Nova Scotia brewers pay tribute to industry pioneer with new brew

Raising a glass to Kevin Keefe, one of Nova Scotia's brewing pioneers

Nova Scotia brewers are raising a glass to the late Kevin Keefe, a pioneer in the industry, with an English-style bitter.

“When you think of English styles, he was the guy, and he represented that so well in Nova Scotia,” says Kellye Robertson, a production manager at Good Robot Brewing Company.

Keefe founded Halifax’s Granite Brewing, the first craft brewing in Nova Scotia. He passed away in 2024 and left behind a legacy for those in the industry.

“Kevin was like a beer dad for everybody in this industry because he was the first,” says Robertson.

“He added so much to the scene here, when you’re drinking a great craft brewed beer at a pub somewhere in Nova Scotia, honestly, I’m not sure how much of that would have been in place if it hadn’t been for somebody like Kevin,” says Brian Titus, with Garrison Brewing Co.

“He started doing this in 1985, and he was completely unique in what he was doing and a lot of us looked up to that and said if he can do it, what the heck.”

Robertson and Gordon Vale of Good Robot created the 2025 “Together We Brew” beer in collaboration with dozens of brewers across the province.

“The concept for Kevin, somebody put it out there, and immediately everybody said heck yeah let’s do it,” says Titus.

“Our chance to really show him that he was appreciated for what he did and making sure everyone knows what he did and keeping his legacy going,” says Vale, Good Robot’s head brewer.

Robertson says they produced around 4,000 litres of “Together We Brew,” which is about 8,500 cans.

“It has a bit of a bready body to it, nice and full. It starts off rather sweet, a bit caramelly, it’s very malt-forward. You are going to get a nice toasty, roasted kind of finish. The aroma is very rich and roasty and it’s just a really unique, very quenching brew. Low carbonation, so it won’t make you feel too full and easily enjoyed,” Vale describes it.

The beer hit the shelves at the beginning of April. The “Together We Brew” initiative also serves as a way to kick start beer season.

“We produce a batch, and it gets released and we raise a few thousand dollars for the association, which then goes to marketing it to make it stronger and better for all these other local businesses,” says Titus.

The brewers say they are impressed with the positive response they have received about the beer so far.

“Honestly, we have been getting nothing but awesome feedback from both our peers and general social media intel,” says Robertson.

The funds made from the beer are beneficial for the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia (CBANS) and the industry.

“Having that funding to go back into the organization, whether it be through education and training, I know is always a big part because all these breweries, they started off as small size, now they’re medium size and now your large-scale breweries. Each time you hit one of those goal posts there are more learning curves, so the more resources we can obtain and use through CBANS to help us as a whole makes us all that much better,” says Robertson.

This year was different, as it was the first year “Together We Brew” carried a special meaning.

“This is the first that we have done (something) quite like this. It is great to have that extra layer of meaning and deeper back story,” says Titus.

Brewers say it’s a beer that represents Keefe and his unique style perfectly.

“Even to this day, when I have English beer styles, I always think of him and have fond memories of the last couple decades,” says Robertson.

“It’s a really great beer, it’s a bit of an older style. That’s kinda where he came from, was more the U.K.-style beers,” adds Titus.

For brewers across Nova Scotia, Keefe was seen as the leader, the pioneer and for who many looked up to.

“An absolute inspiration… cranky old guy, but absolute heart of gold and so much back knowledge and experience and we have all learned something from Kevin over the years,” says Titus.

The 2025 “Together We Brew” beer is expected to be around until mid-summer, according to Robertson. When the stores and brewers are sold out, it’s gone.

“It is one and done, it’s a moment in time and like the creativity with that particular brewing and that particular group that was there, that’s the best part about making beer sometimes,” says Robertson.

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