Sleeman Breweries

Infobox Brewery
name = Sleeman Breweries Ltd.


caption =
location = Guelph, Ontario Canada
owner = Sapporo Breweries Ltd.
opened = 1834
production = 1,200,000 hl
active_beers = brewbox_beer|name=Sleeman Cream Ale|style=Cream Ale brewbox_beer|name=Sleeman Honey Brown|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Sleeman Original Dark|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Sleeman Silver Creek Lager|style=Pale Lager brewbox_beer|name=Original Draught|style=Draught brewbox_beer|name=Maclays|style=Light Lager
seasonal_beers =
other_beers =

Sleeman Breweries Ltd. operates in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The company has been brewing beer since August 17, 1988, but the history of Sleeman beer goes back to 1834 when John H. Sleeman established himself as a brewer and malter, but the company ceased operations by 1933. The company's current products are based on the family's original recipes. The company is currently owned by Japanese brewer Sapporo Breweries.

Timeline

Sleeman's dates back to 1834 when John H. Sleeman begins his career as a malter and brewer. A timeline of Sleeman family owned breweries:

* 1836 Sleeman establishes the Stamford Springs Brewery in St. Catharines, Ontario

* Sleeman sells his brewery in 1845 to Holliday Brewery and opens a new company called Hodgerts Brewery in Guelph

* Hodgerts Brewery is renamed Holiday Brewery and later sold in 1850.
* 1851 Sleeman establishes his third brewery, Silver Springs Brewery in Guelph and later relinquishes control to his son George Sleeman in 1867

* 1900, John's grandson George A. Sleeman establishes the Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company

* Silver Springs Brewery Beverage Company is renamed Canada Malt Products in 1921

* 1926 Holliday Brewery obtains the original Sleeman Brewery and later acquired by Canada Cream of Malt in 1930

* 1927 Spring Bank Brewery is created by Henry O. Sleeman, son of George A Sleeman.

* 1933 Silver Creek Brewery is lost by the family when it was forced to sell to Jockey Club Brewery Limited

* 1938 Jockey Club Brewery Limited bought out by Ace High Brewery Limited

* 1939 Ace High Brewery Limited ceases operations

* 1955 Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company name becomes inactive

* 1988 Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company re-established by John W. Sleeman, great great grandson of John H. Sleeman

* 2006 Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company - August 12th 2006, Sapporo Breweries reached a deal to purchase Sleeman Breweries Ltd. for approx. $400 Million.

History

Sleeman Breweries was the largest Canadian owned and operated brewery in Canada until a sale to Sapporo, completed in 2007. This leaves Moosehead as Canada's largest independent brewing company.

Sleeman has acquired several other Canadian microbreweries, and is now the third largest Canadian brewing company after Molson Coors and Labatt's. This included Okanagan Spring Brewery in 1996, Upper Canada Brewing in 1998, Maritime Brewing in 2000, Shaftebury Brewing Company and Unibroue in 2004.

The company also brews Pabst products for the Canadian market, including Stroh's and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Sleeman owns a small stake (2%) of Brewers Retail Inc., operator of The Beer Store retail chain, which due to a legally-protected near-monopoly has an over 90% market share of Ontario beer sales.

Many Sleeman brands are distributed in clear bottles, which give them a distinctive look, but also leaves the beer inside more susceptible to light damage which can affect the taste.

The takeover by Sapporo means that no portion of Brewers Retail is held by any majority Canadian-owned entity, and may increase pressure on the government to force an end to the Brewers Retail near-monopoly.

ee also

*Canadian beer
*Sleeman Centre (Guelph)

External links

* [http://www.sleeman.com/en/index.htm Sleeman Breweries Ltd.]
* [http://www.sleeman.com/en/swfs/history.swf A Complete History of Sleeman Breweries]
* [http://www.unibroue.com/ Unibroue Inc.]
* [http://www.okspring.com/index.html Okanagan Spring Brewery]

References

* Stueven, Richard (2005). [http://www.beerme.com/breweries/ca/on/3872.shtml "Beerme.com"] . Retrieved Apr. 10, 2005.