Pump House Brewery Releases Winter Threesome

(Moncton, NB) - Pump House Brewery released the Winter Threesome at its restaurant and Fill Station. The three pack consists of Winter Warmer 8.1% ABV, a traditional malty-sweet English style that is brewed and spiced with cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Deep dark amber coloured with a big malt presence and lingering spicy notes. Scotch Ale 5.5% ABV, is deep brown-amber coloured with a rich smokey aroma. Flavours of caramel, chocolate and peated malts. With it's silky smooth, lightly smokey, roasty character. Dopplebock 8.4% ABV, The colour is a very dark brown with a reddish tint, the foam is beige, thick and long lasting. The phenolic taste from the high alcohol content is barely noticeable, an intense maltiness, which is accompanied by a pleasant dark chocolate taste, ties it all together. 

Pump House Brewery Releases Oktoberfest Beer

(Moncton, NB) - The Pump House Brewery has released its seasonal. Pump House says "the Oktoberfest beer is medium-bodied and has an abundance of maltiness, while the mouthfeel is velvety and creamy due to relatively low carbonation levels typical for a Munich Oktoberfestbier served from wooden barrels. The hop bitterness is very moderate, never dominating the taste profile.Although the alcohol level is slightly more elevated than an average mainstream beer, the phenolic taste of alcohol is not noticeable. Our Oktoberfest beer has the potential to be an every day beer, but we think it is best to serve on special occasions (such as Oktoberfest)". The beer is 5.5% ABV and 12 IBU and available now in 6 packs and on tap now.

Pump House Brewery opens growler fill station

(Moncton, NB) - Pump House Brewery now has a growler fill station at 131 Mill Road in Moncton. At the Pump House main production and bottling plant in the former Barnyard BBQ restaurant. 
In addition to getting a growler filled up you can also get crowlers, cold six packs and Pump House merchandise. 
The new location is open every day from Noon to Midnight. 

Maritime Brewers Bring Home National Awards

The 2017 Canadian Brewing Awards were handed out last evening at the end of the 15th annual conference. the awards had 55 categories for beer with an additional 6 for ciders. The Brewery of the Year went to Mt. Begbie Brewing from British Columbia and Beer of the Year was Indie Ale House's Spadina Monkey. 
Local brewers successful in bringing home a lot of awards including many gold. The following list is of all the local breweries and their awards:
- Brasseurs du Petit-Sault won Bronze with La Kedgwick in European Style Lager (Pilsner).
- Boxing Rock Brewing captured Gold with Stayin’ Alive is Bock – Traditional German Style category
- Uncle Leo’s Brewery also grabbed Gold with its Vohs Weizenbier  in the Wheat Beer – German Style (Weiss) category 
- North Brewing had a double Gold night winning in the Belgian Style Abbey Ale/Pale Ale category with Gus’ 65m Ale and in Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer category with its newly rebranded Midnight Glenora Barrel Aged Strong Dark Belgian.
- PEI Brewing had a triple award outing with a Silver for Patience in Belgian-Style Brett Beer category, a Bronze in the Session India Pale Ale category for Vic Park APA, and another Bronze in Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer for Hell Street.
- Propeller Brewing won Bronze for its Porter in the Porter category. 
- Pump House Brewery took Gold in the Dry Stout category with their Muddy River Stout.
- Moosehead Breweries won a pair of Bronze awards for Moosehead Lager in North American Style Premium Lager category and for Moosehead Cracked Canoe in the Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager category.
Nova Scotia cideries Bulwark Cider and Ship Builders Cider did very well in the cider category. Bulwark Cider took Silver with Bulwark Original for New World Cider, Bulwark Blush took Gold in Cider with Other Fruit, a Bronze for  Bulwark Hopped in the Cider with Herbs/Spices, and Gold in Specialty Cider for Bulwark Rum Cider.
Ship Builders Cider took a Gold and a Bronze in Sid’s Chai Cider in Cider with Herbs/Spices and Sid’s Wild Blueberry Cider in Cider  with Other Fruit respectively. 

View full results here http://www.momandhops.ca/winners-announced-2017-canadian-brewing-awards/

The Pump House Brewery released Bière de Garde and Stonefire

(Moncton, NB) - The Pump House Brewery has released Bière de Garde, the 2014 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards Gold Medal Winner. The name Bière de Garde is a bit of a play on words: it is widely purported that this beer was so good people wanted to keep it, but in reality the term “de garde” meant a prolonged maturation time after primary fermentation to French and Belgian brewers. During this maturation time, the yeast has time to reduce unwanted fermentation by-products and taste-inducing esters are produced. This beer is available now and is 6.5% ABV and 15 IBUs.

They also released their 2015 Stonefire Ale in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The wort of this ale is heated by immersing hot stones into it that can reach temperatures up to 700°C (roughly 1,300°F). This tremendous heat forces the wort sugars to caramelize to the stones instantly, thus creating a one of a kind taste. A faint hint of smokiness in the background also pays tribute to this medieval brewing technique. This weighs in a 6.5% ABV and 7 IBUs. 

Maritime Beer Report - September 4, 2015

Welcome to the September 4th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Big Axe Brewery has released Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Ale. They say it is a delicious light brown ale with red hues and an aroma of strawberry ganache. They brewed it with a mixture of dark crystal malts and a great amount of toasted wheat to add a bit of complexity. A moderate amount of hops add a mild, fruity hop aroma that blends extremely well with caramel notes produced from Carabohemian malt. They used 10 lbs of strawberries from Hoyt's and some freshly picked rhubarb to create the Pie.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie weighs in at 5.5% ABV and has a very mild 22 IBUs.

Hammond River Brewing is currently brewing the first wet hopped Harvest Ale batch of 2015. Lots of fresh hops grown right there at HRB will be added

Railcar Brewing Company says CSB time is now and available to purchase until the end of September. There are three levels $125, 250 and 500, each with great deals attached.

The first Fredericton Cider Festival will be on Saturday, October 24th. Brought to you by those behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, the afternoon event will be held at Brewbakers in downtown Fredericton, and will feature unlimited tasting (4 oz pours) of up to 30 different ciders. With several local craft cideries attending as well as other big brands, there will be plenty of different offerings to sample! There are two ticket options: regular tickets $56.50 will get you a tasting glass and unlimited pours from 1-4 pm, while a limited number of VIP tickets $65.00 will allow for early entry at noon, plus a special information session on cider production. The event will be held outdoors on Brewbakers' partially-covered deck; a small food menu from the restaurant will also be available for purchase. Attendees can expect to see some extra-special products at the fest, quite-possibly including New Brunswick's first exposure to cask cider. Tickets available now on eventbrite. 

I was lucky enough to attend to great events in Moncton last night. I was at Pump House Brewing's production facility for this years Stone Fire Ale's kick off. As they did last year they dunked super heated rocks into the wort to create the unique flavors. The brewer tells me he change the recipe this year by switching up some malts to work better he hopes with the process. They plan on producing 4000 bottles again this year in the flip-top bottles. 
I also went to Flying Boats Brewing's launch at Laundromat Expresso Bar. Brewer/owner Marc Melanson saw all three of his kegs emptied in an hour and twenty minutes. The S-55 Special Mission Pale Ale (5.9% ABV 43 IBUs) and Empress Irish Red Ale (5.5% ABV 20 IBUs) were both great. Look for these beers in Moncton, Shediac and Sackville areas.

Garrison Brewing released its Tri-collaboration yesterday at Stillwell and the Beergarden. Not So Gentle Tickle IPA is a 7.0% ABV and 55 IBUs beer made with whole leaf Amarillo, Citra and Columbus hops in the kettle, whirpool and fermenter . It is described as having “a bold hop flavor with juicy, citrusy and fruity aspects". It is available for a limited time at the brewery in 650 ml bottles.

Propeller Brewing ‏noted that there was a very familiar and special aroma coming from their Brewhouse recently. Pumpkin Ale is on the way.

Unfiltered Brewing is releasing DOA (Double Orange Ale) today. It is a Citra SMaSH (single malt and single hop) Double IPA hits the taps @unfilteredbrews Friday at noon. Greg Nash says it contains NO oranges, it does, however, contain a boatload of citrus-y hop flavour and just the slightest hint of malt sweetness. It is a 7.5% ABV and 100+ IBU beer.

FirkinStein Brewing of Bridgewater says they will have beer very soon. I hope to meet with them in the next week or two to get all the details for you.

Staying with new brewery news, High Tide Brewing is opening a 15 BBL brewery in Truro. They are currently looking for a Head Brewer. I was talking to the owner and said he will meet with me next month to release details.

Thanks for checking out Maritime Beer Report, have a great long week end and as always enjoy responsibly.

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 - August 7, 2015

Hello and welcome to the August 7th, International Beer Day, edition of the Maritime Beer Report. First off I have been reporting the brews news for two years now and would like to thank you all for all the support.

PEI Brewing had a Kiwi IPA on tap for #IPADay and they say it was made by one of their Kiwis, Wax the logistics manager, in honor of our other Kiwi, Big Scotty. This IPA has freshly squeezed kiwi juice and is dry hopped with Citra and Comet. More on PEI Brewing in a moment.

Upstreet Craft Brewing launched their first seasonal beer on #IPADay. White Noize is a white IPA brewed with 50% wheat and generously hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus throughout. It weighs in at 7% ABV and 70 IBUs. The name is a tribute to the acoustical din of the tap room. 

Big Tide Brewing celebrated its sixth birthday this week. Wendy brewed their Anniversary Amber Ale again. This time using six types of malted barley an six hop varieties and hoping to get 6% ABV. It will be available shortly. They also launched the first collaboration between Big Tide an Hammond River Brewing, Rhubarbaric Saison. It was brewed with approximately 70 pounds of local rhubarb, pilsner and wheat malt and comes in around 7.1 ABV.

Distillerie Fils du Roy has a summer seasonal called La Messe Blanche. It is a 7% ABV weizenbock that has a great description on the facebook page. Looks like a very refreshing summer beer. The beer was made in the honor of Alexie Landry born in 1721 who officiated white masses, that is to say a mass without a priest for the people of Caraquet.

Picaroons Traditional Ales says Pride Sally Pride Apricot Ale will be back on tap starting this Sunday at the Brewtique and at the 2015 Fredericton Pride Festival Beer Garden in Downtown Fredericton. This is a 4.5% ABV beer and it is while supplies last. In honor of #IPADay they had 3 different dry-hopped Yippee IPAs on tap. One was Cascade & Tettnang, one with Saaz & Fuggles and one with Amarillo & Rakau. Picaroons is coming to Halifax and taking over the taps at Lion & Bright Café Wine Bar this Saturday after the Halifax Seaport Beerfest. They are also bringing a special guest HALF CUT Brewing Company.

The Pump House Brewery has Strawberry Wheat now on tap at the brewery in Moncton. Flavoured with local strawberries and a 5.2% ABV.

Big Spruce Brewing released two beers this week, a collaboration and a seasonal. First is Gimme Citra, a single hopped pale ale made with Stillwell Beer Bar. Big Spruce says "Outrageously aromatic, flavourful, and perfect for summer, this will be hitting Halifax yesterday. 36 IBU and 5.5% ABV. Available now at the brewery." Next up is Tip of the Spear Spruce Tip IPA. Also available now at the brewery.

Garrison Brewing was working on a collaboration today while the folks from Great Lakes Brewery and Metalman Brewing are in town

As I mentioned in the Spring, Rogues Roost will be closing by October 1 because its building is being redeveloped. The exact closure date is to be announced. This is sad news but PEI Brewing will be producing a Rogues Roost IPA that will be available in cans and sold in liquor stores across the Maritimes starting in September. Details being released soon.

Stutz Cider has released a new Wild Blueberry cider. It is made from fresh Nova Scotia Apples and Blueberries. It is available across Nova Scotia and is 6.5% ABV. 

Halifax Oktoberfest is looking for volunteers for the 2015 installment if you are interested email beer@garrisonbrewing.com for more info.

Ending with a sad note this week with some bad news from Barnone Brewing. Hugh Campbell, father and business partner passed away. He was a charming man and full of life when I met him. The family has my condolences at this difficult time.

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

Maritime Beer Report - July 24, 2015

Hello and welcome to the Maritime Beer Report for July 24th.

PEI Brewing Company says the next batch of the Vic Park Hop Sessions is in the tanks - this time with Mandarina Bavaria and the Galaxy hop version still available.

Upstreet Craft Brewing is kicking off a new weekly event on Sunday evenings. They have something for everyone, concerts on the big screen, staff prices on beer, and community board games.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault is celebrating summer with a brand new seasonal beer. Introducing Lt. Ingall- Summer Edition (dry-hopped and different malt for you beer geeks), available now at Brewtique and soon at ANBL growler filling stations.

Grimross Brewing Company says they recently kegged their Oat Saison, a 100% Oat Malt brewed beer. This is an experimental beer for those who cannot tolerate gluten and anyone else that wants a light summer beer. Their Oat Saison was fermented with a Saison strain of yeast. Aroma has hints of clove, the taste is light and crisp with subtle lemon peel and grass. At only 3% ABV you can have a few!

Half Cut Brewing Company opened today. It is Picaroons Traditional Ales' newest incubating brewery, just like the early days of Grimross Brewing Company, Picaroons is lending long time employee and friend, Matt Corey, the brewing system within The Brewtique to get this new brewing project off the ground. Matt was a Picaroons Sales rep from a few years ago and manager of the Picaroons Brewtique.  He’ll be creating various styles of beer based on how he interprets the style they belong to. The first brew is an interpretation of a Dusseldorf Altbier, a malty German ale that offers a generous amount of hop bitterness with a mild fruity nose. Alter Ego is now on tap at the Picaroons Brewtique.

The Pump House Brewery has released a new seasonal release, Rose Hip Ale, brewed with rose hips and orange peel. It is available at the Orange lane location, soon at all ANBL Stores. It comes in at 4.5% ABV.

Big Spruce Brewing and Jason Spears were working on the Tip of the Spear Spruce Tip IPA. Look for it in August where Big Spruce is served.

Meander River Farms says seventy pounds of fresh cut lavender is on its way to Garrison Brewing. Add some honey into the mix and it could only mean one thing, Honey Lavender Ale is brewing.

Wayfarers' Ale has broken ground in Port Williams on its new brewery. Look for more details on this as we move into fall.

On Thursday  August 6th Bar Stillwell is having Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery take over the taps. Great Lakes is a top tier Canadian craft beer company and the beers are worth trying if you can.

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

Maritime Beer Report - July 17, 2015

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

PEI Brewing Company says their new Vic Park Hop Sessions is coming out soon. It is Galaxy hops this time. Stay tuned for release time.

Big Axe Brewery has released their new FireFly IPA and is on tap at the brewery. Medium golden in colour, this IPA has a prominent hop aroma with both floral and citrucy notes. Some of the hops used are Chinook and Galena. This refreshing IPA has lighter body than their Double Bit IPA. It weighs in at 5.7% and 50 IBUs and has a very clean and crisp finish. Also the first batch of 2015 Chanterelle Cream Ale is on tap.

Grimross Brewing announces  Hops Festival on Saturday, August 22 from 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM. It is a celebration of New Brunswick Hops, Micro's and Music. They are holding the event in the back lot of the brewery and there will also be food vendors on site. Tickets are $30 advanced or $35 at the door and each ticket gets your first 3- 5 oz. drinks and you will be able to purchase additional drink tickets at the event.

Hammond River Brewing Company is doing a collaboration brew with another NB brewery. This time they will be pairing up with Wendy from Big Tide Brewing in Saint John and brewing a Rhubarb Saison with fresh rhubarb.

The Pump House Brewery says it is summer and and its Raspberry Weizen time. A German style wheat beer bombarded with 40 kg of raspberries! This is a beer for the raspberry connoisseur - delectably tart and refreshing. It weighs in at 5.5 % ABV.

Savoie's Brewhouse says they should be listed shortly at ANBL and look for their beer on the shelves of select stores by months end.

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival announced Craft Beer and Hand Crafted Ice Cream event at King Street Ale House on Sunday, July 26 at 6:00 PM.

Sea Level Brewing is hiring a full time Retail Manager.This position will start part-time, and will lead to a full-time position by early August. Responsible for managing the retail shop, assisting with production, business communications, preparing and invoicing wholesale and retail orders, along with day to day operations. Please personally deliver resume to Randy at the brewery between 10am-4pm. 

Thanks for checking out the Maritime Beer Report 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 - March 13, 2015

Hello and welcome to the March 13th edition of the Maritime Beer Report. 

First I would like to thank everyone one who said hi at the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival. Your support means a lot to me. 

Upstreet Craft Brewing did a small reveal this week. They are a PEI start-up coming on stream this summer. They are owned by Mitch Cobb, Mike Hogan (Hogie) and Joey Seaman and will be at 41 Allen St. You can expect to find them on tap and in bottles in many of your favourite restaurants and bars across the Island. You'll also be able to pop into their tasting room on evenings and weekends. More details will be coming soon.

Picaroons Traditional Ales have you released five different versions of their Timber Hog Stout. Regular Timber Hog, COFFEE infused Timber Hog (12 Beers Of Xmas style), A chocolate and vanilla infused Timber Hog, ginger Timber Hog, and a dry-hopped Timber Hog with Willamette hops. They hope it will last until March 17th. Picaroon’s Yipee IPA was the Category Champion for IPAs at the Northern Lands Festival Craft Beer Competition Awards.

Pump House Brewery released it Red Leaf Lager and is available at the brewery and ANBL growler stations. It is deep red in color, dry hopped with leave hops, medium in bitterness, with all the nut-like malt of their Fire Chief Red but fermented with lager style yeast. Pump House Pilsner was the runner-up at Northern Lands Festival Craft Beer Competition Awards for Pale Lagers & Hybrids.

Bad Apple Brewhouse says its award-winning Mosaic DIPA will be available in bottles, and all forms of fills while it lasts at the brewhouse. They will be delivering it to Toms Little Havana, Stubborn Goat, Lion & Bright, and Stillwell on Monday. It will be brewed a few more times this year, and all the sales will be to send kids to Down syndrome camp for free this year. Camp is in June at Camp Brigadoon.

Garrison Brewing Company released its new In Session ISA. It is hop-driven and big on flavour, but eased back on alcohol at 4.4% ABV. It will be available in six packs throughout Nova Scotia.

Spindrift Brewing released they are opening this summer in Dartmouth Nova Scotia and have Kellye Robertson at the helm as brewer. More details coming out soon.

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival was a great success and with the exciting growth in New Brunswick it will be back next year bigger and better.

NB Beer Tours are going for a road trip to Microbrasserie le Naufrageur - bar & spectacles, with a stop at Shiretown Beer along the way. It is on May 16th and will be an overnight trip. Tickets are available now.

You have a couple of more days to get in NB Craft Beer Dinner presented by Moncton area Beer League. A four course meal paired with New Brunswick craft beer on March 21st.

That is all for this week, thanks for supporting the blog and until next week, enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - February 27, 2015

Hello and welcome to the Maritime Beer report for February 27th.

PEI Brewing Company is previewing their new spring doppelbock - Re-Animator. Conditioned for a few months, sweet, malty, and a bit of heat from the 8.2% ABV. On tap now in the brewery only for a short time.

Picaroons Traditional Ales has kicked off a new series of beers, brewed by, brewed for, and named after, it's staff. The first beer in the series is an easy drinking ale named "GRIFF", brewed by Picaroons' longest running staff member and brewer, Ryan "GRIFF" Griffith. It is a 4.8% ABV Pale Ale that's moderately hopped with Willamette hops and just a little bit of Fuggles hops giving it a nice and pleasant earthy tone. Every one of Picaroons' 30 staff members will have a chance to write and brew a recipe of their very own, with some assistance and guidance from head-brewer, Myles Mackenzie, and owner/operator/brewer, Sean Dunbar. Picaroons is encouraging it's staff to let the creative juices flow freely and to be as experimental as they would like.
GRIFF went on tap this week at the Brewtique in Downtown Fredericton, exclusively for Growler fills and while supplies last.
Also Picaroons' Maple Cream Ale will be back on Monday, tune in next week for more details.

The Pump House Brewery is releasing Biere de Garde, belgian saison, soon. It is their Gold medal winner from the 2014 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards Gold Medal Winner. It will be bottling on next week and will be available in six packs. This is a strong 6.5% ABV and 15 IBUs beer.

The 1st Annual Railcar Brewing Home Brew-Off competition has more details for Maritime homebrewers. Participants will produce a batch of Scottish Export 14C  and the beer judged best overall will be scaled up to commercial size and released as a Railcar Brewing seasonal. Submission Entrants must be homebrewers from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI and cannot be produced on the premises of a commercial brewery. Beers will be judged according to BJCP 2014 Style Guidelines.

Red Rover Brewing Company are working on something a little special for Fredericton Craft Beer Festival with their friends at Big Axe Brewery. Want to find out more? They will be at our 1st Birthday Party tomorrow, and of course here next week.

Big Spruce Brewing were collaborating or is it conspiring this week with Don Campbell of Barnone Brewing in PEI. What they were conspiring up was an Imperial IPA. Look for details on this one soon.

Boxing Rock Brewing Company says they were able to find some more elusive hops for another, and possibly the last, batch of Unobtanium. It came out today at the bottle shops and brewery.

North Brewing Company has bottled its Gus' 65 M Blonde ale will be available Rockheads, Cristall and Harvest by tomorrow. They are also brewing up a secret brew with Bar Stillwell. Stillwell always seems to have great collaborations so this should be interesting.

Paddy’s Pub & Rosie’s Restaurant Wolfville are very excited to have won The Annapolis Valley Chamber Of Commerce Award for Best Bar/Pub/Lounge. Congratulations.

Sea Level Brewing has released El Rojo Diablo Double IPA. For this year’s Double IPA they have chosen a New Zealand hop called Waimea and it has intense aroma characteristics.  It has an ABV of 7.666% and a IBU of 88. 
Find it on Tap in Halifax at Bar Stillwell, Obladee Wine Bar, and Boardroom Game Café. In 355ml Cans at private stores. growlers filled in Halifax at Rockhead Wine & Beer Market and Harvest & Wines.

Tatamagouche Brewing Company says its RR#2 LAGER is back. Coming in at 4.9% ABV and hopped with Malagash grown Crystal and Mt. Hood hops! Light, floral, refreshing. Available in growlers.

The Moncton Beer League is partnering with Chef Matthew Pennell (Chopped Canada Champion) for a delectable 4-course menu of amuse bouche, appetizer, main, and dessert - each paired with a different NB beer, plus an additional welcome beer.  This is a 19+ event. Early bird tickets are on sale on now. 

Thanks for joining me again this week 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 - December 5, 2014

Hello and welcome to the December 5th edition of the Maritime Beer Report 

Barnone Brewing announced it is making a Milk Stout called La Vaca Loca. Not sure when this will be out but it has a great name.

PEI Brewing Company released its 8 Cord Double IPA (PEI's first 8.5% brew) and Ice Boat Barrel Aged Stout (stout aged in oak whiskey barrels for a few months) yesterday. Both sound like great beer but are only available on PEI.

Big Axe Brewery says its Chocolate Mint Stout is at 540 Kitchen & Bar and Vault 29 this Holiday Season! They also have Chocolate Oatmeal stout at the King Street Ale House. They also say they will be closed for onsite sales from December 7th and planning to open December 29th. 

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault says a Tap takeover is coming on December 20 at the Resto-Bar Le Deck. They will have their four current offerings plus four "One Hit Wonders". The four they are planning to bring are La Dictée - IPA, La Winding Eddy - Vanilla Bourbon Porter,  La Kedgwick - Lager and La Mud Lake - Brown. Look on their facebook page for more details.

Picaroons Traditional Ales says their 12 Beers of Christmas is back starting December 12th at The Brewtique in Downtown Fredericton, they will again be releasing a different festive brew each day for 12 days. They will announce the day's beers everyday at 12 Noon, and the beer will be ready for your Growlers starting at 4 PM. They say you can expect most of your old favourites, plus maybe one or two new surprises. Also for people in Halifax Stillwell will have the entire 12 Day lineup on their taps on December 23rd.

The Pump House Brewery released  Nor'easter Winter Warmer this week. Glenn's tasting notes: Winter Warmer is a traditional malty-sweet English style that is brewed in the winter months and spiced with cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Deep dark amber coloured with a big malt presence and lingering spicy notes. Comfort food at it's best. It weighs in at 7.5% ABV. 

Trail Way Brewing Company says if all goes according to plan 540 Kitchen & Bar and King Street Ale House will be serving their beers by mid-December. Stay tuned, they will keep you all updated!

Big Spruce Brewing has super busy this week, they teamed up with Just Us! to bring an all NS version of Hoppuccino.  Second they released Tim's Dirty American IPA. that was heading to Stillwell, Stubborn Goat, and The Townhouse. Finally the winners of their homebrew-off were Eric Gautier of Hubley Nova Scotia taking first place, second place goes to Keith Forbes of Lower Sackville, NS, and third to Jimmy Beaman of Williamswood, NS. Congrats to everyone and we'll look forward to trying the winner at the Craft Beer and food event next month. 

Boxing Rock Brewing Company released it award winning seasonal U-889 Russian Imperial Stout infused with coffee and vanilla this week. Notes of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, with a roasty backbone and full of deliciousness. Available at the Halifax Seaport Market starting this Friday - yeah they're going to be there the next three Fridays along with their regular Saturday market booth. Also available at the private bottle shops.

Garrison Brewing Company hired new brewer Jon Harris this week, He comes with a couple of years of brewing experience and is a VLB brewmaster grad. Also some bad news, due to a bottling issue the Spruce Beer was delayed from today until next Friday. 

Granite Brewery says its Darkside Black IPA is now on tap. They will be selling in growlers at the beer store and will be on tap at The Henry House and Stillwell.

Hell Bay Brewing got a bit of an early Christmas present in the form of some new tanks. They are going to use a horizontal 12 hl tank as a mash tun, to replace the small one they are using now to enable them to make some Bigger beers. Then other is a 15hl brite, but they are thinking about turning that into a boil kettle.

North Brewing Company has released its Glenora Barrel Aged Strong Dark Belgian today in their Agricola St. Store. Look for it in a few other locations before it disappears.

Propeller Brewing announced the date for the release of their second Lambic. Join them December 20th at Bar Stillwell for the official launch party/presale of their Lambic Style Blackberry Ale and December 22nd at the Propeller shop. Also they now offer all Canadian Military and Veterans 10% discount at the Propeller Shop excluding deposits and promos.

Rogues Roost says the holidays are near and how do they know? Because Lorne has the Russian Imperial Stout in the fermentation tank. Look for it soon.

Tatamagouche Brewing Company has been brewing up a storm saying its Dreadnot IBA is back for a limited time, in growlers and 650mL bottles. They also have an oyster stout on its way, ready to kick off 2015 brewed with Malagash hops and oysters.Lastly the crew from The Stubborn Goat Gastropub  were up to help with a new collaboration brew coming January 2015.

Congrats go to Cam at Schoolhouse Brewery who welcomed his new daughter Claire who arrived at 8:41 PM Monday night.

In beer related news Horton Ridge Malt & Grain Co. Ltd has plans to open a malt house in Hortonville Nova Scotia to produce organic malted grains for use in the region’s craft brewing and distilling industries. They are seeking community investment to launch its business by establishing a Community Economic Development Investment Fund, or CEDIF. There is an information session next Thursday, December 11th, at Wolfville Farmers Market at 7 PM.

Local Connections Halifax had some great news related to Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week (May 11 - 17). The week will be filled with a crazy amount of events for you to experience, but the flagship event, which they are hosting, will be unique in its offering. Imagine all the craft beers in Nova Scotia in one place and one time. That's what we're talking about. Super Early Bird Tickets are available today with your ticket purchase including access to the event, a take-home glass, and 12 beer samples of your choosing. Additional samples will be $1/each, and food will be available by cash purchase. There will also be entertainment, a pop-up craft beer swag shop, and many other things. Tickets are going fast so get yours today

Lastly congrats to The Port Pub,  Tide and Boar and Bar Stillwell on making enRoutes's Canada's Top 15 Favourite Bars.

That was a lot of news, take care and until next time enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - November 7, 2014

Hello and welcome to the November 7th edition of the Maritime Beer report

Barnone Brewery says Pendy’s Pub is coming on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. It will be an afternoon of Irish music at the Barnone in Rose Valley. Get more details on facebook.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault have released the name of their new amber ale, say hello to Louis XVII Bélonie Nadeau. It is another interesting local character. Check out the story on their facebook page. In case you didn't catch last weeks blog  the new beer is a 27 IBUs and 5.5% ABV amber ale.

Celtic Knot Brewing says that tomorrow will be this year's first brew of their seasonal beer called Toque and Mitts, a bourbon oaked English barley wine. They say with brewing and aging it should be ready right around Christmas time.

Hammond River Brewing has released their latest beer, Switchback Brown Ale. This is a bold American Brown Ale that has 6.0% ABV, 62 IBUs, and was dry hopped with a very good portion of Falconer's Flight hops. Look for it at his local taps.

The Pump House Brewery says to keep an eye out for their Schwarzbier, soon to be on tap at the Dieppe ANBL Growler Station and at The Pump House Restaurant. "Schwarzbier or "black beer" is a traditional German Style black lager. As the name implies it is black in colour yet very drinkable with subtle hints of chocolate and coffee leading into a light-bodied, clean finish, It weighs in between 6.5-7.5% ABV.

Railcar Brewing Company has a couple of cool events coming up.  Learn more about beer, the history of beer, beer styles and how to make beer. Glassware for Beer - How To Taste Beer - How to Review a Beer - How To Pour Beer. In Session 1 on November 22 at 6:00pm learn about  the history of beer. Of course beer tasting will be involved and the cost is $20 per session that will be held bi-weekly.
On Saturday, December 20 at 1:00pm - 6:00pm relax and enjoy the afternoon and bring your gifts to the brewery to get gift wrapped. Sample some beers as your presents are being wrapped. Donations will be accepted for gift wrapping and the donations will help fund the purchase of toys for children in need in our community. This is a great idea, any other breweries going to do this? 

I had a great email exchange with the owners of Trail Way Brewing in Fredericton. It sounds like they have exciting plans and hope to open next month. See the full article on my blog.

Greg Nash was busy brewing at Rock Bottom Brewpub this week making some of his award winning Wreckoning Russian Imperial Stout, look for it soon. He also announced he is leaving Rock Bottom to open his own brewery in central Halifax. The brewmaster position at Rock Bottom is currently being advertised, big shoes to fill and it will be interesting who they will hire. See the brewmaster advertisement here

Garrison Brewing released Officially Licensed Star Trek Klingon Warnog Roggen Dunkel Ale today. This limited release has been made available just in time for Hal-Con, the regions' premier sci-fi, fantasy & gaming convention. Garrison goes on to say Warnog celebrates victory in battle with its unique flavours and deep reddish brown colour. The authentic weizen ale yeast gives Warnog aromas of cloves and banana. Rye & Dark Crystal malts create a balanced flavour of caramel and chocolate, with a slightly tart, dry finish. This ale is 5.5% ABV and will be available at the brewery, private stores and select licenced establishments.

Propeller Brewing has a One Hit Wonder out today. All I know about it right now is that it is a 5.7% ABV beer. Section 31 Pale Ale will be available in growlers at the Prop Shops.

Schoolhouse Brewery has started doing growler deliveries to the Windsor and Falmouth areas starting yesterday. For more informations check out out their website.

Sea Level Brewing announced the release of a couple of favorites. Crossing Muddy Waters Brown Ale and Port in the Storm Porter are back. Crossing Muddy Waters Brown Ale is a 5.5% ABV North American style brown ale with a smooth, rich chocolate malt profile balanced with a subtle hop flavour and aroma. Port in the Storm Porter is a 5% ABV dark and malty London-style porter layered with coffee, chocolate and mocha flavours. Hopped with a judicious amount of English hops for a velvety smooth, hearty brew. Look for these at the brewery, usual tap locations and in cans very soon.

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