In England, they refer to a pub that has an exclusivity agreement with a brewery as a tied house. Although many breweries would dream of deals like this, it’s illegal in Nova Scotia to tie a bar to a brand of taps. The Port, a gastropub—a pub that serves high-quality food—on the red banks of […]
Beer Guide
Posted inFood + Drink
House beers
For the diehard beer hunter always looking for a new taste, there is a decent selection of blended house beers poured out in bars and restaurants across the city. Propeller currently has the most specialty blends on tap in and out of the city. “It’s not practical to do a single batch of beer for […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Shing a shong
The bartender tells me Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest nights. People drink lots, ’cause they are doing the karaoke. Laurie the Guy hosts 300 karaoke shows a year; he’s done it for 18 years. His first time onstage, at Big Leagues, he was totally sober—a sure indication he was born to sing in front […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Another skill testing question
The second biggest beer drinking activity we imported from Britain, right after fighting and passing out, is the pub quiz. It’s more a civilized, cerebral form of combat performed in teams. Everyone knows teamwork increases your trivia response rates and collective IQ. Teams increase beer consumption, too. Basically, the pub quiz is a great way […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Snuggled in
T om’s Little Havana (5428 Doyle) is the coziest downtown pub and always wins a Coast award for Best Place to Drink Alone. It’s a welcoming, well-lit bar and there’s booths in back for a tete-a-tete. Then there’s Freeman’s (6092 Quinpool), open till late, with high, well-worn old Naugahyde booths. Sure, your butt might stick […]
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Hop on up!
Since starting work at Pumphouse Brewery in Moncton last year, Greg Nash—the man who brewed Garrison’s first batch of Imperial India Pale Ale in a plastic vat—has waded even further into the deep end of extreme beer making. “My mouth is still in shock and awe,” he says, after tasting a batch of his triple […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Hey, Porter!
Daniel Girard darts about the Garrison Brewery plant, sliding down the rails from the top of his kettle, a large steel vat nearing the end of a long boil. He then bounds over to a hose that has a tiny window through which he observes the rushing liquid, making sure it’s darkening in colour. His […]