Skip to Content
Touring Nova Scotia by the Pint
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Touring Nova Scotia by the Pint

7 min Read

Touring Nova Scotia by the Pint

Buckle Up and Enjoy the Province’s Ultimate Beer-Loving Road Trips

Over the past decade, Nova Scotia has sown some 50 breweries across the province, from the Acadian Shores to Cape Breton Island. You’ll find them in historic fishing villages, rural farming communities, and the cosmopolitan capital of Halifax. The trouble is, the drive from Yarmouth to Sydney is more than 430 miles, or roughly 700 kilometers. Add several scenic detours, and any worthy ale trail quickly becomes an epic road trip. Instead of shoehorning dozens of stops into a single beer-focused itinerary, we’ve custom-tailored a trio of terrific itineraries. Buckle in as we lead the way to your next favorite brewpub, lager, and IPA.

The Hophead’s Highway

While it’s easier than ever to track down a tantalizing IPA or two, the endless options can be bewildering for a time-crunched, thirsty traveler. Unless, of course, you have a guide.

If you’re driving south to north from the Yarmouth ferry terminal, Boxing Rock Brewing (218 Water Street, Shelburne; 902-494-9233), about an hour away, will pleasantly satisfy a hankering for humulus lupulus. You’ll find experimental offerings alongside mainstays such as Hunky Dory pale ale, brightened with citrus zest and grounded with green tea. From a roasty black IPA to a tangy sour IPA, Boxing Rock is a sublime hoppy starting line.

Continue another two hours north around Kejimkujik National Park & National Historic Site to reach the charming and historic town of Annapolis Royal, home to Annapolis Brewing (302 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal; 902-286-2080). W & A Railway Rye IPA, named after the nineteenth-century railroad that connected Annapolis Royal with Windsor, pairs tropical Citra hops with rye malt for a dry and fruity delight.

In Halifax, Unfiltered Brewing (6041 North Street, Halifax; 902-717-8770) and its adjoining pub, Charm School, prides itself on two things: a bad attitude and plenty of good, hop-forward ales. If Double Orange Ale is available, grab this double IPA that evokes sticky mango, fresh-squeezed citrus, and tangy gooseberry.

As long as you’re in Halifax, swing by the Atlantic Canada craft beer pioneers Propeller Brewing (2015 Gottingen St, Halifax; 902-468-1026). The original location contains a small basement arcade with pinball machines and classic video games such as Terminator 2 and Space Invaders. Try any and every small-batch experiment or sip a seasonal such as the hazy Galaxy IPA, a smoothie-like potion of passion fruit, lime, and pineapple.

Big Spruce Brewing
Big Spruce Brewing

At the other end of Nova Scotia, the all-organic Big Spruce Brewing Company (64 Yankee Line Road, Baddeck; 902-295-2537) is notable for its picturesque perch on Cape Breton Island and consistently high-quality pale ales and stouts. Packed with woody, dank, and earthy Simcoe hops, Tim’s IPA has won over drinkers since 2013, when it earned the top prize in Big Spruce’s first annual homebrew competition. It first joined the Big Spruce lineup as a one-off, before cementing its place as a year-round beer after multiple silver medals at the Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards.

The Lager Lover’s Trail

Lager is no longer synonymous with bland and fizzy beer. Numerous Nova Scotian breweries are revisiting this once-maligned category and producing beautiful beers that demonstrate the depth and diversity of the cold-conditioned family.

Start the afternoon in Halifax with Waltz Pilsner from 2 Crows Brewing (1932 Brunswick Street, Halifax; 902-422-0222), an elegant example with a slight haze, a grassy, herbal aroma, and a crackery flavor with a touch of minerality. It’s tough to resist ordering another, but press on for more delicious lager.

Across the Narrows in Dartmouth, Burnside Brewing (21 Frazee Avenue, Dartmouth; 902-703-7438) specializes in bottom-fermenting beer, including several examples in its year-round lineup. At 4.7 percent alcohol by volume, Killick is a small step up in strength from the light-footed Waltz at 2 Crows, but no less crushable than your first glass of golden liquid. Mellow melon, a splash of orange, and a whisper of peppery spice make Killick a popular pick province-wide.

Tatamagouche Brewing Co.
Tatamagouche Brewing Co.

While it’s easy to find Tatamagouche’s beer in Halifax, for the full experience, head north to the brewery’s tasting room (235 Main Street, Tatamagouche; 902-657-4000) inside a former butcher shop. Fittingly, the lagers are a cut above the rest. From the toasty, amber-hued Eventide Vienna lager and the crisp festbier called Lagerhosen, to the award-winning Baltic Porter Two Rivers, there’s cold comfort for every palate. Order a tasting flight and then grab a couple cans of your new favorite to enjoy back at your hotel.

Call it a night so you can wake up bright-eyed and book it to Breton Brewing (364 Keltic Drive, Sydney; 902-270-4677), where the smart order is a full pour of Island Time. Subtly sweet and supremely drinkable, this German-style Helles lager is far from the only reason to cross the Strait of Canso to Cape Breton Island, although it might persuade you to plan a return trip.

Breton Brewing
Breton Brewing

The Hungry Beer Tourist

While beer is the best part of this road trip, great food will fuel your travels to the next destination. (A solid base will also slow the absorption of alcohol.) Fortunately, you’ll find plenty of welcoming places between Cape Forchu and Cabots Landing with a kitchen and a brewing system under the same roof.

If you’re trekking to Cape Breton, follow the scenic Cabot Trail and allow time for a lengthy detour at Route 19 Brewing (16030 Central Avenue, Inverness; 902-550-2739). Here, in a sleekly designed, multistory brewpub overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the 12 taps pour fresh beers like Coal Dust stout, a nod to the area’s mining history. Pair a pint with a sizable entrée such as a rack of barbecued ribs slathered in a house sauce made with Red Rows, a Scotch ale.

While the town of Wolfville is best known for its wineries, it’s also a craft-beverage hub with a cider company, a distillery, and a handful of breweries nearby. Smack in the middle of town, Church Brewing Company (329 Main Street, Wolfville; 902-542-2337) occupies a restored stone church and produces beers ranging from a salty-sour German-style gose to a rich Belgian-style dubbel. The winning order is a shareable ploughman’s lunch followed by carrot cake whoopie pie, a gorgeous pairing with a glass of Mayflower white IPA, which balances the dessert’s creamy sweetness with hoppy bitterness and a dry finish.

Church Brewing Company
Church Brewing Company

Halifax is the beating heart of Nova Scotia’s food scene, and more than a few capital breweries have elevated pub grub into edible art.

When North Brewing (899 Portland Street, Dartmouth; 902-444-7765) moved from the North End to a larger location across Halifax Harbor in Dartmouth, it also made room for the Side Hustle snack bar run by a local writer and food stylist. The global menu goes well beyond munchies, offering Korean bibimbap (mushroom or beef) and cheesy bánh mì fries topped with pickled shredded carrots and daikon radishes, citrus mayo, sriracha, and cilantro. Either would find a friend in We Do Helium, a light-bodied blonde ale with hints of citrus.

At the province’s southern end, in the tiny fishing community of Tusket, Tusket Falls Brewing (20 Slocomb Crescent, Tusket; 902-648-3340) relies on a local catering business to supply its taproom with a well edited menu emphasizing cheese: risotto balls, an artichoke dip infused with the brewery’s blonde ale, and assorted handmade pizzas. Match the pulled-pork pie – covered with caramelized onion, pickled jalapeno, minced garlic, and sauteed cabbage – with Keep on the Low Road, a malty, full-bodied porter.

Tusket Falls Brewing
Tusket Falls Brewing

Like finishing a pint of good beer, the end of a journey can be bittersweet. Fortunately, others await. And whether you’re hunting for hop heaven, the perfect Pilsner, or a meal to remember, Nova Scotia is a destination that delivers.

About our guest writer:
Ben Keene writes about travel, craft beer, music, and outdoor recreation for a variety of publications including TimeOut New York, DRAFT magazine, World Hum, Transitions Abroad, Wend, Edible East End, and Rails to Trails. Formerly a touring musician and an atlas editor, he has appeared on National Public Radio, Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio, as well as other nationally syndicated programs to discuss geographic literacy. Currently living in Brooklyn, NY, Ben visited Nova Scotia in 2019, with his visit targeting on creating content on our ever-expanding brewery scene.

Learn From the Locals

Tag your travel photos to be featured.

#VisitNovaScotia

Back to top