New Brunswick-based Moosehead Breweries has announced it will stop selling its beer in bottles at the end of the year. The brewery says the change is due to a long-term shift in consumer preferences. It reports only seven per cent of beer in Canada is sold in bottles, while 85 per cent is sold in cans. President and CEO Andrew Oland says, when he started his career at Moosehead Breweries 32 years ago, 90 per cent of beer was sold in bottles. “When my great-great-great-grandmother Susanna Oland started brewing beer in 1867, we only sold it in kegs and we didn’t start selling in bottles until 1933. Then cans came in the mid-1950s,” Oland explained to CTV News. “We’re very proud of our past but we’re always focused on our future and focused on what we need to do next to keep earning the trust and the support of beer drinkers.” He says the company first started considering the change in 2019, adding the decision wasn’t made lightly. “After all, the Moosehead green bottle has been an iconic symbol of our brewery for generations. But ultimately, we’re following the lead set by Canadians, who have made it clear that cans are their preferred way of enjoying not just our beer - but every beer across the category,” Oland said in a statement. The brewery also says cans offer better protection against light and oxygen and require less material and energy to produce and transport. Moosehead Breweries’ entire product line will move to cans and kegs, with the final run of bottles taking place in December. Oland told CTV News the production change is not expected to result in any layoffs, and may actually open the door to more products. “This will give us time, an opportunity in the years to come, to look at either larger cans or smaller cans,” said Oland. “Who knows what Moosehead will be selling beer in 50 years from now, but it will all be the great beer that we brew here at Moosehead.” Moosehead Breweries says Canadians can expect to see bottles on shelves in limited quantities into early 2026. ‘The Last Bottle’ contest Meanwhile, the brewery is marking the milestone by giving its customers a chance to own the final bottle ever made by Moosehead. “We know that the last bottle that comes off the Moosehead production line is more than just a bottle - it’s a piece of Canadian brewing history,” Oland said. “We want this last bottle to find a worthy home, with a fan who exemplifies Moosehead’s core values; passion, courage and respect.” Fans can enter “The Last Bottle” contest and share their Moosehead-related stories online. The winner will get a chance to tour Moosehead Breweries in Saint John, N.B., see the last bottle run and take home the final bottle itself, in a glass case. The contest is open now and closes on Oct. 27. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
