Sleeman Breweries is a Japanese-owned Canadian
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
founded by John Warren Sleeman in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
in
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
, Ontario. The company is the third-largest brewing company in Canada. Along with its own Sleeman brands, the company produces under licence the
Stroh's family of brands, Maclays Ale and Sapporo Premium beers for sale in Canada. The company's parent Sapporo owns 4.2 per cent
[ of Ontario's primary beer retailer ]The Beer Store
Brewers Retail Inc., doing business as The Beer Store, is a privately-owned chain of retail outlets selling beer and other malt beverages in the province of Ontario, Canada.
Founded in 1927, it was owned at its inception by a consortium of On ...
.
The company is the re-establishment of a line of brewing companies owned by the Sleeman family dating back to the 1830s. The original Sleeman Breweries was established in the 1850s and operated until it lost its licence due to smuggling and tax evasion, for 50 years, in 1933.
John W. Sleeman re-established the brewery in the 1980s using the original company recipes. In 2006, Sleeman Breweries was purchased by Sapporo Brewery
is a Japanese beer brewing company founded in 1876. Sapporo is the oldest brand of beer in Japan. It was first brewed in Sapporo, Japan, in 1876 by brewer Seibei Nakagawa. The world headquarters of Sapporo Breweries is in Ebisu, Shibuya, Toky ...
for million. John W. Sleeman remained as CEO until 2010 when he relinquished that role and was made Chairman of the company.
History
John H. Sleeman was born in Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, in 1805 and came to Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...
(present day Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
) in 1834, first settling in St. David's (Niagara-on-the-Lake) where he founded the Stamford Spring Brewery in 1836. He and his family moved to Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
in 1847 where they operated a series of breweries including the Hodgert’s Brewery, and the Silver Creek Brewery, which he opened in 1851. His son George Sleeman
George Sleeman (August 1, 1841 – December 16, 1926) was a brewer, a major figure in Canadian baseball, and a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was mayor of Guelph from 1880 to 1882 and from 1905 to 1906. Sleeman was also the president of the ...
joined the company in 1859 as general manager and was named a partner in 1865. John H. died in 1893.
By 1890, George Sleeman had achieved great success with Silver Creek Brewery which had sales in Ontario and Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. He incorporated it into the Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company Limited with members of his immediate family. Due to excessive investments in his Guelph Street Railway Company, he lost the businesses to the banks in 1905; he then opened the Springbank Brewery. A year later the banks sold the brewery back to Sleeman.[ The family subsequently operated breweries in Guelph, often with success, until 1933.
]Prohibition in Canada
Prohibition in Canada was a ban on alcoholic beverages that arose in various stages, from local municipal bans in the late 19th century (extending to the present in some cases), to provincial bans in the early 20th century, and national prohibi ...
had an effect on the business. In Ontario, prohibition started in 1916 with the passing of the ''Ontario Temperance Act
The ''Ontario Temperance Act'' was a law passed in 1916 that led to the prohibition of alcohol in Ontario, Canada. When the Act was first enacted, the sale of alcohol was prohibited, but liquor could still be manufactured in the province or importe ...
'' by the Government of Ontario. While that eliminated the domestic market, the law allowed for brewing for export, so the Sleemans continued to do so, shipping their products to the US. This was perfectly legal until 1920 when the ''Volstead Act'' led to Prohibition in the United States as well. The Sleeman family (including younger members) subsequently worked with bootleggers to export their beer to Michigan, paying no taxes on the illegally gained profits. Some sources (including John W. Sleeman) hint that the family was involved with Al Capone but after considerable research, historian Micheal Matchett suggests that the contact in the US was actually Rocco Perri
Rocco Perri (; born Rocco Perre; December 30, 1887 – disappeared April 23, 1944) was an Italian-born organized crime figure in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the most prominent Prohibition-era crime figures in Canada, and was someti ...
, often called the "Al Capone of Canada" according to the book ''Rocco Perri: The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger.'' Perri had documented connections with Guelph's large Italian population.
In April 1927, the family claimed to a Parliament of Canada special committee that the business' books had been lost. Eventually, the smuggling was uncovered; it was allowed to continue however, on the agreement that taxes would be paid. Since the business refused to pay, charges were laid for smuggling and for non-payment of taxes later in 1933. On conviction, the family's license to brew beer was revoked for 50 years, effectively ending their entire enterprise. The brewing operation was sold to the Jockey Club Brewery Ltd.[
]
Revival
Five decades later, in 1984, John W. Sleeman of Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton. At its 2021 census population of 213,759, it is Ontario's largest town. Oakville is part of the Greater Toronto Area, one of the ...
, great-great-grandson of John H. Sleeman, acquired the book of family beer recipes from his aunt Florian.[ He incorporated the new Sleeman Brewing and Malting Co. Ltd. in Guelph and began producing beer in 1988 with backing from Stroh Brewery Company for much of the $3-million he needed, a loan from a Detroit bank, and about $500,000 of his own money.] The company flourished.
In 2006, Sleeman Breweries was purchased by Sapporo Breweries
is a Japanese beer brewing company founded in 1876. Sapporo is the oldest brand of beer in Japan. It was first brewed in Sapporo, Japan, in 1876 by brewer Seibei Nakagawa. The world headquarters of Sapporo Breweries is in Ebisu, Shibuya, Toky ...
for $400 million; in the agreement, John W. Sleeman sold all of his shares to Sapporo but continued as president until 2010. In 2012, the company produced of beverages, an increase of approximately over the previous year.
As of 2020, the company's President and CEO was Jesse Hanazawa. The company was brewing its products in three cities: Guelph, Ontario; Chambly, Quebec
Chambly is an off-island suburb of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located in the Montérégie region, inland from the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River.
It was formed from the merger in 1965 of Fort-Chambly (formerly Chambl ...
; and Vernon, British Columbia
Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearb ...
. These facilities were manufacturing Sleeman, Okanagan Spring and Unibroue Canadian beers as well as the Sapporo, Old Milwaukee and Pabst Blue Ribbon brands. (The plant in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was closed in 2013.)
Acquisitions
Over the years, Sleeman either acquired other breweries or purchased the rights to distribute, or manufacture and distribute, various brands of beer.
*In 1996, the Sleeman brewery purchased the Okanagan Spring Brewery and the consortium formed the new Sleeman Breweries Ltd.
*In 1998, the company acquired Upper Canada Brewing and Quebec's Brasserie Seigneuriale Inc.
*In 1999, Sleeman purchased Shaftebury Brewing Company, a large microbrewery in Delta, B.C.
*Also in 1999, Sleeman purchased the Canadian rights to brew and distribute the American Stroh Brewing Company
The Stroh Brewery Company was a beer brewery in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to its own Stroh's brand, the company produced or bought the rights to several other brands including Goebel Brewing Company, Goebel, Schaefer Beer, Schaefer, Joseph ...
's folio of brands, including Stroh's, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Rainier and others for $39 million.[
*In 2000, Sleeman bought Maritime Beer Co., a small bankrupt brewer in Dartmouth, N.S.
*In 2002, the company purchased the rights to distribute products of the Dutch ]Grolsch Brewery
Grolsch Brewery (Koninklijke Grolsch N.V. - "Royal Grolsch"), known simply as Grolsch (), is a Dutch brewery founded in 1615 by Willem Neerfeldt in Groenlo. In 1895 the de Groen family bought the brewery. They had started their own brewery in ...
in Canada.
*In 2004, the company bought Unibroue
Unibroue is a brewery in Chambly, Quebec, Canada, that was started by Serge Racine and Quebec native André Dion. The company was purchased by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004, which was itself taken over by Sapporo in 2006. The company was incorp ...
, Quebec's largest craft brewer that was making a line of premium beers in Chambly, Quebec
Chambly is an off-island suburb of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located in the Montérégie region, inland from the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River.
It was formed from the merger in 1965 of Fort-Chambly (formerly Chambl ...
.
*In 2019, the company bought Wild Rose Brewery
Wild Rose Brewery, established in 1996 as an independent craft brewery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is now a part of Sapporo Breweries of Japan.
History
Wild Rose Brewery was founded in 1996 by Mike Tymchuk and Alan Yule. The brewery was initial ...
, a small craft brewery in Calgary, Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
.
Timeline
Sleeman's breweries date back to 1836 when John H., a malter and brewer, founded Stamford Springs Brewery.[
* 1800s – The ''Slyman family'', unlicensed English brewers, change their name to ''Sleeman''.
* 1805 – John Sleeman is born in Cornwall, England.
* 1834 – John H. Sleeman leaves Cornwall and arrives in ]Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...
(Ontario); he settles in St. Davids (Niagara-on-the-Lake).
* 1836 – Sleeman establishes the Stamford Springs Brewery in St. David's.
* 1845 – Sleeman moves to Lockport, New York, to craft brew beer.
* 1847 – He sells the Stamford Spring Brewery and moves from Rockport, New York, to Guelph, where he leases Hodgert's Brewery, which he will operate for three years.
* 1850 – Hodgerts Brewery is sold.
* 1851 – Sleeman establishes his third brewery, Silver Creek Brewery, in Guelph.
* 1859 – He relinquishes control to his son George Sleeman
George Sleeman (August 1, 1841 – December 16, 1926) was a brewer, a major figure in Canadian baseball, and a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was mayor of Guelph from 1880 to 1882 and from 1905 to 1906. Sleeman was also the president of the ...
(1841–1923) who had been general manager and then partner.
* 1862 – The business is renamed Sleeman and Son when George Jr. joins the enterprise.
* 1867 – John H. Sleeman retires leaving George Sleeman (Sr.) as sole owner.
* 1900 – John's grandson George Sleeman Jr. incorporates Sleeman Brewing and Malting and in 1903, he opens a second company, Spring Bank Beverages.
* 1921 – Silver Springs Brewery Beverage Company is renamed Canada Malt Products.
* 1927 – Spring Bank Brewery is incorporated and managed by Henry O. Sleeman.
* 1933 – The Sleeman brothers are charged with smuggling and tax evasion; their license is suspended and the brewery is sold to the Jockey Club.
* 1955 – The Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company name becomes inactive.
* 1988 – The Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company is re-established by John Warren Sleeman, great-great grandson of John H. Sleeman, marketing beer in clear bottles instead of the typical brown.
* 1999 – Sleeman Brewing purchases Shaftebury Brewing Company.
* 2004 – Sleeman Breweries Ltd. buys Quebec based Unibroue
Unibroue is a brewery in Chambly, Quebec, Canada, that was started by Serge Racine and Quebec native André Dion. The company was purchased by Sleeman Breweries Ltd. in 2004, which was itself taken over by Sapporo in 2006. The company was incorp ...
brewery for $36.5 million.
* 2006 – Sapporo Breweries
is a Japanese beer brewing company founded in 1876. Sapporo is the oldest brand of beer in Japan. It was first brewed in Sapporo, Japan, in 1876 by brewer Seibei Nakagawa. The world headquarters of Sapporo Breweries is in Ebisu, Shibuya, Toky ...
purchases Sleeman for approximately $400 million.
* 2014 – Shaftebury Brewing Company is sold to Fireweed Brewing Company
Operations
The brewery produces a line of beers under the Sleeman name, including:
* Cream Ale
* Original Draught
* Honey Brown Lager
* Silver Creek Lager
* Light
* Clear 2.0 (low carbohydrate beer)
* Railside Session Ale
* Rousse Dark
* Brewmaster Selection
* India Pale Ale
* Fine Porter
* Selections (dark lager with a hint of dark chocolate)
Aside from its own brands, the company brews Pabst products for the Canadian market, including Old Milwaukee
Old Milwaukee is a brand of American dry lager owned by the Pabst Brewing Company and consists of four different brews—Old Milwaukee Lager, Old Milwaukee Light, Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic, and Old Milwaukee Ice. Old Milwaukee is brewed throug ...
, Stroh's, Schlitz and Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon, commonly abbreviated PBR, is an American lager beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1844 and currently based in San Antonio. Originally called Best Select, and then Pabst Select, the cu ...
. Other brands brewed under licence include Maclays Pale Ale for Maclays Brewery, Red Bull Beer and Sapporo Premium for Sapporo Brewery, their parent company.
Sleeman also continues to brew Upper Canada Lager and Upper Canada Dark Ale, two beers that were formerly produced by the ''Upper Canada Brewing Company
Upper Canada Brewing Company is a division of Sleeman Breweries in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Founded by Frank Heaps and Larry Sherwood (of Granville Island Brewery) in Toronto, it started brewing beer in 1985 and grew to become one of the largest ...
'' before it acquired the company. Additional beers under the Upper Canada brand including Rebellion Lager, Wheat and Maple Brown Ale have since been discontinued.
Sleeman owns a 2% stake in The Beer Store
Brewers Retail Inc., doing business as The Beer Store, is a privately-owned chain of retail outlets selling beer and other malt beverages in the province of Ontario, Canada.
Founded in 1927, it was owned at its inception by a consortium of On ...
(previously Brewers Retail), the operator of the primary retail outlet for beer in Ontario.
Many Sleeman brands are distributed in clear bottles, which are less expensive, but can result in the liquids becoming more susceptible to light damage. Concerned this would affect the beer's taste, Sleeman compensates for this in a majority of their brews by using hops that are processed to be less light sensitive.
The annual Canadian Brewing Awards recognizes the best beers in Canada using blind taste tests. Most of the 2015 winners were craft beers. However, one of the winners was Sleeman Cream Ale, taking a Gold in the Cream Ale category.
Marketing
The brewery entered into a $1.2 million sponsorship deal with the City of Guelph in 2007 that gives Sleeman exclusive naming rights to the Guelph Sports and Entertainment Centre until 2020.
In 2010, the company began an advertising campaign drawing attention to their bootlegging past. In July 2016, an ad with the slogan "Every bottle of Sleeman has a past – A shady past" won Best Alcohol Ad of the Month from AdForum, an online showcase for advertising agencies.
See also
*Beer in Canada
Beer was introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century. The first commercial brewery was La Brasseries du Roy started by New France Intendant Jean Talon, in Québec City in 1668. Many commercial brewers thrived until pr ...
* List of breweries in Canada
Notes
References
External links
*
Sleeman Brewing history
Sleeman Timeline
{{Mitsui, state=autocollapse
Food and drink companies established in 1834
Food and drink companies established in 1988
Canadian companies established in 1988
Companies based in Guelph
Beer brewing companies based in Ontario
Canadian beer brands
Food and drink companies disestablished in 1933
Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies
Sapporo Breweries
Re-established companies
1834 establishments in Upper Canada
1933 disestablishments in Ontario
1988 establishments in Ontario
2006 mergers and acquisitions