Best New Brunswick Breweries & Craft Cider 2024

Looking to visit the best New Brunswick Breweries and Cider Houses?

Plan an unforgettable and tasty road trip to the scenic Maritime province. With a colourful collection of craft breweries and cider houses, the friendly Canadian East Coast destination offers craft beer lovers in New Brunswick a diversity of options when looking to sip quality suds.

Visit New Brunswick Breweries during a fun beer festival, or book a tour to learn about the provinces unique and innovative brewing history.

Our guide to the New Brunswick beer scene offers detailed descriptions for each destination’s craft breweries, brewpubs and cider houses.

Many of New Brunswick’s top breweries also feature restaurants, offering menus that pair perfectly with craft beer. Chefs love to get creative here, infusing a unique east coast cuisine with freshly brewed New Brunswick Beer.

Save this story to Pinterest!

Save our New Brunswick Breweries & Craft Cider Guide to Pinterest!

New Brunswick Breweries History

Did you know that Moosehead Brewery is Canada’s oldest independent brewery?

The famous New Brunswick Brewery located in Saint John was originally founded in 1867 and is still privately owned and operated by the Oland family. The company is now in the sixth generation of family ownership.

Since New Brunswick is home to the oldest brewery in the country, it’s perhaps not surprising that the province offers visiting foodies a booming craft beer industry.

Microbreweries from Moncton to Bathurst offer local watering holes for residents and a thirst quenching road trip stop for thirsty visitors.

New Brunswick Beer is known for its quality ales and lagers, with local brewmasters showcasing the province’s local bounty featuring ingredients like wild blueberries and maple syrup.

While beer nerds will love exploring New Brunswick’s fresh draught, it’s often the brewery location that makes the most meaningful impression. East Coast history and culture is steeped in the branding and design of each craft brewery and cider house.

Holy Whale is located within a historic community church, Tire Shack has been constructed within an old auto garage and Four Rivers is named after the rivers that flow into Bathurst Harbour.

Many breweries in New Brunswick feature restaurants with menus that showcase the province’s culinary bounty. Is there anything more sublime than sipping a cold pint on an oceanside patio while chowing down on a lobster roll? We don’t think so!

For those looking for a gluten free alternative there’s plenty of craft cider to swirl and sip. New Brunswick’s apple industry has a history of over 100 years of commercial production.

Plan A New Brunswick Breweries Road Trip

There’s no better way to explore the best New Brunswick Breweries then by organizing a fun Canadian road trip in the Maritimes.

New Brunswick is one of Canada’s smallest provinces, allowing you to visit many historic oceanside villages and bustling cities in under one week.

We flew into Moncton Airport and flew out of Saint John Airport allowing us to maximize the time we had to enjoy a New Brunswick Beer adventure.

The largest concentration of craft breweries in New Brunswick are in the three largest cities: Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John. You’ll find craft cider houses and microbreweries dotted throughout rural regions as well.

Read our comprehensive New Brunswick Breweries Travel Guide below to help plan your trip. We’ve organized the listings by destination and include details on other tourist attractions you may want to visit in between each craft beer cheers!

You can also use Craft Alcohol New Brunswick as a resource to plan a road trip featuring local craft distilleries, cider houses, wineries and breweries.

You May Also Enjoy Reading These Brewery Guides…

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Andrew John Virtue Dobson (@dobbernation)

New Brunswick Beer Festivals

If you’re a craft beer fan why not plan your visit around a fun festival featuring a variety of New Brunswick Beer? At a fun annual New Brunswick craft beer festival you’ll have an opportunity to taste hard to find limited releases and special seasonals.

New Brunswick Tours

There’s so much to see and do on a road trip of New Brunswick. We recommend booking some of these fun experiences in advance hosted by local guides:

150 Years of Beers Tour: this 2 hour tour of Saint John is perfect for craft beer lovers.
Fundy Coast to Fundy Shore Tour: this 5 hour photography tour starts in Saint John and explores the Fundy Coast featuring lighthouses, fishing villages and sandstone sea caves.
Saint John Walking Tour: this 2 hour tour of Saint John explores historic architecture, city market, Trinity Church and more!
Saint John Jet Boat: this 1 hour jet boat tour in Saint John allows you to experience the thrill of the Reversing Fall Rapids.
Private Full Day Tour of Hopewell Rocks: this private 8 hour tour visits one of Canada’s most iconic natural attractions.
St. Andrews by-the-Sea Day Tour: this 6 hour tour of St. Andrew’s by the Sea departs from Saint John. Learn about the city’s old architecture and enjoy a stop at Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium.

Hopewell Rocks is a must-see when planning a tour of the New Brunswick Breweries.

New Brunswick Breweries In Moncton

Moncton is the largest city in New Brunswick and where we suggest starting your craft beer road trip.

The city has the largest concentration of craft breweries in New Brunswick. In 2022, there were 8 breweries, brewpubs, beer halls and gastropubs in Moncton.

We spent 2 days in Moncton visiting the city’s 8 craft beer watering holes with plenty of time to explore.

If you’re looking for the best things to do in Moncton when not sipping beer you can visit the Tidal Bore, Magnetic Hill, Centennial Park, Resurgo Place, Musee Acadien, Magnetic Hill Winery, Irishtown Nature Park, and Maleton Park.

No trip to New Brunswick is complete without a visit to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. You can experience the world’s most dramatic tides just a short drive south of Moncton.

CAVOK Brewing CO

250 Dieppe Blvd, 506-961-5835

CAVOK Brewing was founded in May, 2016 by two air traffic controllers and friends, Serge Nadeau and Serge Basque. It’s pronounced Cav-Oh-Kay, and is an aviation acronym meaning Ceiling And Visibility are OK.

Skip inside CAVOK Brewing in Dieppe, just outside of downtown Moncton and you’ll find a taproom and retail shop outfitted with plush leather couches. Skip upstairs to the mezzanine to enjoy views overlooking the brewery’s production floor.

At the bar you’ll find 21 taps, 15 of which typically pour CAVOK Brewing beer with the rest being guest taps.

There’s plenty of entertainment to be had here, throughout the week you can enjoy live music, trivia nights, an annual Halloween party, Saint Patrick’s Day, Canada Day, and Acadian Day celebrations.

FYI CAVOK Brewing has a second location with a beautiful deck and indoor seating with ocean views in Cap Pelé, New Brunswick at Plage Aboiteau Beach.

Flying Boats Brewing

700 Malenfant Blvd, No Phone

After working in Europe for 10 years, and finding a passion for a variety of local and regional beers, Marc Melanson started to brew at home as a hobby in the mid-90’s, since he couldn’t get the variety of beers he was looking for back in New Brunswick.

The first pilot brewery was opened in his garage in 2015, after several years of improving his recipes and brewing techniques. Three years later he scaled up the brewery to a 15-Barrel brewhouse in an industrial building to offer a taproom and be able to increase the output.

Flying Boats Brewing is named as an homage to Moncton’s status as the province’s official transportation hub. “Flying Boats” is based on the history of the seaplanes and hydroplanes landing at the Shediac Pointe-du-Chene wharf to refuel on their flight to and from Europe.

Flying Boats Brewing is located in an industrial building in Dieppe near the Moncton Airport. Step inside and you’ll find the space has been decorated using work by local artisans to build a rough wood look taproom and patio that offers a German Biergarten vibe.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 18 taps, 12 are dedicated to year round and seasonal beers while the remaining pour small batch specials. Latest stars include the Blood Orange Pixie IPA and Juice Box Eats Coast Hazy.

If you like pairing a cold pint with dinner plan your visit to enjoy Foodie Fridays featuring a variety of small local food operators. Saturdays are live music night with Trivia Night taking place on Tuesdays.

Happy Craft Brewing

800 Main St, 506-855-2483

Happy Craft Brewing opened in downtown Moncton in July, 2021.

The Moncton craft brewery is owned by Gregg Corrigan and his wife Sylvie Macias, “I started brewing beer in my basement about ten years ago after receiving my first home brew from my wife’s cousin,” said Corrigan.

The Moncton brewery is located in the former Paramount Theatre, which originally opened in 1950. The interior of the brewery is designed with the brewing process on full display. The brewhouse is visible through the open garage door right on Main street. As you enter the space and walk the hallway you can see all of the vessels and equipment used from grain to glass. As you reach the back of the space it opens up into a taproom where you can see the original steel, brick and wood roof of the building. Through the double doors in the back it opens onto a large patio to enjoy the sunshine.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 24 taps featuring 3 non-alcoholic options, 3 ciders, 6-8 guest taps and 10-12 house beers.

Happy Craft Brewing offers live music twice a week featuring a mix of solo, duo and bands that are touring New Brunswick.

Gahan House Hub City

55 Queen St, 506-388-6322

Gahan Brewery was first established as Murphy’s Brewing Co. in 1997 by Kevin Murphy. His passion for hospitality and craft brews were a major influence in the opening of their first location in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Over the years, Gahan brews grew more and more in popularity across the Maritimes. Today the craft brewery operates 6 locations in New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

In downtown Moncton Gahan House Hub City features a spacious outdoor patio, contemporary dining room and bar, which sits in front of a glass wall housing the restaurants microbrewery.

At the bar you’ll find 15 taps pouring ice cold beer, “That includes our 6 Hours of Sun Cider, and the Daily Dose Hard Root Beer. Four of our taps are rotating seasonal beers that are brewed at every location. We recently had a strawberry margarita gose that was brewed right here at Gahan Hub City that was very well received,” said Avery Prime General Manager at Gahan House Hub City.

The menu is designed by chefs across the company, deciding which items need tweaking or are subject to change for the season. The fish and chips are a Maritime staple, as well as the beef melt, and popular coconut chicken curry.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays enjoy live music from 7PM-9PM. You’ll also find a special on oysters every day from 4PM-6PM and then again from 9PM-close.

Tide & Boar Brewing

1355 Main St, 506-382-1788

Chad Steeves is the owner and brewmaster at Tide & Boar Brewing in Moncton.

The concept started as a nanobrewery in 2016 then moved to its current home (and larger location) on Main Street in 2011.

Steeves shared, “The new location was chosen because of our love of Moncton’s Old West End. It is a fantastic neighborhood and an area we wanted to be apart of.”

Visit the popular New Brunswick brewery and you’ll find a friendly outdoor patio, bar pouring fresh craft beer from 20 taps and cozy dining room where pizza is the name of the game!

Tide & Boar Brewing has plenty of creative must-try beers so be sure to order a flight to find a favourite. Millions of Peaches Sour IPA for example is brewed with fuzzy peach candies and conditioned on peach puree. Sour Otis is the brewery’s fruited kettle soured line up with the fruit selection evolving with what’s fresh and in season.

We suggest visiting the Moncton craft brewery for lunch or dinner. The kitchen specializes in New York and Detroit-style pizza.

To avoid any confusion, Steeves has two Tide & Boar locations in Moncton. The other being Tide & Boar Gastropub, which has a more upscale menu as well as a large format concert venue.

Tire Shack Brewing

190 John St, 506-830-4321

Tire Shack Brewing is owned by Alan Norman and his wife Jerrica Kennedy. The duo spent 16 years in Toronto before decided to move back to their hometown of Moncton to open a craft brewery.

Norman explained, “We found an auto garage that was abandoned for over three years and decided to purchase the property and renovate it. After eleven months of renovations we opened up in November, 2019.”

The couple designed the space themselves, keeping a rustic auto garage vibe, “We kept a lot of the original tire shack signage and knick-knacks that were left behind. We also found a ton of vintage auto magazine ads at a flea market that we framed on our walls. Our tables are all handmade by a local woodworker. The wood was salvaged from a 100-year-old barn that fell down not far from the brewery. All of our tap handles are made from old skateboard decks and our bar top is made from discarded pieces of walnut,” said Norman.

Tire Shack Brewing has an outdoor patio that seats 50 guests, a perfect perch to enjoy a cold one on a New Brunswick breweries tour.

At the bar you’ll find 10 taps exclusively serving lagers and ales brewed on site. Tire Shack has 3 core beers that are brewed all year long: The Specialist Blonde Ale, Parts N Labour IPA, and Secret Society Toasted Marshmallow Stout.

If you’re lucky Tire Shack may be hosting pop-up kitchens in the space. “We’ve hosted everything from fine dining to Mexican street tacos. It’s great for our guests because we always have something new, which keeps things fresh and exciting,” said Norman.

Holy Whale Brewery is located in an old church in Alma. They also have a beer hall in Moncton.

Holy Whale Brewing & Beer Hall

391 Coverdale Rd, 506-386-8866

Holy Whale Brewery opened its doors in 2016. The popular New Brunswick Brewery is located in Alma, a small tourist town adjacent to Fundy National Park a short drive from Moncton.

“My brother Jeff Grandy, Ian Hillier and I converted a small church into a 10-hectolitre brewery. Jeff is a master brewer, having completed the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management course at Olds College in Alberta. Jeff asked me to join him in opening a brewery while I was teaching overseas. Having been a long time homebrewer and beer nut, I agreed. We looked to New Brunswick as an ideal spot to start as its craft beer market was just getting going. Luckily for us, the church we purchased in Alma went up for sale while we were looking for spaces and Holy Whale was born. Being big fans Monty Python’s Holy Grail, the name Holy Whale was a playful take on us being in a church and near the Bay of Fundy,” said Holy Whale co-owner Peter Grandy.

Although busy during the summer, Alma is a quiet town in the winter and made it difficult to operate year-round. In 2018, the owners of the popular New Brunswick Brewery decided to set up a small shipping container on the water in Riverview, Moncton to sell their products.

“With growing success, we were able to upgrade our space to a beer hall and garden. We also purchased the bowling alley in Riverview called Holy Bowly, which opened in 2022,” said Grandy.

Holy Whale Brewery produces 8 flagship beers, the most popular brews being the Devil’s Half Acre IPA and Skittles Sour. You’ll find 20 taps at the beer hall with regular events and fundraisers drawing locals and New Brunswick beer lovers.

The beer garden has a spectacular view of the sunset on the Petitcodiac River. You can also see the famous tidal bore, a visible wave on the river, when the tide comes in.

Pump House Brewery

5 Orange Ln, 506-855-2337

Pump House Brewery in Moncton was the first microbrewery of its kind back when it first opened in 1999. It initially launched as a small brewpub with the idea of pairing craft beer with fire-oven baked pizzas.

The Moncton brewpub quickly became a hit with locals, and the demand for Pump House beer in New Brunswick began to grow. So much so that a second brewery and packaging facility was needed to keep up with demand.

In 2016, Pump House Brewery launched Crafty Radler; its biggest hit to date. A muddling of local craft beer and house-made fruit soda, available in refreshing flavours like grapefruit, tangerine, blood orange, peach, tart cherry blueberry and limoncello lime.

Visit Pump House Brewery during the warmer months of the year and you’ll find a large outdoor patio as well as year round indoor dining.

“At any given time, we have between 16-20 taps at both the Brewpub and Fill Station locations in Moncton. This includes our regular line up of craft beer, a mix of seasonal offerings and occasional guest taps featuring other beloved New Brunswick Breweries,” said Pump House’s Claire Dooley.

Pump House Brewery’s signature line up of craft beer includes Canadian Cream Ale, Blueberry Ale, Fire Chief Red Ale, Bohemian Pils, Muddy River Stout, IPA, 4 Alarm IPA and Nio Starkol. They also make 6-8 seasonal brews each year ranging from Raspberry Wheat and Uncommon Kolsch in the summer months. And in the winter months, Dubbel Trapeze and Schwartzbier.

We suggest planning a visit to the Pump House Brewery Brewpub location at 5 Orange Lane during lunch or dinner. The menu features classic pub fare like gourmet burgers and wood-fired pizza.

You May Also Enjoy These Canadian East Coast Travel Stories:

New Brunswick Breweries in Bathurst

Bathurst is a scenic town located north west of Moncton. It sits perched over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and features 3 breweries: Fils du Roy, 13 Barrels and Four Rivers Brewing.

We enjoyed a day trip to Bathurst, leaving Moncton in the morning and spending the early afternoon sipping the regions best New Brunswick Beer. We then drove south to spend the night in Miramichi.

If you’re visiting Bathurst for an extended stay we suggest also visiting nearby Pabineau Falls and Pokeshaw Rock. In between brewery visits we suggest a lunch stop at Au Bootlegger, which offers an extensive craft beer list and tasty menu to boot!

Fils du Roy

599 Chem. Principale, 506-764-2046

Flis du Roy is a distillery and craft brewery located on the Acadian Peninsula a short drive east of Bathurst, New Brunswick.

In 2012 Fils du Roy founders and co-owners Sébastien Roy and his mother Diane began the development of their first products out of a humble garage. Gin Thuya and Absinthe La Courailleuse were quickly recognized and earned prestigious medals in several international spirit competitions.

The first years were marked with very rapid growth, new products, and several phases of the project followed closely with additions built in 2013 and a large production area in 2014, which allowed the installation of brewing equipment, and the start of beer and whisky production in 2015. In 2017, a new annex was built including the Chai, where barrels are stored, as well as a boutique and taproom.

Sébastien from Fils du Roy’s shared, “We believe local beer starts with local ingredients, which is why in 2019, we incorporated a new company, Maison Fils du Roy. Its mission is to substitute products that would normally be imported from outside the province or country by local ingredients, while also working to leave the smallest environmental footprint possible. With the construction of a malt house in 2021, hundreds of tons of malt that were imported annually from Western Canada are substituted by local agricultural products. Other activities of Maison Fils du Roy inc. include a research and development laboratory where we work on the production of local yeasts and the development of new products.”

Visit Fils du Roy and you’ll find a colourful taproom decorated with paintings by local artists that were used to make the labels for their bottles. At the bar you’ll find 5 beers on tap. The artisanal New Brunswick craft beer producer produces 12 core brews that are sold in elegant 750 mL glass bottles.

If you’re a craft cocktail lover the bartender shakes and muddles lovely libations featuring the New Brunswick distillery’s house made whiskey, vodka, gin and absinthe.

The brewery and distillery often offer food between 5-7pm on Friday nights. The menu is announced via social media a couple days in advance and often features crowd favorites like chili, nachos, tacos or Sébastien’s famous “Fricot Acadien.”

13 Barrels Brewing

215 Cunard St, 506-546-5300

David Duncan Young and his wife Margot are the founders of 13 Barrels Brewing Company located in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

The craft brewery in Bathurst gets its name from a local story from the 1920s. A local barber, who was a staunch prohibitionist, led a group of fellow prohibitionists on an expedition up the Nepisiquit River to break up an illegal still – they reportedly seized and disposed of 13 barrels of moonshine.

“I grew up in Bathurst and we have a summer cottage in the area. We conceived of the New Brunswick brewery as a project that would allow me to ease out of the full time practice of law and would also help revitalize the downtown in Bathurst,” said David.

13 Barrels Brewery opened in November, 2018 on Bathurst’s waterfront. The building is 5100 sq ft and features a 1800 sq ft tasting room with large windows and a large garage door opening onto a patio that overlooks the harbour.

Skip inside the Bathurst brewery and you’ll find an industrial interior featuring a large fireplace, handmade live edge slab tables, hardwood accents and a mural of the beer making process made by local high school students and their teacher.

During the warmer months of the year local New Brunswick beer lovers gather on the outdoor patio and large mezzanine for a cold pint.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 13 tapes including guest taps from other New Brunswick breweries and cider houses.

13 Barrels Brewery has 6 core beers worth sampling: Tall Tales IPA, Pabineau Pale Ale, Rendezvous- Rouge, Miss Clara’s Kolsch, Dog Daze and Gnarly Light Lager.

If you’re feeling peckish pair your beer with a Ploughman’s Platter, Mezze Platter or Chips & Dips Platter. The kitchen also offers panini sandwiches prepared by a local café, smoked meat and veggie with salads or soups.

You’ll find live music every Saturday evening and on Sunday afternoons on the patio in the summer months local musicians perform.

Four Rivers Brewing

335 Murray Ave, 506-350-2800

Four Rivers Brewing is a family-owned and operated 15-barrel brewery. Founded by Rene Legacy, his two sons Stephen and Chris as well as their uncle Rene Landry.

In 2017 the Legacy’s launched Four Rivers Brewing in their hometown of Bathurst, New Brunswick.

The name Four Rivers was inspired by Chaleur region’s coastal beauty, and much like the rivers that converge in Bathurst Harbour, the brewery is a place of coming together for local craft beer fans.

Four Rivers Brewing is located in an old Toyota dealership in downtown Bathurst and in 2021 launched a summer patio.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 12 taps plus a 2 tap fridge, which is used to showcase small experimental brews. The brewery has 7 beers in its core range as well as seasonals like Raglan Red Irish Red Ale, Hazy IPA and Lemon Pepper Belgian Ale.

While the brewery doesn’t have a restaurant on site they are neighbours with Pizza 13. Hungry guests are encouraged to order a pie to enjoy in the taproom with a cold pint of beer.

Aaron Crocker, Four Rivers Brewing’s Manager of Marketing & Sales shared, “Since I took over this role one of my goals has been to bring in original and exciting local music from across Canada. Bringing life back to the Northshore of New Brunswick entertainment scene and getting the community excited. We also host a yearly St Patrick’s Day event in tandem with local act Raglan Road where 100% of the proceeds go to charity.”

New Brunswick Breweries in Miramichi

Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay.

New Maritime Beer Company is Miramichi’s only brewery. When you’re not sipping an ice cold lager we suggest exploring Ritchie Wharf, Boishébert and Beaubears Island Shipbuilding National Historic Site, Kouchibouguac National Park, Central New Brunswick Woodman’s Museum, Priceville Footbridge and the Atlantic Salmon Museum.

New Maritime Beer Company

55 Newcastle Blvd, 506-622-1200

New Maritime Beer Company was dreamt up during conversations between childhood friends Matt Hutt, Brent Garrish and Adam Lordon.

The Miramichi craft brewery’s co-owner Matt Hutt shared, “Essentially we had grown tired of watching every city and town in the maritimes but us have a craft brewery and decided to bring one to our home town of Miramichi. We opened our doors in winter 2020, which as you can probably imagine wasn’t the best time to open a brewery!”

New Maritime Beer Company moved into a space that had been empty for over 9 years. “Jamie Alexander is the designer who transformed our thoughts into reality for the taproom space,” said Hutt. The benches guests sit down on in the taproom were sourced from the old Miramichi Courthouse.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 14 taps. New Maritime Beer Company has 5 core beer brands: The Very Best Juicy IPA, Some Friggin’ Good Double IPA, Rising Tides Citra IPA, Centennial Pale Ale and New Maritime Light.

If you’re a New Brunswick beer lover visiting Miramichi try and plan your visit around the one or two ticketed concerts the brewery hosts each month. They also host a monthly comedy show in partnership with Yuk Yuks.

New Brunswick Breweries in Fredericton

Fredericton is dubbed “Atlantic Canada’s Craft Beer Capital.” It has the largest number of breweries in New Brunswick. You could easily spend 3 days casually sipping suds in between art gallery visits and scenic strolls along the river.

Fredericton ranks amongst the most taprooms per capita in Canada, with one taproom per 5,400 people! The 26 craft alcohol producers in the Capital Region, ranging from new startups to award-winning breweries, all have their own unique spin on traditional style ales and inventive brews.

We were in Fredericton for less than 24 hours and were impressed with our ability to visit 5 breweries in such a short amount of time. If you’re staying in the city for a longer stint use the Fredericton Taproom Trail to navigate the city’s beer and cider scene.

Explore beyond beer in Fredericton by checking out popular attractions like the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, and Historic Garrison District.

Picaroons Brewing Company has the best outdoor patio of all the New Brunswick Breweries!

Picaroons Brewing Company & Roundhouse

912 Union St, 506-457-9082

Fredericton’s most photographed brewery is Picaroons Roundhouse. During the warmer months of the year the craft brewery’s sprawling outdoor patio is worth waiting in line for.

Picaroons Brewing Company’s owner Sean Dunbar launched the concept in October, 1995, “At the time we were the only microbrewery in the Maritimes, the term craft hadn’t been coined yet.”

So what is a “picaroon?” The term refers to a logging tool. “The name popped out when we were researching the New Brunswick’s logging history in search of a name and it stuck,” explained Dunbar.

Picaroon’s actually has two brewery locations you can visit in New Brunswick: the General Store in Saint John and the Roundhouse in Fredericton.

The Fredericton Roundhouse began its life in 1874 as part of a railway repair shop. “We just stripped it down to it’s basics. It’s been as much a community development project as anything else,” said Dunbar.

Picaroons Brewing Roundhouse is famous for its large outdoor patio, where locals gather on a hot day to enjoy a cold pint paired with food by 540 North. The casual lunch or dinner service is a self-serve operation, using a counter service model for both the bar and kitchen.

The award winning New Brunswick Brewery has a 30 HL brewhouse and the taproom features 14 beer taps and two taps of local cider.

Chef Zach Cunningham manages the 540 North Kitchen at Picaroons. The short but sweet menu features local favourites like the North Burger, Shrimp and Chorizo Taco and Feel Good Salad.

Trailway Brewing

280 Main St, 506-455-8246

Jake Saunders and Dan Mason launched Trailway Brewing in December, 2014. They began brewing on a pieced together 120 litre system in Jake’s basement.

The duo started out home brewing with their passion being for hoppy beers. The reception for their ales was very positive and before their first anniversary they had already begun to expand the business.

The New Brunswick brewery’s name is a tribute to Fredericton’s incredible trail system. The house which they originally began brewing in was right along the trail so they had the opportunity to really appreciate the beauty of it.

Megan LeBlanc from Trailway Brewing shared, “Funny enough our tables and bar are actually made out of recycled bowling lane wood. Trailway would go on to buy a bowling alley called The Drome in 2018. We also have chalk boards that cover our walls of past beers we have brewed.”

Visit Trailway Brewing and you’ll find several different outdoor patios, covered and uncovered. With string lights on in the evening it makes for a great vibe to enjoy a freshly brewed beer.

At the bar you’ll find 14 taps: 13 pour craft beer and one features a local craft cider. Trailway Brewing has 6 core beers which include Hu Jon Hops, Luster, Seeing Citra, Little Kicks, El Generico, and Fetch.

“We host an annual birthday party to celebrate our brewery each year that is always around the start of June. We have started to have some live music and we recently had our first bingo night,” said LeBlanc.

York County Cider

38 Main St, 506-440-5416

York County Cider in Fredericton was founded by Ed Teale in 2015, first opening its doors to the public in March of 2016.

“I have been drinking cider since the mid 1980s and made my first batch in 1991. This was a heady combination of my love for cider with a new passion for cider making. There have been a few research visits to the United Kingdom, the world leader in cider making and consumption. This let me develop my own cider style. I am very much inspired by the ciders of the West Country region of England,” said Teale.

The Fredericton cider house gets its name from the county the city is located, its original location on York Street, and the founders family roots in Yorkshire, England.

York County Cider is located on the old site of a former garage, which inspired Teale to put in garage doors. The building has a long history in the neighbourhood. Over the past 50 years it has been a gym, martial art dojo, video game arcade, sporting goods store and vehicle repair/oil change spot.

Visit the popular cider house in Fredericton and you’ll find an extensive deck shared with neighbours, PJs who make the best wings and best fish and chips in town. Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 20 taps, 16 pouring cider and 4 offering craft beer.

“While inspired by traditional tannin forward, bittersweet, and tart ciders of southwest England, we have found our success with a wide range of flavour forward ciders. Our biggest seller is the Strawberry Ciderita, a strawberry and lime flavoured cider. We offer a variety of flavours featuring hops, spices, citrus, cranberry, cherry, blueberries, pineapple, peach, coconut and almond in over 30 flavour combinations, “explained Teale.

The taproom hosts a very popular trivia night on Wednesdays, a Celtic jam session once a month, an open mic on Sundays and live music most Fridays.

Graystone Brewing

221 King St, 506-459-7710

Graystone Brewing in Fredericton was co-founded by Wes Ward after he spent over a decade working in the local bar industry.

In the early days, Ward enlisted the help of 3 home brewers Ian Demerchant, Steve Christi and Mark Budd. The trio were dubbed Tough Guy Brewing and began developing recipes for the future bricks and mortar brewery.

“We used my home garage and basement as our workspace and over the course of two years were able to create the jumping off point for Graystone’s first beers,” said Ward.

Today, Graystone Brewing offers a wide variety of west coast style ales in an atmosphere-centric taproom. Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 23 taps, which typically feature 8 guest taps from other New Brunswick Breweries.

Graystone Brewing has 5 core beers available year round. The must-try flagship beer here is a Patagonia Pale Ale.

The craft brewery in Fredericton features a spacious outdoor patio featuring lazy hammocks and a gas fireplace. Several days a week you’ll find local food trucks serving casual fare perfect for pairing with a cold pint.

King West Brewing at Rustico Restaurant.

King West Brewing Company at Rustico

304 King St, 506-451-3473

King West Brewing Company first launched in 2019.

Founders Mike Babineau and Gabriel Ezlat were inspired by the growing interest in the craft beer community of Fredericton. “They wanted to be part of a growing industry that separates us from other restaurants,” said King West Brewing General Manager Stephanie Bartlett.

The popular Fredericton craft brewery is located inside Rustico restaurant on the corner of King & Westmorland Street. It boasts one of the largest outdoor patios in the city.

Before the building was transformed into a brewery and restaurant it had been standing empty for over 30 years. “When the owners took it over they gutted it and got a designer from Toronto to come in and make it what it is today. We have filled the decor with local art and hired local artists for all our murals. We love our open kitchen concept that has our large woodfired pizza oven at the heart of it all,” said Bartlett.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 20 taps, 12 of which pour house made King West brews by brewmaster John Evans. The remaining taps rotate and showcasing other ales and lager produced by popular New Brunswick Breweries.

“We were a restaurant first and brewery second. We are a brewpub that is known for our neapolitan style pizza baked in a brick oven. We have a fresh maritime menu featuring a lobster roll, made daily fish & chips, and fresh cut fries. Margherita pizza is a fan favorite. Smokey goodness burger is a staple,” Bartlett shared.

Saint John Breweries

Saint John is the home of Moosehead Brewery, Canada’s longest running independent brewery. Be sure to book yourselves a tour of Moosehead as it offers the best brewery tour in New Brunswick.

Loyalist Brewing and Big Tide are both located in downtown Saint John and easily accessible for tourists or those arriving on a cruise. If you have a car we suggest taking a day trip to the suburb of Rothesay where you’ll find 3 breweries worth hopping around to.

If you’ve got free time in Saint John be sure to visit Area 506 Container Village, Saint John City Market, Irving Nature Park, and celebrate with a fancy feast at Port City Royal.

Loyalist Brewing

60 Water St, 1-855-404-2337

Loyalist Brewing was founded in 2016 by a group of 3 home brewers who had a passion for craft beer. At the time Saint John only had one craft brewery operating and the local selection was quite poor.

Mark McGraw founder of Loyalist Brewing shared, “I had been homebrewing for several years and competing in competitions across the country while studying to become a BJCP judge. In early 2016 I was brewing once or twice a week and I really developed a passion for trying to recreate the numerous different historic and modern styles of beer that I was studying and sampling. I recruited 2 friends who were also brewers and we decided to open a small microbrewery to supply kegs to bars in the surrounding area. Since then it has grown substantially and we are now available across the province in cans.”

Where does the New Brunswick brewery get its name? Saint John is often referred to as the Loyalist City as it was officially formed shortly after the arrival of several thousand loyalist refugees who were fleeing from the American colonies in the late 1700s.

The cozy brewery is located in the Bank of New Brunswick building constructed in 1879. A historically designated space with entrances on Water St and Prince William St. It was constructed in the neoclassical style to represent a Corinthian temple of finance. Loyalist Brewery takes up a small space that likely served as unused storage space.

Loyalist Brewing is currently a production only brewery. You can pop in to purchase cans as well as growlers to take home. We suggest making a stop en route to Container Village Area 506 as it’s a short stones throw away.

Loyalist Brewing produces 5 core beers including the Backslide IPA, Point Blanc IPA, Three Sisters Pale Ale and Pink Dwarf.

New Brunswick Breweries: Big Tide Brewing in Saint John also has a restaurant.

Big Tide Brewing Company

47 Princess St, 506-214-3311

Big Tide Brewery first opened its doors in uptown Saint John in August, 2009. Both brewer Wendy Papadopoulos and owner Chris Vair had been working at another brewpub in Saint John at the time and made the decision to open Big Tide Brewery.

Papadopoulos explained, “We wanted the brewery’s name to reflect our natural and historical heritage in Saint John, and on the Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides in the world.”

The craft brewery’s location, similar to a lot of properties in the historic uptown area, had a variety of uses before becoming home to Big Tide. It was the location of the first law school in New Brunswick, it was a car dealership in the 50s, and a physics lab for the university.

Visit Big Tide Brewing in Saint John and you’ll find 6 brews on tap. “We try to keep up with trends and can adjust our brewing schedule based on mixing in our tried and true styles like FogBound Hemp Pale Ale and Celtic Mist Irish Red. We also have some seasonal favourites such as our Crazberry Cream Ale and Santa’s Chocolate Porter at Christmas,” said Papadopoulos.

Chef Mark offers an elevated pub menu including weekly specials featuring plenty of beloved Maritime dishes. On Tuesday and Wednesday pop by for a pint and have some fun with locals for trivia night.

Moosehead Brewery

89 Main St W, 506-635-7000

No tour of the New Brunswick Breweries is complete without a visit to Moosehead in Saint John.

Susannah Oland began brewing her October Brown Ale in 1867 after her family immigrated to Canada. Like all good Canadians she shared her creation with her friends and neighbors, and her husband John Oland soon realized there was a real business opportunity here. John and Susannah teamed up with two local Halifax businessmen and open the brewery in Turtle Grove (now Halifax, Nova Scotia) shortly after.

The brewery that Moosehead operates out of was originally purchased by the Oland Family in 1928 and was called the James Ready Brewery. The name was quickly changed to New Brunswick Breweries and remained until 1947. A fourth generation Oland family member P.W. Oland was the last trained brewmaster in the family, and his creation of Alpine in 1937 spurred fantastic growth in the company. Alpine Lager as well as Moosehead Pale Ale helped expand New Brunswick Brewery’s reach outside of the province, so in 1947 the decision was made to rename the Brewery to Moosehead. The name Moosehead brought to mind the majesty of the animal, and its relevance to New Brunswick and the country made it stand out as the perfect icon for the brewery.

If you’re looking to book an educational tour of one of the New Brunswick Breweries, Moosehead offers the best tourist experience.

Moosehead Brewery Tours show off the most interesting parts of both the main brewery and Small Batch, which is the craft beer arm of Moosehead. Small Batch Brewery is located within the main facility and hosts not only a self contained craft brewery but a taproom as well.

The tour takes approximately one hour and boasts a bevy of history on the Oland Family and the brewery, as well as plenty of samples to sip along the way.

Christian Goldie, Retail Operations Manager at Moosehead in Saint John shared, “At Small Batch we have an indoor taproom and a large outdoor patio. We have 10 taps in the taproom exclusively for Moosehead core brands as well as offerings from Small Batch and our experimental pilot system. At Small Batch we also have various packaged products served onsite from both Moosehead and our partner brand, Boston Beer.”

Pop by Moosehead Brewery in Saint John on Wednesday night for weekly flight specials, Thursday Happy Hour between 5-7pm, and live music on Fridays.

Yip Cider

3015 Route 845, 506-571-0068

Yip Cider is a popular New Brunswick Cider House located a short drive from Saint John on the Kingston Peninsula.

The cidery first opened in 2016 when brothers Hugh, Joe and Sam Mackay started producing cider in their father’s garage at the family apple orchard.

The Mackay Apple Orchard has a decades old tradition of producing apples and making soft apple cider (non alcoholic), for the local market. “My dad’s father, Hugh, aka Yip, bought the farm in 1964 and made hard apple cider for fun to give to family and friends,” said Yip Cider co-owner Hugh Mackay.

The Mackay’s wanted to make commercial hard cider because it is a more shelf-stable value added product. But first they had to construct a new facility as they had outgrown the garage.

Mackay explained, “We visited many cideries and assessed what our needs would be before designing our new modern facility. The end walls are cedar from trees on our property that were cut, milled, and prepared by us. The inside bar, furniture, and old press, (an exact replica of Yip’s original press), were all made by me from Ash wood from our property that I milled and kiln dried. The black wood around the bar was all burned using the Japanese technique of Sho Shugi Ban, which preserves the wood and makes it black from charing.”

Visit the popular New Brunswick cider producer and you’ll find a large outdoor deck off of the taproom as well as a patio below the deck.

At the bar you’ll find 8 craft ciders on tap. There are usually 5 or 6 ciders and 2 or 3 local craft beers on tap. Yip Cider makes 5 core products year round as well as another 8 seasonal ciders. Highlights from our tasting include Hopped, Russet, Cherry Slim, and Blueberry.

“We serve chips and dip from a local market and frozen wood fired pizzas from a local pizzeria, Pomodori, that we reheat and people love them. Apart from that we invite food trucks to our location for busy weekends and big events. We also offer live music, typically on Friday nights. We hire local performers to play in our taproom and sometimes we put on larger concerts with full bands,” said Mackay.

Hammond River Brewing

141 Hampton Rd, 506-847-2996

Hammond River Brewing in Saint John first launched in 2013. Founder Shane Steeves started the concept as a nano brewery, installing brewing equipment in the basement of his house.

“I was a long time homebrewer that always had four taps pouring at my house. Friends and family always enjoyed my beers and nudged me to go commercial. I moved into a larger existing brewery in 2017,” said Steeves.

The brewery Steeves moved into was built as an extension to an already existing gastropub in the neighbourhood of Rothesay. The building is a charming log structure featuring a taproom that is rustic.

Hop up at the Hammond River Brewing bar and you’ll find 12 taps. “There are 6 to 8 beers that I brew all year around. Some very popular seasonal beers that I brew are my Paisley Park Raspberry Sour, an Imperial Vanilla Porter, and a Whiskey Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout called Quicksand Jesus, “said Steeves.

Visit Hammond Brewing and you’ll find an enclosed patio as well as a loft area that can be booked for larger groups. Hungry visitors can order food from The Barrel’s Head Gastropub that is conveniently attached to the brewery.

Plan your visit around the brewery’s weekly live music schedule. You’ll also find special celebrations and drink specials for just about every holiday.

Long Bay Brewing

82 Marr Rd, 506-847-4677

Long Bay Brewing first opened in 2018. The popular New Brunswick brewery is located in the heart of the Kennebecasis Valley. The name Kennebecasis is thought to be derived from the Mi’kmaq Kenepekachiachk, meaning “little long bay place.”

Jon and his business partner Tim bought the assets, the operating name Long Bay Brewing, and took the business in a new direction. They inherited a thin lineup of 5 beers and brewed over 30 new recipes in the first year, while converting all products from bottles to cans and opening a taproom on site next to brewhouse. With a large core lineup and non-stop one off brews, a new patio space at their main taproom location, more production tanks on the way and a second location opening uptown Saint John, they continue to grow and diversify.

Jon Chouinard, President and Head Brewer at Long Bay Brewing explained, “We had the pleasure of working with Tuck Designs on the initial concept for our Rothesay location taproom. The amazing hop murals were freehand painted by Abi Reinhart.

Hop up at the bar and you’ll find 12 taps. Long Bay produces a core lineup of 9 beers, “we really enjoy our one off series, our latest hit was a seasonal Pineapple Grenade Sour Ale,” said Reinhart.

Plan your visit to Long Bay Brewing near Saint John to enjoy Tuesday trivia night, mug club Wednesdays, free music Thursday evenings, and plenty of food trucks and ticketed music events on the weekends.

Foghorn Brewing

47 Clark Rd, 506-216-7000

Foghorn Brewing Company opened its doors to their original taproom and brewhouse in Rothesay, New Brunswick in 2016. It was the first of its kind in the greater Saint John area.

Head Brewer Andrew “Esty” Estabrooks and Business Manager Steve Russell are co-founders of Foghorn Brewing. Esty has been a staple in the New Brunswick craft beer scene having either brewed for or consulted for, or trained, many of the most successful breweries in the province for almost two decades. Steve arrived to the craft beer world after a long career in academia living across the country, simply as a beer-lover and someone who wanted to build something in and for his community.

With the help of friends, family, and the local community Foghorn Brewery expanded in 2019, purchasing a building in the neighbouring town of Quispamsis, turning it into a full production brewery and packaging facility.

The New Brunswick brewery’s name offers a nod to the provinces shipbuilding history and seafaring ways on the Bay of Fundy. “While it is very foggy here and it greatly influences our daily lives, it is the fact that the foghorn was invented right here and the first foghorn in the world was stationed on Partridge Island in the Saint John harbour that we honour,” said Russell

Foghorn Brewery near downtown Saint John specializes in English and American style beer. You’ll find 10 draught taps, one of which is usually dedicated to a local cider.

Foghorn Brewery has six beers in its core range and every week or two you’re certain to find a new seasonal beer in the fridge or different tap line-up.

Visit the popular craft brewery in Rothesay and you’ll find a small outdoor patio with fire-tables and hanging flower pots. Live music can be enjoyed every Saturday evening. Music bingo on Sunday afternoons. Trivia night is Wednesday. And in the Fall Thursdays are open mic night.

A Dobbernationloves sponsored story. Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.