A Salty field trip was long overdue for our intrepid team. With summer on the horizon I couldn’t think of a better excursion than a road trip to Barnone Brewery in Rose Valley for Thursday growler night. The only catch? Everyone who joined would have to capture their experience in a vignette of words or images. The result of Salty’s visit to Barnone on July 6, is shared below. I hope you enjoy the words and images our formidable Salty team have brewed up – all are unfiltered and infused with their unique personalities and perspectives.
Cheers, Pröst, Sláinte, Salut! Shannon Courtney
Driving through PEI’s luscious green hills on our way to Barnone Brewery. A small selection of craft beers on tap, we satisfy our thirst with Summer Sessions, a light refreshing sip. Sitting at the picnic tables I dream of German beer gardens and reach into the bag of chips to work on that spontaneous craving for pretzels. My eyes and my mind wander. It’s home I feel and miss at the same time. More people are joining us and we chatter away until the cool of the evening encloses us like a light coat. Driving through the dusk, away. Jessica L. Fritz, writer, and German-born Islander-By-Choice
Barnone beer//Photo Credit: Evan Ceretti
Barnone has created something very special. Not just a business, not just a brewery, what they have cultivated at their site in Rose Valley is a distinct community, centered around the traditions of beer cultures from around the world. The picnic tables in a grassy paddock next to the soaring hops is reminiscent of a German beer garden, full of vitality and laughter. The rolling hills of verdant green, and a breeze that could have easily carried in a ceilidh tune transported me back to the rural pubs of Scotland and Ireland. Yet amongst these far-flung sources of inspiration, the brewery at Barnone is distinctly Prince Edward Island. Paige Matthie, writer and recipe maven behind The Little Island Kitchen
I feel very un-Canadian admitting that I don’t like beer. Fortunately, Barnone is more backyard BBQ at your pal’s place than snooty brew pub. The atmosphere is country casual. Tucked away on Rte. 225, picnic tables are scattered around the fenced yard overlooking scenic farmland. BYOPC (bring your own potato chips) and outdoor games spawn spontaneous conversations and connections. And like all good friends, they didn’t shun me for unpatriotic drinking habits or pathetic washer toss skills. Katherine Bell, writer
Beer in a field? This is not junior high. Last month marks my first visit to Barnone Brewery and Hop Farm. I went to school with owner Don Campbell. I would see him occasionally in town. I always kept saying I should come out to the brewery. I don’t know why it took so long. Drinking in a farm yard has a certain cachet. It’s a friendly place. A beautiful setting. The sun was going down giving the surrounding fields the midsummer glow. The farm looks over Rose Valley down towards the Dunk River. This is a pleasant place to get quietly soused. If only you didn’t have to drive. Pro tip: Always bring a designated driver. The beer is quite lovely as well. There were two or three on tap but the IPA was the standout. Extremely hop forward. The first taste was eye-opening. Go to Barnone. Rod Weatherbie, Writer
I brought my notepad and had planned to jot down a few words on my thoughts about the beer. Who was I kidding? A took a gulp of my cold, golden-coloured Barnone Summer Sessions and the idea of taking notes was quickly abandoned.
The sun was shining, the wind carrying a cool breeze, a couple dozen people sitting around on picnic tables on the scenic rolling rural hills of P.E.I., smiling, chatting, clinking pints – life was good. My glass quickly got lighter and lighter. To drink beer is not a struggle on a warm and pleasant day, and in good company.
I’m a beer enthusiast, but I’m not a connoisseur by any means. What I do know, though, is that I would gladly have again the two beers I had at Barnone: the light, refreshing Summer Sessions, and the darker, more assertive milk stout. Evan James Ceretti, writer
Photo Credit: Evan Ceretti
I should have taken cash. I almost always have cash in my wallet, but just didn’t have time to stop at the bank on my way home. Although Barnone does accept credit cards and cash, it is not set up to take payments by interac.I should have worn pants and a light sweater instead of a summer dress. By the time we got to the top of the hill in Rose Valley, the winds had picked up and the temperature had cooled slightly. We sat outside. I was underdressed.Thankfully, my friends bought me a glass of Barnone’s Milk Stout. The beer was lovely… it was creamy and warm (yes, it was a cold beer but had a warmth to its flavour), and it was exactly the right beer… at the right time… in the right place. Grace Kimpinski, writer
Tucked away in Rose Valley’s bosomy, lush hills is a place that merely by its locale has the air of a speakeasy about it, or maybe it’s more like a good friend’s home that’s always welcoming. Whatever you fancy likening it to, there’s no arguing that Barnone Brewery is where the cool cats of central PEI tend to congregate. On this particular evening the VIP list is a long one. Rachel and Brodye Chappell, Cohen McDonald, Lobie Daughton – Charlottetown movers and shakers. Mark and Krista Schurman, Amy Smith and Verena Varga, Adam MacLean – farming rockstars. Amanda Hachey and Aaron Lewis – lovebirds on the precipice of their wedding day. Carole Deveau, Jessica Hutchinson, Devin Krauskopf – the creative talents of NB and PEI representing. There are others too – Islanders and visitors from near and far (Sweden at least) that have found their way to this beer oasis in the countryside. Maybe it’s the picnic tables in the grass, or the unassuming bar in the barn, maybe it’s the remarkable vines that cradle the property. Whatever it is, there’s something intoxicating about this place beyond its sultry, seductive craft beers, something timeless and truthful that you’ll just have to experience for yourself. Any Thursday. 6pm to 10pm. 4248 Route 225. Rose Valley. Prince Edward Island. Canada. Shannon Courtney, Editor in Chief
Photo Credit: Oakar Myint
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