For years, artisan brewers in Nova Scotia have heard that the market is saturated with too many breweries. Add the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s supposed to be doom.
“We have a say in the industry,” said Brian Titts, president of Halifax-based Garrison Brewing and president of the Nova Scotia Craftsmen’s Association.
“It simply came to our notice then. Rumors of satiety and the demise of the local craft brewery are greatly exaggerated.
Two years after the pandemic, only three breweries have closed in recent years, Titus said. These stops were offset by three open breweries, something Titus called “really remarkable.”
There are about 70 microbreweries in the province, employing about 1,150 people, according to statistics from the association.
Brian Titus owns Garrison Brewing in Halifax. He said it was “really remarkable” that the total number of breweries in the province had not changed during the pandemic. (Blair Sanderson / CBC)
Sales of craft beer in Nova Scotia through the NSLC increased 11.3% to $ 6.7 million, according to the latest quarterly financial results.
“I think an industry like this that can withstand a pandemic for more than two years is a pretty good sign of a strong industry,” Titus said.
The pandemic is redefining what breweries are doing
He said the pandemic has forced breweries to look at how they do business and make big changes. For some, this included setting up online stores, offering home delivery, and diversifying product lines to include beer-free options.
But Titus said some others have taken big steps to grow their business.
Halifax’s Good Robot Brewing recently announced that it is moving its brewing operations from its home on Robie Street to a location in Elmsdale, which will increase production.
In part, the goal is to bring their beer to other provinces. The new facility will also offer contract brewing – making beer for other breweries.
“We’re always looking for the future in some way,” said Lindsay Davidson, Good Robot’s marketing manager.
Lindsay Davidson is the marketing manager of Good Robot Brewing. She says while the company has always wanted to offer home delivery, the pandemic has made them do so. (Submitted by Lindsay Davidson)
The Elmsdale site will also be home to a beer garden and retail space. Robie Street’s location will still be used for brewing beer, and retail space and pubs will remain.
This is a big change in wealth since the pandemic hit and the company had to lay off most of its staff.
Good Robot will continue to use its location in Halifax, but most of the beer production will now take place outside the Elmsdale facility. (Anjuli Patil / CBC)
Good Robot has about 60 employees today, which is higher than before the pandemic.
Davidson was a longtime client before joining the company recently.
“They made some really impressive leaps and managed to keep things going, keep people busy, they’re growing at a crazy pace,” she said. “We hire new people all the time.”
Tusket Falls Brewing shares some elements of this. When the pandemic hit, they had to cut a lot of staff and move to online orders and deliveries, said owner Melanie Sweeney.
Melanie Sweeney is the owner of Tusket Falls Brewing. With their location in southwestern Nova Scotia and the geographical challenges it poses, she says opening a pub in Halifax has always been part of a growth plan. (George Sadie / CBC)
Each blockade was stricter than the previous one, she said.
Sweeney said the business felt particularly pinched when employees told residents to stay close to home.
“We definitely felt that people didn’t come to pick up retail, even from 15-minute neighborhoods like before,” she said.
Tusket Falls continued with the opening of a pub last September on Göttingen Street in Halifax, far from their home base in southwestern Nova Scotia.
Server pours beer in Halifax on Tusket Falls Brewing. (George Sadie / CBC)
“We found a great place and just like that [hunkered] down and I decided to go straight, we just keep working hard and hoping for the best and doing the best we can and trying to get it to work, “Sweeney said.
She said the company has always made big changes in its work – and that’s no different. When they opened in December 2017, they built a building and purchased brewing equipment that far exceeded their immediate production needs.
After two years of pandemic restrictions, people in the craft beer industry are optimistic that brighter times are ahead.
“We look forward to what everyone is talking about, [this] is the best summer for our industry in a few years, “Sweeney said.
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