Archive record · Brewery
Hudson's Bay Company York Factory Brewery
York Factory, Manitoba, Canada
Also known as York Fort Brewery
- Founded
- 1694
- Closed
- Year unknown
- Archive ID
- TB-8XSYXEXQ
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
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From the record
Summary
Historical historical recovery. Manitoba Historical Society records that York Factory had a brewer, William Clarke, who in 1694 was tasked with producing beer for Hudson's Bay Company employees. This row records documented brewery activity at York Factory; it does NOT imply continuous brewing from 1694 onward. Closing year remains UNKNOWN.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1694William Clarke, brewmaster
"The HBC's York Factory was the most prominent of these posts and in the late 17th century mentioned a brewmaster named William Clarke. In 1694, Clarke was tasked with producing beer for employee consumption." The same article: "Fort Albany, Rupert House, Moose Factory, Nelson House and Fort Severn all had active post breweries producing beer prior to 1694" — so York Factory is a documented instance of Company brewing, not the first. The HBC Archives record behind the article's footnote has not been read.
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Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's Manitoba master, Pass 26, which cited https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/74/brewing.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
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 Hudson's Bay Company York Factory Brewery
- Is Hudson's Bay Company York Factory Brewery still open?
- No. Hudson's Bay Company York Factory Brewery has closed. The archive has not established the year it stopped. Historical historical recovery. Manitoba Historical Society records that York Factory had a brewer, William Clarke, who in 1694 was tasked with producing beer for Hudson's Bay Company employees. This row records documented brewery activity at York Factory; it does NOT imply continuous brewing from 1694 onward. Closing year remains UNKNOWN.
- When was Hudson's Bay Company York Factory Brewery founded?
- Hudson's Bay Company York Factory Brewery was founded in 1694 in York Factory, Canada.
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