Defunct brewery companies of Canada

Question

This piglix contains articles or sub-piglix about Defunct brewery companies of Canada

Answer 1

Agassiz Brewing

Agassiz Brewing Company Ltd

The Agassiz Brewing Company was a Canadian brewing company, founded by former Fort Garry Brewing Company brewmaster Gary De Pape. The company was established in 1998 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and based there until 2010. It was named for the prehistoric glacial Lake Agassiz which once covered much of Manitoba. Agassiz beer was available in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Agassiz Brewing Company was founded by former Fort Garry Brewing Company brewmaster Gary De Pape. It was established in Winnipeg in late 1998 and opened on March 17, 1999. Agassiz was one of a trio of microbreweries, the others being Fort Garry and Two Rivers Brewing, that launched in Manitoba in the late 1990s to produce and bottle locally made beer.

Agassiz did well during its first year, but De Pape left to pursue other interests and sales of its Catfish Cream Ale, Bison Blonde Lager, Premium Pilsner, Dark Lager and Harvest Haze Hefeweizen recipes dropped. Agassiz had difficulty covering operating costs because of the small volume, a fraction of its 600,000 litre capacity.

After considering several options, including approaching rival Fort Garry, it closed its Winnipeg operation on January 31, 2002, sold its assets and went bankrupt to re-emerge as a contract brewer, known as New Manitoba Brewing Ltd. New Manitoba handled marketing, sales, and distribution, leaving brewing and packaging to Northern Breweries, of Greater Sudbury, Ontario.

New Manitoba then came to terms with Fort Garry on a co-packing arrangement. On October 15, 2004, New Manitoba signed an agreement with its former rival for that company to warehouse, distribute and market Agassiz brands.

Fort Garry ended that relationship in January 2010, saying they were too busy with their own brands to have room in their tanks for Agassiz’s last brand, Catfish Cream Ale.

Joe Constant, a partner in New Manitoba, said he and his partners tried unsuccessfuly to get other small breweries to take on brewing Catfish.

These are all no longer available.

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Wikipedia

Answer 2

Carling O%27Keefe

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Wikipedia

Answer 3

Dow Breweries

Dow Breweries was a brewing company based in the province of Quebec, Canada. The company was founded in Montreal by William Dow (1800–1868). Its brewery in Quebec City was formed in 1952 in the facilities formerly used by the Boswell Brewery (1843–1952). It was acquired by Carling O'Keefe and stopped its activities on March 31, 1966. After the purchase by Carling O'Keefe, the Dow brand came under the ownership of Molson, but disappeared from the Canadian market in the spring of 1997. Brands brewed by Dow included Dow Ale, Kingsbeer Lager and Black Horse Ale.

At the urging of Board chair and academic Pierre Gendron, Dow Breweries supported the construction of the Montreal Planetarium, originally calling it "Dow Planetarium". It was completed in 1966 as one of many projects for the Canadian Centennial.

In August 1965, a patient presented to a hospital in Quebec City with symptoms suggestive of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Over the next 8 months 50 more cases with similar findings appeared in the same area with 20 of these being fatal. It was noted that all patients were heavy drinkers who mostly drank beer and preferred the Dow brand, 30 out of those consuming more than 6 liters (12 pints) of beer per day. Epidemiological studies found that Dow had been adding cobalt sulfate to the beer for foam stability since July 1965 and that the concentration added in the Quebec city brewery was 10 times that of the same beer brewed in Montreal where there were no reported cases.

Although Dow denied any responsibility, the Dow Brewery in Quebec City temporarily shut down and the remaining beer was dumped into the Saint Lawrence River. At the time of the incident, Dow Ale was the number one selling beer in Quebec; however, as a result of the "tainted beer scandal" sales of the brand soon dropped dramatically never to recover.

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Wikipedia

Answer 4

Molson Brewery, Edmonton

Molson Brewery, Edmonton

The Molson Brewery in Edmonton was a commercial brewery that served the province of Alberta, Canada, from 1913 until 2007 when it was closed.

The building was built in 1913 by local hotelier, politician and businessman William Henry Sheppard, a former mayor of Strathcona, after he had purchased land in Groat Estates to expand his brewery company. Chicago architect Bernard Barthel was hired to design the building, who had built a reputation for designing breweries modelled on the castles of his German homeland. The building cost $250,000 to construct.

The brewery was sold to Fritz Sick of Lethbridge in 1927, and acquired by Molson in 1958.

In 1961, the company built a decorative building meant to resemble a fur trade fort in front of the brewery. Named Molson House, it was used as a hospitality lounge to entertain customers. In April 2008, Molson-Coors, the owner of the site, offered to give the building away to any organization that would pay to move it off the property. The building was dismantled and moved in 2011 after it was bought by an anonymous Edmonton family.

Molson closed the brewery in August 2007 due to an ongoing worker's strike, the shift in consumer preferences from bottled to canned beer and the company’s loss of a contract to brew the Foster's Group brand. As a result of the closure, 136 people were laid off.

Currently, there are plans to redevelop the site that will integrate the former brewery with residential, retail and commercial space.

Coordinates: 53°32′50″N 113°31′47″W / 53.54722°N 113.52972°W / 53.54722; -113.52972

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Wikipedia

Answer 5

Northern Breweries

Northern Breweries

Northern Breweries was a Canadian brewery, with facilities in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in operation from 1907 until 2006.

The company was founded in 1907 by three families, the Doran family, the Mackey family and the Fee family. The organizer and operating head of the company was J.J. Doran. Doran, together with co-founders J.J. Mackey and Richard Fee expanded operations throughout Northern Ontario.

Construction and commencement of its primary facility began in Sudbury as Sudbury Brewing and Malting Co. in 1907. It began to expand in 1911, with the purchase of the Soo Falls Brewing Co. in Sault Ste. Marie, and again in 1913 with the acquisition of Kakabeka Falls Brewing Co. in Fort William.

In 1919, the company established its Doran's Brewery division in Timmins, and in 1948 it acquired the Port Arthur Beverage Co. in Port Arthur.

All of the individual breweries operated under their original names until 1960. In that year, all of the brewing operations were consolidated under one management, relinquishing their previous names and becoming known as Doran's Northern Breweries.

During its prime, the company's most distinctive product was the "draft ball", draft beer packaged in a large plastic ball instead of a conventional metal beer keg.

On August 31, 1971 the company was purchased by Canadian Breweries, although it continued to operate under the name Doran's Northern Breweries. In July 1977, the Doran's employees purchased the company back from Canadian Breweries, and Northern became the first employee-owned brewing cooperative in North America.

In 1979, the brewery began marketing its beers in Southern Ontario as well.

In 2004, the company was purchased by an investment group led by Leo Schotte. Schotte hired a veteran of the brewery business in Canada, William Sharpe, as president. In 2005, the company announced a major rebranding effort, retiring many of its old products in favour of more modern brews and brand identities.

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Wikipedia

Answer 6

Steelback Brewery

Steelback Brewery

Steelback Brewery was a Canadian based and owned brewery, located in Tiverton, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron.

Steelback Brewery was started in September, 2002 by Frank D'Angelo while looking for expansion space for his juice company, D'Angelo Brands. He found a site in Tiverton, Ontario, for sale by Barry Sherman, founder of Apotex. The facility came with a brewery which D'Angelo had intended to sell, but ultimately decided to start a beer company with the funding of Barry Sherman. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of D'Angelo Brands.

The company's promotional strategy included extensive sponsorship of sporting events and venues, including purchasing naming rights to the Sauble Speedway in Sauble Beach, several community arenas in Toronto, the Grand Prix of Toronto and sponsorship of a Formula One racing team, as well as the Toronto Argonauts.

In 2006, the company purchased the naming rights to the Steelback Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, the new home of the Ontario Hockey League Sault Greyhounds for $1.35 million over 10 years. The company also explored reviving the defunct Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League, under the new name Ottawa Steelback. There was speculation that the bid to resurrect the Ottawa Renegades was nothing more than a publicity stunt, and the offer was subsequently declined by the CFL.

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Wikipedia

Answer 7

Walkerville Brewing Company

Walkerville Brewing Company was a brewery in Windsor, Ontario. The first incarnation operated from 1885 to 1956. A new company with the same name started up in 1998, but declared bankruptcy in 2007.

The brewery had product in many local bars in the area of Windsor and Essex County.

Products:

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