In the face of COVID-19, these are challenging times for sure. But as a community in New Brunswick, we’re all in this together. Many people are facing small business closures and lay-offs and the craft alcohol industry is not excluded.

From the “State of the Industry Report” on New Brunswick Craft Brewing, commissioned by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, (ACOA), and completed by Beck Consulting Group, (BCG), in the period July 15, 2017 – October 15, 2017, we learned that there were fifty (36) breweries operating in New Brunswick, resulting in 5.65 breweries per capita – the highest in the maritimes and the 2nd highest in Canada! The thirty-six (36) active craft brewing establishments in New Brunswick created a total of 234 FTE “direct jobs” in the province, 202 full-time positions and 63 part-time or seasonal positions (@ 50% FTE). Adding Moosehead to the mix adds an additional 175 jobs, for a total of 409 FTE Positions. And that’s not including all of the jobs created in the beer industry supply chain. The overall GDP impact of the craft brewing industry in New Brunswick is over $ 138.5 Million!

We can help this industry survive by supporting your local craft alcohol supplier as much as possible.  Many jobs are at stake and many of our craft alcohol producers are family-run businesses whose whole income is at stake. If your small business is struggling, the Government of Canada released its Economic Response Plan: Support for Canadians and Businesses yesterday.

Borrowing the idea from my friend Kim Hart MacNeill, who published a similar article in the Halifax Magazine March 17^th, here’s a list of New Brunswick craft alcohol producers and their current status as of May 2020. Keep in mind that this is all subject to change at any time depending on the COVID-19 situation. If you are not experiencing any symptoms, check back with the individual establishment before you go and please wash and sanitize your hands for the safety of the staff serving you.

If you would like to add some craft alcohol stops to your NB Staycation this summer, check out my 5 tips to planning a mini-vacation to save time and money!

BEER

13 Barrels Brewing Co., Bathurst – See comment below

3Flip Brewing, Fredericton – closed to the public, as always, but bottles are available at ANBL at the time of this post

Acadie-Broue, Moncton – at Bar Le Coude, U de M (closed), but crowlers occasionally available to-go at CAVOK in Dieppe. Best to call ahead to order.

Bagtown Brewing, Sackville – closed due to renovations (moving from one location to another).  However, due to the COVID-19 situation the date to reopen is TBD. Once the situation and renovations come to an end, they will post about reopening at the new location.

Big Axe Brewery, Nackawic – bottles to go, by appointment only. We will set up pick-up/delivery. Plastic payment only. Gift cards available. But customers have to call 506-575-1093 or message us on Facebook.

Brasserie Chockpish, Dieppe – We are selling kegs to individual customers. We are selling crowlers through our friends at CAVOK – available through their online store. Starting Victoria Day weekend – served on tap at Euston Park Social.

Brasseux d’la Cote, Tracadie – open from noon to 2pm & 4pm to 6 pm (Tuesday to Saturday) to let people come & exchange their growlers and grab some cans.

CAVOK Brewing Co., Dieppe – open until further notice from 3-8pm Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 12-8pm Friday and Saturday for beer to go only (take-out) and for gift cards. Gift Cards and beer also available for contactless local (Greater Moncton) deliveries. Pre-order for curbside pick up or delivery at orders.cavokbrewing.ca. Updated info on our facebook, instagram and Twitter posts.

Cross Creek Brewing Co., Oak Mountain (Carleton County) – We are in business, but still selling only kegs when the venues open up again. We are working on a can release for June.  Then in the Fall hope to get two more of our styles in cans.

Foghorn Brewing Co., Rothesay – open for take-out and delivery until we are told otherwise. We have cans, bottles, and we’ll fill our own growlers for people to take home. And we always have gift certificates. Online store – bit.ly/3d2zj8H

Four Rivers Brewing Co., Bathurst – Taproom is closed for in-house consumption, open for beer to go sales: cans or kegs only. Only accepting debit/credit for safety of our staff. Modified hours posted on our social channels @four.rivers.brew FB/IG. Also available by phone or email. 506-350-2800 info@fourriversbrewing.ca

Graystone Brewing, Fredericton – still open for Park and Pick Up! Customers can call the Taphouse at 506-459-7710 from 12pm to 6 pm and pay over the phone, they can then come and park and we will bring the product out to your car. Please bring government piece of ID with a birthdate on it as we will be checking IDs at the time of pick-up!

Gridiron Brewing, Hampton – still open, filling new growlers and accepting returns of Gridiron growlers that will be going through our increased cleaning process before being put back into service.

Grimross Brewing, Fredericton – open 12-8 Monday- Friday, 10-8 Saturday, Noon-5 on Sunday. We are open for take out sales: cans, kegs and Grimross only growler swaps. We do offer a contactless pick up option for folks to call in their orders from the parking lot and pay over the phone – our number for that is 506-454-4810.

Hammond River Brewing, Rothesay – open daily from 12:00 noon to 4:00PM ONLY be for take out products. There will be NO onsite consumption. Also, we are fully stocked with brand new sanitized 1L Boston Round Growlers and will happily fill one for you to take home. If you currently own a 1L HRB Growler bring it in and we will exchange it for a brand new sanitized one. We will NOT be any filling outside Growlers. We will only be accepting Debit or Credit Card, so no cash. The debit/credit terminal will be wiped down and sanitized after every use as well. Also, HRB will be offering a delivery service to anyone in the Kennebecasis Valley area for those that elect to stay home. Deliveries will be made each day from 12:00 to 4:00PM. For more information, go to Facebook.

Holy Whale Brewing, Alma – bar is closed for in-house consumption, but open for coffee and beer take-away, until otherwise specified. Fridays 3-8pm, Saturdays and Sundays 12-8pm. Also, we will be offering a delivery service for Riverview, Moncton and Dieppe every two weeks over the next few months starting March 26. Please see further details in the facebook event.

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault, Edmundston – Petit-Sault Brewtique remains OPEN for the purchase of our bottled and canned products. We are only filling growlers that have been sterilized in house, but we can take exchanges. Normal business hours for now. Tap room closed.

Long Bay Brewery, Rothesay – currently open and are selling bottles and growlers of all our products. Certain protocols and procedures have been implemented to better safeguard our customers and staff. Phone in orders for curbside (at Brewery) pickup 506-847-HOPS (4677) or through ANBL or DrinkNB.

Microbrasserie Houblon-Pêcheur, Village-des-Poirier – our beer is currently only available at ANBL locations that usually carry our beer, as well as some new locations in Edmundston, Campbellton and Beresford.

MorALE brewsters, Oromocto – At this time morALE brewsters is still not selling any packaged products as we are only selling kegs. We are on stand by until bars and restaurants reopen and start selling draft.

Pumphouse Fill Station, Moncton – Beer-to-go Sales (Bottles & Cans only) 12pm – 8pm

Sussex Ale Works, Sussex – See comment below

Tire Shack Brewing Co., Moncton – ‘beer to go’ daily from 2pm to 8pm. We have also bottled a limited amount of new beers that are usually not available for takeout. We also are still selling gift certificates and merchandise.

TrailWay Brewing, Fredericton – open for now, offering cans/bottles only to go. Reduced hours, currently 12-7pm, but subject to change. Gift cards available as usual. Piloting a delivery service for City of Fredericton as well!

CIDER

SCOW Cider, Memramcook – We are selling new plastic and glass growlers on Fridays and Saturdays at the orchard via Eventbrite, but stay tuned for our new Shopify on our website soon. Our products can also be found at the various locations that sell our products… ANBL stores/Agency Stores, Grocery Stores, as well as Taprooms/Fill Stations (Crowlers) such as the Pump House Fill Station, CAVOK Brewing Co., Picaroons and Holy Whale Brewing.

York County Cider, Fredericton – open on reduced hours: Sunday – Tuesday 1 pm – 5 pm and Wednesday – Saturday 1 pm – 730 pm. Taproom is closed for in house service, but we are still selling bottles and exchanging empty growlers for full ones. We are not filling personal growlers at this time. We can be contacted by phone at 506 440-5416, by email at yorkcountycider@rogers.com and through our Facebook page. We are accepting payment by cash, credit, debit and e-transfer. We are also doing parking lot service so no one needs to come inside and are offering home delivery for those who are isolating. We are delivering our cider, some local beer and Covered Bridge Chips.

Yip Cider, Long Reach (Saint John area) – We will be stocking Long Bay Brewery with Yip Cider!

WINE

Magnetic Hill Winery, Moncton – Our retail shop is still closed for the season. We’re grateful that our wines are still available at the grocery stores; however, in light of the situation, we have started delivering directly to addresses in the Greater Moncton Area. If someone would like to place an order (minimum 12 bottles), they can email/Facebook message us their requests including their address and phone number so we can call and collect payment. If they would like to do “drive through pick-up”, the minimum is 6 bottles. Ordering and payment process is the same, but they must include the license plate of the vehicle picking up the order. Then we will just place the order in the trunk, and they’re good to go!

Winegarden Estate Winery & Distillery, Baie Verte – At the present time we do offer mail order service. Click the link to our product page http://winegardenestate.com/order/ Please check our Fb page for order forms, or drop us a email at srosswog@nbnet.nb.ca  We ship as per Canada Post.  Our products are conveniently available at ANBL outlets as well as grocery stores in N.B. We will re-open the wine boutique on Monday, June 1, 2020 with regular store hours Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm.

SPIRITS

Devil’s Keep Distillery, Fredericton – We still only sell out of ANBL so that is the only place to get our vodka.

For a list of other local businesses in Moncton going above & beyond for customers during social distancing, click here for a list by Everything Unscripted #SUPPORTLOCAL