Moosehead

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History

The legend of Moosehead starts in the backyard of Susannah Oland in Turtle Grove, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1867 she was perfecting the recipe for her very own "brown october ale." Her friends loved it and she began selling it with the help of her husband John James Oland. This couple opened the Army and Navy Brewery in Halifax a few years later. Following John's death Susannah went on to become one of the few North American woman at the time to run a major company. [1] When Susannah retired to Virginia her son George took charge and renamed it S. Oland and Sons. Tragically the original Oland family brewery was destroyed in the Great Halifax Expliosion in WW I. The original brewery was tragically destroyed along with a great part of Halifax in the WWI munitions ship explosion. George was forced to regroup and it was decided that the company be moved to its current home in Saint John, New Brunswick Canada. Philip Oland took the reigns in the early 20th century and Moosehead became an internationally recognized brew. In the 1970's Moosehead was first imported south of the border to the U.S.- the country now accounts for 18% of the beer's total sales. [2]

Moosehead Today

The Moosehead brewery is home to the world's fastest bottling line (1600 bottles/minute). Moosehead remains in the Oland family with Derek Oland as the current Chairman of the Board. It is Canada's oldest independent brewery. The flagship brew of the company is its lager with its green bottle and green label dominated by the not suprising moose head. This lager has a hoppy/fruity taste with hints of lemon. The finish lingers and the overwhelming theme of the beer is its laid back simplicity that makes it a very smooth and enjoyable drink as both a staple for the every day drinker or as an occasional summer refreshment for the occasional one.

Other than its well known Lager Moosehead also produces Moose Light, Moosehead Pale Ale (the original Moosehead beer), Moosehead Premium Dry, Moosehead Dry Ice, Alpine Lager, Alpine Light, Clancy's Amber Ale and Cold Filtered Light. Many of these are available only in eastern Canada. [3]