Equipment Delays Push Back O’Creek Brewery Opening
MONCTON – While O’Creek Brewing Company won’t be opening as anticipated this February, one of its four owners says progress is clipping along and the Moncton brewery will be pouring beers by early spring.
“Due to a longer than anticipated delivery of the brewery equipment, which was two months later than originally scheduled, we are now anticipating an early April opening,” said Patrice Daigle, O’Creek’s brewmaster and co-owner.
“It’s been going very well if you think about it – we really got started over two months ago,” said Daigle of a $2-million effort to bring a new brewery to the city.
Since Daigle’s fellow co-owner, John Gonzales, spoke to Huddle in October, after he and his co-founders ordered all the necessary equipment and materials, and announced their plans, contractors have been busy with fit-up work for the brewery’s 175 Barker Street home.
Once it’s open, the brewery will share a berth with True Reflection Training CrossFit, Quantum Jiu-Jitsu, and True Yoga.
It will also be down the road from fellow microbrewer Tire Shack Brewing.
The equipment that pushed back O’Creek’s opening date – a 15-barrel, six-fermenter system – will take up half of its 5,000-square-foot space. The rest of the space will be for guests, with a 100-seat taproom and retail space.
The results of this fit-up include a fully-poured floor, a painted ceiling, all of the wall framing set up – with some of the drywall already up.
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“Before Christmas, the construction team was really focused on getting the brewery part done, before the equipment got in. Now, they will continue in the taproom,” Daigle said.
Daigle noted the brewery’s walk-in cooler has been installed and its HVAC system and deck are nearing completion.
“Now that our brewing equipment is here, we will try to focus on installing everything in order to get going and start brewing, so we can send a sample to ANBL to complete all of our license steps,” Daigle said.
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O’Creek Brewing Company is the collaboration of four Moncton businessmen – Daigle, Gonzales, Nick Spataro, and Greg McAfee.
Daigle founded the brewery in 2017 after his experimental test batches gained a following and were the catalyst to pressure from friends to open a brewery. While Daigle started brewing in rented space at CAVOK in Dieppe, the plan to open O’Creek was hatched in 2021.
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].