Summer Brew’s in Atlantic Canada’s Craft Brewing Capital
The craft beer scene in Fredericton is hot all year round, but when the weather finally matches the vibrancy of the brewery culture here, that means its summer!
The Fredericton Taproom Trail is the route you find a reason to ride as many times as possible. Breweries become a celebration destination in this city because people will find some way to combine any activity or need to celebrate with craft beer – birthdays, retirements parties, team bonding, or hey it’s a Tuesday – any excuse to gather some friends and hit our trails.
That’s the beauty of craft culture, it cultivates community and with all of our breweries being accessible by the trail system, it makes for a perfect way to spend the day, sipping around the city. Fredericton has the 2nd most breweries per capita in Canada, so there are tons to explore. I’m going to be looking at only a few of the places that you could find yourself rocking up to on our trails. Every beer deserves a patio, here are a just a few you could enjoy on the #FredTapTrail.
Half Cut Brewing Company
BIG NEWS, after years of using a fellow brewery to brew their beer, Half Cut has announced a partnership with 11th mile restaurant. Watch for more news on their new Northside location by following @coastline.yfc on Instagram. But don’t worry, Half Cut has 3 beers to currently select from, and good luck trying to choose a favourite. Charlie Horse Kolsch (4.9%), Tickle Fight IPA (6.2%) & Jackhammer APA (5.2%). You can find these at many of the local breweries in the city.
Trailway
Trailway can throw a mean block party, which is the way to any Northsider’s heart. This brewery just celebrated its 6th birthday, and with every year that passes by, Trailway has the ability to keep a youthful spirit in how they interact with the community. I mean, they bought a bowling alley across the street, that’s the dream! They are fearless when it comes to trying new and exciting recipes, while still staying consistent on being able to provide you with the best hazy IPA you’ll have all summer i.e Hu Jon Hops (6.6%), they have fun with the titles and storytelling of their beer (Check out their new TANLINE beer series), and it’s not a Northside fever dream, they actually do have beer slushies!
One of the deadliest duos in the city is when Milda’s Pizza rocks up in their food truck to Trailway, usually Thursday through Saturday in the evening. They have the best oven fired pizza that I like to pair with Beyond Reality (4%). This raspberry wheat ale leaves the taps in September but the anticipation each spring to have it back gets us through the winter months. Wheat based, raspberries and El Dorado hops come together for this fruity summer staple beer.
Trailway can feel like home: a spot for anyone, the patio is always filled with couples, friend groups, coworkers and family’s – a wide and wonderful demographic, this brewery is a meeting point for anyone that seeks good company.
Picaroons
There is an invisible force near the trails by the walking bridge, you know Picaroons is there, you know it will be there tomorrow but, it is near impossible to pass that beautiful patio and not be pulled into a great time.
By accident you’ve spent 7 hours there, run into 4 cousins, 8 old teachers, and your elementary school best friend and then you realize your partner has been there the whole time, enjoying some good beer too. This is the ultimate destination for any hour of the day, but in particular, the sunsets on the Picaroons patio are unmatched. When I set up camp there, I will usually rock a glass of the Blonde Ale (5%) which was actually the first beer Picaroons ever brewed, approachable, easy-going and made to have many.
At this point, we haven’t even touched ground on the other side of the river, but it’s worth continuing, let’s hit the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge and keep going.
Maybee Brewing Co
Next up is our pals Maybee Brewing over in the industrial park, home to the Workhorse IPA (7%). They host comedy nights, trivia, wings nights with Gastromes Food Truck and so much more. Maybee to its core is wholesome and feels like an extension of your living room, somewhere you can feel at home. They are extremely engaged with those who walk in their front door, and there is a level of care in their curated space that makes you feel welcomed.
They recently expanded their taproom, and this summer will be exciting for them as they get creative with rebranding some of their classics. Maybee is best to venture to on the #FredTapTrail right after Picaroons, because once you leave Maybee’s it’s a nice downhill bike ride to the rest of downtown. Bonus note, keep your eyes peeled for the first week of July because Maybee is canning their Mosaic Kettle Sour for the first time!!!
The Cap #KEEPITLIVE
The Cap is the heartbeat of Fredericton. This multi-room music venue serves up all the live music of your dreams and now THEY MAKE BEER. This place is a community hub and a leader in the industry, they allow room for anyone to feel like their art can be celebrated. When anyone speaks of The Cap it usually reads off like a love-letter. This is an establishment that cares about its city and it’s part of the #FredTapTrail!
The Cap lives to support the local musicians, every beer is named after a band, musician or title of a song, so if you’re new or just passing through make sure to ask about your beer title and go find that artist on Spotify or Apple Music. My musician and beer of choice is the Jerry Faye IPA (7%). A new beer to the lineup is BEEN WAITIN’ (3.5%). It’s The Cap’s take on a British Mild, hints of tropical fruit and malty tones, this new beer is a hot summer day’s best friend. If you’re wrapping up your #FredTapTrail experience at The Cap but want the night to continue, make sure to ask your bartenders about what live music is happening there that night.
Graystone Brewing
Graystone is innovative when it comes to how they want to host you in their space, there are always continued improvements to the patio area or around the brewery. They know how to be exciting, look fresh, and the beers follow suit. I will always recommend their Patagonia Series Beers, I’ll start with the Pale Ale (5%) and then get more adventurous from there. Their Fishers Fields Sour (5%) finishes with one of the best-looking glasses of beers in the city and hits close to home, with all their blueberries for the beer being sourced from Sackville, N.B.
Graystone is located perfectly downtown, it’s often either the starting or finishing point for those trying to complete the #FredTapTrail. I am a Northsider so I love to end here, grab one of their hammock seats and grab some food from a local food truck they have parked right in the brewery driveway. Graystone’s anthem is crafting adventure, you usually find yourself there talking about your next great adventure, or catching up with friends after you’ve got back from one.
Grimross Brewing Co
If you complete the brave mission of passing through Fredericton’s rodeo of a roundabout you’ve landed at Grimross, located uptown on Bishop Drive. When bikers approach the brewery, a slow clap can be heard amongst the taproom for they trekked up some kind of hill to enjoy a beer, and to that I say, cheers.
I lovingly poke at Grimross because I work there. All jokes aside, it's worth the drive to come up to the brewery. The stoke of the summer at Grimross is that we got a patio again, and very soon we will have a beer garden set up in Oromocto, located right beside the Oromocto Marina.
Hop Blonde (6%) & Praha Lager (3.8%) have come back to party once again: Praha is easy going on the nose, it comes in with grassy/herbal notes and finishes crisp like the drink you need after mowing the lawn. This beer is extremely approachable for beer lovers and those new to drinking craft. Hop Blonde is a summertime favourite – stone and tropical fruits find their way in the aroma and the bold hop characters magically cause you to pour another.
We made it! And that’s just half of the beer scene here in Freddy and by the time we do another blog post there could be 10 more breweries. This ever-expanding industry is exciting and at the heart of it, is to enjoy something crafted well with people you care for. The #FredTapTrail is ready to rival any sunny day with a good time, I hope one of these stops finds you walking through their doors here soon. See you on the trails, cheers.
