Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these beers and ciders—which are presented in no particular order—should be available at NSLC and/or private liquor stores around Halifax until supplies run out. When in doubt or desperation, check with the individual brewery/cidery. Eight Bells The Church Brewing Co. The newest beer from Wolfville’s newest brewery is rooted in old […]
craft beer
Posted inFood + Drink
Re-inventing the craft beer festival
Nova Scotia Craft Beer Festival March 21, Cunard Centre, 961 Marginal Road nscraftbeerfest.ca It’s only been five years since the Nova Scotia Craft Beer Festival started life as “Full House,” with just a handful of brewers. That first event, in 2015, was intended to launch the summer beer season and introduce a few new beverages […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Rozina Darvesh walks the walk
The happy ending of The Wizard of Oz happens when Dorothy Gale realizes that as many wonders as there are over the rainbow, you don’t actually have to look that far to find your joy. She famously says, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my […]
Posted inFood + Drink
First look: The Stillwell Freehouse
The Stillwell Freehouse 2534 Agricola Street How do you build a new pub? That was the question that challenged Laura MacDonald, Chris Reynolds and Andrew Connell when they started planning what would be the third member of the Stillwell beer bar family over a year ago. With the same beer-forward philosophy they’ve pushed forward with […]
Posted inFood + Drink
A craft beer taste test with the Fermented Friends
Katherine Woolhouse: Hi Dave. For our debut “Fermented Friends” chat, I picked up four beers for us to try. Most of them come from Bishop’s Cellar, where I went shopping for a more-or-less random selection of things that were either new or new to me. Dave Hayden: Right on. I’m ready for this, I think. […]
Posted inLifestyle
With love (and beer), from Halifax
Halifax Seaport Cider & BeerFest Friday, August 9, 7-9:30pm and Saturday, August 10, 2-4:30pm and 7-9:30pm Cunard Event Centre, 961 Marginal Road $45-70 I f this were a YA novel, it’d be The Sisterhood of the Travelling Beers. This weekend, dozens of Maine-based breweries are coming to the Halifax Seaport Cider & BeerFest. Even more […]
Posted inFood + Drink
FIRST LOOK: Sourwood Cider’s funky little bar
Sourwood Cider 5576 Cornwallis Street Jake Foley is a musician, carpenter and violin-maker who pursues hobbies for the sake of romance and curiosity. The first time he tried his hand at making cider, he enlisted a group of friends to help him pick red-fleshed crab apples that he smashed, pressed and fermented. For several years, […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Brewster Fest puts in the work
Brewster Fest Saturday, April 27, 1-4 & 7-10 pm Mayflower Curling Club 3000 Monaghan Drive $30 tickethalifax.com Unofficially kicking off Nova Scotia Craft Beer Week is Good Robot Brewing Co. with an all-women Brewster Fest. On April 27, over 15 craft breweries in Atlantic Canada will bring a beer crafted by or with women-identifying brewers to […]
Posted inFood + Drink
The sweet success of sour beer
Sour beer is a growing market in craft beer and brewers, bars and the NSLC are stepping up to meet the demand. A spokesperson for the NSLC says as of March the amount of sour beer sold has risen 125 percent compared to last year, bringing in roughly $8.3 million over the same time frame. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
DRINK THIS: Boxing Rock’s 14 Carrot Gold pale ale
It may not count towards daily vegetable intake, but who cares? Boxing Rock Brewing Company just released a beer made with carrots. The aptly named 14 Carrot Gold is a collaboration with Square Roots, a social enterprise formed by Enactus Saint Mary’s, working toward reducing food waste and increasing food security. For example, Square Roots […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Where I Work: BeerTech’s Ken Greer
Who he is Ken Greer grew up in Belgium, where having a beer at lunchtime was “no big deal.” Once, when he tried to do this at a restaurant here in Halifax, he was told the draught system was being cleaned. “Who cleans beer lines at lunch?” Greer asked. And then a lightbulb went off: […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
DRINK THIS: Meander River’s Blueberry Cider
It’s been nearly a year since Ashdale’s little gem, Meander River Farm, expanded its brewhouse to make room for more cider and you can raise a glass of its latest one-off release—a tasty 5.5% blueberry cider—to celebrate. “With our expansion last year we were able to do more small lots with fresh ingredients from our […]