Archive record · Brewery
Kootenay Breweries Ltd.
Nelson / Trail / Fernie, British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
Also known as Kootenay Breweries
- Founded
- 1928
- Closed
- 1959
- Archive ID
- TB-DAXVTXPT
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
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From the record
Summary
BC Ale Trail identifies the Nelson facility as Kootenay Breweries by circa 1928 and describes its evolution into the regional chain that ultimately became Columbia Brewing in Creston. Federal/local Fernie history confirms Interior Breweries purchased Fernie-Fort Steele in 1950 and closed the Fernie and Nelson breweries in 1959 when a larger Creston brewery was built. Corporate legal transitions within 1928-1950 remain partially unresolved, so this version is intentionally bounded and separately sourced. CORRECTION 2026-09-24: the 1955 Exchequer Court record shows Interior Breweries buying Kootenay Breweries Limited (Nelson and Trail, through Kettle Valley Investment Co.) and Fernie Brewing Company Ltd as two separate purchases in June 1950 — Fernie was not part of Kootenay Breweries. The 1928 formation and founders: UNKNOWN, uncorroborated.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57, which cited https://bcaletrail.ca/nelson-brewing-30-years-of-craft-beer/ for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (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 Kootenay Breweries Ltd.
- Is Kootenay Breweries Ltd. still open?
- No. Kootenay Breweries Ltd. has closed (1959). BC Ale Trail identifies the Nelson facility as Kootenay Breweries by circa 1928 and describes its evolution into the regional chain that ultimately became Columbia Brewing in Creston. Federal/local Fernie history confirms Interior Breweries purchased Fernie-Fort Steele in 1950 and closed the Fernie and Nelson breweries in 1959 when a larger Creston brewery was built. Corporate legal transitions within 1928-1950 remain partially unresolved, so this version is intentionally bounded and separately sourced. CORRECTION 2026-09-24: the 1955 Exchequer Court record shows Interior Breweries buying Kootenay Breweries Limited (Nelson and Trail, through Kettle Valley Investment Co.) and Fernie Brewing Company Ltd as two separate purchases in June 1950 — Fernie was not part of Kootenay Breweries. The 1928 formation and founders: UNKNOWN, uncorroborated.
- When was Kootenay Breweries Ltd. founded?
- Kootenay Breweries Ltd. was founded in 1928 in Nelson / Trail / Fernie, British Columbia, Canada.
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