(from [here], www.herenb.com)
Yes it is that time, the time for my every-so-often brews news update for New Brunswick, in which I investigate what new beers are on the shelves, or on tap from our local brewers.
The latest sighting is of Sam Adams Boston Lager, with its new package (Where did Sam the patriot go? You can barely see him, faded in the background) and new price tag, at least if you are used to drinking it in the US. $14.98 for a 6-pack is extreme, bordering on insane. Sure, this is an iconic American microbrew, and one which I really like, but I can’t justify paying more for that than say, a St. Ambroise Pale Ale ($12.96), Garrison ($11.99), Pump House ($11.49), or Propeller ($11.99). OK, it is a premium lager, something which I have been screaming for, and the bottle size is slightly bigger at 355 ml, but still…DAB from Germany is $2.15 a 330 ml bottle. That comes all the way from Germany! And Pilsner Urquell, the hoppy lager on which Sam Adams is arguably modeled, is $2.99 for a 500 ml can. Sleeman, who markets Sam Adams here, sells their brands for only $21.49 a 12-pack. Actually, maybe a bigger shock is that Old Milwaukee, a watery US brew also distributed by Sleeman (and made in Halifax, I understand) is $13.99 for 6 x 355 ml bottles.
To recap, here is a price table:
BEER PRICE/100 ml
Sam Adams 70 cents
Old Milwaukee 65.7
DAB 65.2
St. Ambroise 63.4
Urquell 59.8
Propeller/Garrison 58.6
Pump House 56.2
Sleeman 52.5
Is this the result of the recent collapse of the Canadian dollar? Or is it an extra charge so that Sleeman, who distributes it here, gets their cut? Does it come with a free glass? In any case, it will be a tough sell.
If you’ve never had Sammy, it is a unique smelling and tasting brew, due to the special (Hallertau Mittelfruh) hops used. In fact I find it one of the most distinct aromas of any beer in the world. It has very rich floral notes, decent bitterness, and a clean finish. It is brewed using the traditional decoction mash, which is the way the top pilsner brewers operate. It is too complicated to explain here, but let’s just say that it is a pain in the ass, labour-intensive, to mash this way.
Another new brew noted by local beer lovers is Garrison Tall Ship Amber Ale, from Halifax, at $11.99 a 6-pack. This is a lighter ale than most microbrewed versions, and is more of a quaffer. It has light malt notes and moderate bitterness.
More good news at the ANBL is that we now have four Fuller’s products from this famous London brewery. Organic Honey Dew, Fuller’s ESB (Extra Special Bitter), Fuller’s London Pride, and Fuller’s London Porter are all $3.99 for 500 ml bottles. Fuller’s London Pride is one of my favourite cask beers when I am in England. It has gorgeous floral hop and yummy caramel aromas, with very pleasant hop bitterness and flavour, even in the bottled version. Many beers lose their fresh hop aromas when packaged, but Fullers is great when fresh. Although London Pride is a modest 4.1% on cask in the UK, the bottles are 4.7%. The stronger ESB is 5.9% and much fuller flavoured, while London Porter is a classic: dry and full of chocolate notes.
Organic Honey Dew Lager is a clean lager, but it is even higher in price than Sam Adams!
Our local brewers are making some interesting stuff too. Greg Nash at Pump House reports on their Brewer’s Blog that his Schwarzbier (German Black Lager) is available on tap. I tried it on my last trip through Moncton. It is a nicely subtle, smooth malty lager; think of it as similar to Porter only brewed with lager yeast. He also has a Baltic Storm on the way, an 8.2% Baltic Porter. That sounds dangerous.
Rumour has it that Fredericton’s Picaroons (Northampton) is releasing a special Espresso Stout using coffee from Red Whale, a premium coffee roaster in Rothesay. I haven’t seen the ale yet, but I heard that the Saint John Ale House would be featuring it as a special tap. Let me know if there is a sighting.
I’m also waiting for the latest news about brewer Patrice Godin and his battle to open his small Moncton microbrewery. The last I heard, he was waiting on the City Of Moncton about an appeal about the zoning restriction placed upon him. Essentially, he wants to brew a small amount of beer for sale on tap at local pubs, but his location was deemed unacceptable by the planning commission. Don’t you love the way we squash entrepreneurs in Canada? I hope to drink his brew on tap at Marky’s Laundromat sooner rather than later.
On that same front, I heard a rumour yesterday that a new brewpub is opening in Saint John early in the New Year, up above Sebastian on Princess Street. There is definitely something going on up there. I can neither confirm nor deny this, but I’m giddy as a schoolgirl.
Cheers!
Craig Pinhey has been waiting for a new NB microbrewery for, um, ever. Contact him at frogspad@nb.aibn.com.
