Saint John-based Moosehead Breweries has confirmed it will open a new brewery and taproom at its existing Main Street West site in May 2018.

The small-batch brewery will feature a 20-barrel brewing system and a 3-barrel pilot system, allowing the company to create new beers in smaller quantities for offer at retail, on-site in the tap room or at bars and restaurants.

“As a company, we’re excited to have the flexibility to experiment in ways that can be difficult within our primary brewhouse,” explained Andrew Oland, President and CEO of Moosehead Breweries.

He added: “We have a talented team ready to bring incredible new innovations to life and I can’t wait to introduce these new beers to Saint John and to Canada.”

According to the company, the new small-batch brewery will provide “a complete Moosehead experience”.

The brewery will feature a retail store, growler fill station and a selection of Moosehead merchandise for sale while an on-site tap room will give drinkers the opportunity to enjoy fresh beer on the floor of the new brewery.

The small-batch brewery will serve as the beginning and end point for Moosehead Brewery tours, that the company started offering in June 2017. More than 1,000 visitors have taken part in tours so far.

The new brewery, while will result in new hires at the company,  follows a decision by Moosehead earlier this year to park plans for a small-batch brewery on the Saint John waterfront.

“The entire team at Moosehead has worked incredibly hard to bring our small-batch vision to life in a way that I know is going to delight both new and existing Moosehead fans,” said Karen Cousins, director of brewery experiences.

She added: “Housing the new small-batch brewery within our historic brewery allows us to uniquely bring together our past and our future as one of Canada’s leading brewers, and reaffirms our commitment to our Saint John home.”