EVERY BREW HAS A STORY: NEWEST BEER FROM MOOSEHEAD’S SMALL BATCH BREWERY RECOGNIZES DEREK OLAND’S TRAILBLAZING SPIRIT

October 10, 2023, [Saint John, NB] - The style of the latest beer from Moosehead’s Small Batch Brewery is no accident. The limited-edition Single Hop American IPA recognizes the man who first launched Moosehead into the United States in 1978: Derek Oland. Oland, who is today the brewery’s Executive Chairman, spearheaded one of the boldest moves the company ever made - one that helped catapult Moosehead into a globally-recognized brand. ​

Derek’s Single Hop American IPA - which is now available across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island - was created to celebrate Derek’s incredible legacy, and to recognize every entrepreneur who has the courage to make their dream a reality. The unique El Dorado single hop used in this IPA offers firm but balanced bitterness and elicits bright tropical flavors and aromas of pineapple, mango and pear. It delivers 45 IBU and a 6.1% ABV.

“It’s incredible to be able to honour my father, and his amazing story, in the best way possible: through beer,” says Andrew Oland, Derek’s eldest son and Moosehead’s President and CEO. “His vision, ambition and deep conviction helped make Moosehead into the brand we are today. I hope someone, somewhere, cracks open one of these beers while they’re plotting out their own big vision - and that one trailblazing spirit can inspire another.”

The move to expand Moosehead beyond Canadian borders was spurred by Derek’s ambition to grow the business when the Maritime beer market slowed in the 1970s. He persevered in the face of opposition and by March of 1981, just three years after the US launch, Brewers Digest was calling Moosehead’s move south an “electrifying” leap into the market. 

The ‘Moose is Loose’ marketing campaign that accompanied the introduction to the US market also saw Moosehead adopt both its moose head icon and signature green bottle, brand emblems that live on to this day. And success in the US paved the way for Moosehead’s eventual expansion across Canada, making the move unquestionably Moosehead’s most important corporate decision of the modern era. 

In addition to his work at Moosehead, Derek is also a founding member and the immediate past Chairman of the New Brunswick Business Council, the Founding Chairman of the Wallace McCain Institute for Business Leadership, a founding member of the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative (BCAPI) and a past Chairman of Emera. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in June 2007, has been recognized with the New Brunswick Red Cross Humanitarian Award and is a member of the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame.

-30-

About Moosehead Breweries

Moosehead has been led by the Oland family since 1867, making us the last major brewery in Canada still owned by Canadians. Our 156 year history is as rich as the flavour of our beer. Today we exist to reawaken and reward the courage to go after what’s difficult, because we know that obstacles are opportunities to show the world what you’re capable of.