Red Truck Beer Company Strengthens Community in the Messes

Lindsay Groves, Lookout Newspaper.  

Red Truck Beer Company is helping strengthen community at some Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt messes through a partnership with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS). The Officers’ Messes — Wardroom and Gunroom, along with the Junior Ranks Mess – Pacific Fleet Club, now each have their own branded lager — and the response has quickly grown beyond what many expected. 

As part of the initiative, Red Truck completed a special tap takeover by designing and installing custom tap handles inspired by the crest and colours of each participating mess. The beer on tap is Red Truck’s Road Trip Classic Lager, described by the company as a traditional European-style lager made with all Canadian malts and Saaz hops. Since its launch, the re-brand idea has become something more meaningful for members of these spaces. 

“We didn’t know how people would react to a beer change,” shared Kyle Murphy, Red Truck’s Vancouver Island Territory Manager. “Each group has their favourite kind of beer — it can backfire at times. We’re really happy to see how well it has been received.” 

The response has been positive. In fact, the mess-branded lagers have become the top-selling beer at their respective messes, reflecting not only popularity in taste, but also the sense of pride and connection tied to having something uniquely their own. 

“The price is right, and it represents the mess,” said Adolfo Gil, Junior Ranks – Pacific Fleet Club Mess Manager. “It’s been a huge success. For the first couple months, we couldn’t keep it in stock!” 

This partnership also reflects Red Truck’s desire to support the military community beyond business. 

“We are trying to give back as much as we can,” said Murphy. “I have family in the military and our Chief Operations Officer’s (COO) brother is in the military. We view this as more of a partnership than a business deal.” 

By combining tradition with modern community-building techniques, this partnership demonstrates how even small touches — from custom tap handles to a shared pint — can help strengthen morale and connection within the CAF presence at CFB Esquimalt.  

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Traditions and customs continue to play a pivotal role within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), with mess culture forming an important part of that history. In Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces, author E.C. Russell describes the mess as a space that fosters camaraderie, mentorship, and professional development. Russell writes, “The seasoned regimental sergeant major knows the value of the friendly, informal atmosphere of the unit mess where, over a period of time, the Service attitudes and professional competence of junior sergeants are slowly but surely built into something approaching the peak of perfection — far better than can be done in the classroom.”