Atlantic Beer Festival too pricey for some beer brewers

Several New Brunswick micro-breweries were absent from this year's Atlantic Beer Festival in Moncton this weekend.

Jamie Melanson is the owner of Bore City Brewing in Moncton.

Even though the Atlantic Beer festival attracts as many as 3,000 suds drinkers, Melanson says the price to participate is just too high.

The micro-brewery makes its own beer, but to take part in the festival, it has to buy it back from NB Liquor for tax purposes.

"As far as volume goes, you know we could bring eight kegs, and you know that's a $600bill for us that we can't really afford right now," said Melanson.

Down the road in Shediac, Marc Melanson runs Flying Boats Brewing.

That fledgling brewery has been in business for less than a year.

He would like to see the Atlantic Beer Festival use a similar structure to the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival.

"It's a tiered market, meaning the organizer there basically pays our kegs, us small guys, to come and present our beers.The bigger guys are charged a fee."

Level playing field

But Atlantic Beer Festival co-chair Scott MacLeod says his festival doesn't charge a booth fee, so it's a level playing field.

"In order to pay to promote their products, I just thought where do you draw the line? Where can I say 'we'll pay for your beer, but I'm not going to pay for your beer?'"

MacLeod says he's a big fan of micro-breweries, and hopes that they can work together next year to come up with a solution that makes everyone happy.