Archive record · Brewery
Riesterer / Nelson Brewing historical lineage
Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
Also known as Riesterer and Co., Nelson Brewery, Nelson Brewing and Ice Co., Nelson Brewing Co.
- Founded
- 1893
- Closed
- 1928
- Archive ID
- TB-SBDT4FXB
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
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From the record
Summary
SFU continuity row traces Riesterer & Co. (1893-97) → Nelson Brewery (1897-98) → Nelson Brewing & Ice Co. (1899-1904) → Nelson Brewing Co. (1904-28, interrupted by Prohibition). Nelson Museum says Robert Riesterer was brewing locally by 1894 and that later consolidation ultimately moved production to Creston in 1959. This historical lineage is separate from the unrelated modern 1991 Nelson Brewing Company despite reuse of the old brewery building.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Nelson's main brewing line, and thirty-five years of it: Riesterer & Co. From 1893, Nelson Brewery from 1897, Nelson Brewing & Ice Co. From 1899, and Nelson Brewing Co. From 1904 to 1928, with prohibition cutting through the middle. The Nelson Museum has Robert Riesterer brewing locally by 1894, and records that later consolidation eventually moved production out to Creston in 1959. One thing to be clear about: the Nelson Brewing Company operating today was founded in 1991 and has no connection to this, despite working out of the same old brewery building. Same walls, different company.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1893Riesterer & Co.
The Nelson Museum has Robert Riesterer brewing locally by 1894.
- 1897Nelson Brewery
Second name in the continuity.
- 1899Nelson Brewing & Ice Co.
Ice was as saleable as beer before refrigeration.
- 1904Nelson Brewing Co.
Runs to 1928, interrupted by prohibition.
- 1904Hotel men buy both breweries — Latimer Street $35,000, the Castle $14,000
Nelson Daily News, 16 October 1904 (via Greg Nesteroff): local hotel men led by J. J. Malone and Gus Thomas "had formed the Nelson Brewing Co. and acquired both the Riesterer brewery on Latimer Street for $35,000 ... and the Castle for $14,000". Robert Riesterer's nephew John Robert Riesterer had "built his own brewery in 1899 on Hall Mines Road" — a third Nelson brewery not held by the archive.
- 1959Production moves to Creston
After later consolidation, per the Nelson Museum.
The People
Behind the beer
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57, which cited https://www.sfu.ca/archives/archives-program/research/bc-beer-history-archive/bc-beer-history-archive-resources/timeline-pre-prohibition.html 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 - historyProbable
Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 1893, 1897, 1899, 1904, 1959.
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 Riesterer / Nelson Brewing historical lineage
- Is Riesterer / Nelson Brewing historical lineage still open?
- No. Riesterer / Nelson Brewing historical lineage has closed (1928). SFU continuity row traces Riesterer & Co. (1893-97) → Nelson Brewery (1897-98) → Nelson Brewing & Ice Co. (1899-1904) → Nelson Brewing Co. (1904-28, interrupted by Prohibition). Nelson Museum says Robert Riesterer was brewing locally by 1894 and that later consolidation ultimately moved production to Creston in 1959. This historical lineage is separate from the unrelated modern 1991 Nelson Brewing Company despite reuse of the old brewery building.
- When was Riesterer / Nelson Brewing historical lineage founded?
- Riesterer / Nelson Brewing historical lineage was founded in 1893 in Nelson, Canada.
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