Fort Garry Brewing
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada · Est. 1930
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The rarest story in this archive told backwards. Founded in 1930, sold to Molson in 1960, then shut outright when Molson merged with Carling O'Keefe in 1990 — the ordinary fate of a regional brewery. Except in 1994 Richard D. Hoeschen resurrected it, and the family got back the brand the conglomerate had closed. Manitoba's oldest brewery is old because someone refused to let it stay dead.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1930Founded, and bought the same year
Fort Garry Brewing is established and acquired by the Hoeschen family, who run it for three decades.
- 1960Sold to Molson
The Hoeschens sell to Molson, ending thirty years of family ownership.
- 1990Closed by a merger
Molson merges with Carling O'Keefe and shuts the Fort Garry facility.
- 1994Resurrected
Richard D. Hoeschen brings the company back — the family reclaiming a brand a conglomerate had closed.
- 2003Two Rivers absorbed
Amalgamates with Winnipeg's Two Rivers Brewing Company, keeping the Fort Garry name and adding Two Rivers brands.
The Beer Library
Beers
Fort Garry Dark Ale
Year-RoundEnglish Dark Mild
A dark mild as a prairie flagship, which is an unusual bet. Winnipeg winters make a case for it that a marketing department never could.
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Plan a visit
- Production facility
- Retail store
- Province-wide distribution
The Manitoba compendium lists 1020 Cambie St for this brewery. That is not its address — the brewery is on Lowson Crescent, which is why no coordinate from that source is recorded here.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
2 recorded moves- 1930Founded
- 1930Founded, and bought the same year
Fort Garry Brewing is established and acquired by the Hoeschen family, who run it for three decades.
- 1960Sold to Molson
The Hoeschens sell to Molson, ending thirty years of family ownership.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
Straight answers
Common questions about Fort Garry Brewing
- Who owns Fort Garry Brewing?
- Fort Garry Brewing is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
- Is Fort Garry Brewing independent?
- Yes. Fort Garry Brewing is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- When was Fort Garry Brewing founded?
- Fort Garry Brewing was founded in 1930 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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