IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BEER AND EAST COAST HOSPITALITY BIG AXE BREWERY N ackawic is a town located 65 km west of by Anita Flowers the city of Fredericton on the east bank of the Saint John River in New Brunswick, Canada. It is famous for its axe, but more and more people are travelling there now for its ales. We chat with Peter Cole about the brewery and the brand that has people making their way to this tiny town by foot, car, boat, snowmobile, four wheeler, and horse-back to sample their great beers, amazing views of the Saint John River and a never ending supply of East Coast Hospitality. When you live in a town with the world’s largest axe, what better name for a brewery than Big Axe? Nackawic, New Brunswick is home to the world’s largest axe, seven tonnes of stainless steel that rises 15 meters above the St. John’s River, and now home to the up and coming Big Axe Brewery. Peter Cole, founder and owner of Big Axe Brewery, talked to Spotlight about his entry and success in the brewing business and the magic of life in the country. After being laid off from his job as manager of a recruiting company where he had worked for nine years, Cole began looking for a new career path. “I wanted to do something I was passionate about and I was passionate about craft beer,” said Cole. Coming from a family of carpenters, Cole liked the idea of creating a product – of making something he could be proud of and that people could enjoy. More than that, however, brewing turned out to be part of his family history. Cole loves to tell the story to his customers. “When I was 16 or 17 years old, my grandfather raised horses. He also had a vegetable garden with strawberries, and he used to sell what he grew to the public. Cars would show up and people would leave with a bag of vegetables and strawberries. I thought that was a cool way to make a bit of money.” One day, he discovered his grandfather behind the farm in a shed that Cole had always assumed simply held garden tools. “That day, I realized there was a stack on top with steam coming out. Turns out he had a still in there. He was basically making moonshine and his own Baileys. He also made blueberry wine from scratch – which was a phenomenal wine. I realized the vegetables and straw -
berries were just a front for what people were actually getting from him.” When he turned 21, Cole began trying his hand at beer kits and eventually got into all grain kits. “Friends used to comment on how good the beer was. I would make some adjustments and go beyond the recipe.” After being laid off from his management position, Cole began to research craft brewer - ies, with mentors like Sean Dunbar from Picaroon Traditional Ales, brewing beer with Stephen Dixon from Grimross Brewing, Shane Steeves of Hammond River Brewing, and others around New Brunswick and Southern Ontario. Cole took brewery courses in Sacramento and traveled to Ontario to visit breweries there to
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JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
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