Garrison News

February 2010
Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off!!

The Second Annual "Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off" is back just for you, the hot-shot Maritime homebrewer! Produce a 5 gal/20li batch of the chosen style (sorry, no kits please) & submit for judging & prizes. Grand prize includes a day with award-winning brewmaster Daniel Girard brewing a full batch of your recipe! We'll release the beer in bottles as a limited edition seasonal, giving you bragging rights... forever! Great prizes as well from contest sponsor Noble Grape.

For more info and entry form click here!
Read "TAPS" article by Craig Pinhey about the 2009 Brew-Off

November 2009
Innovative Product of the Year!

Grand Baltic Porter wins “Innovative Product of the Year” at annual Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards. The awards are “a chance to celebrate the best in our province” says Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia. This marks the third major award GBP has garnered this year including gold’s at both the World Beer Championships & Canadian Brewing Awards. Well done brew crew!

Click for full Press Release

August 2009
Q-BREW Launches at Seaport Beerfest!

In conjunction with Q104, Halifax’s Home of Rock n Roll, Garrison has whipped up a tasty summer brew.  Refreshingly crisp & golden-amber, this tasty ale has a light-bodied maltiness, mild hop aroma & clean, quenching finish.  Ya, it’s that good!  Let the Q gang buy you a drink for a change at the 3rd annual Seaport Beerfest, Saturday, August 8th.

May 2009
Garrison expands capacity by over 50%

In preparation for another big year, Garrison Brewery Co. has expanded its overall capacity by 50% with the purchase of 2 new tanks. These tanks (as with all Garrison brewing vessels) were made right here in the Maritimes, helping to separate us from the “Made in China” trend that seems to prevail these days. The new 15’ storage tank & 21’ fermenter, designed and fabricated in PEI by the “other” stainless steel company, Diversified Metals Engineering, brings Garrison’s capacity to over 500,000li or 1.5 million bottles!!!!
Everything from the brew house that wasn’t bolted down was removed so that the new tanks could be pushed, pulled and hoisted into place. The timing is particularly important as the brewery is set to release their new summer brand, Hopyard Pale and brace for the arrival of the Tall Ships mid-July. Bring on the summer! Click for full Press Release

May 2009
Chester + Company wins awards
Chester + Company won 2 Best of Show Awards at the 2009 Summit Creative Awards Show which attracted entries from over 50 countries. One Best of Show award was for billboard creative for Tall Ship Amber from Garrison Brewing. “Great beer deserves great creative,” said Garrison Brewing President, Brian Titus, “witty and beautiful, it makes you thirsty!” Read Press Release

UPDATED:
Congratulations to First Place winner Brian Harvey
(pictured here with Garrison's Brewer Daniel Girard on left)

In second place were Rob and Eric Gray and third place went to Robert McGrath.
Congratulations to all who entered and for making this first event a hugely successful one!

Read "TAPS" article by Craig Pinhey about the 2009 Brew-Off

April 2009
Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off!!
Welcome to the first annual “Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off”, an annual competition for hot-shot home-brewers across the Maritimes. Participants will be asked to produce a 5 gal/20li batch of beer based on a pre-determined beer style. Each entry will receive a written review with the top four each receiving a prize. The best beer overall will be scaled up to commercial size by our Brewmaster, Daniel Girard, which the home-brewer will assist in brewing as a Garrison seasonal! This is intended to be an annual event, with a different style chosen each year. Download Rules and Entry Form (pdf)

April 2009
Introducing two new Seasonal Ales for 2009
Just in time for Spring, Garrison offers two new Premium Specialty Ales. Find out more about Ol' Fog Burner Barley Wine and Sugar Moon Maple Ale, and pick some up at the brewery or your favorite Private Liquor Store.

January 2009
Baltic Porter Wins Big at World’s!
Garrison’s latest winter seasonal, “Grand Baltic Porter”, receives a Gold Medal & “Exceptional” rating at World Beer Championships in Chicago.

December 2008
Garrison launches 3 new seasonal ales! Visit our Speicalty Ales page to learn more about Winter Warmer, Grand Baltic Porter, and Martello Sout (all available in 500ml bottles).

December 2008
"The Independent Drinker", Garrison's seasonal newsletter, makes its' debut. Find out about new products, promotions, merchandise, and events.

December 2008
Ale Gets Real at Maxwell's with “Firkin Friday's”!
Swing of a mallet, shower of beer & Garrison re-starts tradition!  On Nov. 28th, rounds of Daniel's "Honey Irish Red" were passed out to thirsty patrons eager to try fresh cask-conditioned ale.  Cask or Real Ale is unfiltered, naturally carbonated and conditioned right in the cask.  Slightly hazy and alive with flavour, this is the real deal.

Each week a different brand with a special twist gets tapped at 4 o'clock & pours till gone (this one lasted 90mins!).  Check out "Garrison Firkin' Fridays" weekly at Maxwell's Plum starting January 9th sharp!  (oh ya, "Firkin" refers to the special cask, nothing dirty here).  Cheers!

September 2008
Garrison scores big again at the prestigious Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto. President Brian Titus proudly accepted “Canadian Beer of the Year” & the “Gold” medal for its robust & extreme “Imperial I.P.A.”. A pleasure to brew & a greater pleasure to drink – Cheers to Daniel & Qian! Read Press Release

September 2008
Cheers to Trail Shop on their 40th!
Joachim, president, and the gang celebrated an impressive milestone recently as the Trail Shop turned 40. Starting in 1968, this independent Quinpool Road store has become an anchor business within Halifax's outdoor crowd. Following a casual conversation, the team at Garrison developed a great private label & bottled a limited run for store celebrations. Cheers & congrats!

September 2008
Boogie Time at Skydive Moncton
On labour day long weekend, around 90 skydivers from Canada and the U.S. descended on the Skydive Moncton dropzone at McEwan Airport. Garrison made a custom "Freefall Ale" label for the skydivers, who participated in accuracy competitions for various skill levels. The medal winners are shown in the above photo.
Skydive Moncton photo spread from Canpara Magazine
skydivemoncton.com

March 2008
After an exciting (& awarding) 8-month stint at Garrison, we must regrettably announce the departure of Head Brewer, Greg Nash. A difficult decision to be sure, Greg's beer knowledge & passion were infectious & will be sincerely missed. Garrison fans can rest assured though that the beer is in good hands. The Head Brewer duties now rest with Daniel Girard, an equally passionate & celebrated beer guy. His credentials are without question, with professional training and experience in Germany, Japan and Canada as well as writing & speaking extensively on the product. While at Pumphouse Brewery in Moncton, production more than doubled and the beers received a total of 18 awards including 2005 Brewery of the Year! Garrison also welcomes Qian Zhang (ex-Pumphouse) to the team as Assistant Brewer. Now, what to do for our next seasonal....

March 2008
Garrison has done it again, launching it's latest full-flavoured, unfiltered seasonal - Winter Weizenbock! A well rounded dark amber wheat beer with a complex, velvety fruit and spice character. The smooth, rich mouth-feel coupled with aromatic notes of banana and clove fade into a divine, lingering finish.
Prosit!

January 2008
And the winners are...Garrison awarded the Silver for Small Business of the Year in the 8th annual Halifax Business Awards! This gala event honours the risk takers & trailblazers in Halifax's competitive business community and we were thrilled to be recognized at this level. A capacity black-tie crowd filled the WTCC (now carrying Garrison in bottles) for this great Halifax Chamber event & a more than a few "Tall Ship Amber" were hoisted to celebrate!

November 2007
Garrison Brewery wins top national beer award! Garrison was honored this month with several major awards including “Canadian Beer of the Year” for its Imperial I.P.A.. The brewery proudly accepted not one, but four awards at the nation’s most prestigious beer competition-The Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto. Garrison also took home the following awards; Bronze - Garrison Irish Red Ale, Silver - Garrison Nut Brown Ale, and Gold - Imperial I.P.A.
Read Press Release