A recent job oppertunity that I was able to capitalize on will be sending me for lengthy stay in St John, New Brunswick soon. I am looking for any and all east coast suggestions for food and drink. On days off I am very much going enjoy touring around looking for cool new destinations to enjoy. I am going to also visit other Atlantic provinces so any and all suggestions very much appreciated. Want to trade some ontario brews? Locally I have Town, 5 Paddles, Falcon, Little Beasts, Chronicle and Manantler brewing all near me. Give me a PM ot a post on here. Cheers all!
I live in Ottawa, but have very deep New Brunswick roots. I hope you enjoy your time in Saint John (remember to spell out Saint or you'll catch hell). There are a few breweries right around the Saint John area, but the ones I am most familiar with are Foghorn and Hammond River. Foghorn does more English style beers, good quality stuff if you enjoy that. Hammond River makes some nice beers, not going to set the world on fire, but pretty good. They do go out and try new things though. I'm not sure about others in Saint John, perhaps our NB BAs will help. Fredericton is probably the hotspot for craft beer in the province, about an hour and a bit down the road from Saint John on a good day, there are a host of breweries with tap rooms in the city. In my opinion the best in the city is Trailway. It's located on the north side of the river. They make some damn fine beers and are great people. The tap room isn't huge, but there is a patio area, and they usually have food trucks around. Also on the north side is Picaroons. These folks were the OG craft brewers in NB. English style traditional beers is what they do, using a Ringwood system. I'm not overly fond of the beer, but the Roundhouse (pub/taproom) is something to enjoy. Over to the south side as some people call it Fredericton proper (don't do this on the north side). There are two places there that I quite like. Up the hill (trust me, you'll get the reference pretty quick) is Grimross. These folks do Belgian and German styles, and they are pretty darn good. They do a few straight up ales as well, but I prefer their Euro stuff. You will also probably notice that it might be the cleanest brewery and taproom you have ever been in. Down the hill is Greystone. It's been a while since I've been there, but they make some decent beers and are popular with the locals. I like their darker stuff, porters and stouts more than the others. Wow...haven't even gotten to Moncton and area yet! Okay, Moncton is actually a bit of a black hole for me. I find this hilarious since I grew up across the river in Riverview and my folks still live there. I visit the damn place twice a year usually. I'd suggest CurtisD might have more insight. My experience in the city proper is limited to Pumphouse...and I don't care for it. I find it to be generic 80s microbrewpub beer. You know Duff, Duff lite and Duff dark. I had their "Scotch Ale" and it was complete shite. I'm pretty sure it was a simple ale overloaded with artificial smoke. I couldn't finish it. Way over in Dieppe (again, you will find this hilarious when you are there), there is Flying Boats. I tried these guys out last time I was down. Nothing spectacular, but I'd put them ahead of Pumphouse and Picaroons on my list. It's worth giving some of their stuff a try and judging for yourself. I know there are many more brewers in the province. I am not familiar with them all, and I hope that some others will come in and give some insight. Beer in the grocery store and at the ANBL must be treated with caution...just like the LCBO. Most brewers date the cans, which is good, but that doesn't mean it doesn't sit there a while. Good luck in NB, enjoy the province, explore a bit...get to Fundy Park, it's a rare gem of a spot.
I can add nothing to what @polloenfuego provided, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve had from Hammond River. I’ve also liked a few from Loyalist City in more traditional English styles.
Hey Chris, just got and responded to your PM. Breweries by city that I would consider checking out. Moncton and Fredericton can both be reached by car in 60 to 80 or so minutes. Saint John/surrounding area: - Loyalist City; - Foghorn; - Hammond River; - Picaroon's (more so for the location) Fredericton: - Trailway (probably the most recognisable NB brewery, these guys know how to do IPAs); - Grimross; - Graystone; - Maybee's Moncton: - Tire Shack; - Tide and Boar There are other breweries in the province, but they tend to be a little off the beaten path and not as clustered as the aforementioned. ANBL tends to have a decent selection, but make sure you check date stamps when available as they can be bad at rotating certain products. You can also buy beer at most of the taprooms. Depending where you are staying in Saint John, I'd definitely recommend Pepper's Pub and Cask & Kettle as places with decent food with solid tap lists.
Hey, just another quick, but incredibly painful note... Returning to New Brunswick from the US with beer is not nearly as easy as in Ontario. New Brunswick's import rules are ancient and are tilted in favor of Moosehead, and that will never change. Essentially, you get your federal exemption and that's it. After that expect about a 100% tax/duty on everything. Crooked politics at play. The Oland family has paid politicians for years to not update these rules, and I don't expect they ever will. People will claim it's due to old temperance movements in the province, that's BS, it's outright protectionism. You are talking about the province that stops people at provincial borders to make sure they aren't bringing "too much" out of province beer in. Welcome to NB. It's party politics like everywhere else, but three families call the shots in reality...Irving (the premier worked for them for years before becoming premier), McCain and Oland. I love my home province, but the backroom politics is ridiculous.
