New Brunswick·NewWhen company CEO Andrew Oland began working in the business more than 30 years ago, he says 90 per cent of the beer in Canada was sold in glass bottles. This year, he says it’s down to about 7 per cent.Saint John-based brewer to shut down bottling operation as public makes shift to drinking from cansMark Leger · CBC News · Posted: Sep 18, 2025 3:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes agoAndrew Oland, the president and CEO of Moosehead Breweries, says most beer drinkers prefer cans now, so they’ve decided to shut down their bottling operations. (Chad Ingraham/CBC)Andrew Oland’s memories of bottled beer go way back to his childhood.From a brewing family, Oland remembers bottles around the house and when he was a young adult.Back then, they were still more popular than cans, and the green bottles for the Moosehead Lager were an iconic part of the family’s brewing history.He also worked as a foreman in the bottle shop, his first full-time job at the brewery on his way to eventually becoming the president and CEO. His day job back then felt like an episode of the popular 1970s show about life in a Milwaukee brewery, Laverne & Shirley.”I described my first job as, ‘If I was working in that brewery, I would have been Laverne and Shirley’s boss,'” Oland said. “That was a lot of fun and a great group of folks, some of whom are still working here.”WATCH | ‘You have to honour your history, but you also have to look forward,’ Moosehead says: Iconic Moosehead bottle getting cannedLong identified with the Moosehead brand, the green bottle and the bottling itself are being discontinued in favour of the cans that now dominate the brewing industry. Despite those fond memories, Moosehead has made the decision to permanently close the bottling operation at the end of this year, after years of decline in sales of bottled beer.”You have to honour your history, but you also have to look forward,” Oland said. “We’ve been watching the growth of cans and the decline of bottles for a number of years.”Moosehead Breweries will stop bottling beer at the end of year after decades of declining sales, as consumers have shown their growing preference for cans. (Submitted by Moosehead Breweries)When Oland began working in the business more than 30 years ago, he says 90 per cent of the beer in Canada was sold in glass bottles. This year, he says that’s down to about 7 per cent.”We’ve seen a dramatic shift in consumer behaviour in the last number of years,” he said.When he was younger, he drank bottled beer, but they’re not in his fridge much these days. He says it’s the same for most people who grew up drinking from bottles.”I had a chat last week with a former employee, someone who retired about 10 years ago,” Oland said. “When I mentioned [stopping bottle production], he was surprised. Then he said, ‘I probably haven’t drunk out of a bottle in five years.'”He says that’s been a commonplace reaction online and when he talks to customers in person.Craig Pinhey, a Rothesay-based writer and beer judge who has judged national competitions for 25 years, says the last time he remembers drinking beer from a bottle was on a trip to Italy last year.”I don’t really have that huge romantic attachment to it. If I’m drinking a beer that I really like, I put it in a glass,” Pinhey said. “When you smell it, you taste it that much more.””I don’t know the percentage of people out there that drink directly from the can. I think it’s a different demographic than my beer nerd demographic. So I don’t really have huge memories, maybe the early days stealing my father’s 10 Penny ‘stubbies.’ That’s a long time ago.”Moosehead has had different bottle styles over the decade, including the “stubby” and long-neck bottles. (Chad Ingraham/CBC)Oland says it makes sense that customers, the breweries and the retailers are all ready to move on from bottles.He says cans take up less space and they’re not breakable like glass. He also says the quality is better because light and oxygen can’t penetrate the cans, which has an impact on taste.It’s a win for everyone, he says.Pinhey says the move away from bottles has already mostly happened, making a big announcement largely unnecessary. So why all the fuss? It’s a good marketing opportunity, he says.”Maybe it’s smart for Moosehead to make this to make it into a marketing thing about the bottles, because otherwise pretty much nobody really would care except for maybe the old guys who still like drinking from the bottles,” Pinhey said.The last bottle will come off the line later this year, and bottled beer will be sold into early next year until supplies run out.ABOUT THE AUTHORMark Leger is a reporter and producer based in Saint John. Send him story ideas to: mark.leger@cbc.ca
It’s the end of the line for bottled beer at Moosehead Breweries
