Shaun and Danny O’Hearn looked across the grey sea one morning and then at one another and asked the question that all great men ask - “Are we going to start a brewery?” Naturally. It started as a small brewpub, built under a landmark pub and stealthily becoming a popular spot for the locals of Dartmouth - what is now a small community in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A few stones in the round compelled the brothers to open a microbrewery away from the basement restaurant. They discovered a location nearby and got down to the serious business of brewing good beer. All of the beer brewed by Nine Locks is small-batch and with no pasteurisation or preservatives. The Sober Monk is a trappist-style belgian blonde ale with a sweet malt and spicy body with a dynamic hop profile that has a touch of bitterness and earthy kick. Serves well at 8°C and can cellar for a bit but why wait?