Hoeschen and Wentzler Brewing Company Ltd.

Status: CLOSED. Saskatoon's first brewing company was created by Ben Hoeschen and Fred Wentzler. The brewery was built in 1907 and opened in March 1908. City heritage evidence says the company was renamed Saskatoon Brewing Company by 1914; exact 1912-1914 transition timing varies across secondary municipal summaries. [Canada Pass 26]

A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.

1. 1906
   Ben Hoeschen comes to Saskatoon to start a brewery

   City of Saskatoon heritage register, Hoeschen House (City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database): "In 1906 Ben Hoeschen moved to Saskatoon to create the Hoeschen and Wentzler Brewing Company Ltd. with his friend, Fred Wentzler, an experienced brewer." The archive records this brewery as founded 1907 and the register gives 1906 for Hoeschen's arrival and 1908 for the first product; the three years describe arrival, founding and first sale, and none is changed here on the strength of a register's prose.

2. 1908
   First commercial product — Saskatoon beer

   City of Saskatoon heritage register, Hoeschen House (City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database): the company "distributed its first commercial product, called Saskatoon beer, in 1908; the name of the beer would change over the years, irreverently sold as Liquid Bread, and later as Big Chief and Red Ribbon." All four beers are already on the archive's records. The register adds that the company "did very well despite Saskatoon's Temperance Roots".

3. 1914
   Wentzler departs; the company is renamed the Saskatoon Brewing Company

   City of Saskatoon heritage register, Hoeschen House (City of Saskatoon Built Heritage Database): "By 1914 Wentzler had moved on to other pursuits, leaving Hoeschen in charge of the Company, which was renamed as the Saskatoon Brewing Company." The successor is held separately as [the-saskatoon-brewing-company-limited], founded 1914. Whether that is a rename, a succession or a new company is NOT established by this source and no ownership event is written from it.