Archive record · Brewery
Moosehead Breweries
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Also known as Moosehead Breweries Limited, James Ready Brewery (Saint John), New Brunswick Breweries
- Founded
- 1867
- Archive ID
- TB-WH7G1WW1
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
Who owns this brewery?
Independent ownership is recorded. No parent company is held in the archive.
From the record
Summary
Canada's oldest independent brewery, continuously owned and operated by the Oland family for six generations.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Canada's oldest independent brewery, and it was founded by a woman. Susannah Oland began brewing in Dartmouth in 1867, the year of Confederation; six generations later the family still owns it, now from Saint John. That is the rarest sentence in this entire archive. Every other Canadian brewery of comparable age has been sold, merged, or absorbed — Molson into Molson Coors, Labatt and Keith's into AB InBev, Sleeman into Sapporo. Moosehead simply refused, for a hundred and fifty-odd years, and it is the reason the word independent still means something in this country.
Where it brewed
- 89 Main Street West, Saint John, NB E2M 3H2
PRODUCTION_SITE
Operated by Moosehead Breweries
Site detail
Official Moosehead proves current brewing at 89 Main Street West. Federal 1957 evidence independently shows Moosehead at 89-119 Main Street, Lancaster, while earlier federal records use 98 Main Street, Fairville for the predecessor plant. The address-history gap is narrowed but exact 98→89 parcel/renumbering mechanics remain NOT YET.
Events
- Brewery renamed Moosehead Breweries LimitedDate unknown
RENAME / CORPORATE_IDENTITY
Official history states George B. officially renamed brewery Moosehead Breweries Limited.
- Red Ball and Moosehead separately listed after Moosehead renameDate unknown
SEPARATE_BREWERY_CENSUS
Federal 1947 list records both companies at separate addresses after the Moosehead rename.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1867Susannah Oland's October Brown Ale, Dartmouth
The company counts its years from Susannah Oland's Dartmouth brewery of 1867 — "Turtle Grove Brewery (incorporated as John Oland and Son)" — renamed the Army & Navy Brewery after John Oland senior's death in 1870, S. Oland, Sons & Co. in 1877, sold into Halifax Breweries Ltd in 1895 and revived at Highland Spring in 1909. The Nova Scotia chapter is on army-and-navy-brewery and oland-brewery; the Explosion of 1917 destroyed both Halifax plants and killed Conrad Oland.
- 1918The move to Saint John — the Red Ball Brewery
"George W.C. uses money from his insurance and an explosion compensation fund to purchase the Red Ball Brewery in Saint John, New Brunswick" (the company); the Dictionary of Canadian Biography: "to acquire the Red Ball Brewery in Saint John, owned by Simeon Jones Limited and at that time in receivership". His eldest son George B. Oland was sent to run it. The archive holds the Red Ball / Simeon Jones brewery separately.
- 1928James Ready's brewery, and a name in its records
"The Olands' business continues to grow, after the purchase of the James Ready Brewery. While searching through old James Ready company records after the takeover, George B. comes across the name 'Moosehead'" — the DCB calls James Ready Beverages Limited "then the largest brewery in New Brunswick" and puts the purchase "around the same time" as Red Ball; the company and Wikipedia say 1928, "site of the present day Moosehead facility". Both kept.
- 1931Moosehead Pale Ale
James Ready's brewery "would introduce the Moosehead label in 1931" (DCB) — "the first beer to feature both the symbol of the moose and the 'Moosehead' name".
- 1933The family divides: New Brunswick to George B., Nova Scotia to Sidney
George W. C. Oland died in Halifax on 25 January 1933. "The brothers divided the brewery empire between them, George taking New Brunswick and Sidney taking Nova Scotia" — the Saint John breweries to George B. Oland, Oland and Son and Keith's (bought 1927) to Sidney. The rift lasted until 1971.
- 1937Alpine Lager
"George B.'s son P.W. returns from brewing school at the University of Birmingham, England with a taste for European style lagers" and "sneaks his new recipe into production while his father is out of the country, creating Alpine Lager" (the company).
- 1947Moosehead Breweries Limited
"George B. officially renames the brewery Moosehead Breweries Limited." Moosehead Lager followed in the 1970s under fifth-generation Derek Oland, the brand's US debut; "Today, the sixth generation of Olands, brothers Andrew and Patrick lead the way." The company's own claim is "the last major brewery in Canada still owned by Canadians"; "Canada's oldest independent brewery" is Wikipedia's phrasing. The build date of the Main Street West plant: UNKNOWN.
The People
Behind the beer
Official Moosehead history identifies Susannah as the matriarch whose brewing business began in 1867; Saint John lineage arrived later in 1918.
Official Moosehead history identifies Andrew and Patrick as current sixth-generation leaders.
Official Moosehead history identifies Andrew and Patrick as current sixth-generation leaders.
The Beer Library
Beers
Moosehead Lager
Year-RoundPale Lager
Started from Susannah Oland's backyard recipe the year of Confederation. Six generations later it is Canada's last major independent brewery — same family, same city.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Moosehead Canadian Lager
Lager
Official Moosehead taproom lists flagship lager, ABV 5%. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Moosehead Light
Light Lager
Official Moosehead taproom lists Moosehead Light, ABV 4%. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Cracked Canoe
Light Lager
Current ANBL Moosehead product search lists Cracked Canoe. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Moosehead Radler
Radler
Current ANBL Moosehead product search lists Moosehead Radler. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Alpine Lager
RetiredLager
Official Moosehead history dates creation of Alpine Lager to 1937; current-market status not separately resolved in this pass. (HISTORICAL / CURRENT BRAND LINEAGE) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Moosehead Pale Ale
RetiredPale Ale
Official Moosehead history says the Moosehead name found in James Ready records inspired Moosehead Pale Ale; DCB dates introduction of the Moosehead label to 1931. (HISTORICAL BRAND MILESTONE) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →James Ready 6.0
Beer — exact style not stated in cited current source
Current ANBL product plus federal trademark evidence tie the modern James Ready beer brand to Moosehead. This does NOT establish recipe continuity with James Ready's 19th-century beers. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 108]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Grapefruit Radler
Exact product name from Fredericton Craft Beer Festival 2026 list; style only recorded when explicit in sourced name. (CURRENT / 2026 FESTIVAL LIST) [Canada Pass 01]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Sun Cruiser
Exact product name from Fredericton Craft Beer Festival 2026 list; style only recorded when explicit in sourced name. (CURRENT / 2026 FESTIVAL LIST) [Canada Pass 01]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Straight answers
Common questions about Moosehead Breweries
- Who owns Moosehead Breweries?
- Moosehead Breweries is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Saint John, Canada.
- Is Moosehead Breweries independent?
- Yes. Moosehead Breweries is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- When was Moosehead Breweries founded?
- Moosehead Breweries was founded in 1867 in Saint John, Canada.
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