Upstreet releases Kettle Soured IPA

(Charlottetown, PE) - In honour of International IPA Day Upstreet Craft Brewing is releasing Island Hopspitality 2017 coming in at  4.5% ABV and 10 IBU. 
The beer they have made is a hazy, sour, and hoppy and technically might classify as a Kettle Soured New England Session IPA, as they have become fameous for untraditional. Upstreet says "Using a light pilsner-base malt in combination with equal parts wheat, oats, and light crystal, lends some nice body and residual sweetness to an otherwise thin beer. This was soured in the kettle using naturally-occurring lactobacillus from grain in a 2-step 72-hr process. For the "IPA" part , we generously hopped using our new double-whirlpool and double-dry hopping techniques, derived for Go Devil, with Centennial, Azacca and Sorachi Ace."
It is their first full-batch sour and will be releasing it on Thursday August 3rd at opening. 

MBR July 28, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for all the support. 

MBR July 28, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

Welcome to the final Maritime Beer Report for Nova Scotia. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for all the support. 

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

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

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

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

Tasting sessions include: 

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

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

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

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

MBR July 21, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

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

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

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

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

Have a great week. 

MBR July 21, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Off Track Brewing Opening in Bedford This Fall

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

Unfiltered Brewing and Beau's Brewery to release EPH Bomb Double IPA

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

• At The Port by the NSLC in early-mid August
• At Beau's Brewery Stillwell Beer Garden 10-Tap Takeover on August 10th
• On tap at Beau's booth during Seaport Beerfest on August 11th and 12th
• On tap at Charm School 

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. 

Big Spruce releases new beer to help Ocean Tracking Network

(Nyanza & Halifax NS) - Big Spruce Brewing announced they brewed a new seasonal beer, one they have been 'conspiring' for some time with their new friends at Ocean Tracking Network. Tag! You're It! will be a light bodied, super juicy, late addition 6.5% ABV IPA that features Mosaic and Citra hops.
Big Spruce are donating $0.50 of every can sold towards research activities, both by OTN (including tagging and tracking northwest Atlantic sharks), and other research programs or projects globally that address critical aspects of conservation, ocean stewardship or public awareness.
Expected release date is late July or early August.

Celtic Knot Brewing Opens New Brewery

(Riverview, NB) - After brewing its inaugral brew on July 6th Celtic Knot Brewing has opened its brewery to the public today, July 17th, for growler fills. Owner Bruce Barton has expanded and moved to a commercial space at 23 Biggs Drive in  Riverview. They will open with Dubh Loki Black IPA only for the fills but will have other beers soon.  Hours of operation today will be Noon to 8 PM and check their facebook page for a full list of hours. 

MBR July 14, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Moncton Urban Beer Hike

2. A Taste of Chocolate

3. Memramcook Valley Fat Tire Bike Tour

4. Soap Making Experiences

5. The Land, Our Food and Ourselves

6. Picnic in the Park

7. Chocolatier for the Day

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

Have a great week and see you next week. 

MBR July 14, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great week end and see you next week. 

MBR July 7, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

Happy July, hope you all had a great week and here is what I know for this week. 

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault says participants at the 12th annual Roch-Voisine/Knights of Columbus 1932 celebrity golf tournament for the La fondation Bob Fife will be able to get their hands on a very limited edition beer. Bob Fife is their 100% local haskap ale. The event will take place August 7th and 8th at the Club de Golf Fraser Edmundston Golf Club with a number of high profile celebrities. Funds raised go to providing hot meals in school to underprivileged kids. The ale is 4.25% ABV.

Grimross Brewing has released Braunschweig(Brunswick) German Pils. This light but complex beer checks in at 4.5% ABV and is perfect for these hot summer days. It's on tap at the Brewtique and Taproom now.

Hammond River Brewing has a few more hoops to jump through and unfortunately they'll need to delay the scheduled of July 10th opening by a few days.Watch for updates.

Johnny Jacks Brewery released Farmhouse Ale in stores now. It is their take on a saison.

Trailway Brewing released Seeing Ekuanot this week. This is another installment in their single hopped IPA "seeing" series. Ekuanot is a super interesting and flavourful hop with complexity that really makes this beer drink like it has multiple hop varieties in it. This one though was different from any of their other hoppy brews in that about half of the dry hop was lupulin powder. Lupulin powder is concentrated lupulin separated from whole cone hops. The lupulin contains resins and aromatic and flavourful hop oils. The result is massive flavour and aroma without the vegetative and astringency that can be introduced when dryhopping at these rates with pellets or whole cone. Find it at the tasting room in Fredericton only this week.

Have a great week and I will be back real soon. 

MBR July 7, 2017 - Nova Scotia Edition

Happy July to everyone, I hope you all had a great long week end and here is the beer news for July 7th. 

2 Crows Brewing are going to release Crosswired, the first beer out of the fouder and they are canning it. The beer is a wild yeast + wine yeast hybrid that was described as funky, earthy, winey and tropical. Look for it around July 14th.

20 Years ago this month Propeller Brewing shipped its first keg of craft beer to Victor Syperek at the Economy Shoe Shop. Propeller is celebrating their two-decade milestone with a day long deluge of free concerts on Gottingen Street in Halifax’s North End. It all kicks off at The Local and will wrap up 12 hours later in the Marquee Ballroom…both operations headed by – you guessed it – Vic Syperek. That’s what they call "full circle”. The event will see 12 acts over 12 hours across three locations – all to raise money for the North End Community Health Centre.
Shows will take place at The Local and Seven Bays (both on the same block as Propeller’s brewery) all afternoon on Saturday, July 8. Talent will include: The Town Heroes, Ghettosocks, Jessie Brown, MAJE, Mike Bochoff Band, Jody Upshaw, KXNG WOOZ and many, many more.  Skratch Bastid & Zora The Sultan will close out the night with a ticketed show at the Marquee Ballroom.

Lunn's Mill Beer released Canada Day SMaSH IPA this week. The 6.2% ABV and 80 IBU beer is a Hop forward Dank and Tropical SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) double dry hopped with Mosaic.

Rare Bird Craft Beer says their Maple Ale is now available at the NSLC's The Port on Clyde Street in downtown Halifax. Rare Bird brews their Maple Ale using 100% Nova Scotia maple sap instead of water to create a distinct beer that you can enjoy.

Roof Hound Brewing is bringing back Wasted Days Chocolate Peanut Butter Wheat beer that includes 10 kg of peanut butter 

Salty Dog Brewing has released Rhubarb Wheat on tap! This is a limited release brew, so get it while you can. Bring in your growler for a fill or it is available on tap at The Nook and Cranny Brew Pub and Sauced Wood Fired Pizza.

Chain Yard Cider released Lime-Stone Sessional. A great patio sipper at 4.8% ABV with lots of citrus and stone fruit notes. 

Events 

Barbecues and Beers for Cool Dog Rescue is hosted by Unchained Kitchen, Garrison Brewing and The Other Bean: sandwich and coffee bar on Monday, July 10 from 7 PM - 11 PM. The event is at 6220 Quinpool Road in Halifax and will have Garrison taking over the taps and Unchained Kitchen working the grill. Barbecue and beers all in the name of a good cause! $30 ticket will get you two rounds of Garrison's finest and a smorgasbord of Unchained Kitchen's BBQ fare.

On July 13th there will be a Craft Beer Festival at the Whycocomagh Waterfront Centre. There will be beer, food and live music. Craft Breweries attending are: 

• Big Spruce Brewing 
• Breton Brewing
• Boxing Rock Brewing
• Gahan House Halifax
• Garrison Brewing
• Tatamagouche Brewing

Food Trucks attending:

• Cruisin Cuisine
• Laura's Pretzels
• Little Asia
• Sam's Point Oysters

Tickets are $20.00 and includes sample glass and 10 drinks tickets with additional drink tickets costing $1.00.

Have a great seven days and I will be back with a new report. 

MBR June 30, 2017 - New Brunswick/PEI Edition

Happy Canada Day, here is the latest beer news. 

Upstreet Craft Brewing‎ had to delay the release De Novo II. They say the bottle conditioning process is a complicated one, particularly with beers involving brettanomyces (aka Brett). They say it needs a few more weeks in the bottle before it is released. The new release date is July 20th. 

Hammond River Brewing has announced its beer bar and patio is scheduled to open it's doors on July 10th. watch for me details coming soon. 

Long Bay Brewery opened its doors today at 82 Marr Road in Rothesay for growler fills. They are slinging Bantam APA 5.5% ABV and Chalice Belgian Ale 6.5% ABV. 
Retail Hours for this weekend:
Friday, June 30 ..... 12 PM to 10 PM
Saturday,July 1.......12 PM to 10 PM
Sunday, July 2........12 PM to 10 PM
Monday, July 3.......12 PM to 10 PM

Picaroons Traditional Ales has Sir John's Special Eh'le, their coast-to-coast Canada 150 collaboration with their family of open fermenting brewers,July 1st at the The Picaroons Roundhouse, The Brewtique in Downtown Fredericton, The Picaroons General Store in Uptown Saint John, and The 5 Kings Restaurant & Picaroons Brewhouse in St. Stephen. The classic English Ale is low in alcohol, high in flavour, prominently featuring the fruity characteristics of their signature Ringwood yeast, along with some earthy hop notes, on a complex toasty malt backbone. Coming in around 4.5% ABV. 

Trailway Brewing released a brand new Double IPA. Adore has Citra, Amarillo, Ella, El Dorado  hops and comes in at 8% ABV. Cans are at the brewery now. 

There is a Canada Day Craft Beer Garden at 3 PM July 1st at Water Front Park in Moncton being hosted by Moncton Craft Brewers Collective.  
The official beer list is:
Verger Belliveau Orchard
     - Scow cider
Acadie-Broue 
     - Gose
Tide and Boar Gastropub
     - Cask ALe Sour Otis Cherry with extra Cherries in the Cask
     - DDHPHPPIPA(Double Dry Hopped Pow Hand Pillow Plant India Pale Ale)
      -Peach Ale Shake
      -Vanilla Ale Shake
      -Method IPA
Bore City Brewing
     -Marecage Saison
     -Equilux American Pale Ale
Flying Boats Brewing
     -Picnic Train Witbier
     -Stage Coach Amber Ale
     -Dixie Clipper IPA
Celtic Knot Brewing
     -Monkey Town Mango IPA
      -Ryetious Rye IPA
The Pump House Brewery and Restaurant
     -Cadian Cream Ale
     -Crafty Radler

Have a great and safe Canada Day and see you next Friday.