Archive record · Brewery
Empire Brewing Company
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
- Founded
- 1899
- Closed
- 1931
- Archive ID
- TB-SMZ28HQF
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
Who owns this brewery?
Not yet mapped as a company, so the chain above it is still open.
From the record
Summary
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 succession AT High level; exact equity/transaction details HELD.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
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.
Ownership & corporate history
- Owned by Canadian Brewing Corporation1928 – 1931
What the sources say
Purchased Empire in late 1928 before 1931 closure.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
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.
The People
Behind the beer
Purchased idle former Crown plant, renamed it Empire and modernized brewing equipment.
The Beer Library
Beers
Empire Ale
RetiredAle
MHS identifies Empire Ale as the flagship brand after the 1899 revival. (HISTORICAL) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Empire Temperance Beer
RetiredTemperance Beer ≤2% historical regulatory category
Produced as legal low-alcohol beer during prohibition-era restrictions. (HISTORICAL / PROHIBITION-ERA) [Canada Pass 83]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →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 reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 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 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 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 (1931). 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 succession AT High level; exact equity/transaction details HELD.
- When was Empire Brewing Company founded?
- Empire Brewing Company was founded in 1899 in Brandon, Canada.
Drinking Empire Brewing Company? Stamp it in your passport.
Discover it here — collect it in the Passport. Track every beer, earn stamps, and build your own beer passport.
Every brewery deserves its full story told.
If you're the owner or team behind Empire Brewing Company, we'll build out your complete profile — history, the people, every beer — and feature you in a Tally's documentary. No cost, just your story.
No payment affects this record — editorial policy