2018 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards Results

(Halifax,NS) - The fifth annual Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards were held on October 28th in Halifax with a Gala and Dinner at The Stubborn Goat Gastropub. The judging of 376 entries from 56 breweries and cideries had taken place the previous week end in Halifax. 

Atlantic breweries and cideries shared the 45 medals awarded in 15 categories as well as six special awards ( To see full medal counts see Table 1 and category details see Table 2). There were a few changes over previous years with a new Sour category being added as well as New Brewery and New Cider House of the Year. The People's Choice Award and Brewpub of the Year were dropped in this year's competition. 

The big winner of the evening was Tatamagouche Brewing taking seven medals and Brewery of the Year with 2 Crows Brewing nabbing five medals and Beer of the Year with their Forever Young. The inaugural New Brewery of the Year went to Four Rivers Brewing in Bathurst NB.

In the Cider category Riverdale Orchard Cidery from Bonshaw PE took New Cider House of the Year,  Cider of the Year for 2 Scots 3 Apples and tied with Chain Yard Urban Cidery for Cider House of the Year. 

It was another banner year for Atlantic craft and organizers are hoping for a bigger and better show next year. 

Table 1 : Medal counts 

Breweries	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Tatamagouche Brewing	4	2	1	7
2 Crows Brewing	1	2	2	5
North Brewing	0	3	1	4
Big Spruce Brewing	0	1	2	3
Uncle Leo's Brewery	2	0	0	2
Breton Brewing	2	0	0	2
Grimross Brewing	1	0	1	2
Pump House Brewery	0	1	1	2
Garrison Brewing	0	1	1	2
Casa Nova Fine Beverages	0	1	1	2
Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault	0	0	2	2
Trider's Craft Beer	1	0	0	1
PEI Brewing	1	0	0	1
Upstreet Craft Brewing	1	0	0	1
Riverdale Orchard Cidery	1	0	0	1
Chain Yard Urban Cidery	1	0	0	1
Four Rivers Brewing	0	1	0	1
Nine Locks Brewing	0	1	0	1
Meander River Brewery	0	1	0	1
A. Keith's Brewery	0	1	0	1
Boxing Rock Brewing	0	0	1	1
Oland Brewery	0	0	1	1
Yip Cider	0	0	1	1

Table 2 : Full Beer and Cider Category Breakdown

North American & European Style Lager
Bronze: Grimross Brewing  – Après Lager
Silver: Pump House Brewery – Oktoberfest
Gold: Grimross Brewing – Braunschweig Pils
Honourable Mention: 2 Crows Brewing – Refresh

German Style Specialty Ales

Bronze: North Brewing  – Little Beast
Silver: Tatamagouche Brewing – North Shore Lagered Ale
Gold: Uncle Leo’s Brewery – Altbier

UK Style Specialty Ales
Bronze: Pump House Brewery – Barley Wine Ale
Silver: Garrison Brewing  – Irish Red
Gold: Trider’s Craft Beer – Rod’s Red
Honourable Mention: Schoolhouse Brewery  – Scotian Export

North American Style Specialty Ales
Bronze: Oland Brewery – Oland Export Ale
Silver: Tatamagouche Brewing – Dry-Hopped Lagerhosen
Gold: Tatamagouche Brewing  – Giantess Barley Wine

Belgian Style Specialty Ales
Bronze: Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault – Col. John Baker Dubbel
Silver: 2 Crows Brewing – House Funk Brett Saison
Gold: Tatamagouche Brewing – Square One

North American Style Amber/Red Ales

Bronze: Boxing Rock Brewing  – Temptation Red Ale

Silver: Four Rivers Brewing – Havre St-Pierre
Gold: PEI Brewing – Island Red Premium Red Ale

Fruit & Field Beer

Bronze: Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault – Bonhomme Sept-Heures 
Silver: Big Spruce Brewing – Guava Get Me Some
Gold: Upstreet Craft Brewing – Rhuby Social
Honourable Mention: Alexander Keith’s – Hortonville Pumpkin Ale

Pale Ales

Bronze: Big Spruce Brewing – Kitchen Party Pale Ale
Silver: Alexander Keith’s – Cornerstone Edinburgh Pale Ale
Gold: Breton Brewing Co. – Seven Years Pale Ale
Honourable Mention: Lunn’s Mill Beer – Lunn’s Pub Ale

Stout / Porter
Bronze: Big Spruce Brewing– Cereal Killer Stout
Silver: North Brewing – Twinkle Pony Tiramisu Stout
Gold: Breton Brewing – Cocoa Envy Chocolate Porter
Honourable Mention: Pump House Brewery– Muddy River Stout

India Pale Ales
Bronze: 2 Crows Brewing – Second Situation
Silver: Nine Locks Brewing – Fathom Double IPA
Gold: Uncle Leo’s Brewery – Encore IPA
Honourable Mention: PEI Brewing – After Hours: Snowbird Juicy IPA

Experimental Beers
Bronze: 2 Crows Brewing – Dare To Dream
Silver: North Brewing – Des Pêches Rooib
Gold: Tatamagouche Brewing – Feronia

Honourable Mention: Big Spruce Brewing – Thrice

Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer

Bronze: Garrison Brewing – Barrel-Aged Wintervention
Silver: North Brewing – Midnight
Gold: 2 Crows Brewing – Forever Young
Honourable Mention: Propeller Brewing – Barrel Aged Baltic Porter

Sour Beer (*New Category 2018)
Bronze: Tatamagouche Brewing – Soaked
Silver: 2 Crows Brewing – Cool Kid
Gold: Tatamagouche Brewing – Bliss Mixed Fermentation Saison
Honourable Mention: Big Spruce Brewing – Hugs Bunny

Standard Cider & Perry

Bronze: Casa Nova Fine Beverages- Buddy’s Original Craft Cider
Silver: Casa Nova Fine Beverages – 1606 Good Cheer Craft Cider
Gold: Riverdale Orchard Cidery – 2 Scots 3 Apples

Specialty Cider & Perry

Bronze: Yip Cider – Blueberry Picnic

Silver: Meander River Farm & Brewery – Small Lot Rose Petal Cider
Gold: Chain Yard Urban Cidery  – Ginxberry
Honourable Mention: Chain Yard – Frostbite

2017 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards Results

(Halifax,NS) - The fourth annual Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards were held on October 22nd in Halifax with a Gala and Dinner at The Stubborn Goat Gastropub. The judging of over 300 entries had taken place the previous week end on October 14th and 15th in Halifax. 

Atllantic breweries and cideries shared the 42 medals awarded in 14 categories as well as seven special awards ( To see full medal counts see Table 1 and category details see Table 2). The People's Choice Award was garnered by an online survey from all the submitted beers and ciders. 

The big winner of the evening was Big Spruce Brewing taking five medals and Brewery of the Year with Breton Brewing nabbing two gold medals and Beer of the Year or "Best of Show" with their Stirling Hefeweizen. Last but not least Paddy's Pub took Brewpub of the year.

The Cider House of the Year as well as a gold and bronze went to Chain Yard Urban Cidery and the Cider of the Year was awarded to Red Rover Craft Cider for their Fall Cider. 

The People’s Choice for Beer and Cider went to Upstreet Craft Brewing for Go Devil grabbing the beer category and Yip Cider getting the cider category for their Original.  

Table 1 : Medal counts 

Breweries	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Big Spruce Brewing	1	4	0	5
Tatamagouche Brewing	1	2	1	4
North Brewing	1	0	2	3
Breton Brewing	2	0	0	2
Boxing Rock Brewing	1	1	0	2
Garrison Brewing	1	0	1	2
Chain Yard Urban Cidery	1	0	1	2
2 Crows Brewing	0	1	1	2
Good Robot Brewing	0	0	2	2
Pump House Brewery	1	0	0	1
Trider's Craft Beer	1	0	0	1
Sea Level Brewing	1	0	0	1
Alexander Keith's Brewery	1	0	0	1
Roof Hound Brewing	1	0	0	1
Red Rover Craft Cider	1	0	0	1
Moosehead Breweries	0	1	0	1
Split Rock Brewing	0	1	0	1
Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault	0	1	0	1
Uncle Leo's Brewery	0	1	0	1
Yip Cider	0	1	0	1
ShipBuilders Cider	0	1	0	1
Oland Brewery	0	0	1	1
Quidi Vidi Brewing	0	0	1	1
Hammond River Brewing	0	0	1	1
Big Axe Brewery	0	0	1	1
Nine Locks Brewery	0	0	1	1
Coastliner Craft Cider	0	0	1	1

Table 2 : Full Beer and Cider Category Breakdown 

North American & European Style Lager
BRONZE - Good Robot Brewing Co. - Extra BIG-ASS Beer
SILVER – Moosehead Breweries Ltd. - Moosehead Lager
GOLD – Boxing Rock Brewing Co. - Stayin Alive Bock

German Style Specialty Ales

BRONZE – North Brewing Company - Little Beast

SILVER – Tatamagouche Brewing Co. - North Shore Lagered Ale

GOLD – Breton Brewing Co. - Stirling Hefeweizen

UK Style Specialty Ales

BRONZE – Garrison Brewing Co. - Irish Red

SILVER – Split Rock Brewing Co. - Alli's Big Brown Ale

GOLD – Pump House Brewery - Barley Wine Ale

North American Style Specialty Ales

BRONZE – Oland Brewery - Keith's IPA

SILVER – Tatamagouche Brewing Co. - Giantess Barley Wine

GOLD – Trider's Craft Beer - Brew-Deau

Belgian Style Specialty Ales

BRONZE – Quidi Vidi Brewing Company - Winter Ale

SILVER – Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault - Tante Blanche

GOLD – Big Spruce Brewing - S'Il Vous Plait

North American Style Amber/Red Ales

BRONZE – Hammond River Brewing - Red Coat India Red Ale

SILVER – Boxing Rock Brewing Co. - Temptation Red Ale

GOLD – Sea Level Brewing Co. - Blue Heron Extra Special Bitter

Fruit & Field Beer

BRONZE – Tatamagouche Brewing Co. - Rushton's Peach

SILVER – Big Spruce Brewing - Guava GetMeSome!

GOLD – Alexander Keith's Brewery - Hortonville's Pumpkin Ale

Pale Ales

BRONZE – North Brewing Company - Priority Pale Ale

SILVER – Big Spruce Brewing - Kitchen Party

GOLD – Breton Brewing Co. - Seven Years Pale Ale

Stout / Porter

BRONZE – Big Axe Brewery - Shakespeare Stout

SILVER – 2 Crows Brewing Co. - Midnight Mood

GOLD – Tatamagouche Brewing Co. - Two Rivers Baltic Porter

India Pale Ales

BRONZE – Nine Locks Brewery - Fathom DIPA

SILVER – Big Spruce Brewing - Tim's Dirty American

GOLD – Roof Hound Brewing Co. Ltd. - Big Stink IPA

Experimental Beers

BRONZE – Good Robot Brewing Co. - Damn Fine Coffee & Cherry Pie v3.0

SILVER – Uncle Leo's Brewery - Nachtical Illusion

GOLD – North Brewing Company - Oh My Darlin - Clementine Brett Pale Ale

Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer

BRONZE – 2 Crows Brewing Co. - Bonanza! Wheat Wine

SILVER – Big Spruce Brewing - Wild Wild Wit

GOLD – Garrison Brewing Co. - Barrel-Aged Barley Wine

Standard Cider & Perry

BRONZE – Coastliner Craft Cider - Coastliner Original

SILVER – Yip Cider - Russett

GOLD – Chain Yard Urban Cidery - Foundation

Specialty Cider & Perry

BRONZE – Chain Yard Urban Cidery - Hopped Up

SILVER – ShipBuilders Cider Ltd. - Sid's Chai Apple Cider

GOLD – Red Rover Craft Cider - Fall Cider

MBR July 28, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

Welcome to the final Maritime Beer Report for New Brunswick and PEI. 

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault are celebrating their 3rd anniversary at the Petit-Sault Beer Garden, starting at noon from August 2nd to 6th. They have got a few surprises that will be revealed over the week end. 

Celtic Knot Brewing has two more beers on tap for growler fills at the new brewery. For Shore - Session IPA and Monkey Town - mango pale ale are on this week end.

Loyalist City Brewing announced the next release in their summer beer series. Peach Giant is an unfiltered berliner weisse that is literally packed to the brim with fresh peaches. Peach Giant is a tart German style Berliner Weisse that pours a hazy orange pint with a persistent white head that gives off a tremendous peach aroma. The sweet flavor and aroma of peach is complimented by a light doughy sweetness from the mix of German wheat and pilsner malt used in the mash. The mash is soured using their house strain of four different lactobacillus species resulting in a complex and refreshing sour profile that compliments the stone fruit flavor. After the initial fermentation has completed, they pile as much peach as they can into the fermentor and allow it to referment before cold crashing and kegging. The result is a light bodied sessionable summer beer that is bursting with peach flavor and aroma.
Brewed with 100% natural ingredients and left unfiltered this beer is best enjoyed fresh.

Railcar Brewing will be open Saturday July 29th from 10 AM to 10 PM, stop by and check their new space out. Coffee will be on and they have some sweet treats available, sample some of their ales.

First Town Craft Beer Festival is happening on September 23, 2017 at the Best Western Plus Hotel and Conference Centre in Woodstock, NB. There will be over 20 craft beer, cider and mead vendors to try. Covered Bridge Chips will be there with a variety of flavors to sample. The River Restaurant will be serving up BBQ Delights for purchase.
General admission tickets are available for two time slots: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM. Tickets are $55.00 each, taxes included, and include a souvenir 4 oz tasting glass with a designated driver ticket available for  $15.00 that includes unlimited soft drinks.VIP Tickets are also available that gets you in an hour early, larger tasting glass and a short brewers education on the brewing process. Tickets are for sale now on eventbrite. 

Look for Hammond River Brewing to open next week after a short delay from their original date. 

Thanks for all the support. 

MBR July 28, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

Welcome to the final Maritime Beer Report for Nova Scotia. 

2 Crows Brewing released three beers this week all limited to glasses and flights only. Little Lightning is a golden mild brewed with Chris McDonald and Ever-Wood is a DIPA conditioned on white wine oak, brewed in collaboration with Everwood Ave Brew Shop. The third beer released yesterday is Swan Fan Makkum, an APA, that has been absolutely loaded with Simcoe, Belma, Citra, and Hallertau Blanc hops and clocks in at 5% and 13 IBU. It is super juicy, bright, citrusy, and peachy. This particular was brewed for all the Tall Ships coming into town this weekend, as part of the Tall Sips celebration. The beer is named after a tall ship that our co-founder Mark worked on as a teenager, that was owned by his uncle. At the time, Swan Fan Makkum was the largest brigantine in the world, and it has since been sold to the Italian Navy where it is used as a training ship. The Tall Ship 'Wylde Swan', which is in Halifax this weekend, was also once owned by Mark's family. Might as well drink a beer to celebrate.

Chill Street Fresh Beer and Cider Market will be celebrating their Grand Opening weekend from July 28th to the 30th. It has been a month since they opened the doors. There will be a BBQ, entertainment, beer and food sampling, in-store specials and prize giveaways. There will be a short official ribbon cutting on Saturday, July 29th at 1:00 PM.

Good Robot Brewing says their Beta Brewsday next Tuesday will feature King in the North (End), a Game of Thrones-themed Black IPA brewed by staff members Chris Jonarchy and Kelly Costello. The 4.5%ABV and 55 IBU Black IPA features Simcoe, Chinook hops and Horton Ridge 2 row and Maris Otter malt. 

Propeller Brewing continues their cask nights tonight at 5 PM with Cascade American Pale Ale naturally carbonated and dry hopped in the cask with Nelson Sauvin and Falconer's Flight hops. There's only 20L so show up early before it's all gone. 

Unfiltered Brewing hits two this week end and they will be celebrating on Saturday. Look for 

• Commissar RIS bottles for sale (both Friday and Sat)
• Flat Black Jesus Nitro Stout on tap
• 1-1-9 Barley Wine (2015 barrel aged) on tap
• Double Orange Ale DIPA on tap
• Exile On North Street IPA on tap
• Sour MF Cherry Sour on tap
• Deity DIPA on tap
• Play With Fire Smoked Black Lager on tap
• Daytimer Dry-hopped Berliner Weisse on tap
• Twelve Years To Zion DIPA on tap
• Hoppy Fingers APA on tap
• Special menu from 6 pm

Thanks for all the support. 

Seaport Beer Fest Set to Break Records in its 11th Year

(Halifax, NS) -  Halifax Seaport BeerFest is back for its 11th year and is bigger than ever. The festival returns to Cunard Centre to welcome over 5000 beer fans as well as a record number of producers at 113 and record number of beer, ciders and mead at 370 with 56% of the brands offered not being available in the NSLC or at private stores in Nova Scotia. 

Local content has nearly doubled over last year with Atlantic Canadian beers with 122 available plus 24 in new TAP LOCAL! booth.

Ciders are up 68% adding to the 42 gluten-free options for a total of 42 GF options.
Breweries from 8 provinces and 20 countries will be represented with the all-new TAP LOCAL! booth run by Brewnosers and  Ladies Beer League will feature 8 rotating taps for maritime beer they could literally only get 1 small keg of. 

Tasting sessions include: 

• Aug. 11th, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
• Aug. 12th, 2 to 4:30 p.m. 
• Aug. 12th, 7 to 9:30 p.m. 

All regular sessions are $45 per person in advance ($50 at the gate/festival box office). Prices do not include tax and applicable surcharges.

Tickets for the Halifax Seaport Beerfest are on sale now. Advance tickets are available at the Ticket Atlantic Box Office in the Scotiabank Centre, at 19 Superstores throughout Nova Scotia, by phone at (902) 451-1221 / 1-877-451-1221 and online at ticketatlantic.com.

The Halifax Seaport BeerFest welcomes back Prostate Cancer Canada Atlantic and Adsum House for Women and Children as the official festival charities, with a portion of net event proceeds helping to support both of these worthy causes.

MBR July 21, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

Welcome to the July 21st edition of the report for PEI and New Brunswick. 

Copper Bottom Brewing announced the first of three initial beer offerings. Their "Centennial Stock Blonde Ale" is a clean, refreshing ale made with the Town of Montague in mind as they celebrate their 100 anniversary this year. They worked with local artist Richard Toms (www.rtoms.com) on the label. The beer will be 5% ABV and of course feature centennial hops. 

Upstreet Craft Brewing says De Novo 2 is back and better than ever. This special 6% farmhouse saison is Upstreet's anniversary beer. It's a limited 750ml bottle-conditioned beer made using Maritime malt, a sacch and Brett yeast blend, and New Brunswick Golding hops. Available now. 
They are also releasing Rainbrew, their collaboration beer with Pride PEI. This strawberry lavender saison is a limited 5% brew that incorporates every colour of the rainbow:
Red - PEI Strawberries
Orange - Crystal Malt
Yellow - Yeast
Green - Saaz Hops
Blue - Good ol' H20
Purple - PEI Lavender
Beer is being released on Monday July 24th at 7 PM at the brewery. 

Picaroons Traditional Ales released Pivot 4. In this batch they decided to showcase Citra and Simcoe. There's some really nice citrus and pine aromas coming off this one. It's drinking crisp, citrusy, a tad bitter, and a little dry. They are making their way out now to taps and shelves. 

Have a great week. 

MBR July 21, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

Happy Friday, kind of a slow news week but we are not empty handed. 

Garrison Brewing launched It’s Rhubarb Saison today. They say "It’s Rhubarb Saison! is a refreshing wheat beer in the saison-style. The clean, tart character along with a pale orange hazy colour and juicy acidity will hit the spot on a hot summer day wherever people relax."
It is the ultimate in crowdsourcing as it is brewed with rhubarb collected from fans across the province. It is clocking in at 5.1% ABV and 0 IBU. It is available at the brewery for samples and growler fills, as well as some taps beginning this week end.

Another week, another release at Good Robot Brewing. Shocking Pink v. 3 is now on tap and available for growlers and grunters. It is a Goseface Killah radler with the same concoction of Pink Lemonade and Fruity Oasis, Queen of Tarts David's Tea blends, this time with fresh, unsprayed beets from Elmridge Farms. Shredded and cold-steeped.
Their Beta Brewsday on Tuesday next week is Wit's Up Doc? by Dominique Jure and Kelly Costello. A extra healthy beer with pilsner malt, wheat malt, flaked oats, tettnang hops and carrots (grated and added to the end of the boil). It is a light 3% ABV and 14 IBU that they say "will be a refreshing dose of vitamin E for soggy summer evenings".

Stillwell Brewing had an update this week to let us know what is happening. They say things are progressing as expected with the styles they are creating but while we are waiting they made a hoppy, unfiltered pils that has been slowly maturing over the past 11 weeks. It's almost ready to go but will be a hose beer at Bar Stillwell and Beergarden only. Watch for release information. 

Tatamagouche Brewing has a couple of new releases and a bit of bad news. First up, Fog lights is a north east IPA coming in at 6.4% ABV uses huell melon, azacca and amarillo hops with Foggy London yeast from escarpment labs. Brewer says "Hazy!" as we would expect.

Next is Guava Heist Berliner Weisse is a sour wheat ale that comes in at 3.6% ABV. It is aged on organic guava and Tata says "Really tropical. Tart and lemony".

Lastly they had an issue with the yeast on the Main Street mayhem IPA that came out recently. A lot of off flavours, including the smoky medicinal, have developed over the last week. As a result they have pulled all of the beer that is left from private stores as well as their store. 

Off Track Brewing hopes to be the first craft brewer in Bedford when the open this fall. Partners Allan MacKay, Matt Scott and Jon Saunders are all from the area and wanted to open their brewery in Bedford. After a great struggle to come up with a name that worked for the brewery, Off Track seemed to fit after many of their planning meetings seemed to go that way. The brewery has begun renovations at the 275 Rocky Lake Road location with its brewing equipment due to arrive in September.
The new brewery will be 5 BBL with 4 fermentors and 4 brite tanks and will have a growler fill station as well as space for serving tasting flights onsite. Their initial focus will be getting kegs of their beer into the local market as soon as possible when they open. 
Allan MacKay, who will be the head brewer and has been home brewing since 2008, says the initial offerings will be a Kölsch, Stout, Wheat and a Pale Ale with seasonal one offs as they proceed. 
Watch for a more details around September or October on the start-up.

Screening of Sociable!!, A Nova Scotia craft beer documentary will be screened at Roof Hound Brewing on Saturday at 9 PM. There will be a $5 cover at the door with all proceeds going to the film makers SOCIABLE!! who will be there to chat with. Special guest brewers from Lunn's Mill Beer, Heritage Brewing, and Schoolhouse Brewery will be there with a keg of their finest. 

Have a great week and whatever you do make sure to plan ahead. 

MBR July 14, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

Where is the summer going, we are half way through July. If that makes you sad here is some beer news to cheer you up. 

Red Rover Craft Cider released another Summer Series today. Barrel Reserve # 1- Is a  dry still cider that was oak aged and conditioned in bourbon barrels for over 6 months. This cider is corked and waxed capped, perfect for aging. Very limited supply of 250 750ML Bottles. It is 7.2% ABV.
Barrel #2 will be released in two weeks time.

Loyalist City Brewing released the second edition in their summer beer series. Stonehammer Saison is a french style saison double dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria hops. The saison is a crisp and refreshing French saison brewed with a blend of wheat and pilsner malt. This unfiltered farmhouse style ale pours a hazy golden yellow with a persistent white head that gives off an unmistakably tangerine aroma from the Mandarina Bavaria hops. The beer has a natural spicy and fruity flavor from the blend of belgian and french yeast strains used in fermentation complimented by a soft wheat malt character. This light bodied and well carbonated beer is crisp, refreshing, and flavorful. Brewed with only grain, yeast, hops, and water this beer has loads of natural character.

Maybee Brewing says they now have the 750 ml cork and cage bottles of Orion Belgian Quadrupel at the Maybee Brewery only. The 11.5% ABV Belgian Dark Strong is naturally conditioned with Briggs maple syrup and has a complex flavour of molasses, brown sugar maple and awesome.

The Pump House Brewery says now on tap is their Raspberry Wheat summer seasonal. It is a German style wheat beer bombarded with 70 kg of raspberries. This is a beer for the raspberry connoisseur - delectably tart and refreshing. It's a Raspberry Bomb and is 5.6% ABV. 

Pump House now has a growler fill station open every day from Noon to Midnight. I am waiting for details and will relay them when I get them.

Next Thursday is the De Novo II Release Party at Upstreet Craft Brewing from 6 PM - 9 PM. 

NBexplorer, an experiential tourism development company out of Moncton, New Brunswick, is announcing the launch of seven new experiential tourism products this summer. Justin Mury, CEO and Chief Ambassador partnered with local businesses and individuals to create high quality, premium experience that celebrates New Brunswick experiences, culture, and people.

1. Moncton Urban Beer Hike

2. A Taste of Chocolate

3. Memramcook Valley Fat Tire Bike Tour

4. Soap Making Experiences

5. The Land, Our Food and Ourselves

6. Picnic in the Park

7. Chocolatier for the Day

See attached for more information or visit www.nbexplorer.com 

Have a great week and see you next week. 

MBR July 14, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

We are a couple of weeks into summer and out local brewers are busier than ever. 

On July 20th Nine Locks Brewing will be at Battery Park Beer Bar for a Tap Takeover. They will be bringing:

• ESB - This classic English pub ale has a burnished copper colour with an aroma of toast, honey, and pear. A broad malt body featuring kilned coffee and toffee. East Kent Golding and Fuggles hops give this English style ale a subtle spiciness, which compliments its strong malt backbone. Pairs perfectly with crispy appetizers and of course, fish & chips. 5.6% ABV / 35 IBUs
• IPA - Big, bold, and bitter! India pale ale was fashioned to survive the long voyage from England to India during the British colonization. Citrus, tropical fruit, pine, and floral hop flavours and aromas overpower the malty sweet body. First wort hopped, hop burst, and then dry hopped, our flagship IPA pairs perfectly with all things spicy or cheesy, and poultry or fish. 6.9% ABV / 70 IBUs
• PORTER - Delicious easy drinking London style porter. Dark brown with a restrained chocolate biscuit character derived from a combination of black and chocolate malts and roasted barley. Aromatic and medium bodied with a toasty toffee finish. Pairs well with grilled steaks and chocolate desserts 5% ABV / 25 IBUs
• SPICED ALE - A dark amber ale with a full body and residual sweetness, the spices combine to give a unique flavour to this sessionable offering. A malty backbone provides mouth fullness balancing the crisp spicing. 5.2%ABV / 12 IBU
• CREAM ALE - Smooth, full-bodied amber ale. Tight white head on top of a mildly fruity beer. Caramel notes preside with a subtle hop finish.Traditional English hops provide both mild bitterness and hop flavour. Nitrogenation provides great cascade and aids the smooth palate fullness. 4.8% ABV / 15 IBU
• SCOTCH ALE - Reminiscent of the Scottish ales of the 1700s and 1800s this strong, dark beer with ruby highlights is deeply malty. A smooth body exhibiting caramel with hints of dark grains leads to a crisp finish. 7.1% ABV / 22 IBU
• CHOCOLATE STOUT - This chocolate stout is smooth, dark and full-bodied. Chocolate dominates the palate with notes of coffee and roasted grain. Hopping with East Kent Goldings provides a balanced finish. 6.1% ABV / 28 IBU
• BREWER’S CHOICE - 100% Horton Ridge malt, Belgian chocolate and Black Cherries combine to give a mix of fruit and chocolate on the palate and a lingering finish.  5.6% ABV / 14 IBU
• SMaSH and GRAB - All wheat malt with 100% Amarillo hops gives this hazy blonde a defining grapefruit palate finishing with a characteristic wheat beer astringency. 5.8% ABV / 22 IBU
• GINGER RYE - This dusky red ale is full-bodied, with subtle caramel notes and a restrained ginger presence on the palate. The finish is long combining the cereal astringency of the rye and wheat with the assertive spiciness of the ginger. ABV 5.6% / IBU 15
• FATHOM DOUBLE IPA - Fathom is an epic, orange-gold, hazy, double India pale ale brewed for hop heads and hop novices alike. It’s not fashioned to kill anyone with hops, rather to give the best hop experience possible. It has an intense hoppy aroma, featuring citrus, melon, and floral components leading to strong orange and stone fruit flavours that finish soft and dry. First wort hopped, hop burst, and two-stage dry hopped. We’re not talking over-the- top bitter, but instead, an incredibly flavorful and easy to drink, memorable pale ale. 8.0% ABV / 90 IBUs
• GINGER GLEN - Ginger rye aged in single malt Glenora barrels for 3 months. The ginger aroma is followed by a palate dominated by the single malt with a base of rye and ginger. 5.7% ABV / 15 IBU
• DUBBEL BARRELED - Belgian Dubbel with blood oranges aged for 4 months in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels. Citrusy aroma gives way to a mouthful of Bourbon with hints of spicy orange as the mouth empties.

Good Robot Brewing has their third SMaSH beer coming out. It is SMaSH Meowth and features Rakau hops. The American IPA 5.5% ABV and 45 IBU and you can find it at the brewery.
Beta Brewsday next Tuesday will feature a beer brewed by Erica Fraser. Sour Mumma Bloomfield is a hopless, malt-forward herbal beer that has naturally gone sour and strangely tastes a bit like apple pie even though there are no added ingredients in it to make it taste that way.

Unfiltered Brewing has brought back Double Orange Ale DIPA back for fills and pints today. The beer is 7.5% ABV and 100+ IBU. 

Unfiltered Brewing and Beau's Brewery of Eastern Ontario brewed a collaboration beer. EPH Bomb Double IPA will be the 8th release in Beau's Ottawa 2017 series, interpreting Canada's 150th from coast to coast, through beer googles. They will be raising funds for Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank (www.parkerstreet.org) with this release. The limited-edition 9% ABV and 75 IBU beer will be available in Halifax: 

• At the NSLC in early-mid August
• On tap at Beau's booth during Seaport Beerfest
• At Beau's Brewery Stillwell Beer Garden 10-Tap Takeover on Thursday Aug 10th

Schoolhouse Brewery have released their first summer seasonals. Summer Break is a Witbier weighing in at 4.9% ABV that is a mixture orange peel and coriander were added to PEI grown malted wheat from Horton Ridge and Maritime Malt. Pouring as a pale haze, this smooth wheat beer is all that’s good about summer. Coriander and orange play together in the background before a dry finish leaves you wanting to relive Summer Break. 

Propeller Brewing has been extremely busy as they roll past their 20th anniversary. The currently have Sacramento Common out. Rich, amber coloured ale, utilising lager yeast fermented at ale temperatures. Bold toast and caramel characteristics, light fruits and lingering hop bitterness. Northern Brewer is the traditional hop of The California Common style and it is used solely in this ale. It weighs in at 5.5% ABV and 39 IBU. 

Released on Wednesday was Hopfenweisse. A fusion of a German style wheat beer with a new world IPA. Aromas of tropical fruit, passion fruit, banana, and gooseberry are evident as this brew has been generously late-addition-hopped with Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin.  Carbonation is lively with a hazy golden yellow color and medium body.  Bitterness is subdued by fruity and tropical flavours with a slightly dry finish.It is a 5.8% ABV and 48 IBU beer.

They also "Refreshed" their DIPA and will show the first installment of Propeller's new branding and will be on shelves next week with Propeller's Double IPA. New labels & bottle capson 650 mL bottles and has 300% more dry-hop.

2 Crows Brewing has a big release tomorrow morning. They say Crosswired, their first foeder aged beer is juicy, funky, winey, a bit tropical, notes of crushed gooseberry and stone fruit with underlying bright tannin/oak Calvados (brandy+apple+vanilla+fruity) character. They are releasing cans and it will be on tap in their tap room. They are also releasing a small amount of cans for sale at the private stores in Halifax. 

Big Spruce Brewing announced they brewed a new seasonal beer, one they have been conspiring for some time with their new friends at Ocean Tracking Network. Tag! You're It! will be a light bodied, super juicy, late addition IPA that features boat loads of Mosaic and Citra hops.

They are donating $0.50 of every can sold, whether it be at their brewery or via the private beer and wine stores, towards research geared at protecting endangered ocean species. Expect a release date late July or early August.

Boxing Rock Brewing released Tropic Thunder tropical stout at Rock Head Wine & Beer Market, Bishop's Cellar, and Harvest Wines and Spirits. You'll also find it on tap at The Brooklyn Warehouse. It's also available at Liquid Assets at the Halifax Stanfield Airport. It is fruity, slightly sweet and refreshing and comes in at 6% ABV with a hint of orange peel in the finish. This beer was a finalist in the Black Box Challenge by brewer Jason Currie. Get it while you can.

Hell Bay Brewing have brought back RIP(A), the IPA straight from Hell. The small batch beer is a healthy 7.2% ABV and  85 IBU that is loaded with hops. Limited quantities.

Saltbox Brewery has a refreshing summer beer at the brewery. Backyard Rhubarb is now on tap with very limited quantities.

Chain Yard Cider introduced Ginx its newest cider. Juniper berries, jonagold and spy apples play on your palate in this delicious cider Featuring Ironworks gin, organic lime juice and Nova Scotia apples. Pouring now in their tap room.

Have a great week end and see you next week.