This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from Rick Lockhart of Sussex Ale Works in Sussex.

BACK IN 2017, I HAD JUST WRAPPED UP MY CAREER IN MINING AND WE HAD SOLD OUR BRIDAL BUSINESS. I WAS FEELING A LITTLE LOST AND STARTED TOYING WITH BREWING AGAIN.

The more I brewed, the more I realized I loved the science behind brewing. The wrangling of the yeast, water, and hops to create unique flavours and aromas has always been fascinating to me. There is a level of satisfaction in brewing to suit the tastes of the people you serve and we have always had a deep connection to our community.

So, I decided to marry those two passions and create a local place for people to come together and connect through lively conversation, one hand-forged beer at a time. Not only has it become a spot for locals, but it’s also a spot where people visiting Sussex can get a real taste of who we are.

It is amazing to hear from people who have come to hike, bike, ski or visit local landmarks. They often get a chance to hear the history of the places they’ve been from our local patrons. It’s just awesome.

The local support for our business has been just phenomenal and we are so thankful. Like every small business, we needed to pivot and innovate during the past year and were just amazed that people went out of their way to roll with it all.

People seemed to understand that their support was going to get all of our small businesses through a tough time. We also realized that there is something really special about Sussex that is part of who we are as a community. We have always been a community linked to high-quality products and we sort of reclaimed that in the last year or so.

Supporting local became a badge of honour again. Nothing like finding your local cheese, bread, handcrafted goods, and beer waiting for you on the doorstep to make you appreciate your town and its incredible makers.