LEFT TO RIGHT: FILLING KEGS ON THREE-ARMED RACKER / FILLED CASES GOING INTO CARTON SEALER / BOTTLES AFTER BEING FILLED GOING TO PASTEURIZER. PHOTOS SUPPLIED
Fort Garry is regarded by many as the godfather of the local craft beer industry. The company was founded in 1930 by B.W. Hoeschen and operated as one of the province’s first independent breweries until it was sold to Molson in 1960. It was resurrected in 1994 by Hoeschen’s great-grandson Richard and is one of Manitoba’s longest operating craft breweries. It’s something that everyone involved in Fort Garry’s Lowson Crescent operation in south Winnipeg is keenly aware of, says current company president Scott Shupeniuk. “We don’t have a shiny new tap room, and we’re not the cool new brewery in the neighbourhood, but we have a great story and a history like nobody else,” he says. “There’s a story behind our facility and also a story with each of our brands that really shapes the things we do from an innovation perspective. Everything we do ties back to
our history.” While Fort Garry continues to pay homage to its storied past, a big part of the company’s focus these days is on innovation, Shupeniuk says. For example, it recently introduced Fort Garry Dark Neapolitan, a twist on its flagship mild English ale that features hints of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry and is reminiscent of Neapolitan ice cream. It’s also been pushing the boundaries of craft beer with the introduction of its small batch Brewmaster Series that features offerings such as its Peanut Butter and Jelly and Peach Cobbler sours. Perhaps one of the most significant developments in Fort Garry’s recent past was the company’s decision in 2021 to develop its own ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages called Hector's Hard, which started with a hard iced tea and has evolved into six different flavours that are available in bottles and cans.
Those offerings have proven so popular they have become an even bigger part of the company’s revenue stream than beer. “We recognized it was going to be a challenge to sustain our market share being an older brewery without a tap room in what is a very competitive beer industry. So we made a decision to maintain our beer portfolio but to also be competitive in segments outside of beer,” Shupeniuk says of the company’s decision to venture into the RTD segment. “Consumer preferences were changing and we needed to evolve, and it started with looking at our facility beyond just beer. We knew we had to do something different.” Another trademark of the current incarnation of Fort Garry Brewing has been the company’s focus on developing strategic partnerships within the community.
SAVOUR MANITOBA | SPRING/SUMMER 25 9
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