Mooselick Brewing Co., a nano brewery from Troy NH, 80 miles northwest from Boston MA, was reopened two weeks ago with its new name Granite Roots Brewing Co. ending a trademark battle with Moosehead Breweries, Canada’s oldest independent brewery.
The small US-brewery, that features traditional brews and craft beers with a hint of fruit and hops from its own family farm, started marketing their products in July 2015 with a name that honored their local heritage. The owners at Mooselick were unaware that Moosehead, which is celebrating this year its 150th anniversary, had the trademark for the moose in the alcohol beverage industries in both Canada and the United States. After receiving correspondence from the much bigger and older Canadian brewery in October 2016, Anthony Levick and his family who own the New Hampshire based brewery sought for legal assistance and finally agreed to change the name to Granite Roots Brewing Co.
Andrew Oland, president of Moosehead Breweries, is happy to avoid negative publicity in a year, where his company as well as his country Canada is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Moosehead Breweries Limited traces its roots to 1867 when the Oland family started brewing beer. Today Moosehead, is the last privately owned major brewery in Canada and is operated by the fifth and sixth generations of Oland family members in Saint John, New Brunswick.
"It's fitting that we share our anniversary with the country we call home," explains Andrew Oland. "Like Canada, we've faced challenges along our path, but – like Canada - we've risen to the challenge time and time again to not only endure, but thrive. And through it all, we've been able to remain fiercely independent and stay true to our own ideals."
To celebrate the anniversary, Moosehead will launch new 150th-themed bottle labels for Moosehead Lager and introduce Moosehead Radler in draft in the US. Several anniversary-themed consumer promotions are also planned.
