As 2019 kicks off, the new day of craft beer is still dawning in the province. It looks like the next brewery to open will be Ninepenny Brewing in CBS. With very few renovations and inspections left to endure, they’re just about ready to open their doors.

“We had independently wanted to make a go of it, and after deliberating for some time, we came together over the Easter weekend in 2017 to really pull the business plan together as a group of four,” says Dwayne Moores.

With fellow brewers Glenn Bartlett, Keith Bartlett, and Justin Mayo, the group decided to make the leap into opening a microbrewery after years of home brewing.

“We all have different strengths, backgrounds, and interests, and that’s been lending itself well to the journey so far,” says Moores.

The mix of engineering know-how, project management skills, and brewing fundamentals, and all things Newfoundland & Labrador have come together into the brew that is Ninepenny Brewing.

The term Ninepenny traces back to 19th century England. “In the 1800s in Britain, beer used to be taxed by the penny/pence/shilling,” says Moores.

“This became a slang of sorts. Much the same way ‘suds’ or ‘a cold one’ is used today, they would ask for a ‘threepence.’ A round of Ninepenny was generally considered to be the high quality beer on offering.”

The name Ninepenny also ties into the community and concept of the brewery itself. “The ‘nine’ references the town of CBS, as there are nine communities that make up Conception Bay South, where we’re located,” says Moores.

“The ‘penny’ invokes images of our design scheme, which is rooted in the turn-of-the-century industrial feel that we have been describing as ‘minimalist steampunk.”

Like the gone-but-not-forgotten Canadian penny, the design scheme incorporates copper, vines, and leaves throughout.

Moores credits the Conception Bay South community for its support since they announced their intention to open a microbrewery and taproom.

Another community that helped get Ninepenny of the ground is the NL craft beer community. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without help from the local microbrewery community, especially Alicia and Sonja of Port Rexton, who have been helping us since that Easter weekend of 2017,” says Moores.

In the growing community of microbreweries, Ninepenny is hoping to add to what Newfoundland and Labrador has to offer.

They plan to produce beer to sell within their own taproom through pints, flights, growlers, and grunters, as well as keg contracts with restaurants.

For their initial offering, Ninepenny plans to have an IPA, a white IPA, a pale ale, a brown ale, and a porter.

“We describe some of our recipes as ‘North American ingredients brewed in a British style’” says Moores.

“We hope our large scale recipes come out in such a way that keeps to this description.”

Check Facebook and Instagram (@ninepennybrew) for hours and a grand opening announcement.