Sleeman Breweries
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1834 |
| Founder | John H. Sleeman |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
| Products | Beer |
Production output | 1,200,000 hl |
| Owner | Sapporo Breweries Ltd. |
| Website | http://www.sleeman.com/ |
Sleeman Brewery Ltd. is a brewery located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. John H. Sleeman originally began brewing beer in 1834.[1] By 1933 the Sleeman brewery had ceased operations when their liquor licence was revoked for bootlegging, specifically, smuggling beer into Detroit, Michigan. The brewery was restarted in 1988 by John W. Sleeman, the great great grandson of John H. Sleeman. The company's current products are based on the family's original recipes. In 2006, the brewery was purchased by Japanese brewer Sapporo Brewery.
History
Between the reestablishment of the brand in 1988 and the sale to Sapporo in 2006, Sleeman acquired several other Canadian microbreweries, and became the third largest Canadian brewing company after Molson Coors and Labatt's. The acquisitions included Okanagan Spring Brewery in 1996, Upper Canada Brewing in 1998, Maritime Brewing in 2000, Shaftebury Brewing Company and Unibroue in 2004.
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:
- 1800's - The Slyman family, beer-making pirates, change their name to Sleeman.[2]
- 1836 – Sleeman establishes the Stamford Springs Brewery in St. Catharines, Ontario
- 1845 – Sleeman sells his brewery to Holliday Brewery and opens a new company called Hodgerts Brewery in Guelph
- 1850 - Hodgerts Brewery is renamed Holiday Brewery and later sold.
- 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
- 1921 – Silver Springs Brewery Beverage Company is renamed Canada Malt Products
- 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Brewery is lost by the family when it was forced to sell to Jockey Club Brewery Limited after their liquor license was revoked for bootlegging.
- 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
- 2004 – Sleeman Breweries Ltd. buys Quebec based Unibroue brewery for $36.5 million.
- 2006 – Sapporo Breweries reached a deal to purchase Sleeman for approximately $400 million.[3]
Operations
The brewery currently produces the following beers under the Sleeman name:
- Cream Ale
- Original Draught
- Honey Brown Lager
- Silver Creek Lager
- Original Dark
- Rousse
- Light
- Clear (a low carbohydrate beer)
- John Sleeman presents Fine Porter
- John Sleeman presents India Pale Ale
Aside from its own brands, the company brews Pabst products for the Canadian market, including Old Milwaukee, Stroh's, Schlitz and Pabst Blue Ribbon. 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 before Sleeman 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 Brewers Retail Inc., the operator of The Beer Store retail chain. The takeover by Sapporo means that no portion of Brewers Retail is held by any majority Canadian-owned entity.
Many Sleeman brands are distributed in clear bottles, which are less expensive and give them a distinctive look, 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.
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.[4]
In 2010, the company began an advertising campaign drawing attention to their bootlegging past.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Sleeman Brewing History". www.library.guelph.on.ca. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
- ^ "John Sleeman – Successful Canadian Entrepreneur". The Canadian Business Journal. January 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
- ^ "CBC News - Money - Sapporo acquisition of Sleeman on tap". cbc.ca. 2006-08-11. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
- ^ "City of Guelph approves Sleeman sponsorship deal". www.thestar.com. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
- ^ Paul, Jonathan (2010-05-07). "Sleeman brews infamy". strategy. Retrieved 28 July 2011.