A Fredericton microbrewery is looking at markets outside New Brunswick after exporting its first shipment of beer to Nova Scotia.

Sean Dunbar, an owner of Northampton Brewery, said this week's shipment of Picaroons across the border into Nova Scotia is a "baby step" in exporting his product elsewhere.

Northampton Brewery has won international awards for its Picaroons Ale, but until now Dunbar has refused to supply beer outside New Brunswick.

"Those shipments are for the private stores which allows us to give a little test marketing. We will be applying for listings in Nova Scotia this fall," he said.

Dunbar said another step forward is $30,000 in funding from the provincial government that will be used to purchase machines to label bottles and load the product onto trucks.

Before Picaroons can consider outside markets, however, Dunbar said an expansion of the current Fredericton brewery is needed.

Downtown retail outlet

"Unfortunately we're at capacity at this building and this brewery. So we can't make any more beer right now," he said.

"So this winter will be spent adding more tank space and upgrading the brewery to actually be able to produce more beer."

Dunbar said there has been interest in Picaroons beer from Scandinavia and parts of the United States. But it will be some time before his brewery will be able to produce enough product to consider international markets.

Along with expanding the brewery, Picaroons is opening a retail outlet in downtown Fredericton later this year.

It will sell beer for home consumption and house a small brewery where visitors will be able to see how the beer is made.