Garrison Brewing 10th Annual Home Brew-Off Details Released

(Halifax, NS) - Garrison Brewing released the details for the 10th Annual Garrison Home Brew-Off. This year’s style will be Kolsch, style 5B in the BJCP Style Guide. This year’s entry fee is $15 and includes a souvenir glass, one free entry to the gala and a complimentary Growlito and fill with the Garrison beer of your choice. Beer Entries are due by end of day Monday February 12th, 2018. To download the complete competition details go to http://www.garrisonbrewing.com/community/#home-brew-off

Garrison Brewing launches Infusion Confusion Chamomile IPA

Photo by Jess Murray 

(Halifax, NS) - Garrison Brewing launched Infusion Confusion Chamomile IPA. This beer was the winner of last year’s Home Brew-Off and is in 650 ml bottles and clocks in at 6.3% ABV. Home Brew-Off winner “Mystical” Mark Power infuses dried chamomile flowers pre and post-boil along with Citra and Amarillo hops.
It will retail for $5.95 at the brewery and will follow at private stores and the NSLC shortly.

Garrison Brewing Crowns 2016 Home Brew-off Winner

Winner Mark Power

(Halifax, NS) - Garrison Brewing crowned the winner for its 8th edition of the Brew-off. Beers were judged according to BJCP Style Guidelines of an American IPA 21A with an Experimental feature (i.e. herbs, fruit, tea etc.). The American IPA character had to come through in aroma and flavour.

This years winner was Mark Power with his Chamomile IPA. He will brew this beer next year for release in March. 

2016 Garrison Brewing Home Brew-off Announced

(Halifax NS) Garrison Brewing announced that the style for their 2016 Brew-off. In order to give some basic structure and make judging easier, they've defined the style as "American IPA (BJCP 21A) with an Experimental Feature". This means that IBU's, ABV, colour and flavour all need to fit within the guidelines for an American IPA. Experimentation can come from the addition of herbs, fruit, tea, etc. and must be clearly stated on the entry form. Samples must be received by February 11, 2016 with the awards on March 3rd. This should also coincide with the release of last years winner Dave Martin's Robust Porter.

Garrison 2014 Home Brew-off Gala

I went to the gala at the Garrison brewery. There were a couple of hundred home brewers and guests in attendance all there to see who would be crowned in this years challenge. The road to get here started with a record 76 entries and 10 beer judges to get to 13 qualifiers. Brewers Daniel and Kellye reduced the entries down to the top 4. On the day of the gala 3 beer judges picked the winner. The four finalists in order were:

4. Ed Barkhouse
3 Roger Ringette
2. Kristin MacDonald
1. Jason MacDougall

Jason's winning Weizen was straw colored and cloudy, as is expected with this style, with a white foamy head. There was a distinct banana aroma with a good amount of carbonation and banana flavor. This beer is going to be a hit for sure.

Maritime Beer Report - December 20, 2013

Welcome to the December 20th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Pump House Brewery announced this week that Muddy River Stout will be in some ANBL stores by the end of the week and in Nova Scotia after Christmas. 

Big Spruce Brewing are giving free growler fill with the purchase of a gift card of $50 or more. Now that is a good deal.

Boxing Rock released information on their limited release U-889 Russian Imperial Stout. "This Russian Imperial Stout is brewed with passion. We used over six hundred kilos of malt to brew it. We then boiled it for two hours to bring out the rich flavours demanded of the style and hopped it with just enough smooth bitterness to balance it’s richness. We then added some strong coffee from our friends at Just-Us!, and then we infused it with plump Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans for over two weeks.
Tasting notes: rich malt, chocolate, caramel, roasted grain, coffee, vanilla. Initial bitterness followed by a long smooth finish. It’s like a dessert in a glass. Ideal serving temperature: 10°C - 12°C Lightly carbonated. 8.89% ABV 65 IBU."

Bridge Brewing Company released their holiday limited edition Glenora barrel aged Strong Dark Belgian on Wednesday. It comes in at 11% ABV. It is very limited so act fast.

Garrison Brewing Company has for a very limited time, Spruce Beer on tap for samples & Growler fills at our retail store. $12 for a Growler fill and $6 for a Growlito fill. 

For the past 10 months Garrison has aged their Grand Baltic Porter in Ironworks rum barrels and now it's available in their retail store for a limited time at $11.95 for a 500 ml bottle.

2014 Garrison Home Brew-Off has been anounced. From Garrison "Home brewers, start your kettles... Our 6th Annual Home Brew-Off is right around the corner!"

Once again they've partnered with The Noble Grape to showcase the talents of our local home brewers. Selected by BJCP Certified Judges, the Gold Medal winner will be invited to join brewmaster Daniel Girard in brewing a full-sized batch of their recipe for packaging and release as a limited edition seasonal beer. 

The 2014 style is 15A : Weizen - A spicey & fruity, refreshing German wheat ale! Submissions are due by February 20th and be sure to save-the-date for the Awards Gala on March 13th. $15 (includes HST) registration fee entitles each beer entry to a long-sleeved-shirt, two tickets to the gala and a Mixed-6 of Garrison beer! Additional shirts will be available for $15.00.

Thanks for joining me again this week. Enjoy responsibly and have a Merry Christmas.