GARRISON BREWING Co. || Halifax, Nova Scotia

Feb 9, 2011
Garrison launches three special beers in time for 2011 Winter Games
As Halifax prepares to welcome the nation for the Canada Winter Games, Garrison is showing some East coast hospitality by unveiling a different specialty beer each day leading into the weekend.

Jan 12, 2011
From Sea to Prairies – Garrison Brewing Starts Shipping Beer to Alberta
Today, for the first time, pallets of Garrison's fresh Halifax draught are being shipped across the country for sale in Western Canada. "We're very excited about this next step in our growth," said brewery President Brian Titus. "There are plenty of thirsty Maritimers out West and the market for independent craft beers - particularly hoppy ones - is strong."

January, 2011
Garrison Beer Bread at Sobeys
Garrison Brewing partnered with Sobeys to create Garrison beer bread. Our Brewmaster Daniel developed the recipe with Sobeys' head baker. The bread is baked using the same malted barley flakes and malted wheat flakes we use to brew our beer. Available throughout Atlantic Canada, more than 100 Sobeys locations are busy baking about 1,200 loaves a day!

The Third 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.

Nov 24, 2010
Garrison Brewing makes long-term investment in local hop industry
The goal of establishing a commercial hop industry in Nova Scotia just took a big step forward. Today, Garrison Brewing Co. signed a 5-year contract giving them access to hops grown organically less than an hour outside of Halifax.

Sept 29, 2010
Garrison Imperial I.P.A. Hits Ontario
Via "The Bar Towel" - "As part of the LCBO’s Autumn Ales beer release, we are thrilled to say that Garrison Imperial I.P.A. from Halifax, Nova Scotia is rolling out to the shelves for purchase. The Bar Towel, through our partner Cecktor Limited, is the agent for Garrison in Ontario and has been documenting the experience of importing through the Free Our Beer project. You can find which LCBO stores currently have stock here. "

Garrison's 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards - Click for larger photo

Sept 28, 2010
Garrison Brewing honoured four times at the Canadian Brewing Awards
Garrison Brewmaster Daniel Girard ventured to Toronto to attend the 8th annual Canadian Brewing Awards. More than 390 beers from 76 breweries across Canada were in the running. The Canadian Brewing Awards website calls it the largest Canadian competition to date. Daniel did not come home empty-handed. Read More...

Come celebrate Oktoberfest with us.
Live Music, Great German Food, and delicious Garrison Ales - featuring our all-natural Oktoberfest Brau as well as our brand new seasonal 3 Fields Harvest Ale. Proceeds from games and a portion of the proceeds from BBQ to Feed Nova Scotia.

Advance Tickets available at the Garrison Brewing Cold Beer Store & through the German Canadian Association.
Ticket Prices: $6 Adults, $5 Students/Seniors, $4 Youths, $2 Kids, and $15 Family Passes
Location: Pavilion 20 (right across from the Garrison Brewery)

After two years of research and development, Garrison Brewing Co. will be launching a remarkable new brew this weekend –
3 Fields Harvest Ale.

"This is a real celebration of hops in their freshest form," said Brian Titus, company President. "In one day we picked a ridiculous amount of wet (green) hops and added them right into the kettle." Wet hops impart a more subtle hop fragrance and bitterness, making them a pleasure to brew with. "Just like picking fiddleheads or grapes for icewine, this is something that only happens once a year," added Titus. (more...)

Sept 2nd, 2010 - Garrison Hop Harvest Press Release
"Garrison Brewing harvests hops from three fields to craft a truly local ale"
Garrison Brewing Co. is taking the trend of eating (and drinking) local very seriously. Brewmaster Daniel Girard and his staff travelled to farms in Ashdale and New Ross on Tuesday to harvest hops for their latest seasonal beer. “We’re all pumped with great excitement," Girard says of the new venture. "The wet or fresh hops impart a more subtle fragrance and bitterness than the processed version normally available. They're a pleasure to work with!"
Read More

Following two years of worldwide hop shortage, Garrison Brewing had a unique solution - plant your own! The idea came to company president Brian Titus after noticing wild hops at Ross Farm Museum. Traditionally used for making bread and beer, hops were a common sight in Nova Scotia during the early 1900s.

May 2010
Resolution No.1190
Garrison would humbly like to thank MLA Leonard Preyra and the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for recognizing recent awards the brewery brought home from the 2010 World Beer Championships.
Read Document

Congratulations to the 2010 Ultimate Brew-Off Winner
Scott Tilford.

2nd place Brian Harvey
3rd Place Steve Trickett
1st Runner Up John Garland

April 2010
Harvey's Bitter now available!
Winner of the 2009 Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off, Harvey's Bitter is now available at the Garrison retail store.

“Harvey's Bitter" is a premium small-batch brew in the "Standard/Ordinary Bitter" style and winner of the 1st annual "Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off"! Homebrewers Brian Harvey, Justin Lockhart and Steve Trickett worked with Brewmaster Daniel Girard to produce & package the winning recipe. Mild in maltiness & hop aroma, this highly "sessionable" brew delivers on taste & character. Cheers!
Click on image at right for full image of label.

March 2010
World Beer Championships Bring Multiple Awards
The 2010 winter session of World Beer Championships wrapped up yesterday and gold is once more heading East! Atlantic Canada's fastest growing microbrewer, Garrison Brewing Co., proudly received Two Golds and Two silvers! Click the PDF Icon to read all about the winning entries.

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.

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!

OKTOBERFEST! SEE THE 2009 PHOTOS HERE!
Saturday Oktober 3rd, 2010
Das Food
Das Music
DAS BEER!

Come celebrate Oktoberfest with us.
Live Music, Great German Food, and delicious Garrison Ales - featuring our new all-natural Oktoberfest Brau as well as seasonal favorite Harvest Wheat Ale. Bar proceeds go to Feed Nova Scotia.

Location: Pavilion 20 (right across from the Garrison Brewery)

Admission:

Adults $8
Children $4 (children 5 & under free!)

Time: 2 - 10p.m. (19+ after 8p.m.)

Click for Larger Image of Poster

Join the Garrison Oktoberfest on Facebook!

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.

June 2009
Hopyard Launched and Planted by Garrison
Award-winning Halifax microbrewer, Garrison Brewing Co., has come up with a unique way to deal with a worldwide hops crisis and launch their new summer brew – by planting their own hopyard!

“We’re trying to lead by example,” comments Brian Titus, President of Garrison Brewing Co. “And demonstrate the potential of a Maritime hop-growing industry”. Hops were a common sight out east in the early 1900’s, and the climate inland and through the Annapolis Valley is well-suited for this crop. “The goal is a brew made with 100% local ingredients, and this will bring us closer”.

Click for full Press Release

Click for more Hopyard Pale Information

May 2009
Garrison expands capacity by over 50%
New Tank arrives image

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

Chester + Company's Garrison Brewing Billboard creative

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)
Brew-Off Winner

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!

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