Archive record · Brewery
Okanagan Spring Brewery
Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
- Founded
- 1985
- Archive ID
- TB-MSNVQNEC
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
Who owns this brewery?
Not yet mapped as a company, so the chain above it is still open.
Tally Answers Beta
- Who owns this brewery?
- Sleeman Breweries Ltd.Verified
From the record
Summary
Founded by Buko von Krosigk and Jakob Tobler. Brewery remains at its original Vernon rail-side site; Sleeman also uses Vernon capacity for additional portfolio production. Legal entity: Okanagan Spring Brewery / Sleeman Breweries Ltd. Production evidence: Current production — first-party Okanagan Spring/Sleeman sources confirm continuing Vernon brewery and portfolio production. Current corporate ownership — Sleeman acquired 1996; Sapporo acquired Sleeman 2006. Owner as recorded: Sleeman Breweries Ltd. / Sapporo. Status as recorded: ACTIVE.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Ownership & corporate history
- Founded by Buko von Krosigk; Jakob Tobler1985
What the sources say
Corporate first-party history identifies both as Okanagan Spring founders.
- Founded by Buko von Krosigk1985
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Corporate first-party history identifies both as Okanagan Spring founders. Pass source id: SRC-CA-1157; SRC-CA-1158
- Founded by Jakob Tobler1985
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Corporate first-party history identifies both as Okanagan Spring founders. Pass source id: SRC-CA-1157; SRC-CA-1158
- Acquired by Sleeman Breweries Ltd.1996
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0028 ("ACQUIRED OWNER / OPERATING GROUP"). Structured as a reverse merger with Allied Strategies Inc., Okanagan Spring's owner, creating the national Sleeman Breweries Ltd. and giving Sleeman access to equity markets via Allied's Vancouver Stock Exchange listing.
- Owned by Sapporo2006
Open questionRecorded, not yet proven. It stays open until a source settles it.
What the sources say
Sapporo acquired Sleeman in 2006; Okanagan Spring therefore sits within the Sapporo group through Sleeman.
- Subsidiary of Sapporo2006
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Sapporo acquired Sleeman in 2006; Okanagan Spring therefore sits within the Sapporo group through Sleeman. Pass source id: SRC-CA-1160
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1985New Year's Eve 1985, from a rail-side beer store
"When Jakob Tobler arrived in Canada from Dinkelscherben, Germany in 1983, he wasn't planning to shape the history of craft brewing"; with Buko von Krosigk he opened in Vernon — "On New Year's Eve 1985, the first bottles of Okanagan Spring Brewery's Premium Lager were sold to thirsty customers from a rail-side beer store - the same location where the brewery stands today."
- 1996Sleeman
"In 1996, John Sleeman, then president of Sleeman Breweries, was exploring ways to build on the success of his Ontario-based Sleeman Brewery. He approached the owners of Okanagan Spring" — the purchase formed the enlarged Sleeman Breweries Ltd.; Sleeman itself was bought by Sapporo in 2006 (reported: CA$400 million). The Vernon plant still brews.
The People
Behind the beer
Corporate brewery history identifies von Krosigk as co-founder in 1985.
Corporate brewery history identifies Tobler as co-founder in 1985.
Sleeman and Museum & Archives of Vernon identify Kalinoswki as the original brewmaster.
Museum/corporate histories document Stefan Tobler's brewing role at Okanagan Spring.
Sleeman 40-year history documents Andy Tobler's current brewery role.
Sleeman 40-year history documents Markus Tobler's current brewery role.
The Beer Library
Beers
Munich Wheat
Year-RoundWheat Ale
Current first-party beer page; 18 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Wildlands BC Pale Ale
Year-RoundPale Ale
Current first-party beer page; 23 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →HoneyKolsch
Year-RoundKölsch
Current first-party beer page; 17 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Terrace Mountain Session IPA
Year-RoundSession IPA
Current first-party beer page; 34 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Porter
Year-RoundPorter
Current first-party beer page; 21 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →King Eddy Pilsner
Year-RoundPilsner
Current first-party beer page; 32 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Switchback Citrus Ale
Year-RoundCitrus Ale
Current first-party beer page; 17 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Ghost Trail Dark Lager
Year-RoundDark Lager
Current first-party beer page; 17 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Summer Weizen
Year-RoundWheat Ale
Current first-party beer page; 14 IBU. (Current / year-round or limited)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →1516 Lager
Lager
Current first-party beer portfolio. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pale Ale
Pale ale
Current first-party beer portfolio. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Honey Kolsch
Kölsch-style ale
Current first-party beer portfolio. (CURRENT) [Canada Pass 102]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Travel Guide
Plan a visit
On the record
Awards
- 2020
Canada Country Winner — Porter — Porter
World Beer Awards
- 2020
Silver — Lager / Classic Pilsener — King Eddy Pilsner
World Beer Awards
- 2020
Silver — Pale / Amber — Pale Ale
World Beer Awards
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Straight answers
Common questions about Okanagan Spring Brewery
- Who owns Okanagan Spring Brewery?
- Okanagan Spring Brewery is part of the Sapporo group. The exact current direct legal owner has not been established in this archive. It is based in Vernon, Canada.
- Is Okanagan Spring Brewery still independent?
- No. Okanagan Spring Brewery is part of the Sapporo group and is not independent, though its direct legal owner has not been established.
- When was Okanagan Spring Brewery founded?
- Okanagan Spring Brewery was founded in 1985 in Vernon, Canada.
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