Maritime Beer Report - September 18, 2015

Hello and welcome to September 18th edition of the Maritime Beer Report

Big Tide Brewing's head brewer says it is just about time for her favorite brewing day that uses fresh hops, and fresh pumpkin and soon their Indian Beach Pumpkin Ale will be on tap.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault released Bonhomme Sept-heures Pumpkin Ale this week. They used more than 60 lbs of pumpkin and squash, 2 lbs of spices and all kinds of other good stuff. It clocks in at 8.6% ABV and is the strongest beer they have made. Available now at the Brewtique.

Hammond River Brewing Company were making the season's first Breakfast Stout. Oats, Java Moose Coffee, Chocolate, Cacao Nibs, Applewood Bacon smoked right here at HRB, and a few Eggs and Grits to top it off. This delicious 8% ABV Imperial Stout will be available soon.

Picaroons Traditional Ales says their 2015 Harvest Ales will start pouring next week. This year they have 7 different batches from 6 different local farmers, all made with a different local hops, all with the same local grain. Once again you will be able to find out about your Harvest Ale by checking out the batch code on the side of your label and going to http://picaroons.ca/myharvest/

Big Spruce Brewing says that its collaboration with Stillwell Gimme Citra is back. It is described as a nice hoppy beer and comes in at 4.7% ABV. Available now at the brewery and select taps.

Breton Brewing were busy this week brewing their first seasonal called Celtic Colours Maple Lager. Look out for this beer around Cape Breton during the Celtic Colours festival! The Maple Syrup they added came from Acadian Maple Products in Nova Scotia. 

FirkinStein Brewing started selling their beer this week. It is not available at bars yet but they have opted to start with home delivery in the Bridgewater, Mount Pleasant and Conquerall Mills areas. They are charging $8 for the bottle and $12 for the beer then you own the bottle and refills are just $12 after that. They're beer is called Nor'easter Ale and is a strong beer weighing in at 7.5% ABV.

Garrison Brewing says they got a boatload of Cinderella Pumpkins from their friends at Howard Dill's Pumpkin Farm in Windsor for the next batch of  their Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Good Robot Brewing is introducing the 5th addition to their lineup, Leave Me Blue Kentucky Corn Beer. In celebration of this on Sunday, October 4th, they will be hosting a good ol' fashioned hootenanny at the brewery complete with pig roast, bluegrass music and of course beers.

Sea Level Brewing notes that Hopfazupfa is back for fall. This is a 6% ABV American IPA. They are sad to announce that they are not making the New Scotland Heather Ale this year. They couldn't get enough heather & Randy won't compromise.

Tatamagouche Brewing released the next edition in their Giant Series, it is a Russian Imperial Stout coming in at 8.5% ABV. It is hopped with Pacific Gem and Chinook. Also Tatabrew is bringing back its award winning Lagerhosen and a new IPA called Deception Bay IPA that is a hefty 6.2% ABV.

Uncle Leo's Brewery says its Pictou County Harvest Ale made with fresh hops from Bramble Hill Farms. It is a 5.7% ABV limited quantity ale that is available in growlers only. 

Looking for something fun to do in Moncton next week end? Moncton Area Beer League is doing a beer hike that will visit five local watering holes for beer and food samples. Tickets are $49 to join in on the fun.

New Brunswick Beer Tour is running their River Valley Tour again on October 17th from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM . Join King Street Ale House owners Doug Williams, Eat New Brunswick and the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival as they explore NB Craft Beers and Ciders. Along the way you will have samples and food from King Street Ale House and visit and sample at three breweries.

Ever wonder what it would be like to practice yoga inside the serene walls of a brewery, backdropped by massive stainless steel tanks? No? Ok, well even if you haven't thought about it before, here is your chance to do that at Upstreet Craft Brewing on September 26th from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM. For $15 you will get 1-hour practice and a glass of beer. 

Looking to expand your beer knowledge and get certified for personal or professional reasons? CAPS- Atlantic is offering two courses this fall. The Certified Beer Server course is designed to prepare students for the Certified Beer Server exam, the first level of certification in the Cicerone program. It is 1 evening a week for 4 weeks in September and October for $260. The Certified Beer Professional course is designed to prepare students for the Cicerone certification exam. It runs 1 evening a week for 10 weeks and costs $1240. Courses run consecutively, and can be taken individually or as a 14-week package. Check the website for registration forms.

Thanks for letting me share the news again this week, Until next week enjoy responsibly.

Maritime Beer Report - September 4, 2015

Welcome to the September 4th edition of the Maritime Beer Report.

Big Axe Brewery has released Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Ale. They say it is a delicious light brown ale with red hues and an aroma of strawberry ganache. They brewed it with a mixture of dark crystal malts and a great amount of toasted wheat to add a bit of complexity. A moderate amount of hops add a mild, fruity hop aroma that blends extremely well with caramel notes produced from Carabohemian malt. They used 10 lbs of strawberries from Hoyt's and some freshly picked rhubarb to create the Pie.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie weighs in at 5.5% ABV and has a very mild 22 IBUs.

Hammond River Brewing is currently brewing the first wet hopped Harvest Ale batch of 2015. Lots of fresh hops grown right there at HRB will be added

Railcar Brewing Company says CSB time is now and available to purchase until the end of September. There are three levels $125, 250 and 500, each with great deals attached.

The first Fredericton Cider Festival will be on Saturday, October 24th. Brought to you by those behind the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, the afternoon event will be held at Brewbakers in downtown Fredericton, and will feature unlimited tasting (4 oz pours) of up to 30 different ciders. With several local craft cideries attending as well as other big brands, there will be plenty of different offerings to sample! There are two ticket options: regular tickets $56.50 will get you a tasting glass and unlimited pours from 1-4 pm, while a limited number of VIP tickets $65.00 will allow for early entry at noon, plus a special information session on cider production. The event will be held outdoors on Brewbakers' partially-covered deck; a small food menu from the restaurant will also be available for purchase. Attendees can expect to see some extra-special products at the fest, quite-possibly including New Brunswick's first exposure to cask cider. Tickets available now on eventbrite. 

I was lucky enough to attend to great events in Moncton last night. I was at Pump House Brewing's production facility for this years Stone Fire Ale's kick off. As they did last year they dunked super heated rocks into the wort to create the unique flavors. The brewer tells me he change the recipe this year by switching up some malts to work better he hopes with the process. They plan on producing 4000 bottles again this year in the flip-top bottles. 
I also went to Flying Boats Brewing's launch at Laundromat Expresso Bar. Brewer/owner Marc Melanson saw all three of his kegs emptied in an hour and twenty minutes. The S-55 Special Mission Pale Ale (5.9% ABV 43 IBUs) and Empress Irish Red Ale (5.5% ABV 20 IBUs) were both great. Look for these beers in Moncton, Shediac and Sackville areas.

Garrison Brewing released its Tri-collaboration yesterday at Stillwell and the Beergarden. Not So Gentle Tickle IPA is a 7.0% ABV and 55 IBUs beer made with whole leaf Amarillo, Citra and Columbus hops in the kettle, whirpool and fermenter . It is described as having “a bold hop flavor with juicy, citrusy and fruity aspects". It is available for a limited time at the brewery in 650 ml bottles.

Propeller Brewing ‏noted that there was a very familiar and special aroma coming from their Brewhouse recently. Pumpkin Ale is on the way.

Unfiltered Brewing is releasing DOA (Double Orange Ale) today. It is a Citra SMaSH (single malt and single hop) Double IPA hits the taps @unfilteredbrews Friday at noon. Greg Nash says it contains NO oranges, it does, however, contain a boatload of citrus-y hop flavour and just the slightest hint of malt sweetness. It is a 7.5% ABV and 100+ IBU beer.

FirkinStein Brewing of Bridgewater says they will have beer very soon. I hope to meet with them in the next week or two to get all the details for you.

Staying with new brewery news, High Tide Brewing is opening a 15 BBL brewery in Truro. They are currently looking for a Head Brewer. I was talking to the owner and said he will meet with me next month to release details.

Thanks for checking out Maritime Beer Report, have a great long week end and as always enjoy responsibly.