 Sleeman
Brewing - The History
The Sleeman family has brewed beer in
Guelph since 1847. John Sleeman started out by leasing the Hodgert
Brewery, which he operated for 3 years.
In 1850,
Sleeman purchased property on Waterloo Avenue for his Silver Creek
Brewery. The original factory was a small concern, with floor
space of only 24 by 40 feet and an output of 12 barrels per batch.
The Brewery remained a marginal business with small profits during its
earliest years. Sleeman even lost ownership of the brewery between 1856
and 1861.
After 1861,
however, Sleeman made several important investments in the Brewery
including the early adoption of steam power and the addition of a large
kiln. After John Sleeman's son George took over in 1868, the investments
began to pay off and the Silver Creek Brewery grew into one of the
largest in Ontario. By 1874, in fact, 8,600 barrels of beer were
being produced every year, and in 1894, Sleeman was selling 31,000 barrels
per year.
In 1902, the Brewery was
lost to the Bank of Montreal due to debts incurred during the Sleeman’s
development of an electric streetcar system for Guelph. Sleeman
recovered quickly and purchased the Brewery again in 1906.
the emerging
temperance movement caused significant problems for brewers in Ontario,
and the Sleemans operated the brewery on and off until 1933, when they
were forced to sell out to pay taxes on bootlegged beer.
In 1985, John W.
Sleeman, the great-great grandson of John H. Sleeman, re-established the
Sleeman Brewing & Malting Company.
Since 1985, the Brewery has become one of the fastest growing
businesses in Guelph, and one of the major producers of beer in Canada.
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