Nova Scotia craft beer pioneer 'personified what the industry is in its best form'

When craft beer pioneer Kevin Keefe opened the Granite Brewery inside Ginger's Tavern in Halifax in 1985, his English-style beers were met with skepticism by some patrons.

At a time when flavourless, bland beer was the norm, Keefe's beers were a shock to people's palates.

One patron told Keefe that while the English bitter didn't taste bad, it was just different. Keefe encouraged the man to try the beer for a week and see if he felt differently. Shortly thereafter, the man was at the tavern, visibly annoyed that his friends were at another bar watching musician Joe Murphy play.

"The place was packed, just rocking and [now] I'm sitting here all by myself because this is the only goddamn beer I can drink," the customer told Keefe. "I ordered a Schooner when I got there and I almost threw up."

Keefe, 75, recently died of a heart attack. He is being remembered for his contributions to Canada's craft beer scene, and the warmth he showed toward customers and others in the beer industry.

"He sort of personified what the industry is in its best form," said Brian Titus, the president of Garrison Brewing Company in Halifax.

This included Keefe sharing information with people looking to start breweries, or loaning ingredients like malts and yeasts to other brewers because they were in a jam and needed them.

When Keefe opened the Granite Brewery, it was the second microbrewery in Canada — and first east of the Rockies. That's a far cry from today as there are dozens in Nova Scotia alone.

Studied brewing in the U.K.

Keefe first became interested in craft brewing after reading an article about it. In 1984, he went to the U.K. and learned how to do it at a brewery.

Not only was Keefe a brewer, he was a savvy businessman.

"If I retailed it to the liquor commission, I'd get 50 cents a bottle, but if I sold it in a glass to you, I'd get almost two bucks a bottle, so it didn't take very much for me to figure out, well, what I want to do is sell it to you," Keefe told the reporter in a 2017 interview for Halifax Magazine.

And thus the Granite Brewery operated out of Ginger's Tavern.

'He just loved being behind the bar'

Prior to working in the hospitality industry, Keefe had a construction business with one of his brothers, Wilf. While projects would take months to achieve fruition, Keefe liked the immediate pride he would get from a batch of beer.

"When you do [brewing], you get that gratification every day," he said.

Brian Keefe is one of Kevin Keefe's sons. He and his brother Joe worked at the brewery with their father.

"He just loved being behind the bar and talking to whoever came in. And, you know, beer was the main thing that … he just loved talking to people about," said Brian.

The Granite Brewery operated out of different locations, before shutting down in 2020 when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic closed bars and restaurants, and deprived the business of its keg sales.

Brian said his father admired the variety of styles available in today's craft beer environment, even if they weren't for him.

"When it came to what he loved and what he had the passion for, he enjoyed the simple British pub pint."

Community support

But Keefe's life wasn't just about beer. At Ginger's, open mic nights were a means of supporting aspiring local artists.

"Kevin never stopped looking for ways to support the people and communities closest to his heart," said his obituary.

It also noted he served as the president of the provincial and national Alzheimer's societies. Keefe's mother had Alzheimer's.

Titus has fond memories of visiting Keefe at the brewery, where he'd be busy making beer but would always have time to sit down with his friend and offer him advice on the industry.

"This wasn't a marketing play for him … he was trying to make good craft beer for customers who appreciated it," said Titus. "So you can't help but respect somebody like that."

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