With more Canadians opting for local vacations and benefiting from reduced tolls on the Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferries, Prince Edward Island breweries are experiencing a highly successful summer season.
The surge in sales at craft breweries has led to challenges in maintaining adequate beer supply on shelves.
Owner-operator Alex Clark describes this summer at Evermoore Brewing Co. in Summerside as unprecedented.
Clark expressed, “We noticed a significant impact right from the start of June. It was a rapid and substantial increase in business. We interacted with a diverse range of tourists this year, including Americans, Canadians, and visitors from various locations and age groups.”
He noted that on some occasions, the brewery had to decline customers due to overwhelming demand.
“This summer, we struggled to keep up with the demand,” he admitted. “While we anticipated growth due to a good summer season, the extent of the increase was beyond our expectations.”
Evermoore Brewing Co. was not alone in facing challenges meeting the heightened demand, as per Jared Murphy, the president of the P.E.I. Craft Brewers’ Alliance, who noted a double-digit sales rise for some craft breweries this summer.
Murphy, also the CEO at Lone Oak Brewing Company, acknowledged the issue of beer shortages as a positive challenge resulting from increased demand.
“It’s a good problem to have,” he remarked during an interview at Lone Oak Brewing Company’s new location, previously occupied by Upstreet Craft Brewing’s Craft Beer Corner.
He highlighted the trend of Canadians choosing domestic vacation spots, emphasizing P.E.I.’s appeal as a desirable destination.
Clark shared that many American tourists visited Evermoore Brewing due to trade tensions, stating, “We
