Union Brewing Co. (Nanaimo)
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada · Est. 1891
Tally's Take
Why this matters
Twenty years on its own, then absorbed. SFU dates Union Brewing 1891 to 1911, after which it ran as part of BC Breweries Ltd through prohibition and on to July 1921. That month is the real one: three separate Nanaimo brewery lines end in July 1921 — Union, Empire and Lansdowne. The town's first brewing era does not die when prohibition arrives in 1917. It dies when prohibition lifts.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1891Opens
Independent until 1911.
- 1911Into BC Breweries Ltd
Continues as part of the consolidated company.
- 1921Line ends
July 1921 — alongside Empire and Lansdowne.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1891Founded
- 1911Into BC Breweries Ltd
Continues as part of the consolidated company.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
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 reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 1891, 1911, 1921.
Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 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 Union Brewing Co. (Nanaimo)
- Is Union Brewing Co. (Nanaimo) still open?
- No. Union Brewing Co. (Nanaimo) has closed. BC Pass 57. SFU timeline dates Union Brewing 1891-1911, then as part of BC Breweries Ltd through Prohibition and to July 1921.
- When was Union Brewing Co. (Nanaimo) founded?
- Union Brewing Co. (Nanaimo) was founded in 1891 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
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