Acadie-Broue LAUNCH! [Guest Post]

Acadie-Broue recently launched their new brewery in the Bar Le Coude at the Universite de Moncton Student Center and we were excited to attend. When FEECUM renovated the bar, they graciously built the new brewery for owner Patrice Godin in the back of the bar and Moosehead helped with the tap lines. 

L to R: Adam Jones, Patrice Godin, Amber Richards

Finding the place was not too difficult due to Todd’s Maritime Beer Report. The craft beer map took us right there. There is a fee to park on campus until 8pm, though. Once we walked in, it wasn’t hard to find the bar – we just followed the noise to the sign in the lobby of the student center. We arrived at 5:30pm to a really good crowd – the place was packed.

Patrice had two brews on tap – La Benaise, 5% ABV, a Belgian-style pale ale, and La Bringue, an American-style brown ale. La Benaise was an easy-drinking pale with notes of bread, Belgian yeast and a little bit of citrus. La Bringue, 5% ABV & 33 IBU’s, was brewed with oatmeal, chocolate malt and lots of Amarillo hops for a nice mouthfeel and finish. 

Both styles sold really well – 4 kegs in an hour – which had Patrice worried he might run out during the first evening. Patrice hired a new brewer to assist at this new location. He intends to produce about 12 kegs per week that will mostly be sold to Bar Le Coude, but a few kegs can be sold to other licensees depending on availability and demand. 

The next beer Patrice brewed was a Kiebitz-Coti Berliner Weisse for the Altantic Canadian Craft Brew Oktoberfest. We did a live interview with Patrice on site and you can still view it on the Moncton Beer League Facebook Page. 

Amber Richards lives in Moncton New Brunswick and is the owner of the event management company Amber Effect. Amber Effects provides project management, time and resource management public awareness campaigns, event coordination and media relations. Through her company she regularly produces unique food and beverage pairing events, has coordinated corporate VIP grand openings and is also locally known as a leader in non-profit fundraising events such as the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® event which she founded. 

MBR October 28, 2016 - New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Edition

Happy October 28th and welcome to the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Beer Report. 

Picaroons Traditional Ales has introduced The Power's Out Pumpkin Ale. They joined the Pumpkin beer club by brewing on at the Picaroons General Store. An approachable Pumpkin Ale that's 4.7% ABV and brewed with real Pumpkin and healthy portions of Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and a touch of Allspice. The General Store has struggle with outages and it may sometimes be 'cash only' though any planned or unplanned power outage from any sort of weather or random happening will not close their doors. The limited edition seasonal treat is on tap now at the Picaroons General Store in Uptown Saint John.

Big Axe Brewery is releasing its Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk Stout this week end. It is brewed with Reese's peanut butter cups as voted by their followers as their favourite treat. On tap at the brewery those joining the spirit of Halloween and dropping by in dress get 10% off pints. 

Loyalist City Brewing's brewmaster, Mark McGraw, won the gold medal in the IPA category at the Half Pint’s Pro/Am Challenge last week end in Winnipeg. The brewery is looking forward to serving up some pints of his award-winning IPA in the near future.

Maybee Brewing helped kick off the Real Ale Cask program at James Joyce Pub night with two very special casks: Brett IPA, and Brett Tripel. They are two rare Brett beers that they only made one cask of each.
The newest member of the Maybee's Special series is "Give up the Gose". It is their take on the German style sour beer, brewed with coriander, sea salt and chocolate wheat malt. Maybee's says "Dark as All Hallows' Eve, and just as compelling." This will be released in cans and draught including growler fills starting tomorrow at 6:00 PM.

Pump House Brewery has their Pumpkin Ale on tap at the brewpub. This year it is a lightly spiced 5% ABV beer. 

Railcar Brewing hits 2 years old tomorrow and they are doing 2 for 1 Growler fills and free samples all day to celebrate. 

Trail Way Brewing have brought back Good Aura, their hop-forward amber ale. It is available on tap at the tasting room immediately. As a reminder Good Aura is brewed with a range of malts, including caramel, munich and rye, and hopped with their freshest dank-fruity varieties. You may recall if you have been a Trail Way fan for a while that Good Aura is brewed in honour of the rescue dog named Aura of one of the members of the Trail Way team. The Fredericton SPCA do incredible things and Trail Way feels it's important to contribute, so as usual, whenever "Good Aura" is brewed Trail Way Brewing Co. will make a donation to the Fredericton SPCA. 

That is all for this week, be safe at all the parties going on this week end. 

MBR October 28, 2016 - Nova Scotia Edition

 Is is a busy report for the 28th of October and Halloween week end for a lot of people. 

Gahan House in Halifax sent me their current tap list:

- Crosscurrent APA hopped with comet and centennial
- Maritime Brine Gose
- Night Vision American Porter
- Dead Drift Double IPA which is an 8.2% beer and hopped heavily with Palisade, and smaller amounts of Simcoe and Chinook
- Tommy’s Chocolate Orange brewed with one of the chef’s Thomas Hulford. It is a 4% hefeweizen, aged on cocoa nibs and fresh orange zest. The beer has ton of aromatics in a light-drinkable ale. 

Good Robot Brewing has come out with HFXtraterrestrials - StankoniAle. It is a fruity wheat ale with southern heat incorporating lemon zest, orange zest and red Thai chilies. It is a 4.0% ABV and 7 IBU beer. Look for APA v7.0 coming out early next week that is dry-hopped entirely with Mosaic.
Good Robot Brewing and the Centre for Islamic Development and Ihsan Academy had a lengthy and constructive chat last week end and as a result were able to reach a number of common understandings and agreements about how to address the Centre’s concerns and improve their relationship with each other. Well done all concerned

Unfiltered Brewing released Double Orange Ale SMaSH DIPA again this week. The 7.5% ABV and 100+ IBU is on tap now.

Just in time for International Stout Day on November 3rd Garrison Brewing has released their Martello Stout. Clocking in at 5.0% ABV and 30 IBUs this delicious creamy semi-dry stout is perfect to warm you up on a crisp fall evening. Specialty malts & roast cereals deliver rich chocolate and espresso notes with a creamy smoothness. Now at the brewery and will follow at NSLCs and Private Stores in early November.
They also have a brand-new beer Test Batch - Code Name: Juicy. Like the "code name" suggests, this double IPA has beautiful floral and fruity hop aromatics and boasts an ABV of 8.0% and 75 IBUs. This beer is launched as a limited release in 650 ml bottles and will only be available at the brewery for a limited time for $6.50.

Big Spruce Brewing released their annual wet hopped harvest IPA Craig Goes Yard. It is a 6.7% ABV, it's a beer that uniquely reflects the terroir of Big Spruce's hop yard.

FirkinStein Brewing was busy creating a new ale. Coffee oatmeal stout was transferred to the brite tank so look for it soon.

Lazy Bear Brewing says they are transporting a little Norway to Nova Scotia. They are creating a Norwegian farmhouse ale and are steeping some juniper sprigs.

Have you tried Nine Locks Brewing's Harvest Pumpkin Ale yet? It is now available in cans too, grab some today.

North Brewing says Priority Pale Ale is back in both bottle shops. This beer has belgian malts with Cascade, Chinook and Columbus hops  Growler fills only.

Schoolhouse Brewery's new location will be open next Thursday evening, November 3rd. They will be giving tours and selling growlers from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. ! Information on what beers will be available to follow.

Uncle Leo's Brewing welcomed some local celebrities this week for a special brew. Head brewer Karl Whiffen,  Pictou County musicians Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier, along with songwriter Jamie Robinson brewed Sunburst Pale Ale, The beer will be available in a couple of weeks and is described as an amber beer that is refreshing citrusy beer. 

A new microbrewery in Nova Scotia has reveal itself via social media. Half Cocked Brewing is located in North Grant outside of Antigonish.  The brewers are brothers Greg and Dave Oicle and will be setting up at their old family chicken farm giving the name. The Oicle's along with Matt Thompson are a few hurdles away from a release and are aiming for a spring release as well as setting up a 3/4-1 acre hopyard. More details in 2017. 

Halifax ReTales reports that CEO of NSLC was addressing the Halifax Chamber of Commerce this week and he mentioned a "Beer Experience Store". It is a couple years off and just in planning phase now. The concept is NSLC would use the Agricola Street site to have growler refills, beer tasting stations, customer education events, rare beers, etc

Join the top brewers from our region at the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards Dinner & Gala on Sunday, November 6th at The Stubborn Goat Gastropub. This multi-course dinner will be perfectly paired with some of our region's award-winning beers. Tickets: $88.50 (includes Gratuity) + Tax & Fees. Come celebrate the great success being enjoyed by the local craft beer industry.

Have a great week end and remember beer trick or treating is a thing for adults.

MBR October 21, 2016 - New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Edition

Welcome to the October 21st NB/PEI edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Upstreet Craft Brewing have added something new to their line up. One Way Series, where they get to explore new beer styles and recipes. The first release in this series is a Black IPA; a collision of chocolate and malty flavours that are common in porters with the citrus blast of an IPA. Resinous and roasty, this beer is unlike any that they've made so far. It weighs in at 6.5% ABV and 60 IBUs.

Hammond River Brewing has rebrewed its Two Rivers India Black Ale. It's 7% ABV and 77 IBUs and will be on tap at HRB local accounts soon. Up next is Vegas SMaSH IPA (Citra version).

Maybee Brewing has release a fresh beer. Forage Rye IPA is now available at Maybee's Beer Store. A bold rye IPA made with Atlantic Canadian Rye Malt that is 7% ABV and  70 IBUs. Limited release. 

Picaroons Traditional Ales has released yet another new beer They've just finished brewing their very first Oktoberfest Beer at The Picaroons General Store in Uptown Saint John using a lager yeast strain (Fermentis S-23 Saflager) from Berlin and is hopped with Mt Hood, Hallertau and Saaz. The 5% ABV beer is crisp and delicious and is on tap at The Picaroons General Store. While supplies last!
Other big news from Picaroons is their 506 Logger is now in cans. 506 Logger may be the first but more of Picaroons beers will follow. Look for them soon at All Alcool NB Liquor locations, The Picaroons Brewtique in Downtown Fredericton, and The Picaroons General Store in Uptown Saint John.

Lots of news from Trail Way Brewing this week, first off they have brought back their black IPA, Black Hops 1. This American Dark Ale is brewed with big hop flavour and aroma finishing with a chocolate roast finish and is a warming 7% ABV and 70 IBUs. 
Trail Way officially made their expansion official. They are tripling their fermentation capacity with the delivery of 3-30 BBL fermenters and a 30 BBL bright tank. This capacity increase will open some doors for the Trail Way team.
Lastly Trail Way will be officially hosting Their first homebrew competition. Not surprisingly it will be an IPA competition. The entry fee is $20.00 with a deadline of January 20, 2017 and the prize being glory and a chance to brew the recipe on the 10 BBL system at Trail Way. All the details can be found on their Facebook page. 

NB Beer Tours now have three Christmas beer tours on the go in Fredericton. One on December 3rd in which Andrew 'Esty' Estabrooks, brewer and co-owner of Foghorn Brewing, will join the tour and serve up a pint of his beer at the end of the tour at the King Street Ale House. They also have two tours on December 17th with slightly different routes but both ending at King Street Ale House with a meet and greet with Rod from Bogtrotter Craft Brewery for a pint of beer.

 Thanks for checking out your local beer blog and enjoy responsibly. 

MBR October 21, 2016 - Nova Scotia Edition

Welcome to the October 21st edition on the Maritime Beer Report. 

Propeller Brewing says since the Jays got eliminated they changed the name of the latest One Hit Wonder. Go Jays Go has been designated for assignment and Maybe Next Year has been added to their roster. They also say the Jays had an amazing year and maybe next year they can go all the way. Propeller is also busy brewing their latest winter seasonal today Coffee Porter. Will be in growlers and 650ml's as well as in NSLC soon. 

Garrison Brewing says tomorrow is City Harvest at the brewery. They will be welcoming Halifax Press who will be serving up hot, delicious grilled cheese. They of course will have their beer on tap, including the new New Ross Sucker Punch IPA. Clocking in at 6.9% ABV and 65 IBUs, this American-style IPA is both wet and dry hopped resulting in a deep orange rind aroma and a refreshingly dry finish. They used both Cascade and Willamette hops from Ross Farm and added some Amarillo and Columbus leaves as well.  
Garrison also finalized the dates for their Home Brew Off. Beer entries are due February 12th and the gala will be held at the brewery on March 2nd at 7 PM. The $15 entrance fee includes a souvenir glass, free entry into the Gala, and a complimentary growlito and fill with the Garrison beer of your choice. Again the 2017 style is 17C. Wee Heavy, also known as “strong Scotch ale.” The term “wee heavy” means “small strong” and traces to the beer that made the term famous, Fowler’s Wee Heavy, a 12 Guinea Ale. Historically, the strongest beer from a Scottish ale parti-gyle. More information about the Home-Brew Off can be found  at http://www.garrisonbrewing.com/show/home-brew-off/ 

Keiths released Hants County Hop On Harvest Ale and is available on tap at The Stubborn Goat, The Red Stag and Lower Deck while it lasts. It is an Oktoberfest/Marzen style with fresh (wet) local hops used within 24 hrs of harvest. 4 6 kg of wet Columbus, Centennial and Chinook were added primarily during the last 10 minutes of boil. Brewed in collaboration with Hill Top Hop Farms. This beer is a warm welcome to the Fall. It’s golden in color with a light tan head. The flavors and aromas are simple and create a flavor trifecta. Aromas lean towards biscuit, bready and earthy while the flavors play along the same lines but also include a light piney/cedar/ leafy note thanks to the wet hops. The beer has a smooth quick mouthfeel, a sharp but moderate bitterness at 35 BUs and a low to medium body. This beer leans on the maltier side and has a mellow warmth at 6% ABV which pairs very well with the cooler weather and watching the leaves fall off the tress.  


2 Crows Brewing were busy this week getting their brewhouse all hooked up this week. Won't be long until we see beer flowing there. 

Big Spruce Brewing released Big Grandma's Wild. This is first NS beer to be brewed with proprietary yeast that they spent over a year harvesting and developing from an Eastern Canadian Pin Cherry on the property. Described as deliciously belgian in flavour, it has some spicy malt notes (thanks Horton Ridge Malt and Grain Co.) and coriander complexity that lingers on the palette. At 7.4% ABV and 24 IBUs, it's a Belgian Tripel in style. This beer is named to also give a big Cape Breton nod to a fantastic lady, Thelma MacLellan of St. Patrick's Channel who just turned 100 last month. Jeremy remembers her particularly for having attended their brewery launch party in April 2013 when she was 96. The bear hug she gave him nearly dropped him to the ground. 

Boxing Rock Brewing says is Sunken Ledge Porter will be back soon as well as a collaboration brown ale with Battery Park. Several other beers will be brewed soon including U-889 and a collaboration with Horton Ridge called Kilnus Interruptus. 

Breton Brewing is the recipient of the "Locally Yours" award from Excellence in Business Awards presented by Sydney Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Good Robot Brewing released a statement in regards to the recent complaint filed by our neighbour, the Centre for Islamic Development. 

First and most importantly, as a business and as people, we do not endorse the anti-Islamic remarks directed towards the Centre by some people who have heard of the complaint, and we are very disappointed that this tone has emerged. Our neighbours are caring, thoughtful and friendly citizens, with whom we will strive to continue an amicable relationship as neighbours.Second, we do not believe the accusations found within the complaint reflect upon us fairly as a company. We are a small business with a strong focus on enriching our community. We believe we have worked with representatives of the Centre to enforce policies that promote a respectful coexistence. We strive to conduct our business in a socially responsible manner, in full compliance with the conditions of our licensing and all other applicable legal requirements. We are currently arranging a private meeting to seek solutions that will work for both parties involved, and believe a harmonious solution to this issue will be reached.

I hope an amicable resolution can be reached by the parties when they meet on Sunday.

Hell Bay Brewing says bottles of Hell's Anvil are available at the brewery and a few private stores in Halifax.

Lazy Bear Brewing has released its newest brew, Braunbär. It is a medium bodied 5% ABV brown ale featuring local wild flower honey. It's fermented with local honey allowing for the aromatics from the honey to shine. It's complemented with rich roasted malty flavours.

North Brewing visited Benjamin Bridge on Wednesday and left with a few hundred litres of estate Pinot must and a barrel. They say to stay tuned for more details on this exciting collaboration. 

Roof Hound Brewing introduced the Little Pup 2.0. Les Barr says it is clearer, crisper and almost ready to go. 
On the heels of the sold out supper Roof Hound announced that they will be hosting a Festive Supper Club on Thursday, Decemeber 1st. There will be two seatings: one at 5 PM and one at 7:30 PM.
Tickets are now available at Roof Hound for $30+tax for three deliciously festive courses.

Bulwark Ciders has released its seasonal Winter cider. Look for the 7% ABV cider on shelves soon.

Thanks for checking out the blog, until next week enjoy responsibly. 

MBR October 14, 2016 - New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Edition

Here is the October 14th edition of the Maritime Beer Report for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Beckwith Road Brewing has introduced their 4th offering. It is the Upland American Brown Ale. The name is inspired by their family's love for adventures afield. Fall is always a special time on Beckwith Road. It weighs in at 6.1% ABV and 39 IBUs.

Graystone Brewing announced their first community brew titled United Hops, in support of United Way of Central New Brunswick. United Hops will be Graystone Brewing’s 4th brew being brought to life with the help of everyday beer lovers and hop growers. One Sunday afternoon a handful of helpful folks donated a portion of their NB grown hops to help create this Harvest IPA. Hops include Summit, Perle, El Dorado, Cascade, Idaho 7, and a small amount of mystery donations. This beer is earthy with notes of grapefruit, and pine with an ABV of 6% and IBU of 82.

Hammond River Brewing created a brand new Double IPA. It's a continuously hopped DIPA using all Simcoe hops with the final product hitting 9.2% ABV and 102 IBU. Earlier this week an Excavator went through the floor of Covered Bridge by HRBC (it's the bridge in the logo) so Shane named it "The Excavator". 

In celebration of the new and improved Canterbury Street in Uptown Saint John and all of the work the city, the contractors, and every labourer accomplished Picaroons Traditional Ales brewed the One For The Road Black IPA at the Picaroons General Store. Ringing in at 5.6% ABV this small batch Black IPA goes down easy and was brewed with an American Ale yeast. Chinook, Galaxy, and Cascade hops giving it a complex and aromatic hop punch, while being blanketed by a delicious dark roasted grain bill. There's only a limited amount available and it is on tap now excusively at the Picaroons General Store in Uptown Saint John. 

Tide and Boar Brewery tapped their next version of Sour Otis. This beer is brewed with Field Grapes (these grapes were picked from Otis's field and he does not know the variety) and Lemon Zest. They also have one keg of JEENYUS IPA left and a double IPA made with 100% Topaz that was kegged. Next Week they will have another Sour Otis ready. This one has local plums from Memramcook, and our Amarillo Citra and Summit Pale Ale.

During this week end Red Rover Craft Cider is hosting an event based on the art of scrumping. While traditionally, scrumping would involve “borrowing” apples from local orchards or other properties, their event comprises of using apples from your own personal trees. They will be creating a special edition cider in honour of the Fredericton Region Museum with the profits going to this great organisation.
You bring them 2 bushels of apples, and they’ll give you a 750 ml bottle of cider created from all the scrumped apples. If you want to donate the bottle, We'll sell it and donate the profits for you. 
Red Rover hopes to put these apples to good use, so they need a certain level of quality. Any apples you pick from your property must be from the trees, as opposed to the ground. Bruised, beaten, or otherwise unusable apples can’t be accepted, since they can’t be used. In addition, they are limiting this trade-event to a maximum of 8 bushels per person. All bushels can be dropped off at 880 Hanwell Rd. Unit 305.

Have a great week and I will be back next time. 

MBR October 14, 2016 - Nova Scotia Edition

This is the October 14th edition of the Maritime Beer Report. First off is my thoughts are with Cape Breton and those dealing with the aftermath of the floods this week. I hope everyone can recover. 

First off this week Big Spruce Brewing wrote an open letter to Nova Scotia outlining some of the issues that craft brewers face in here. It is very insightful and a good starting place to fix the system in Nova Scotia. Read the full letter on Facebook here.

The guys at Good Robot Brewing has a new beer out this week. Damn Fine Coffee version 2.0. The pale ale now features a cleaner, highly attenuating yeast for a drier, hoppier finish and Bottleneck cold-brewed Kenya Gatina coffee, sourced from Java Blend, for a fruity, tart, and even vinous character. Featuring Pilsner, Red X and rye malt for a cherry-red, lightly spiced crust. Hopped with Cascade and Falconer's Flight for a floral, citrusy and even grassy flavour. California Ale yeast for a clean finish. The beer rings in at 5.5% ABV and  40 IBUs.

Propeller Brewing is releasing  "Go Jays Go" later today its newest one hit wonder. Its unfiltered and is 6% ABV and 16 IBU's and is a hybrid beer using both ale and lager yeast. The hops are Northern Brewer and NB's Moose Mountain Cascade. They say it will have a more malt profile then hops and very low bitterness with an amberish colour. Should be ready in time to pick some up before game time tonight, call to make sure. 

Rare Bird Craft Beer is hosting Rib Fest at their brewery in Guysborough on Saturday, October 29th. Read more at: rarebirdbeer.com/journal/ribs-craft-beer

Saltbox Brewing has officially started brewing on their "big" system. They hope this will take care of the supply issues they have experienced. 
They also made a beer that is made with 100% locally grown Nova Scotia hops.  The beer is named “Blue Nose 1850” – after the 56 tonne fishing schooner with an elm-planked bow that was built in Mahone Bay, just down the road from the brewery.  

Sea Level Brewing has released its seasonal Pumpkin Grinner Ale. The wet-hopped gourd beer is 5% ABV. 

Spindrift Brewing has a new beer coming out soon. They brewed a Munich Helles in collaboration with the upcoming Devour The Food Film Fest. Look for it soon, or find it at the film fest November 2-6 in Wolfville. 

Annapolis Cider latest 'Something Different' is Peach and Peppercorn. It is an unfiltered sparkling cider with 'kick' made with 15% juice from yellow-fleshed, tree-ripened peaches, as well as fresh-pressed apple juice. Infused with freshly cracked black peppercorns, the result is a peppy cider that is well-balanced with bright and tangy notes of fresh peach and a subtle hint of mild heat. This cider is 6.8% ABV with a portion of sales being donated to 4-H Club.

Stillwell has a lot of exciting events on the horizon. First off is tomorrow the 15th is the Beergarden closing after celebrating Nocturne. In November there will be an all cider event on the 5th featuring West Avenue Cider from Ontario and their 3rd birthday party on the 20th. In December are two huge events sure to get the beer nerd mojo flowing. There will be a 2 day Mikkeller event featuring 24 beers and on December 10th will see Bissell Brothers and Orono Brewing from Maine roll in with some of their beers. 

Thanks for checking out the blog and stay safe and well until next week. 

MBR October 7, 2016 - New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Edition

Here is the latest beer news for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island for October 7th. 

PEI Brewing Company has a new beer Gose on tap from Gahan Beer. It is a slightly salty, slightly sour and comes in at 3.8% ABV. Only available on tap at the brewery. 

Upstreet Craft Brewing continued expanding its range as they announced that they sent their first shipment of kegs over to New Brunswick. They say to ask your local pub if they plan to carry Upstreet. Right now it's only kegs but hoping for bottles to be sent soon.

Big Tide Brewing has Golden Hawk, their first white IPA, on tap now. Brewed with Super Alpha and heavily dry hopped with Cascade hops, all from Darling's Island Farm. 

Bore City Brewing has a couple of their hoppy beers back. First, Tipsy Giant their 8.5% ABV and 75 IBUs double IPA and Mondo IPA, 6.8%  ABV and 50 IBUs, Find them at Laundromat Expresso Bar and The James Joyce Pub.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault has their La Padrix back on tap at the Brewtique and next week will be at Alcool NB Liquor growler stations. This Oktoberfest is only available for a limited time.

Gray Stone Brewing has introduced their new ISA called Basecamp Idaho. It is named after the Idaho 7 hop used in it. This beer is 4.3% ABV and 40 IBUs. Ready to be served as pints, Crowlers and Growlers.

Shane's new fulltime role as a brewer at Hammond River Brewing is really starting to bear fruit. This season's last batch of Wet Hopped Harvest Ale was kegged this week. It is a 7.0% ABV and 70 IBU Ale brewed with 100% fresh hops grown at HRB. A couple of new beers being brewed soon. The first one is a new Imperial IPA that Shane used to brew when he was a Homebrewer. It will be brewed with all Simcoe hops and will be approximately 9.2% ABV and 102 IBUs. The next one will be a new version of the Vegas SMaSH IPA, this time using all Citra hops. Lastly for the Stout lovers out there, both the White Walker White Stout and Imperial Breakfast Stout have been brewed and will be out in the future. 

The Pump House Brewery has brought out The Oktoberfest Bier, a seasonal favourite for many beer drinkers world wide. It is now available on tap and in six packs at the restaurant. The malty amber beer rings in at 5.5% ABV and 12 IBUs. 

Savoie's Brewhouse has a new beer coming that has a local name to promote our area. The Fall Fair Harvest Ale is 5% ABV and should be available shortly. 

Shiretown Beer are currently brewing a limited run of a Blonde Du Quai made entirely with locally grown hops from Charlo's own Jean-Michel Levesque. Try JM's Harvest Blonde Du Quai while you can. 

Tide and Boar Gastropub proudly announced this week their next progression. They have opened their own brewery, Tide & Boar Brewing located right at The Tide & Boar and are currently brewing on a Nano brewery scale so they can experiment and try different things out. All of their beers will be unfiltered and all of their IPAs will be cloudy. They currently had two beers on tap.
-Forum Pale ale, the cloudy pale ale has flavours and aromas of melon, lychee and peach with so many hops in the brew and a little rye malt for some spice at an easy 5.75% ABV.
-Amarillo, Citra and Summit Pale Ale which packs lots of citrus and Apricot flavors with a light bitter back and a golden haze of color at 5.9% ABV.
They should have three new beers on tap next week including two different DIPAs and a sour.

Red Rover Brewing released their White Witch Cider this week. This cider is a white beer inspired that is semi-dry infused with lots of orange zest and cilantro. Available now.

Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy responsibly. 

MBR October 7, 2016 - Nova Scotia Edition

Happy Thanksgiving, here is the Nova Scotia edition of the Maritime Beer Report. 

Breton Brewing released Celtic Colours Maple Lager (5.5% ABV 15 IBUs)  made with 20 l of  local maple syrup yesterday. Today they released Jacked Up Pumpkin Ale (5.5% ABV 20 IBUs) made with over 100 lbs of local roasted pumpkin. 

Garrison Brewing kicked off their 9th annual Garrison Home Brew-off this week. Some details are yet to be released but here is what I have. The style is Wee Heavy style 17C, $15 (includes HST) registration fee entitles each beer submission to a souvenir glass, one free entry to the gala and a complimentary Growlito and fill with the Garrison beer of your choice.
They also say October 22nd is the date for this year’s Halifax City Harvest put on by I Love Local Halifax. Garrison will be participating by setting up an outdoor bar (weather permitting), sampling some one-off and specialty beers, and will also be welcoming Halifax Press who will be selling delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. More details to come next week, but definitely worth marking on the calendar for now.

Good Robot Brewing has a new beer release this week end. Chazzwazzers - Oceanian ale is being released just in time for the departure of the dearly beloved Australian mate Liam, This ale with New Zealand and Australian hops is a tribute to an American species infiltrating an Australian ecosystem. Featuring Maritime, Vienna and Simpsons Golden Promise malt for a lighthearted, yellow body. Hopped with Ella and Rakau whirlpool additions, plus Dr. Rudi, Kohatu and Wakatu dry-hop additions for a tropical, stone fruit flavour. American yeast for a clean finish. Tops out at 7.2% ABV and 46 IBUs and is on tap at the brewery. 

Hell Bay Brewing now has Hell's Anvil, a 5% ABV Dry Irish Stout with modest amounts smoked malt available. Now at the brewery and in select bars with bottles coming soon.

The Nook and Cranny Brew Pub says their pumpkin beer is back. They used 2 lb of pumpkin spice and chi tea in the 4.5% ABV ale.

Propeller Brewing has its Nocturne Dark Lager is now available in 500ml bottles and growler fills. It is only being sold at Prop Shops with a percentage of proceeds going to the festival as always and Propeller will also be hosting the Nocturne artist this year at Gottingen Street. 

Roof Hound Brewing is releasing KelticDevil pumpkin spiced latte strong porter on Saturday at at the brewery. Made with real pumpkin, spices and Sissiboo coffee. It will be available at the Brewery in Digby and hopefully one or a few beer bars in the HRM. Rain Over St Ambrose and Lead Mule will be playing to help celebrate. A $5 cover will get you in with the beer being tapped at 9 PM and the music beginning at 10 PM.

Schoolhouse Brewery opened their doors Thursday night to show their progress. It has a way to go but big changes have happened since last month. 

Sea Level Brewing released Indigenous Pale Ale made with 100% Nova Scotian grown hops, 100% Nova Scotian grown barley from TapRoot Farms, malted by Horton Ridge Malting Company, microbrewed by Sea Level Brewing.
Sea Level says "This medium-bodied ale is harmoniously balanced by a smooth malt backbone, giving way to citrus and floral notes pronounced by the wet-hopped Cascade hops. Coming in with an ABV of 5%, this well-rounded ale boasts a smooth malt foundation, leaning into a clean hop finish."

Sober Island Brewing has launched a Kickstarter to help forward their vision of a community driven, destination focused microbrewery, crafting ales using local natural ingredients. It is on now. 

At Tatamagouche Brewing's Battery Park Beer Bar tap take over there was a preview of Philomenaroma a Berliner Weisse with Dark Cherries that will official launches next week.  They also premiered Batatary Pale, it was made in collaboration with bartender Marc Wilson and North Brewing's Peter Burbridge just for this event. It is now open for growler fills will be available at the North shop downstairs now. 

Unfiltered Brewing released RSMA Mosaic SMaSH DIPA today. They say it might mean Really Serious Mosaic Ale or it also might not. A serious 7.5% ABV and 100+ IBU, hit it now for pints and growlers.

On October 12th Good Robot Brewing  will be screening Sociable!, a documentary about the struggles and rewards of opening a small, creative, independent brewing business in Nova Scotia, and what it's like to be part of the exciting and exponential growth of the local craft beer community. It was two years in the making and stars many local breweries.

Peoples Cider Project is now open to celebrate the history of apple cider in Nova Scotia with Bulwark Ciders and Ross Farm Museum. The first ever Cider Days celebration will be taking place at Ross Farm from October 22-23, with the pinnacle event being the apple drop-off for the People's Cider Project - Nova Scotia's first community driven cider, with apples reflecting the terroir of each corner of the province. There apples will be pressed and fermented at the on site winery at Ross Farm for a cider release in January. 

Lastly there is a 30 hour cider making course with manual coming up in November at Kingstec College. Get the details here http://www.nscc.ca/learning_programs/coned/course.aspx?I=012309

That is all for this week, enjoy turkey day and as always enjoy responsibly. 

MBR September 30, 2016 - New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Edition

Welcome to the Maritime Beer Report for September the 30th for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Big Axe Brewery says it's harvest time and this weekend we'll have our batch on of Purple Maize hybrid Pilsener, brewed with the purple corn grown here in the community by the awesome Krystle and Troy Ford

Grimross Brewing have released Petite Grim, a Belgian Blonde Session Ale. The 4.8% ABV beer is on tap at the brewery now. 

Mama's Brew Pub released a new beer today, Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout. 

Picaroons had a surprise release this week. The Spudnik Potato Stout. They teamed up with the folks at BioNB and CCNB - Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and brewed a new Stout with Russet Potatoes grown from Toner Farms Limited in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. This smooth and full bodied stout, hopped with Willamette & Goldings hops, rings in at an approachable 4.7% ABV. and is exclusively available at The Brewtique in Downtown Fredericton. They also say they didn't use Ringwood yeast this time but experimented with a different English Ale yeast. 
Picaroons 2016 Harvest Ales made with local hops from the Maritimes is now available. This year's batches include a batch made with 100% feral hops from Moose Mountain Hops in Maplehurst, New
Brunswick, a batch single hopped with fresh Willamette hops from My Father's Farm on PEI, a batch single hopped with fresh Mount Hood hops from Wallace Ridge farm in Nova Scotia, and one more yet-to-be brewed batch using hops grown from LunaHop Farm in Cornhill, New Brunswick. Each batch has a unique hop flavour backed by an assertive and approachable malt profile. You can find out more about your harvest by checking out the batch number on the side of your bottle and heading to www.picaroons.ca/myharvest. Now available at The Picaroons Brewtique in Downtown Fredericton, The Picaroons General Store in Uptown Saint John, Alcool NB Liquor, NSLC, and on tap at select bars and restaurants throughout the maritimes.  

Enjoy your week end and as always enjoy responsibly.