Granville Island Brewing
 | |
| Location |
Granville Island Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1984 |
| Barrels per year | 60k Hectolitres Est. |
| Owner(s) | Creemore Springs, a Molson Coors subsidiary |
The Granville Island Brewing Company (GIB) was a microbrewery originally based on Granville Island in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 2009 it was bought by Creemore Springs, a subsidiary of Molson Coors,[1] the fifth largest beer corporation in the world.
History
Granville Island Brewing was founded in 1984 by entrepreneur Mitch Taylor. In order to guarantee a high quality, German-style beer and the successful start of the new company on the market, Taylor recruited the company's first diploma-holding brewmaster, Rainer Kallähne, in 1983. Kallähne was jointly responsible for planning, building and starting up Granville Island Brewing during its early days. The current brewmaster, Vern Lambourne, joined Granville Island Brewing in 2002. Between 1984 and 2005 five new beers were released, greatly expanding the company's portfolio. In August 2005, Andrew Peller Wines purchased Granville Island Brewing from Taylor and in 2006 renovated the original facilities beneath the Granville Bridge and expanded into new, larger facilities located in Kelowna. In 2009 Molson Coors Canada purchased Granville Island Brewing through its subsidiary, Creemore Springs Brewing, from Andrew Peller Wines.
Location and operations
Though the larger part of its base of operations moved inland to Kelowna, in the Okanagan Valley, the original brewery continues to manufacture some of the company's products, and offers beer-tasting tours. The original brewhouse is located directly under the Granville Bridge that crosses False Creek into downtown Vancouver. Tours of the small brewery are held daily. In the company's taproom, eight of the company's beers are available on tap, one of which is generally a limited release only available at the brewery.
Products
Granville Island Brewery names its beers after local places and neighbourhoods in British Columbia.
- Island Lager
- English Bay Pale Ale
- Cypress Honey Lager
- Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale
- Brockton India Pale Ale
- Robson Street Hefeweizen
Seasonal releases:
- Ginger Beer (summer)
- False Creek Raspberry Ale (summer)
- "The Pumpking" Ale (fall)
- Lions Winter Ale (winter)
Small batches are still brewed on the island site and available for limited release:
- Urban Legend (an IPA produced in collaboration with Joeys)
References
- ↑ http://www.canadianbeernews.com/2009/10/19/creemore-springs-brewery-to-acquire-granville-island-brewing/