Cold, local brews and delicious bevvies on sunny patios with friends!?
– Yes please!
We are thrilled that patio season has returned in Nova Scotia. To celebrate, we are highlighting five of the great spots on the North Shore (in no particular order) that will be sure to get you raising your glass.
Salty Dog Brewing Company
(The Nook and Cranny Brew Pub)
Truro and Tatamagouche
With 25 different types of beer on tap, including 16 local craft beer options, the Nook and Cranny is a great spot for a tasty meal, a sociable with friends, and live entertainment. Some of the beer is brewed in-house at Salty Dog Brewing Company, including the delicious and ever-popular Blueberry Wheat Ale, which uses fresh Oxford blueberries (and just happens to be our tour coordinator, Ashley’s, fave). Their food menu has something for everyone, featuring locally-made meat, cheese, and fresh produce. “Eat, drink, and enjoy local” and check out the new Nook and Cranny location in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.
Coldstream Clear Distillery
Stewiacke and Antigonish
Try a delicious flight of locally-crafted rum, vodka, liqueurs, and ready to drink products while learning the fascinating process of fermenting and distilling spirits. Located in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, the original Coldstream Clear location opened in September, 2015 and offers a variety of artisanal spirits. Just look for the giant mastodon at exit 11 on highway 102 or visit their new location in Antigonish.
Raging Crow
North River
Located just outside Truro, Nova Scotia, in North River off the 311, Raging Crow is an artisanal distillery offering a wide variety of quality, award-winning spirits and liqueurs. They create small-batch, hand-crafted, all-natural products, sourcing local ingredients, like honey, maple, and rye, whenever possible. They have a variety of unique products, including dill pickle vodka (perfect for Caesars), and Nova Scotia’s only potato vodka. Their spirits are only available at the distillery or at some special events, so be sure to pop in for a tasting and tour.
Tatamagouche Brewing Company
Tatamagouche
Tatamagouche Brewing Company, or “Tata Brew” is a family-owned microbrewery specializing in small-batch, certified organic, craft beer. Opened in 2014, they have a changing range of taps. Deception Bay is their silver medal-winning American IPA, named after what was once thought to be the original name of River John. “Rushton’s Peach,” their bronze medal-winning brew, is a clever play on the warm-water beach, just ten minutes away. Their Dekorum line is a light-lager with just 2.9% alcohol, and is offered in three fruity flavours — lime, blood orange, and mandarin. Stop in with your furry friend and have a sample tasting flight. Tata Brew is dog friendly, both inside and out!
The newest location on our list, Truro Brewing Company, just opened its doors in February, 2020 on Inglis Street in downtown Truro. As the “local watering hole,” this brewery cleverly names many of their brews after local landmarks and street names in Truro and surrounding areas, including their Old Barns Farmhouse Ale, Cobequid Bay IPA, Willow Street Wheat, and Hub Town Honey Brown. Dog friendly and set up with indoor and outdoor seating and live music, Truro Brewing Company is “owned and operated by two #LGBT females who are smashing the patriarchy one beer at a time.”
