It's been years since I have had a Garrison Brewing beer from Halifax. I liked them fine when I lived out east and in the late 90s and early 2000s they were certainly a leader in Maritime Canadian brewing. And, as Troy (another expat Haligonian) has been telling us all for a while now, Garrison recently has been making some remarkable beers under the careful eye of brewer Greg Nash. But that may have all ended this week as Nash explains:

I was fired yesterday morning, Monday March 17th. The reason sited was "organizational restructuring". I couldn't get any satisfaction from the President/Manager Brian Titus over my concerns regarding health and safety issues, as well as efficiencies in the brewhouse, so I went over his head to the founding shareholders knowing full well it could mean termination of my employment with Garrison. It was a necessary attempt for all employees involved with the company and if I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing. My hope is that future employees will benefit from the attempt to create a safe, efficient workplace at the very least. John Mackey, packaging manager was also let go at the same time, and the rest of my assembled brewing team quit as of 10a.m. today. While it really hurts to see these guys turn their lives upside down and possibly join the EI lineup, the show of loyalty has been overwhelming.

That is sad news but clearly symptomatic of business tensions that go far beyond what is in the bottle. Health and safety issues important enough for the entire crew to quit over certainly raises serious questions which require the remaining staff and shareholders provide response. Forty-eight hours in and the brewery's news page is silent and my searches of the Halifax Herald and CBC Nova Scotia show no press releases or other coverage.