The Gahan House Restaurant and Brewery Opens in Fredericton

(Fredericton, NB) – Murphy Hospitality Group (MHG) has opened its fourth location of The Gahan House Restaurant and Brewery in Fredericton at 426 Queen Street in New Brunswick's capital city. 
The restaurant features a 120 seat dining room, two seasonal outdoor patios and a 5 BBL DME brewing system. The restaurant will also feature an oyster bar with a variety of fresh, local oysters. The brewery is up and running with Spencer Gallant as brewer.
The Gahan brand, which was established in Charlottetown, PEI in 2000 also operates brewpubs in Charlottetown, PEI, Halifax, NS, and most recently Saint John, NB. A third New Brunswick location is slated to open in Moncton later this year. 

Gahan House Restaurant & Brewery Announces Fredericton Location

(Charlottetown, PE) – Murphy Hospitality Group (MHG) announced that they have recently purchased Vault 29 in Fredericton, New Brunswick effective January 1, 2018 and will be bringing The Gahan House Restaurant and Brewery to Fredericton in spring 2018.
The restaurant, which will be located at 426 Queen Street, will feature a 120 seat dining room, two seasonal outdoor patios and a 5 BBL brewing system from DME Brewing Systems. The restaurant will also feature an oyster bar with a variety of fresh, local oysters.
The Fredericton restaurant and brewery will be the fourth Gahan House location, with sister locations currently in Charlottetown, PEI, Halifax, NS, and recently Saint John, NB with the third New Brunswick location is slated to open in downtown Moncton in 2018.
Kevin Murphy, President of Murphy Hospitality Group stated “We are very excited about the purchase of Vault 29 and the conversion to a Gahan House Restaurant and Brewery. Fredericton is a craft beer destination and we very much look forward to being part of this scene.” Murphy added “Fredericton has been very good to us in the support of our beers in the NB Liquor stores. We want to support communities that support us and look forward to giving back to the economy of NB.”
MHG noted that they will be hiring approximately 40 staff prior to the opening in March.

The Gahan House Restauarant and Brewery comes to Moncton

(Moncton, NB) - The Guardian has reported that the Murphy Hospitality Group (MHG) is opening a new boutique hotel in Moncton that will include a Gahan House Restaurant and Brewery. The new Gahan House, which will be on the corner of Wesley and Queen Streets, will join the two current locations in downtown Charlottetown Prince Edward Island and in Nova Scotia on the Halifax waterfront. 

The restaurant and brewery will be located on the main level of the 75 unit hotel and will feature a 160 seat dining room, seasonal 60 seat patio and 6 BBL DME brewing system.

The new hotel marks the MHG's first venture into New Brunswick. The new hotel complex hopes to open in late 2017 or early 2018.

For more details, see the full Guardian article.

Maritime Beer Report - August 28, 2015

Welcome to the August 28th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

PEI Brewing Company says with the return of the Harvest 4-pack comes the return of Harvest Time lager - super crisp, great hop aroma and finish to it. Available in the retail store at the brewery now and soon in the 4-packs to PEILCC and Alcool NB Liquor stores

Upstreet Craft Brewing have released the details on their collaboration with Emily from Boxing Rock Brewing. The new India Pale Lager known as Rumble in the Alley: Round 1 is set to release on September 5th, the day of the Block Party. The Block Party will be on September 5th and is a free outdoor event in their parking lot from 12-8pm, with an after party in the taproom following the event. This party will feature local food vendors, live musical performances, a pop-up barber shop, lawn games, activities, and more. Upstreet will also be doing guided brewery tours throughout the day. 

Pump House Brewing tells me that they will be making their Stone Fire Ale again this year, and hopefully every year, on September 3rd to celebrate their anniversary. Look for this beer in the special 750 ml bottles in October. They are also releasing SPCA IPA this fall in support of the animal charity, expect this one to be good and hoppy.

I tweeted this week that Shiretown Brewing has closed its doors. Sad news but the brewer is still working in the industry as a sales rep for another craft brewer.

TrailWay Brewing's two brewers' wives took over for a brew and it is now ready. It is called "Better Half" and is a 4.5% ABV Blueberry Lime Ale brewed with real lime and local blueberries. Sounds like a nice summer beer.

NB Liquor is celebrating the winners of this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards by offering a selection of 38 varieties of beer and one cider from among the medal winners. Participating corporate stores will have the brands available starting on August 31st, I have seen some of these beers already appearing in some stores.

Big Spruce Brewing will be harvesting their hops for a Community Harvest IPA next week, Jeremy assures me it will be a hoppy brew, watch their facebook page for updates. They also announced The 3rd Annual Big Spruce Home Brew Challenge. First, Second and Third Place will be announced in each of the 3 styles, plus there will be a declared overall "best in show" winner. Entrants that place in each of the style categories will each win a swag package, and the Best in Show winner will also be given the opportunity to brew their beer at Big Spruce Brewing for release in January 2016 at the 3rd Annual Craft Beer and Local Food festival put on by Local Connections in Halifax. The selected beer styles for the competition, per BJCP Style Guidelines 2015, are:
1) 21B. Specialty IPA - Red IPA
2) 7B. Altbier
3) 3D. Dark Czech Lager
All the details are available now so get brewing.

The Garrison Brewing collaboration brew they did with Great Lakes Brewery and Metalman Brewing earlier this month has a name. Not So Gentle Tickle IPA is being described as a monster of a IPA. Garrison also announced Hop’n’Brats happening on September 25th from 6 PM until 11 PM. They say breweries from across the province will be there to present their top brands, while enjoying your favorite Sausage themed food with live music. Entry is $16 which includes 5 sample tickets and a souvenir sample cup.

Boxing Rock Brewing and North Brewing were busy this week harvesting and brewing their annual Many Hands collaboration beer. Look for details and release date in the coming weeks on version 3.0.

Gahan House Halifax has a couple of interesting beers to look for. Karen Allen was visiting Emily from Boxing Rock last week and she was kind enough to let her harvest some Cascade and Chinook hops from her back yard. Karen will be doing a wet-hop pale ale with them that will be released the last week of September. Also being released that week will be an Oyster Beer to promote the Oyster Festival on October 4th. It`s fairly experimental, but the plan is for it to be an ultra pale ale with lemon and sea salt. Going to throw a bit of rye malt in there for a touch of spiciness. The plan is for it to pair well with oysters and it will be on tap at Gahan the whole week leading up to Oyster Festival.

Thanks for following along this week and until next time enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - June 19, 2015

Hello and welcome to the June 19th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

The latest Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation annual sales information released this week shows continued exceptional growth for Nova Scotia made craft beer. According to the NSLC, Nova Scotia craft beer sales grew last year by 25.4% compared to 22% the year before. This growth is even more significant given the 1.2% decline in sales in the beer category overall. Overall, the Nova Scotia Craft Beer industry grew 35.9 % last year, including more than $10 million in direct sales from breweries and the private wine stores, in addition to the over $5 million of sales through the NSLC retail outlets. 

Big Spruce Brewing is having a food truck party every Friday throughout the summer and next Friday, June 26th is the first  first day. The folks at Free Range Bio Farm will be there with their custom Big Yellow food truck, featuring some of their on-farm raised/processed, German style, Berkshire pork sausages. There will be potato salad, sauerkraut, chili, and lots of other delicious local treats. 

Boxing Rock tells me that the last batch of Sessionista is ready to be released. Sad news but they are brewing a new session ale on Monday and rumor has it there will be rye in it. Stay tuned for details.

Garrison Brewing says they are pouring "Brewhouse Cider" in conjunction with their friends Bulwark Ciders, and produced right in the old seaport brewery. Also Garrison's Coast to Coastless Imperial ESB will be released on Monday. This is a strong 7.6% ABV and 50 IBUs beer and was made with Philips Brewing, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewing and Trou du Diable. This will be available at the brewery, bottle shops and NSLC eventually.

Granite Brewery was brewing Honey Ginger this week. It should be available next week end and for the rest of the summer.

North Brewing Company has produced "Hang Ten" birthday beer for The Local Source and will be out this Saturday in their store and Lion and Bright. It is a 4.5% ABV hybrid lager dry hopped with Wakatu and Columbus. 

Rare Bird Pub opened yesterday for the summer season on the Guysborough waterfront. A great place to have a Rare Bird Craft beer. 

The Gahan House says they are heading to the Cavendish Beach Music Festival. Located at the top of the festival grounds will be the Gahan at the Beach Pop-up Restaurant featuring handcrafted ales on tap, beer and food demos, a pig roast and so much more.

Join the Ladies Beer League at their Second Beerthday Party on June 27th at The Wooden Monkey Restaurant in Dartmouth. They will have four special casks made by some of our favourite local craft breweries.
Tickets are $25 and include five 5 oz cask samples, a belly full of the Wooden Monkey's amazing pizza and - of course - birthday cake.
To celebrate their second year there are new Ladies Beer League swag. Come out to celebrate, hang out with awesome people, share ideas for future events, or just come for the beer. 
The casks include: 
- Boxing Rock is bringing Rule 42, which is an English IPA collaboration with Hell Bay, Sea Level and Gahan House.
- Big Spruce is doing up a Pump Le Mousse Grapefruit Wheat. 
- Garrison firkin and North Brewing cask, 
In celebration of their 2nd birthday they want to know where you have gone with the Ladies Beer League. Post a picture of you in your LBL shirt before Friday June 26 and you could win one of their new shirts designed by Dartmouth Clothing Company. Check on the facebook for details.

Tasting NB is bringing together NB craft alcohol producers of all varieties for the first time. This early evening outdoor event takes place across The Capital Complex patios and surrounding area. Producers include Picaroons Traditional Ales, Big Axe Brewery, Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault, TrailWay Brewing , Grimross Brewing , Railcar Brewing, The Pump House Brewery and Restaurant, Belleisle Winery, Red Rover Brewing, Pollen Angels Meade and Fils du Roy Spirits. Additional producers still to be announced. This is taking place Saturday July 11, 2015 from 7PM - 10PM.

Thanks for joining me again this week and until next time enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - April 3, 2015

Welcome to the April 3rd edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Barnone Brewing has been very busy, they released a fresh Sessions asking if we remember the Solstice last year and this one has Citra. They also had Black Eye IPA, Pale, IPA, and some American Wheat last night and was brewing 'La Vaca Loca' Milk Stout.

Gahan House Pub in Charlottetown has released Angus Ale in conjunction with its burger week. Angus Ale is an unfiltered pale ale, dry hopped so lots of citrus aroma. It is 5% ABV and an 25 IBUs.

PEI Brewing Company says Reanimator is available in 473mL cans in their retail store. In case you forgot it is a 8.1% ABV Bock.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault released its  Lancaster KB882 amber lager this week in growlers. It is a 4.6% ABV lager. I mentioned this before as they honor a Lancaster bomber that has been in the town for 50 years.

Grimross Brewing Company introduces the Serendipity Series with its first offering of an Abbey beer. From Grimross "As a brewer, exploring new ideas and new recipes is half the fun of what we do. This is what our Serendipity Series is all about. Whenever the opportunity arises we will try new recipes, new ingredients, new techniques and processes in order to explore the world of beer and brewing... and we want to share them with you." For the first one they experimented with a new Malt from a micro-malterie in Quebec and a new Abbey yeast. It is a single Abbey beer, meaning it is lower alcohol and the ale the Monks would save and drink for themselves. Grimross ran a naming contest so we will see a name for this soon.

Hammond River Brewing as I reported, brewed their last batch of Breakfast stout for the season but put some of it on an oak barrel for aging, look for this barrel aged beer in a few weeks.

Picaroons Traditional Ales is once again asking for your cat. Cat picture that is, they are once again getting the Melonhead label ready and need your hi-res picture that they can use. Get all the details on their website and the deadline is April 24. There is also a special Easter treat at the Brewtique on Saturday April 4th. They have a keg of Irish Red dry-hopped with Golding Hops, a keg of Man's Best Friend dry-hopped with Tettnang hops, a keg of Blonde dry-hopped with Cascade hops and a keg of Yippee IPA dry-hopped with Amarillo hops.

The Pump House Brewery announced tickets for the expanded Atlantic Beer Fest are now for sale. Tickets are 55.00 for the Friday or Saturday evening session and 45.00 for the Saturday afternoon session. The oldest festival in the Maritimes grew from 600 beer fans in its inaugural year to 3000 last year with 60 breweries from across Canada, the USA and beyond. New this year is the Friday evening session and plans on adding a Belgium pavilion that will feature hard to find Belgian Beers along with Belgian food and all patrons of the festival will get a chance to win a once in a life time beer vacation to Belgium that includes visits to centuries old Trappist breweries.

Hell Bay Brewing Company celebrated its 4th birthday this week and say as a special thanks they will be sending Dark Cream Ale to a NSLC near you in early May. 

Meander River Farm says Ashdale Honey Brown is brewing and Lunch Box and Shack Wacky cider will be on tap this weekend in addition to a few growlers of Smokey Chipotle Porter left. They are open regular hours this Easter weekend.

Propeller Brewing says its latest One Hit Wonder, Peated Scotch Ale, is available for Growler fills right now. I hear it is quite good and at  7.1 % ABV it will warm you up on these cool Spring nights.

The Townhouse Brewpub & Eatery are closing for a 10 day break (April 4-13) while the owners get some R&R and explore Real Ale in the UK. Follow their adventures on facebook and stay tuned.

One last item, I see Bar Stillwell have a new beer out called Crush. It is an unfiltered lager with Nelsom Sauvin hops that comes in at 6.1% ABV.

That is it for this week, enjoy what is a long week end for most of us and until next time enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - February 20, 2015

Hello and welcome to the Maritime Beer Report for February 20th.

The Gahan House has launched its second Home Brewer's Challenge. You have until February 27th to register and the closing date is May 15th. Get details on their facebook page.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault are brewing a brand new pale ale made entirely with malt from their neighbours and friends at Malt Broue in Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac. They say it is going to be ready in 3 weeks. Their diva was also busy recently brewing a maple brown ale with a few of her friends.

Hammond River Brewing's new beer has been tapped at Bourbon Quarter Restaurant & Bar. This is the winning beer from HRB's recent homebrew competition. It's a 7% ABV Winter Warmer, and due to the recent weather, the homebrewer has called it "F@‪#‎K‬ Winter". It's a deliciously spiced Winter Warmer so stop in for a pint of it.

Picaroons Traditional Ales says it is surprise beer time. Their latest brewing experiment at the Brewtique is a small batch of Scotch Ale. It is a 7.0% ABV full bodied ale that has plenty of roasted characteristics, that are all held together by an earthy Fuggles hop undertone.It is on tap at the Brewtique while supplies last.

The Pump House Brewery has released for a limited time Black Voodoo Ale, a smooth dark ale with a bite of a rattlesnake. In fact it is a blend of their 4 Alarm IPA and Muddy River Stout and will only be available through the end of the month.

Railcar Brewing Company will be closed until March 17th because they are on the move. Not far just across the street where they will be taking over the bottom floor of 2 Curtis Road underneath A.C. Sharkey's Pub. The new area will consist of a glassed in brewing area and a craft beer bar as well. More space will allow for more tanks as well. 

Boxing Rock Brewing Company has a new beer out. Wild Axe Bohemian Pilsener is 5.7% ABV made with our local lumberjacks in mind. It is a traditional bohemian pilsener, brewed exclusively with Saaz hops and fermented long and aged cold for a perfect pilsener taste. 
Boxing Rock brewed with Andrew "Esty" Estabrooks, former head brewer at Picaroons recently. The Next Chapter is a Rye IPA brewed with New Brunswick malt comes in at 6.3% ABV, This will be released at Fredericton Craft Beer Fest and released at ANBL. 

Garrison Brewing has partnered with Beer Thief, Newfoundland’s' special order beer club to create an exclusive brew - Imperial Chocolate Stout - especially for Canada's easternmost province. At 10% ABV, the Imperial Chocolate Stout was brewed big and bold for the time year and for Newfoundland’s craft beer fans.  Fans in Nova Scotia can also try this unique specialty brew in 650ml bottles starting this weekend either brewery fresh at Garrison Brewing or all four private stores.
Garrison is also releasing "This IS Radio Wheat!" for CKDU 88.1 FM's 30th birthday. A 4.6% ABV wheat beer at the brewery.
The first wave of judging is going on tomorrow for the Brew-off, hope is to narrow the 80 entries down to 12. 

Propeller Brewing Company has a couple of One Hit Wonder Series brews out. 6 More Weeks is an amped up Brown Ale is light bodied, rich in earthy, piny and spicy hop flavour. The dark malts used in this brew add a dash of roast characters that add a delicate creaminess. This beer is loaded with hop bitterness that doesn’t linger with plentiful hop aroma.  This is a 5.5% ABV 82 IBUs beer. Next up is Imperial ESB, is now available and is  6.2% ABV. Lastly the 2015 edition of their Irish Red is out today, now available at both locations in 650ml bottles.

Rock Bottom Brewpub has brought back its award winning Wreckoning - Russian Imperial Stout
Screams crème brûlée with roasted malt and dark fruit then quickly settles into an amazing complexity of tenacious flavours. Layer after layer; toffee, dried fruit, hops, vanilla, dark caramel and chocolate. Her luscious bouquet, soft mouth-feel, alcoholic warmth and silky legs will leave you callin' for more. Finishes with superb tannin balance. A strong 10.5% ABV and 100+ IBUs only available in 7&12 oz portions.

Rudder's Seafood Restaurant & Brew Pub is closed for renovations for a week of two, watch here for updates.

Schoolhouse Brewery has a new fermenter coming at the end of March. Should help in production and trying some new beers.

Looking for something to do Saturday night? Pop by the Ladies Beer League Presents "Rocks Off" event at the Mayflower Curling Club and help us raise funds for Stepping Stone. We'll have 5 craft beers and 1 craft cider on tap, curling lessons from 8-10pm, oversized board games from The Board Room Game Cafe, wonderful bites from The Food Wolf, and a CKDU 88.1 FM dance party from 11pm - 2am. And the best part...It's free admission!

Adam Bower is having the 3rd installment of Winemaker vs Brewmaster series at Grand Banker in Lunenburg. This local Taste-Off is between Luckett Vineyards & Garrison Brewing Co. Pete Luckett, owner of Luckett Vineyards and Daniel Girard, brewmaster of Garrison Brewing will each receive our culinary team's 5 course menu in advance, with the mission to put their best pairing forward for each course. 5 Wines, 5 Brews, 5 Courses $80 (+tax & gratuity). Tickets available at the Grand Banker or by calling 902-634-3300.

Moncton area Beer League is planning a New Brunswick craft beer dinner you won't want to miss on Saturday, March 21. Details coming soon.

Strides N Suds is a new ,exclusive event to bring our craft beer and running communities together to raise funds for JDRF. The day will consist of a 5 or 10 km running race along the beautiful First Lake Trail in Lower Sackville and end in a social with samples of craft beer and entertainment. Registration begins at 10:00 am until 11:30 with Run beginning at Noon. MUST BE 19 Years and older to participate.

One last note, Harvest Wine and Spirits in Dartmouth has added four beer taps for growler fills called the Beer Parlour. Watch facebook for what is pouring.

Thanks for joining me again this week after my mid winter break. Until next time enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - November 28, 2014

Hello and welcome to Canadian Beer Day edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Barnone Brewing says its new 'lil' DIPA is light in malt, big in hops. This is from lots of late additions and dry hopping. It weighs in at 8% ABV and look for this one at the brewery soon.

The Gahan House in Charlottetown says it has Legally Blonde now on tap. It is a light body Belgium Style Ale which comes in at 5.5% ABV. It's pale yellow in colour, lightly hopped, and has a slight fruity flavour. Served with a thick creamy froth and an orange wedge.

PEI Brewing Company pulled the curtain back a little futher on its new DIPA 8 Cord. PIEBC says "We pushed the malt aside to let the hops shine through on this big, dry and tropical brew. Expect citrus, pine and floral aromas with just enough bread malt flavour to carry the strong, smooth bitterness." It will be out in  473 mL cans in PEI and comes in at 8.5% ABV.

Big Tide Brewing Company says it was brewing Chocolate Porter this week as well as hopefully a double IPA this week end. Watch for those soon.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault released their "festive" brown this week. Called Buckdjeuve or "jackalope" the brewers say it has a little spice , a little chocolate , a little molasses, a ton of flavor and  7.3 % ABV. Available now at the brewery. 

The latest news on Grimross Brewing Company's is that after time and many very long nights, they have their first batch fermenting in the new brewery at 600 Bishop Dr. They expect to be open for business in about 3 weeks. What a Christmas present for Fredericton area. 

Big Spruce Brewing has a new beer coming that is a slightly higher alcohol malty amber. I have to say it is their best name yet, meet Spruce Bringstein. Watch for it soon.

For you U-889 from Boxing Rock Brewing fans I heard through the hop vine it will be back in a week or two just in time for Christmas.

Meander River Farm had some big news this week with the release of a Imperial IPA. The new brew is Haymaker IIPA  and is a healthy 8.5% ABV. They say this brown ale is intensely hopped throughout the brewing process to achieve the rich hoppy flavour and bitter finish characteristic of the style. This brew packs a big punch, hence the name. Get it now at the brewery and select taps. 

North Brewing Company's new Belgian Milk Stout is the first beer on tap at the Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar at Bishops Landing new expanded food menu and beer on tap. Two great local companies together.

Propeller Brewing Company has a new One Hit Wonder that dropped today. A Vanilla Porter this time around. I don't have the details on this but I am sure it is great.

Tatamagouche Brewing Company has a new limited lager brewed with Malagash grown Crystal hops. It is called RR#2 after the rural route where the hops are grown. Available in growlers, and 650mL bottles in Tatamagouche.

Ladies Beer League wants people to mark December 14th on their calendars as they are joining forces with their best buds at Stillwell to host a brunch with a special holiday release from Tatamagouche Brewing. More details to follow as I get them.

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival tickets went on Sale today at 10 AM. This is my favorite beer festival in the region and Lloyd and his crew know how to put on a good show. These tickets won't last long and make a great Christmas gift

Another great gift is tickets to the Second Annual Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration but they are down to less than 15 tickets so your window for this one is closing fast.

That is it for this week. I am busy working on three special reports coming out in December with the Christmas Beer guide coming in a couple of weeks. Until next Friday enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - October 17, 2014

Hello and welcome to the October 17th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

PEI Brewing Company says Blood Orange Tangerine IPA has made a come back and is now on tap. In case you don't remember this is an American IPA with a 6.5% ABV and 50 IBUs.

Big Tide Brewing Company announced new this week, the Darkening Imperial Stout. They say it is "Rich, malty and sure to warm you up at 8.2 ABV. Brewed with 2 row and pale ale malts, lots of chocolate malt and some caramunich. About 70 IBUs from Goldings and Willamette hops".

Hammond River Brewing released that their newest beer, an Imperial Vanilla Porter is now available at select taps in the Saint John. It weighs in at 8.1% ABV. HRB had three new recipes that they are looking at brewing. They are a bold American Brown Ale, a hoppy Black IPA and a Coffee Porter using all local Java Moose coffee beans. They ran a poll on their facebook page to leave it up to fans to choose which one they brew. The winner is the American Brown Ale called "Switchback". They say it won't be your typical American Brown as it will be mash hopped, dry hopped and should be about 62 IBUs and 6% ABV.

Railcar Brewing Company is pleased to announce they will be open regular hrs and be able to fill growlers starting November 1st. They will have their Artisan Brown Ale and their Railcar Red ready for fills that Saturday. They also say they will fill any clean growler from any brewery. Prices are 1L for $5.00 and 2L for $10.00. Mitch also just worked out a Peanut Butter Porter recipe. This is an all organic recipe that features peanut butter, maple syrup, pale, caramel, and chocolate malts with fuggle hops.

Shiretown Beer's Runnin Down the Road Brass Ale is back. Packing a grapefruit aftertaste, but not big "pink" grapefruity taste more like straight regular grapefruit. Hopped entirely from Shiretown's own hops (unknown) grown on the Leslie property. Small quantity available at the brewery. 

Big Spruce Brewing has announced their second annual Home Brew Competition and is open to all Nova Scotia homebrewers. This year's style is BJCP 6D which is American Wheat or Rye. The competition is open now and beers are due November 24th at either the brewery or at a Halifax drop-off location and judging will take place the following weekend.
The winning brewer will be invited to brew their beer at Big Spruce in time for launching at the Local Connection Halifax Craft Beer and Local Food Event on January 15th, 2015 and in general release after that. I will release more details as I get them, getting brewing.

Gahan House - Halifax released their new seasonal ale. Hopgoblin is an imperial red ale, weighing in at 8.4% ABV, is now on tap.

Garrison Brewing Company shared that they are barrel-aging Spruce Beer and Grand Baltic Porter. The barrels started their journey at Wild Turkey with a stop at Ironworks Distillery. Stay tuned for more information and release dates.

Hell Bay Brewing Company released another batch of the R.I.P.(A.) this week in growlers and kegs. No details but Mark says limited quantity.

Rockbottom Brewpub is releasing Ultimate White IPA on Saturday Oct 18th at 4 PM. This latest brew is a hybrid of sorts; a redux of their Ultimate White IPA. From Greg Nash's blog "IPA meets Witbier. Brewed with malted barley, wheat, oats, coriander, bitter orange peel and plenty of hops: bright and fresh with hop forward citrus notes, coriander and orange cut through making their presence known - it's almost like orange soda plowed with hoppy goodness. Hybrid deliciousness for your glass." Rock Bottom is pairing this up with Cyra Belbin's famous deep-fried Mac'n Cheese bites. This beer comes in at 5.7% ABV and 8 IBUs. 

Looking forward to tomorrow's Nano tap takeover at Stillwell. This iteration is probably what I looked forward to the most as these beers I report on but rarely or never get to try. 

Speaking of Stillwell's they released today that they collaborated with Boxing Rock Brewing on their Anniversary Beer. It is called Merci Biere and it is a strong ale weighing in at 8.4% ABV. Look for this one at Stillwell on November 16th and in private stores after that.

That is all for this week, take care and until next time enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - September 19, 2014

Hello and welcome to the September 19th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Big Axe Brewery brewed their first batch of  Seasonal Harvest Ale they are kegging it tomorrow and say to stay tuned, what I can say is they showed a bowl of carrots, squash and toffee.

Big Tide Brewing Company brewed Indian Beach Harvest Ale this week with fresh Cascade and Nugget hops grown at Dunhams Run vineyard. Indian Beach Nut Brown is a classic, British style Brown Ale,brewed with a blend of Canadian and European malts.

Hammond River Brewing says that the ANBL contacted them asking if  they would participate in their Growler program at the KV store. This is thanks to you taking time to contact ANBL and request growlers of their beers. HRB beer will be starting October 2nd at the KV store available for Growler fill ups. As a tribute to his Dad, the beer that he is choosing to kick off the program is Gammie California Steam Ale. In other HRB news they are brewing up inaugural Pumpkin Spiced Ale and should be available on tap in about 2.5 weeks. Also, in the next week or so, they'll be brewing up another new beer and it will be an Imperial Vanilla Porter. This beer won a gold medal last year in Calgary in a home brew competition. HRB plans on having two versions of this beer, the Vanilla Porter itself, and another with Bourbon added. 

Picaroons Traditional Ales released seven different batches of Harvest Ale, each brewed with maritime malts, and single hopped with different  fresh, local, hops from their hop farmer friends around the maritimes. One batch will be the Kitchen Sink batch which will have a plethora of all the hops from all farms. You can once again find out about HARVEST ALE's hops and farmers by checking out the batch number on your bottle and going to the Picaroons web  site to check which hops and from where. Cool concept.

The Pump House Brewery released their latest Seasonal Brew, the Oktoberfest Bier. Now available at the Orange Lane location.

Railcar Brewing Company received their brewers licence this week so now they only need to get product listed. Congrats to Mitch.

Shiretown Beer Black Currant Wheat is ready and at the brewery in a very limited quantity. The colour on this one looks fantastic

Big Spruce Brewing is brewing its first pumpkin beer and for this one he is smoking the pumpkin. They also say that their first keg of Harvest Double IPA is on tap at the brewery. Hoppily Remarried is 7.1% ABV

Boxing Rock Brewing Company has been busy these past few weeks. Not only have they commissioned a new fermentation tank, effectively doubling their capacity from this time last year but their Many Hands Harvest Ale collaboration with North Brewing will go on sale tomorrow. It is available on tap in select locations and in growlers.

Gahan House - Halifax reports Karen's upcoming beers with release dates will be Maple Whisky Porter tomorrow, Belgian Pale Ale today and Peach Wit on September 26th. They are also introducing 'Brewster on the Bar' starting next Tuesday, September 23rd. during which they will have a cask of Coffee Porter on the bar.

Meander River Farm had its 5th Annual Hop Harvest last week end. They send thanks to everyone who helped out and their farm yielded 174 pounds of hops this year with 134 pounds for Garrison and 40 pounds for their own brewery.

Propeller Brewing Company says their Organic Ale rolls out to NSLC stores Sept 29th. and their Pumpkin Ale is out now and available at both Prop Shop locations.

Sea Level Brewing's seasonal New Scotland Heather Ale is now on shelves. This hybrid ale uses locally grown heather flowers and a unique combination of wet-hopped Cascade, Fuggles and Hallertau hops grown on Sea Level’s own hop farm. This beer is ABV  5% and approximately 20 IBUs. Their 355ml Cans will also be at Bishops Cellar, Cristall Wine Merchants, Premier Wines and Spirits and Harvest Wines and Spirits and on tap at Stillwell, Obladee Wine Bar, Agricola Street Brasserie, and Auction House. Sea Level is predicting it will be around for two weeks.

LOCAL CONNECTIONS HALIFAX started selling tickets for the Craft Beer & Local Food Celebration at The Halifax Club on January 15th. This was a great event last year and the tickets are going fast, if you want to go don't wait as they will be gone soon. 

Halifax Oktoberfest is tomorrow in Halifax and is always a good time.

Mirella Amato, Canada's only Master Cicerone and author of "Beerology" is coming to Halifax. Please join the Ladies Beer League for a very special book launch and signing with Mirella Amato on October 6th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at Lion & Bright.  Tickets are on sale now and it includes the book. 

That is all for this week, until next time enjoy responsibly.

Gahan House Harbourfront - Great new brewpub for Halifax

I had the recent privilege to attend a guided beer tasting at the newly opened Gahan House in Halifax with the Ladies Beer League. The pub is in the heart of downtown sticking out into Halifax harbour in the The Historic Properties. There is an ample outdoor area but entry is in the Historic Properties. You are greeted by a host at the door and you enter into the large airy space with lots of windows and vaulted ceiling, then there is the bar sporting 14 taps and the oyster bar. 

The tasting was led by the new in-house brew master Karen Allen, who is a native of Antigonish. The tasting ran the gamut of Gahan offerings from Beach Chair Lager to Sydney Street Stout, but the two at the end were the two current offerings brewed in the pub. The first was a dry-hopped IPA called Hippy Cousin weighing in at 6% ABV and 65 IBUs, it is hoppy, earthy and delicious. The other one that was available was Beer & Loathing, a strong Belgian ale at 8% ABV, I really enjoyed this one. It was spicy and sweet and even had a little hoppiness to boot.

After the tastings Karen took small groups up, yes the brewing is done up above the main floor (I hate to be the guy to carry the bags of malt up there). She says to look forward to a valley peach lager coming very soon. 
I think Gahan has a winner in the new location and I look forward to many visits here in the future.

Maritime Beer Report - August 29, 2014

Hello and welcome to the August 29th edition of the Maritime beer report.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault announced that Taunte Blanche was bottled and is making its way down to ANBL stores on York Street in Fredericton, Régis Street in Dieppe and Vaughn Harvey Blvd in Moncton.

Picaroons Traditional Ales says Upstream Ale is now getting released around New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. They say "Help support the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation by drinking BEER!" On the shelves for a limited time in support of the Foundation.

Picaroons' also announced that they've brewed a new beer. Announcing the Selection Double IPA, a new IPA that's hopped to the max with Pride of Ringwood, Brambling Cross, Cascade, Orbit, Galaxy, Sorachi Ace, & Slovenian hops. But say say beware, this is a strong ale weighing in at 7.9% ABV. The Selection Double IPA will be getting tapped on Thursday September 4th for in-Growlers only, at the BREWTIQUE in Downtown Fredericton, and at the Alcool NB Liquor Prospect Street location in Uptown Fredericton.

Pump House to Brew Ancient Stone Beer in Celebration of 15th Anniversary. During the Middle Ages, brew kettles were made of wood and could not be direct-fired from a heat source without the fear of burning the kettle to the ground. With necessity being the mother of invention, brewers of the day developed what is now known as Stein Beer, stein meaning “stone”.
These clever beer-making alchemists of the day would add super flame-heated stones to the beer wort which achieved the desired heat levels required. During this process, the malt sugars that are present would caramelize directly and immediately to the stones creating a very distinct flavour.
Pump House Stonefire Ale will commence its path into Maritime brewing history on September 3rd complete with a “Stone Drop” event. Only 4000 750-mL bottles of Stonefire Ale will be available for purchase and will be on the shelves at ANBL and NSLC stores in late October.

Big Spruce Brewing thanks the hop pickers and says they are using the first of their on farm, fresh organic hops to this year's wet hopped ale. They call it Hoppily Remarried. They say it is a slimmer and younger version of last year's harvest beer. They say the IBUs are incalculable - lots of magnum, cascade and Mt Hood hops. They are brewing as an Imperial IPA and hope to reach 8.4% ABV.

Rock Bottom Brewpub says that Rhubarb π will be on tap Today. This lacto sour is 4.6% ABV and is acidic and tangy, refreshing, barny, and tastes like, you guessed it, rhubarb.

Ladies Beer League is offering a sneak peak of The Gahan House Harbourfront. Join them on September 8th at 7 pm and sample 10 of Gahan's brews with brewmaster Karen Allen. There were a few tickets left a lunch time today.

Thanks for joining me again this week and enjoy responsibly over the long week end.

Maritime Beer Report - August 8, 2014

Hello and welcome to the Maritime Beer Report for August 8, 2014. 

Gahan House is busy hiring for their new location in Halifax, if you are interested in a job check out their website. Check out my blog post about their newest location.

Picaroons Traditional Ales has brewed up a limited release Apricot Ale, Pride Sally Pride. It is available The Brewtique, Vault 29, 540 Kitchen & Bar, The Lunar Rogue Pub, and boom! Nightclub! It was created in cohoots with the Fredericton Pride Committee. Picaroons has also brought back for a limited time their 506 Logger beer. 

Red Rover Brewing say that they will be the first New Brunswick a Brewery (cidery) selling refillable bottles at a Farmers Market this Saturday. Get a Refillable 1L Flagon at Boyces Farmers Market in Fredericton.

Big Spruce Brewing announced that the Tasting Deck now open and it looks great. They also released Pump Le Mousse, the grapefruit wheat ale that I mentioned a few weeks ago. They also say that they have "Nova Scotia's first internationally conspired brew - a Coffee IPA brewed with fresh organic dark roast coffee from Café Milagro in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. We proudly mashed this in today with Bryan Druhan, brewer at Phillips Brewing in Victoria, BC. "

Garrison Brewing Company released they have a bunch more jobs available. From the brewer "As our brewery expands, so does our team! Check out the following positions: Shift Brewer, Packaging Supervisor, Bottling Line Labourer, and Marketing, Events & Retail Coordinator".

Meander River Farm announced they have Honey Brown. From MRF"Made with toasted malts and local Cosman & Whidden Honey, this lightly hopped 5.2% ABV copper coloured brew shows a light coffee flavour on the front, a rich toffee taste in the middle and a smooth honey finish. Stop by the Farm today and Friday from 4-7 or Saturday and Sunday 11-5 for a taste and growler fill while it lasts!"

Propeller Brewery has announced the upcoming launch of a new series of beers . From the Canadian Beer News "The Propeller Lambic Style Series is a collection of beers inspired by the classic wild and sour ales of Belgium, and described as follows:

Propeller Lambic Style has been brewed in keeping with its origins using unmalted wheat and aged hops. We fermented this unique brew using yeast similar to that found indigenously in the Senne Valley of Belgium, southwest of Brussels. Aged in oak wine barrel, this brew displays tart, musty and complex flavours.

Four beers are planned to be released in the series, with the first being Propeller Framboise, a 4.2% sour beer brewed with whole raspberries, and bottle conditioned for several months to add “effervescent and refreshing carbonation.”

Propeller Framboise will be debuted on Saturday August 23rd at Bar Stillwell in Halifax, where it will be available by the bottle or glass while supplies last. Retail sales of 750 ml bottles will launch the following Monday August 25th at both Propeller stores."

Rock Bottom Brewpub will have Thulsa Doom II DIPA On tap Friday, August 8th at 5:00 PM. Coming in at a healthy  8.8% ABV and 130 (calculated) IBUs. 

The Townhouse Brewpub & Eatery released that now on tap they have Terrys British IPA, 5.4% ABV.

If you see me tomorrow afternoon at Seaport Beer Fest say "Hi", so until next time enjoy responsibly. 

Gahan House Brewpub Opening in Halifax September 2014

Gahan House which has been around in Charlottetown in one form or another since the 90s is coming to Halifax. I had a quick chat with Ben Murphy to see what we can expect at the new location in the old Hart & Thistle location in the Historic Properties. 

I asked him why they would come to Halifax to begin with, he said there were three main reasons to come here. First the Gahan brand has been very well received in Nova Scotia, second is the exciting craft beer scene in Nova Scotia and lastly was the almost turn key opportunity of a brewpub for rent. 

They expect to run the brewpub on the proven formula they currently have running the new location with primarily the same menu and beer offerings. There may be unique offerings from time to time on the menu and with their own brewmaster you may see some unique beers. 

Hiring is going well but if you are interested in working for them get your application in very soon.

Look for an opening party new month with food and fun.

Maritime Beer Report - August 1, 2014

Happy International Beer Day and coincidentally Happy Anniversary to the Beer Report. Here is the news for August 1st 2014.

PEI Brewing Company are asking for your help. They want you to come in and help choose their newest Stout. How do you do this? Purchase two samples pick one and this also gets you to be entered to be entered to win VIP tickets to the Prince Edward Island Beer Festival.

Big Tide Brewing Co. announced that to celebrate their upcoming 5th anniversary on August 5th, they are brewing Anniversary Amber Ale. Using 5 varieties of specialty malt, 5 varieties of hops, and looking forward to a smooth, malty full-bodied ale that is 5.5 ABV and around 55 IBUs.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault is looking for a part-time sales clerk, 20-25 hours a week. Check out their web site for details.

Hammond River Brewing released their Gammie California Steam Ale is now on tap at Shiretown Publicans and The Barrel's Head. From HRB "This is a very easy drinking beer with nice toasty notes and a Piney aroma from the Northern Brewer Hops. It's 5.3% ABV and 37 IBUs, and as most already know, this beer is a tribute to the recent passing of my amazing Father"

Pump House Brewing released Raspberry Wheat on tap. It is a German style wheat beer bombarded with 40 kg of raspberries. This is a beer for the raspberry connoisseur, delectably tart and refreshing and comes in at 5.5% ABV

Boxing Rock Brewing Company snuck a new beer out last week. Enter Sessionista that Boxing Rock describes as follows "The first thing you notice is an intense malt aroma reminiscent of an English Bitter, surrounded by a floral whiff of lemon blossoms and orange. Then some roasty malt notes on the palate followed by a pithy lemon-lime finish.
Not too bitter, not too heavy, just right for summer at 3.5% ABV, yet so full of flavour you'd swear that it was more.
Available for a very limited run in 650 ml bottles at Bishop's Cellar, Premier Wine & Spirits, Harvest Wines and Cristall Wine Merchants.
It will also be available in one litre growlers every Saturday at the Halifax Seaport Market, and the Shelburne Farmers' Market, (while supplies last) and in our own brewery store in Shelburne.
Look for it at your favourite craft beer locations. You might also find it at Stillwell Beer Bar, The Stubborn Goat, The Lion & Bright Cafe and others."

Garrison Brewing Co. is also looking for a Marketing, Retail & Events Coordinator to join their team. It looks like a fabulous job, you can get the details on their website now.

Rudders Brewpub tells me they have a new beer on tap in Yarmouth. A brown ale called Midnight Crossing. This 6% ABV ale is dark brown with a red tinge, caramel head. Malty aroma and a mild hoppy finish using two English and one Australian hop.

In late breaking news Gahan House Brewpub is expanding interprovincially and opening a second location on the Halifax waterfront. This is exciting news and they are now hiring all positions from Manager on down for a September opening.

It has been one year since I started doing this and if wasn't for all the great in the brewing industry and great supporters I doubt I would keep doing this. Thanks for a great year and hope to see a bunch of you at the Seaport beer fest next week end and as always enjoy responsibly. 

Maritime Beer Report - June 13, 2014

Hello and welcome to the Maritime Beer Report for June the 13th, 2014.

The Gahan House started pouring the new Cranberry Wit this week. It was the winner of the first annual homebrewer's challenge and was created by Ryan Palmer and Lee Nicholson.

Big Tide Brewing Co. wanted to celebrate the fact that they will soon be open for brunch, and the restoration of a nearby urban gem, and the beginning of camping season, Tin Can Coffee Porter will be on tap soon and it is brewed with local Java Moose coffee. They used the base recipe from their chocolate porter which is 2 row, chocolate, carafa and caramunich malts‎, and lightly hopped with nugget and Willamette hops. In the mash they used Java Moose dark roasted coffee and also added fresh brewed coffee at flame out. They were a little worried about bitterness so they added some vanilla to smooth it out but just a hint. It will be served unfiltered and will be about 5% ABV and about 45 IBU's. They also recently released a blueberry ale that is a seasonal favorite at Big Tide. It's a cream ale base with blueberry juice added. Brewed with 2 row and Munich malts. Lightly hopped with saaz hops and is about 5% ABV.

There will be two new summer seasonal beers released soon at Hammond River Brewing. The first one is a Hawaiian Pale Ale and expect this one to be available within the next week at the normal local establishments. The Hawaiian Pale Ale is brewed with fresh pineapples and is a slightly hoppy pale ale.  It's 56 IBUs and 5.8% ABV. The second one is a Blueberry Ale made with only real blueberries and no extract and should also be available within the next week. It's a mild 14 IBUs and 5.1% ABV.  Since he uses real blueberries, it's slightly purplish in colour. 

Bad Apple Brewhouse shared news on their new beer the Mosiac DIPA and the story behind it. From Bad Apple "The name of this beer represents my sons affliction of Mosaic Down Syndrome, and also at the same time is a display of the not so common Mosaic Hops. The hops give the beer a unique and complex blend of floral, tropical, fruity notes. Making it an easy drinking DIPA at 8% ABV. By doing our part to help the groups who make life better for others we are donating all of the proceeds from this beer to the Down Syndrome Society of NS and also Camp Brigadoon." The beer is available now in multiple formats at the Brewhouse, and further abroad later. They issued a special thanks to the local support, as they gave the first bottle to representatives from Brigadoon Village and NS Down Syndrome Society.

Garrison Brewing Co. released its popular Sugar Moon Maple and they say it is now available in their retail store and coming very soon the the NSLC, ANBL and four Halifax private stores! This strong ale comes in at 6.3% ABV

Propeller Brewing Company says you can now find six packs of their award winning Bohemian Style Pilsner at select NSLC stores.

There are many events coming up over the next few months starting with a couple next week end.

The Ladies Beer League is celebrating their 1st Beerthday party on Friday June 20th. There are asking everyone to join them The Wooden Monkey in Dartmouth at 7:30. They are bringing some cask-conditioned ale from their friends. Big Spruce is sending Double Dry Hopped All night Kitchen Party, North Brewing is bringing a Farmhouse Ale and Garrison Brewing has a Sticky Toffee Pudding Birthday Cake. It is pay as you go and they will have brand new LBL swag and merchandise for sale.

Stillwell Beer Bar released a few of the casks coming do the Garrison cask takeover event on June 21st.
Cask 1  Spiceman's Session Saison - Spiced Belgian-style Saison with Spiceman's Casia buds and Wild Voatsiperifery Pepper.
Cask 2 - Christmas in June - Pale Spruce Ale with Meander River Farm's Lunch Box Pale Ale and Garrisons Spruce Beer.
Cask 3 - Summit Buzz - Vanilla Expresso Brown with Spiceman's Vanilla Bean and Javablend K2 expresso.

Picaroons' Brewers Bash announced the list of who is attending the July 12th event in Fredericton NB. In all there are 62 brewers attending from all ten provinces and one territory. For the full list check their facebook page or my blog.

Harbourstone Sea Grill & Pour House is having another beer pairing dinner, this time with North Brewing Company. Six beers from North Brewing Co. will be paired with delicious and savoury creations from Chef Ted Young. Some teaser samples: Belgian Blonde paired with orange scented lobster dip with sweet potato chips as well as the Strong Dark Belgian with chocolate covered cherries with Mexican pot au creme. Tickets are on sale now through eventbrite. 

Tickets for Halifax Seaport Beerfest are now on sale. Tickets allows you to sample from 275 unique beers and ciders plus listen to great live music in a fun atmosphere. Delicious local food also available for $5.00 or under. New this year, both Saturday sessions will have a VIP option. VIPs will have one hour early access to the site, limited edition sampling glass, panel discussion and guided tasting with our guest speakers. Also new this year is a cask beer pavilion. Tickets are $45.00 to any of the three sessions or $50.00 at the gate. The VIP tickets will cost $65.00. 

Thanks for joining me again this week and until next time enjoy responsibly.