Archive record · Brewery
Stronghold Brewing Co.
Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada
- Founded
- Not recorded
- Archive ID
- TB-SDFP4RTM
- Last checked
- 2026-08-23
Who owns this brewery?
Independent ownership is recorded. No parent company is held in the archive.
Tally Answers Beta
- Who owns this brewery?
- Colton Wark and Amanda WarkVerified
From the record
Summary
Created 2026-08-19 from the brewery's own About and Beer pages. Founding year UNKNOWN — the site's 2018 copyright notice is not a founding statement. Family-owned; Colton & Amanda Wark are the owners from August 2024.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
In 1874 the North-West Mounted Police marched west and built a fort to shut down the illegal whisky trade that was wrecking the southern Alberta plains. A hundred and fifty years later there is a brewery on that town's Main Street, named after the fort — which is either irony or restitution, depending on how you feel about legal alcohol. It sits in the 1907 Reach Block, a building well-known enough as a filming location to have appeared in Fargo, and it named a lager after it. The Henderson family built the business; since August 2024 it has been owned by Colton and Amanda Wark. The beer list runs from a plainly-made cream ale to a blood orange pilsner and a watermelon gose, which is about the right spread for a small-town brewery that has to be everybody's local.
The founding thesisThe North-West Mounted Police built a fort at Fort Macleod in 1874 to end the illegal whisky trade on the Canadian plains. A brewery now operates on that town's Main Street, named after the fort.
Ownership & corporate history
- Founded by Larry HendersonDate unknown
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0312 ("undefined"). The 'family owners — names unresolved' are the Hendersons: parents Larry and Elaine with children Tom and Ayleigh opened the brewery on Fort Macleod's historic Main Street (owner-provided information relayed 2026-09-08 says late 2018; no citable source dates it, so no start is asserted).
- Founded by Elaine HendersonDate unknown
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0312 ("undefined"). Co-founding parent.
- Founded by Tom HendersonDate unknown
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0312 ("undefined"). Co-founder and brewer, Olds College brewmaster diploma.
- Founded by Ayleigh HendersonDate unknown
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0312 ("undefined"). Co-Founder and Head of Hoppiness; received the Fort Macleod Chamber's New Business Award.
- Owned by Colton WarkDate unknown
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0312 ("undefined"). Current co-owner with Amanda Wark, in the 1907 former general store. Owner-provided information dates the purchase from the Hendersons to around mid-2024; the citable record bounds it only by the new owners' rebrand winning gold at the 2025 Hermes Creative Awards, so no start is asserted until a dated source (sale coverage or licence transfer) surfaces.
- Owned by Amanda WarkDate unknown
What the sources say
Resolves held claim HOC-0312 ("undefined"). Current co-owner.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1874The fort the brewery is named for
The North-West Mounted Police establish a post at Fort Macleod to end the illegal whisky trade.
- 2024Sold to Colton & Amanda Wark
New owners from August 2024, per the brewery's own about page.
The People
Behind the beer
Owner with Amanda Wark since August 2024, per the brewery's own about page.
Owner with Colton Wark since August 2024, per the brewery's own about page.
A co-owner under the founding Henderson family, before the 2024 sale. Accepted a New Business Award for the brewery from the Fort Macleod Chamber of Commerce.
The Beer Library
Beers
Bison & Crown
Year-RoundCream Ale
Light-bodied with a crisp finish. The brewery calls it "audaciously undecorated".
Drank this? Add it to your passport →IPA Toucans
Year-RoundWest Coast IPA
Bright citrus and pine, hop-forward and clear — West Coast rather than hazy.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pink Guava Pils
Year-RoundPilsner
A pilsner infused with pink guava; subtle fruit against a clean lager finish.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Interstellar
Year-RoundOatmeal Stout
Roasted malt and subtle chocolate, creamy-bodied and balanced.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Cowboy Common
Year-RoundCalifornia Common
The brewery labels it a Cali Common and describes it as a malt-forward amber with caramel and biscuit.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Reach & Co. Lager
Year-RoundLager
Named for the 1907 Reach Block, the building the brewery occupies.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Junimo Crush
Year-RoundHazy Pale Ale
Citrus and tropical fruit, smooth-bodied.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Firefly Fury
Year-RoundBlood Orange Pilsner
Zesty blood orange over crisp malt.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Watermelon Crawl
Year-RoundGose
Watermelon with a touch of sea salt and a tart finish.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Travel Guide
Plan a visit
- Taproom
- Food menu
- Non-alcoholic options
- Private rentals
- Events
Housed in the 1907 Reach Block on Fort Macleod's Main Street, within a Provincial Historic Area. The building has been used as a filming location, including for Fargo.
On the record
Awards
- 2023
Gold — IPA — IPA Toucans
Alberta Beer Awards
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 2024Sold to Colton & Amanda Wark
New owners from August 2024, per the brewery's own about page.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
What the archive does not know yet
Open questions
- UnknownfoundedFounding year not established. The brewery's website carries a 2018 copyright notice, which is not a statement of when it opened, and no source consulted gives a founding date. Retained as unknown rather than inferred.
Know the answer? Write to [email protected] with a source, and the record is corrected and credited to you.
Show your working
Sources
- peopleConfirmed
Colton and Amanda Wark have owned the brewery since August 2024 — the brewery's own about page states "Since August 2024, new owners Colton & Amanda Wark". The business was previously owned by the Henderson family; Ayleigh Henderson is corroborated as a co-owner by a Fort Macleod Chamber of Commerce award post and a brewery-profile interview. A fuller Henderson roster circulating on LinkedIn and Facebook is NOT adopted here pending better evidence.
Stronghold Brewing Co. — About and Beer pages · Stronghold Brewing Co. · 2026
BreweryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Brewery-statedClaim last checked 2026-08-19 - foundedUnknown
Founding year not established. The brewery's website carries a 2018 copyright notice, which is not a statement of when it opened, and no source consulted gives a founding date. Retained as unknown rather than inferred.
Stronghold Brewing Co. — About and Beer pages · Stronghold Brewing Co. · 2026
BreweryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Brewery-statedClaim last checked 2026-08-19 - beersConfirmed
Beer names and styles taken from the brewery's own beer page. No ABVs are published there, so none are recorded. The Village Brewery apple cider listed on that page is a guest product and is deliberately not recorded as a Stronghold beer.
Stronghold Brewing Co. — About and Beer pages · Stronghold Brewing Co. · 2026
BreweryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Brewery-statedClaim last checked 2026-08-19 - nonAlcoholicConfirmed
The brewery's about page states it serves "in-house beer, experimental styles, and non-alcoholic options".
Stronghold Brewing Co. — About and Beer pages · Stronghold Brewing Co. · 2026
BreweryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Brewery-statedClaim 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 Stronghold Brewing Co.
- Who owns Stronghold Brewing Co.?
- Stronghold Brewing Co. is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Fort Macleod, Canada.
- Is Stronghold Brewing Co. independent?
- Yes. Stronghold Brewing Co. is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
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