NB’s Hammond River Brewing and Barrel’s Head Gastropub Join Brews and Apps
QUISPAMSIS–Hammond River Brewing started as a twinkle in Shane Steeves’ eye, grew to a nano brewery in his basement and is now expanding to a brand new, bigger space that will be attached to The Barrel’s Head Gastropub and Wine Bar and open early next year.
Steeves says he’s been homebrewing for around 20 years and that the process has always been something he’s loved. After positive feedback from friends and family trying his homebrews, Steeves decided to try his hand at making it work commercially. Hammond River beer can now be found at 13 locations, primarily in the Saint John area, but also at locations in Fredericton and Sackville as well.
“I wanted to start small, which is why I did it out of my basement. Rather than go to a large facility, I wanted to establish a reputation for myself and take it from there,” Steeves said. “I’m on the Stock Farm Road in the Hammond River area so when I’m out on my patio I actually overlook the Hammond River and the covered bridge that’s on my logo. It just seemed to be a good fit for the name of my brewery.”
Steeves knew after only six months of being in business that he would need to expand. He says that since day one, he’s had difficulty keeping up with the demand for his product and started the long process of expanding early on.
“There’s a lot of time and money involved in a major expansion like this and it’s taken about two years or so for all the stuff altogether. I’m looking forward to it.”
Steeves says the partnership with Barrel’s Head just made sense for Hammond River Brewing. He’s been delivering beer to the gastropub since he first opened and built a strong relationships with the owners.
Steeves sees the partnership as a win-win and says that having a close professional relationship like this will improve business and attract customers for both of them. He explains that customers will be able to order food from the gastropub while enjoying drinks in the Hammond River beer bar.
“I’m very excited for all this to come into place. It’s been a long process but it’s going to be good for the Valley, it’s going to be good for the craft brewing scene in the area,” Steeves said. “I want to make New Brunswick a really great beer destination and we’re well on our way.”
“I know all the brewers in New Brunswick. We’re actually a really close-knit group and that’s one of the many things that I love so much about this industry, it’s that everyone’s willing to help everyone else …We don’t see each other as competitors, we’re all in this together and we’re all just trying to make some really great craft beers in the province and I can’t get over how awesome the industry is for that.”