BEER, WINE & SPIRITS – DRINKING OUR WAY THROUGH NOVA SCOTIA

Being on holiday and drinking tends to go hand in hand. Am I right? 

While visiting Nova Scotia and enjoying the outdoors, there is no reason why you shouldn’t quench your thirst on some local brews or spirits.  After all, eating local has become a trend, so why not drinking?

Now, now.  This article is not meant to make you fall off the wagon.  However, when you can’t partake in social gatherings because of kids or dogs, you’ll have to bring the social to you.

During our road trip through Nova Scotia with our two dogs in tow, we decided to do our own local beer tasting.

We stopped by a NSLC (Liquor store in Nova Scotia), and with the help of an employee we selected different beers to taste back at our rental or on the beach.  It’s practical as it allows everyone to socialize without having to worry about having a designated driver.  You can drink at your own pace.  It’s also more economical.  You can do your beer tasting during happy hour while the kids are watching TV or while the dogs are napping, recuperating after a long day on the beach. Or, wait until everyone is off to sleep for the night.  Also, some brews do make great beach companions.

On a side note, many breweries in Nova Scotia do allow dogs on their outdoor terrace.  If there is enough shade and a water bowl, this could also be an option for you for drinking local beverages in Nova Scotia.

This Nova Scotia drinking guide is to give you an idea of what to expect before you grab one for yourself.

Drinking Wine in NOva Scotia

Nova Scotia does produce wine in the Bay of Fundy area around the town of Wolfville.  We did not visit a vineyard or taste the wine from Nova Scotia. 

If you’d like to visit a vineyard with your dog, you can do so at Gaspereau Vineyards.

However, we did drink some French white wine.  Apparently, La Vieille Ferme is very popular in the Chéticamp area on Cape Breton Island. It’s soft, not too dry and easy to drink.  It’s a good wine to drink during happy hour.

Beer

I’m not much of a beer connoisseur.  So don’t expect me to throw at you big words like: astringency, dimethyl sulphide nor explain what IBU means.  Actually, I’ve now learned what IBU means but it wasn’t the case when I was beer tasting in Nova Scotia.

There are about 50 different local breweries to be found in Nova Scotia. The oldest one is Alexander Keith’s in Halifax, dating back to 1820.  According to Beer Advocate, the most popular beer in Nova Scotia is Cereal Killer by Big Spruce Brewing. This brewing company is located on Cape Breton Island.  Therefore, don’t be surprised to see their beer everywhere you stop on the Cabot Trail.

Here is a list of the beers we tasted during our road trip in Nova Scotia.

Breton Brewing

This brewing company is located on Cape Breton Island.  It first opened its doors in 2015.

• Black Angus 6.2% 

Too strong to drink during the summer.  If you still want to taste it,  make sure it is very cold.

• Lager Island time 4.3%

This beer runs smoothly on the pallet. It’s perfect to drink on a hot sunny day on the beach. It’s another popular beer to drink on Cape Breton island.

Nine Locks Brewing

This brewing company is located in Dartmouth close to Halifax.  It first opened its doors around 2014.

• Watermelon Blonde 5%

This beer is apparently popular with the “ladies”.  I tend to agree.  The after taste of watermelon  is refreshing. It’s good to drink on a hot day by the pool or the beach. This one was my favourite to drink during the day.

• Dirty Blonde 5%

This beer is too heavy for a day at the beach and is better suited for a happy hour. Love the name though, kinda kinky.

2 Crows Brewing Co.

This brewing company is located in Halifax.  It first opened its doors around 2017. 

• Pollyanna Northeast IPA 7.3%

It doesn’t taste as strong as you might expect and is good for happy hour.

Tatamagouche Brewing Company

This organic brewing company is located in Tatamagouche.  It opened its doors in 2014.

We actually stopped by there on our way home to Montreal.  They allow dogs on the patio and inside to walk around.  The staff is very friendly. They also have vintage posters decorating the interior of their store that brings a punch to their orange vibe.  You can buy them online HERE.

• North Shore 4.7%

Crisp and refreshing. Winner of a bronze medal at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards.

• Deception Bay 6.2%

Strong beer with citrus flavour. Good for happy hour.

Spirits

Need something stronger or sweeter? While in Nova Scotia, it wasn’t all about beer drinking. We did find some spirits along the way.

Nova Scotia Spirit Co.

This spirit company is located in Pictou county and was established in 2015.

• Blue lobster tropical punch with vodka 6%

It’s a little fruity with a small after taste of coconut. It’s perfect on the beach.

Barreling Tide Distillery (Port Williams)

We took part in a free tasting at the Barreling Tide Distillery in Port Williams.  We left the dogs outside.  It was quick and fun.

This distillery opened its doors in 2016.  They only use local ingredients except for the botanicals used in the gin.

• 5 Fathom Rum (dark)

This is the most popular spirit in their line. They use fermented molasse instead of sugar from New Brunswick. It is 42% proof.

You just drink it as is.

• Rhubarb Gin

You can mix it with sparkling strawberry water, lemonade with strawberry or martini lemon juice.

• Vodka Chili Pepper

This will set your tongue on fire.  We brought a small bottle of it back home to make our friends taste it blind.  Their reaction, priceless.

You can use it for Bloody Marys.

• Tide Vodka

This vodka runs smoothly in your mouth.  You can drink it as is or with a splash of orange juice.

• Tide Vodka garlic and dill

This vodka is best used in cooking fish recipes or pasta sauce.

Since coming back from our road trip, I’ve continued the beer tasting at home.  Once a week, after work, I stop by Tite Frette on Beaubien Street in Montreal and pick out one new beer to taste.  Multiple stores exist, find yours HERE. They carry all the microbrewery beers Quebec has to offer.  When you don’t know much about beer, you can rely on the expertise of one of their employees to guide you.  Also, usually on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., there is a free tasting of a local beer or cider.

It’s unfortunate that we started our beer tasting so late on our road trip as I would have liked to discover more local microbreweries from Nova Scotia.

Want to know what else we were up to in Nova Scotia with our dogs?

Bay of Fundy

Halifax