Brian MacIsaac and Rebecca Kneen, co-owners, Crannóg Ales
by SARAH ROWLAND, photo by Jaime Kowal
Foam stabilizers. Preservatives. Flavour additives. There are many ways for those crafty toxins to sneak their way into our national beverage. But Crannóg Ales has them all covered. With the first certified- organic microbrewery in Canada, co-owners Brian MacIsaac and Rebecca Kneen had to basically write the book on sustainable brewing standards. It’s a long way from making suds for a hobby, something MacIsaac did for 14 years before he and Kneen took the plunge and bought a 10-acre farm in Sorrento, B.C., in 1999.
“I started brewing beer when I was doing social work in the Downtown Eastside, just to keep my mind off what I was doing in the day. Otherwise, I would have burned out,” says MacIsaac, who honed his craft at Sacramento’s American Brewers Guild.
Today, he and Kneen grow most of their own ingredients and brew 13 different types of Irish-inspired draft in their non-waste plant. And people are starting to notice. More than 30 restaurants and bars throughout B.C. carry their product, including 10 hot spots in Vancouver. Last Nov., they received an Organic Harvest Award and an Ethics In Action award in the same week. Their outlook may surprise some.
“We’re not brewing for profit,” says MacIsaac. “We’re brewing for sustainability. Somebody asked me the other day, ‘If a large brewery were to come and offer to buy you out for millions of dollars, what would you do with the money?’ I said, ‘I’d probably buy a farm in the Interior, brew my own beer, grow my own food . . . oh, wait, I already do that. Keep your money.’”
—Sarah Rowland
photo by 
