Fitz’s cold beer sign was loaded at his new home at the Landwash brewery in Mount Pearl on Tuesday. (Mike Moore / CBC)
Mount Pearl Brewery is now the proud owner of an iconic sign that hangs over St. John’s shop window for most of 40 years.
Fitz’s cold beer sign and Fitz himself have attracted a lot of attention in recent days after the sign hit the auction block at Bartlett.
Chris Conway, partner and general manager of Landwash Brewery, said on Tuesday that he had watched the auction from the start.
“I retired about it quite early, when it was only $ 1,000, and I commented to some extent that it would not last long on this number,” Conway said.
“Last night I talked to some of our business partners and we decided, as a team at the brewery, to take over.”
When the auction ended, the Landwash Brewery came out with a big – in terms of height and nostalgia – part of the history of NL beer for 4300 dollars.
The money goes to cancer treatment at Dr. H. Bliss Murphy’s Cancer Center in St. John’s, something former family owner John Fitzpatrick’s family said was part of their plan after they closed the Topsail Road business after Fitzpatrick’s death. from cancer in May 2021
As someone who is interested in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador beer and its memories, Conway said, he has always loved the Fitz sign.
Chris Conway, partner and general manager of Landwash Brewery in Mount Pearl, says the Fitz’s Cold Beer sign is something he has always loved. (Mike Moore / CBC)
“It’s a very emblematic sign,” he said. “When we saw it put up for auction, we just thought the brewery would be the perfect place to shelter it for the future.
Cold beer and museum exhibit
Landwash wants to keep the sign on display, Conway said, and plans to hang it at the brewery.
“As soon as we put it in the building, we’ll install it, we’ll light it, we’ll make sure everyone can see it,” Conway said.
“We will put a small plaque under it to celebrate its history. So it will be something like a museum piece when you enter the brewery.
Fitz Cold Beer has been a staple on Topsail Road in St. John’s for more than 40 years. (Fitz’s Cold Beer / Facebook)
And paying tribute to Fitzpatrick doesn’t end there.
Conway said he has plans for something special this fall.
“We hope, maybe in the fall, to make a beer inspired by Fitz’s Cold Beer, and maybe use some of the classic labels,” he said.
“We would really like to do that. That was one of the big points of interest.”
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