Archive record · Brewery
Olds College Brewery
Olds, Alberta, Canada
- Founded
- 2013
- Closed
- 2026
- Archive ID
- TB-6BKRAZR7
- Last checked
- 2026-10-02
Who owns this brewery?
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From the record
Summary
Closed 2026. Founder: Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. Teaching brewery operated as the learning enterprise for Olds College's brewing program. College announced closure for June 2026 after 13 years; current August 2026 archive status is CLOSED.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Ownership & corporate history
- Controlled by Olds College of Agriculture & Technology2013 – 2026
What the sources say
Olds College operated the teaching/commercial brewery and closed the commercial operation in June 2026.
- Owned by Olds College of Agriculture & Technology2013 – June 2026
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Olds College operated the teaching/commercial brewery and closed the commercial operation in June 2026. Pass source id: SRC-CA-0134; SRC-CA-0135
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
Events
- Olds College Brewery concludes operations2026-06
Closure
The Museum
Timeline
- 2013The teaching brewery
Established in 2013 as the working brewery of the Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations diploma, in Wilson Hall on the Olds campus (named for donors Erma and Roy Wilson).
- 2026Closed by the college
Announced 30 January 2026: new intakes had been suspended in autumn 2025; the diploma is discontinued and the brewery closes in June 2026 after its last students graduate in April — "this decision is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability, strength and focus of Olds College" (Dean Dennis Beaudoin), citing "the downward trend of the craft beer industry and low enrolment"; nine staff affected; "we do not overlook the impact this closure has on our community and the pride we took in our brewery" (VP Dalin Bullock). Two continuing-education courses continue; Wilson Hall's future use is undecided.
The People
Behind the beer
Olds College first-party 2021 article identifies Jason Popesku as Brewmaster; he guided student Beer-to-Market and International Women's Day brewing projects.
Olds College first-party 2021 International Women's Day article identifies Sean Bieri as brewery assistant supporting student brewing.
Olds College says second-year student Chelsea Severson created the recipe for This Sundress Has Pockets, the 2021 International Women's Day Session NE Pale Ale.
The Beer Library
Beers
Field-to-glass provenance: 4/7 · farm or grower known · every step an evidenced link, nothing inferred
Barley Trail
HISTORICAL / CLOSED BREWERYAll-Alberta Malt Beer
Official 2021 Alberta Beer Awards gives bronze; Olds College confirms student-produced beer and award.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Hay City
HISTORICAL / CLOSED BREWERYAmerican-Style Wheat Beer
Olds College documents silver at 2021 Alberta Beer Awards.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →On the record
Awards
- 2024
Bronze — North American Style Amber/Red Ale — Aggie Ale
Canadian Brewing Awards
- 2024
Silver — Ale — Aggie Ale
Canada Beer Cup
- 2023
Gold — Wheat Beer (North American Style) — Hay City
Canadian Brewing Awards
- 2022
Gold — IPA — Prairie Gold
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2022
Gold — IPA
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2021
Bronze — Barley Trail (All-Alberta Malt Beer)
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2021
Silver — Hay City (American-Style Wheat Beer)
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2021
Bronze — All-Alberta Malt Beer — Barley Trail
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2021
Silver — American-Style Wheat Beer — Hay City
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2021
Silver — American Style Wheat Beer
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2021
Bronze — All-Alberta Malt Beer
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2020
Silver — Strong Belgian Ale — Cill Dara
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2020
Bronze — Strong Belgian Ale — Cold Winter's Night
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2020
Silver — Strong Belgian Ale
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2020
Bronze — Strong Belgian Ale
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2018
Bronze — Amber/Dark Hoppy Sessional Beer — Alberta
Alberta Beer Awards
- 2018
Bronze — Amber/Dark Hoppy Sessional Beer
Alberta Beer Awards
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
1 organisations
Connected suppliers & bodies
- alberta beer awardsAwarded2021Bronze — All-Alberta Malt Beer
- alberta beer awardsAwarded2021Silver — American-Style Wheat Beer
- alberta beer awardsAwarded2021Bronze — Barley Trail (All-Alberta Malt Beer)
- alberta beer awardsAwarded2021Silver — Hay City (American-Style Wheat Beer)
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's Alberta master, Pass 26, which cited https://www.oldscollege.ca/news-events/news/2026/brewery-to-close-june-2026.html for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's Alberta master, Pass 26 (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 Olds College Brewery
- Is Olds College Brewery still open?
- No. Olds College Brewery has closed (2026). Closed 2026. Founder: Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. Teaching brewery operated as the learning enterprise for Olds College's brewing program. College announced closure for June 2026 after 13 years; current August 2026 archive status is CLOSED.
- When was Olds College Brewery founded?
- Olds College Brewery was founded in 2013 in Olds, Canada.
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