Canada, BC: Braggot Brewing closes its taps for good

Braggot Brewing, sitting at the end of North Vancouver’s Brewery District, has closed its taps for good, Vancouver Is Awesome reported on February 6.

Opening in May 2022, the business served an ancient and uncommon brew called braggot (a.k.a. bracket or bragwad), dating back to a time when grains weren’t pure enough to make beer and honey wasn’t pure enough to make mead. So they made something in between instead.

Braggot, run by founder Enrico Bovero, used honey produced at his own apiaries to brew his naturally carbonated beverage for nearly four years.

But the taps ran dry earlier this week.

In the beginning, braggot appeared to be a high-value product, but the cost of production was too high, Bovero says.

“From a pure business perspective, it doesn’t make sense from the math,” he says.

What does make sense, however, is the honey.

“The main message I want to convey is that we’re not closing — we’re pivoting,” Bovero says.

His honey venture started in 2009, and API Crafts continues to this day. Braggot has just been a part of that larger business, he explains.

“Revenue on the honey side has surpassed the brewing side,” Bovero says. “It makes sense to focus on the side that’s more profitable for the effort.”

And there are benefits beyond honey’s sweeter bottom line, he says. Bovero strives to make his business fully carbon negative.

“With the help of pollination of the bees — more seeds, more plants, more carbon capture means less carbon in the environment, without adding industrial processes to the business, like brewing,” he says.

But Bovero still loves the art and science of brewing, and says he’ll still make mead on his own time.

He’s also grateful to all the imbibers who came out to Braggot's tasting room over the past few years.

“We’ve had many friendships started thanks to this operation,” he says. “I look forward to maintaining those relationships…. I appreciate the people who have made this experience possible.”

07 February, 2026