Thirsty Moose Brewing Co

Thirsty Moose began with founder and head brewer Max, who started homebrewing in 2019. His first experiments were mead before moving into beer, including a memorable early batch of stout that ended up across the carpet after an attempt to cool it in the bath.

In 2020 Max moved brewing from the kitchen to a stable and upgraded to a Grainfather. During the following two years he developed early versions of beers including Canny Canuck, Northern 22 and Oot n' Aboot while continuing to brew alongside his full-time job.

After completing an intensive brewing course at Brewlab in Sunderland, Max decided to turn the hobby into a business. In 2022 he sourced a professional six-barrel brewhouse and three fermentation tanks, and Thirsty Moose Brewing Co was born.

The brewery's identity draws on the family's Canadian heritage and its home in North East England. The family has roots in Ayrshire and Canada, with relatives returning to Northumberland in the 1970s, while beers such as Canny Canuck continue the transatlantic theme through their names and ingredients.

Thirsty Moose quickly became part of the North East beer scene, with Hadrian Border among its early supporters. In 2023, Canny Canuck and Oot n' Aboot both won silver at the North East SIBA Independent Beer Awards, and the brewery became a SIBA member the same year.

After winning Newcastle CAMRA's Battle of the Beers, Thirsty Moose collaborated with Hadrian Border on Struck Gold, its first collaboration beer. Its small-batch ales and stouts have since reached a growing number of pubs through festivals, wholesalers and direct trade.