Cheap N.B. beer no concern to P.E.I. brewery

Cheap beer in New Brunswick might tempt some Islanders to head to the mainland to stock up, but one local brewery doesn't think it will affect his business.

NB Liquor is dropping the price on six popular canned beers as part of a promotion that will run from this week to Labour Day. The brands are Alpine and Moose Light, both made by Moosehead, as well as Budweiser, Bud Light, Canadian, and Coors Light.

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Customers will be able to mix and match four 15-can packs of those labels for $74.99, which works out to $1.25 per can. NB Liquor says customers will save $37 in total.

But Mikey Wasnidge, the marketing and events manager at Upstreet Craft Brewing, said his customers have an appetitefor "good beer that's made here in the community."

"I don't think that it really interferes with what we do very much at all actually," he said. "Ultimately there's a growing demand for local products. We try to make the beer as best we can and we have a growing number of customers who are willing to pay a bit of a premium for that."

If you got a bunch of people together and all pitched in and went over and split all the cost it'd be worth it.- Logan MacNabb

But Logan MacNabb and Brandon Dunbar said they'd take advantage of the deal if they were already in New Brunswick, or if they could still save money after factoring in the cost of the gas and the bridge.

"If you got a bunch of people together and all pitched in and went over and split all the cost it'd be worth it," MacNabb said. "We're going over to there for the beach blast so I'm sure we'll be picking up some beer."

Legal limit is 72 cans

RCMP say Islanders can bring back alcohol from another province, as long as they adhere to the legal limit under the Liquor Control Act: three litres of spirits, nine litres of wine and 24.6 litres of beer, which works out to 72 regular cans of beer.

Anyone who brings in more than the legal limit faces a $500 fine for the first offence and $1,250 fines for subsequent offences.

Liquor license holders, however, can't bring any alcohol over. They are required under the Liquor Control Act to purchase all products through the PEI Liquor Control Commission.

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