Archive record · Brewery
Sleeman Breweries
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Founded
- 1988
- Archive ID
- TB-GCQPYDG4
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
At the top of the chain: Sapporo Holdings. Every step is shown below.
- Sleeman BreweriesThis brewery
- Sleeman Breweries Ltd.Subsidiary
- Sapporo HoldingsConglomerate
From the record
Summary
Re-established from a family recipe book of 1851. Expanded rapidly before being acquired by Japan's Sapporo in 2006.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Re-established in 1988 from an 1851 family recipe book, then sold to Sapporo in 2006. The heritage is genuine and the owner is in Tokyo.
Ownership & corporate history
- Owned by Sleeman Breweries Ltd.1988
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Current Guelph brewery is operated within Sleeman Breweries Ltd.; historical family brewery lineages are preserved separately.
- Owned by Sapporo Breweries Ltd.2006
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Sleeman corporate history states Sapporo Breweries acquired Sleeman in 2006.
- Subsidiary of Sapporo Breweries Ltd.2006
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Sleeman first-party page explicitly identifies Sapporo Breweries as parent company. Source: https://www.sleemanbreweries.ca/news-and-events/sleeman-breweries-welcomes-new-president-and-ceo
- Owned by Sapporo Breweries2006
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Sleeman corporate history states Sapporo Breweries reached a deal to purchase Sleeman in 2006.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
Where it brewed
- 551 Clair Road West, Guelph, ON N1L 1E9Guelph, Ontario
CURRENT PRODUCTION BREWERY / COMPANY SITE
Operated by Sleeman Brewery (Guelph)
Site detail
Current brewery/company location; historical Sleeman sites must not be collapsed into this address.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1851Founded
Re-established from a family recipe book of 1851.
- 1988Founded
Sleeman Breweries begins brewing in Guelph, Ontario.
- 2006Acquired
Expanded rapidly before being acquired by Japan's Sapporo in 2006.
The People
Behind the beer
Re-established the family brewery in 1988 from an 1851 recipe book.
The Beer Library
Beers
Sleeman
Year-RoundCream Ale
English immigrant John H. Sleeman opened his first Upper Canada brewery in 1836 and moved the family business to Guelph in 1851. Prohibition killed it in 1933, and the recipes sat untouched for half a century until his great-great-grandson found the family's old brewing notebooks at his aunt's house in 1984 and relaunched the company in 1988. It's now owned by Sapporo — the same brewery a few pages over in this passport.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1988Founded
- 2006Acquired
Expanded rapidly before being acquired by Japan's Sapporo in 2006.
Today the chain tops out at Sapporo Holdings.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Sleeman Breweries is controlled by Public company.
Sapporo Holdings Fact Book · Sapporo Holdings · 2025-06
BreweryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Brewery-statedClaim last checked 2026-08-05
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 Sleeman Breweries
- Who owns Sleeman Breweries?
- Sleeman Breweries is owned by Sleeman Breweries Ltd.. Sleeman Breweries Ltd. is part of Sapporo Holdings. Sleeman Breweries is based in Guelph, Canada.
- Is Sleeman Breweries still independent?
- No. Sleeman Breweries is owned by Sleeman Breweries Ltd., ultimately Sapporo Holdings, and is no longer independent.
- When was Sleeman Breweries acquired?
- 2006. Expanded rapidly before being acquired by Japan's Sapporo in 2006.
- When was Sleeman Breweries founded?
- Sleeman Breweries was founded in 1988 in Guelph, Canada.
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