Upstreet Craft Brewing

All posts tagged Upstreet Craft Brewing

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Port Rexton, Mill Street, 902 BrewCast, Roof Hound, Tatamagouche, and much, much, more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2017-01-13
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 902 BrewCast, Burgers n' Beer, Ducky's Bar, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Hell Bay Brewing, Mikkeller, Mill Street Brewpub, PEI Brewing Co., Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Roof Hound Brewing, Saltbox Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Welcome to the weekend, and another warm Friday! Unfortunately, that looks like it’s going to change quickly and drastically (which seems to be a common trend this winter), so grab a beer and a blanket for later (or now), and get ready for another long read, as there’s lots going on in beer news in our region this week…

• We start today’s post in Newfoundland, where Port Rexton Brewing has released The One with the Citra, an American Pale Ale, hopped with, not surprisingly, Citra (with some assistance from Centennial, too). The resulting 5.2% ABV and 45 IBU beer shows plenty of citrus and tropical fruit goodness. Look for it on tap at PR’s familiar tap accounts shortly, including Adelaide Oyster House, EVOO, The Fifth Ticket, Mallard Cottage, and Merchant Tavern in  St John’s, and White Hills Ski Resort in Clarenville.

• Let’s stick to The Rock for the next beer, another debut from Mill Street’s St. John’s location. Danimal S.M.A.S.H. is a 6.4% ABV, 63 IBU, Pale Ale, with plenty of character from its Single Malt And Single Hop choice, namely Wild Turkey hops from Clear Valley Hop Farm in Nottawa, Ontario. This unique hop is only available from Clear Valley, as it began life growing wild on their farm, and tested very high in Alpha Acid (useful in the bittering) and is quite aromatic (notes of mango and passionfruit), making it a great dual-purpose crop. Learn more about the hop here, and pick up a pint or growler of the beer at Mill Street’s Harbour Drive location.

• The latest 902 BrewCast went live earlier this week, and the gents sat down with Andy, Chris, and Laura from Stillwell Beer Bar. Be sure to give it a listen to learn more about their beginnings, the first three years in business, and what special beers are headed their way to Barrington soon! Case in point, be sure to head to Stilly tomorrow for Part 2 of the Mikkeller Tap Takeover, featuring a dozen taps from the Danish gypsy brewery, plus Copenhagen-inspired snacks. It will be a great showcase of the brewery’s offerings, with a selection of their flavoured Berliner Weisses, Spontan-family, big IPAs, and massive stouts. Back to the podcast, our own acbbchris sat down with the 902 Brew Dudes for an IPA tasting, which will be released January 20th. And learn more about the gents behind the podcast in the latest The Coast weekly newspaper.

• Digby’s Roof Hound Brewing has released a pair of beers recently, both in the IPA category. Sweet Little SIPA is a 4.8% Session IPA, a style known for pale colour, light body, and low ABV, but still brimming with hop flavour and aroma. This recipe features lots of Cascade and Columbus, for citrus and floral notes. The bigger brother of the SIPA is the Big Stink IPA, a 6.4% IPA with Columbus and Mosaic hops, added throughout the brewing process for a medium bitterness and plenty of citrus and fruit character. Both beers are available at the brewery now, and can be found on tap in HRM at your favourite beer bar.

• And keep your eyes peeled for a new collaboration beer brewed at Roof Hound with Tatamagouche’s Matt Kenny. A currently-unnamed 9.4% ABV Imperial Chocolate Porter will be released February 11th, complete with launch party and live music from Tide n Timbre. More details on the event and beer in a few weeks.

• Making its debut last night at last night’s Craft Beer and Local Food Celebration – alongside a Hop Fritter from Primal Kitchen in which it was featured – was a collaboration IPA from Tatamagouche Brewing and the Ladies Beer League . Mrs. Magouche is a 7.7% ABV brew with 75 IBU worth of bitterness and layers of flavors from dank and juicy Simcoe, El Dorado, and Amarillo hops. This one is quite tropical, with notes of stone fruit and peach owing to both the hops and the choice of Escarpment Labs’ Vermont Ale yeast (a.k.a., the “Conan” strain made famous by the Alchemist brewery in Vermont). Tap accounts will be receiving kegs today, with some availability for growler fills from the source and the remainder being put into cans next week.​

• Also in the works from Tata are the Oyster Cloister, featuring lots of Malagash-grown oysters and the Deadeye DIPA, which was brewed this time on that same Vermont Ale yeast strain as the Mrs. Magouche. Look for more information on these as their releases approach later in the month or into February. They’re also planning a couple of winter bottle releases, namely a Glenora Barrel-aged Barleywine on the 26th of this month and a Belgian Quad (also known as a Belgian Strong Ale) on February 9th. We’ll confirm these dates as the releases approach, and provide more detail on the beers themselves.

• Last night’s event was also the debut of Spindrift’s new Duplicitous Imperial Pilsner; Big Spruce doubled the love with two new beers, Risky Biscuits Dark Mild and Liquid James Brown, a Milkshake IPA. Check out last week’s post for more details on these beers, and they will all be available at your favourite bar or growler filling station starting today!

• Also attending the Celebration was Sober Island, pouring their new British IPA. This 6.3% ABV beer features a blend of four hops: Bramling Cross, Cluster, East Kent Golding, and Willamette. They come together to give 40 IBU of bitterness, and notes of woodiness, earthiness, and light fruit, to balance the nice malt body from the grain. The British IPA joins the core line-up, along with the Oyster Stout, Golden Rye, and Bitter.

• Sober Island is also releasing a new beer in a couple of weeks, a Winter Rye. This 6.8% ABV beer features a hearty 15% rye in the malt bill, joining Marris Otter, Munich, and Crystal malts, for a spicy kick on a big body and mouthfeel. Hops-wise, Northern Brewer and Tettnang come together for 30 IBU to offset some sweetness and enhance the rye spice character. This beer will be launched during a collaborative Tap Takeover at Bishop’s Cellar January 28th, joined by Dartmouth’s Brightwood Brewery. Folks from both breweries will be in store 1-3pm to chat beer, their breweries, whatever you’d like! Installation and commission of their big brewing system at Henley House in Sheet Harbour is coming along nicely, and they expect to be brewing on a larger scale in the next 6-8 weeks, with lots of great news coming in Spring.

• There’s three new beers out from Fredericton’s TrailWay since last Friday’s post, and two of these brews have also been released in cans. First up is Ellipse (6.5% ABV, ~50 IBUs), a new IPA featuring heavy additions of Amarillo, Citra and Chinook. As with most of TW’s hoppy beers, this one is light-coloured, very hazy, and extremely juicy! Available only in growlers and pints, it’s hitting all ANBL growler locations this weekend, so you don’t have to come directly to Fredericton to get it!

• Moving on, TW released Mo-Joe, an Imperial Milk Stout (6.3% ABV) earlier this week in both growlers and 16 oz cans. Aside from the addition of lactose powder to slightly increase the sweetness and body of the beer, a special blend of coffee was also added in secondary, in the form of beans. These beans are the new “TrailWay Blend”, from the local Whitney Coffee Company, designed to be “particularly fruity and full of character” (1-lb bags of the beans are available for purchase at the brewery). According to TW, Mo-Joe is “chocolate-forward in flavour”, and is the perfect beer to balance the coffee character from the beans.

• Finally, TW is about to release their latest sour beer, Cerasus. While kettle-soured with Lactobacillus, like their first attempt, Sour 1, Cerasus was hopped only minimally, and was refermented on a “huge amount” of cherries. This “cherry sour” is supremely-sessionable at just 3.6% ABV, with a bright-red colour, and lots of cherry in the aroma and flavour, along with the expected tartness/sourness from the work of the Lactobacillus. Available in 16 oz cans at the brewery tomorrow, along with a small amount that was kegged for growler fills at the same location.

• It’s easy to forget on mild days like today that we’re still in the dead of winter, but there’s been no shortage of well-below-zero temperatures. Luckily, Garrison has brewed up a beer with the aim of helping ease our pain – Wintervention, an Imperial Chocolate Stout. This is a big beer, brewed with lots of Maritime Pale Ale, Chocolate and Munich malt, resulting in a 10.5% ABV beer… making it extremely warming! Hopped exclusively with Millennium to 60 IBUs, the beer was conditioned for a month on cocoa nibs, giving “rich, bittersweet chocolate aromatics, with dark dried fruits and vanilla underneath”, according to the brewery. It’s available in 650 mL bottles at the brewery and private liquor stores in the HRM starting today. And for those of you who are keen on barrel-aged beers (and who isn’t?), they are currently aging some Wintervention in barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery, but you’ll have to wait a while for that release.

• Celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year, Propeller Brewing is looking to spice things up a bit. Their Gottingen location will be undergoing some renovations and upkeep during the next two months, which means events and brewery tours will not be available. Fear not, however, as the Prop Shop will still be open for all of your growler, cans, and bottle needs. During their twentieth, keep an eye out for plenty of special One-Hit-Wonders (like their Vanilla Porter, pouring now), a light branding refresh, plenty of parties, and a whole lotta fun!

• Today sees the return of the v3.0 variant of a Good Robot signature, the Burban Legend APA. This one, with a big Citra dry-hop, is a favourite of Good Robot Josh, who loves the interplay of the layers of fruit from the hops with the malty sweet body. And on Sunday a small batch off the Sabco BrewEasy will be available at the taproom, a BetaBrew from GR’s own Kelly and Erica who call it an ode to their pre-teen red-headed fem inspiration (Ginger Spice) and their ancestral heritage. Scottish Spice Ginger Ale leverages Scottish Ale yeast to enhance a solid malt body that features a touch of rye spiciness and some biscuity notes from Victory malt. Perle and Chinook hops provide the balance along with organic ginger root for additional spice and locally-harvested sumac for a hint of lemony citrus. At 4% ABV and 29 IBU this beer shouldn’t overwhelm, but it may titillate; you’ll have to decide for yourself this weekend.

• PEI Brewing Co.‘s first DIPA, 8 Cord (8.5% ABV, 70 IBUs), is returning in both growler and can form, officially re-releasing at the brewery next Thursday, January 19th. Brewed with 2-row and Wheat malt, it’s hopped with plenty of Azacca, Mosaic, and Simcoe – all hop varieties that are hard to find, but for a good reason, as they impart lots of juicy, tropical fruit characteristics when used. Most of the 16 oz cans will actually be shipping to New Brunswick (where it should be available sometime after the 23rd); there will also be a small amount of kegs going to select locations in both NB and NS. And in other PEIBC DIPA news, be sure to visit your local ANBL growler station this weekend, as all will be carrying the brewery’s new Mango Lassi DIPA that we reported on last Friday.

• With the 5th Annual Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and its week of events is fast approaching (March 8th-12th), they have just announced the launch of the Down East Brewing Awards. All licensed breweries in the Maritimes are invited to submit their beers for entry; many awards will be presented at FCBF, including 10 beer awards, one each for cider and mead, and Brewery of the Year and New Brewery of the Year awards. Judging will take place on February 28th among a panel of certified judges, brewers and industry professionals. The winning entries will be showcased at FCBF, where they will be enjoyed by the more than 1700 attending. The details are still being ironed out, so we’ll be sure to keep you updated over the coming weeks.

• Gahan Harbourfront Halifax is holding their very first Homebrewer’s Challenge, and the entry period starts today! Open to all amateur homebrewers in the province, they are looking for your best Trappist Single (BJCP Style 26A). You must pre-register by emailing Gahan Brewmaster Kyle Jeppesen before Feb 17, and your four bottles are due March 10th. The winner will get to brew with Jeppesen and have their beer served at Gahan, and will win a dinner and a few beers for their hard work and accomplishment. Check out the information poster for a few more details. Good luck to all entrants!

• And speaking of brewing awards, the 2017 Canadian Brewing Awards registration opens on Monday. From then until March 10th, breweries can register their beers for judging, with sample delivery to be scheduled March 13-24th. More details on how to enter are here, and the Style Guidelines are available online now. Let’s hope for another strong showing from Atlantic Canadian breweries in 2017!

We’ve got a few events that we’d like to highlight this week:

• Right now, Friday morning, the gang at Moncton’s Tide & Boar has set up their Growler Pop-Up Shop, with a pair of beers available: Galaxy Double Dry-Hopped Forum Pale Ale and Sour Otis Fruit Cake (A Kettle Sour brewed with 20lbs of assorted dried fruit). As with their last go of it in December, we suggested getting there early, as these beers are sure to sell out.

• The gang at Good Robot has a busy week ahead, starting with one of their extremely popular Silent Reading nights on Tuesday, and continuing with some ticketed events that are part of the In the Dead of Winter Festival: the Pre-Festival Party on Wednesday, and song circles on Thursday and Friday.​

• Upstreet Brewing is re-releasing their Top Stamp Honey Brown Lager, and is holding a talent show (of sorts!) to celebrate. On Thursday, January 19th from 6-10 pm at the brewery, the Top Stamp Gong Show will highlight the “talents” of Islanders, by inviting all those interested to perform their talent on stage, in front of a packed house. There will be two official judges – if they like what you’ve got, you’ll move on to the finals, and if not… you’ll be gonged off stage. No pressure! The event is free to attend; if you are interested in performing, you can fill out the form here.

• New Brunswick has recently been privy to some beers from Tatamagouche Brewing (finally!), but Saturday, January 21st will see a true Tata-celebration at Ducky’s in Sackville, with a Tatabrew tap takeover! Starting at 7 pm, there will be a grand total of 15-20 Tata beers pouring, ranging anywhere from flagship beers, to seasonals, to special one-offs. Tatabrew’s own Christiane Jost and Matt Kenny will be on-hand to chat about the brewery and their beers, and probably just about anything else! Tickets ($15 each) will be available in advance, and will allow you seven 5 oz drink tickets, including a commemorative glass to keep (you can also pay at the door, but you will be limited to five drink tickets); a portion of ticket sales will go to Enactus MtA, out of Mount Allison University. Further 5 oz pours will also be available at a discount price. Contact the bar directly to reserve your tix, which can be picked up before the event at 6:30 pm.

• On Wednesday, January 25th, Liverpool’s Hell Bay will be celebrating Robbie Burns Day in style. Burns Night will be held at the brewery, and will feature poetry, haggie, bagpipes, and – of course – plenty of beer. If you’re going to celebrate the life of Scotland’s most famous poet and lyricist, you might as well show up in a kilt! Those that do will receive discounts on pints, so you’ll have that going for you, too. The brewery will be open at 10 am, with the haggis being served at 6 pm.

• The next Burgers n’ Beer event in Fredericton has been announced, and will take place on Saturday, February 11th at the King Street Ale House. As always, your ticket ($25) will include four different hand-crafted sliders, paired with four different local craft brews (5 oz pours). The event is held from 1:30-3:30 pm, and will also announce details on this year’s YFC Burger Battle (running from March 25th-April 8th).

A few more things before we sign off:

– Mahone Bay’s Saltbox Brewing has new beer available for pints and growlers, Jeezus Murphy Irish Red. A malt-forward 4.8% ABV brew, it features some roasted notes and subtle fruit character from the hops.
– Dartmouth’s Nine Locks Brewing will be releasing Fathom Double IPA shortly, an 8.0% ABV showcase for plenty of American-grown hops. We’ll have more details when they’re available.
– Beau’s Brewery, from Vankleek Hill, Ontario, is looking to expand their presence in Eastern Canada, and as such, are hiring a Brand Ambassador as a local representative.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Moth Lane, Graystone, Lazy Bear, Hammond River, Tide & Boar, and Upstreet

Posted by acbbaaron on 2016-12-30
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Bad Apple Brewhouse, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Gore Farm Brewery, Graystone Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, HopYard, King Street Ale House, Lazy Bear Brewing, Mama's Brew Pub, Moth Lane Brewing, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tide & Boar Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. 1 comment

Although it was a short work week due to the holidays, the yeast never sleep, so we’ve got a few new beers to introduce; and with New Year’s coming up this weekend, there’s also some events we think you’ll want to know about. We’ll start off this week, however, with news of a new brewery that launched late last week:

• It was a Christmas Beer-acle! Moth Lane Brewing, on PEI’s Prince County, opened December 24th to satisfy the thirsty folks in the Western region of the island. The 800 litre (7 BBL) brewhouse offers flights and pints in their tap room onsite, and sells growler fills to go. There are three beers available currently: Motorboat’r Blonde Ale, a refreshing and easy drinking 6.5% ABV light ale; The Answer Imperial IPA, a 7.0% ABV, 70 IBU bitter beer with plenty of pine character; and, Oyster Thief Stout, a 5.5% ABV dry stout, featuring local oysters added in the boil. The brewery, located at 101 Mickie Allen Shore Rd in Ellerslie, is open Mon-Wed 12-5, and Thurs-Sat 5-10pm, including live music Saturday evening. For those not able to get West, Charlottetown’s HopYard has all three beers available. Stay tuned to the blog, as we’ll have a full profile next week. Welcome to the neighbourhood, Moth Lane!

• Fredericton’s Graystone Brewing has two new beers on the go this week. The Crown Winter Warmer was released on Boxing Day and is described as a big-bodied holiday ale with seasonal spices. Built on a base of Maris Otter and Vienna malts for a solid backbone, chocolate and crystal malts are included to provide deep colour and chocolatey and caramel flavours. It also features a portion of Simpsons relatively new DRC (double-roasted crystal) malt, known for enhancing the body of dark beers and bringing complex dark caramel and dark fruit flavours without the bitterness or astringency of traditional heavily roasted malts. At 7.4% ABV you’ll almost certainly feel some alcohol warmth, while an addition of allspice and 30 IBUs worth of NB Goldings round out the flavour profile. It’s available at the taproom for pints, as well as growler and crowler fills.

• And hitting Graystone’s taps today will be a Belgian White IPA that they’re calling Mont Blanc, a collaboration with the in-the-works Gore Farm Brewery of St. Stephen, NB. A simple malt bill of Pilsner and wheat provide a canvas for some “cool” West Coast hops that bring 50 IBUs worth of bitterness and no doubt some citrus flavours. And judging by the name, expect to find some Belgian yeast flavours as well. More on Gore Farm in the near future!

• The folks at Lazy Bear have let us know that they’ll be pouring pints at a New Year’s Eve Dance Party hosted by local musician David Chamberland at the Rebekah Music Hall in Bear River. This will give them the opportunity to bring their regular lineup and also hopefully a brand new California Common-style beer. The as-yet unnamed brew eschews the Northern Brewer hops traditional to the style for Nugget from Ontario and Chinook from New Brunswick. Although the grapefruit aspects of the Chinook flavour profile might be viewed as crossing a stylistic boundary, there’s also every chance it will make for a tasty brew. There’s only one way to find out; grab a pint if you can!

• Also in the works from Lazy Bear is an Irish Red that will feature potatoes in the mash. Obvious jokes aside, care will definitely need to be taken to convert the sugars from the potatoes and to lauter the wort from what will no doubt be an exceptionally sticky grist, but the result should be very unique. We’re definitely looking forward to hearing more about this one as further information becomes available. Lastly, we’re told that LB will be featuring a percentage of Horton Ridge malts in all of their beers for 2017; the celebration of local ingredients continues!

• Hammond River has released another iteration in their The Vegas SMaSH series, a Single-Malt and Single-Hop beer that has had four versions prior to this release. The newest beer features Mosaic, a very popular and delicious variety that features plenty of berry character, resulting in a truly fruity-tasting beer. As with previous takes, this one weighs in at 6.5% ABV and 60 IBUs; you can find it on tap now at The Barrel’s Head, and it should be popping up at other HR tap accounts in the near future.

• Moncton’s Tide & Boar Brewing has released a brand new beer in their Hop Series. Lemondrop IPA is a 7.5% ABV IPA featuring the eponymous Lemondrop hop, an experimental hop featuring big notes of lemon citrus, and keeping in the hazy tradition of T&B’s other IPAs. Grab a pint now, and enjoy it at their Waterfront Craft Beer Garden event tomorrow (details below).

• We teased last week about Upstreet starting a barrel-aging program, with the recent delivery of a set of barrels from Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery. Well, the barrels have been filled with six different beers, which are now undergoing the first of many days of aging, before being bottled and released to the public next fall. Sorry, we can’t share what these beers are yet, but – as always – we’ll be sure to release that info as soon as we can!

Be sure to check the hours of your local brewery and beer store before heading there tomorrow, as some are on reduced hours. Here are some events guaranteed to help you say goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017 while enjoying great beer:

• If you’re in the Moncton area, what better way to ring in the New Year than with the NYE Waterfront Craft Beer Garden? Starting at 4 pm on Saturday, December 31st, the Tide & Boar will be hosting seven local breweries, including Acadie-Broue, Beckwith Road, Bore City, Celtic Knot, Flying Boats, Scow Cider, and, of course, their own T&B Brewery. The beer garden will run until 9 pm, and have a view of the concert on the waterfront, which will feature several live bands.

• And what about Fredericton? Well, those behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival will be hosting their own NYE Craft Beer Garden on Saturday. Held downtown at Officer’s Square and starting at 4 pm, there will be lots pouring from both Maybee and Sunset Heights Meadery until midnight. As well, select products from Bogtrotter, Graystone, Grimross, Picaroons, Red Rover, and TrailWay will be available. A food truck will be on-site, live music will be playing, and there will be two firework shows (8 pm and midnight). Can’t get away from the family? No worries – kids are allowed in the beer garden with their parents. No charge to attend, just pay by the beverage… and be sure to dress warm!

• Somerset’s Bad Apple Brewhouse is celebrating its third anniversary Saturday from 10-6 and will have a small run of bottles of their APA, Mosaic DIPA, and Black and Tackle Russian Imperial Stout available, and will no doubt have some other treats for those who drop by for the fun.

• Although Stillwell probably shouldn’t be part of your plans for New Year’s Eve (owing to them being closed), you should think hard about making them a destination for your hangover on New Year’s Day. They’ll be opening at noon for their New Year’s Day Levée with some brunchy menu options (Smoked Striped Bass Fishcakes, Triple-threat Breakfast Sandwich, Smoked Meat Hash or Toutons with Lonzino and Molasses, anyone?) and a pretty intense wall’s worth of goodies. Do you like stout served on nitrogen? Sure you do! They’ll have three: Granite Keefe’s Irish Stout, Unfiltered Flat Black Jesus and Dieu du Ciel! Aphrodisiaque. How about one of the three existing kegs of Acadie Broue Zirable, the Geueze-style we waxed poetic about in last week’s wrap-up? You know you want to try that. There’s also taps from Les Trois Mousquetaires , Brasserie Dunham , Trailway , Mikkeller and Bad Apple Brewhouse and the bottle list you know and love.

• Don’t worry, PEI, there’s a local New Year’s Day celebration going on for you, too! Upstreet will be starting their 2017 Kick-Off Sunday at 10 am, and it’ll be continuing all day long! A total of six different bands will be playing live, with the first starting at noon; the music will continue through the celebrations until roughly 10 pm. Beer cocktails, brewery tours, $4 pints, and a special brunch menu will also be available. Last year’s event was the biggest party of the year for the Upstreet taproom, so be sure you don’t miss out! Check out the link above the full details on the bands that will be performing.

• The 5th Annual Fredericton Craft Beer Festival is fast-approaching, and several events have been announced. Returning is ACBB Trivia, alongside a Nova Scotia Tap Takeover, at the King Street Ale House on Thursday, March 9th from 6-9 pm. All 24 taps at the KSAH will be dedicated to a variety of NS breweries; your $25 ticket gets you a special glass to take home, as well as ten 5 oz samples to start off. Trivia starts at 7 pm, and we promise this time the questions will be easier (no drawings of chemical structures, please Chris?)! And for those that haven’t yet grabbed tickets to the main event on Saturday the 11th, there are still a few tickets available for the afternoon (1:30-4:00) session.

A few more notes before you head out today:

– You can celebrate NYE with your very own keg of Garrison beer, and on the cheap, as they are offering a 10% discount on all rentals, and they’ll even include a sleeve of cups. Drop by today or tomorrow, as the sale ends after that.
– It looks like Mama’s Brew Pub has finally got their Crowler machine up and running, meaning that 1-L cans to go of their in-house-brewed beers are now available for purchase.
– The canning continues at TrailWay Brewing, with the latest release being their American Pale Ale, Rype, a 5% ABV hazy hop bomb. As of right now, this one is available only at the brewery, but look for ANBL stores to receive shipments, soon.

And be sure to celebrate the New Year responsibly: with a local beer(s), and a safe ride home! As we close out 2016, we want to thank the breweries and readers that we get to connect with on a weekly basis, and we look forward to spreading the Good News about Great Beer in 2017. Cheers!

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Loyalist City Brewing, Annapolis Cider, Upstreet, Acadie-Broue, TrailWay and much more!

Posted by acbbshawn on 2016-12-23
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Acadie-Broue, Annapolis Cider Company, Bogtrotter Craft Brewery, Good Robot Brewing, Graystone Brewing, Loyalist City Brewing Co, Maybee Brewing, Mill Street Brewpub, North Brewing, NSLC, Saltbox Brewing, Savoie's Brewhouse, Schoolhouse Brewery, Tide & Boar Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Good morning! As we enter the final couple of crazy days before Christmas, beer news is winding down (ever-so-slightly) as everyone rushes to fit in some last minute shopping, cooking, baking, and stressing. As an excuse to step away from it all, even for just a few minutes, let’s take some time to get caught up on what’s happening in the beer world this week…

• Just in time for Christmas, Saint John’s Loyalist City Brewing has launched their first beer, Lupulus Interruptus. This 7.5% American IPA features loads of late and whirlpool hops, for an assertive 90 IBU bitterness, enhanced by juicy notes of citrus and peach in both the flavour and aroma. This first batch is currently available at Uptown’s Cask & Kettle, as well as for growler fills at the Wellington Row ANBL. Drop in today for a fill/pint, as both spots are moving through the beer quickly! To learn more about Loyalist City, check out our Profile on them from the summer. Look for more LCBC beers to be available in early January, with their retail and taproom location on Water Street to open in the coming months. Keep an eye here, as well as on their social media pages.

• In cider news, Annapolis Cider Company in Wolfville has a brand new offering this week in the form of their Old-Fashioned Gravenstein, made with 100% hand-picked local Gravenstein apples, an heirloom variety that’s great for both eating and cooking, but which doesn’t store well on a long-term basis. The apples for this cider were harvested early and pressed soon after picking providing juice that was fermented dry. After fermentation, additional fresh-pressed Gravenstein juice was added for balance and it the cider was finished with a slight effervescence. The final product is pale in colour with a fresh apple aroma and crisp flavor. It comes in at 7.4% and is being sold in a refillable bottle for $19.95; it’s available either on its own or as part of a Holiday 3-Pack for a limited time.

• There’s a whole slew of special one-offs being released right now at Upstreet, and continuing on over the next several weeks. They’ve brewed up another iteration of their Berliner Weisse, with this batch tasting more sour than the first. Still a very-sessionable 4% ABV, four kegs of this one were made available: two plain, and two dry-hopped (one with Centennial, one with Sorachi Ace). They’re available for pints only at the taproom, and they’re going fast!

• Continuing with Upstreet, last week they released Into the Weeds, a “Seaweed Blonde Ale”. This beer was created by employee Jesse H, and featured a simple grist of 2-row and light Crystal malt, with both sea lettuce and dulse added late in the boil, and as a “dry-weed” addition after fermentation. With a blend of “sweet, salty, and umami” flavours, it was another sessionable brew, at 4% ABV. Unfortunately, the two kegs flew out of the taproom even faster than expected! Maybe they’ll brew it again sometime in the future…?

• Finally, expect to see many more one-offs released by Upstreet over the next couple of weeks, including a Vanilla Smoked Porter, Honey Pilsner, and more. And with a fresh delivery of barrels from Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery, there will be some special beers coming in the New Year. As always, we’ll keep you updated!

• If you’re in the Moncton area, you’re in for a special treat – Acadie-Broue officially launched their Lambic-style beer, Zirable, at the Laundromat yesterday evening. Fermented in Hungarian medium-toasted oak barrels, this sour, complex, 5% ABV ale has been maturing for three years. It made a brief appearance at the 2014 Brewer’s Bash as a young release (where, we can attest, it was already tasting pretty fantastic), and at Stillwell in 2015, but the rest of it has been patiently awaiting it’s release to the public, allowing the Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Lactobacillus plenty of time to work their magic. Several batches were actually brewed over this time period, where they were meticulously blended by brewer Patrice Godin, until the perfect balance and blend was found. This award-winning beer (Silver in the 2015 ACBAs) is a very limited release, so don’t miss the chance to try the only Gueuze-style beer (blended lambics) brewed in the Maritimes (to our knowledge, anyway).

• Along with the first can releases of their Good Aura and Rascal earlier this week, TrailWay has a new beer (of sorts) newly available for the holiday. Christmas Rascal is a new take on their Imperial Stout; inspired by Mexican Chocolate, they infused the base beer with Lactose powder, and then aged it (briefly) on cacoa nibs, cinnamon, cayenne, cardamom and vanilla. The result? A rich, full-bodied, and full-flavoured 8% ABV beer, with just the right amount of spice and heat. A small amount of this one is on tap for pints and growlers at the brewery’s taproom, with the rest available this weekend at all ANBL growler stations (except Fredericton and Dieppe).

• River Charlo, New Brunswick’s Savoie’s Brewhouse has settled nicely into their new digs next to Heron’s Nest Pub; they tell us it’s great being right next door to the only craft and imported beer pub in the area, with their own beer exclusively on tap and a variety of alternatives in the fridge. This week they’ll be serving up their Holiday Peppermint Blonde, a 5% ABV beer with both peppermint and vanilla added to the secondary for a seasonal flavour kick.​

• Fredericton’s Bogtrotter has their first Stout appearing in ANBL stores this week. Snapping Turtle has a fairly standard grist with darker malts, as well as some Rye malt and oatmeal, all weighing in at only 4.8% ABV. Hopped entirely with Chinook to 25 IBUs, expect to see 500 mL bottles at the Oromocto, York St., and Prospect St. ANBL stores; it’s also currently on tap at the Cask & Kettle. Also, Bogtrotter launched Snowy Spruce last week, which is their Muddy Mayhem IPA with a Christmas twist – spruce buds (harvested from owner/brewer Rod Croucher’s property) were added to boost the beer’s aroma. This one is available on tap only, at better beer establishments in Fredericton.

• In St. John’s, Mill Street pub’s head brewer Dan Boldrini has come up with a new beer that celebrates a native Newfoundland foodstuff, the touton, a pancake of sorts often made with leftover bread dough and traditionally cooked in rendered pork fatback (although more often in canola oil or olive oil and clarified butter these days). Touton Topper is an Imperial Stout infused with Crosby’s Molasses, a favourite go-with for toutons. The beer has a bit of a smoky nose and brings blackstrap molasses flavours with dark chocolate, roasted coffee and 25 or so IBUs providing balance. At a hefty 9.1% ABV it’s not for the faint of heart.​

• Starting yesterday, and continuing today until 4 pm, Moncton’s Tide & Boar Brewing began selling growlers to go of their beer for the first time. Set up in the adjoining Duo Cafe, a limited supply of kegs have been pouring several beers, including the recently-released Peach Ale Shake and Sour Otis Cranberry, as well as two brand new beers, Herbie’s Oatmeal for Breakfast Stout, and Simcoe IPA. ANBL-branded growlers will be on-hand for purchase, but they will also fill any (clean) 32 oz or 64 oz growler. In addition, branded men and women’s t-shirts will be available, just in case you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for the beer lover in your life (or yourself)!

• Graystone has a couple of new beers on tap, bringing the grand total of their beers at their taproom to 10, a new high. Summit IPA (6.9% ABV, 74 IBUs) is not a single-hopped beer, but does feature plenty of Summit for a “subtle, earthy sweetness and clean finish”, according to the brewery. They’re also now pouring their Holiday Stout, which is their Pitch Stout infused with cranberries and cocoa nibs; this one weighs in at an easy-drinking 4% ABV, and 38 IBUs. Both beers are available now for growler and crowler fills, as well as pints, and have been spotted at other beer bars/restaurants in Fredericton.

• Earlier this month we told you about Ask & Embla, the first beer in North Brewing’s “Finite Series” of experimental beers, when it was released to local taps. That beer is now available in 650mL bombers at both North bottle shops. It’s the same beer at 5.2% ABV and 16 or so IBU, with 20% oats in the grist, Timothy hay added to the mash, a yeast pitch collected from Saison de Pinot and 3 weeks of aging on driftwood collected from Cow Bay, but now it’s been conditioning in the bottle for an extra month. Given the mixed strain nature of the yeast, the extra fermentables used to bottle carbonate could definitely make some differences to the finished product and make it a candidate for cellar aging as well.

• We also told you a few weeks ago about North’s new Artist Series of labels. One beer in particular, the Farmhouse Red Bière de Garde, isn’t just sporting a new label by Nicole G. (who you may know from the Halifax bottle shop), it’s also rocking a slightly new formulation: although the recipe is essentially the same as their Farmhouse, the new batches of this beer contain malt from Horton Ridge for additional local cred.

• The gang at Good Robot is laying fairly low this week in terms of releases and events, but it sounds like this is the calm before the storm and they’ll be revving back up to full speed in the new year. This week does see the re-release of Whackity Shmackity Brew, a 5.8% ABV and 25 IBU American wheat beer featuring orange zest added to the fermenter and Magnum, Amarillo and Mandarina Bavaria hops, brewed in tribute to comedian Patton Oswalt.

• Coming early in the new year, with more info to come, are three new beers: Sickbot Epidemic ESB, a collaboration with Sickboy Podcast, a collaborative brew with North Brewing that might be named 220 Volts, but then again might not be, and an as-yet totally unnamed Barleywine. We’ll have more details as the release dates approach.

• If you’re looking for a place to have a beer on one of the days most bars are closed over the holidays, remember that Good Robot is looking out for you. They’ll be open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, “at the staff’s request.” (Tune in this summer when the staff “requests” the honour of digging a defensive trench around the Gastroturf.) And on New Year’s Eve the GR gang will also be celebrating a No Frills New Year’s with nothing but beer, glasses to serve it in and some finger foods from Rinaldo’s.​

• Mahone Bay’s Saltbox Brewing has a pair of new beers pouring at their taproom on Main Street these days. Irish Red is a 4.8% ABV malt-forward Red Ale, light and easy drinking, with some pleasant fruity hop and light roasted notes. Due to its popularity, it will be joining their flagship lineup. Also drop by for a pint or growler of Batch 56, a light-bodied lager with a nice malt character and light fruity hops. Weighing in at 5.4% ABV, it hits all of the right buttons. Their taproom is open Christmas Eve until 6pm, and will re-open December 27 for a Family Pot-Luck event from noon, bring your leftovers and share with the local beer community.

• Be sure to drop by Schoolhouse Brewing‘s new location at 40 Water Street in Windsor today, as Class is in Session! Grab flights and growlers of their core lineup noon to 8pm, as well as a brand new brew, Vice Principal Pale Ale. The 5.2% ABV American Pale Ale is a bigger take on the Principal Pale Ale, with a crisp finish and lighter aromatics. Look for it to be pouring at the Local Connections Craft Beer and Local Food Event January 12th.

• Fredericton’s Maybee Brewing has a new English Ale out now, Slanty Shanty Best Bitter, which we mentioned briefly last week. A higher-proof Bitter at 5.0% ABV, it features authentic Noble spicy hop notes (ending up at 35 IBUs), with a touch of honey and grain in the glass. It is available at the brewery for growler fills, and making its way to better beer bars around the province.

• Nova Scotia’s breweries received some good news earlier this week, with an announcement that there are changes coming to the controversial Retail Sales Markup Allocation. The RSMA is collected by the NSLC on all beer that breweries sell directly to customers and licensees (i.e., not through the NSLC). Promoted as an ostensible means to track the volume of beer sold outside the Corporation, the $0.50/litre tax is charged in addition to excise and other taxes required by legislation. Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing launched a lawsuit against the NSLC in August characterizing the RSMA as a tax and calling its validity into question based on the further question of whether the NSLC has a mandate to tax producers in this way. Unfiltered raised awareness in October with the release of their RSMA Double IPA and has seen support from Big Spruce’s open letter to Nova Scotia as well as a donation of malt from Horton Ridge that they used to brew their most recent batch of DOA. The province says that as of April 1, 2017, the RSMA will be reduced to 5% of wholesale costs, which should lead to a reduction of the overall amount collected from brewers in Nova Scotia to one-third of current levels. While a noble start, and the first time breweries will be treated in the same was as other alcohol producers, many breweries (including Unfiltered) would prefer to see this fee eliminated completely. Credit is certainly due for the inclusion in the press release of Craft Brewer’s Association of NS president Emily Tipton’s comments regarding the extended economic impact of craft beer and brewing in Nova Scotia. The province’s press release can be read here.

​

That’s all the news fit to print this week, folks! Have a safe and happy holiday, and we’ll see you back here next week with the final Wrap-Up of the year!