The big two have more than 75 per cent market share of beer sales nationwide. Moosehead has 2 per cent to 3 per cent. That has made up for losses in its contract brewing business — most notably when it lost the Guinness account a few years ago — and the steep decline in its U. The Oland family has been managing these business challenges all while grappling with personal tragedy: the brutal murder in of Richard, brother of the chairman, Derek, and uncle of the current CEO.
With the accused, Richard's son Dennis, awaiting a second trial, they will not be able to put the ordeal behind them for some time, even as professional demands loom. Andrew Oland, president of Moosehead Breweries, left, and father Derek Oland, check on the operations of the packaging line. Moosehead needs to grow. To do that, the leaders believe they need to tell their story as an independently-owned operation as old as Confederation. Sure, it has emphasized its conveniently patriotic founding date — — on packaging and in ads for years, but without the money to wallpaper its brand across consumers' field of vision, and lacking some consistency from one ad campaign to another, the message hasn't really stuck.
Meanwhile, competitors with deeper pockets have been freely, and some might say dubiously, riding the wave of Canadian heritage. Molson Coors Brewing Co. We think we have an authentic story. In 19th-century England, brewing — like cooking — was often a woman's job.
Susannah Oland carried the skill for brewing from England to Canada when she and her husband John immigrated. Unusually, it was the matriarch who was the driving force behind the company founded in Dartmouth, N. The company was not called Moosehead then.
It was first the Army and Navy Brewery, named in recognition of Halifax's status as a naval port, and later S. The "S," the family believes, was an attempt to de-emphasize the woman behind the operation. Since the beginning, two forces have seemed to stalk the company now known as Moosehead: in-fighting, and disaster. The latter struck repeatedly in its early days: the Dartmouth brewery burned down in ; was rebuilt and then burned again in Fire hit the family's house next door in Fires weren't unusual in those days, with brewery kettles heated over open flames.
Moosehead, as it's known now, might never have existed if it weren't for a much greater disaster: the Halifax Explosion. That day in , Susannah's son Conrad and six other employees died in the destruction of the Dartmouth brewery.
Derek Oland, the company's executive chairman and father of the current generation of managers, remembers his father P. The brewery levelled by the Halifax Explosion. A decade later, they bought the James Ready brewery — where the beer is still brewed today, in a building dating back to — and in the files there, they found a registration for the name "Moosehead.
In , the company was renamed Moosehead Breweries Ltd. But the family was plagued by other problems — with each other. In-fighting dates all the way back to Susannah's son and successor, George W. When he died, he left each of his sons a brewery, each with vastly different fortunes — a recipe for resentment — and all of which competed with one another. George Bauld got the rest of that operation in Saint John. Geoffrey was left the Red Ball brewery in Saint John, the smallest, which Sidney would later buy in order to compete with George Bauld on his turf.
In retaliation, Moosehead opened a plant in Dartmouth; and then Sidney opened yet another brewery in Saint John. George Bauld's son P. It didn't help that Derek and Richard Oland had never really been close as brothers, let alone as colleagues. He had his way of doing it and I had mine, and Father couldn't make up his mind," Derek said.
In , Derek resigned. Dick, reading the tea leaves, left. Derek became president in He has been more cautious about succession planning, buying back the shares from his brother and sister in to consolidate ownership. He is now in the process of meting out those shares to the next generation.
Derek has required each of his sons to work elsewhere before pursuing a career at Moosehead — a policy Andrew plans to uphold — and insists they were free to choose other jobs, as their brother Giles has done. Derek and his wife Jackie worked to foster respect between the boys — something that had been missing between Derek and Dick.
Derek now says he and and his brother were in a good place before tragedy struck the Oland family in When provincial trade barriers came down in , Moosehead expanded across the nation. By the end of the s, it was the fourth-largest Canadian brewer and the largest one that was not majority foreign owned. In , Richard Oland was murdered at his office in Saint John.
Oland was a former vice president of Moosehead Breweries Ltd. His conviction, however, was overturned by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal in In , Dennis Oland was found not guilty of second-degree murder in a retrial see Dennis Oland Case. In August , a shipment of more than 50, cans of Moosehead bound for Mexico went missing. The driver responsible for the shipment was arrested in Ontario and later sentenced to 19 months in jail. Most of the beer, easily identified by its Spanish-language labeling, was recovered by police and citizens.
Given the quirky nature of the event, the story made international headlines. In September , an even larger shipment of Moosehead — 77, cans and 44, bottles — was stolen in Mississauga , Ontario. During the mids, small-scale craft breweries grew steadily in popularity and increased their sales considerably, prompting major brewing companies to acquire those brands or establish their own.
In , Moosehead responded to the craft beer revolution by establishing its own microbrewery in Brampton , Ontario , called Hop City Brewing Co. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia. Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? Create Account. Suggest an Edit. Enter your suggested edit s to this article in the form field below. Accessed 12 November In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published August 17, ; Last Edited July 19, The Canadian Encyclopedia , s. Thank you for your submission Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions.
Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. Article by Matthew Bellamy. Moosehead is the fourth-largest brewing company in Canada — after Molson, Labatt and Sleeman — and the last major brewery to be owned by Canadians.
Oland seated , and Geoffrey Oland standing. The Oland brewery after the Halifax explosion, Moosehead building in Saint John, New Brunswick, circa ss. Moosehead trucks in Saint John, New Brunswick, circa ss.
Moosehead shipping warehouse, Susannah used the money to rebuild an even bigger brewery on the same site. In after the death of Susannah, her son George took over, but in with the coming prohibition laws he had to sell the brewery.
When he sold the brewery the British syndicate renamed the family brewery, Halifax Breweries Ltd. In the brewery encountered their second fire but were able to overcome do to the new ownership and continued production. In they encountered the biggest tragedy of all, the Halifax harbour explosion.
This killed multiple people and destroyed the brewery for the third time, so after this George put all his energy into his St. In is when the moose finally comes into the picture for the brewery, then in they introduced Moosehead Pale Ale to the public. But the development of the railroad did play a big part in their brewery starting up. Since the ale was so popular she gained an investor and was able to move the brewery to Halifax harbour.
That was a great spot for a brewery because of all the military traffic through the area and how much beer the military consumed. Moosehead originally started as a lager before eventually adopting the pale ale style of brewing. Lagers tend to have a mild alcohol, Low hop, grainy malt, low fruity-ester flavours, and have a medium finishing time.
The lager is lower in malt and hops flavour, but is a golden colour, is a very carbonated beverage, also can have a crisp taste and a brilliant clarity. Pale Ales have almost no alcohol, medium hop, bready or caramel malt, citrus ester, and a short to medium finishing time. Common things to pair with lagers are a Pho type of food, ripened cheeses, or kettle corn balls. Common things to pair with Pale Ales are roasted or grilled meats, mild cheeses or apple pies. Ingredients for lagers tend to include a variety of hops, 2-row and 6-row barley, and lager yeast.
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