It may be one of the last places a P.E.I. shopper would expect to buy beer.
This week, the Gahan House is opening a kiosk in the Atlantic Superstore at 465 University Ave. in Charlottetown that will sell and brew beer for customers on site.
“Anytime you’re in business, it’s always trying to be innovative and look at what’s the next thing. The consumer is always looking for convenience,” said Kevin Murphy, president of the Murphy Hospitality Group, the company that owns The Gahan House and P.E.I. Brewing Company, among other businesses.
On Thursday, the kiosk was undergoing some finishing touches, and Murphy said it was expected to open later in the day.
Murphy said the Gahan Beer Store kiosk, located in the Superstore’s former customer service area, follows the same “innovative and consumer convenience” plan that led to the P.E.I. Brewing Company Beer Station on Milky Way Drive near the Cows Creamery.
“That’s when we started looking at this and saying is there an opportunity for a kiosk (in the Atlantic Superstore). That’s where the discussion started. And, really, it’s just another avenue for us to promote and sell our beer.”
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The kiosk is about 200 square feet. It has six types of beer on tap for growlers – Sir John A’s, Blueberry Ale, Island Red, Shortest Day, Gahan Seasonal and 1772. The kiosk will also be brewing two types of honey wheat beer in two, one-barrel brewing systems behind the bar, and fridges will be stocked with bottles and cans of the company’s product.
Besides growlers, Murphy is considering bringing crowlers to the kiosk. He said that a crowler is a 32-ounce can of beer that is canned for customers on site in Halifax’s Gahan House.
The kiosk is operating under a microbrewery license and is leasing space from the Superstore. Even though the Superstore is a 24-hour business, the kiosk will abide by P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission regulations regarding operating hours.
P.E.I.’s Barry MacLeod knows what it’s like to sell craft beer out of a grocery store. On June 14, MacLeod’s Chill Street Fresh Beer and Cider Market opened to the public in the Elmsdale, N.S., Sobeys store.
MacLeod leases a much larger space from Sobeys – about 1,500 square feet. The retail craft brewery has four, 10-barrel fermenters and beer available for sale in fridges.
“We were lucky. It was really well received. The community has really embraced it,” he said. “We’ve had a really good base of customers. There’s always, we think, room for growth like any new business starting off.”
MacLeod said a challenge is putting the product together in the available space.
The business brings in the malt portion from another location. Once on site, it is fermented, conditioned and finished, which includes labelling, carbonation and canning by hand.
“It’s in quite a compressed space, so we’ve learned a lot in the process,” he said.
Murphy and MacLeod know each other. MacLeod, who is originally from P.E.I., was a part-owner of DME Brewing Solutions and sold Murphy his first brewery system.
Murphy remembers buying the equipment from MacLeod in the late 1990s. He has visited Chill Street twice since it’s opened.
“Great spot. Beautiful. They did a real nice job,” he said.
Murphy said he’s proud of the Gahan brand that has been built since 2000.
“It started from nothing, zero. So, we’re pretty proud that it’s successful and it’s a P.E.I. brand. When we do our restaurants, it focuses on where we’re from, and it’s P.E.I.,” said Murphy. “So, yeah, I guess it’s personal and we’re happy about it and we want to make sure it’s successful … But at the end of the day, we’re doing it for business.”
