Waterloo Brewing LTD.
FormerlyBrick Brewing Company
IndustryAlcoholic drink
Founded1984 (1984)
FounderJim Brickman
Headquarters400 Bingemans Centre Drive
Kitchener, Ontario
N2B 3X9
ProductsBeer
Owner
  • Carlsberg Canada Inc. (2023–present)
Parent
Websitewaterloobrewing.com
Cans of Waterloo beer

Waterloo Brewing LTD. (formerly the Brick Brewing Co.) is a brewery based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, with several divisions. The company is reportedly the largest Canadian-owned brewer in the province, and it was also Ontario's first modern craft brewery.[1][2]

Waterloo's most successful brand is the Laker series. It also operates LandShark Lager Canada and Waterloo Brewing; the latter is their craft brewing division.[3] In mid-2019, the company announced that it would change the corporate name from Brick to Waterloo Brewing Ltd.[4]

In December 2022, the company announced that it was being acquired by Carlsberg Group.[5] On March 7, 2023, Carlsberg completed the acquisition of Waterloo Brewing through its Canadian subsidiary.[6][7]

Overview

The company's administration currently consists of president and CEO George Croft and COO Russell Tabata. Founder Jim Brickman resigned in 2008.[8]

In the early 1990s, Waterloo briefly produced Pride Lager, Canada's first beer marketed specifically to gay consumers.[9] Pride Lager was not a new product, however, but simply one of the company's existing brews bottled and sold under an alternate label.[9]

In January 2017, Waterloo put its Formosa Springs Brewery in Formosa, Ontario, up for sale; that resulted in the re-opening of the 40,000 square foot plant after the new owner was interested in retaining the facility. In addition to the Formosa brand, Waterloo also sold the Red Baron lines.[10]

Waterloo planned to consolidate its operations in Kitchener and expand the plant, at an estimated cost of $4 million.[11][12]

In late 2018, the company announced a plan to invest $9.6 million in a tasting room, small-batch brewhouse, expanded warehouse and production facility and an expanded retail store at its Bingemans Centre Drive operation. This is said to bring its investment to nearly $30 million CAD in five years. [13]

After all of the projects are completed, the company's investment over the previous six years will have totaled about $45 million.[4]

Waterloo Brewing brands

  • Waterloo Craft Lager
  • Waterloo Amber
  • Waterloo Dark
  • Waterloo IPA
  • Waterloo Grapefruit Radler
  • Waterloo Raspberry Radler
  • Seasonal/limited beers: Waterloo Double Double Doppelbock; Waterloo Salted Caramel Porter; Waterloo Pineapple Radler; Waterloo Citrus Radler; Waterloo Vanilla Porter[14][3]

Laker family of brands

  • Laker Lager
  • Laker Light
  • Laker Ice
  • Laker Red
  • Laker Strong

Other products

  • Landshark Lager
  • Seagram Craft Cider
  • Seagram Wildberry Vodka Cooler
  • Seagram Island Time Anytime
  • Seagram Island Time Tiki Mule
  • Red Cap Ale

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Brick brewery CEO 'thrilled' with 2016 fiscal result - CBC News".
  2. ↑ "Top 6 Local Craft Beers You Must Try in Waterloo Region". 8 January 2016. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 "A Pair of Popular Porters from Waterloo Brewing Co". www.newswire.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  4. 1 2 "Name change on tap for Kitchener's Brick Brewing". Waterloo Region Record. 6 June 2019.
  5. ↑ "Carlsberg To Acquire Waterloo Brewing In an All-Cash C$144 Million Transaction". www.newswire.ca. 15 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "Carlsberg Canada completes acquisition of Waterloo Brewing". Cision Canada. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  7. ↑ "Carlsberg completes acquisition of Waterloo Brewing in Canada". Carlsberg Group. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  8. ↑ Pender, Terry (5 February 2015). "Brickman lent expertise to Six Nations brewery plan".
  9. 1 2 "Micro-brewer brings out new Pride". Vancouver Sun, July 18, 1992.
  10. ↑ Zettel, Jonathan (3 May 2018). "Formosa Springs Brewery is now open". Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  11. ↑ Pender, Terry (January 5, 2017). "Brick Brewing expanding in Kitchener, closing Formosa Springs brewery". The Record. Kitchener. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  12. ↑ Bernard, Kevin (January 6, 2017). "Historic Formosa Brewery Closing". 560 CFOS Radio. Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017. Kitchener-Waterloo's Brick Brewing is putting its 146 year old Formosa site up for sale.
  13. ↑ Davis, Brent (November 19, 2018). "Brick Brewing investing $9.6 million in Kitchener brewery". Record. Torstar. Retrieved January 27, 2017. The Kitchener-based company is adding a tasting room, small-batch brewhouse and a larger retail store at its Bingemans Centre Drive operation.
  14. ↑ "Waterloo Brewing Brings Back Double Double Doppelbock". 11 October 2016.
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