When Al and Constance told us about Beer on the Bridge in New Brunswick, this is what we pictured:
Naturally, being first-timers, we didn’t really know what to expect—aside from that mental image, just multiplied by a few hundred people.
To our surprise, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We met so many awesome people and had an absolutely amazing time!
This is a ticketed event, and when you arrive, they give you a small sampling glass—the kind you’d get in a flight at a brewery. The event features around 40 different breweries and distilleries, and if you’re not into beer, there are still options for you. From IPAs to lagers, and ciders to non-alcoholic drinks (which I was especially excited about!), there was truly something for everyone. And yes—some of those non-alcoholic options were delicious.
They close down a pedestrian bridge that spans across the Saint John River, and the event flows from one end to the other, with sampling booths lining both sides. The setup is smart too: there are porta-potties at both ends of the bridge for convenience.
We lucked out with the weather—warm, with a gentle breeze rolling off the water to keep things comfortable. And that sunset? It painted the sky over the bridges and city in golden hues. Absolutely stunning.
We laughed with strangers. We bonded over shared likes and dislikes. We met people from all over Canada—some of whom we’re now Facebook official with!
So… what were our favourite booths? No idea! LOL
After Beer on the Bridge, we met up with Amalie and Stefan at Officer’s Square, where a free live concert was happening—how serendipitous! I think the band was Funk Five from Vancouver. The beer gardens were open, the music was funky and fun, and the dancing just kind of happened. It was the perfect continuation of an already amazing day.
We had planned to reconnect with a few of the people we met at Beer on the Bridge, so once the band wrapped up their encores, we set out toward the Irish Pub.
(Spoiler alert: we didn’t make it there.)
On the way, we were blown away by Fredericton’s thriving nightlife. The city was absolutely buzzing. We wandered through spotless alleyways, passed a lively Latin concert, and eventually got pulled into this neon-lit pinball and arcade bar. It was packed with retro pinball machines and 8-bit games—so much fun!
At some point, Addy realized he was starving (pretty sure the perogies Mandy made earlier weren’t quite enough), so he grabbed a Rocket Burger—the chicken and bacon one. So good. And of course, no late night out is complete without giant slices of pizza to cap it all off.
Cheesemaking Season is in Full Swing!
Cheesemaking is in full swing over here! So far this year, we’ve made plain, chive, sun-dried tomato with basil, and—most recently—dill. I’ve been freezing every other batch to save for the months when we don’t have any milk, and it feels so good to start building up a little cheese stash.
Mandy finally caved and bought us another cheese mold, so now we can make a double batch at a time! The rounds aren’t as thick, but that’s totally fine—it saves time and keeps the cheese train moving.
Some of the flavors we’re dreaming up for the next rounds include blackberry with sage, caramelized onion and garlic, cinnamon and cranberry, and maybe even a strawberry rhubarb cheese. We’re also thinking about trying a smoked round—because if smoked cheddar is amazing, why not smoked goat cheese?
We’re still getting nearly a gallon of milk a day, which means by the end of the week we’ve got about seven gallons to work with. We drink it, pour it over cereal, and add it to our coffee—but that still leaves us with a whole lot of extra. So turning it into cheese has become the easiest (and tastiest) way to preserve it. Win-win!
Tiny Chicks Incoming!
Our Silkie mix chickens are just too adorable—so naturally, I collected some eggs to hatch. A friend of mine offered to brood them once they hatched, keep the ones she wants, and I’ll sell the rest… or at least try to! Sounds like a good deal to me.
I set 17 eggs in the incubator, and on July 8th, the hatching began!
Silkies are a bantam breed—miniature chickens—so the chicks are tiny, extra fuzzy, and unbelievably cute. Out of the 17 eggs, 8 hatched, which puts us at about a 60% hatch rate. Not bad at all!
The chicks are now being raised just down the road by Constance and her daughter, and I can’t wait to see how they all turn out.
Finally Made It to the Fredericton Night Market!
We’d been hearing about the night market in Fredericton since last year, but never seemed to make the time to go. Last Thursday, we finally did!
We met up with Amalie and Stefan after work and walked from Amalie’s office (hello, free parking!) to the market. No entry fee, just a ton of food trucks, craft vendors, live music, and so much to see! The weather was beautiful—and we were hungry.
First stop? Ice cream.
Might as well start with dessert, right? The ice cream truck was making its waffle cones fresh right there on the spot. Addy picked a sorbet, and I went for classic chocolate chip mint. No regrets.
After our sweet start, we browsed the craft vendors on our way toward something more savory. I tried Jamaican jerk chicken… and, well, it was way too spicy for me. Stefan ended up with most of my dinner! Addy picked a meat skewer combo box that was sweet and delicious—until the packaging gave out and he ended up wearing most of the sauce down his pants. Can’t take him anywhere! 😄
To wrap up our little food tour, Addy grabbed a bubble tea and I went for a cinnamon sugar chimney cake. It was huge, so I shared—but it was just as good as it looked.
A Sweet Stop at Kristine’s Canteen
Normally, we’d make a quick trip into the village gas station for some soft-serve ice cream in a cone—but just like McDonald’s, their ice cream machine was down. So instead, we decided to finally check out Kristine’s Canteen.
We’d been meaning to try it for a while. It’s actually about ten minutes closer than JPM’s, which is another dairy bar-style canteen we usually go to. The place had a little bit of everything, and while it felt like it was out in the middle of the countryside—because it kind of was—it’s actually right at a major country intersection.
It was a pretty hot day, and clearly we weren’t the only ones craving something cold. Kristine’s had plenty of options to choose from. I went for a waffle cone with a scoop of strawberry (my go-to) and topped it with some rainbow gelato. Totally hit the spot.
You know, I’m realizing there’s a lot about ice cream in this blog… but hey, it is summer!
Goats’ New Playground Build
I had been on the lookout for wooden spindles for a while, inspired by seeing others turn them into goat playgrounds. People were always selling them on Marketplace, but I just knew there had to be a free source somewhere.
Well, as luck would have it, on one of my delivery days, I passed by an industrial place that had a pile of spindles set out at the end of their driveway for disposal. I couldn’t pick them up right then because I still had food deliveries to make, but I was really hoping they’d still be there when I finished.
Fingers crossed, I zipped back as soon as my last delivery was unpacked—and fortune smiled upon me: they were still there! I repacked the van like a game of Tetris and loaded up the spindles, feeling pretty proud of myself.
I didn’t get to build the new playground right away, but when I finally did and showed it to the goats, they were skeptical. Some ran away, others just horned the wooden spindles. But Ally was the smart one—she climbed up and figured out the big spindle gave her access to the leafy greens on the trees.
Now she’s pretty much Queen of the Playground. When the other girls started to copy her, she kept them at bay, only letting them play when she wasn’t around.
If you’ve made it to the bottom, thank you for reading through our latest update! This summer has been full of memorable moments and rewarding projects on the homestead. We explored Fredericton’s vibrant nightlife, including hanging with friends at Beer on the Bridge, at the night market, and discovered new local ice cream spots. We welcomed Silkie chicks and built a new playground for the goats. Plus, we’ve been busy making delicious homemade goat cheese to keep up with all our plentiful milk production. We truly enjoy sharing these experiences with you and hope they inspire your own adventures.
We’d love to hear from you—what’s your favorite goat cheese flavor? Do anything fun this summer? Leave a comment below and let’s chat!