Nackawic is a town located 65 km west of the city of Fredericton on the east bank of the Saint John River in New Brunswick, Canada. It is famous for its axe, but more and more people are travelling there now for its ales. We chat with Peter Cole about the brewery and the brand that has people making their way to this tiny town by foot, car, boat, snowmobile, four wheeler, and horse-back to sample their great beers, amazing views of the Saint John River and a never ending supply of East Coast Hospitality.
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When you live in a town with the world’s largest axe, what better name for a brewery than Big Axe?
Nackawic, New Brunswick is home to the world’s largest axe, seven tonnes of stainless steel that rises 15 meters above the St. John’s River, and now home to the up and coming Big Axe Brewery.
Peter Cole, founder and owner of Big Axe Brewery, talked to Spotlight about his entry and success in the brewing business and the magic of life in the country.
After being laid off from his job as manager of a recruiting company where he had worked for nine years, Cole began looking for a new career path. “I wanted to do something I was passionate about and I was passionate about craft beer,” said Cole.
Coming from a family of carpenters, Cole liked the idea of creating a product – of making something he could be proud of and that people could enjoy. More than that, however, brewing turned out to be part of his family history.
Cole loves to tell the story to his customers. “When I was 16 or 17 years old, my grandfather raised horses. He also
had a vegetable garden with strawberries, and he used to sell what he grew to the public. Cars would show up and people would leave with a bag of vegetables and strawberries. I thought that was a cool way to make a bit of money.”
One day, he discovered his grandfather behind the farm in a shed that Cole had always assumed simply held garden tools. “That day, I realized there was a stack on top with steam coming out. Turns out he had a still in there. He was basically making moonshine and his own Baileys. He also made blueberry wine from scratch – which was a phenomenal wine. I realized the vegetables and strawberries were just a front for what people were actually getting from him.”
When he turned 21, Cole began trying his hand at beer kits and eventually got into all grain kits. “Friends used to comment on how good the beer was. I would make some adjustments and go beyond the recipe.”
After being laid off from his management position, Cole began to research craft breweries, with mentors like Sean Dunbar from Picaroon Traditional Ales, brewing beer with Stephen Dixon from Grimross Brewing, Shane Steeves of Hammond River Brewing, and others around New Brunswick and Southern Ontario.
Cole took brewery courses in Sacramento and traveled to Ontario to visit breweries there to observe different equipment and techniques. “I wanted to do the best I could in a commercial atmosphere. Obviously going from home brewer to commercial is a little different. It’s the same principle but totally different equipment. You really need to make sure your quality is there. There’s a lot of science involved in brewing.”
Big Axe Brewery opened in 2014 using a one-barrel system with two-barrel fermenters, and supplying beer to 
restaurants and bars in Fredericton, Moncton and St. John, NB. In 2017, the brewery expanded to a 10-barrel brewhouse with 20-barrel fermenters and opened the doors at their new facility in April of 2018.
The new brewery, built by Riverbend Log Homes in Nackawic, is a large cedar log building designed like a barn. “We’re right on the St. John River. There are a lot of farms around here. We wanted the building to fit it with the landscape, plus the high ceilings and the shape of building work really well with our system.”
Cole chose a “west meets east” theme for the brewery and saloon. “The country thing doesn’t just have to be down in the States or out in Calgary. We wanted people to come here and feel that vibe. We’ve had people from all over the world, traveling through Canada to their destination.”
Big Axe Brewery is staffed by 2 full time team members plus some casual part time during the off season. The team expands to 11 during the busy season, from April until September. It’s a relaxed atmosphere around the brewery with a positive team atmosphere. “I worked in many companies and I have an open-door policy at all times. I strongly believe that people should enjoy where they work, but also perform their job to the best of their abilities. It’s about making sure the quality is always there and its consistent.”
“It’s all about the beer”
One of the first beers produced by the brewery was the Shakespeare Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, a full and silky bodied stout, dark chocolate in colour. In 2014, the brewery’s first year of operation, the Shakespeare Stout earned the Silver Medal from the Atlantic Canada Beer awards. It’s a popular beer and a sentimental favourite for the brewery.
“I’ve always enjoyed stouts. The beer was named after our dog Shakespeare, who was a chocolate lab. He used to greet everyone who came into the brewery. Shakespeare passed away a few years ago. It’s great to have an award-winning beer named after a good dog,” said Cole.
Big Axe Brewery is also becoming known for its specialty sour beers, winning a Silver in 2018 for the Seaberry Sour at the Down East Brewing Awards, a judged competition open to all commercial breweries in the Maritime provinces, which is part of the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival. This specialty sour beer is brewed with local New Brunswick grown Sea Buckthorn berries. Cole sources his organic berries from BlueSky Ventures grown locally in Chipman, NB.
“It’s important to Big Axe to use locally sourced products. I reach out to local hop farms to see what they have 
available. We put Chaga mushrooms into our porter and we source that locally as well. That’s the crafty part of craft beer. We’ll say let’s try this out and use something that grows locally in NB and the Maritimes. We’re all about supporting local as much as possible,” explained Cole.
The Wrath of Putin Double IPA is currently the brewery’s best-selling beer.
Many beers have fun axe-related names, including the Blonde Hatchet, Lumberjack Lager, Hops and Sickle Pale Ale, and the Lizzy Borden – named after the Massachusetts heiress who was charged with bludgeoning her mother and father to death with an axe. Lizzy was found not guilty but the infamous rhyme lives on …
“Lizzy Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.”
Big Axe Brewery can often be found at craft beer and other festivals in the Maritimes, including the Seaport Festival in Halifax. Cole finds festival participation a good way to meet other brewers as well as to showcase and promote Big Axe beers. “It helps us to market the beer but
it’s also a good time to get together with other brewers and discuss what’s going on in the industry and talk about collaborations,” said Cole.
The highlight of the year, however, is their own Big Axe Craft Beer Festival, held in mid-July. “It’s our fourth year in a row for the festival. Last year we sold out with 1200 people attending with live music, 47 craft beer, cider, mead and spirits producers and 5 food trucks. We had brewers from Nova Scotia, PEI, Ontario, Quebec, Maine, and a couple from Belgium.”
This year’s festival, scheduled for July 17-18, is shaping up to be another success. Cole is expecting to have 40+ vendors, 3 bands and several popular food trucks. All proceeds from the festival go to a local charity. Coach buses will shuttle festival goers from Fredericton, Woodstock, Saint John and this year from St. Stephen/Harvey.
Great outdoor destination
The Nackawic area around the Big Axe brewery abounds with outdoor activities making it a great family destination. A bed and breakfast, next door, is less than a two-minute walk from the Brewery. Directly across the road, on brewery property, RV and tent camping is allowed via Harvest Host, although there are no hookups for RVs. A dock is available for kayaks and canoes, with tie ups at the brewery for houseboats and pontoons. A volleyball court and walking trails offer summer enjoyment while snowshoeing and outdoor ice skating are winter options.
“We’re out in the country – only about 25 minutes from Fredericton. People come up during the weekend for the country life. We have a wraparound deck on the river. It’s a beautiful place to relax, sit right out on the St. John’s River and enjoy a pint.”
Future Plans
The steady success of Big Axe Brewery continues to offer opportunity for organic growth. Today, Big Axe beers are found in 60 Grocery stores in NB Atlantic Super Stores and Sobeys grocery stores and on tap in many restaurants and pubs across New Brunswick, as well as in 2-3 privately owned stores in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
While all beers are currently in glass bottles, Cole plans to move into canning which will offer more distribution possibilities. Working with Craft Coast Canning, a mobile canning service based in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Big Axe will begin producing the Wrath of Putting in tall boys in late spring and is already approved for grocery stores in New Brunswick. Cole hopes to add more fermenters and begin canning on site to further expand his market into more of Nova Scotia, PEI, down into the U.S. and farther west.
Meanwhile, Cole is enjoying his work and life in the country. “People like the atmosphere here and they enjoy our product. We achieved what we were aiming for.”
by Anita Flowers