MOOSEHEAD BREWERIES AND MOONSHINE CREEK DISTILLERY COME TOGETHER TO SHOW THEIR ‘COMMUNITY SPIRIT’

(Saint John, NB) - Moosehead Breweries and Moonshine Creek Distillery have announced a one-of-a-kind collaboration. Pre-sale begins Wednesday, July 15, for Community Spirit, a rye lager virgin oak barrel aged whisky inspired by the work the two New Brunswick companies did together to produce hand sanitizer at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As COVID-19 started to make its way into Canada in mid-March, Moonshine Creek wanted to support efforts to keep the community safe by producing hand sanitizer - but the family-run small business didn’t have the ingredients required to produce significant quantities. Moosehead had the same goal, but lacked product with the high alcohol content required to make hand sanitizer. And so the companies came together and throughout the early weeks of the pandemic, Moosehead shipped a total of 24,000 litres of beer to the distillery to be used in the production of sanitizer. 

Once the sanitizer production was complete, the companies saw an opportunity for further collaboration. They decided to craft a unique whisky by blending the workable materials, known as heads and tails, of the distilled Moosehead Lager into the second distillation run of a rye spirit, which was then blended with maple tree water.   

While the spirit itself is currently in a three-year aging process, 500 certificates for bottles of the whisky will be made available for sale on Wednesday July 15, at 9:00 a.m. ADT at moonshinecreek.ca. 

Certificates are $100 each, and 100% of proceeds from every sale will be donated to New Brunswick Food Banks - a $50,000 donation, assuming all certificates are claimed. Consumers from anywhere in Canada can make the purchase and will be able to redeem their individual certificate for their 750ml finished bottle in June 2023.

“As a family-owned and operated business, all of us at Moosehead are so proud to have partnered with Moonshine Creek - not only on our first-ever craft spirit collaboration, but also on the project that started it all: the development and distribution of hand sanitizer for our community,” said Andrew Oland, President, Moosehead Breweries. “And we’re proud that this project will continue to give back to that same community, by supporting food banks across New Brunswick.”

“This unique collaboration really demonstrates just how much we can accomplish when we come together,” said Jeremiah Clark, Co-Owner, Moonshine Creek. “Community Spirit was born out of a literal sense of community spirit and we hope that in three years, when Canadians open and enjoy the finished whisky, they’ll remember how Canadians worked together in a time of crisis to better us all.” 

For more information on Community Spirit, or to purchase one of 500 limited-edition certificates, visit: www.moonshinecreek.ca. 

Good Robot Brews Unity Beer

(Halifax, NS) - Good Robot Brewing's brewer Giovanni Johnson has worked with a group of BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color) Nova Scotians in the food and beverage industry to create the Change is Brewing Collective. He says, “The Change is Brewing Collective is coming together for BIPOC people in Nova Scotia to honour the Black experience.” 

Their first brew as a collective is a blackberry pale ale called Blackberry Freedom. The beer is a challenge to other breweries in Nova Scotia to consider how they can be more inclusive for Black, Indigeonous, and People of Colour in their communities. 50% of all proceeds of the beer will be donated to BIPOC youth and community groups. 

Blackberry Freedom will be available in cans or draft on Good Robot’s online store at https://www.goodrobotbrewing.ca/  or at their taproom and retail space at 2736 Robie Street in Halifax on July 11th.

Rock Bottom Leaving and Nine Locks coming to Spring Garden Road

(Halifax, NS) - After ten years on Spring Garden Road Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery has announced its permanent closure. It was a great place in a great spot but never really found the success it should have had. The space will be taken over by Nine Locks Brewing. The new second location will have all available Nine Locks Beers on tap as well as retail for take away and the brewhouse will be used to brew beers for Your Father's Moustache (YFM) and act as a test brewery for new and different beers. The food choices will be scaled back and be a limited selection from YFM. Look for it to open late summer.

While I was chatting with owner Shaun O'Hearn, He mentioned changes coming to YFM as well, the last renonvations bumped the taps behind the bar to 30 which carried Nine Locks Beers and a variety of Molson products, he says they are going to still have Nine locks showcased but will be adding craft beers from around Nova Scotia, The Maritimes and beyond, hoping to have special beers not available elsewhere in Halifax that you can enjoy in their restaurant. YFM will be reopening in a couple of weeks with the changes coming soon.