Lion Brewing Company
Rossland, British Columbia, Canada · Est. 1890
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The Kootenay consolidator. The Rossland Museum documents Louis Blue's Lion Brewery absorbing the Yuengling brewery at Trail in 1899 and merging with Rossland's own Columbia Brewery in 1900, after which it claimed to be the largest brewery in British Columbia. It closed in 1907. Three other records in this archive — Columbia, Yuengling Brothers and their predecessor J.R. Myers — end exactly where this one grows, which makes Lion the centre of the Kootenay brewing map rather than just another brewery on it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1890Louis Blue's Lion Brewery
Rossland.
- 1899Absorbs the Yuengling brewery at Trail
Per the Rossland Museum.
- 1900Merges with Columbia Brewery
Claimed thereafter to be British Columbia's largest brewery.
- 1907Closed
Seventeen years.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
2 recorded moves- 1890Founded
- 1899Absorbs the Yuengling brewery at Trail
Per the Rossland Museum.
- 1900Merges with Columbia Brewery
Claimed thereafter to be British Columbia's largest brewery.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57, which cited https://www.rosslandmuseum.ca/vices-alcohol 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 reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 1890, 1899, 1900, 1907.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 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 Lion Brewing Company
- Is Lion Brewing Company still open?
- No. Lion Brewing Company has closed. BC Pass 57. Rossland Museum documents Louis Blue's Lion Brewery/Lion Brewing Company; it absorbed Yuengling Brewery in Trail in 1899, merged with Columbia Brewery in 1900, claimed to be B.C.'s largest brewery, and closed in 1907.
- When was Lion Brewing Company founded?
- Lion Brewing Company was founded in 1890 in Rossland, British Columbia, Canada.
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