Brewery business is looking up

County breweries welcome tourists, but locals helped them survive pandemic

PRINCE COUNTY - Thanks to community support, three Island breweries can enjoy a somewhat normal brewery experience they were once accustomed to.

Evermoore, Moth Lane and Lone Oak Brewing companies all went through the dark times of the pandemic to see the promised land of the Atlantic bubble, thanks to amazing community support.

Evermoore’s owner Alex Clark said area customers have kept them going for the last however many lockdown months and they are incredibly grateful for them.

“We are seeing tourists trickle in now, it feels new to us, it has been so long since we welcomed new faces but it's been fantastic,” he said.

As the Atlantic bubble has opened and with all of Canada opening to vacinated Americans on Aug. 9. , a new resurgence in life has come to the brewery.

“We have been getting some very excited individuals that are so happy to be on P.E.I., it’s been great to welcome them in,” he said.

Welcoming new faces to the Island breweries and their craft catalogue is Clark’s recommended beer, his new favourite. Evermoore's very own Two Gaels, pale ale brings light bitterness and herbal notes from added citrus to the taste buds.

Also welcoming those visiting from outside the province, Lone Oak Brewing situated in Borden-Carleton, adjacent to the bridge has seen the same community support and a full house thanks to the Atlantic Bubble.

“While in front of the bridge, there just wasn’t any traffic coming off it, but we were very fortunate that we had a great community to fill the parking lot,” said co-owner of Lone Oak Brewing, Jared Murphy.

Thanks to social media and word of mouth, the brewery has established itself as a brand across the Maritimes, making it a tourist attraction. Since the bubble opened, the brewery has seen many a full house in the last few weeks, said Murphy.

“It’s been busy, the increase in business has been noticeable since last year.” He added, “There are a lot of optimistic people coming off the bridge to try out the beer. We’ve been very fortunate.”

With a well-established brand, comes sponsorships and Lone Oak has had their name in many events, including 10 to 15 P.E.I. golf tournaments.

The Borden-Carleton brewery even has a charity golf tournament on Nov. 11, which will see casual and pro golfers compete at the Fox Meadow golf course.

Murphy recommends the Fixed Link, “Our pilsner is our best-selling product and goes great with the summer weather. It’s a classic light-style pilsner, which means it’s easy to crush a few on any golf course.”

Meanwhile, P.E.I's most westerly brewery, Moth Lane in Ellerslie, has seen growth even before the bubble's longawaited opening, said owner Eric Wagner.

“Our business has continued to grow even through COVID-19's pandemic, and we have seen an increase in tourism and keg sales,” he said.

In comparison to the start of the pandemic, which saw the brewery struggle with capacity issues due to social distancing and the loss of keg sales to restaurants and bars.

With the good news and light at the end of the tunnel for the food and beverage industries, Moth Lane will be at the farmers’ market and restaurants around the Island.

Wagner also recommends the Ellerslie brewery’s up-west lager, the Shits and Giggles which is good for any season, and for those who like a more hop-centric beer, he recommends the Drag’n Anchor, summer wheat ale, with notes of bread and grain.