One of the province’s best-known craft breweries is taking measures to offset some of the pressures the industry is under.

Quidi Vidi Brewery is pausing regular taproom operations for the month of February, citing rising costs and the strain of federal and provincial beer taxes.

The federal excise tax on alcohol, which was amended by the Trudeau Government some time ago to go up every year automatically, has been left alone for the past couple of years, but is due to increase this year.

Brewery co-owner Justin Fong is hoping that Premier Tony Wakeham will follow through on a campaign promise to lower taxes.

He says if Wakeham does his part, the industry will create the jobs. He notes that Ontario has lowered provincial taxation by about 50 per cent – something which has really helped brewers in that province.

Craft beer consumption in Newfoundland and Labrador accounts for about 8 per cent of all beer sales, which is on the low side in Canada, with the other 90 per cent being Molson and Labatt.

“That 8 per cent employs more Newfoundlanders and Laradorians than the 90 per cent at Molson and Labatt,” says Fong.