Salut, Freddy! This past weekend, First Mile Brewing Co. made its debut appearance at the annual Fredericton Brew Fest. Along with fellow Maine breweries, Geaghan Bros. and Tumbledown, FMB represented one of 60 breweries from around the Maritime region of Canada, which includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and even one from the Gaspe region of Quebec!
The Fredericton Brew Fest is a two-day extravaganza, offering an evening tasting on Friday and two tastings on Saturday--one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. The First Mile crew participated solely as customers at the first event (which may or may not have involved multitasking between two full pints and a shandy popsicle...) but made a lively showing for both of Saturday sessions. More than five hundred people were in attendance at any given time, and Saturday's evening session had a turnout that easily approached one thousand. Customer response: once again, overwhelmingly positive. Valley Haze was touted as the best IPA at the event, with Trailway's Hu Jon Hops IPA offering the only specific competition (thanks again for the 4-pack!!)
Outside of the brew fest, the crew also found time to visit such local businesses as Picaroons, Maybee, Graystone, and Grimross Brewing Companies.
Unsurprisingly, craft beer is alive and well in our neighboring, bilingual province, and we look forward to once again returning to the beautiful city of Fredericton for more fantastic beer and festivities!