The owners of a new beer garden on the Halifax Waterfront hope the pop-up pub will boost beer tourism in the province.
With 10 beverages on tap, co-owner Chris Reynolds says Stillwell Beer Garden is a place where visitors and locals alike can sit back and take in some Nova Scotia craft beer.
“We also hope to send some tourists to visit some of the breweries that we carry,” says Reynolds.
With summer just 10 days away, more people are starting to visit the Halifax Waterfront and pop-up shops are becoming more common in the area.
Reynolds says the Waterfront Development Organization helped them pick the spot near the wave sculpture, and the neighbouring restaurants and pubs have been very supportive.
“You create districts I guess where people go and enjoy food and drink and so I think the waterfront is becoming more and more like that and will hopefully be a destination,” says Reynolds.
From the beer to the pretzels, Reynolds says they want everything to be local; even the bright red shipping container that houses the pop-up beer garden was made across the harbour in Dartmouth.
But while the owners see it as an opportunity to showcase Nova Scotia beer and food, others question whether it sends the right message.
“I’d rather have the artisans that were playing here last year because last year they were here and they were great. They had a hill built here and it was great, better than the beer garden,” says one Halifax resident.
“I don’t know if I’d want my infant around some crazy, drunk, loud people,” says another.
Some vendors, like Arthur Burchell, have also expressed concerns.
“Well, we’ll just have to live with it, and hopefully they have enough security,” says Burchell.
But some local residents are welcoming the new addition to the waterfront.
“I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s going to bring a lot of people down to the waterfront,” says one resident.
The pop-up beer garden will open for business at noon on Friday. The owners say they will remain open for as long as they can, as long as the customers keep coming and the weather cooperates.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Suzette Belliveau
