It’s hard to believe August is already upon us. Soon patio season will be over and Halifax will be nothing but icy sidewalks and parking bans (sigh). But let’s not get caught up in that just yet. Summer is still here, so let’s enjoy it while we can. To help you do that, we’ve rounded up some late summer releases from a few of our local craft brewers.
1. Tag! You're It by Big Spruce Brewing (6.5%, 49 IBU)
Release: August 3
This IPA was created in collaboration with Dalhousie University’s Ocean Tracking Network (OTN). Big Spruce has pledged that 50 cents from every can they sell will go to OTN and other programs doing ocean research, such as the tagging and tracking of sharks in the Northwest Atlantic. Big Spruce co-owner Jeremy White says Bishop's Cellar and Harvest Wines agreed to contribute another 25 cents from the sales they make. A second release of the 20,000-can brew is scheduled for October.
2.Fandango by 2 Crows Brewing Co. (6.8%, 52 IBU)
Release: August 5 (tentative)
This milkshake IPA has a tropical flavour with Azacca, Galaxy, and Citra hops: “All very tropical hops, think passionfruit, mango [and] tangerine,” head brewer Jeremy Taylor says via email. The beer is conditioned in a calvados barrel for several weeks, then finished with mango puree, peaches, vanilla bean and lactose (hence the term “milkshake IPA”). This will be a limited release, Taylor says. “We only have the one batch of it, and once it is gone it is gone.”
3. Promiseland by 2 Crows Brewing Co. (8.3%, 64 IBU)
Release: August 31 (tentative)
The folks at 2 Crows first brewed this double IPA a few months back. If you missed it, fear not—it’s going to be available again due to its popularity. Taylor describes it as “hazy and very juicy.” Promiseland is brewed with malted oats, flaked barley, and honey malt, and loaded with Citra and Simcoe hops. This beer also has a tropical touch, with juicy citrus notes: Orange, tangerine and a bit of mango. Taylor says they expect this to be a seasonal release, so you’ll have a couple months to grab it before it disappears into the boozy void for a while.
4. Oh My Darlin’ by North Brewing (6.3%, 30 IBU)
Release: August (tentative)
Oh my darling, oh my darling clementine IPA. North co-owner Rozina Darvesh says brewer Josh Herbin aged this beer in the company’s tank at Battery Park. It then underwent a secondary aging and fermentation process with Brettanomyces claussenii (a type of wild yeast), along with clementine juice and zest. This brew is bottle conditioned and is part of North’s Finite Series, so it’s limited edition.
5. Low Tide by Tidehouse Brewing Company (5.5%, 13 IBU)
Release: Late August
Say what? Tidehouse is about to drop its first bottle release, and they’re promising it’ll be something special. In collaboration with Low Point coffee, they’re releasing an American Porter. Low Point soaked their raw burundi coffee beans in 2 Crows’ calvados barrel for 24 hours, and those beans were sent up the hill and roasted at Java Blend. “Low Point made us a keg of the cold brew concentrate from this incredible coffee,” says Tidehouse co-owner Shean Higgins, and thus, a marriage of beer and coffee only made sense.
