PORT WELLER EAST CRAFT EXPERIENCE
Presented by the NEBC
MARCH 18, 2026
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BREWERY • CITY • BEER • STYLE • ABV • TASTING NOTES • UNTAPPD RATING
COUNTERPART BREWING
NIAGARA FALLS, ON
FOlKLORE
Lager – Polotmavý (Czech Amber) • 4.5% ABV
The fellas at Microbrasserie Jackalhop were kind enough to send us some of their recently released Czech amber, Otava, so we used that as a bit of a jumping off point for this one. After some back and forth, we nailed down the recipe and got it into tank for 8 long weeks of lagering with Czech lager yeast from our friends at Escarpment Labs.
As a Czech amber should, Folklore has a soft, bready malt character with notes of toasted bread, light caramel, honey and subtle nutty undertones. It’s balanced by a floral, herbal hop presence and firm, but smooth bitterness.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
DEFAULT SETTING (2026)
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
A beer designed by letting our brains default to what we think is delicious. In this case we’ve accidentally been fighting ourselves to combine Citra (the king of all hops) and Riwaka, a hop we find throws Citra vibes with a distinct New Zealand terroir to it. It's a blend of hops we took criminally long to assemble. We hope you accept this beer as our apology, it’s tasting wonderful.
Think plush tropical berries lathered in citrus and mango.
4.36 out of 5 based on 36 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
EDUCATION PROGRAM
LESSON: GLASSWARE MATTERS
During this lesson, you’ll learn about nucleation points and see how much glassware can change your experience by tasting the same beer from different glasses.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
PEACH NECTAR (2026)
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
A beer brewed using two of the newest hops out of the always delectable growing region that is New Zealand.
Hopped with Peacharine from our friends at Freestyle hops, and Nectaron from Hop Products New Zealand, we taste an explosive display of peach, nectarine, pineapple and some undertones of passionfruit and indistinct tropical notes.
4.35 out of 5 based on 36 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
MADAM (Strawberry Surge)
IPA – Fruited • 6.5% ABV
Madam Strawberry Surge is an IPA brewed with Strawberry Surge Euphorics for International Women's Day 2026. Label art designed by Tiffany Narducci. Brewed by Grace Wilkinson, the matriarch of Badlands.
It is hopped with Peacharine, Citra and Nelson.
4.07 out of 5 based on 29 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
FEATURED BEER PAIRING
DOUBLE IPA + WASHED-RIND GOUDA
DOUBLE IPA + WASHED-RIND GOUDA
Double IPAs—especially New England styles—are bold and expressive, with saturated tropical fruit aromatics, soft bitterness, and a creamy mouthfeel. Their intensity and fruit‑forward character make them excellent partners for washed‑rind cheeses, whose umami depth and subtle saltiness create a vibrant contrast.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
MARCH DIPA (2026)
DOUBLE IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 8.2% ABV
For March we had the distinct pleasure of getting to experiment with a brand new hop product for the very first time: Cold Pressed Hop Juice from our friends at Freestyle Hops. Cold Pressed Hop Juice is fresh green hops extracted at harvest combined with SubZero Hop Kief.
We dry hopped it with Peacharine and Riwaka and then added some Wai-iti cold pressed hop juice on top, which helps accentuates the bright and complex stone fruit and citrus notes of green Wai-iti.
This beer absolutely rips. It is saturated at 10lbs/bbl and we amplified the whirlpool saturation because we’re experimenting and having some fun over here so why not!?
4.46 out of 5 based on 65 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
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UPPER CANADA CHEESE COMPANY
JORDAN STATION, ON
NOSEY GOAT
SEMI-SOFT RIPENED CHEESE
SEMI-SOFT RIPENED CHEESE
This pale, washed-rind cheese is grassy with notes of hay and straw, a mouth-watering umami and subtle saltiness. Inside it’s creamy with a bouncy texture that melts beautifully in recipes that call for gouda, edam, or mozzarella.
Made with fresh Ontario goat milk, each round is carefully turned and washed with brine twice a week and aged for a minimum of 6 weeks in our cellars at 95 percent relative humidity and 52°F. Best enjoyed at room temperature or warm.
BENCH BREWING
BEAMSVILLE, ON
SECRETS OF THE STAGHORN
SUMAC SAISON • 6% ABV
Secrets of the Staghorn Sumac Saison is a brewer's collaboration from the funk side of Bench. "Staghorn" is the kind of sumac that it is used in the recipe. Brewed with our house saison yeast and locally grown sumac lovingly hand-harvested by our production team.
Secrets of the Staghorn is blush in colour with the bright, citrusy aromatics associated with this ubiquitous Canadian berry.
3.56 out of 5 based on 24 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
BENCH BREWING
BEAMSVILLE, ON
CULP ON GOLDEN PLUMS – Single Foeder Release
Plum Sour • 6.1% ABV
This beautifully complex sour was fermented in barrels for 12 months before undergoing a secondary fermentation on Golden Plums for 6 months. The plums were sourced from our neighbours, the Culp family, at Greenlane Farms.
With a pleasant tartness, this beer displays delicate floral aromas and notes of orange marmalade.
3.96 out of 5 based on 336 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
MARMA (2026)
IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 6.5% ABV
This beer's name is derived from orange marmalade, which we think does a great job of describing its flavour profile. We hope you love one of our first beers as much as we continue to. Over time we’ve had to adapt the recipe to keep it citric and orange forward. Hops change with time, and if we want our beers to reflect certain flavour profiles then we too must change with them. This year is no exception.
Hopped with Citra, and Nectaron, we think Marma is tasting better than ever! We taste big notes of orange, tangerine, lychee, pineapple and tropical fruit.
4.31 out of 5 based on 13 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
COUNTERPART BREWING
NIAGARA FALLS, ON
DREAM TAKER
DOUBLE IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 8.2% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with Lachute, Quebec’s Brasserie Sir John, this beer is a play off Dream Maker which we brewed with Sir John for our 5th anniversary.
We shook things up a bit this time around and tinkered with the grain bill before piling in a star studded Freestyle Hops lineup of Peacharine, Southern Cross, Riwaka and Maui Nelson Hop Kief.
It's bright and punchy, brimming with flavours of fresh papaya, peach, cantaloupe, lychee and passionfruit with a silky, creamy mouthfeel.
BADLANDS BREWING
CALEDON, ON
TREECRAWLER (2026)
DOUBLE IPA – NEW ENGLAND • 8.2% ABV
Our Citra bomb returns! Hopped at a rate of 12lbs/bbl with Citra in FOUR different formats (T90, Cryo, Dynaboost and Hyperboost), this beer is deeply saturated in Citra, Citra, Citra and more Citra.
Built on a luscious, neutral malt body that supports the heavy hop dosing rate, while also allowing the aromatics to shine, this is our most amplified and expressive display of Citra, we hope you love it!
Tree Crawler leads with prominent orange citrus notes followed closely by candied mango and melon with residual grapefruit and pine. It drinks perceptively sweet, but in actuality finishes on the drier side with a gentle, but satisfying bitterness.
4.41 out of 5 based on 65 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
NIAGARA COLLEGE TEACHING BREWERY
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON
ICE WINE STRONG ALE
STRONG ALE • 7.5% ABV
A festival‑crafted hybrid that blends Niagara College’s 2023 Prodigy Icewine with a strong ale base originally developed from Brew Professor Jon Downing’s Rudolph’s Red Nosed Ale. The Teaching Brewery and the Wine Visitor and Education Centre worked together to fine‑tune the blend, aiming for balance above all else.
The finished beer delivers a rich, full‑bodied profile where subtle caramel notes soften the underlying bitterness, leading into a gentle, lingering hint of ice wine on the palate.
3.14 out of 5 based on 10 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
COUNTERPART BREWING
NIAGARA FALLS, ON
EMPIRE (Hazelnut Coffee)
STOUT – IMPERIAL / DOUBLE COFFEE • 11.9% ABV
Brewed with Toasted Hazelnuts, Espresso Roast Coffee, Raw Coconut, Toasted Coconut & Madagascar Vanilla Beans in collaboration with Gatineau, Quebec’s Brasserie du-Bas Canada.
For this collab, we started with a big, rich imperial stout conditioned on 200 lbs of raw and house-toasted coconut. We then split the stout and further conditioned this half on 150 lbs of house-toasted hazelnuts, Madagascan vanilla beans and espresso roast coffee from our friends Manic Pixie Dream Coffee.
Expect waves of decadent chocolate and dark roast, complemented by creamy, lush coconut and vanilla and a deep, nutty richness. Silky, dense, and intensely flavourful, this luxurious imperial stout balances dessert-like indulgence with refined balance and complexity.
4.39 out of 5 based on 44 Untappd ratings as of March 16, 2026
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