPA first brewed with legendary (aka old, but still hip!) homebrewer Mark McKay. A combination of a beer fermented with a combination of Vermont Ale and Brett D yeasts, aged on a ton of passion fruit and mango, and then dry-hopped with El Dorado and Azacca, give this 6.2% ABV hybrid a ton of character.

Elixir Krispy Kveik is the newbie beer (newbier?), taking its inspiration from a trip to the hop fields of Alsace, France. Walking through fields of Elixir and Mistral, the terroir of this old world wine region shines through in the hops, with floral and fruity character, a new twist on the Noble hops of the Continent. Fermented with that new favourite Kveik strain spotted elsewhere in this post, KRISPY, for a fairly quick turnaround low-ester beer. Both Mussed Up and Elixir are available on draught at the brewery now, and will be in cans very soon, with bottles of Amrita available now. Online store too!

And for those looking to begin or continue their career in the brewing arts and science, Tata is hiring a Cellar Hand to join their team. While the brewer makes the wort, and hands it off to the yeast to make beer, those working in the cellar ensure that product stays clean and happy all the way to your glass. Cleaning (so much cleaning!), transferring beer, kegging and canning, and a thousand jobs in between. A great job for those who do not (yet) have any formal brewing training, but want to be critical in its production. Check out their job listing to learn more and how to apply!

If sour and hops combined are your thang, we recommend a trip over to Dartmouth to visit Brightwood Brewery. They’re pouring their latest beer, Horizon Line, a 5.5% ABV Sour IPA that they hopped with large additions of Chinook and Centennial. Two hop varieties that have been around for awhile, but still pack a punch when used in the right beer. In addition to the fruity character added by the hops – not to mention the tartness from the kettle sour process – they added lime zest from limes provided by Maria’s Pantry, to bump up the citrus notes. Available right now at the taproom for pints and growlers, cans should be following in the very near future (and may even be grabbable right now!).

Fans of Tanner & Co. may have noticed that there’s been a bit of a lapse with new beers from the brewery for the past several weeks; they’ve been working hard to make sure they’ve got their regular beers in stock, but have managed to slip in a new recipe in there, so you’re in luck! Kveik DIPA kind of gives itself away with its name – it’s a Double IPA that they fermented with a Kveik strain, specifically, the Norwegian Hornindal strain. Particularly fond of very high fermentation temperatures, it’s well known for its propensity to show off huge tropical aromas and flavours. But it’s a DIPA, so of course you also have to complement the yeast by a massive hopping schedule… in this case, Tanner went with Mosaic, Motueka, Amarillo and Citra (to 65 IBUs). So now you really know this is going to be a tropical beast, and a pretty boozy one (8.0% ABV) at that! Available right now at the brewery on tap and in bottles.

A little ways down the road from Tanner, you’ll find Shipwright Brewing in Lunenburg, NS. As you know if you’ve been following along, they’ve been experimenting this summer with Kveik-fermented beers using various strains of that yeasty beastie in various styles of beer. Submitted for your drinking pleasure this time is Ship’s Biscuit IPA, a 6.2% ABV 60 IBU West Coast IPA x Kveik hybrid. Featured in the grist were Golden Promise, CaraBelge, and Amber malts, with a portion of flaked barley in the mix as well. Hopped and dry hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe, it was then fermented on Escarpment’s KRISPY kveik strain at elevated temperatures to encourage some ester formation. The result is a beer with a soft mouthfeel, plenty of notes of honey, grapefruit and pineapple, and a pithy bitter finish consistent with a WCIPA. Look for it at the brewery Tuesday to Sunday with cans available for takeout on Mondays from the Grand Banker next door.

Sydney’s Breton Brewing has been celebrating their Fifth Anniversary with Five releases over the past two months, and today’s release marks the final in the series. Whipper Snipper Pilsner is 4.8% ABV beer meant to be light and supremely drinkable, while incorporating some great flavour and aromatics. Start with Superior Canadian Pilsner malt, add in a pleasant 32 IBU from New Zealand-grown Wakatu hops, and let sit for a month-long lagering period, and Voila! Clean and crisp, cans of Whipper Snipper are for sale at the brewery and CBRM delivery now, with HRM home delivery late next week (in addition to cans at the Harvest/RockHead/WestSide trio of private stores too).

Breton also teamed up with the team at the Cabot Resort in Inverness recently, to release a special beer fit for the links. Cabot Ale is a 4.0% ABV, 24 IBU Kolsch, also known as lagered ale. WIth a light a clean malt base, lightly hopped with Huell Melon for just a touch of fruity esters, it’s a refresher that you can grab only at the Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs courses, as well as on tap at the restaurants on the Resort, Panorama and the Public House.

Moncton’s Tire Shack Brewing let us know this week that just because we haven’t heard from them in a little while doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy; in fact they’ve been so busy keeping the beer moving that they haven’t had time to write to tell us what those beers have been! Props to the folks in Moncton and environs for helping a new brewery stay vital through the craziness that has been their first year of operations, and kudos to the team for making beer that keeps people coming back for more! We’ve also been told that they’ve got a couple new tanks on the way that should relieve some of the pressure on the brewery while ensuring that their fans do not go thirsty. This weekend they’ll have two beers released, one a returning favourite and the other a variation on a beer they’ve made before. First is Full Service, their citrusy DIPA coming in at 7.5% ABV; this was one of the first beers they ever released and always one of their most popular. Second is their Raspberry Sour, which we think is a slight twist on the Black Raspberry Sour from late last year. Kettle soured before having 40 kg of raspberries added, it’s 6.0% ABV, bright and super fruity. Look for both of these beers on tap at the brewery now and in cans starting tomorrow at noon. And if you’re planning to visit the brewery tomorrow, maybe give a thought to stopping by around 4 PM as they’ll be doing their first ever cask beer! Part of what’s intended to be a regular thing, this will be a single 20 L cask of American Pale Ale that was conditioned in the cask on celery seed and rose petals. Wondering what that’ll taste like? So are they!! Stop in for a pint and some cans to go and find out.

Annapolis Cider in Wolfville has released their latest Something Different this week, branching into a lovely combination of fruit and spice, with Sour Cherry and Lemon Thyme. An infusion of lemon thyme was made with their dry-fermented cider, and then blended with fresh-pressed juice from locally-grown sour cherries and apples. Some of the first apples of the 2020 harvest were used in this cider, coming through with bright notes on the palate. Working together with the cherry and lemon, a full bouquet of fruit varietals are on display. As with all of their Something Different releases, a local charity will be benefiting from our hard work (drinking), with the Wolfville Area Food Bank being the recipient of $0.50 from each refill of this cider expression.

In Western Newfoundland, in the town of Port-au-Port, you’ll find Secret Cove Brewing. And at Secret Cove Brewing this weekend you’ll find a couple of new beers! Score Points is a sour beer weighing in at lovely and light, thirst-quenching 4.0% ABV and featuring passion fruit and Mango. Score Points is based around the idea that with sports beginning to start up again you might need to score some points with someone in your life in order to watch the game or get out for a skate with the gang. And what better way to do so than by treating them to a little tropical love in the form of a crushable sour beer? Loaded with fruit, a grist of wheat and Pilsner malt make for a solid base with a slight sweetness and a subtly dry finish. This one is a limited run, so grab some cans now while you, uh… can? (editor’s note: Ugh.) The other release this week is a new brewing of a beer they developed with Corner Brook’s Newfound Sushi: The Rice is Right, a “hybrid session IPA” at 4.8% ABV. Brewed to pair well with all things sushi, this light and sessionable ale uses gelatinized rice to create a crispy and dry beer with a soft mouthfeel that accentuates the use of a bit of Sorachi Ace hops, the only hop cultivar native to Japan. This one’s also available at the brewery only at this time, for pints in house and fills and cans to go.

Continuing the episode releases from their Island Jaunt in July, the 902BrewCast have released their interview with John, Trent, and Jansen of Shoreline Malting. Go behind the scenes of how that grain got in your glass (hint, it starts before it’s even in the ground!), and what being a local grower of wheat, barley, and other grains means to the local breweries, and how they turn that into the malt the local producers are lapping up. You can find it in your latest podcast feed, or check it out directly here!

Rothesay’s Foghorn Brewing has tapped their version of Isolation Nation, the Canada-wide collaboration made with 100% Canadian-grown Sasquatch hops and Rahr Pale malt, courtesy of Hops Connect and BSG Canada. In true Esty form, he bumped up the provided hops with even more of his own Sasquatch hops! This 5.0% ABV Pale Ale is full of flavour, and proceeds from the sales are going to the United Way, as part of Foghorn’s membership in the Quarter Club, where they have pledged to be part of a group to raise $250,000 over a five-year period, going towards mental health research and supporting victims of domestic violence. Kudos and Cheers! And while you’re breaking your isolation, grab cans of the latest in their Sour Series, with the Grapefruit version fresh off the canning line. Lightly hopped to let the citrus shine through, look for more from the series to include Cherry, as well as a Dry-Hopped version, and one more TBD.

This week saw the First Quarter numbers from the NSLC released, and there’s some eye-opening statistics therein. While we’re not party to the full report, the “highlights” tell quite a tale. (Note: comparisons to follow are for the same quarter last year, not the previous quarter) For the period from April 1 to June 28, a 6.8% increase in earnings was reported, with Beverage Alcohol in particular being up 5% — overall positive news for a business that sells stuff — but there are a couple of things that bear mentioning, and probably rumination and discussion if you’re a fan of the local beer scene.

First, overall beer sales were down 4.4% to $67.4m (from $70.4m). That’s a big drop (~$3m). But sales of Nova Scotia Craft Beer were up 0.1% to $4.8m. This doesn’t tell us that all craft breweries did well during the closures associated with the pandemic, but that enough of them did well enough to not lose a ton of sales overall. We think that’s a positive statement for the overall health of the craft market in the Province and the ability of our producers to be nimble in a changing marketplace, although we think it’s super important to note that it’s almost certainly the case that some breweries did really really well while others got hit pretty hard. Suffice to say, we’re happy to hear this because there’s a possibility that people are drinking more craft beer and drinking less mass-produced macro beers from huge multinational companies who employ far fewer people in our Province, and the proceeds from which leave our borders with a quickness. Keep supporting local, folks, these are the breweries creating jobs in our communities in addition to making tasty liquids for us to consume! 

The next number that’s interesting is the rise in “ready to drink” sales, which more than doubled to $7.2m (115.7% increase). Remember that this category includes ciders, wine coolers, and the new darling of the North American alcohol industry, vodka sodas/hard seltzers. So if you’re wondering why so many breweries are branching into the world of fruit “flavoured” fizzy water, there’s your answer. We don’t generally love them ourselves, but note the numbers there: ready-to-drink went from less than craft beer to much more than craft beer. Grabbing a piece of that market might help any erosive effect it has on your existing market, which is already highly-competitive.

Lastly, we think it’s super important to note the biggest decline on the page: Licensee sales were down close to 90%. This is your bars, your restaurants, and pubs. We don’t know too many industries that can sustain a 90% drop in sales. Obviously during the full lockdown going to restaurants was not an option, but now that things are opening up a little bit we highly encourage you to try to send some support in the direction of those places you value, because there’s a really good chance a lot of them are going through some very hard times right now. We have our favorites and you have yours, and yes, we’re fully aware that a lot of people are experiencing budget crunches at home themselves; but if you’ve got the means and opportunity to get out for a nice meal and/or a couple of drinks in the coming weeks and months, or to order takeout and a couple beers from your favorite local, we highly encourage you to do so.

We’ve got plenty of events to tell you about this week, with some requiring a bit of manual labour, or your hiking shoes, or just your drinking caps!

In Nyanza, Big Spruce Brewing is ready to harvest their hops, and they need your help! Drop by the brewery anytime this weekend and give them a hand to get those hops off the bines so they can put them into your beer! A few hours of work will earn you some liquid assistance and snacks from their food truck. And worry not, you don’t have to work for your beer, they still accept ha’pennies and farthings too! 😉 And while you’re there, keep your peepers open for a brand new limited release from their continued bottle series. Le Trou Normand is a Calvados Brandy barrel-aged beer, a Biere de Garde. This 10.1% ABV whopper comes in a lovely 330 mL bottle, so grab a few to enjoy now and when the weather turns cool(er).

On the opposite end of Nova Scotia, Yarmouth’s Heritage Brewing is holding a Highway 101 vs. Highway 103 Beer Battle this weekend. Celebrating the part of the world where those two roads meet, Heritage has invited breweries from along both to bring a new or existing beer to the event and team up with their compatriots to reign supreme. The beers will be pouring from Friday afternoon until they’re tapped out, with the winners announced Saturday evening. Drinkers will know a bit about the style of each beer, but the origin and brewery will be hidden until after voting is done. Speaking of, you’ll be enjoying beers from Annapolis Brewing, Boxing Rock, Church Brewing, Firkinstein Brewing, Lunns Mill Beer Co, Roof Hound Brewing, Rudders Brew Pub, Saltbox Brewing, Schoolhouse Brewing, and Sea Level Brewing. Stop in either evening to enjoy live music from 8 PM too, and help crown a winner!

Are you a fan of the hazy, hoppy beers, kids? If you are, you’ve no doubt heard of Fredericton’s Trailway Brewing, who for the past couple of years have been banging out the soft and juicy New England/Northeastern IPAs for getting on six years now. And in that six years they’ve branched out quite a bit beyond the beers you may know them best for, including a beer brewed specifically for the bowling alley they bought a couple of years back! If you’re in Halifax and find you can’t get their beers as often as you’d like, though, this weekend is an excellent opportunity to rectify that: Saturday afternoon starting at noon you’ll find 10 taps of Trailway pouring at the Stillwell Beer Garden! Come on down and try some old favorites that have been around since the early days, and some new hotness as well:

  • Candlepin Kölsch (4.5%) 
  • Beyond Reality Raspberry Wheat (4%)
  • El Generico Sour (Blackberry & lime 4.5%) 
  • Dump Run Saves Summer Ale (fruit ale with Mango, passionfruit & peach 4%)
  • Luster Session IPA (4%) 
  • Rype Pale Ale (w/ Rye) (5%)
  • Hu Jon Hops IPA (6.6%) 
  • Seeing Citra IPA (6%)
  • Velvet Fog Milkshake IPA (w/ lactose, raspberry & lime 6.5%)
  • Ooz Double IPA (8%)

If that makes you happy and helps you plan your Saturday afternoon, then great! If it makes you sad because you have responsibilities or plans that cannot be changed, we remind you that Trailway recently started shipping to all four Atlantic Provinces as well as Ontario. Check out their website for more details!

Saturday is a busy day in the North End of Halifax too, as two breweries are hosting vendors in their taprooms. Propeller’s Gottingen Street spot is taking part in TakingBLKGottingen’s second event, hosting the Family Over Fame apparel company Saturday 12 – 5 PM. With shirts, masks, hoodies, bandanas and much more, start your stroll along the Gottingen with a pint and a peruse. Check that first link for full details on the other locations taking part.

And down on Brunswick Street, 2 Crows is hosting their first Local Makers Market, 10 AM – 2 PM Saturday and Sunday. They are hosting makers, growers, crafters, clothing, and food folks, so be sure to swing by and peruse the offerings with a beer in hand! They’ll be running these for the next few weekends, so be sure to stop in!

The Ladies Beer League is kicking off their Go Take a Hike! series next Wednesday at 6 PM with a walk through Dartmouth. Physically distanced hiking starts out from Alderney Landing and will go along some groomed trails and sidewalks, at whatever pace you feel comfortable. And then refresh at Battery Park on Ochterloney! The hikes are free, but please grab a ticket ahead of time so they know how many are coming, and ensure all health protocols are followed. Look for more hikes out of town as well, coming up on the 13th (Taylor Head), 19th (Moose Mountain), and 27th (Tatamagouche). More info here!

Let’s end the week’s post with two news items that caught our eye and are signs of the great things happening in the region’s beer scene.

Dartmouth’s North Brewing has launched the Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship, to encourage, promote, and elevate the underrepresented individuals in the brewing industry. Comprising two parts, there is a $1500 scholarship for those in a university or college program in a field that is related to the brewing or hospitality industry, awarded for each year of their program. As well, the successful candidate will have guaranteed employment in the brewery, taproom, or retail shop throughout their education. Applications are now open until the end of October, and there are so many more exciting details on North’s site, so we highly encourage interested students, or those already in the industry looking to make some positive waves, check it out!

And congratulations to the folks behind Lunn’s Mill Beer who have taken over the iconic End of the Line Pub in Bridgetown, and will be opening The Station this fall. Investing in the local economy in this way is a leap of faith, but a testament to the growing fans of craft beer across our region. Well done folks, looking forward to a pint of fresh ale and some great food in a few months!

Friday Wrap-Up for July 24, 2020 – News from Breton, Big Spruce, Niche, Brightwood, Secret Cove, Tanner, Bannerman, Upstreet, Lake City, North, and even more (!!)

Posted by acbbaaron on 2020-07-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, ANBL, Bannerman Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Brasserie Dunham, Breton Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, CBANS, Coastliner Craft Cider, CODA Ramen, Lake City Cider, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, NSLC, Secret Cove Brewery, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tanner & Co Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Here we are heading into the the last week of July in Atlantic Canada and despite the strangeness brought on by COVID-19, the beer certainly still seems to be flowing, just via some different routes than we’ve been used to in previous years. While it’s still a bit of a complicated undertaking to sit and have a pint in a taproom or beer bar, with so many breweries keeping delivery offerings available, it’s gotten a whole lot easier to get beer to your home. We encourage folks to take advantage of this by maybe putting in an order from a further away brewery that they haven’t tried, maybe even across a Provincial border? Even better, get some friends together and do a few orders from a few breweries and have a little beer tasting party! THE FUN NEVER ENDS!! But seriously, ordering beer helps keep breweries afloat during times when tap room and keg sales are hurting. Ordering for pickup or delivery is convenient, usually quite quick, and a great way to help keep your thirst slaked and our scene surviving.

Sydney, Nova Scotia’s Breton Brewing celebrated their 5th Anniversary at the end of June, and are releasing five new beers to celebrate! The third in the series was released yesterday, joining Shipwreck DIPA and Right Some Good Dry-Hopped Sour. Ol’ Mick’s Grapefruit IPA is a 5.8% ABV American IPA which uses a splash of grapefruit juice to bump up the citrus and pithy character. Homebrewer Mike Morrison helped brew a similar beer with the Breton crew back in 2014, and now the rest of us can enjoy it too! Using malted wheat and oats on top of the base barley to get that soft mouthfeel, bittered in the kettle to about 45 IBU with a blend of American hops, and dry-hopped during active fermentation, Ol’ Mick’s pours like orange juice, with a brilliant colour and solid body. The beer is available at their 364 Keltic Drive taproom and retail shop, as well as online ordering for pickup, next day delivery within the CBRM, Halifax next week, and available province-wide as well (along with the last bit of Right Some Good).

If you’re making a break for the mainland from Sydney, you’ll be well-served to make a quick detour up the Yankee Line Road in Nyanza to Big Spruce Brewing. They are pouring two brand new beers this week, sub-5% ABV, perfect for enjoying in quantity. The first is The Inhaled Affirmative, lovingly named after the Cape Breton practice. This 4.1% ABV is firmly rooted in the Czech tradition, using Pilsner malt, natch, and plenty of Saaz hops for a blend of spicy and herbaceous aromatics on a base of bread and crust. Available on tap at the brewery, and soon at licensees around the province, it will also be on the shelves at Bishop’s Cellar in a cute 330 ml bottle, which means those across Nova Scotia will be able to partake (free shipping province-wide for orders over $150!).

And speaking of a cute beer, the Spruce has released Lilliputian, a Nano IPA weighing in at a very crushable 3.5% ABV. Speaking of “crushable”, we’re not sure how many Lilluputians were crushed in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, but we can assure you they won’t be as tasty as the 6” tall bottles coming this weekend. Despite its diminutive stature, this is a bold expression of pineapple, candied fruit, and more, thanks to the Idaho Gem and Citra hops used in the brew. In addition to the brewery, look for it to be pouring at Battery Park before too long! 

Hanwell’s hometown brewery is bringing back a couple of favourites these days, including one from the archives that’s been months in the making. First up from Niche Brewing is Empty Garden, their 5.4% ABV Kveik-fermented APA, which they had the misfortune of releasing mid-April, when the province was pretty much closed. Their timing this batch is much better, now that most restaurants and bars have re-opened to safely serve customers. Featuring Nelson Sauvin and Enigma hops in the boil, with more of these, plus Galaxy, in a dry-hopping addition, the Ebbegarden strain of Kveik yeast (care of Escarpment Labs) was allowed to play in the wort at a toasty warm temperature, meaning a quick fermentation and lots of fruity character. Kegs of Empty Garden are at The Joyce Pub and 540 Kitchen and Bar in Fredericton, as well as Peppers Pub and Cask & Kettle in Saint John, and at CAVOK Brewing in Moncton, with a couple slipping across the border to Halifax’s Stillwell.

The second returning Niche beer is Golden Flair, their collaborative brew with Halifax’s 2 Crows Brewing. First released in April 2019, this is a 5.9% ABV Saison fermented with a blend of the house cultures from both breweries. After primary, the beer was dry-hopped with El Dorado and Ekaunot, and conditioned on apricot puree for a spell, before spending 6 months in a Chardonnay barrel to round out and pick up a touch more character. A natural bottle conditioning interval allowed it to carbonate before release, with everything coming together in a tart, fruity, funky, and dry package. So, enough chatter, how can you grab the beer? They can be found at your local ANBL, with Fredericton’s York Street and the Moncton North locations jumping on the orders right away. If you don’t see it at your shop, see if they’ll order it in, as the managers have plenty of discretion for what is added to the shelves. CAVOK will also be selling some bottles at their taproom next week. For those who’d rather not leave home, DrinkNB will be adding Golden Flair to their roster very soon, check to see if you are within their delivery area! And for those wondering, that Chard barrel has already been filled with another beer, hanging out for a few months before release this fall.

Dartmouth’s Brightwood Brewery recently released a special beer that has been flying off the shelves since it became available. Brewed in honour of Captain Brenden Ian MacDonald, who was aboard the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter that crashed in April of this year, BMac Hazy IPA is a Session IPA that was hopped with one of the newer experimental varieties, HBC-692. Developed from a hybrid pollination from Sabro and open pollination, HBC-692 has been reported as showing “intense flavours of citrus, flowers, and wood”. Brightwood has confirmed lots of grapefruit flavours throughout BMac, all in a sessionable package. With $1 from each can and 15% of all draught sales going to the MacDonald family, the first run of cans sold out very quickly; luckily, more have been packaged and are now available at the brewery (and on their online shop any minute now, where you can also make a directed donation to the MacDonald family). Drop in quickly to pick up yours, and support a great cause while also being able to enjoy a tasty beer!

Testing your ability (and more importantly, your desire) to throw yourself back into the late 1990s, Secret Cove Brewing tries to pull you back with their latest beer, which they’ve named A Night at the Raspberry (fine, if you’re too young… here). This 4% ABV kettle sour was conditioned on lots of wild raspberries, with two additions – during the latter part of fermentation, and again once fermentation was completed. “Slightly tart and very crushable”, with some pleasant raspberry notes on the nose, you can find it pouring for pints and growlers at the brewery, and it’s also available in cans (some of which are being distributed to several NLC stores in the area).

In more sessionable beer news (summer is great for these low-ABV beers; heck, it’s awesome having them all year long!), Tanner & Co. has their very own to share with you thirsty Chester, NS folks. Hello Session Rye IPA is a 4.5% ABV SIPA brewed with – we feel safe assuming – a portion of Rye malt in the grist. Hopped with Simcoe, Cascade and Mosaic, the beer has aromas and flavours of pineapple, mango, and orange. Easy-drinking and lightly bitter, it’s available for purchase in growlers and bottles at the brewery and the Duke St. taproom. They’re also still doing home deliveries in the area, and are bringing the beer to the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market. 

In St. John’s, Bannerman Brewing has released their take/twist on an American Blonde Ale with their latest beer, Neon Lights. Brewed with a grist of Pilsner, Pale and Wheat malts, they lightly hopped the wort with Mosaic (not exactly commonplace for a Blonde Ale, but we doubt that anyone is complaining!). The final beer was conditioned on a large amount of lime, lemon, and orange zest, giving this light-bodied brew plenty of fruity flavours to bump up the refreshment factor. Very drinkable at 4.5% ABV, it’s available at the brewery on tap now, and should be in cans either today or over the weekend. 

Just in time for PEI’s 2020 Pride Week, Upstreet is re-releasing their annually-brewed Lavender Saison, Rainbrew. This popular beer is brewed with ingredients that represent the colours of the pride flag: strawberries (red), orange (PEI 2-row and Vienna malt), yellow (yeast), green (Belma hops), blue (water), and purple (lavender). The lavender and strawberries come through lightly in the aroma of this 5.5% ABV bright purple beer (come on, Anne, give it a try!), and this time around it is being released in cans! Drop by Upstreet or Craft Beer Corner to grab yours, so you can celebrate Pride in style. 

Keeping in the fruit-forward vein, there’s a new collaborative brew out from Dartmouth’s Lake City Cider and North Brewing. North’s B.Y.O.B, a light beer with lemon and lime zest, met Lake City’s Cider and blueberry and dark currant wines in a dark alley secondary fermenter and the result is Burst, a 5.3% ABV snakebite. Unlike a standard snakebite, which is a 1:1 blend of beer (usually lager) and cider each poured from the taps and possibly dosed with liqueur or cordial, the co-fermentation on this one could potentially make for a deeper integration of cider and beer flavors. You can be the judge of that; this one is available in cans from both Lake City and North as of this morning.

Bar Stillwell is hosting a 12-tap takeover from Quebec’s Brasserie Dunham tomorrow, July 25th. In addition to tasty, funky, hoppy, fruity, and sour beers, Stilly HQ is also turning over the keys to their kitchen to the fine folks behind CODA Ramen. Previously operating at Water & Bone, CODA has been doing at-home Ramen kits for a few months, and are popping up on Barrington to offer a few options for ramen as well as the necessary accompaniments. Due to physical distancing requirements, seating is being done by reservation only, in 2 hour slots, beginning at noon. Reserve your place at the table by emailing Sam with your party size and preferred arrival time. We hear there may not be many spots available, but maybe ask if there’s a waitlist? 😬

A few beer and cider notes before we call it quits today:

Fredericton’s TrailWay Brewing has brought back their Dump Run Saves, the 4.0% ABV summer ale, featuring loads of peach, mango, and passion fruit, bumped up just a touch with a subtle El Dorado addition. Available on tap and in cans at the brewery right now!

Also in Freddy Beach, Coastliner Cider has done a major re-branding and introduced several new blends of cider, now in cans,  including the Maritime Original, Raspberry Rose, and Cherry Vanilla. Their full offering is available through DrinkNB, pop over there for satisfaction.

We’ll leave you with a tale of two provinces this week… New Brunswick opening up the ability for small breweries without a Brewers Agency Store license, to sell direct to customers. Details are still trickling out, but opening up avenues for producers to get their product in front of consumers is definitely a step in the right direction. A bit more info here, we’ll have more soon.

On the other hand…. The NSLC has changed the markup structure to aid one industrial brewery. The latest version of the Local Beer Production Policy, available here along with all of the Manufacturers’ Policies, now leads with the following text “To ensure fairness amongst all local beer producers, it is the policy of the Corporation that beer produced within the province by commercial, craft, and nano breweries, shall be subject to the same markup structure.” The problem is, the playing field is never fair when dealing with multi-national, multi-billion-dollar corporations, who have immense buying power, their claws into all aspects of the supply chain (anyone remember the South African hop fiasco a few years back?), and deep pockets to entice/induce sales of their product. It’s almost like the NSLC is thumbing their nose at the Auditor General’s report released last month. We’ll share more on this real soon, but encourage reading the new policies, and a good article and quick CBC bit from this week’s news.

Friday Wrap-Up for June 19, 2020 – News from Tatamagouche, O’Creek, Bannerman, Good Robot, TrailWay, Sober Island, Secret Cove, Propeller, Ninepenny, and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2020-06-19
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bannerman Brewing, Brasseux d'la Cote, Craig Pinhey, Cross Creek, Escarpment Laboratories, Euston Park Social Beer Garden, Good Robot Brewing, Magnetic Hill Winery, Moncton Beer League, Ninepenny Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, Old Road BBQ, Propeller Arcade, Propeller Brewing, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Secret Cove Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, The Church Brewing Company, Tidehouse Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Uncorked Tours. Leave a Comment

We’ve got plenty of great news for you today, as our region continues to make excellent strides in flattening/eliminating the curve of COVID-19, restrictions are being lifted and in turn more breweries and beer bars are re-opening their doors. We all know we’re not out of hot water by any stretch of the imagination, but the recent days and weeks have been very promising. If we keep this up, that Atlantic Bubble will soon be a thing! Let us waste no more of your time and jump right into the good news, so you can enjoy the wonderful weather that we’ve waited a long time to arrive!

We’d like to kick off the main body of today’s post with a big Happy Birthday! to our wonderful friends at Tatamagouche Brewing. That’s right, they’re turning the big 0-6 this week, and when you’re a brewery and have a birthday, you’ve got to celebrate with lots of beer (it’s one of the many/few perks)! In Tata’s case, they’ve got several new brews they’re releasing, along with a great deal on a birthday sixer of new and “old” brews. Let’s start with the new beers, shall we?

Instinct is a 5.4% ABV Brett Pale Ale brewed with the base of their popular Nelson’s Park APA. This one was barrel-aged, however, with a blend of Brettanomyces strains from Escarpment Labs, and was dry-hopped twice (once before going into the barrels, and once after blending) with Vic Secret and Nelson Sauvin; tropical and funky!

Observe keeps the Brett train going, billed as a “Brett Lager”. Coming in at 4.9% ABV and described as “deceptively complex”, the wort underwent secondary fermentation in red wine barrels from Jost Vineyards, with Brett Q and Brett M.

Remused is a different take on another fairly recent release, Muse Sour Red. This time around, the beer was aged in neutral and former red wine barrels, blended, and then aged again, this time on cherries (the same cherries used for Muse). It’s 5.6% ABV, and is tasting very tart, dry and complex.

All three of these beers are available in bottles (Instinct and Remused in 500 ml, Observe is in 650 ml), and can be purchased as a special 6th Birthday 6-pack – along with Muse Sour Red, Ferry Boat Fantasy Golden Sour, and Toro (barrel-aged Quad w/ Brett) – for just $60, a savings of $15! And along with all that, they’ve re-released two popular canned beers, Guava Heist (fruited Berliner Weisse) and Kitty Clyde (DIPA), so you might as well tack those beauties onto your order as well. Happy birthday TataBrew, and here’s to many, many more!

Euston Park Social is back up and running in Moncton, and you couldn’t ask for nicer weather this weekend as an excuse to get outdoors for a local pint or two. Luckily for those of you able to do just that at Euston Park, O’Creek Brewing just released the latest in their DUOH series (that’s Duo Hopped, as in hopped with two different hop varieties), DUOH Mosaic/Idaho 7. With this version of this 6% ABV NEIPA, it’s not just the addition of Mosaic and Idaho 7 hops that’s different – the brewery also fermented this batch with a Kveik strain, to boost those lovely tropical, juicy vibes even further. If you’re a fan of super-hazy, super-hoppy IPAs, we highly suggest you get down there before the beer has kicked and the sun has disappeared!

Speaking of IPAs fermented with Kveik (this is definitely becoming more popular with breweries in our region, and we don’t expect it to change anytime soon), Newfoundland’s Bannerman Brewing has their own available at the taproom in St. John’s. Rhymes With Orange was double-dry-hopped with Citra, which combined with the Kveik fermentation leads to huge flavours of orange, grapefruit, and tropical fruit. This 6.5% ABV haze-bomb is currently available at the taproom for pints, as well as in growlers and cans (limited supply).

Those crazy buggers at Good Robot are officially back… well, ok, maybe they never went anywhere, but the Good Robot taproom and patio (aka Gastro Turf) are officially open to the public, starting today! Certainly, at a safer and more-socially distant capacity, but open just the same, and with this weekend’s weather, they couldn’t have planned it any better. They also have a new beverage to mark the occasion, Mint Berry Fizz. Available in cans only, this 4.7% ABV fermented seltzer is fruity, bubbly, and refreshing. They’ll also have all of their taps flowing, of course, so there will be lots of options!

Your newest hoppy brew, Golden Repair, is freshly available at TrailWay Brewing as of earlier this week. A pale-coloured, hazy American IPA, this 6.6% ABV beer was hopped with a combination of Strata and Vic Secret. Dry-hopped twice with equal amounts of each, the final beer is tasting pretty juicy, “saturated with tropical fruit, with pineapple being the frontrunner, along with citrus and passion fruit”. Available on tap and in cans exclusively at the brewery. 

Sober Island Brewing is celebrating the opening of their Beer Garden this weekend, featuring wide open spaces for you and your pals to enjoy the fruits of their labours. Thursday through Sunday, 12 – 7 PM, both the Beer Garden and indoor taproom are open for on-site enjoyment at 22462 Hwy 7 in Sheet Harbour (BG hours are weather-dependent, natch). Due to the nature of the current restrictions still in place, reservations are encouraged, via phone (902-885-2072), and soon a fancy app! And while you’re there, you’ll be able to enjoy their latest releases, which includes a brand-new IPA, a 6.4% ABV West Coast style IPA (stellar hops like Cascade, Centennial, and Simcoe in here), and the return of The Blueberry Express, their 5.0% ABV Blonde brewed with blueberries. Both of these, plus a few more, are also available for home delivery through their online shop.

On the Western side of Newfoundland, Port au Port’s Secret Cove Brewing has a new beer out that should be perfect for warm summer weather. Lingo is named for the well-documented “native-tongue” of the folks in Newfoundland, including their tendency towards turns of phrase not known outside the island. Taking things in a little different direction than a traditional fruited sour, where fruit or juice is added during fermentation, Lingo leverages the Radler style, where fruit juice is blended with finished beer, although generally not a sour beer. In this case, lemon and blood orange were the fruit juices of choice and the result is a refreshing and low-alcohol (3.2% ABV) beverage with plenty of sour bite. This limited batch has been canned and is not available in growlers; you’ll have to hit the Curb Shop to get a hold of this one. Meanwhile, check out Secret Cove’s Father’s Day contest on Instagram for a chance to win some sweet beer swag.

Speaking of fruited sour beers, but bringing it back down to Nova Scotia, Propeller has released Strawberry + Kiwi Sour, a beer that’s bursting with fresh fruit flavors. This was an experimental small batch brewed at the height of physical distancing, but without the taprooms to distribute it, they decided to bottle it up in 750 mL bombers and make it available for purchase hoping folks might be interested in trying it. And boy were they ever: all of the bottles that were available on the website for order have already sold out, but there’s a limited number remaining for sale in the three Prop Shops today (Windmill, Gottingen, and their new Quinpool spot). Light in body, this 4.8% ABV beer has plenty of fruit character and a tart finish. Hopefully the strong interest will lead to this one being made again, possibly in a bigger batch. On the topic of bigger batches, fans of Prop’s Common will be happy to hear that 24-packs of this California Common-style beer will be selling for $39.99 at the Prop Shops and through on-line ordering (shortly) for the duration of the summer. And in another round of great news, the Propeller Arcade in the basement of the Gottingen taproom is open again, Thursday to Sunday, 4 PM until late. Tackle modern and vintage pinball machines, as well as your fave cabinet games too. 

One more trip across the water to The Rock, where Ninepenny Brewing in CBS has released an English Brown Ale. At 5.3%, Old Glory may be a bit higher ABV than more traditional ones, but that just means more fun crammed into every bottle! Malt-forward notes of toffee, biscuit, and touch of dark chocolate, with the Foggy London yeast adding some light fruit character in there as well. Joining Old Glory are two returning favourites, the Route 60 Sour and 12 Bricks Milkshake IPA, with all three, plus a few more, available for order on their webshop for local delivery tomorrow. And if you get your order in before midnight, you’ll be entered in their Father’s Day giveaway!

Let’s say you can’t, or would rather not, make it out to the great restaurants, bars, and taprooms that continue to open this weekend. Fear not, chill you favourite beer, cider, wine, or other beverage, and tune into the Sip Into Summer Virtual Festival event tomorrow. Hosted by the fine folks at Uncorked Tours in Saint John, NB, the event is tailored to anyone, anywhere, to enjoy popping in and out, or stick around for the full 8 hour event. The full schedule is up on their FB page, but starting at 1 PM with some circuit training to get the juices flowing, and then some live music, followed by a tasting of Summer Stouts with Alyssa Donaldson at 3 PM. Craig Pinhey takes over for a New World vs Old World wine talk and tasting, before a tour and tasting at Brasseux d’la Côte and Magnetic Hill Winery. Cap it off with a beer tasting with the Moncton Beer League, and you’ve officially done a tour of the province’s beverages! Grab your tickets through that first link, and happy Sipping!

A few more newsbites for you today before we dismiss the class…

Up in Woodstock, NB, Cross Creek Brewing has a new American IPA called Over Across that features 100% Centennial hops grown locally. At 6% ABV and 60 IBU it sounds to be in the more traditional AIPA vein. Check it out soon on tap at The Joyce in Fredericton with other tap accounts surely to follow. Cross Creek is also planning their first packaged product for this summer, Cross Creek Pale Ale; we’ll let you know when that one makes its debut on the market.

If you’re in Quidi Vidi  this weekend and like sour and/or hoppy beers, you could check out the namesake brewery’s new Sour IPA #2. It’s 6% ABV and canned up for maximum portability. A small batch beer, there are only 300 cans of this one so they’re limiting customers to 2 each. Also available for ordering via their online store.

We’ve mentioned the new meads coming out of Chester Basin’s Tanner & Co. over the past few weeks and there’s another new small/experimental one available this week. Sauvage Sparkling Mead is the result of introducing the Scotia Sauvage yeast strain to Tanner’s mead base and letting it work for a few months. The result was then kegged and carbonated and is now available only at the brewery. Act fast if you’re interested though, there’s literally only the one keg!

Halifax’s tiny Tidehouse has two new ones available for curb-side pickup tomorrow. Sotil 2 is, of course, a remake of their original Sotil, a dry saison with some Marquette grape skin contact and a slight sour character. Not entirely unlike a wine cooler or even a seltzer, but maybe a little more refined. Fjort is a DIPA with plenty of weight (8.5% ABV) and lots of Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops. Canned this week, so super fresh, low on the bitterness and high on pineapple, grapefruit, and melon notes. Give them a call at 902-407-2550 to place your order for Saturday pickup between 12 and 5 PM.

And in the “Hub of Nova Scotia” Truro Brewing Company has a new beer for you to try, a thirst-quenching Berlinner Weiße with Key Lime that they’re calling Summer Crush. Grab a pint at the brewery and/or get a growler to go and enjoy it wherever you like to sit in the sun and have a refreshing beer!

And with the good news happening around AtlCan, we’re seeing some spots hiring and expanding their scope, here are two such businesses looking to bring some folks onto their team.

Word is coming out that there’s going to be a changing of the guard at The Church Brewing Company in Wolfville, as one of Nova Scotia’s larger “rural” breweries is on the hunt for a new head brewer to operate their semi-automated 4-vessel, 35 hectolitre (~30 BBL) system including centrifuge and 6-head canning line. The successful candidate will have at least a few years’ experience in the industry and a willingness to take on the challenge of maintaining and operating the brewery, carrying on the existing brands, and setting the course for the future of the brewery’s beers. This will all take place in support of the distinctive on-site 250-seat restaurant as well as the retail channels through NSLC, other retailers, and tap accounts. If you’re interested, you can go ahead and request more details and/or submit your resume to matt.haysom@churchbrewing.com.

Good friend to great beer Old Road BBQ in Truro is re-inventing themselves yet again after 3 months dedicating their efforts supporting front line workers throughout the province, and beyond. That work continues through Cooking for Canada, and is still worthy of your time and attention. They are poised to re-open their restaurant with an expanded size and breadth of offerings in the next couple of weeks. They have a brand new massive patio, takeout offerings, including locally-produced staples like bread, milk, coffee, and ICE CREAM! To that end, they are looking for a bunch of awesome people to join their team as servers, bartenders, ice cream folks, and prep cooks. Anyone 19+ is welcome to apply, the best way to do that is hit them up via email. And of course we’ll remind you closer to their opening date, which is July 1st! Welcome back Aaron and crew!