After Two Years In Business, Miramichi Brewery Can Finally Hold Grand Opening
Miramichi–Where a car dealership turned auto glass shop once stood, there’s now a newly renovated brewery and taproom.
An 18-foot canoe hangs suspended over the bar and yellow wing back chairs offer an intimate seating area in front of a fireplace. Centered behind the bar, 14 beer taps are ready to fill your glass with New Maritime beer.
After more than two years in business, New Maritime Beer Company is finally able to celebrate with a grand opening on Saturday, March 19.
They’ll have $3 New Maritime draught, music, door prizes, and free pizza.
Co-owner Brent Garrish says it will be good to see the customers that have supported the brewery throughout the pandemic, without the restrictions
“The first few months we got to know people by delivering [beer] to their door,” says Garrish.
The brewery and taproom opened at the beginning of the pandemic in Miramichi. During the initial lockdown in 2020, New Maritime Beer Company offered delivery services throughout the Miramichi area, going as far as Moncton and Fredericton.
Garrish recalls delivering 120 growlers in one week to Fredericton.
Throughout the different levels of Covid-19 regulations, the brewery hosted trivia nights, comedy shows, musical entertainment, and open mic nights.
“We had to figure out the best way to get people in here while still being inside the rules,” said Garrish.
Now that restrictions are lifted, there are new opportunities to showcase the brewery.
“We have some pretty regular customers, like breweries get, and there are guys who have never been in the back we couldn’t really show them for two years,” says Garrish. “Now we can open it up a little bit.”
Garrish and co-owners Matt Hutt and Adam Lordon are childhood friends who wanted to see a craft brewery in their hometown.
The brewery and taproom focuses on local products. It sells the beer it produces in-house as well as other New Brunswick beer, cider, spirits, and wine.
But, as Garrish says, “the beer is the star of the show.”
There are up to 14 different products on tap at a time.
New Maritime beers are named with a nod to Miramichi and New Brunswick. The taproom offers brews like The Cherry Best, a light, slightly soured pale ale; the Centennial Pale Ale, with the Miramichi Centennial bridge on the can; and The Very Best, a “juicy” IPA.
The brewery also has products in every liquor store in the province and supplies restaurants and bars throughout the Acadian Peninsula and the three major New Brunswick cities: Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton.
“A lot of people are shocked at the size and capacity of the brewery in the back, that it’s not just a small operation,” says Garrish.
Craft beer fans can find New Maritime Beer Company products in restaurants like Cask and Kettle Irish Gastropub, St. James Gate, and The Snooty Fox.
Mary Allan is an intern with Huddle in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].