The Moosehead beer started as a family-run business in Canada. It was one of those many breweries at that time. It has been run by the last 6 generations of the family since 1867.
Moosehead has a wide array of flavors and kinds to choose from in its beverages. The company has gone through many calamities like surviving two fires and an explosion in the company yet never stopped the business now they are one of the biggest breweries in Canada.
History of Moosehead beer ;
Susanna Oland and her husband started this home brewery back in 1867 on their farm. Just after establishing this, she opened up another brewery called Turtle Grove Brewery which was located in Nova Scotia. The names of both the breweries were changed eventually and they were called The Army and Navy Brewery. The husband of the owner passed away in 1870 and after that, she approached many investors with her inheritance money. When she included other investors in the group, the name became S. Oland, Sons, and Co.
It was 1878 when this company faced its first major tragedy, a major fire. Susanna rebuilt the company with all her inheritance money and made it an even bigger brewery on the same site. She passed away in 1886 when her son took over the business but in the next 10 years, he had to sell out the brewery for some obvious reasons. The British syndicate had taken over the brewery at that time and named it Halifax Breweries Ltd. Right after this incident, the company faced another massive fire in 1896. But it has again managed to overcome the crisis and continue production.
Brewing science and industrialization of Moosehead beer ;
The Oland family started brewing after they moved to Dartmouth in 1867. The development of the railroad played a major role in its establishment. The existence of the railroad helped them to ship beer which was initiated by Susannah Oland. She started by shipping Brown Ale brewed in her company.
The Ale became very popular in a short time span and that’s how she gained many investors to run the business in a grand manner. Then the brewery got shifted to Halifax harbor which was a great spot for a brewery because it was a place with military traffic.
Beer Style of Moosehead Beer ;
The brewery initially started with lager beer before acquiring the style of pale brewing. Lager beers contain mild levels of alcohol and are very light and smooth in texture. The larger beers had low hop, grainy malt, and lesser fruity flavors in them. Pale ales have almost no alcohol in them with a medium hop, citrus ester, and caramel malt. You can pair ales with ripened cheese, cornballs, and things that are eaten with larger beers as well.
Lager beer is usually served in a flute-like glass whereas ales are typically served in a tulip glass at 45-55 degrees F. The ingredients in lagers are barley and lager yeast whereas ales contain ale yeast and caramel malt in it.
During World War 1, the brewery faced a massive explosion in Halifax in 1917. The entire building of the company was ruined at that time. Many other breweries along with houses were demolished during that period. However, with the help of the government, the owners were able to rebuild and reclaim their establishments.
Branding of Moosehead beer ;
When the company got the license to sell in the US after rigorously trying to break in for 3 years, they came up with the slogan of their brand “The Moose is Loose” and that was their turning point. This slogan worked like magic in America which made them sell 96000 cases of Moosehead beers to the local Americans. The students of the state were regular buyers of Moosehead beer at that time. The company became so popular that it could sell six million cases in just a year.
How popular is Moosehead beer in modern times?
This is one of the last family-owned breweries in Canada. They got a turnover of 240.4 million dollars in 2019. It has always been on the top list of breweries in both Canada and America ever since it started shipping beers outside its territory.
Summary;
The company has been run by the last 6 generations of the family since 1867. Moosehead has a wide array of flavors and kinds to choose from in its beverages. The development of the railroad played a major role in its establishment.
The existence of the railroad helped them to ship beer which was initiated by Susannah Oland.
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