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Archive record · Brewery

Walter & Smith / Wills Brewery lineage

Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

Also known as Walter and Smith Brewers, Wills Brewer

Closed · 1896Ownership unknownMicrobrewery
Founded
1892
Closed
1896
Archive ID
TB-W4TN1XK2
Last checked
Not yet checked

Who owns this brewery?

Not yet establishedNot yet established

The archive is still digging. That is a gap in the research, not a finding of independence.

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01

From the record

Summary

SFU continuity row dates Walter & Smith 1892-93 and Wills Brewer 1893-96; separate from the Riesterer/Nelson lineage.

A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.

Tally’s Take

Four years and two names in a Kootenay mining town at its loudest. SFU's continuity row dates Walter & Smith 1892–93 and Wills Brewer 1893–96, and keeps the whole thing separate from the Riesterer line that became Nelson Brewing. Two unrelated brewing businesses starting in the same small city within a year of each other is what a mining boom does to a place.

02

The Museum

Timeline

  1. 1892
    Walter & Smith

    Separate from the Riesterer/Nelson Brewing lineage.

  2. 1893
    Wills Brewer

    Same continuity, new name.

  3. 1896
    Closed

    Four years across both names.

08

Show your working

Sources

  1. 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 reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19
    Claim last checked 2026-08-19
  2. historyProbable

    Continuity dates as recorded in BC Pass 57: 1892, 1893, 1896.

    Tally's British Columbia master, Pass 57 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026

    CommercialMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19
    Claim 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.

09

Straight answers

Common questions about Walter & Smith / Wills Brewery lineage

Is Walter & Smith / Wills Brewery lineage still open?
No. Walter & Smith / Wills Brewery lineage has closed (1896). SFU continuity row dates Walter & Smith 1892-93 and Wills Brewer 1893-96; separate from the Riesterer/Nelson lineage.
When was Walter & Smith / Wills Brewery lineage founded?
Walter & Smith / Wills Brewery lineage was founded in 1892 in Nelson, Canada.
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