A very busy week beer wise here in Nova Scotia this week.
After a long wait and a misstart 2 Crows Brewing is opening tomorrow. Their, as they put it soft-opening, is tomorrow January 28th from noon until 10 PM. They will have their core lineup plus a few kegs of special pilot batches and one-offs. Big Spruce Brewing was brewing yesterday with Bishop's Cellar to create a Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter called Anaphylactic Choc. Look for a release at their tap takeover at Bishop's Cellar on February 25th.
Boxing Rock Brewing have released their Oban Heather in time for Rabbie Burns day yesterday. It's made with Golden Promise Malt to give a malty biscuity base to showcase the Scottish Heather flowers they put into the brew and then all balanced off with local honey. Available now at RockHead Wine & Beer Market, Harvest Wines and Spirits, Cristall Wine Merchants, and Bishop's Cellar in 650 ml bottles. You can also get it on tap right now at the Henry House in Halifax and this weekend at their stalls at the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, Alderney Landing Farmers' Market and at retail store in Shelburne.
Gahan House - Halifax has a couple of releases this week. The new version of Crosscurrent APA and an English Golden Ale.
The new version of Crosscurrent APA strays form the American hop combos that have been used up to this point. This release was hopped with Magnum and a lot of Dr. Rudi. The NZ variety lends big lemon, dry lime and pine notes for a very refreshing hop profile. It is still 5.5% ABV and 32 IBUs, with a malt bill that includes flaked oats and flaked wheat.The English Golden Ale is 4.5% ABV and 16 IBUs. Every ingredient used is of British origin. Fuggles were hop of focus here. The beer received a fairly large late addition lending a delicate hop character. Maris Otter was the only malt used. So this is pretty much a SMaSH without intentionally trying to make one. The Maris Otter gives a very doughy character with subtle notes of honey, accompanied by a faint bitterness and an herbal, floral bouquet. Very simple beer, but technically sound for the style.
Gahan is also going to have a brewmaster’s dinner event. Their Chef, Chris Jeffery and head brewer Kyle Jeppesen sat down and created a 4 course meal with beer pairings. The dinner is February 21st and costs $60.00 for the four course dinner. They would like these events to become a regular thing at Gahan, and they are planning themed courses and pairings for the next dinner. It is a ticketed event. If somebody would like to buy tickets they can contact gahan.halifax@murphyrestaurants.ca
Garrison Brewing says take a picture showing them what you love about this Dirty Ol’ Town of Halifax. Make sure to tag Garrison in the photo and use the #LoveThisDirtyOlTown hashtag on Instagram for a chance to win. They will repost all entries, and whoever's picture has the most likes by February 9th wins a brewery tour for 10.
Lazy Bear Brewing is having a taster night featuring their Orange Kolsch on Friday, February 3 from 7 PM to 9 PM at Bunchberry Nurseries 2779, Hwy 1,, Annapolis Royal. Taste the first beer to ever feature Nova Scotia-grown oranges grown at Bunchberry. They have a limited amount so they decided to share the experience at a tasting night. It will be beach-themed and will feature some local food.
Sea Level Brewing released Callahan's Crosstime Irish Ale this week. It is a malt forward smooth Irish ale using Horton Ridge Malt and Grain floor malted barley and galaxy hops giving a sublime tropical fruit aroma. The ale checks in at 7.3% ABV. 
Tatamagouche Brewing released its Barrel Aged Barley Wine to the Giant Beer family. Aged in fresh 13 year old single malt Glenora Distillery barrels were used as well as Horton Ridge Malt and Grain malt as the base to give this American style barley wine a 10.5% ABV. Balanced with spirit and barrel character, this barley wine is great now and is going to age very nicely. Available now at the brewery.Tidehouse Brewing has an India Saison back on. They say "Think IPA meets a Belgian/French yeast profile". Coming in at 6.8% ABV and jam-packed with loads of Ahtanum, Azacca and Amarillo hops. This one won't last.
There was a change in the law this week which is a game changer for Nova Scotia restaurants. Restaurant owners can now serve customers who aren't ordering food up to two glasses of beer or wine. The old law required all patrons to order food if they wanted an alcoholic beverage unless the establishment had a lounge licence. It has been a big frustration for restaurant owners especially during the busy tourist season.
Have a great week end and as always enjoy responsibly.