13 Barrels Brewing Opens in Bathurst NB

(Bathurst, NB) - 13 Barrels Brewing has become the third brewery to open in the northern New Brunswick town of Bathurst. The name is derived from old Bathurst folklore from Prohibition Days when in the summer of 1920 Joseph Gammon, an upstanding Bathurst citizen who upheld the Prohibition Laws of the day, mounted a posse. They ventured up the Nepisiquit River and seized 13 Barrels of illegal alcohol thus keeping the town safe from the evils.
The new company is a family-owned business operated and managed by David and Margot Young who have extensive business and management experience. They have also been fans of locally produced craft beer for many years and have keenly watched the growth of the industry in New Brunswick over the past decade and believe Bathurst would be an ideal location to launch their brewery. 
13 Barrels Brewing Company will operate from a new 5100 square foot building on the waterfront with a 15 BBL system and a Tasting Room with a view of the harbour. 
Ben Doucet will take on the Head Brewer role and is a native of Bathurst and returns to his home town to manage brewing operations. Prior to 13 Barrels he worked at Picaroons Traditional Ales for the last five years.
Initially, the brewery will be producing four signature beers included an IPA, American Pale Ale, American Red and a New England IPA as well as specialty and seasonal brews coming in the future. Beer will be sold in the Tasting Room by the glass as well as in growlers and canned products for take-home enjoyment. 

Matchstick Beer Factory Opening Soon in Hampton

(Hampton, NB) - Matchstick Beer Factory is about to open in the town of Hampton, about 30 km outside Saint John. The nanobrewery will be run by a husband and wife team, Luke MacGregor and Heather Avery, with Luke doing the brewing and Heather taking care of the day to day.
The name came from the Flewelling Match factory that used to be on Saint Andrews Street in Hampton and with Luke's background in engineering he wanted the brewery to have an industrial vibe.
Luke has been homebrewing since 2006 but his earliest brewing was making root beer and cream soda when he was a kid. When asked why they wanted to open a brewery Luke said "Besides my love of making and drinking beer, the plans started when we moved to NB from NS in 2015. We bought an old house with a large garage/barn, and the planning began. I was on the road a lot for work, and have two young kids and a wife at home that still likes me, so I was thinking of ways to change jobs to stay home more. I've since moved on to a local job which has given me time to focus on the brewery at night once everyone else is in bed and on most Friday's, as well as a few hours on the week ends". 
Matchstick Beer Factory will be opening with a 1 BBL system from Blichmann, which when maxed out makes about 180L. Once revenue starts coming in they will double it to produce closer to 350L (almost 3 BBL), Fermenters are all 3 BBL and the bright tank is also 3BBL.
They are starting off brewing English and Canadian/American ales, starting with two beers. The first is the Matchbook Pale Ale, which is hopped with El Dorado, Mosaic and Amarillo, with heavy dry hopping to give it a nice fruit punch. The second is the Fired Up Red, which is a strong English style ale, with a hefty 8% ABV and with a bit of rye in the mash to give the huge malt backbone a bit of spice. They have a few other recipes that they'll start rolling out once they get a couple months under their belts, which include a rhubarb Hefeweizen (likely summer seasonal only), a Belgian blonde fermented with American yeast, and a few others. They will throw a few IPAs in there as well and they have a few other recipes that Luke is working on.
Look for their beers at the Match Factory Restaurant in Hampton and at Bootstrap Brew Pub in Quispamsis initially over the next week or so. 
Luke noted "...how helpful other breweries and home brewers have been in getting this operation going. I haven't met one brewer who didn't make time to show me their brewery, discuss suppliers, sell me old equipment that they've outgrown, give advice on my plan or offer help in any way. I grew up on a farm in NS, and the attitude of Maritime brewers has reminded me of the helpfulness we received on the farm from other farmers".
Matchstick Beer Factory won't be open to the public until they get a commercial space set up. Matchstick Beer Factory is operating out of their home and due to zoning regulations they can't have sales from their location. They are looking at commercial properties now, but won't realistically have anything set up until next summer at the earliest. 

Breton Brewing releasing Gingerbread Holiday Ale

(Sydney, NS) - Breton Brewing is getting into the holiday spirit by releasing Gingerbread Holiday Ale, a gingerbread inspired London ESB with hints of ginger and cinnamon. The ABV is 5.5% with an IBU of 35. They are very excited with the design on this can, as it features a snowy, winter-y scene that has the holiday's written all over it! This is a bit of a departure from their regular design. This beer will be sold in a Holiday Gift Pack that will have two 473 ml cans and a 16 oz glass (with a new design) for $14.39 and will be available at NSLC locations as well as the brewery. 

Sussex Ale Works Opens For Business

(Sussex, NB) - Sussex long known for dairy, its balloon festival and the gateway to Fundy now has a brewery and taproom. Rick Lockhart long time resident of the town is the owner and operator of Sussex Ale Works Inc.  
Mr Lockhart  used to work away in the mining industry, but after many years of working in almost every province in Canada and some overseas work, decided to come home and spend more time with his family.  He wanted to follow his passion for craft beer and open a craft brew pub on his own but lacked  the experience and know how to move into commercial brewing and operate a pub business.  He had heard of a new craft brew pub/coffee roaster business in Alma, NB about 60 km from Sussex.  He approached the owners of the Holy Whale Brewing Company and convinced them to hire him to assist in the build and operation of their brewery. 

Sussex Ale Works brewhouse is a 1 BBL, Stout Tanks and Kettles system with 4-1 BBL fermenters and a 2 BBL fermenter. Besides the licenced brewery it also  has a special facility licence for a taproom with a capacity for 40 patrons.  Future plans include applying for an agency store licence with ANBL, which when approved they will be able to fill growlers, with their own product for take away. Mr Lockhart plans on brewing specialty ales and lagers with some seasonal products using as many local ingredients as possible. 

They currently offer a great line up of local beers, ciders and sodas, in a comfortable and inviting environment for the people of Sussex and visitors to our area to come in and enjoy.  A lot of detail went into the construction of the taproom, with the help from Kim Jakobsen Design in Saint John, NB.  They have strived to repurpose as much materials as possible in the construction such as the used brick bar front and a well worn pew bench from the Holy Whale.  

Sussex Ale Works is now open seven days a week from 5 PM to 10 PM Monday to Thursday and Noon to 10 PM from Friday to Sunday at 597B Main Street in Sussex. 

Saint John Beer Lover Brews at Innis & Gunn

 (Saint John, NB) - Late last year, Innis & Gunn challenged Canadians to share their ideas for the brand’s newest limited-edition beer. Imaginations ran wild and thousands of flavour ideas poured in - but in the end, only one winning beer flavour would make it to store shelves. Don Guimond saw his creation, “Don’s Choice”, hit the shelves at ANBL.
The beer, a Black IPA with Coconut and Rhubarb, was brewed in February at the Innis & Gunn brewery in Scotland by Guimond and Innis & Gunn Master Brewer Dougal Gunn Sharp. Guimond won the trip to the brewery after Sharp chose his flavour idea to be the brand’s newest limited-edition brew as part of Innis & Gunn’s “Imagine & Gunn” competition. The program was created by the brewery to give fans a chance to collaborate with the Innis & Gunn brewing team on new innovations and Guimond is the first-ever Canadian winner.
Don’s Choice is available at all ANBL stores, and in select provinces across Canada for a limited time beginning in mid-October. The black IPA was brewed with chocolate and crystal malt to give it an amazing jet black colour. Flavours of coconut, tropical hops and rhubarb combine with the malts and the barrels for an unforgettable taste experience.

Congrats Don. 

Propeller Brewing Russian Imperial Stout Returns

Photo from Propeller Brewing

(Halifax, NS) - Propeller Brewing is bringing back their Russian Imperial Stout a bit earlier this year. This year it will be in cans starting November 2nd at both Propeller Shops and will be hitting the NSLC officially next week, but may start popping up in some stores this week. 
They do have an extremely limited amount of RIS in 650 ml bottles available, especially for those who may want to cellar it. Those will be sold exclusively in Propeller Shops, until they run out.
In addition it will, of course, also be available for growler fills and by the glass in the Tasting Room. Propeller describes its stout as "a dark, strong and bracing brew, with a deep, rich, black colour, the brew improves with age. The alcohol is well masked by intense hop bitterness, extreme roasted malt and dark fruit notes. Our Russian Imperial Stout weighs in at a whopping eight percent, with a deep, rich, black colour."