Lethbridge Brewery

Fritz Sick's original brewing operation, 1901. Site chosen at the corner of 1st Street and 2nd Avenue South for water and railway access. Became Lethbridge Brewing and Malting Co. in 1905 and Lethbridge Breweries Ltd. in 1918 before entering the 1928 Associated Breweries amalgamation. Brewing ceased 1990; the buildings were demolished in 1991. Old Style Pilsner and Alberta's Pride are both evidenced here through surviving bottles held by the Galt Museum & Archives. [Sicks Pass 01] FILLED 2026-09-24: from the Galt Museum, Global News and HistoryLink; the LAC essay on the chain is cited as a pointer, unread. UNKNOWN: the original street address; the 1958 terms; where production went in 1990; a HeRMIS listing (page 1 of the Lethbridge results shows none). THE CHAIN, 2026-09-24: Capilano (Vancouver, 1934-2019), Regina (1907; Sick 1925; closed 2002), Prince Albert (1924-1986) and Edmonton (1927; closed 2007) now carry their own sourced histories. ROSTERS 2026-09-24: licensed as Lethbridge Breweries, Limited (No. 2) in every Alberta roster from the register's first year, 1924, through 1930 — the name the Sicks traded under before Sicks' Lethbridge Brewery.

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

1. 1901
   Fritz Sick's one-man brewery

   "In 1901, a small operation started in Lethbridge... the beginning of the Sick beer empire" — Fritz Sick (1859-1945) "started the Alberta Brewing & Malting Co, basically running a one-man show, doing the work of brewer, maltster, cooper, salesman and office manager" (Galt Museum). A collectors' account says 1902 and 'Lethbridge Breweries Limited'; the museum's year stands, the other is kept. Later names reported (unconfirmed): Lethbridge Malting Company Ltd; Lethbridge Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd. The original site's street address: UNKNOWN.

2. 1926
   Old Style Pilsner

   "Old Style Pilsner was first brewed in 1926 by Fritz Sick at his Sick's Breweries Ltd. in Lethbridge, Alberta" — "the original label was designed by his daughter, Louise Sick" — a beer he "couldn't introduce... until after prohibition was over".

3. 1928
   Associated Breweries of Canada

   The company became Associated Breweries of Canada Ltd in 1928 and Sicks' Breweries Ltd in 1944, by then with at least 10,000 shareholders; the Sicks had bought breweries in Regina (1923), Edmonton (1927) and Vancouver (1930) and built one at Prince Albert; Emil Sick bought Seattle's Century Brewery in 1935 and merged it with Rainier (a Library and Archives Canada essay, reported via a search summary — the page was not read directly and these dates are UNCONFIRMED).

4. 1930
   Fritz retires; Emil takes Lethbridge

   Fritz Sick retired in 1930 and started Vancouver's Capilano Brewery in 1934, dying in Tacoma in 1945; Emil Sick (born Tacoma, 3 June 1894, once a shipping clerk at his father's brewery) took over the Lethbridge operations in 1930 and moved to Seattle in 1933.

5. 1958
   Molson takes control

   "In 1958, Sick management came to an end when Molson took control." The plant went on brewing Lethbridge Pilsner and Lethbridge Lager Beer. Date and terms of the deal: UNKNOWN.

6. 1990
   Closed after the Carling O'Keefe merger

   "In 1989, Molson's merged with Carling O'Keefe Operations and in 1990, operations ceased at the Lethbridge Brewery. In 1991... the brewery was knocked down" (Galt Museum). Where production went: UNKNOWN. The ash-disposal ground became the Brewery Gardens, gifted to the City, at 50 1st Avenue South.

7. 2026
   A Smile in Every Bottle

   The Galt Museum & Archives ran the exhibit 'A Smile in Every Bottle: Sicks' Breweries Ltd.' from 21 March to 6 September 2026 and holds Sick's bottles and labels in its collection.