About Us

Over Two Decades Of History

Back in the early 90s, John Allen was busy working in the film industry, as a prop master. Between projects, John was brewing the kind of flavourful beer that he loved – and was hard to find in Halifax. He was pleasantly surprised to find his friends and family converted. Though craft beer was a new movement in Canada, John was ready to bring it to Nova Scotia. He quit his day job and opened the Propeller Brewing Company on Gottingen Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1997. Based on the popularity of his first two brews, John and Propeller soon expanded as fast as possible and introduced a fresh generation of beer drinkers to hops with our best-selling India Pale Ale.

Today, we’re still honing classic brews Nova Scotians have been enjoying for years and experimenting with new styles and flavours. We’ve expanded to four locations (three of which are taprooms) and John’s added his son, Mike to the team. Today, you can find us in liquor stores and bars in Nova Scotia and beyond. Give a Propeller brew a try: we hope it’ll be your new favourite.

Cameron Crerar - head brewer

Cameron Crerar is the Head Brewer at Propeller Brewing, bringing a global perspective and a relentless passion for quality to everything that flows through the tanks.

Originally from Tasmania, Cam leads Propeller’s brewing team in crafting large-batch beers and beverages from the Windmill Road brewhouse, while also overseeing the small-batch and experimental releases that regularly pop up at our taprooms across HRM.

Driven by quality, innovation, and consistency, Cam plays a key role in shaping the flavours you know and love while always keeping an eye on what’s next.

THE ORIGINAL HOME OF PROPELLER BREWING

At Home In The North End

Gottingen Street has changed a great deal since we moved in, and we’ve changed our home on it. Propeller’s building was previously home to the Carpenter’s Union Hall in the basement, a hair salon and copy centre on the main level, and artists' studios upstairs. Many would remember when it housed "Wormwoods Dog and Monkey Cinema," the alternative film theatre. When Propeller began, a brewhouse replaced the screen and soon a bottling line popped up where the concessions used to be.

The space was crowded with tanks and fermenters until we moved main production to our new brewery on Windmill Road in 2013. After a spirited spring cleaning, Propeller employee Ian Matheson, who ran a company renting out arcade machines for events, took the lead on converting the basement space to a classic arcade. Expanding quickly, the Propeller Arcade now includes a second bar and seating area on the brewery floor. And, of course, we still brew at Gottingen; those Gottingen Small Batches are unique creations you can only find on tap in Prop Shops and Tap Rooms. Some kegs escape to a local beer bar or two, and some of those brews have graduated to become Propeller core brands.