Miramichi man granted license to brew beer

A Miramichi man has cleared the last hurdle with the NBLC, and will soon be making beer that will be available in local bars and restaurants. Jim O'Neill is the proprietor of the Anchor Ale Brewery, and the inventor of the tasty and popular Captain's Brown Ale.

In the 1990's, Jim purchased some large stainless steel vessels from the old Newcastle Hospital - the vessels had been used for making soup - they hold 75 gallons and have a steam jacket. With a few modifications, they were the perfect piece of equipment for making beer in. In the mid 90's, the license at the now defunct O'Neill's Pub included a microbrewery. There, Jim perfected the Captain's Brown Ale, and it was the preferred drink at Alaxandra's pub (now O'Donaghues), The Wharf Inn, Jungle Jim's and the Luna Rogue in Fredericton. O'Neill says he was never able to keep up with the demand, but for other unrelated business reasons, Jim had to suspend brewing and relocate the brewery equipment. Jim has since acquired more equipment, including some large dairy vats that will be used for fermentation. He has the capacity to brew 210 gallons of beer every 4 days.

Jim's knowledge of brewing comes from lots of research and experimentation. He recorded every temperature, specific gravity and tweak in his recipes for the past 15 years in his notebook. All of this work has led to what he believes, (though he is a little biased), is the best english style brown ale he has ever tasted. Though his beer has not been available in bars for over 10 years, he meets people every day that ask him when he will be brewing again. Their wait is finally over.

The prime ingredients, hops and barley, come from a distributor in Montreal. To simplify the brewing process, the barley is cracked then malted (or mashed) for an hour at about 150 degrees F, and the sugars are extracted. It is then boiled for an hour with the hops that add a distinct flavour, bitterness and aroma to the beer. Then yeast is added that converts the sugars to alcohol, and 9 days later it goes into a kegs and is ready for transport to local pubs and restaurants.

O'Neill plans to employ one person in the brewery, as well as buy some of the ingredients locally. Some local entrepreneurs are now experimenting with growing the hops, and Jim plans on developing a style of beer flavoured exclusively with Miramichi hops.

Captain's Brown Ale will be the first beer Jim revives, along with a Black Velvet Stout, and a Sassy Red Ale. He plans on making the beer available for the Christmas season.