Archive record · Brewery
Bear Brewing Company Ltd.
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
- Founded
- 1994
- Closed
- 2002
- Archive ID
- TB-EW08AVEV
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
Who owns this brewery?
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Tally Answers Beta
- Who owns this brewery?
- Northam Brewery Limited Partnership (since 2005)Verified
From the record
Summary
Opened by brewmaster David Beardsell in Kamloops in 1994 after work at Okanagan Spring. Tourism Kamloops states Bear Brewing was sold in 2002; preserved as a historical brewery entity. Big Rock filing documents 10,300 sq ft brewery, 20,000 hL capacity and contract production of Whistler/Bowen brands. Legal entity: Bear Brewing Company Ltd. Production evidence: Historical production — David Beardsell founding account, Big Rock corporate filing and archival breweriana. BIG Rock acquired 100% IN 2002; Later site/brand succession TO Kamloops brewery. Owner as recorded: David Beardsell founding brewer; acquired 100% by Big Rock July 1, 2002. Status as recorded: Closed / acquired.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
David Beardsell opened Bear in Kamloops in 1994 after brewing at Okanagan Spring — one of the province's early craft breweries, started by somebody who had already learned the job somewhere else, which was rarer then than it sounds. Tourism Kamloops records it sold in 2002. The archive preserves it as its own historical entity rather than following it into whatever it became under new ownership.
Ownership & corporate history
- Acquired by Big Rock Brewery2002
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0034 ("ACQUIRED OWNER"). The pass dated this 2002-07-01; the cited evidence supports the year, and the CIPO record shows the BEAR BREWING trademark transferred to Big Rock Brewery Partnership on 2003-01-02 (registered 2003-03-19).
- Sold to Northam Brewery Limited Partnership2005
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0034 ("ACQUIRED OWNER"). Big Rock sold the Kamloops operation in 2005 (trademark transferred 2005-10-11, registered 2006-07-25); it continued as Kamloops Brewing / KB and the Bear brands were phased out. Not part of the held claim's wording — a second dated fact the same evidence establishes.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1994Opened by David Beardsell
After brewing at Okanagan Spring.
- 2002Sold
Per Tourism Kamloops; held as a distinct historical entity.
The People
Behind the beer
Central three-brewery Kamloops craft lineage.
Travel Guide
Plan a visit
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1994Founded
- 2002Sold
Per Tourism Kamloops; held as a distinct historical entity.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57, which cited https://www.tourismkamloops.com/blog/meet-the-brewmasters-of-kamloops/ for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 1994, 2002.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Bear Brewing Company Ltd.
- Is Bear Brewing Company Ltd. still open?
- No. Bear Brewing Company Ltd. has closed (2002). Opened by brewmaster David Beardsell in Kamloops in 1994 after work at Okanagan Spring. Tourism Kamloops states Bear Brewing was sold in 2002; preserved as a historical brewery entity. Big Rock filing documents 10,300 sq ft brewery, 20,000 hL capacity and contract production of Whistler/Bowen brands. Legal entity: Bear Brewing Company Ltd. Production evidence: Historical production — David Beardsell founding account, Big Rock corporate filing and archival breweriana. BIG Rock acquired 100% IN 2002; Later site/brand succession TO Kamloops brewery. Owner as recorded: David Beardsell founding brewer; acquired 100% by Big Rock July 1, 2002. Status as recorded: Closed / acquired.
- When was Bear Brewing Company Ltd. founded?
- Bear Brewing Company Ltd. was founded in 1994 in Kamloops, Canada.
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