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Friday Wrap-Up for September 28, 2018 – News from Brightwood, Spindrift, Long Bay, Lunn’s Mill, Stillwell and More!!

Posted by acbbchris on 2018-09-28
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, ANBL, Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Fest, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Bootleg Brew Company, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Brightwood Brewery, Chain Yard Cider, Craft Beer Corner, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Graystone Brewing, Harvest Wines, Isaac's Way, King Street Ale House, Liquid Assets, Local Source, Long Bay Brewery, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, Niche Brewing, North Brewing, Peppers Pub, Picaroons, Propeller Brewing, Rockhead Wine & Beer Market, Roof Hound Brewing, Sea Level Brewing, Sober Island Brewing, Spindrift Brewing, Stephen Beaumont, Stillwell Beer Bar, Stillwell Brewing, The Joyce, Tidehouse Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, WestSide Beer Wine Spirits. 1 comment

Welcome to the first full weekend of fall in Atlantic Canada! As is usual for this time of year, wet-hopped beers brewed after harvest a few weeks ago are starting to appear, we’re seeing continued pumpkin ale encroachment, and Oktoberfest celebrations are going on. Meanwhile, there’s also lots of new releases that have nothing to do with fall, traditionally or otherwise. We note that we’re quite a bit earlier than usual with this week’s post; we suggest you don’t expect to get used to that!

Let’s start this week in Dartmouth with Brightwood Brewery. Now well-ensconced in their new digs on Portland Street, they’ve released a new beer that we think marks them as the only brewery in the region (at least in recent memory) to have released two beers in the California Common style. Described as an homage to surfing in Cow Bay, Minutes takes the healthy body and crisp finish traditional to the style and marries it to some white wine character courtesy of a dry hop with nouveau German hop variety Hallertau Blanc. At 5.5% ABV we suspect it will be an interesting contrast to the traditional European styles like Märzens and Festbiers that are prominent at this time of year. You can find it in the taproom for tasters, pints, and fills. Meanwhile, if you’ve been missing getting your Brightwood fix at the Alderney Market since they started their expansion project, we’ve got some great news for you: they’ll be back this coming Saturday for growler fills in their swank ceramic growlers (or, y’know, your tired and boring brown glass)!

On the other side of the bridges, in the Burnside Industrial Park, Spindrift has a couple things on the go. Of course one of them is the American Pale Ale currently being revealed slowly on social media with a contest, so that one will have to wait a week. The second is a little bit of yin to that one’s yang, an American Lager with 10 IBU and 5% ABV in a light-bodied beer with an “unpronounced bitterness” and a fairly high carbonation level. Made with a moderate percentage of adjuncts, namely rice and wheat, expect it to be very easy drinking, especially when served very cold. Called Toller, it will be available exclusively at Harvest, Rockhead, and West Side, in 8- and 24-packs of 355 mL cans. And after last night’s debut at the Hopyard Halifax takeover, you can start looking for their new DIPA, Hurricane Juan, in stores tomorrow, September 29th, on the 15th anniversary of its namesake storm.

Rothesay’s Long Bay has their first new beer out in some time, and it sounds like a beauty! Full Pleasure is the result of months of experimentation with sour beers; kettle-soured with Lactobacillus to a Baby Bear level of tartness (just right!), the wort was then fermented with the brewery’s house Belgian strain, and given an addition of passion fruit puree. Once complete, they dry-hopped it with two marvelous varieties, Galaxy and Mosaic, before packaging. With lots of fruity hop flavour, complemented by the tartness from the Lacto, it comes in at 5.5% ABV. Look for bottles and growlers to be found at the brewery now, as well as bottles and kegs at select ANBL stores and licensees over the next week.

Lawrencetown’s Lunn’s Mill has a new beer out this weekend that will help you harken back to summer even though fall has definitely arrived. A Berliner Weisse featuring rhubarb and raspberry, the recipe was developed by Lunn’s Mill partner and chef Chantelle Webb. Girl, Hold My Earrings has a pinky-orange color and a sparkling effervescent character to match with a tart Berliner character and sassy fruit presence. At 4.4% ABV and a measly 4 IBU, you’ll no doubt be able to slosh back a few of these before you find yourself entangled in a good old scrap. Only available at the taproom it will make its debut at Lunn’s Mill’s second annual Oktoberfest event this evening starting at 5:00 PM. A cover charge of $10 will get you a stein to drink out of (and take home, if you can manage it) and the chance to enjoy a special food menu and the four bands that will be playing on the patio. More information is available on their Facebook Event Page.

We told you about the hop harvests around the region a few weeks ago and it looks like Shelburne’s Boxing Rock have managed to be the first to bring their 2018 wet hopped offering to market (or at least the first one we heard about). Now in its sixth iteration, Many Hands has always been a collaboration beer between Boxing Rock and North Brewing in Halifax, and this year is no different. Released this past Wednesday, this year’s model is a Pale Ale brewed with organic malt from Horton Ridge Malt House and a pile of fresh hops from Wallace Ridge Hop Farm in Malagash, NS. Look for it to be a smooth and easy drinking ale with a malty base and floral and herbal hop notes. You can find it at the retail store in Shelburne and at Local Source, Harvest Wines and Bishops Cellar in the city, along with Liquid Assets at the Stanfield International Airport.

It’s another week chock-full of new beer and re-releases from Big Spruce, who isn’t showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. Beginning with the new beer, A Marzen Grace, which is released just in time for Oktoberfest celebrations across the world (have you ever known a country/city/town to refuse the chance to celebrate with beer?). Billed by Big Spruce as “100% classic and traditional”, it was brewed with all German malt, German hops, and German Lager yeast. Conditioned and lagered for a period of time, as the style calls for, it’s malty and crisp, and even at 6% ABV is meant to be consumed in healthy quantities, if you can! As for returning beers, put your drinking caps on, because there’s a few: Fake News!, a 5.6% APA hopped entirely with Idaho 7, and fermented with the Foggy London Ale strain; Tag! You’re It!, a fresh batch of the brewery’s immensely popular 6.5% ABV NEIPA, with a “hugely late” hop addition (we’re going to assume that means a huge addition, late) giving boatloads of tropical fruit character; and, in truly bittersweet fashion, the last run this season for The Silver Tart, easily one of the brewery’s biggest crowd-favourites, a 4% ABV kettle-soured beer conditioned on organic raspberries. It’ll most assuredly be back next year, but maybe stock up before it’s gone for 2018! And finally, cans of Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout are now more easily found, as NSLC stores finally have them in stock; you can even get it in New Brunswick, as select ANBL locations are also carrying the beer.

Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing has a new entry in their Neon Friday series of hoppy beers hitting the taps today. Brut IPA with Hallertau Blanc may have a matter-of-fact name, but it’s no plain-jane beer. Manifesting the new “Champagne” or “Brut” style of low-bitterness and extremely dry (minimal residual sugars) IPAs with high carbonation, this one was hopped with Hallertau Blanc, a modern hop variety known for imparting a white wine character along and notes of grapefruit and lemongrass. It’s 7.0% ABV and a paltry 5 IBU and you can find it on tap starting this afternoon at the Upstreet Taproom and at Craft Beer Corner, both for pints and for growler and crowler fills.

Robie Street in Halifax is home to Good Robot Brewing, which means it’s home to two new beers in the coming week, as per usual. The BetaBrewsday release (as always, scheduled for Tuesday at 4 PM), is called Bittersweet Cocoaphony, an ESB with a little verve in the form of cocoa powder added after fermentation. Formulated and brewed by Andrew Seth and Beta Baroness Kelly Costello, the grist was comprised of 2-row, Cara 30, Cara 120 and CaraAroma, while the hop side was a light dusting of classic UK Fuggles and its American descendant Willamette. Easy drinking at 4.5% ABV, even though it’s not too bitter at 25 IBU, we still suspect it will be extra special.

Meanwhile, from the Alpha system comes a collaboration brew done up just in time for the Halifax Pop Explosion! Lizard Queen was brewed in concert with Garrison and Gahan using flaked wheat, oats and barley along with good ol’ 2-row for a solid ale malt presence with enhanced mouthfeel. Hopped with some very big modern varieties, Simcoe, El Dorado, and an especially large dose of Mosaic, expect it to have a heavy tropical fruit presence and be danker than the air outside the Seahorse. Look for this very sessionable 4.5% ABV and 25 IBU beer to appear next Thursday, October 4th, as the city gets ready for HPX later in the month.

New Brunswick’s Picaroons is joining the Oktoberfest fun with a new beer they’re calling Oom Pah! Pah! Oktoberfest Ale. Amber in color, it’s a crisp ale with a bready character matched with earthy and floral hop notes that were kept on the subtle side no doubt to allow the malt shine. It hit the taps on Tuesday at the Picaroons Roundhouse and the Picaroons Brewtique in Fredericton, on Wednesday it showed up at the Picaroons General Store in Saint John, and look for it starting today at the 5 Kings Restaurant in St. Stephen. You’ll also be able to grab it at all ANBL locations as of tomorrow. We’ll warn you though, although it’s widely available, only one batch was made, so when it’s gone, it’s gone!

Chain Yard Urban Cidery in Halifax has a new and special treat on the go, a plum wine that they made with shiro plums harvested in Nova Scotia. Shiro is a sweet and juicy yellow variety that can often be harvested well before other plums are ready. Plummet saw Chain Yard taking the juice from these plums and doing both wild and Brettanomyces fermentations before dry-hopping the result. A “session” wine, it’s a very light 4.3% ABV with no sulfur dioxide and it’s still fermenting a little bit, which should mean a touch of sweetness is still there to be enjoyed. A very limited run is available by the pint only at the tap room on Agricola Street.

Bootleg Brewing in Corner Brook is displaying their Newfoundland sense of humor again this week with a new beer they’ve dubbed Tits Up. Also displaying their disregard for classic beer styles, they’re calling this one an Imperial Session IPA, which, as oxymoronic as it sounds, makes some sense in context. Extremely light in the body, and without the big bitterness you might expect from an IIPA, it prominently features big tropical fruit aromas. Meanwhile, it also prominently features a leg-wobbling 7.8% ABV. So while it drinks like a session ale, it packs the punch of an imperial. It’s been available on tap since last Friday. Be careful, though, the warning label on this one says, “if you start a day boil with this one you probably will end up Tits Up in da rhubarb.”

You may recall that in fall of 2017 Sober Island Brewing on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia hosted a homebrew contest that focused on locally-foraged ingredients. The winning beer in that competition was called Raspberry Beer, Eh! and it was entered by Andrew Deveaux. Like many homebrew comps, one of the prizes for the winner is the brewing of a commercial batch of the winning beer. Well they finally did that, and the result is available! A Raspberry Wheat Ale using 95% Horton Ridge Malt and local raspberries will be on tap this weekend for crowlers at the Alderney Market and Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers Market. Congratulations again to Andrew on his winning beer!

At Fredericton’s TrailWay Brewing, the hops, they’re still a-flowin’, with two hoppy brew releases today. The first is a brand new beer, Almost Nuclear, an American IPA hopped with Mosaic T-45 pellets. Differing from their more commonly seen, less-concentrated T-90 pellets, the T-45s are supposed to give even more hop aroma and flavour. Looks like TrailWay is standing by that, describing the beer as “super fruity and tropical, with a big berry-like aroma”. Weighing in at 6.5% ABV, look for cans and pours of this one at the brewery at opening. The second beer is the latest re-release of Emerald, a 5% ABV New Zealand Pilsner. Fermented with a Czech Lager yeast strain, hopped with Southern Cross and Eureka, it also has an addition of fresh lime zest and lime juice, adding even more lime character to that from the hops. Cans and pints/growlers of this one at the brewery as well, starting today, with cans seeing distribution to ANBL stores next week, as well.

We thought maybe 2 Crows was taking it easy with new beers this week… ha, how foolish we were to let our guards down! Sometimes we suspect maybe they’re just doing this to make us work harder. ANYhoo, of course they have two new beers, so let’s get to it. First up is Dare to Dream, a dark Saison brewed with Vienna malt, Wheat, and a combination of crystal and roasted malts. Dark Belgian Candi sugar was added in the boil, as well as some Sterling and Bramling Cross hops (to 21 IBUs). A combination of spices – including coriander, orange peel, cardamom, lime leaf and black lime – were also added at the very end of the boil; the wort was then fermented at warm temperatures with 2C’s house Saison yeast. The end result is a beer with “dark fruit, prune, and plum notes, a smooth and full body, with moderate roast and a very subtle spice profile”, to go with the classic Saison fruit esters. It comes in at 5.4% ABV and will be available on tap and in cans at the brewery tomorrow, and at bars/restaurants in the HRM.

The other beer from 2C was brewed in collaboration with Kanata, ON’s Small Pony Barrel Works (did you get to have some of their beers at Stillwell in late May? Magnifique!). Thunderdome was brewed with Pilsner, Spelt, Oats, and Aromatic malt, and hopped in the boil with a small amount of aged East Kent Goldings. The wort was soured in stainless with Lactobacillus plantarum, and then transferred to one of 2C’s foedres (over fresh lime leaves on the way, to boot!). At this point, 2C added some of their funky house cultures, along with some house blends from Small Pony (now that’s collaboration!). After fermentation and conditioning in foedre for several months, the beer had an addition of lime leaves, before carbonation and packaging. The beer is tasting “assertively tart, bright, with a fun herbal/lime character and a touch of funk”. There will be cans of this one at 2C tomorrow as well, but the supply is limited to 25 cases, so best get in early and grab stock up on both beers!

Propeller has brought back their Pumpkin Ale (5% ABV) for the season, with this year’s release showing up in cans (473 mL), as well as in bottles (341 mL). With a slightly-tweaked recipe (the same spice blend was used, as well as pumpkin sourced from Howard Dill) to darken the brew slightly, you can still expect a pumpkin-y, spicy beer. Not stopping there, they’re also re-releasing Alpha Dog, a wet-hopped Pale Ale brewed in collaboration with Sea Level. Featuring locally-grown (from Fundy Hops) Galena, Willamette, and Cascade, this one will be draft only, so stop by one of the two Prop shops, or Sea Level if that’s closer to you, to grab a pint and/or growler.

As usual, there’s plenty of beer-related goings-on this weekend and beyond that we think you might be interested in:

If you’re in Halifax tomorrow afternoon and feel like letting your lederhosen down, consider heading down to the Stillwell Biergarten for their first (annual, hopefully) Oktoberfest event. With the turning of the season it may be one of your last chances to get a good outdoor downtown drink on in 2018. The cover charge is $7 paid in advance (available at Stillwell HQ on Barrington or at the Beergarden, weather permitting) or $10 at the door. They’ll have an Oompah band, proper steins to get sloppy with, and a German-inspired menu of snacks from Joe Martini for you to be München on (sorry, not sorry!). The tap list is all Euro-centric beers, with plenty of local entries, both brand new and well-established. Put your peepers on the menü below and plan your attack in advance:

  1. Tatamagouche – Dry-Hopped Lagerhosen (European-style Lager – 4.5% ABV – Tatamagouche, NS)
  2. Spindrift – Killick (Munich Helles – 4.7% ABV – Dartmouth, NS)
  3. Stillwell Brewing – Stilly Pils (Unfiltered Dry Hopped Pilsner – 5% ABV – Halifax, NS)
  4. Dieu Du Ciel! – Sentinelle (Kölsch – 5.2% ABV – Montréal, Quebec)
  5. Propeller – Pilsner (Unfiltered Pilsner – 4.8% ABV – Halifax, NS)
  6. Ritterguts – Urgose Märzen (Märzen-Gose w/ Hallertauer Perle, Taurus, Smoked sea salt, Swiss Stone Pine cones, and Ceylon Cinnamon – 6% ABV – Chemnitz, Germany)
  7. Boxing Rock – Märzen (Festbier – 5.4% ABV – Shelburne, NS)
  8. Big Spruce – A Märzen Grace (see above) (Festbier – 6% ABV – Nyanza, NS)
  9. Uncle Leo’s – Altbier (Altbier – 5.2% ABV – Lyon’s Brook, Nova Scotia)
  10. Revel Cider – Lime Apfelgose (Blended spontaneously fermented cider w/ Sea Salt, Coriander, & Lime – 6.5% ABV – Guelph, Ontario)

If you’re near Moncton and haven’t yet purchased tickets for the fourth annual Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Fest, you may want to strongly consider grabbing some of the few that are remaining! Happening tomorrow, attendees lucky enough to buy their tickets early had the option of VIP or VVIP, which gets you in earlier, and an industry panel discussion and guided beer tasting, in the case of VVIP. But as mentioned, there are still regular tickets available, with doors opening at 7:30 pm. You’ll have 2.5 hours to sample beer, cider, and mead from over 40 local breweries, with food available for purchase as well. As in the past, proceeds will go to the United Way.

A reminder that the Guided Tasting with Stephen Beaumont is happening this Sunday, September 30th at Stillwell, and there are still a few tickets available for the first session, from 12-2 pm. Tickets are $46 (you can purchase through the event link) and include samples of some rare, world-class beers, all discussed with one of the foremost beer authors around. Beaumont will also have copies of his latest book for sale, which he will happily sign at the event.  

The annual Garrison Oktoberfest is coming up on Saturday, October 6th. The all-day event starts at 11 am at 1149 Marginal Rd with plenty of food from Asado Wood Fired Grill, live Oompah music (starting at 2 pm) and, of course, beer! There will also be a free show later in the day featuring Dave Sampson. Feel free to bring the kids (and dogs!), and drop by to take part in the fun.

We hinted at it last week and this week it was confirmed. Fredericton’s Niche Brewing will be featured in a tap takeover at Stillwell on October 13th! Brewers Shawn Meek (hey, we know that guy!) and Rob Coombs will be on hand and feeling reaaaally social and ready to answer all your questions about their beers, their brewery, and their general philosophies of life. Look for the taplist to be posted as the date approaches along with news on the special menu items that will be coming out of the kitchen that afternoon. They’ve promised some favorites from their first 9 months of operation, some newer releases, and some one-offs brewed specifically for the event. We (well, the Aaron and Chris part of “we”) are pretty excited to finally be able to try some of the beers we’ve only been able to write about since Niche started producing beer. We expect we’re not alone amongst fans of great beer in the HRM in our excitement. Meanwhile, the spoiled folks of New Brunswick will continue to be spoiled by the return of Niche’s Single Origin this week. A coffee-infused milk stout, it’s got the usual lactose addition to provide sweetness, creaminess and mouthfeel to balance the bitterness and dark flavors of the coffee. Look for it to appear on tap over the next week or so at the King Street Alehouse, The Joyce, Graystone, and Isaac’s Way in Fredericton, and Pepper’s Pub in Saint John.

And, finally, a few more quick mentions before you get back to your Friday:

– Breton Brewing has their non-Pumpkin (!) seasonal back for fall, Celtic Colours Maple Lager (5.5% ABV); brewed with Acadian maple syrup, it’s available now in the Breton taproom for pints and growlers.

– There’s a new draught-only beer from Garrison this week, Pineapple Express. A Witbier with the addition of pineapple, you can find it at the brewery for pints and growlers, and it should be available on tap around Halifax in the near future.

– Looks like Dooflicker (5.3% ABV), a “Coconut Brown Sour” is pouring again at Roof Hound; drop by soon for pints, growlers, and 500 mL bottles, as supplies won’t last long.

– For those with supplies running low on their supply of lovely mixed-ferm concoctions from Stillwell Brewing, we’re afraid you’re going to have to ration what you’ve got for another week. Due to the Oktoberfest celebration mentioned above, there will be NO bottle sales this weekend on Gottingen Street. To make it up to us, though, they’ve promised a brand new release for next weekend. We’re sure we’ll have the details here next Friday.

– Our friends at Tidehouse have re-brewed their Big Bruiser, a 10% ABV DIPA hopped with cryo versions of Ekuanot and Simcoe. It’s available right now for pours at their taproom, as well as in bottles.

Friday Wrap-Up for November 17, 2017 – News from 2 Crows, Backstage, YellowBelly, Stillwell and more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2017-11-17
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Backstage Brewing, Bad Apple Brewhouse, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Boxing Rock Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, FirkinStein Brewing, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, North Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tidehouse Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Trider's Craft Beer, Unfiltered Brewing, WestSide Beer Wine Spirits, YellowBelly Brewery. Leave a Comment

 

It’s another big weekend for beer in our region, with a beer release that’s very pertinent to our interests here at the ACBB, a sudden (and welcome!) rush of canned products we totally didn’t see coming, and some killer events going on in the downtown core of Halifax. So we’ll skip the traditional commentary on the weather this week and get right into it…

• There’s a cool new beer being released tomorrow from 2 Crows, a collaboration brewed with some pretty awesome guys… us! Named Amateur Hour (well, I guess that put us back in our place), the beer features a light-coloured primarily Pilsner grist with healthy amounts of Wheat malt, Malted Oats and Spelt, and heavy whirlpool-hopped with Azacca, Citra, and Huell Melon. Thanks to two dry-hop additions of those same varieties (during active fermentation, and again during conditioning), you can expect notes of orchard fruit and melon, further accentuated by a light funk resulting from fermentation with the Yeast Bay’s glorious Brett Amalgamation, a combination of six Brettanomyces strains. Coming in at just 4.9% ABV and 29 IBUs, we’re thinking of this as a Brett Session IPA, or even a Brett Session Ale. Available on tap and in cans (check out that label by Midnight Oil Print & Design House!) at the brewery tomorrow, expect to see it around Halifax at the private stores shortly after. And a big thanks to Jeremy, Miles and the rest of the gang at 2 Crows for inviting us to participate in brewing a beer!

• Stellarton’s Backstage Brewing is sporting a rockin’ new logo this week and they’ve also got a new beer available today, one that goes to eleven. Nunmoar is a Black IPA, big and bitter, that’s been heavily hopped with Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe. Tipping the scales at 6.5% ABV and a hefty 75 IBU, expect it to marry a distinct roastiness to a prominent hop presence. How much more black could it be? NUNMOAR BLACK. Meanwhile, AJ and the gang have settled on opening hours for the brewery – for the foreseeable you’ll be able to visit for growler fills and merchandise Wednesdays from 2-6 PM, Thursdays 12-6 PM, Fridays 12-8 PM and on Saturdays from 11-5 PM. Even better, they’re now able to accept debit and credit transactions and the dreaded “cash only” sign has been taken down. Expect those hours to shift and hopefully expand a little once they’ve got all the permits in place for their taproom. And, speaking of growler fills, also available right now are the 5.1% ABV Pale Ale known as Daydreamer and two, count ‘em two, versions of the Headliner IPA. The first batch, where efficiency was better than expected, clocks in at 7.3% ABV and the second, matching the original specs for the beer, is 5.9% ABV. Maybe sample them both and let AJ know which version should top the marquee.

• After launching their new Takeaway shop last week, YellowBelly also released a pair of brand new bevvies. We already told you about their Blueberry Hill Milkshake IPA last week, and now we can share more details on their latest cider on tap. Bakeapple Cider is a 7.0% ABV blend, featuring a base of apple cider with the elusive bakeapple (aka cloudberry, aka if you want some, you’d better know someone!) added for a lovely crisp and tart fruit blend. Back-sweetened ever-so-slightly with some of the original cider to reduce a bit of the dryness, the cider is on tap now, and should see limited release in bottles too. And speaking of their Takeaway location a few doors down Water St from their home base, in addition to bottles and 1.89 L growler fills (new for YB), you can stay a while to enjoy samples and pints, as well as pizza from their kitchen.

• North Brewing is releasing the Fall 2017 edition of their Canadian Brewing Awards Gold Medal-winning Midnight today. They took a batch of their Strong Dark Belgian and let it sit in barrels from Glenora Distillery straight from the source (i.e., still wet and with plenty of single malt whiskey flavour and aroma to go around) for the past several months, before packaging recently. Look for a melding of Belgian Abbey flavours (fruity esters with a light toasted bread character) with the barrel and whiskey character (vanilla, caramel, wood), resulting in a 10.5% ABV fireside sipper. Midnight marks the first in a series of several special Barrel-Aged bottles releases coming from North, which will featuring some beers in the coming weeks with funkier beginnings and unique aspects.

• Up in Amherst, NS, Trider’s Craft Beer has released their newest offering, Chaga-Lug Brown Ale. Focusing on local ingredients, this earthy and crisp beer in the Northern English Brown Ale style boasts additions of honey, Chaga and hops that were all sourced locally. Fifteen pounds of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) were harvested by Shawee, a real life lumberjack; this provided the beer with its distinctive deep brown color. Wildflower honey (over 100lbs) from nearby Nappan, NS, was added during the whirlpool for a slight tartness. And the hops came from Jeff Smith, a member of the Brewnosers homebrew club from the area, who provided roughly four pounds of backyard-grown Cascade, Galena, CTZ and Centennial to this 5.1% ABV brew. Bitterness was kept low to allow the character of the other special ingredients to shine through. It’s available for growler fills now with 500 mL bottles in the works.

• A few weeks ago, TrailWay hinted that they would soon be releasing their first Milkshake IPA, and the day is today, with the launch of Velvet Fog. Brewed with plenty of oats in the mash, to enhance the haziness of the beer (although, really, when have they ever had a problem with that?), as well as the mouthfeel, the addition of a “healthy dose” of lactose powder boosts the body even more, and adds just a touch of residual sweetness. Hopped entirely with El Dorado, the brewery also threw in some peach and apricot purees, as well as some vanilla, to bring everything together with aromas and flavours of “tropical fruit, peaches, bubble gum, and vanilla”. Cans, pours and pints at the brewery starting at noon, and this one will also be pouring at their Tap Takeover at Stillwell today.

• Firkinstein has a new beer, one that features the addition of fresh ginger. Added to a Pale Ale base for a unique twist, Root Pale Ale has just a subtle hint of ginger, with a light malt backbone and a minimal hop presence. At 6% ABV, you can find it now wherever Firkinstein beers are sold. The brewery is also now applying for a beverage room licence, so expect to see them able to sell pints of their own beer (as well as guest taps for other breweries) in the not-too-distant future.

• In our weekly “heads up for the Tuesday’s Beta Brew” Good Robot blurb, we’ve got an Irish Extra Stout dropping on the 21st. Extra Sass is a 5.8% ABV brew featuring 2-Row and Vienna with Caramel 30 for sweetness and Caramel 120, Roasted Barley and Black Prinz for colouring. The balancing bitterness, to the tune of 53 IBU, is thanks to East Kent Goldings and Summit hops. Notes of coffee and dark chocolate are punctuated by a light addition of Sarsparilla root. As always, the Beta Brews are only available at the taproom for enjoyment onsite, so drop for a taste. And if you’ve got a killer idea for a beer, be sure to let them know, they’d love to have you in the brewery! No brewing experience required.

• And in other Good Robot news, after several weeks of conditioning, their first canned offering is hitting the shelves today. We’ve mentioned Craft Coast Canning, a mobile canning business based in Fredericton previously, and it’s this new business that has made this new format possible. Extra BIG-ASS Beer is the first GR beer to get the treatment, their 5.2% ABV amber Marzen/Oktoberfest style beer (and recent ACBA medal winner). Featuring Vienna, Coffee, Flaked oats and a touch of memoirs malt on a 2-Row base, the hopping is from traditional German Perle and Willamette varietals. This won’t be the last canned offering from Robie and the Robots, as they’ve hinted that more of their lower-ABV/approachable/crushable beers will soon be available this way, including their Goseface Killah Gose and Leave Me Blue Kentucky Common. Cans are available at noon at the brewery (single and four-packs), and at private stores around HRM.

• It’s also a big weekend for Bad Apple Brewhouse, as they too release their first canned products. And why not shoot for the stars, as their first two beers to get the silver bullet treatment are the Mosaic, their award-winning, and charity-benefiting, Double IPA, and their also award-winning Black & Tackle Russian Imperial Stout. Showcasing its namesake Mosaic hops, the Mosaic is an 8% bitter and aromatic brew that has been an off-and-on favourite for years, whenever owner Jeff Saunders can get his hands on those hops. All sales from Mosaic go towards Down Syndrome Nova Scotia, who make possible the Maritime Down Syndrome Family Camp at Brigadoon Village. These organizations are close to Saunders’ heart, as his son Hunter lives with Mosaic Down Syndrome. On the deep and dark side, Bad Apple’s Black & Tackle, which has won awards as both a “regular” Russian Imperial Stout and in a barrel-aged variation, is also now much more portable, so you can it lots of places and enjoy its big roast presence and 9+% ABV as winter approaches. Cans of these beers are available this weekend at the brewery in Berwick Somerset, and are also headed for the private stores in the HRM. Follow along on their social media for the exact availability details. We’ve also seen hints on Bad Apple’s social media accounts that canning these two beers is just a start and other tasty things are on the way in that format in the coming weeks.

• And lastly, but perhaps most uncanny of all (not even sorry), Halifax’s Unfiltered Brewing made a splash on social media yesterday when it was revealed that they’ve gone ahead and put four of their beers into cans now available at the brewery and very soon (as in very possibly this afternoon) at Bishop’s Cellar. The flagship IPA Exile on North Street and DIPA 12 Years to Zion are joined by fall/winter seasonal Flat Black Jesus West Coast Stout and everybody’s favorite Citra bomb Double Orange Apocalypse Ale in a hoppy quadfecta. Interest was immediate from folks far and wide as the prospect of shippable Unfiltered became a sudden and unexpected reality. We suspect few will breach the borders of the province or even HRM, at least at first, as having these beers unbound from growlers will be a novelty that takes some time to wear off.

• Last week we told you about the Garrison and Boxing Rock collaboration Courage brewed in honor of Gord Downie. The response to that bear was pretty impressive, with both brewery locations and the private stores all selling out within 24 hours or so! To date, just shy of $11,000 has been raised for two charitable causes: Brain Tumour Research and Indigenous People’s Reconciliation. And hopefully that number is only going to grow, as the beer will be available in 11 NSLC stores by next week (want to know which ones? Go here and click “Check Store Availability”). It will also be hitting PEI LLC this week, and ANBL and NLL stores soon after that. And in other Garrison beer news, their Dirty Ol’ Town Black IPA has been canned and will be available at the NSLC and private stores shortly and their fall/winter seasonal Winter Warmer will be at the NSLC in bottles very soon as well.

• Tidehouse Brewing in Halifax has a new beer of their own on the go this week, called Northumbeerland. Brewed partially as a trial for a new local malt, this beer is in the saison style, and the grist is a single pale base malt. In the kettle, Warrior hops were used for bittering while Saaz were added at the end of the boil and later, post-fermentation, for a dry-hop. The saison yeast strain used was selected for its ability to dry the beer out, and it has, while also yielding subtle hints of hay and berries along with a slight tartness. This is a very sessionable beer at 4.1% ABV and you’ll find it for growler fills at tiny tasters at the brewery’s operation on Salter Street.

A few events to tell you about this weekend and beyond, with a clear concentration of activity in downtown Halifax:

• A little bar named Stillwell opened on Barrington Street in November, 2013, and has been helping to grow the enthusiasm (and number) of breweries and drinkers alike in Halifax. They’re celebrating their Fourth Anniversary with a weekend full of events. Today from noon, the beers (and people) from Fredericton’s TrailWay Brewing will be taking over, with a full dozen beers available on tap. Old favourites and new releases (including the Velvet Fog Milkshake IPA mentioned above) will be pouring; there will be free glassware for the first 100 to show up, and the full taplist can be found here. Saturday will see the annual Stillwell Birthday event, featuring an absolutely ridiculous tap, bottle and cask selection that celebrates the best of local offerings, highlights from other parts of Canada and the U.S. and very special treats from Europe. The full list can be found here (try not to drool) and it also includes the first public pourings of Stillwell Four, the first bottle release from Stillwell Brewing Co. which, as a matter of fact, will also be available the very next day for sale at the brewery’s warehouse around back at 2015 Gottingen Street. We’ve been advised that the Four is in somewhat short supply, so there will be a signup sheet at the bar during Saturday’s festivities so you can ensure you don’t miss out. We’ll should also warn you, especially those from out of town, if you’re planning to hit the birthday celebration on Saturday, that the 22nd Annual Parade of Lights is going on downtown that evening. It has been called a “traffic apocalypse” and “the worst traffic of the year”; things start getting nutty at about 4:30 PM and really don’t start to clear up until close to 9 PM or later. So maybe plan to take a bus or cab downtown, get good and settled in, and really explore what’s on offer.

• We mentioned that Montague, PEI’s newest-and-first brewery, Copper Bottom Brewing, would be holding their official grand opening soon, and looks like “soon” is even sooner than we thought! The Grand Opening is happening tomorrow from noon-close, there’ll be live music going on all day, a TBA food truck will be onsite, and lots of other fun stuff throughout the day, including kick-the-keg prizes, brewery tours, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 pm. And if you’d like to get out to the party without having to commit to driving, the brewery has teamed up with a local company to bring you the Copper Bottom Brew Bus, which leaves from the Peakes Wharf in Charlottetown at 5:15 pm, and departs Copper Bottom at 10 pm; contact Sonya or Loralei at 902-213-5177 if you’d like a ticket, which is just $15 round-trip.

• Yes, it’s months away, but we really need to let you know that tickets for the 6th Annual Fredericton Craft Beer Festival officially go on sale next Friday, November 24th, at 11 am. This event, which is being held on Saturday, March 10th, 2018, continues to grow in breweries represented, beers poured, and overall excellence every year, so we can’t even imagine how awesome it’s going to be next March! And did we mention that Maine’s Orono Brewing will be pouring? Have this ticket link all ready to go next Friday at 11 sharp, especially if you want to get your hands on VIP tickets (which sold out in something like 2 minutes last year… no, we’re not joking). We’ll have lots more information on the event as the date approaches!

And a couple of last mentions before we let you get started on your weekend:

– A reminder that the launch party for 100 from Big Spruce, their beer made with 100% Nova Scotia-produced ingredients, is taking place at Horton Ridge Malt House tomorrow at 2 PM. Big Spruce beers will also will be taking over the guest growler taps during this kitchen party-styled event. The 100 is now available now in cans at Westside in Halifax, where a Big Spruce 5-tap mini-takeover of their growler station (including fills of the 100) started last night and is likely to continue into the weekend.
– Halifax brewpub Rockbottom has a new beer on the menu this week, an American Pale Ale dubbed Mostly Maris for the use of the venerable British malt called Maris Otter. It lends a biscuity note and a sweetness that should pair nicely with the very American hop schedule that includes Cascade, and Columbus. This beer is balanced to the hoppy side of the spectrum and comes in at 5.5% ABV and 55 IBU.

Friday Wrap-Up – New beers from Lunn’s Mill, Heritage, Loyalist City, TrailWay, Grimross and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2017-07-07
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 902 BrewCast, Authentic Seacoast Brewing, Battery Park, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, CCNB, Celtic Knot Brewing, Chain Yard Cider, Finest Kind Food, FirkinStein Brewing, Fredericton Beer Run, Fredericton Ladies Beer Connection, Gahan House Port City, Good Robot Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Heritage Brewing, Horton Ridge Malt & Grain, Ironworks Distillery, Java Blend Coffee Roasters, Johnny Jacks Brewery, Liquid Riot, Low Point Coffee Co, Loyalist City Brewing Co, Lunn's Mill Beer Company, Mill Street Brewpub, Moncton Craft Brewers Collective, North Brewing, Picaroons, Propeller Brewing, Saltbox Brewing, Savoie's Brewhouse, Stillwell Beer Bar, Tide & Boar Gastropub, TrailWay Brewing, Trou du Diable, Upstreet Craft Brewing, WestSide Beer Wine Spirits, Whycocomagh Craft Beer Festival. Leave a Comment

Hey, it’s Friday again! Just when we were getting back into the groove after a three-day break, they decided to send another weekend our way, how about that! We’ve got brand new beers, and plenty of events to tell you about across our region, so grab your sandwich in one hand, your beer in the other, and scroll along with us today…

• Down in Lawrencetown in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, the gang at Lunn’s Mill decided to do something special for their 50th batch. Reaching into their trove of favourite recipes, they came up with a double dry-hopped SMaSH beer featuring current darling of North American brewing Mosaic hops. Called Canada Day SMaSH for the simple fact that it was released just in time for the big day last weekend, it leverages a new school technique for dry hopping, namely the addition of the first charge before the completion of primary fermentation, which helps to provide a “juicy” character. The result is a showcase of the hop, with tropical fruit followed by citrus and then a dank finish. There wasn’t a huge batch of it to begin with and it’s going fast, so if you want to get your hands on it you’ll have to get down there for a sample or a growler fill. That said, we’ve been advised that it might very well make another appearance in the future. Meanwhile, in other Lunn’s Mill news, they’re getting the paperwork together to allow for pouring full pints in their hospitality room, which should hopefully happen in the next few weeks. And their 5 BBL Brew-in-a-Conical is ramping up to full production, with a couple of batches already done, including Charming Molly. More beer brewed should mean more availability in other parts of the province.

• Southwestern Nova Scotia’s newest brewery, Heritage Brewing Co in Yarmouth also released a single hop beer for Canada Day, their Citra Session IPA. Cited as one of their own favourites in our profile back in mid-June, it’s now available. Featuring the extremely citrusy Citra hop variety, this beer has just enough base and specialty malt to bring it up to 5% ABV and balance the flavour brought by hops. At 42 IBU it should have a firm, but not distracting bitterness, and dry-hopping should ensure that it’s got a healthy aroma. Grapefruit, melon, gooseberry, passionfruit and lychee are all represented in this easy-drinking summer quaffer. It’s definitely available at the brewery for growler fills and 4oz tasters; hopefully it will appear at tap accounts as well.

• Hopping across the Bay of Fundy finds us in Saint John, NB, where Loyalist City Brewing has released Pink Dwarf, the first of their “Summer Sour” series of beers. Brewed in the Berliner Weisse style with a German Wheat and Pilsner malt grist, it was soured with their own blend of four Lactobacillus strains. Pink Dwarf gets its name from the Dwarf Cherries used in the beer, giving it a lovely pink hue. The tartness of the cherries only serve to enhance the acidity of the Lacto, and provide the unfiltered beer with a sour cherry flavour and aroma. It is currently available at a couple of LCBC’s accounts in Saint John, and on tap at the ANBL growler* stations in Saint John/KV and Fredericton this weekend, along with their Wurttemberg Weissbier. *The growler document is slow to update this week, double-check the date in case it’s not been updated when you read this…

• Also in Saint John, Big Tide Brewing has a very special ale on tap for the second time. Originally designed with Gilliane Nadeau of Uncorked Tours and her husband-to-be for their engagement party, a new batch has been brewed to celebrate the actual nuptials this weekend. ALEtar MatrimoniALE was brewed in the Altbier style, with traditional Pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts, top-fermenting ale yeast, and hopped lightly with Hallertau Magnum and Saazer hops before being aged for 5 weeks. Light copper in colour, it comes in at 5.2% ABV and a light 20 IBU, smooth as the style goes and easy-drinking enough to be sessionable. Also on the board as of Canada Day is another summery fruit beer that they’re calling Long Reach Strawberry Rhubarb Blonde. Starting with a blonde ale recipe using 2-row and pale malts along with Libery hops to the tune of 20 IBU, they added over 60 lbs. of local rhubarb and strawberries. The result is a 5.4% ABV refreshing beer that walks a fine line between tart and sweet. As long as they last, you’ll find both of these beers available for pints in the taproom and growler fills to go.

• Heading up Highway 7 will get you to Fredericton, where TrailWay Brewing calls home. They have released a pair of new beers in the past seven days, so let’s get you up to speed: Last Friday saw the release of Adore Double IPA, a hazy, juicy, aromatic beer featuring plenty of late- and dry-hopping from Amarillo, Citra, El Dorado, and Ella. Smooth and supremely drinkable, despite its 8.0% ABV. Joining Adore is the latest in Trailway’s “Seeing” series, this time featuring Ekuanot (formerly known as Equinox). Seeing Ekuanot is a 6.0% IPA, and for the first time, TW used lupulin powder for half of the dry-hop. On hop cones, the resiny yellow powder are lupulin glands, containing the essential oils and Alpha and Beta acids that are the primary ingredients for which hops are so highly prized. Extraction of the lupulin powder brings out these positives, but without any of the plant material to get in the way. We couldn’t say it any better than TrailWay, “The result is massive flavour and aroma without the vegetative and astringency that can be introduced when dryhopping at these rates with pellets or whole cone.” Both of these beers are available now at their North Side taproom on tap for samples, pints, and growlers, and in cans (but in more limited fashion).

• Still in Fredericton, Grimross Brewing has hopped (see what we did there) on the Summer Dad Beer trend with their new Braunschweig German Pils. Crystal clear and brilliant yellow, it weighs in at a lovely and light 4.5% ABV and features the complex flavour you’d expect from the style. Kegged yesterday, it is already available in the Grimross Taproom and should be making an appearance at the Picaroons Brewtique. And don’t worry if you don’t think you can pronounce Braunschweig, it’s just the German form of Brunswick!

• Heading back down to Saint John and environs, there are two breweries looking to complete their teams for their imminent opening/expansion. Hammond River Brewery is hiring folks for their taproom in Rothesay at 141 Old Hampton Road (adjacent to the Barrel’s Head), which is slated to open next week (all signs point to July 10th later in the week). Contact them via social media for more details.

• The second brewery is Gahan House Port City, which will soon be calling 87 Prince William St home. They are hiring Assistant General Managers, a Head Chef and Sous Chefs. Check out their Careers page and email for more information, and you can expect their location to open this fall.

• The three-bearded beer-banging beast known as 902 BrewCast dropped episode #17 last week, this time with Chad Steeves of Moncton’s Tide & Boar Gastropub talking about craft beer, food, and operating their own brewery. Meanwhile, the boys hit the road this week to the South Shore to visit and record episodes with Bridgewater’s Firkinstein and Shelburne’s Boxing Rock. So if you haven’t already, grab the T&B episode and give it a listen while you anticipate what’s coming down the pike this coming Nine-Oh-Tuesday.

• And speaking of Boxing Rock, word came out this week that the latest beers in their Barrel Aged series have arrived: Barrel Aged Battery Rock and Barrel Aged U-889 made their debut this week after both spent some six months in barrels formerly used at Ironworks Distillery for their gold medal-winning Bluenose Rum. If you’ll recall, Battery Rock was an India Brown Ale specially brewed in collaboration with North Brewing for Boxing Rock’s takeover of Battery Park back in November. What was already a big beer at 9% ABV is now a certified heavy-hitter at 11%. And if you’re worried you’ll miss the hops half a year later, fear not, as a new round of dry-hopping with Citra and Huell Melon took place between the barrel and the bottle. That said don’t expect the hops to express themselves as they would in a young beer. As for the U-889, it also saw a jump from 9% ABV (well, 8.89%, allegedly) to the 11% range after its time in the barrel. A bigger-bodied beer to begin with, expect the vanilla and coffee to have mellowed somewhat and melded with the wood and spirit character. And if you missed the first of BR’s Barrel series, the Barrel Aged Triskaidekaphobia Brown Ale last April, it turns out there are a few of those left as well, now with a year of bottle aging to boot. If you’re interested in any of these beers, the only place we’re sure you can get them is at the brewery, but if we hear tell of them appearing at the private stores in Halifax or one or more of the province’s farmers markets we’ll be sure to let you know!

• Further up the South Shore, Mahone Bay’s Saltbox Brewing Company has a couple of beers in the works. The first is the return of their Loyalist ESB, a 5.9% ABV and 38 IBU beer that inhabits the upper end of the scale for English Bitters. It’s hopped with the classic English Fuggle hops and Nottingham yeast for a very traditional experience. They’re hoping to keg it tomorrow, so you should find it available in the coming week at the brewery for fills and pints, and later at tap accounts. Meanwhile they’re also putting the finishing touches on their Rhubarb Berliner Weiss, a 4.8% ABV beer that was soured with some 10 – 15 pounds of rhubarb along with Lactobacillus in the fermenter. They’re hoping to have that one available early next week, also by the pint in the taproom and growler fills to go, but this one is also expected to see some distribution for growler stations in the private stores in Halifax. And if you’re looking for something delicious to go with that beer, Saltbox will also be welcoming Backoos Korean Togo for a pop-up tomorrow and Sunday.

• Things are swinging at Horton Ridge Malt and Grain Co. with the advent of their new on-site brewery and tap room. This week they had a new beer of their own pouring, the Island Wheat. Lightly hopped with Mosaic and Azacca for hints of tropical fruit and citrus, the wheat should make it a refreshing sipper for summer weather. And a reminder to check in regularly on Horton’s social media accounts for their tap list. Their own beers are small batch and can rotate fairly frequently as can their guest taps, which have seen some killer brews already in the short time they’ve been open!

• The Good Robot gang on Robie Street in Halifax is keeping up with their Friday Cask in the Sun pledge this week with another variant on their Goseface Killah, this week again featuring arctic kiwis but replacing last week’s watermelon with pineapple. Should make for a super-refreshing and tropical afternoon and evening of sipping on the Gastroturf. And we’d love to tell you about the beer for this coming Tuesday’s Beta Brewsday, but it turns out we already did last week, so go read it there. Due to a last minute change of plan, the Re:Drella brewed by Kelly Costello with Dan Hendricken was bumped to coincide with Dan’s involvement in GR’s next Just Vorlaufs! event also slated for this coming Tuesday. Meanwhile, last week’s beer ended up being the Calypso White IPA brewed by Kelly with new Robot Giovanni Johnson. It was 4.6% ABV, with Cascade, Centennial and Nelson Sauvin hops and a misleading 91 IBUs because it was “definitely still crushable”. So crushable, in fact, that it was gone by 8:30pm.

• For those interested in learning a little more about what it’s like on the business side of taking the plunge and opening a brewery, look no further than the Startup Canada Podcast with Rivers Corbett. Their latest episode, #93, is a chat with Mitch Cobb, co-founder and CEO of Upstreet Brewing in Charlottetown, PEI. Upstreet represents Mitch’s third foray into start-up businesses, so he’s got lots of experiences to share along with, we expect, some hints as to what’s coming down the pipe for Upstreet. Check Mitch’s episode out on iTunes and Soundcloud, preferably with an Upstreet brew in hand.

• We have more detail to add to the previous call for analytical beer testing by the CCNB: ‘‘Free chemical and microbiological testing! The CCNB-BTSC is collecting finished craft beer samples for a study on beer biochemical quality and local ingredients. This is for licensed craft breweries only. The testing includes: %ABV, SRM, IBU, sugars, organic acids, pH, anaerobic/aerobic Lactobacillus strains, etc. Selection will be done on a first-come, first-served basis, so contact them as quickly as possible, as they are collecting a limited amount of samples. If you are interested in participating in the study and getting some free beer analysis and data interpretations that could help optimize your product and/or your brewing process, please contact Jared Christensen (jared.christensen@ccnb.ca 506-475-4029) to get filled in on the specifics of the project.’’ We are also able to share this one-page primer on the project.

Another busy beery weekend is upon us. Shine up your drinking shoes, it’ll be a large few days! As usual, check out our Calendar for everything on the go in AtlCanBeer events, and be sure to let us know if we’ve missed anything!

• Halifax’s Stillwell Beer Bar is welcoming back Portland’s Liquid Riot Bottling Co this weekend, after their eye-opening visit last summer. With a full range of beers from light wheat beers to hazy IPAs and big stouts, they are taking over the taps at the Barrington Mothership today from 6pm, and tomorrow at the Spring Garden Beer Garden from noon. The LRBC crew will be on hand to chat about their brewery, and have special insight into the Maine brewing scene, through their must-visit sister bar Novare Res. Keep an eye out for the other events Stillwell’ll be hosting over the next couple of months, including a tap takeover by Vankleek Hill, Ontario’s, Beau’s All Natural on August 10th; Le Trou du Diable from Shawinagan and an two-day epic Belgianfest, dates of those are still TBD. Rest assured we’ll be keeping you informed of all of the details as soon as we know!

• Shelburne’s Boxing Rock is celebrating their Fourth Birthday Party all day tomorrow. Open from 11AM, they’ll be featuring brewery tours (2 for 1 discount), live music, washer toss and beer pong all day, plus hosting Axe Throwing from 1:00-3:00 ($15), Finest Kind Food will have a BBQ and corn boil from 1:30-3:30, and at 3:00, there will be cake and the name of their new beer celebrating Shelburne’s Tall Ship Event be will announced (you’ll have to wait until the event mid-August for the beer itself!). More details are available here, be sure to drop by 78 Ohio Road in Shelburne for a great day food, beer, and fun.

• Also happening all day tomorrow, July 8th, is Propeller’s Gottingen Street Block Party in celebration of their Twentieth Anniversary! It’s gotten even more epic and fun and outrageous since we first mentioned it last month, with several more artists signed on, and an expansion of the venues. The fun kicks off at 1:00PM at The Local, just down the block from Propeller, and then at 5:00PM in the parking lot of Seven Bays Bouldering adjacent to Propeller. Both of those shows will run into the afternoon and early evening, with the main event starting at 10:00 PM at the Marquee, where Skratch Bastid & Friends take the stage to keep the street bumping until late. The afternoon events are free and family-friendly, with the tickets for the evening show just $20. All proceeds are going to the  North End Community Health Centre, and donations will be collected at the events (and you can donate online here). Check the full lineup details here. This weekend is also the perfect time to check out the latest Gottingen Small Batch releases, two versions of a California Common, either Sacramento Common (5.5% ABV, 39 IBUs) or San Diego Common (4.0% ABV, 35 IBU). Try them both, and let them know if you’re a NorCal or SoCal kinda drinker.

• In Fredericton, the Ladies Beer Connection is holding their Six Month anniversary celebration next Wednesday, July 12th. The King Street Ale House will be hosting the crew from 6:30 to 8:00, and for just $22.50 (+tax), you’ll receive ten 4 ounce samples of whatever they have on tap. And if you’d like to keep sampling, addition purs are just $2.00 each. It’s a great way to come out and spend time with fellow beer fans from the area, taste your way through KSAH’s offerings, and have a fun evening. Please RSVP today to reserve your spot, and check out more details here.

• On July 13th, as part of the Whycocomagh Summer Festival, the Whycocomagh Waterfront Centre is hosting the Inaugural Whycocomagh Craft Beer Festival. From 8:00 to 10:00 PM, your $20 entry (pay at the door) gets you ten 4oz samples and a souvenir glass. More 4oz samples can be purchased for $1 each. Enjoy live music while sampling beer from Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, Gahan House Halifax, Garrison, and Tatamagouche. There will be food to purchase from Crusin’ Cuisine, Laura’s Pretzels, Little Asia, and Sam’s Point Oysters. The WWC is located at 9650 NS-105 in Whycocomagh, NS.

• Next weekend, Picaroons is hosting a Craft Beer Village on Downing Street in Moncton, as part of Festival Inspire. From 4:00-12:00 Friday July 14th, and 2:00-12:00 Saturday July 15th, enjoy plenty of Pics’ offerings, mead from fellow Fredericton business Sunset Heights/Pollen Angels Meadery, plus local members of the Moncton Craft Brewers Collective: Acadie-Broue, Bore City Brewing, Celtic Knot Brewing, Flying Boats Brewing, The Pump House Brewery and Restaurant, Scow Cider du Verger Belliveau, and Tide and Boar. The event is pay-as-you-enjoy, and 19+.

• Stretch your New Brunswick Day (Monday August 7th) into three fun days by running around Fredericton! Hosted by the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, three runs are being held that long weekend: the Sprited Dash on Saturday, Wine Run on Sunday, and Beer Run on Monday.
Fredericton Spirited Dash, Aug 5th 2017: 1 mile dash followed by Cocktail sampling.
Fredericton Wine Run, August 6th 2017: 5 km or 5 Miler followed by Wine sampling.
Fredericton Beer Run, August 7th 2017: 4, 6, & 12 Km run followed by a Beer, Cider and Mead sampling.
Sign up for all three and receive a special gift plus a free carb-loading pasta meal after the Fredericton Spirited Dash Saturday night.
Sign up at RaceRoster today to secure your spots! For those not willing to run for their beer, tickets are available for the post-run Beer, Cider, and Mead sampling on Monday the 7th.

Before you head out today…

– Congratulations to Riverview’s Celtic Knot who brewed up the first batch of beer on their new 4.5 hl (3.75 BBL) brewhouse this week. Look for that beer, and plenty more, in growlers when they open their retail location later this summer, and on tap at more spots in the region thanks to the expanded capacity.

– Oromocto’s Johnny Jacks Brewery have released a new beer, Farmhouse Ale. A Belgian-inspired 5.4% ABV light summer beer, it is available at a couple of ANBL locations, and on tap in their neighbourhood.

– Mill Street St John’s has released a new beer this week, Best Kind IPA. Hopped solely with Mosaic throughout the brewday as well as dry-hopping, the finished beer features plenty of citrus and pineapple flavours and aroma, on top of an unfiltered light body. At 6.5% ABV and 58 IBUs, this juicy beer is on tap for samples, pints, and growlers now.

– Halifax’s new cidery on the block Chain Yard had a new offering hit the taps on Wednesday. Lime-Stone Sessional is a lower-ABV offering at 4.8% that features lots of citrus and stone fruit presence, perfect for a hot day on their Agricola Street patio.

– Nothing says summer quite like maple syrup! At least that’s what the folks at Authentic Seacoast (aka Rare Bird) are thinking, as they have released their Maple Ale at the NSLC’s The Port location. The beer is brewed using locally-collected sap in place of all of the water, and the beer finishes at 6.5% ABV. You can also grab a taste of the beer at their brewery at 75 Ferry Road in Guysborough all summer.

– Charlo’s Savoie’s Brewhouse is switching their packaging from bottling to canning, thanks to a new acquisition in the brewery. The first beers to be packaged in cans in the coming months will be Island Lake Blonde and Chaleaur Phantom Amber Ale, followed by Charlo Falls Rye IPA, and Heron’s Nest Porter. Also available at the brewery, and at the adjacent Heron’s Nest Pub, are Sugarloaf Mountain Maple Amber, Herons Island Orange Wheat, Bullers Blueberry Wheat, Bon Ami Strawberry Wheat, and Restigouche River Raspberry Wheat. Look for their version of the Acadian Nut Brown to debut in the fall, along with their Fall Fair Harvest Ale.

– The Calvados barrel-aged coffee we told you about last week from Low Point Coffee Co has now been roasted by Halifax’s Java Blend and packaged for sale. We’ve heard there’s only 50 or so bags of this available (and we’ve spoken for two of ’em!) so if you’re keen to try it out we suggest you not wait too long! Contact them on social media, or go see them at their stall at the Alderney Landing Farmers Market.

– We can now report that WestSide Beer Wine Spirits (aka Cristall Wine Merchants’ new name and location) will be opening at 287 Lacewood (in the former Brewdebakers location) early next week, probably Monday, July 10th. Featuring 8 taps for growler fills, several large coolers, and an expanded floor space for other, lesser beverages, it will be growing several times its current size.