Charlottetown brothers open 'holy' brewery in old New Brunswick church

Never before have beer and church gone so well together, according to Peter Grandy.

Grandy and his brother Jeff are converting an old churchinto theHoly Whale Brewery,a cafand brewery in the picturesque village ofAlma, New Brunswick.

"We've always wanted to start our own business.It's been a dream forever really. We've been brewing for at least 10 years. We're just really passionate about beer."

Jeff recently went to Olds College in Alberta to become a brewmaster, while Peter is a mechanical engineer. Both are putting their skills to good use in their dreamproject.

Located in thedecommissionedSt. Stephen's United Church,Grandy said the business takes it name from itsunique location in a church and because the Fundycoast is known for its whale sightings.

The brothers scouted out locations across the Maritimes, but found Charlottetown and Moncton were too expensive.That's when they turned to Alma, one of their favourite places since childhood, nestled beside Fundy National Park.

Jeff said the church suited their needsand can easily accommodatebrew tanks inside its spacious interiorwithout knocking out any floors.

"We looked into the logistics of doing itand it was almost too good to be true," he said.

Once they see the finished project they'll be pretty pleased with it, because we really are trying to maintain the character of the church.- Jeff Grandy

The old church has a deep connection to the community. Itwas rebuilt in 1932after a fire and the names of thosewho donated money to resurrect the building from the ashesare etchedin the stained glass windows.

There's lot of interest from locals in the project, said Jeff.

"There have been a lot of heads poking in the door, pretty much constantly actually. Some are excited, some are a little apprehensive, but once they see the finished project they'll be pretty pleased with it, because we really are trying to maintain the character of the church ...a lot of them are pretty happy that we're doing something with it, as opposed to it just kind of sitting there rotting," he said.

The brothers arerestoringthe old pews forseating andthey're also keeping the church bell to signal happyhour, and they're working on a plan to keep the church organ, as well.

The stained glass windows will remainand have become part of the logo for the brewery, a whale in a stained glass window.

JeffGrandy said he expects the caf to be open by the end of the summer, offering up brews from aroundthe Maritimes.

The brothers plan to start construction on their own brewery this fall, with the goal to of serving their own sudsearly next year.

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