Start a brewery in New Brunswick: the federal excise licence, the provincial brewery licence from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, and sales through Alcool NB Liquor.
Applies in: New Brunswick
Get the federal excise licence first, then the provincial brewery licence — and sell through Alcool NB Liquor. In New Brunswick, the manufacturing licence comes from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, Gaming Control and Licensing Services, not from Alcool NB Liquor. Alcool NB Liquor (ANBL) is the Crown corporation that sells the beer. The province's manufacturer information sheet, LIN 0513, revised January 2026, sets out the licence types, fees, and requirements.
This guide covers only the New Brunswick mechanics. The national steps that apply everywhere are in our How to Start a Brewery Business in Canada guide. Do not use another province's regulator or fees for New Brunswick — the licensing body, the fee bands, and the sales route are different here.
A brewer's licence is required to manufacture beer, and a licence is required for each physical business location where any manufacturing takes place, where brewing equipment is kept or used, or where products of brewing are kept or stored. That is the rule in the Canada Revenue Agency's Excise Duty Circular ED200-1.
For each location, complete Form L1, Application for a Brewer's Licence, Form E110, Description of Premises, and Form E111, Description of Vessels and Utensils, and submit them with a floor plan and the supporting documents the circular lists to your regional excise office. A copy of the excise licence must be submitted with the provincial manufacturer's licence application.
The federal licence is not free: the CRA charges a licence fee of $51.10 when the application is approved, and the same $51.10 is due each year by March 31 for the licence year beginning April 1. A brewer's licence is valid for one year from April 1 to March 31 and is automatically renewed. Before the licence is issued, the CRA also requires financial security in the form of a surety bond — budget for the bond as well as the fee, and read Circular ED200-3 for the bond rules.
Before you file the provincial application, contact Alcool NB Liquor to discuss the new products and to ensure your product meets its requirements. That step is listed in the province's manufacturer information sheet. All products manufactured for distribution in the province must be sold through Alcool NB Liquor, so confirm the listing route early rather than after the brewery is built.
Apply to the Department of Justice and Public Safety, Gaming Control and Licensing Services, in Fredericton. The manufacturing premises must be located in New Brunswick. The application form must be signed by a director of the corporation, and the applicant must be at least 19 years old.
The licence fee is $200 where 500,000 litres of beer or less are manufactured in the province per year, and $2,500 where more than 500,000 litres of beer are manufactured per year. The licence is renewable by March 31 each year with payment of the licence fee. That is the provincial fee only — the federal brewer's licence costs a further $51.10 a year (see Step 1). Provincial application forms are available from Gaming Control and Licensing Services at P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1, telephone (506) 453-7472, email DPS-MSP.Information@gnb.ca.
Register the business in New Brunswick and get a Canada Revenue Agency business number. The full steps are in our How to Register a Business in New Brunswick guide — this guide does not repeat them. Confirm zoning, building, and fire rules for the exact address with the municipality before you sign a lease or start fitting out the site.
Licensed manufacturers of beverage alcohol can apply to list their products for sale within the province, and can apply to operate a Local Producer Agency Store as an agent of Alcool NB Liquor. Contact the Local Producer Channel Lead at Alcool NB Liquor to start that process, and provide a copy of the federal excise licence and a copy of the provincial manufacturing licence.
A tasting room is a separate step: licensed manufacturers can apply to the Department of Justice and Public Safety to operate a tasting room as a licensee and serve their products there. Do not serve beer on site until that application is approved.
The brewery licence is renewable by March 31 each year with payment of the licence fee. Keep the federal excise licence, the provincial licence, and the Alcool NB Liquor listing current together — a lapsed provincial licence stops lawful manufacturing even if the federal licence is still valid.
The opened New Brunswick pages do not publish a processing time for the brewery licence application, so this guide states none. The province's manufacturer information sheet does not list the fee for a tasting room application or for a Local Producer Agency Store agreement, so this guide states neither. The sheet also does not state the Alcool NB Liquor listing timelines, so confirm those with Alcool NB Liquor directly.
Yes. A brewer's licence from the Canada Revenue Agency is required to manufacture beer for sale, and a copy of the excise licence must be submitted with the provincial manufacturer's licence application. Apply with Form L1, Form E110, and Form E111 for each physical location where beer is made, brewing equipment is kept, or beer is stored.
Gaming Control and Licensing Services, part of Justice and Public Safety, issues it. The manufacturing premises must be located in New Brunswick. Alcool NB Liquor is the Crown corporation that sells the beer, not the licensing body.
The licence fee is $200 where 500,000 litres of beer or less are manufactured in the province per year, and $2,500 where more than 500,000 litres are manufactured per year. The licence is renewable by March 31 each year with payment of the licence fee.
You must be at least 19 years old. The application form must be signed by a director of the corporation.
All products manufactured for distribution in the province must be sold through Alcool NB Liquor. Local producers can also apply to operate a Local Producer Agency Store as an agent of Alcool NB Liquor, and can apply to list products for sale within the province.
Licensed manufacturers can apply to Gaming Control and Licensing Services to operate a tasting room as a licensee and serve their products there. The tasting room is a separate application from the manufacturing licence.