Fort Garry Brewing Company

The Fort Garry Brewing Company Ltd is a brewery in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Fort Garry Brewing Company Ltd
IndustryAlcoholic beverage
Founded1920s, 1994
HeadquartersWinnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
ProductsBeer
Ownerpublicly traded
Websitewww.fortgarry.com

History

The company was bought by the Hoeschen family in 1930, and operated by them until it was sold to Molson in 1960, and incorporated as "Molson's Fort Garry Brewery Ltd". In 1990, Molson merged with Carling-Okeefe and closed the Fort Garry facility.[1] In 1994, Richard D. Hoeschen resurrected the company. At the time, Fort Garry Brewing was the only micro-brewery in Manitoba, and the beer was originally intended only to be available in kegs. Before opening the doors, Hoeschen hired Gary De Pape as Brewmaster and the two developed the Company's flagship brand Fort Garry Dark.[2] Richard D. Hoeschen died on September 16, 2002.[3]

In 2003, Fort Garry Brewing amalgamated with Winnipeg's Two Rivers Brewing Company (established in the 1990s), keeping the Fort Garry name, but adding some of Two Rivers’ brands to its product line.[4]

On October 15, 2004, Fort Garry Brewing signed an agreement with its former Manitoba rival, New Manitoba Brewing, to warehouse, distribute and market the Agassiz Brewing brand, Catfish Cream Ale. In 2010, Fort Garry Brewing ceased production of the product.[5]

Since 2005, Fort Garry Beer is sold in Manitoba and Alberta. As of November 2015, the current brewmaster at Fort Garry is Dan Geddes.

In 2007, Fort Garry began to brew and bottle Nubru Blend, the first gluten-free beer in Manitoba, for FarmPure Beverages of Regina, Saskatchewan.[6]

On October 22, 2007, Fort Garry Brewing Company amalgamated with Russell Brewing Company[1] as wholly owned subsidiaries of Russell Breweries Inc, of Surrey, British Columbia, in a deal worth $4 million in cash and stock.[7]

In 2008, 2009, and 2010, the brewery produced a custom brew for Winnipeg's Folklorama festival, called "Folklorama Beer".[8][9]

In 2012, Fort Garry Brewing Company partnered with the Winnipeg Goldeyes to produce a pilsner called "Angry Fish" to promote the team's new secondary logo.[10]

Brands
Fort Garry Dark Ale

Most brands are 5% alcohol by volume, and available in small bottles, or sold as draft beer in bars.

  • Fort Garry Pale Ale
  • Fort Garry Dark Ale
  • Frontier Pilsner (discontinued in 2013 to return later that year revamped with the original recipe from 1932)
  • Fort Garry Premium Light (4% alcohol)
  • Stone Cold Draft (budget beer in 650mL and 2L plastic bottles, 6.2%)
  • Cold One Draft (1L plastic bottles)
  • Folklorama (made Folklorama, for Winnipeg's annual and world's largest multicultural festival)
  • Angry Fish Pilsner (made in partnership with Winnipeg Goldeyes)
  • Fort Garry Rouge
  • Two Rivers Lager

Brewmaster's Series and Seasonal releases:

  • Munich Eisbock (660 mL bottles) - Oct. 2011
  • Kona Imperial Stout (660 mL bottles to 2014. Cans in 2015) - Spring 2012-14, January 2015
  • Happy Jack Pumpkin Ale (660 mL bottles) - Autumn since 2012
  • St. Nick's Oak Spiced Porter (660 mL bottles) - Winter 2012-13
  • Portage and Main India Pale Ale (473 mL cans) - Intermittent since Spring 2013
  • Big Bison ESB (660 mL bottles) - Spring 2014
  • Evil Goat Dopplebock (473 mL cans) - Summer 2014
  • Raspberry Quencher Wheat Beer (473 mL cans) - Summer 2014
  • Big Buddha Lemon Wheatgrass Beer (473 mL cans) - Summer since 2014
  • Das München Oktoberfest (473 mL cans) - Autumn 2014
  • Naughty & Spice Porter (660 mL bottle) - Autumn since 2014
  • Golden Boy India Pale Lager (341mL bottle) - Spring 2017 - Collaboration with the Manitoba Brewers Association
  • Lucky Cherry Cider (473mL cans) - Spring 2017
  • Friday Knights Weekend Warrior (473mL can) - Summer 2017
  • Extra Special Bitter (473mL cans) - Summer 2017

Growler Only Releases:

  • Oak Aged Fort Garry Dark (2014, 2017)
  • Red Reaper Rye Ale (2015)

Formerly brewed:

  • Agassiz Catfish Cream Ale (under contract)
  • Farmpure Nubru Blend (under contract)
  • Fort Garry Lime (473 mL cans)

See also

References
  1. "Our Story". Fort Garry. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  2. Waytiuk, Judy (1 May 1995). "Tapping beer tastes: how Rick Hoeschen founded a brewery". Manitoba Business. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  3. "RICHARD HOESCHEN". Winnipeg Free Press Passages. 19 September 2002. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  4. Reimer, Dallas. "Fort Garry Brewing". United Nations of Beer. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  5. Kirbyson, Geoff (29 January 2010). "Agassiz ale no longer made in Manitoba". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  6. "New Winnipeg-brewed beer light, crisp — and gluten-free". CBC News. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  7. "Russell Breweries tries to swallow Fort Garry". Vancouver Sun. Canada.com. 29 May 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  8. "Folklorama beer returns". Winnipeg Free Press. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  9. Preprost, Matt (16 August 2010). "Folklorama on top of the world". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  10. Baxter, David (11 May 2012). "Goldeyes hope to score homerun with Angry Fish beer". Metro Winnipeg. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
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