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.

Muskoka Brewery adds two offerings in the NSLC

      Muskoka Brewery had a launch party at The Stubborn Goat in Halifax to announce the launch of two of its beers, Mad Tom IPA and Winter Beard Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout, at the NSLC. Muskoka is not new to Nova Scotia as it was available at private stores in HRM for sometime now.

     Craig Prentice spoke to the attendees about Muskoka Brewery's history and distribution within Canada and in addition to Mad Tom and Winter Beard they are bringing a couple more offerings to the NSLC in the spring.

      The Stubborn Goat had a great sampling of fare to go with the beers we could try. I first tried the Mad Tom, this IPA is a strong 6.4% ABV and is dry-hopped with Chinook and Centennial hops giving it a crisp aroma and a very citruy and piney taste. 

      I was worried that the Winter Beard was going to be overwhelmed by sweetness and chocolate but the chocolate and sweetness were just right and after that flavor faded a fruitiness lingered. This is a nice beer to sip and enjoy on a cool winters night.

     Both beers are in the NSLC system now with Mad Tom being a year-round offering and the Winter Beard for Christmas.

     Watch for a full review on these beers coming soon.

Maritime Beer Report - November 21, 2014

Hello and welcome to the November 21st edition of the Maritime Beer Report

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault are having a bit of fun on their facebook page. They are releasing a new beer next week and are adding pieces to a puzzle to let their fans try to guess what it is. All that has been revealed so far is that it is Christmas related, it will be 7.3% ABV and is going to be legendary. More details next week.

Grimross Brewing Company kegged off the last batch (Ben's Country Cousin) at Picaroons Brewtique. They say their beer will still be available at Picaroons Brewtique until theyopen in mid to late December at 600 Bishop Drive in Fredericton. 

Hammond River Brewing are staying busy after the brewer took a vacation. They brewed Switchback Brown Ale with the next two planned brew sessions will be the Too Hop To Handle Double IPA and a new Chocolate Coconut Porter called Into The Dark.

Picaroons Traditional Ales says Feels Good Imperial Pilsner is back but in the latest batch they used some leftover local hops from their harvest ales. Traditionally the hop profile is only Saaz hops, though in this batch there's Nugget, Centennial, and Magnum.

Railcar Brewing Company says they are working on a Spiced Gingerbread Ale that will feature some oak chips soaked with spiced Sailor Jerry's Rum. That will be a great treat. Also after running out of beer for a few days there should be Brown Ale back on tap soon.

Shiretown Beer currently has five beers available at the brewery. They include their three year round beers, the Venezuelan Express (porter) and Black Currant Wheat. In addition they have a Hop Hash Strong Wheat Ale in the tank. They say u it is a 6.2% ABV with medium bitterness that is hopped with Southan Farms Hop Hash. The hop hash is made up of the farms Golding hops. The grist bill is half wheat malt and the other half is made up of prairie 2 Row, Munich, Vienna, Caramunich and topped off with toasted wheat. 

Trail Way Brewing Company was busy as they prepare to open for business. This week they were brewing up a batch of imperial brown ale that they are calling Grizzly Oak. Brown that they say "like a grizzly and to be aged for some time on oak. Should be quite complex".

Staying with New Brunswick the ANBL has added another store to its growler program. Sackville is now offering three taps to fill growlers during select hours. This week is Picaroons Winter Warmer, Muskoka Cream Ale and Le Trou Du Diable L’Amère Indienne.

Boxing Rock Brewing Company introduced The Darkness Cascadian Dark Ale today at local bottle shops and the brewery. They say "a true India Pale Ale, albeit with an unexpected colour, it's hoppy, bright, and packed full of big flavours ... pours with almost stout-like black inkiness, capped with a nice tan head. First sensation is the hop forward presentation from copious amounts of late hops, and dry hops. It's followed by a gorgeous roasty body with a hint of wheat chewiness, fruity middle notes and then backed up by bracing bitterness in the finish". It is available in 650 ml bottles and has a 6.5 % ABV. 
They also announced they are on tap in New Brunswick at The King Street Ale House in Fredericton, Tide and Boar Gastropub in Moncton, Lemongrass Thai Fare in Saint John, Ducky's in Sackville, Laundromat Espresso Bar in Moncton and 540 Kitchen & Bar in Fredericton.

Garrison Brewing had a busy week. First they released the 2014 Winter Warmer into the NSLC and private stores. In Nova Scotia it is going to be in six packs and they tell me New Brunswick in 500 ml bottles. They also did their annual trip to Meander River Farm to get spruce boughs for Spruce Beer, look for it soon. One other note, Kellye Robertson, the assistant brewmaster is leaving to be brewmaster at mysterious soon-to-be opened craft brewery in Halifax in 2015. She won the Garrison 2012 brew-off with  Kellye  R's Wild Rye'd IPA,

Granite Brewery is now brewing Darkside Black IPA today and should available within two weeks. This is a healthy 6.75% ABV.

North Brewing Company has finally released their newest seasonal Belgian Milk Stout. It is in 750 mL swing tops, growlers and next Thursday in 650 mL "bombers" at Bishop's Cellar. They say that the "warm roasted malt character is complemented with a smooth body and a subtle belgian yeast character.

Rock Bottom Brewpub says Mr. Nash has created a wonderful Rauchbier that will be hitting the taps tomorrow at 4 PM. Say hello to Smoke & Mirrors. 
From the blog "Our classic Bamberg-style Rauchbier was brewed with over 80% of the malted barley being beechwood-smoked, the remainder being Munich malt. It's a blend of smoke and malt with balance and intensity completely complementary of one another. A true lager with Märzen-like qualities sporting a malty, toasty richness and an almost bacon-like smokiness (mmm bacon), it's delicious. Finishes malty and lightly sweet with moderate, balanced, hop bitterness. It weighs in at 5.3 % ABV and 21 IBUs.

Rogue's Roost Brew Pub has a new beer on tap from Jake. The Double IPA is 8% ABV and 85 IBUs. It's hopped with Falconer's Flight, Cascade, Galena, and a touch of Saaz. It's got just enough  malt backbone to support it's massive late and dry hopping. Finish is dry for a quenching pint with lingering bitterness.

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival and reLiSH have partnered to bring you Burgers n' Beer Fredericton 3.0 on November 27th.. This evening event will pair beer and cider with delicious sliders prepared by the fine chefs at reLiSH's new Fredericton Uptown location. Included are 10 - 4oz beer or cider samples each paired with 5 unique slider and a custom tasting glass. This time there will be a special bonus, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival 2015 tickets go on the next day but if your at this Burgers n' Beer event you get to buy them that night plus you will get 10% off them. And speaking of Fredericton Craft Beer Fest, tickets go on sale November 28th at 10 AM online via eventbrite plus they will be at the Sunday Market.

Staying on beerfests Saint John Beerfest will be on April 11th and tickets are on sale now. Great time to grab some for stocking stuffers

On May 11-17, 2015, the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia will be initiating the inaugral Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week. The week will feature many interesting beer events, with a flagship event taking place on Saturday, May 16. This will be a great opportunity to try many delicious local craft brews, meet their makers, and truly celebrate one of the best things happening in the province. Watch here for more details.

Next Friday, November 28th, is Canadian Beer Day. Join in the fun from coast to coast. to coast and raise your glass - post and share photos using the hashtag #CanadianBeerDay on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

That is all for this weeks entry, thanks for taking the time check out this week's beer happening and until next time, enjoy responsibly.