Steve Russell (front) and Andrew (Esty) Estabrooks (back) at the Foghorn's new brewery (Image: Foghorn)
Foghorn Brewing Company’s installation of a new brewing facility in Quispamsis is being considered a win-win for the craft beer brewery, allowing them to triple their capacity to brew their award-winning beer and open up space at its Rothesay taproom for more customers and events.
“When we opened in 2016, we were at capacity right out of the gate,” says co-owner Steve Russell. “We added another tank in 2017, but we were out of space in the Rothesay taproom and roster.”
Since Russell and Andrew Estabrooks opened the brewery in 2016, Foghorn has become a notable Rothesay original brand. The new brewery is purely for production at this point and will also have a canning line.
At the brewery, Foghorn can focus on producing their most in-demand brews in bigger batches while freeing up square footage at the original taproom.
-
- Foghorn Brewery’s distillery vats (Credit: Foghorn)
-
- Foghorn Brewery’s brews from their can line (Credit: Foghorn)
-
- Foghorn Brewery’s Canadian Brewing Award prizes for their Golden Grover and Esty Special Bitter brews (Credit: Foghorn)
Foghorn will hold its third-anniversary celebration all day in the taproom at 47 Clark Road on Saturday, November 16. The brewery will also be giving back to the community by collecting food and cash donations for the Saint John Food Bank.
The freed-up space in Rothesay will allow for more customers and the ability to brew smaller and more innovative batches.
“The craft brew community is very collaborative and supportive of each other, from lending a bag of grain to conferring over boiler questions,” says Estabrooks.
“It’s a whole new world and people rely on each other in the community.”
The Foghorn duo plan to put the extra space on the brewery land to work by holding concerts and community-focused events, while continuing to help with causes such as Run for Diabetes and the Saint John Food Bank.
“We’d like to maybe get a community garden going down the road,” says Russell.
Foghorn Brewery’s taproom at Rothesay (Credit: Foghorn)
The support of both the craft beer and Greater Saint John community is something Foghorn has been able to literally and figuratively “tap” into, and its co-owners are looking to give back to the communities who have supported them.
“A lot of the craft beer festivals and breweries are involved with charities; it is something as a community we are pretty passionate about,” says Russell.
This story was originally published on Huddle.Today – content partner with Acadia Broadcasting Limited.
