Tante Blanche - Petit Sault Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Edmundston)

Tante Blanche - Petit Sault Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Edmundston) 4.7%

A brilliant, full gold in a glass; slightly cloudy with a thin white head of foam. The aroma is of nectar and field flowers, some hints of citrus and spices like a mix of the coriander or seeds of paradise that many Whites feature. The flavour has citrus (orange) and is spiced along the same lines. The wheat flavour and texture come through and Tante Blanche reminds me of a golden ale flavoured with wheat and wheat spices. All in all, it's well balanced and very tasty. Cool label with an amusing picture and a good story.

Bob LeBoeuf - Petit Sault Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Edmundston)

Bob LeBoeuf - Petit Sault Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Edmundston) 5.2%

Full gold in a glass without much of a head of foam. The malt flavour is somewhat toasted and sweet but with a herbal touch from the yeast that is well suited to the style and very pleasant. It has a somewhat thicker mouthfeel than some other beers but again this is suitable for the style. All in all, a nicely drinkable Belgian Style Blonde Ale.

Boundary Ale - Moosehead (Canada - New Brunswick - Saint John)

Boundary Ale - Moosehead (Canada - New Brunswick - Saint John) 5.3%

A deep amber colour in a glass with a head of off-white foam. An earthy but also resiny and sticky hops aroma with caramelized sugars and a malty body.

A slightly sweeter flavour than I expected, caramelized sugars that are on the red side of the Maillard process and just not quite roasty. Definitely still some hop tones: resin, cedar and a dry bitterness with just a bit of citrus. This ale is nicely balanced and has an appetizingly bitter aftertaste.

In my opinion this is the best beer that Moosehead makes (as a New Brunswicker that is saying something) and it's very nice: refreshing and complex. Boundary Ale is a lot (but not exactly) like an English IPA even if its hops character is a touch resiny.

Blonde du Quai - Shiretown (Canada - New Brunswick - Dalhousie)

Blonde du Quai - Shiretown (Canada - New Brunswick - Dalhousie) 5.5%

Gold in a glass, lightly cloudy. A raw, unfinished sort of aroma which is appetizing all the same: sweet, honey, clover, grass, grain, wet mash (which is, more or less, malt being boiled). The taste is sweet but impressively balanced. The raw character comes through in both the grain flavour of the malt and also grassy, pine flavour of the hops. A somewhat acidic finish and a bit of pine and grapefruit comes out in the aftertaste that finishes a tasty beer.

Loki - Celtic Knot (Canada - New Brunswick - Riverview)

Loki - Celtic Knot (Canada - New Brunswick - Riverview) 6.0%

Totally black in a glass, tan head that fads quickly but with thick lacing. Mango and payaya aroma bordering on almost soapy. Coffee and other roasty flavours with lots of hops: grapefruit, payaya, and cedar. This is one of the best examples, in my opinion, of a Black IPA because it has the hefty coffee and other dark malt notes but very strong hops tones as well.

104th Regiment - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

104th Regiment - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton) 4.2%

A clear brown colour in a glass with a head of off-white foam. Roasty, biscuit, caramel and brown sugar aroma.

A watery mouthfeel and quite carbonated (a bit of a more aggressive pour would have dealt with that though, I think). Biscuit and roasty, not quite coffee, sweet with caramel and brown sugar. Drinkable and pub appropriate if a bit sweet for a brown ale. Quite nice and I think it may be even better on tap.

Plaid to the Bone - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Plaid to the Bone - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Like a female beer lover's perfume: caramel, floral with a bit of a nutty aroma. The floral is a little bit along the lines of lavender - I haven't had many interactions with heather but I imagine it's along the same lines as flowers of the heath such as lavender and clover. The taste is earthy and floral as well as highly drinkable.

Braunschweig Wicked Wheat - Pump House Brewing (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton)

Braunschweig Wicked Wheat - Pump House Brewing (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.0%

A delectable aroma of cloves and banana, typical of the style. Braunschweig Wicked Wheat pours a cloudy full gold in a glass with a huge, white, fluffy, and highly resilient head of foam: well defines peaks and valleys remained on top of the beer throughout several pourings and plenty of drinks. The veritable eruption of foam does a splendid job of expressing the aroma but does delay the drinking by more than a few precious moments.

The cloves and banana tones of the aroma continue in the flavour and keep this fine wheat ale light and refreshing even as the wheat gives it a creamy mouthfeel and a light grain (wheat) flavour that would pair well with summer fare. The aftertaste is also quite appetizing and is the same balanced flavour (with perhaps just a bit more emphasis on the banana) lingering on. I suggest you try it out as it is a really nice summer beer; now if we could only get some warm weather to go with it.

Picaroons Tap-Takeover at Ducky's Pub (Canada - New Brunswick - Sackville)

Picaroons Tap-Takeover at Ducky's Pub (Canada - New Brunswick - Sackville)

Sackville is my hometown and a 2008 Cultural Capital of Canada, and smack-dab in the middle of Sackville is the new and improved Ducky's Pub, established in 1989, shifted and refurbished in 2013. With the move has come a renewed focus on tasty regional craft beers as well as a full menu from a partnership with their new neighbour Pickles European Deli. This past weekend I had the great pleasure of attending a Picaroons tap-takeover at Ducky's.

Under the watchful gaze of Picaroons reps Tony and Dave each of Ducky's twelve taps were "taken over" and instead of pouring a variety of craft beers poured only tasty Picaroons brews for the evening. As you can read below, I took this opportunity to review two special edition ales that had been aged in Glenora whiskey barrels from the highly rated distillery in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I also enjoyed Picaroons' seasonal Plaid to the Bone, an ale brewed with heather that will be hitting NB Liquor shelves soon.

Barrel Aged Winter Warmer - Picaroons Brewing (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

A lot of the whiskey barrel in the nose and dark but not quite opaque. The alcohol content is not quite a known factor but is likely higher than the 7.3% of the non-barrel aged version since the aging process along with some added sugars for an additional fermentation will kick the alcohol up a notch.

Lots of barrel and whiskey notes in the taste such as vanilla but also a sweetness along with a hefty malt body and flavours. More than detectable levels of alcohol - you can really taste it as you draw your next breath.

It reminds me a little of a Russian Imperial Stout without the hops because it has actual wood tones where wood tones in a typical RIS are just an interaction between the flavour of the hops and the alcohol. I liked Picaroons' original Winter Warmer but the Barrel Aged Winter Warmer is just spectacular.

Barrel Aged Timber Hog - Picaroons Brewing (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Opaque in a glass and this hefty stout even looks like it'll stick to your ribs. The aroma is similarly filled with barrel notes but with more of a peat emphasis than the Barrel Aged Winter Warmer. As a result the aroma is very whiskey-like when coupled with the sweetness and alcohol content that a thoughtful sniff reveals.

The Barrel Aged Timber Hog definitely has a more mellow flavour than the Winter Warmer but it is full of dark malt flavours of chocolate and coffee. A bit of subtle cherry and molasses as well. There is no confusing this with a RIS though, as it does not have the same bitterness or alcohol content as the Barrel Aged Winter Warmer.

The Barrel Aged Timber Hog is highly drinkable for a beer so hearty. The barrel aged version is particularly good but the Timber Hog you can get year round in bottles is also quite good.

Blonde Du Quai - Shiretown (Canada - New Brunswick - Dalhousie)

Blonde Du Quai - Shiretown (Canada - New Brunswick - Dalhousie) 4.5%

Very hoppy and floral with a sweet and malty flavour capped with a punch of grain flavour. The flavour makes it quite bitter but it doesn't dominate as there is a lot of nice things going on here. A very nice blonde ale.

As far as where to get your hands on it, well, it is available in growler for from the brewery in Dalhousie, N.B., on tap in a few fine beer bars in New Brunswick (Marky's Laundromat Espresso Bar and the Garrison District Ale House) and Shiretown has recently announced they are going begin bottling and selling their beer through NB Liquor so look forward to that.

Merry Time Pilsner (Cask) - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton)

Merry Time Pilsner (Cask) - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.6%

A very light mango or passionfruit hop aroma; grain and malthouse also. Yellow and cloudy in a glass with a thin white head with good resilience and lacing. Lots of grain and malthouse in the taste too, a bit raw, some barnyard with a little hay and vegetal hops and the barest hint of citrus (lemon). No sign of the more exotic hops tones I initially picked up in the aroma.

Merry Time Pilsner (Draft) - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.6%

A dry hops and malt taste that is just a little bit nutty with a nice grain background flavour. The aroma is one of dry hops and lightly grain. Clear, pale gold in a glass without much head. A good Euro style Pilsner.



These two different formats make beers that are quite different, though there are similarities, which just goes to show how different a beer can be as a result of cask conditioning.

Highland Rye Ale - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.8%

Highland Rye Ale - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.8%

An ever so slightly cloudy full gold colour in a glass with an appealing and fairly resilient head. A light aroma of grain and malthouse tones. Highland Rye Ale is sweet and creamy with a mellow grain flavour that strengths as you swallow and a nice strong-ish bite of bitterness at the end. There is a distinct rye grain flavour throughout and in the aroma. This is an interesting Rye Ale.

Muddy River Stout - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 4.8%

Muddy River Stout - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 4.8%

Opaque in a glass and served with just the perfect amount of head, which is tan coloured, thick, creamy and left nice lacing. The aroma is chocolatey with sweetness just a little roasty caramel.

The mouthfeel is creamy and just perfect for the style. Chocolate flavour with a smoky finish. The sweetness has just a hint of a very pleasant sweet caramel flavour. There is just a little acidity and a faint touch of dry hops as well as something that comes through like just a bit of grapes or maybe black cherry. You may be surprised to hear I think that there is a grape flavour in Muddy River Stout but bear in mind it is very mild, tasty and mixes very well with the other flavours - it is likely just the way my toungue is processing the slight acidity and the yummy chocolate malt flavours. This is a fine stout, true to the style and very much pub-appropriate.

Blueberry Ale - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.0%

Blueberry Ale - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.0%

Smells strongly of fresh blueberries with a bit of malt and grain. Gold in a glass. The flavour is full of crushed blueberry but it is also clearly an ale: malty, creamy, and sweet with grain tones. Very nice.

It reminds me their Cadian Cream ale but less creamy with not as much malt. Pump House's Blueberry Ale is an award winning beer that can be found pretty far a field. The flavour is light and fruity but also has a tasty ale base, it certainly can be enjoyed in any season but really suits summertime. It is sometimes served with blueberries in the bottom of the glass but this can make the beer overly sweet for some and this ale can definitely stand on its own.

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival 2013

Fredericton Craft Beer Festival 2013

The inaugural Fredericton Craft Beer Festival took place this past weekend (March 9th, 2013) at the Delta Fredericton. The event was well attended and thoroughly enjoyable with an impressive selection of great beers. Where some beer festivals have a number of international lagers that we've all had before, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival was a tribute to craft beers and had none of these "filler beers".

I was very pleased to be able to try beers by Bushwakker, based in Regina, Saskatchewan and by Shiretown out of Dalhousie New Brunswick. I'm not normally able to get my hands on these brews so that was interesting.

Also Picaroons had a cask version of their Yippee IPA that was just amazing. The most surprising beer of the festival had to be Moosehead Cask, it was flavourful and really interesting - not what I expected from Moosehead to be honest.

As fun as the festival was I feel like I could have had a better time if the event had done a better job of getting information to us. When I arrived I was handed a roll of tickets without explanation. None of the volunteers inside the venue that I asked knew what the tickets were for. I eventually went back out to the gate, asked the staff there and found out that the tickets were for the "Garrison Beer Education Room" but with no indication as to what the "Garrison Beer Education Room" was.

I eventually made my way to the Beer Education Room and, to my utter astonishment, found what seemed like more than a dozen more ales, barley wines and bock beers to sample by Unibroue, Brooklyn brewery and plenty of other breweries that had not been advertised in the lead up to the event and were not even included in the beer checklist pamphlet I received when I arrived!

Jackpot.

... Except, the Garrison [District Ale House] Beer Education Room closed an hour before the end of the main event and precisely ten minutes after I discovered it, bummer. However, I still got to try Brooklyn Brewing's Monster Barley Wine and their Local 2, so I'm grateful for that.

Edit: The organizers of the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival contacted me after this post went up to explain why the Garrison Beer Education Room worked the way it did. According to them the Beer Education Room had to be treated as a separate event due for licensing reasons as a result they weren't able to promote in the same way as the main event. This explains a lot and I am grateful to the organizers for reaching out to me to explain this.

All in all, I am very glad I went. The venue was very nice, it was a great opportunity to meet some brewers and fellow beer geeks and to try a wide variety of really excellent beers. The VIP ticket was definitely worth it as the pass got me admitted to the event a half hour early and gave me access to the Bushwakker beers for only $10 more. Also the free chips and popcorn was a nice touch and the water jugs at glass rinsing station were always kept full. Next time (and I'll happily go again) I won't leave the Beer Education to the last few minutes. Also, it would be nice to be able to buy a few bottles to take home though I'm sure that would be another regulatory nightmare for the organizers.

Special Old Bitter - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.0%

Special Old Bitter - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.0%

Gold with an amber hue in the glass. A big fluffy head with good resilience and nice lacing. Resin and cedar hoppy aroma with a bit of roast and a malty, slightly raw, grain touch. Quite a hoppy, cedar and resin taste. A bitter initial flavour with a roasty, and quite a sweet, middle and a bitter resiny hops finish.

This is such a nice "west coast style session beer" and one of my favourites. The freshness of the malt paired with the touch of roast and the perfect amount of hops bitterness makes this Pump House's S.O.B. a great pairing with any pub food from pizza to flavourful pasta to burgers. A great beer, sessionable, interesting and refreshing.

Fire Chief's Red Ale - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.5%

Fire Chief's Red Ale - Pump House Brewery (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 5.5%

A fairly dark red hued brown colour in a glass with a fluffy, off-white head. A sweet, toasty grain aroma; parts of which remind me of puffed wheat. Also a touch of the flavours from a sticky glaze's caramelized sugars (different, darker, roastier than the flavour of caramel).

Quite a nice touch of hops in the taste to go with the caramelized sugars I expect in a red and also with a pronounced but appetizing grain flavour. A sweet, almost sugary finish that doesn't linger too long before the more bitter aftertaste kicks in with a continuation of the same hearty grain flavour. A fine red from a great brewery.

Biere de Garde - Pump House (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 7.5%

Biere de Garde - Pump House (Canada - New Brunswick - Moncton) 7.5%

It is an orange amber colour and barely cloudy in a glass. The aroma is spicy, apple, cranberry, malty with cedar hops. The taste is strongly caramel with cedar hops and bitterness initially, fading with drinking; tart some grain and plenty of cranberry-esque fruit esters with quite a bitter finish. Some barely smoky wood tones make it into the flavour along with a little bit of an earthy flavour. A nice beer that is a bit off the beaten path. Reminds me a bit of a darkish and hoppier saison.

Doppelbock - Pump House (Moncton) 9% in cask / 10% in bottle

Doppelbock - Pump House (Moncton) 9% in cask / 10% in bottle

Cask:

Reddish brown, very dark in a glass. Nice head. Hard to get much of an aroma out of a pint glass: sweet, a bit stout-like, nearly chocolate/coffee and smoke, but faint.

Lots of dark fruit, nearly syrupy sweet black currant. Very little alcohol flavour just a bit in the finish with those same stout chocolate/coffee and smoke flavours from the aroma. Slightly tangy due to its strength and a slightly acrid finish. A touch of something lager-like and a bit of maple. Hops are clearly there as there is a bit of a green touch and by implication since the sweetness of Pump House's Doppelbock is being balanced nicely by something.


Bottle:

Their look is same in cask and bottle while the aroma is better from the bottle because I'm pouring it into a snifter instead of drinking it out of a pint glass: malty, roasty and a little sticky with dark fruit along with lots of dark malt touches of chocolate.

The taste is just awesome, powerfully malty with that faint lager yeast touch, a split between roasty, sticky malt flavours like I'd expect from a red and chocolate and wood tones I'd expect from a dark beer. Lots of dark fruit tones likes prunes and raisins. Barley candy with an acrid bitter smoky finish that still manages to be tasty. Some alcohol notes but not much considering it is 10%. I don't pick up the light touch of hops that I did from the cask but the beer is still nicely balanced.

I strongly suggest picking up a 6-pack or two of this fine seasonal offering ASAP. Also, because it's 10%, not to mention so rich and complex, I'm going to keep a 6-pack in my cellar for a few months and see how the flavour changes. Plus at $12.98 a 6-pack (tax and deposit included) the price just can't be beat.

Best Bitter (cask) - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Best Bitter (cask) - Picaroons (Canada - New Brunswick - Fredericton)

Very much hoppier than the regular version: resiny and fresh cut grass as well as a fairly bitter aftertaste. Still not a hop bomb by any measure. Also there is none of the caramel flavour I associate with Picaroons beers. Well balanced with malt, roasty and a little sticky but I still found it hop forward. I had the good fortune to have one of the first pints out of this cask and I found it was quite a bit hoppier than my second glass; quirks of cask beer perhaps.

This event at Marky's Laudromat Espresso Bar on January 10th was being held to raise funds for the employees of the Garrison District Ale House that has been temporarily shuttered due to fire damage.