Tire Shack’s Beer Is Top Cream Ale At The Canadian Brewing Awards
MONCTON – Tire Shack Brewing Co. has only been open for a year, but one of its beers has caught the eye of the industry nationally.
The Specialist won the gold award for the cream ale category in this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards.
Alan Norman, who owns and runs the brewery with spouse Jerrica Kennedy, says to get an award at this level so early is exciting.
“We’re stoked to win an award so early in our career,” he said. “In a way, it puts us on the brewing map in this country. But it doesn’t change what we’re doing here. We always like to have something new and exciting.”
Norman and his team began brewing in September 2019 and opened the taproom in November the same year. He says the award also puts Greater Moncton on the map as a place that produces great beer.
“That category, too, the cream ale, blonde ale category is a heavily saturated category … so we’re very excited that we won in that category in particular,” Norman added.
Tire Shack changes its menu and offers new beers often, but The Specialist is one of its “full-time” beers that customers can find at NB Liquor stores in addition to the taproom.
He says The Specialist is “a gateway beer.”
“Anybody can drink the specialist. It’s a super easy drink, it’s a great patio drink. It’s not a crazy hoppy IPA or a sour, fruit beer or anything like that.”
It’s thanks to brewer Henrique Soares that this beer was made, Norman said. Soares, originally from Brazil, was connected to Norman through the dean of the Niagara College’s Brewing Program.
“At the time, I was living in Toronto and I was looking for a brewer, and that’s a very legitimate program. He put me in touch with Henri, and we did some Skype calls back and forth and really hit it off, and he won the same page as we were,” Norman said. “So we convinced him to move to Moncton.”
Tire Shack’s beer is one of six New Brunswick beers that were recognized this year.
Brasseux d’la Cote’s La Classic Rosé won gold for the fruit/fruit wheat/field/pumpkin beer category; Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault’s Saison du Djâbe won gold for the French and Belgian Style Saison category; and Moosehead Breweries took home three awards. Its Cracked Canoe beer won bronze in the Light Lager category, its Moosehead Shaker Tropical Pina Colada won gold in experimental beer, and the Moosehead Small Batch Rauchbier won silver in smoked beer.
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