The Capital and the River

Fredericton & the Saint John River Valley

New Brunswick, Canada

Breweries

Towns

Closed

Tally's take

The character

A capital city of 60,000 supporting a craft scene that punches far above it, strung along the Saint John River from Fredericton up to Edmundston — where the province speaks French, the border touches Quebec and Maine, and a brewery operates out of a former courthouse.

Fredericton3Saint John2Edmundston1

The breweries

6 in this scene

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Grimross Brewing Co.

Specializing in Belgian-style ales and rustic farmhouse brewing, acting as a critical cultural hub in Fredericton.

IndependentMaritime Cream Ale · 5.0%

Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada

Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault

Brewing out of a historic courthouse in Edmundston, deep in Madawaska where the province speaks French and the borders with Quebec and Maine are a matter of daily life rather than geography.

IndependentKedgwick

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Picaroons Brewing Company

Open fermentation and Ringwood yeast in Fredericton — traditional British technique kept alive in Atlantic Canada long after Britain mostly moved on.

IndependentIrish Red Ale · 4.8%

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Trailway Brewing Co.

The regional juggernaut that introduced heavily dry-hopped American ales to the Maritimes. A vital stop in Fredericton.

IndependentHu Jon Hops · 6.6%

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Moosehead Breweries

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…

IndependentMoosehead Lager · 5.0%

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Big Tide Brewing Company

A downtown Saint John brewpub, now closed. The uptown core has struggled to hold hospitality, and Big Tide is part of that story.

Closed

Counts here are the length of this list, not an estimate. For why a brewery you know might be missing — closures, shared roofs, contract brands, ownership exclusions — see how we count.