Empire Brewing Company
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada · Est. 1899
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The longest run in Brandon's brewing history — thirty-two years — and it began in somebody else's building, the former Crown Brewery plant. It built a new plant in 1903, was purchased by the Canadian Brewing Corporation in 1928, and closed in September 1931. This is also the third Empire Brewery in this archive, after Victoria's (1885–87) and Nanaimo's (1891–1917), and there is no connection between any of the three.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1899Arises from the Crown Brewery plant
Distinct from the Empire Breweries of Victoria and Nanaimo.
- 1903New plant built
Brandon.
- 1928Bought by Canadian Brewing Corporation
Three years before the end.
- 1931Closed
September 1931.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1899Founded
- 1928Bought by Canadian Brewing Corporation
Three years before the end.
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 Manitoba master, Pass 26, which cited https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/56/beveragerooms.shtml for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's Manitoba master, Pass 26 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in the source pass: 1899, 1903, 1928, 1931.
Tally's Manitoba master, Pass 26 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 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 Empire Brewing Company
- Who owns Empire Brewing Company?
- Empire Brewing Company is recorded as owned by Isaac Alvin Robinson initially; later Peter Payne, Andrew Kelly, John Hanbury, David Marr Walker; Canadian Brewing Corporation from 1928, which does not yet have a full company profile in this archive.
- Is Empire Brewing Company still open?
- No. Empire Brewing Company has closed. Manitoba Pass 26 master. Research brewery ID: MB-B0031. Entity type: Historical production brewery. MHS dates Empire Brewing to 1899-1931. It arose from the former Crown Brewery plant, built a new plant in 1903, was purchased by Canadian Brewing Corporation in 1928, and closed in September 1931. Ownership as recorded: OWNERSHIP SUCCESSION VERIFIED AT HIGH LEVEL; exact equity/transaction details HELD.
- When was Empire Brewing Company founded?
- Empire Brewing Company was founded in 1899 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.
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