By Andrew Macdonald
Bud Light was not a sponsor of the recent edition of Halifax Pride, ending a multi-year presence by the American-branded beer that even used to have a float in the Pride Parade.
Because the beer is brewed on Agricola St, in Halifax, Bud Light has not been banned by the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp,, which has pulled other American booze from its store shelves.
Bud Light, which is brewed at the Oland Brewery in the city’s North End, is owned by international brewer AB InBev, headquartered in Brazil.
This July, the Pride Festival’s website contains the names of event sponsors that contributed cash or in-kind donations, and with Bud dropping out, local craft brewery has upped its participation. Garrison Brewery was a top-tier sponsor of July’s Pride festival.
Garrison Brewery, founded by former Canadian Navy diver Brian Titus, even launched a seasonal brew targeting the gay, lesbian, bi- and transgender community, along with its allies and supporters, with a summer suds called Queer Berry Brew. The new beer follows last summer’s Garrison made Queer Summer Brew.
“We mixed up the recipe,” says brew owner Brian Titus.
It retails for $8, and a portion of the sales of Queer beer goes back to Pride.
Like last summer, Garrison Brewing is offering a seasonal Queer Berry Brew. Garrison image
The beer sells at Harvest Wine Beer & Spirits, as well as at Garrison storefronts at the Seaport District and Oxford Street Taproom, and retails at the NSLC.
Garrison Queer Berry Brew, retailed in a 473 ML can, with an alcohol beverage volume of five per cent, “pours hazy. Fruit forward on the nose, expect notes of grapefruit, lemon, muscat grape, and lychee,” says Harvest. “Light-bodied and very refreshing. Light malt character with flavours of citrus – mostly lemon & grapefruit.”
The Harvest alcohol store adds that the Queer brew is a crisp and refreshing brew that goes well with pasta, poultry, and BBQ meats.
Garrison Brewery was founded in 1997 – that is 28-years of making fine beer. It has two retail stores, including a sales outlet at its main brewery at the Seaport District. (The Notebook photo).
Garrison Brewery, founded in 1997, recently transformed from a brewing company to a beverage company, because now in addition to brewing beer, it manufactures soda pops and vodka coolers. Company owner Brian Titus is spending the month at his family cottage in coastal British Columbia, a cottage in his family for 55 years.
Titus explains Garrison has been a long-time sponsor of Halifax Pride, but this summer he upped its sponsorship to the top-tier gold status.
Brian Titus is a craft brewer with Garrison and he is also the past president of the Craft Brewers Association of NS. (The Notebook photo).
The craft brewery pioneer says Garrison not only cut a cheque for sponsorship, it supplied beer to the Pride beer garden at Garrison Grounds at the bottom of Citadel Hill, helped with planning and organizing of Pride, and some of its beer employees marched in the Pride Parade, which also saw a Garrison Brewery delivery van take part in the parade.
“This is the first time we sponsored at the gold level,” says Titus, “but we have been partners and sponsors of Pride for six or seven years now. It is definitely something we plan on, that we are keen about, we enjoy participating in.”
Brian Titus was a former Royal Canadian Navy diver, who founded Garrison Brewery in 1997 – that’s 28-years of making fine craft beer in Halifax. (The Notebook photo).
He declined to reveal the cash donation figure as a gold sponsor, but says Garrison’s sponsorship of Pride represents one of its biggest community sponsorships.
“It is one of our top events in terms of investment,” the brewer tells The Macdonald Notebook.
“The challenge with Pride is that it is the same week as Jazz Fest, and we have sponsored that for the last 27 years. No one is allowed to go on holidays that week. It is pretty intense (at Garrison).
“We love doing it (event sponsorships). We are set up for it. We have the expertise to support the festivals. We do not just issue a cheque and wish them the best. We are very much involved in the planning, the execution, and then the look back. It’s important for us.”
Brian Titus is the owner of craft brewer, Garrison. He is also a past president of the Craft Brewers Association of NS. (The Notebook photo).
As part of its Pride sponsorship, Garrison products are prominently featured in the Pride beer garden, although some other breweries are also sell their products there, too.
Garrison also makes non-alcoholic beverages, in addition to its beer, and soda pops and vodka coolers.
“We bring a bunch of things to the table, which (Pride organizers) really appreciate because they do not have to deal with a dozen suppliers to set up the bar. We bring a lot of the elements to it, and they just add in a few other suppliers,” he adds. “It’s a real benefit all around,”
Marketing professors will say that corporate Halifax likes the brand loyalty they get by sponsoring Pride from the Queer community, with many gay, lesbian, bi and transgender members of society having more disposable income, because many in that community do not have children.
Garrison Brewery was founded in 1997, as a craft brewer in Halifax, and now does $5-million in annual sales. The Notebook photo.
Titus says the queer community “is super supportive” of Garrison. “That is one of the reasons we do it. It is a very positive community. They are celebrating and not protesting, and they have a lot of allies and supporters who want that community to succeed. “It is a positive thing to be a part of (and) we enjoy that,”
Titus says of his support of Pride Festival. “A good chunk of my staff represent with that community, connect with that community, as well, and they are fully onboard. When we do the Pride parade, we actually take one of our sales vehicles, our Tall Ship Ford Bronco and deck it out as a mobile dance floor, and we have a couple of the queens, drag queens, who dance at the back of the Bronco, marching and dancing around. We really get behind it.”
Former federal Tory leader, Erin O’Toole, says “the movers and shakers” read The Macdonald Notebook. He was an early $2,000 investor in Garrison Brewery in 1997. He is shown with a bottle of Garrison Red
With many alternative members of society having more disposable income because many are childless, they like to support companies that support the queer community. Titus sees that firsthand.
“Absolutely, it’s a positive feedback loop. We support the community. We put our energy into it, our creativity and in return, they support our products. They appreciate what we do. We do events with the queer community…throughout the entire year; drag shows, drag trivia events, different fundraisers at both of our locations at Oxford and the Seaport District.
While some companies have abandoned Pride sponsorships, such as Home Depot dropping its sponsorship of Pride Toronto, and other American companies dialling back because of the Donald Trump administration’s dislike of diversity, such as Walmart dropping diversity programs, Titus says Garrison will remain as a top supporter of Halifax Pride going forward.
“We see that continuing on into the future,” says Titus. “We are happy to be a part of Pride,”
Garrison Brewery has a new Queer Beer this summer, Queer Berry Brew. Garrison image
