DALHOUSIE, NB – Shiretown Beer, the small brewery that opened last year in Dalhousie’s Artisan Cafe & Brewpub, has announced via Facebook that brewing operations “will be down indefinitely in order to clear up a few brewing discrepancy’s (sic).”

The announcement apologizes for “past inconsistencies” in Shiretown’s brands, which include Blonde du Quai and Big Brown Ale, and notes that beers from other craft breweries including Pump House and Picaroons will remain available at the Artisan as the quality control issues are being worked on.

No estimate has been given as to when the brewery is expected to be up and running again, but updates will likely be posted to Facebook when available.

TORONTO, ON – The original Mill Street Brew Pub in Toronto’s Distillery District closed this past Monday for renovations, including installation of a new roof and changes to the bar and seating areas.

It’s expected that the remodelling will be finished by February 13th, although those intending to pay a visit should call ahead or check the website or Facebook page to confirm that the reopening happens as planned.

[Photo from Wikimedia Commons]

OTTAWA, ON – A post on Facebook earlier this afternoon has revealed that the new Ottawa location of the Mill Street Brew Pub will be opening today at 4:00 PM, three days ahead of the originally announced opening date of January 27th.

According to comments the post, Friday will still serve as the official grand opening day, with a private kick-off from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM followed by a public event with full menu service and a live band.

Reservations will be taken starting on January 31st, with admission and service being first come first served until then.

OTTAWA, ON – After several delays that pushed things past the Labour Day opening that was originally hoped for, the new Ottawa location of the Mill Street Brewpub will finally be opening to the public on January 27th.

In a recent blog post for the Ottawa Citizen, food and drink writer Ron Eade reveals a few details from a visit, where Adam Rader – head brewer for the Ottawa location – had just finished brewing a batch of Portage Ale, one of four brands that will be exclusive to Ottawa. Rader described the beer as “a really nice, clean light five-per-cent blond ale, lightly hopped with German hersbrucker hops.”

In addition to the four local brews, the taps at the Ottawa outpost will also feature up to 10 beers from the main Mill Street Brewery and Brewpub locations in Toronto, likely including flagship brands like Tankhouse Ale, Organic Lager, and Coffee Porter, as well as occasional seasonals.

More details on the grand opening of Mill Street Brewpub Ottawa are expected to be announced soon.

[Photo from the Facebook page of Mill Street Brewpub Ottawa.]

VICTORIA, BC – Vancouver Island beer news blog Beer on the Rock reports that Spinnakers Brewpub has a trio of new fruit beers now available.

Currant Noir, Daz Razz and Mon Cheri are Belgian-influenced fruit ales made with black currants, raspberries and cherries respectively. They’re available exclusively in bottles, and only for a limited time.

Spinnakers has also announced that they will soon be offering growlers of their draught brands, making some of them available to take home for the first time.

VANCOUVER, BC – The latest newsletter from CAMRA Vancouver reports that Taylor’s Crossing Restaurant & Brewery, a popular brewpub in North Vancouver, was suddenly shuttered earlier this week.

According to an article in the North Shore News, staff were informed on Tuesday by parent company Mark James Group (MJG) that the brewpub was being shut down immediately.

While the bar/restaurant has been closed, the brewery will remain operational, producing the Red Truck Beer brands that have been brewed there for the past few years by brewmaster Dave Varga. An adjoining liquor store will also remain open.

The demise of Taylor’s Crossing comes roughly a year and a half after the closure of another MJG brewpub, Dix BBQ & Brewery. The company still operates several other restaurant & brewery establishments in British Columbia, including Yaletown in Vancouver, Brewhouse in Whistler, Big Ridge in Surrey, and Flying Beaver in Richmond.

Described as “brasseurs de quartier” – or “neighbourhood brewers” – not much has been announced yet about this new venture, aside from the planned opening date and the address (3632 Ontario Est).

More details should be announced soon via the brewery’s Facebook page and website.

Luckily, the owners came around to recognizing the poor quality of the product that was resulting from this process, and recently installed a proper all-grain brewing system on site. They also hired brewmaster Greg Nash – known for his hop-heavy experiments at the Hart & Thistle, where he continues to work as well – to come in and oversee their new brews.

According to a recent post on Nash’s Rockbottom Brewer’s Blog, the first batches of beer from this new system are now ready, and will be unveiled next Monday, December 5th at 10:00 AM. The initial beers will include American Weizen (5.0% ABV 12 IBUs),  English Style Brown Ale (5.5% ABV 17 IBUs), West Coast IPA (6.9% ABV 70 IBUs), American Stout (6.7% ABV 70 IBUs) and West Coast Double IPA (8.0% ABV 100+ IBUs).

There will also be some changes made to the food menu, including the addition of a cheese board and a roasted garlic beer cheese soup, the latter made with a recipe supplied by Nash. Beer will be used as an ingredient in more menu items than before, and a selection of bottled beers from other breweries will also be on offer.

OTTAWA, ON

As with the other expansion locations, the new pub will not feature brewing on-site, and beer will be brought in from the original Clocktower on Bank Street.

The new location will offer the standard Clocktower line-up of five beers – Kolsch, Raspberry Wheat, Wishart’s ESB, Fenian Red and Bytown Brown – as well as occasional seasonal and one-off beers. The first of the latter will be Clocktower #4, a 6.2% Belgian-style pale ale brewed with 4 different malts and 4 different hops especially to mark the grand opening.

MONTREAL, QC

Returning for a second year, Munich is described as “a copper-coloured beer with a traditional Bavarian flavour, ideal for the Oktoberfest.”

Munich is on tap now at Les 3 Brasseurs locations throughout Quebec, and at The 3 Brewers in Toronto.