Agassiz Brewing
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| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Products | Beer |
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