Unfiltered Brewing

All posts tagged Unfiltered Brewing

We don’t know about you folks, but we blinked and somehow we’re already a third of the way through February; maybe last weekend’s snow did something to accelerate that. Speaking of which, many breweries in the region lost some business days to getting dug out, so bear that in mind when you’re picking up beer for the big foosball game this weekend (see more on that below). Also coming up soon is Valentine’s Day, which really has nothing to do with beer unless you want it to. Anyways, enjoy this week’s round up of beer news in Atlantic Canada.

Chester Basin’s darling, Tanner & Co has a brand new beer available this week, dipping into the dark and delicious end of the spectrum. At 5.7% ABV, Oatmeal Stout is robust, with roast, coffee, and chocolate notes coming though thanks to the dark malts used in the mash. The addition of oats helps smooth out the mouthfeel, lending a wonderful creamy texture. The ensemble will have you looking forward to that next sip (and next pint!). Available now in both their Chester Basin brewery location, as well as their Chester taproom, and for delivery online through their shop, too!

Speaking of dark and roasty beer, Moncton’s Tire Shack has brought back their Belgian Coffee Quad this week. Melding the biggest of the Belgian styles, known for its dark fruit, caramel, and a bit of sweetness, with some great coffee roasted by nearby Down East Coffee. That combination, as well as the 9.0% ABV, will have you praising the heavens for this lovely brew. Pop by 190 John Street to see their recently expanded taproom, and grab a pint and cans before this seasonal disappears.

On to Corner Brook, where Boomstick Brewing calls 55 West Street home. They’ve decided to kick up the hops in a big way with the release of Double Knit ImperialIPA. A light base of Pilsner malt and flaked wheat supports the absolute jumbo weight of hops used in the beer. Idaho 7, Simcoe, and Mosaic have been knitted together for multiple layers of tropical, citrus, resin, and much more. On tap right now, available in cans as well, with those being distributed on the Good Beer Highway across the province soon!

It being February, the annual Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl is up and running on the South Shore of the province, and, as is traditional, the craft brewers in the area are getting involved. This week we can tell you that Boxing Rock Brewing has put together a new brew for the occasion this year, with a name that’s a riff on one of their most popular beers. Shuck Off is a blonde ale coming in at 5% ABV. Although they’re describing it as “LOBSTERIFIC” it contains no actual lobster. That said, with a light and crisp body, it’s the perfect refreshing pairing for rich, and often garlic-butter-soaked lobster! Check out all the events at the official website linked above and grab yourself some Shuck Off at all Boxing Rock locations.

It’s time for the Superb Owl Section of this post. Many breweries have some deals on now until Sunday February 11th. You like deals? We like deals. You like the Superb Owl? We do, too! Check out your favourite local craft breweries offering some special deals for the big game. These deals are directly from the breweries, so go to the source for your stuff if you can. 

Breton Brewing

  • Lager –  Mixed 4 Pack (473ml) for $12
  • Lager – Mixed Flat (24 x 473ml) for $50
  • Black Angus IPA – Two 355ml 6 Packs for $30

2 Crows Brewing

  • AC Light Lager – Flat (24 x 473ml) for $50

Garrison Brewing

  • Tall Ship Light – Case (12 x 355ml) for $25

Propeller Brewing

  • Prime Lager – Flat (24 x 355ml) for $40
  • Azacca – Flat (24 x 355ml) for $50

Burnside Brewing

  • Toller Lager, Gold & Lite – Case (12 x 355ml) for $22

Trailway Brewing

  • Fetch Lager – $4 off a Case (12 x 355ml)

North Brewing

  • 15% Off – Newsletter code

REMINDER: Not every brewery is big enough to produce beers like this that can be brewed in quantity and sold at minimal margin or even a loss to drive cash flow. So by all means, spend some of your craft beer dollars on these deals, but maybe save a couple of simoleons to pick up something from a smaller producer for whom every can counts?

We’ll take a minute to highlight one big party going on Sunday evening, up in Paradise, NL, where Banished Brewing is doing up The Banished Bowl, with tailgate starting at 6pm leading into a private watch party. Tickets for the event are $45 each, which includes entry, 2 beer tickets, 1 meal ticket, a take-home mug, and exclusive access to additional beers from Toronto’s Bellwoods and Halifax’s 2 Crows. One of the Banished joints you’ll be able to enjoy this weekend is the return of Makes Sense, their hazy IPA, which is, “ultra fresh and tasting insane.” So Making Sense is nonsensically good, apparently!!

Here’s our last few quick hits to send you on your way for the weekend. Go Ninefs!! Yay Chiefers!! Happy Tay Tay!!

If you know anything from the last couple of years of craft beer trends, it’s that Lager is Life. Tusket Falls Brewing have two locations in Tusket and Halifax, and both are featuring three new lagers. While they brew up a new one in the tank now, they currently have Czech Pils, German Pils and Helles all on tap. The Czech is featured on a Lukr side pull and all beers are available at both locations. Let your noses and tongues pick up the classic hops of Saaz and Hallterteauer Mittelfruh along with classic continental malts from Raven and Weyermann. They’re hoping to have these available all the time, so check them out if you’re around either location.

As mentioned above, there’s a deal on some Breton Brewing lagers for a football game. If you’ve been following along with their Light Lager series, you’ll be happy (or sad) that this is the fourth and final release. Breton Lager #4 is a Light Lager at 4%. That’s all we can tell you! It’s crisp and light and available now, and as part of one of their Superb Owl deals mentioned above. We’re looking forward to seeing which of the light lager variants will be the go-to for a bigger batch to feed summer thirsts across Cape Breton Island and beyond.

Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing has a re-release a few years after its debut in 2021. This is a memorial brew to the late Paul McKinnon and Battleship PM-67 is back and available now as a tribute and memorial to the brewery’s late friend and patron. This double IPA is made with the Cryo Pop hop blend (from Yakima Chief) and is packed with tropical tastes and flavours, including pineapple, peach, and grapefruit. This is 7.5% and available at the brewery on tap and in cans. 

Break out the Silver and Black (no the Raiders aren’t in the big game!) because Bearstream is back: Trailway Brewing’s tasty West Coast IPA is back with some tweaks. Still using classic West Coast hops, this new batch beefs up the malt bill to add some toastiness and doughy body not traditionally in the style. Still piney, resinous, and citrusy, it still has the West Coast bitterness, but with a bit more malt balance in a 7% package. It’s available now from the brewery and online. 

Faithful patrons of Nyanza’s Big Spruce will be excited about the latest beer returning to taps and cans. Amärzen Grace is back and this Märzenbier is true to the traditional German lager style. German for “March Beer”, this beer is a malty, full-bodied lager that is very drinkable with notes of toffee and dried fruit. It is 6% and available on tap for growlers and pints and in cans from the brewery (in-person or online!).

The returning favourites keep on rolling as Village Green brings back one of their classic brews, Dark Mild. Forever drinkable at 3.5%, the beer has a good body with notes of chocolate and a nice sweet malty-drinkable everlasting flavour. Get this one on tap or cans to go from the Cornwall, PEI brewery.  

From the Saltbox Brewing crew, we’ve got news of a brand new location launching this summer. In addition to their other Nova Scotia taprooms in Wolfville, Mahone Bay, Bridgewater, and Lunenburg, this will be a Tantallon Taproom at the Shining Waters Marina. More details will be arriving soon, but this planned partnership will launch later this year.

We are getting back into the swing of things with another post on time! As we are back to our regularly scheduled programming, this is an exciting time of year as we start to see anniversaries, seasonal releases and holiday excitement fill the air. Speaking of anniversaries, check out our post from earlier this week highlighting the incredible Bar Stillwell opening 10 years ago, where we shared the taplist for the two day event. These blog boys have spent more time at Stillwell (all locations!) than we could count and everyone in the region is happy to have them showcase drinks from near and far. Of course, there is always news from all across Atlantic Canada, so take a read through our updates below and as always, cheers!

Of course you’ll find Stillwell Brewing Co beer pouring at the Bar Stillwell birthday party today and tomorrow, and in addition to some regulars and some rarities, that also includes a brand new release. Born from inspiration gained during brewer CPR’s trip to Czechia in 2022, Stillwell 13º is a Czech-style dark lager. While you may be familiar with the German take on the dark lager style, known as schwarzbier, the Czech, properly called tmavé pivo (“dark beer”) isn’t even that common in its home country, making up only about 3.5% of Czech beer production these days. Not unlike the difference between German and Czech Pilsners, the Czech version is rounder on the palate, with more malt body and some sweetness to balance the back-end roasty notes. At its best, featuring a big and creamy head of foam, it invites both careful consideration and eager enjoyment, somehow managing to be both chewy and rich as well as dry and crisp at the same time. Does Stillwell 13º live up to that? We think so, but now you can judge for yourself. Check it out at the party this weekend at HQ, from the Lukr side-pull taps (always a different experience) at the Stillwell Freehouse and the Brewery on Kempt Rd, and now in cans to go as well. Speaking of cans, if you’re down at the brewery you’re also going to find Stillwell Pale Ale is now (finally!) available in cans as well!

Another brewery on tap at Stillwell HQ this weekend will be 2 Crows, who will be debuting/sneak peeking at least two new beers on Barrington Street. Debuting at noon today is an as-of-yet-unnamed new IPA (ask Josh for the name when you pop in), in the juicy and hazy vein of the series kicked off by Perfect Situation back in 2018. Wheat and Oats help to keep a lovely smooth mouthfeel, as does capturing the carbon dioxide given off during fermentation using a spunding technique. That base beer is a fluffy pillow to allow the hops to shine through, mainly Columbus added during the mash and early boil, then Citra, Hallertau Blanc, and Nelson Sauvin added as the wort was cooled post-boil, with more Citra and then Rakau added during active fermentation. Speaking of, a blend of Verdant Thiol Libre yeasts were used, the latter unlocking the much sought-after biotransformation of the hop aromatics to give super-tropical notes. Pop by this afternoon to avoid disappointment!

As the initial kegs are kicked at Stilly, one of the next to be tapped is a sneak peek at one of 2 Crows’ anniversary beer, officially coming in early 2024. Alright Alright Alright is a follow-up to their OK OK OK, the Fruited Farmhouse beer released last year, featuring NS Sea Salt from the folks at OK Sea Salt. Once again, this year’s version spent plenty of time in a foedre, allowing those funky and tart notes from their house cultures to work their magic. Massive amounts of raspberry purée, complemented by freshly zested and juices limes, plus the aforementioned OK Salt, round of the flavour before packaging for natural carbonation in the can and keg. You’ll be the first to try it at Stilly this weekend, so keep an eye on their and 2C’s social media for the bat signal.

Never slowing down, the 2 Crows Brew Crew have once again traded places with their Front of House staff for the second of their Brewed by Servers, Served by Brewers release. Tonight at 6PM in the 2 Crows taproom, Everett, Miles, and Jeremy will be pouring up Brother Jiles, a Cranberry and Orange Hefeweizen, the recipe designed and brewed in October by Declan, Leandra, Esmé, and Tessa. The small batch of this light, zesty, and juicy beer is only available on tap, and probably will not last all evening, so be sure to drop by to give those brewery recluses a fun time. 🙂

2 Crows teamed up with their pals at Banished Brewing in Paradise Newfoundland, for a pair of collaboration beers, with 2C’s half hitting the taps this weekend. Home & Home is the absolutely fitting name for the beer on both sides of the water, with a base of barley, wheat and oats, and layers upon layers of hops. With the Halifax version seeing additions of Columbus, Citra, Hallertau Blanc, and Nelson Sauvin before fermentation, with more of the same early- and post-fermentation with the same hops (plus Enigma). As they are wont to do, the brewing team at 2 Crows pulled in another Nova Scotia producer for an added level of complexity and flavour, as they collected freshly-pressed red wine skins from Annapolis Valley’s Lightfoot & Wolfville, and rehydrated them to create a piquette. Blending that into the beer offers a bit more fermentable sugar for natural carbonation just before packaging. Big notes of red fruit, blackberry, and of course grapey goodness, with the big hop aromatics to match. Home & Home is available now on tap and in cans on Brunswick Street, and the 2 Crows Crew is also celebrating with a Launch Party at The BG Halifax, the waterfront beer garden at Summit Plaza tomorrow. Front 12 – 5 PM, there will be samples flowing during their Sip & Shop market, plus treats from Vandal Doughnuts.

More on the story of Home & Home, is the great collaboration between Banished’s long time label collaborator Paul G Hammond and 2 Crows’ pal Alex MacAskill of Midnight Oil, who themselves collaborated on the labels for the releases in Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia. The folks behind the marketing and social media have also banded together, and you’ll see plenty of fun posts coming from Tessa and Jason in the coming days. Banished’s release will be coming next week, with their Home staying in the straight Hazy IPA style with citrus, tropical, and stone fruit flavour profile from the hops used throughout. It must be hazy season in Paradise, as H&H will join the recently released Makes Sense and Occasionally Hazy IPAs, for an all-out hoppy good time.

Cole Harbour’s North Brewing has made a name for themselves in social and community involvement over the years they’ve been in operation and this week they continue their work in that vein. Not surprisingly, there’s a beer to talk about, as they’re releasing All-In, a (very) light beer at 3% ABV. A limited release, it was brewed in collaboration with United Dartmouth Football Club (UDFC) as part of their event entitled, of course, “ALL-IN” that runs this weekend and features Canadian Olympic soccer gold medalist Erin McLeod. W-Inspire was started by UDFC as a full-day conference in Nova Scotia with a vision to empower female leaders in sports. ALL-IN is the latest event in its evolution into a, “platform for women and gender-diverse individuals in soccer to connect, learn, and inspire one another.” North has pledged $0.50 from each can of the refreshing All-In beer sold to UDFC to help continue the W-Inspire program; you can grab it at all North locations or order online. You can read more about this weekend’s event at UDFC’s site.

Small but mighty Shipwright Brewing Co in Lunenburg, NS, punches above their weight again this week with a brace of new releases. Up first is Rye’T Aweigh, a “session rye ale” that marries a slightly sweet rye malt profile with an array of modern hop varieties, namely Topaz, Ella, and Loral, which bring citrus (lime), melon (honeydew), and tropical (papaya) notes. With a coppery red color, it’s lovely to look at and at 4.6% you may find it tasted like another. Also available is the latest American IPA from Shipwright, one they’re calling Shore Thing. Golden Promise malt is the bulk of the malt side of this one, with some Vienna added as well. The hops are stalwart Citra and modern continental variety Huell Melon. Fermented with their house Kölsch yeast, this one definitely brings the citra character, but with some sweet melon notes for balance. A firm bitterness of 56 IBU keeps things in check and it weighs in at 6.9% ABV. Both of these beers are available on tap for pints and crowlers to go at the brewery, and expect them both to be available at the Shipwright Taproom as well, where you can pair it with your favourite pizza.

Despite the shared UK roots across the Atlantic region, it’s pretty safe to say that only Newfoundland & Labrador keeps alive the tradition of mummering. It can, in fact, be argued that NL is the modern home of the tradition such as it stands in the world today. More intense than caroling, and with plenty of room to get fun and/or weird, it’s mostly a means to have a good time and be sociable with one’s neighbours, whether they be next door or a ways down the road, and possibly while wearing your underclothes on the outside. To celebrate the grand tradition, Quidi Vidi is releasing Mummer’s Cream Ale, a simple and easy-drinking brew that, at 5.3% ABV, should allow you to have a couple without getting yourself into too much trouble. You can grab it at the brewery or at select NLC’s and convenience stores next week to celebrate the 15th annual Mummer’s Festival which starts next Saturday. You’ll also be able to enjoy it at Quidi Vidi for their costume party on December 1st, right in the middle of the festival; grab your tickets on the brewery website.

In cider news, Lake City Cider of Dartmouth continues to put out releases targeted at the holiday season, and with our friends south of the 49th parallel heading into their big turkey weekend next week, it’s the perfect time for Cranberry Cider. Made with cranberries from Terra Beata Farms, this 6.8% rosé cider is a perfect accompaniment to turkey dinner and/or pumpkin pie. Find it in cans in their shop on Portland Street and at some of the private stores in Halifax as well, or order it for delivery within the HRM or shipping to the rest of the country.

Of the major beer families of the world, the ones that seem to be found the least in these parts over the last few years are the B’s: the British and the Belgians. Despite three breweries having opened in the region specifically targeting Belgian styles, none managed to make that work, so we’re left with the occasional singel, dubbel, or tripel, plus whatever saisons are around and the occasional long-term sour. On the British side, sure, we’ve got some porters about, but especially since the demise of Granite Brewing, the great traditions of Bitter and Mild are not terribly well-represented (though we nod to Tatamagouche and Sober Island, who’ve done both). Enter Propeller Brewing in Halifax, who recently brought back their London Porter, we note, and who are now releasing Dark Mild. True to the style, this is a small beer, at only 3.5% ABV, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s low on flavor. Plenty of roasted malt flavours marry with balancing sweeter notes of toffee, caramel, and dark fruit. Easy-drinking and with a deep mahogany color, you’ll find it packaged in 473ml cans at all the Prop Shops as well as the private stores in Halifax that don’t start with ‘B’.

Why yes, there are events happening outside of Halifax this weekend! Truro Brewing is throwing it way back this Saturday with a Medieval Renaissance. The day will feature vendors and friends featuring handmade goods and services. The music will be folk and Celtic themed and you’ll be encouraged to dress in theme to partake in the ale and mead at the brewery. This is an all ages event and is free to enter!

And in Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Brewing is hosting the 2023 Cask in the Sticks event. With eight breweries from across the province bringing forward their wares in this traditional serving format, you’ll be able to enjoy traditional as well as innovative offerings from Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, East Coast Cider, Horton Ridge, Lunn’s Mill, Roof Hound, Schoolhouse, Sober Island, Tatamagouche. The event starts at 7 PM tomorrow, so grab your ticket today to avoid missing out!

The Cole Harbour brewery, Hardisty Brewing, is moving to a new home on 958 Cole Harbour Rd, to have their own space open to the public in a little strip mall. They’re in the last stages of construction, having moved their brewing equipment this week, and are gearing up their food offering, consisting of charcuterie boards and other snacks. Stay tuned here and to their socials for the latest updates, but we are excited to have the nano-brewery get a little bit bigger!

Now into the returning beer section! Unfiltered is proud to bring back the wonderfully named RSMA! Of course, cheekily named in jest of Nova Scotia’s lovely provincial Retail Sales Markup Allocation, this is a big Double IPA single hopped with Mosaic for tropical flavours and backed with 2-row and cara-pils malt. It’s 7.5% and should be just as delicious as you remember. It’s available now directly from the brewery and on tap at their Charm School next door.

While snow and skiing will be coming soon, so will Martock IPA from Schoolhouse Brewing. Previously known as Private Session,  this is a West Coast Session IPA  featuring a combination of juicy, citrus, grapefruit and a light haze. This 5.3% IPA should be available next week at the brewery at NSLCs in the Valley area of Nova Scotia. And of course you’ll be able to get it at Ski Martock when they open up for the season. 

Staying with the theme of returning brews from Nova Scotia breweries, Big Spruce brings back One Hundred. This is a 100% local to Nova Scotia beer with the yeast, malt and hops all originating from the home province of Anne Murray. This is a wild ale thanks to the wild yeast strain from Big Spruce’s certified organic farm in Nyanza. The beer itself is 4.9% and has wonderful floral and sweet candy aromas, backed with a light, effervescent and well carbonated feel. This is available now in cans from the brewery, home delivery or shipping Canada-wide, and watch for it around private shops in HRM.

‘Tis the season for one of our favourite styles as Garrison Brewing is bringing back All Lit Up, a Winter Warmer (or Festive Strong Ale as it says on the can) that brings the warm flavours for the cold season. The beer is lightly spiced with notes of brown sugar, cinnamon, clove and strawberry jam, but is predominantly a rich caramel flavour with a warm finish. The malt bill brings together Pale, Munich, Caramel and Chocolate malts with Brewer’s Gold hops bringing the low bitterness at 20 IBU. It’s 7% so it’s still drinkable and a nice slow sipper. This will be at all of the private shops in HRM and provincial stores in Newfoundland, PEI and Nova Scotia. 

If you’re in the mood for a tasty treat anytime of the year, let’s remember that it’s always Lager Season. Tatamagouche Brewing has a returning beer that’s back in cans and kegs. Arvo is a Helles Lager with traditional German Pilsner malt with a bit of hops to balance it out and keep it bready, spicy and floral. Arvo is 4.6% and available now!

The rumours of our demise were greatly exaggerated! What rumours , you ask? Well apparently we’re shit at starting rumours too, so nevermind. We’ve probably said this before, but it bears repeating: while there are four of us here at ACBB, we all have lives and jobs and responsibilities and plans, and sometimes we get to Thursday night and we realize that nobody remembered we blog and, well, it ain’t looking so good for tomorrow. Sometimes we manage to pull a post out of our collective arse on Friday morning anyway, but the last two weeks it was simply not to be. Many apologies, full refunds available in the alley out back (mind the rats). This week we’ll try to get you caught up on a little of what we missed previously, but mostly just try to get through this week’s new stuff. Be warned, though, three-quarters of the team is on the road and while you’re left with the wordy fucker (free one-year subscription to whoever guesses successfully), even he has his limits, so pardon the soul of brevity and don’t hold your breath for much wit. 

We’ll also remind you that this weekend Remembrance Day falls on Saturday, so your favorite brewery or taproom may elect to close for some or all of Saturday, on Monday, or not at all. So be sure to check socials before you make your plans. 

We’ll start this week on the South Shore of NS where Tanner & Co. Brewing has two new IPAs on the go, but ironically, “new” may not be the best descriptor for either of them. Though many know that the IPA style began in the UK over a century ago and that extra hops were generally used as a preservative for the long sea voyage to India, there have been few English IPAs of late to even try, not only locally, but around the world. So Tanner has taken up the cause of rectifying that with their aptly-named English IPA, a beer that keeps the classic British herbal and earthy hops moderate, while balancing with a prominent malt presence featuring notes of biscuit, caramel, and toffee. A rich amber colour completes the picture in this 6.5% ABV beer. Meanwhile, Tanner has also taken a much more modern IPA, one featuring Citra, Simcoe, Chinook, and Amarillo hops, local malts, and a yeast strain from Le Labo yeast lab in Quebec and then aged it for several months in oak barrels from Grand Pré Wines. The result is Barrel Aged IPA, a big beer, at 8.1%, that presents a “harmonious blend of hops and oak.” Look for both of these beers in cans from the brewery and the taproom in Chester where you’ll also stand a pretty good chance of finding them on tap. 

Fredericton’s Maybee Brewing has a new IPA this week as well, this one in the modern hazy NEIPA vein, but with a name that’s a callback to the 1970s. While some of you are wondering why anyone would refer to such ancient history, the old farts among us will no doubt have a snicker at The Knights Who Say NEIPA (and its spot-on label). Bursting with citrus, pineapple, mango, and bright orange juice aromas and flavors, they’re calling this one, “a tropical paradise in a glass.” The perfect companion to hunting for a shrubbery (one that looks nice… and not too expensive) or estimating the wingspeed of an unladen sparrow, no doubt. Find this 6.5% and 30 IBU juice bomb in cans at the brewery.

Like many breweries, we suspect even moreso in this region than in others, Mount Pearl, NL’s Landwash Brewery has long fielded questions about why they haven’t had a Red Ale available. Well now the questions can stop, at least for a while. Kicking Leaves is a perfect fall beer, deep amber in color, with notes of caramel, toffee, and a hint of rye. With an ABV of only 4%, it’s also extremely sessionable and you can pack a few for your hike in the crisp and cool fall air. This one is packaged and available only at the brewery this weekend, but headed out to all the usual spots in the coming weeks.

On another Island, Prince Edward that is, Lone Oak has released a brand new American Pale Ale. Although it contains the three most OG “C” hops from the Pacific Northwest of the US, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook, all of the hops in this brew were local, from Lakeview Hops. Paired with a grist of Pilsner and Vienna malt, though these hop varieties are known more for citrus, pine, and dank notes, the combination, the beer, and no doubt the terroir, have come together to yield a very melony character with some grapefruit and pineapple overtones. Find this smooth and refreshing 5.2% pale ale on tap and in cans to go at the brewery in Borden-Carleton and the Brewpub at Milky Way.

Completing the island trifecta, we have Big Spruce Brewing on Cape Breton Island, who push it to a quadfecta with the name of their new release! Who doesn’t love a brewery collaboration? We know that we sure do; fortunately we have breweries like Big Spruce around who may love a collab even more than most and this week they’ve got a brand new beer that they put together in concert with Truro Brewing. Isle of Lesbos is an ode to lager, and they’re classifying it as a “Greek Pilsner” coming in at 4.2% ABV. While we’re not so much familiar with that particular style, we figure those with a knowledge of Ancient Greek were able to cull it from urns and pottery shards. Regardless, as the weather in this part of the world gets colder and damper, this beer could easily put you in the mind of the sunny and warm Mediterranean. So maybe throw on a toga, grab your lyre, get yourself a 4-pack of this tasty treat from wherever you get your Big Spruce or Truro Brewing, and head down to the Symposium to wax eloquent on your love of beer and Sapphic poetry.

Back to the Rock, where Bannerman Brewing of St. John’s is amongst those breweries embracing the cooler season with darker beers. Ghost Town is a milk stout, which means it’s been dosed with lactose sugar, yielding a creamier mouthfeel and sweeter presentation to balance the usual roasty flavors and aromas of chocolate and other roasty things. Add some hints of caramel and some malt sweetness as well, and you have a smooth sipper that packs a bit of a punch at 6.0% ABV. Look for it pouring on tap or in cans to go from their spot on Duckworth Street.

If you’ve been a craft beer lover in Nova Scotia for a while, you know that each fall, North Brewing partners up with Benjamin Bridge winery to produce a special beer in the saison style that showcases the magic that can happen when beer and wine collide. This year’s base beer began life as a light saison in the fall of 2022 that was co-fermented with freshly-pressed Chardonnay grape juice from BB using the Cerebus yeast strain from Escarpment Labs. It then spent the winter months into 2023 in the tank to age, after which it was naturally carbonated before packaging, which, for the first time, was done in 473ml cans instead of big ol’ 750ml bottles. Why the change? Because the bottles, especially at that size, can be intimidating and a bit of a commitment to someone who doesn’t necessarily know if they’re going to like a saison, let alone a saison/wine hybrid. Hopefully this inspires some folks to try something new! Tasting notes include aromas of lemon, lime, and orange marmalade, with a little bit of saison character and a vinous character from the grapes. Still full-bodied while finishing dry, the bitterness is quite low and it lands at 7.5% ABV. Grab it at any of the North locations you frequent!

Continuing on the long term beer project train are two new entries from Tatamagouche Brewing. First up is Rosaly, a rose hip and lychee sour. After initial fermentation this golden sour was fed into an Italian red wine foeder where it hung out for nearly two years, taking on fruity notes to complement its sour base. Six more months of aging took place on rose hips and lychee fruit, which added berry, citrus and melon notes along with a subtle floral hint. Packaged in short (341ml) cans, you’ll find this 6.1% flavorful sour at the brewery, including online ordering, and no doubt some other places that stock Tata brews. Also recently released is Carmine, the “other” beer that began as that golden sour in the red wine foeder, only instead of lychee and rose hips, this one went onto dragonfruit puree for six months. Picking up more colour than flavour from the fruit, Carmine is closer to its original golden sour character, but you can safely expect some vinous character from the barrel along with a touch of melon and stone fruit. Lighter than the Rosaly at 5.6% ABV, this one has been packaged in a bigger format, 750ml bottles, for convenient sharing. Available at the brewery directly and for online ordering.

Let’s keep the train rolling on barrel aged beers, but this time up the ante. How high? NASH high. Five whole years ago, Unfiltered Brewing’s Greg Nash made an Imperial Brown Ale that was distilled by North End Halifax neighbours Compass Distillers and matured in oak barrels until earlier this year. Unfiltered then took possession of those barrels and filled them with their Twelve Years to Zion DIPA, which matured for eight full months. They then unbunged the barrels and canned the results, which they’ve named Whiskey Beer, a delightful tipple at a hefty 10% ABV, bearing the character of the DIPA, the barrels, and possibly some of that brown ale concoction as well. Find out for yourself as they’ve just packaged a second (and final, we believe) run this week. If you’re wondering what happened to the brown ale distillate, you might check in at Compass, where we’re told they’ve got a new product called Beer Whiskey! If you’re looking for something lighter for balance, you should also know that Unfiltered’s 4% ABV Belinerweiße is back today in cans and on tap at Charm School.

What could be more different than a huge spirit barrel aged DIPA? If you guessed a non-alcoholic (0.4% ABV) cider you win! Lake City Cider in Dartmouth has spun up a lighter alternative to their long-running Christmas-spiced seasonal so that those who are refraining can still drink something with bells on. Non-alcoholic Spice Up Your Life still brings the merry with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and dried orange peel; you’ll find it bottled in 750ml bottles just like its booze-bearing sibling (which is also available now). If you’re not ready for THAT season yet though, fear not. Lake City also has a brand new Peach Cider available with plenty of soft and round peach flavor complementing the familiar apple side of the proceedings. Fairly light, at 5.5%, this one has been packaged in cans.

Candid Brewing in Antigonish has released a new American Pale Ale called Schadenfreude, one of those amazing words from the German language that has both a complex meaning and is terribly fun to say in an over-the-top Teutonic accent. Meaning, “a feeling of pleasure derived from someone else’s misfortune,” we’ll let you scope out the branding on your own to get an idea of who they’re poking at. Featuring some modern banger hops in Citra, Loral, and recent belle of the hop ball HBC 586, you’ll find this 5.5% ABV number in cans and most likely on tap at the brewery.

Back up to Newfoundland, we have a three-way collaboration that has produced a brand new and rather interesting beer. Baccalieu Trail Brewing in Bay Roberts put their heads together with Rough Waters Brewing in Deer Lake and then they all collectively smashed skulls with homebrewers and beer lovers @mosaic.wit (who have done other collaborations with Rough Waters and Dildo Brewing as well) to produce Tree Way, a fruited sour IPA. Low on bitterness thanks to no hops at the start of the boil, and with a very restrained dry hop, this one saw the bulk of its dose of Mosaic hops late in the whirlpool, providing big hop notes to interact with açai and curuba (a species of passionfruit) to produce an “explosion of orangey-passionfruit, and a subtle touch of nostalgic fruit roll-up vibes.” This one has been canned, and you should be able to find it at select retail  locations around the Avalon Peninsula. (and, we expect, but have not confirmed, both breweries too!)

Continuing to take advantage of the foeders on hand at their facility in downtown Halifax, Gahan Nova Centre has a new small batch release available this week. Taking a portion of last year’s Foeder Aged Winter Warmer, they added red plums and continued to age the result an additional six months. Still with notes of cherry and sweet desserts, along with some tannins from the barrel, you’ll now find some tartness and plum flavors going on. Packaged in 375ml bottles, Red Plum Winter Warmer is 5.5% and is available not just in Halifax, but around the region from the to-go fridges at Gahan locations in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton.

Speaking of Gahan, you may remember this past spring when we announced the winner of the 4th annual Atlantic Homebrew Challenge presented by Gahan House. That beer, Herr Durstig, a German Pils, was brewed at Gahan Port City in Saint John with winner Al McLeod back in August. It’s being released in cans today across the region at all Gahan locations (the abovementioned plus Gahan Harbourview in St. John’s) and also at the PEI Brewing Company taproom. A sessionable lager at 4.8% ABV, it’s golden in color and crystal clear. With a malt backbone of 100% German Pilsner malt, it features local PEI-grown Tettnang hops, for a primarily floral hop nose with hints of citrus. Grab it in cans at your local Gahan location.

As always, the release of last year’s winning beer coincides with the announcement of this year’s competition. The 5th Annual Atlantic Home Brew Challenge will once again allow for entries under two BJCP styles: 11B Best Bitter and 30A Spice, Herb, and Vegetable. The style guidelines are available on the competition website for perusal and planning purposes; competitors can enter once per style if they’re feeling particularly ambitious. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top 5 in each style as well as for the overall winning beer, which will be brewed for canned release with the team at the winner’s local Gahan location. Entries are due for drop-off by March 2nd, 2024, with judging slated and announcement of the winners slated to take place later in March. If you’ve got other questions, definitely scroll to the bottom of the competition website for the FAQ and, if your question still isn’t answered, send an email to the competition team per the last FAQ entry. Good luck to all who compete!

Would you believe that there’s TWO homebrew competitions to announce this week? What a world we live in!! Big Spruce has announced the latest iteration of what is now the longest-running homebrew competition in the region, the 11th Annual Home Brew Challenge: Pomona vs Elysium. What are Pomona and Elysium, you might ask? Well, one is a city in California, and the other is the afterlife as conceptualized by the ancient Greeks, of course! But seriously, the real answer is even nerdier: they’re new yeast strains from Escarpment Labs. Both are targeted at IPAs, especially those of the hazy variety, with slightly different characteristics. Big Spruce has secured 25 pitches of each strain for a maximum number of entries this year of 50. Entrants may submit ONE beer this year, and may submit their preference for one or the other strain, but once one runs out allocation will be what’s left. Judging and the traditional entrants’ gala will take place at the Wooden Monkey in Dartmouth on February 4th, 2024. This year there will be two winners: the top beer made with each strain will be produced on the Big Spruce 7BBL pilot system and packaged for retail. Check out the link to the official Facebook page for the competition above for more information.

Here’s a few last quick tidbits to send you on your way for the weekend:

Trailway Brewing in Fredericton has a trio of returning favorites available now. Hu Jon Heavy is Hu Jon Hops, only MOAR. DIPA, 8%, fuller, hoppier. Then there’s a couple darker beers for the season. Beans is on the sweeter side, a 6.8% Oatmeal Coffee Stout featuring freshly roasted beans from Mill Town Roasters. Black Hops (back after a long hiatus) is a black IPA at 7% that balances zesty grapefruit with roasty character. All are available at Trailway locations and for online ordering.

Sydney’s Breton Brewing has a dark number of their own pouring again, Milk & Cookies is a smooth and slightly sweet milk stout with a “tasty hint of chocolate chip cookies.” Packaged in cans at 5.0% for sale at select NSLC locations across the province, it’s also on tap for fills and pints at the brewery.

Not to be outdone in the stout department, Wolfville’s Church Brewing Co has their Forgive Me Father American stout pouting again. Rich and chocolatey, with plenty of roasted malt flavor, it also features cold-steeped coffee from TAN Coffee. Looks like this one hasn’t been packaged (at least not yet) so you’ll have to hit the brewery for a pint.

And rounding things out this week is the biggest of the returning dark beers, Propeller’s Nanaimo Imperial Dessert Stout. Featuring all the flavors of the classic Canadian dessert, it’s a big’un at 10% ABV and in 473ml tall cans, so maybe plan your evening around that. Available at all the Prop shops and scheduled to be part of the NSLC holiday display.