From Our Editors
It was in a schoolhouse where Cameron Hartley's dream of opening a brewery first took shape. Don't worry—it wasn't a working school, but rather, in a building that once housed upper Falmouth's first one-room schoolhouse. The building was shut down in the 1980s, but when Cameron saw it for sale in 2013, he snatched it right up. After lovingly restoring the building and brewing some of his first brews in its basement, Cameron nicknamed his budding business Schoolhouse Brewery, a tribute to the building's past. Today, the brewery has moved downtown, but the moniker still remains. Here's a look at some of their brews:
Principal Ale: Made of Maritime barley and organic malts and dry-hopped to minimize hop bitterness, this aromatic pale ale offers a citrusy, summery flavor. 4.5% ABV
Chequers Ale: Hearty and robust, this porter is made with Goldings hops and pairs well with grilled foods and hearty stews. 4.5% ABV
Scotian Export: True to style, Scotian Export is a deep copper in colour, has a rich mouthfeel and malty flavors and aromas; a result of the longer boil yielding higher levels of unfermentable sugars.
Staffroom Stout: The addition of 40 liters of cold-brewed coffee from our neighbors at T.A.N. Coffee yields a nose of espresso, which leads to rich flavors of chocolate and coffee roast. Flaked oats provide a well-balanced body, leaving only a mild bitterness on the finish. At > 3% coffee by volume, Staffroom Stout is still quite sessionable at 5.5 ABV.
Recess Pilsner: It starts with a soft malt sweetness that lends a rounded character to the beer and balances the Nobel hops. Spicy and floral hop notes blend with a unique yeast character to form a subtle aroma. The beer has a nice crisp finish, like a school bell ringing across the playground.
Vice Principal: Vice Principal is a Session IPA with a mild citrus aroma. At 4.7%, you might think the Vice Principal is similar to the Principal, but the name is where the similarities end. Evermore the disciplinarian, the Vice Principal has a crisper, sharper finish and less aromatic than the principal.
Skratch Plaskett: Our first true collaboration beer with our friends at Good Robot is a tribute to the nature of music festivals and the artist that grace them. Skratch Plaskett is an easy drinking, pale gold summer patio beer with tropical notes of mango and citrus, finishing with slight wheat notes. Scratch Plaskett is also gluten reduced beer.
Pumpkin Paddler: Inspired by Windsor’s Annual Pumpkin Regatta, where every October the town comes together to watch Dill’s Giant Pumpkins race across Lake Pisiquid. Pouring hazy golden orange, Pumpkin Paddler is sessionable with just the right blend of spices.
Summer Break: Orange peel and coriander were added to PEI grown malted wheat from Horton Ridge and Maritime Malt to produce our first Witbier, Summer Break. Pouring as a pale haze, this smooth wheat beer is all that’s good about summer.
