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Whose Beer Is It?

The name on the can, the company that owns the name, the brewery that made it, and the company that runs the brewery are four different things, and they agree less often than you think. Bintang is Heineken. Budweiser in Canada is Labatt. Bass is brewed under licence by a company that is not Bass. The archive keeps all four apart and infers none from another — and 85 records explain, in their own words, why.

122

brands with a named holder

A brand can outlive its brewery and be owned by someone who never brewed.

1,653

brewery → operator links

Who runs the brewhouse — a legal entity, recorded, never assumed to be the owner.

361

breweries with a parent company

The nearest evidenced company above the brewery. Not the top of the chain.

64

contract-brewing edges

Someone else’s kettle. The source said “contract”; the archive kept the word.

Someone else's brand, brewed here

Labatt, the largest brewer in Canada and not Canadian since 1995, brews and distributes Budweiser and Bud Light for the country alongside its own beers; Budweiser is Canada's best-selling brand and Labatt is the company that makes it. Bintang began in 1929 as Heineken's Java Bier, was nationalised in 1957, and Heineken took its holding to 76.2% in 2013 — the dominant beer in a country where selling it is heavily restricted, brewed by the company it was always structurally part of. Bass, whose red triangle is the oldest registered trademark in Britain, is a brand owned by AB InBev and brewed under licence. Boddingtons is “a lesson in what happens to a beer when the brewery goes”: Strangeways closed in 2005 and production moved away from the city the marketing was about.

The Trappist case is the cleanest. St. Bernardus brewed the Westvleteren beers under licence for decades; when the licence ended it kept the yeast and the recipe and called the beer Abt 12. Same yeast, same recipe, different name, different brewery, and the archive records both without deciding which is “really” the beer — because that is a question the record cannot answer and a drinker can.

Made by someone else

Lawson's Finest started in a shed in the Mad River Valley and got so far ahead of its own capacity that Sip of Sunshine was brewed at Two Roads in Connecticut — the flagship made in another state until the Waitsfield taproom opened. Bookstore Brewing is brewed at Oxus in Winnipeg and has no taproom or address of its own, “which is why location-based directories omit it”; the archive does not, because a beer company without a building is still a beer company. Hopfully brews by contract batching at partner Irish breweries and keeps its own recipes — “increasingly the only affordable way to start”. And when a brewery closes, the beer sometimes does not: Cologne's Heller shut in 2024 after 33 years and Hellers Kölsch is contract-brewed elsewhere.

The reverse is a business too. Last Spike in Calgary advertises full-service contract brewing with a packaging line and a QC laboratory; a directory had it dissolved, which did not check out. Three Shandong producers in the archive describe themselves as OEM and contract suppliers first. The right-hand list is every contract relation the relationships layer holds in the source's own words — client, then the kettle it was brewed in.

Contract relations, as recorded · 35

Owner is not operator, and neither is the brand

Paradise Beverages, Fiji's national brewer, is majority-held by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners — “in much of the Pacific the bottler owns the brewery, which is a structure you rarely see written down.” BrewDog fell into administration in early 2026 and its assets went to Tilray, a cannabis company; the archive records Tilray as the parent and flags the rung between them as unresolved, because an asset purchase is not the purchase of a company and the difference is exactly what an archive is for. Wichita Brewing's packaged production was reported moving to Walnut River in January 2026; the two companies remain separate, the site closure is unconfirmed, and the relation was held rather than drawn, because the direction of a contract is a fact and not a guess.

This is why the archive carries 1,653 brewery-to-operator links and 139 links from a brewery to its legal entity as separate things from its 361 parent-company links, and why 122 brands name a holder who may not be the brewer. A surname is not a parent company; a stake is not control; a licence is not a brewhouse; a brand is not a brewery. Every one of those sentences is a defect the archive once shipped and repaired.

The ledger, in the records' own words

Every record that says its beer is made by someone else, that it makes someone else's, or that it has no brewery of its own — with the sentence in which it says so.

made by someone else · 69

  • Deeds BrewingGlen Iris, VIC, Australia · 2012–open

    A community favorite that moved from contract brewing to a standalone facility pumping out extreme double and triple hazies.

  • Miners Gold BreweryBeaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia · 2019–open

    First-party evidence explicitly says beer is produced at 5 West Street, Beaconsfield; the brewery also provides contract brewing and packaging and is home to Ocho Beer.

  • Morrison BreweryLaunceston, Tasmania, Australia · 2011–open

    First-party evidence says the brewery makes craft beer in Northern Tasmania, is wholesale-only with no taproom, provides contract brewing, and was established in 2011.

  • Welcome Swallow BreweryNew Norfolk, Tasmania, Australia · ?–open

    Contract brewing at Miners Gold can coexist; batch attribution remains separate.

  • Working Title Brew Co.Newstead, QLD, Australia · 2021–open

    Began as a contract-brewing operation in 2021; permanent Newstead brewpub opened 2023.

  • Bookstore Brewing Co.Winnipeg, Manitoba · ?–open

    Contract-brewed at Oxus Brewing Company.

  • Canuck Empire Brewing CoAbbotsford, British Columbia · 2013–2026

    Began contract brewing in 2013, opened its Abbotsford brewery in 2022, and closed in July 2026.

  • Field & Forge Brewing Co.Innisfail, Alberta · 2019–open

    Active Innisfail craft brewery and gastro pub brewing small-batch beer onsite; also contract-brews for other brands, so producer attribution requires care.

  • Good Mood BreweryCalgary, Alberta · ?–open

    Current official site lists an open taproom, off-sales, growler fills, contract brewing/packaging inquiries and a live beer catalogue; prior HELD status is resolved.

  • Hampton Brewing Co.New Brunswick · ?–open

    2018, contract brewed until May 2021, then opened own brewery.

  • Kingsville BreweryKingsville, Ontario · ?–closed

    First-party site identifies 140 Park St as the production facility and active online beer/contract-brewing operation.

  • Last Spike Brewery Ltd.Calgary, Alberta · 2017–open

    That does not check out: check-in activity runs into January 2026 and the brewery advertises full-service contract brewing.

  • Lower Fort Garry BrewerySt. Andrews / Lower Red River, Manitoba · 1845–closed

    Major fur-trade/post brewery whose production served HBC employees and troops; brewery/malt-house history must remain distinct from later Red River commercial b

  • Meta BreweryCalgary, Alberta · 2022–open

    Travel Alberta currently lists Meta Brewery year-round at 11358 Barlow Trail NE; AGLC records MFS/MO manufacturing licences at units 120/130 effective May 5, 2023; current Meta site and LiquorConnect show an active beer portfolio.

  • Anhui München Beer Co., Ltd.Yingshang / Fuyang, Anhui, China · ?–open

    Craft and contract brewery.

  • Anhui Zijin Beer Co., Ltd.Tongling (Yi'an), Anhui, China · 2005–open

    Independent and contract brewery.

  • Gongti BrewingBeijing, Beijing, China · 2016–open

    Named after Beijing's Workers' Stadium district, serving energetic, crowd-pleasing ales to the capital's sports and nightlife fans. No standalone site. Named fo

  • Hubei Aier Beer Co., Ltd.Wuxue / Huanggang, Hubei, China · ?–open

    INDUSTRIAL / contract brewery.

  • Huzhou Tesla Beer Co., Ltd.Deqing / Huzhou, Zhejiang, China · ?–open

    Independent / contract & own-brand producer.

  • Seven Arrows Beer (Hunan) Co., Ltd.Yiyang, Hunan, China · 2003–open

    INDUSTRIAL / contract brewery.

  • Shandong Oasis Beer Co., Ltd.Anqiu, Shandong, China · 2020–open

    Independent / contract brewing supplier.

  • Shandong Yangchun Beer Co., Ltd.Weifang, Shandong, China · 1987–open

    Independent / contract brewing supplier.

  • Suzhou Huaniang Workshop Beer Co., Ltd. / SinoBrewSuzhou (Yongqiao), Anhui, China · 2019–open

    Independent / contract brewing platform.

  • United Brewing (Bozhou) Beer Co., Ltd.Bozhou, Anhui, China · 2009–open

    Industrial and contract brewery.

  • Zhejiang Xiyingmen Beer Co., Ltd.Xitang / Jiashan / Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China · ?–open

    Craft and contract brewery.

  • Cervecería Rancho HumoRancho Humo / Nicoya, Guanacaste · 2017–

    A 2025 La Nación feature says the Rancho Humo estate has the family's craft-beer factory, while a 2023 business report says its beers had been contract-brewed at larger breweries since 2019.

  • Pivovar U Dvou kočekPrague, Czechia · 2010–

    Type: Former on-site microbrewery / current contract-brew brand.

  • Paradise BeveragesSuva, Fiji · 1957–open

    Fiji's national brewer, producing Fiji Bitter and Vonu, and a fixture of Pacific island drinking culture. Fiji Bitter is the Pacific's answer to an Australian a

  • Bill BrewHamburg-Billwerder, Germany · 2023–open

    A 2024 interview says bottled beer was then contract-brewed in Franconia while draught beer was brewed in Billwerder; current batch allocation therefore remains a beer-level attribution issue.

  • Brauerei De LütteEgestorf, Germany · 2018–open

    First-party current site says beer is brewed 100% in Egestorf, never contract-brewed, and storage capacity is under 8,000 L.

  • Brauerei HellerCologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany · 1991–2024

    The Hellers Brauhaus and Hellers Kölsch brand continue; current regional sources report the beer is contract-brewed after the brewery closure.

  • Brauhaus Alt NeuhausNeuhaus (Oste), Germany · 2005–open

    Status: Active / house brewery. Current legal operator HRB 211258 with managing directors Svenja and Silka Schlichting. Brewing is part of the long-running Schl

  • Hausbrauerei RampendahlOsnabrück, Germany · 1991–open

    Status: Active / house brewery. Current legal operator is Gastro Betriebs GmbH Hausbrauerei Rampendahl, represented by André Dierker. Exact equity ownership is

  • Landwinkl-Bräu BambergBamberg, Upper Franconia / Bavaria, Germany · ?–2024

    Contemporary Fränkischer Tag reporting documents the closure; early production included external/contract brewing before more beer moved onsite.

  • lille Brauerei KielKiel, Germany · 2018–open

    First-party brewery page says the Kiel brewery opened in December 2018 after three years of cuckoo/contract brewing and now brews all lille beers in Kiel on a 30 hl brewhouse with 30–60 hl batches and in-house keg filling.

  • OLDENBräuOldenburg, Germany · 2020–open

    First-party site says the project began six years ago on a 50-L system and since 2022 has brewed on a modern 2,000-L plant, including contract brewing for customers.

  • Hopfully BrewingWaterford, Co. Waterford, Ireland · 2016–open

    Listed by the Ireland compendium as brewing primarily via contract batching at partner Irish breweries while keeping its own recipes and brand.

  • 8 Wired BrewingWarkworth, Auckland, New Zealand · 2009–open

    Founded by Danish-born brewer Søren Eriksen, initially as a contract brewer before building its own site.

  • Steam Brewing CompanyŌtāhuhu, New Zealand · 1995–open

    Type: Official site describes independent family-run contract brewery producing beer for multiple brands.

  • Zeelandt BreweryEskdale, New Zealand · ?–2024

    Type: Eskdale brewery destroyed in Cyclone Gabrielle; Zeelandt then contract brewed at Crafty Brewing in West Auckland until its final batch in February 2024, when the business closed for good.

  • Fjordfolk MikrobryggeriSandefjord, Norway · 2015–

    The brewery website still presents a current brewery, staff, tastings and contract brewing, but no post-liquidation production proof was found in this pass.

  • Pivovarna VizirLokve / Črnomelj, Slovenia · ?–open

    Type: Family craft brewery / contract brewing pioneer.

  • BRIGERBIERBRAUEREI AGNaters, Switzerland · ?–

    Earlier beer was contract-brewed in Bavaria from late 2017; own Naters brewery began self-production in late 2020.

  • Anspach & HobdayBermondsey, London, United Kingdom · 2014–open

    Bermondsey brewery whose nitro porter London Black was named the best beer in Britain for 2025. The brewery began on the Bermondsey Beer Mile and built its repu

  • Shadow BrewingOtley, England · 2019–open

    One-barrel kit plus contract brewing; brewery taproom at 98 Boroughgate.

  • Austin BeerworksAustin, Texas · 2011–open

    Owns its production facility (not contract-brewed) Owning the production facility instead of contracting it out is the least glamorous decision a brewery can make, and the one that decides whether it still exists in ten years.

  • Big Island BrewhausWaimea, Hawaii · 2011–open

    Founded by the original brewmaster of Maui Brewing Co. At 2,764 ft elevation, the highest brewpub in Hawaii. Famous for Located at 2,764 feet elevation. The hig

  • Birmingham Brewing Company (1992)Birmingham, Alabama · 1992–1998

    Produced Red Mountain beers and contract-brewed some outside brands.

  • Blue Pants BreweryMadison, Alabama · 2010–2019

    Owners explored contract brewing to keep some brands on shelves after closure.

  • Bones Brewing Co.Billings, Montana · ?–2013

    BeerAdvocate marks it CLOSED in 2013 and states its beers were contract-brewed at Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company.

  • BrewDog USA — Canal WinchesterCanal Winchester, Ohio · 2017–

    Type: Large-scale production brewery + DogTap + hotel + contract brewing.

  • Columbia Brewery and Syrup Works (Rocher)Columbia, California · 1852–closed

    Columbia's first brewery, from Louis "Pat" Kelly in The Quarterly (TCHS). Kelly's article is titled as a history of Columbia's first brewery and is about Bixel,

  • Dakota Brewing CompanyGrand Forks, North Dakota · 1989–1942

    ND company/brand; beer contract brewed in MN/WI; ND physical production unproven.

  • Faith American Brewing CompanySCHENECTADY, New York · 2015–open

    Current SLA evidence preserves the Schenectady licensed premise; these are one brand/legal entity, not two brewery entities.

  • Fargo Brewing CompanyFargo, North Dakota · 2010–2024

    2011 contract brewed at Sand Creek WI; own Fargo production 2013; Chapter 11 2024.

  • Great Central Brewing CompanyChicago, Illinois · 2015–2026

    Historical/current trade evidence identifies the Wood Street facility and its contract-brewing role for other Illinois brands.

  • Hal & Mal's MicrobreweryJackson, Mississippi · ?–closed

    Type: historical brewpub brewery. Ownership as recorded: UNKNOWN. Restaurant opened an in-house brewery in the 1990s, brewed for several years, then closed the

  • Independence Brewing Co.Austin, Texas · 2004–2026

    Austin taproom closed in 2026; beer remained available and later reporting said production was contract-brewed at Real Ale.

  • Laguna Beach Beer CompanyLaguna Beach, California · 2014–open

    Current first-party site identifies active independent craft beer brewed for the beach. First-party About page says the company was founded in 2014 by Laguna Be

  • Lawson's Finest LiquidsWarren, Vermont · 2008–open

    Sip of Sunshine was contract-brewed at Two Roads in Connecticut to meet demand before the Waitsfield taproom opened.

  • Lithology Brewing Co.Farmingdale, New York · ?–2026

    Licence class: New York State Farm Brewery.

  • Olde Saratoga Brewing CompanySaratoga Springs, New York · 1997–2018

    Opened in 1997 as a contract brewer and abruptly ceased operations in January 2018; parent/facility lineage preserved.

  • Round Table BreweryGarnerville, New York · 2023–open

    Exact Garnerville licensed premise maps to active Round Table Brewery; former/licensed aliases The Leopard Mark, Maltzy and The Leopard Mark Beverage Group retained for legal lineage.

  • Saint Errant BrewingEvanston, Illinois · ?–open

    Opened permanent Evanston taproom March 27, 2026 after years of gypsy/contract brewing at Temperance, Pipeworks, Mikerphone, Begyle and Noon Whistle.

  • Spanish Peaks Brewing Company — Bozeman operationBozeman, Montana · 1991–1991

    Contract brewing expanded production; after the 2000 move to East Main the restaurant lacked brewing facilities, and the Bozeman operation closed in 2003.

  • Three Monkeys Brewing CompanyMadera, California · 2009–closed

    Therefore the entity is preserved as a Madera-based brewing company/contract-brewed brand and taproom, without claiming a separate Madera production brewhouse.

  • Upper Pass Beer CompanyBurlington, Vermont · 2015–open

    Originated in Tunbridge; 2016 contract brewing at von Trapp; current Burlington Tiny Trail site.

  • Uproot Brewing CompanyBirmingham, Alabama · 2023–2025

    Taproom/brewery poured its last glass July 6, 2025; owner said the brand could continue via contract brewing/pop-ups.

  • Wisconsin Brewing CompanyVerona, Wisconsin · 2013–open

    Type: Production / contract brewery.

someone else's brand, brewed here · 8

  • Brouwerij St. BernardusWatou, West Flanders, Belgium · 1946–open

    Historically brewed the famed Westvleteren beers under license; kept the original yeast and recipe for their legendary Abt 12.

  • Kabo's Pub & Grill — brewery programSwift Current, Saskatchewan · ?–

    Saskatchewan's 2016 backgrounder lists Kabo's Pub & Grill as a licensed microbrewery/brew pub.

  • Labatt Brewing CompanyLondon, Ontario · 1847–open

    Brews and distributes Budweiser and Bud Light in Canada alongside its own brands; Kokanee is brewed at its Creston, BC plant.

  • Great Northern Brewery (Dundalk)Whitefish, Montana · 1896–

    Brewing/Whitefish operations ended February 17, 2020; the brand later returned under license with Uinta Brewing in Utah.

  • Bass BreweryBurton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England · 1777–open

    The brand is now owned by AB InBev and brewed under licence.

  • Earnest Brew WorksToledo / Swanton, Ohio · 2016–open

    Type: Original brewery + multiple taprooms / licensed brewing premises.

  • Mountain Hops BrewhouseCasper, Wyoming · ?–open

    Address: 612 N Beverly St, Casper, WY (plus 101 E 2nd St licensed site).

  • Oil City Beer CompanyCasper, Wyoming · ?–open

    Address: 4155 Legion Ln, Casper, WY (plus 225 S David Suite 5 licensed site).

no brewery of their own · 10

  • Bookstore Brewing Co.Winnipeg, Manitoba · ?–open

    Contract-brewed at Oxus Brewing Company.

  • SibeeriaPrague-Vysočany, Hlavní město Praha · 2019–open

    Gypsy brewery to own facility.

  • Baltic BreweryFlensburg, Germany · 2017–open

    First-party site identifies Paul Alford and Martin Molzen as founders and documents the journey from home/gypsy brewing toward a physical Flensburg brewery; current site shows active brewing and packaged beer sales.

  • Bremer Braumanufaktur / HopfenfängerBremen-Überseeinsel, Germany · 2019–open

    First-party history says the brand began as a gypsy brewer in 2014, opened its own brewery in Oct 2019, and commissioned a new 1,200-hl brewing plant in 2024 on the Überseeinsel.

  • ombreyZürich, Switzerland · ?–

    Management / founders Hybrid/gypsy production model: do not assume every Ombrey batch is physically brewed at Agnesstrasse 25.

  • Flowerhorn BreweryCardiff, Wales · 2019–open

    Started as a nomad brewery in 2019 and installed its own five-barrel brewery at Bridge Studios in 2020.

  • Beach Nomad BrewsRehoboth Beach, Delaware · ?–closed

    Prior legal entity/licensee: Beach Nomad Brews.

  • Breakaway BeerworksManchester, New Hampshire · 2018–2022

    Address: Tenant brewery at Great North Aleworks; later company address Belmont. Breakaway operated in Manchester as a tenant brewery at Great North Aleworks and

  • Hive BeerWesterly (alternating proprietorship at Grey Sail), Rhode Island · 2021–open

    Rhode Island SOS identifies Hive Brewing Company, LLC and its purpose as 'Alternating proprietorship beer manufacturer.

  • Saint Errant BrewingEvanston, Illinois · ?–open

    Opened permanent Evanston taproom March 27, 2026 after years of gypsy/contract brewing at Temperance, Pipeworks, Mikerphone, Begyle and Noon Whistle.

What this page cannot tell you

  • Who the host brewery is, as a record. The contract edges name the kettle as text; only one of 221 resolves to a brewery page. The link from a client to its host is the next join to build.
  • A defect in the evidence, reported. The relationships layer files 221 edges as CONTRACT_BREWED_AT and only 64 say “contract” in the source's own words — the rest are a beer brewed at its own brewery, or a brewer's name, under the wrong verb. This page counts only the 64; the misfiling is in the repair queue.
  • The licence deals nobody wrote down. Seven records say “under licence”. Every macro brand brewed abroad is one, and most masters have not asked.

Know who really brews a beer? Tell the archive — with the source, because this is the fact people most want to argue about.

Method: a record “mentions” the question when its note, Tally's Take or timeline says contract, licence, gypsy, alternating proprietorship or names a macro brand it brews; contract relations are relationship rows whose source wording contains contract, gypsy, host or flying; excerpts are the record's own sentence. Figures regenerate with every build.