Pilsner Brewery
Pilsner Brewery
The Old Style Pilsner Brewery was originally founded in 1901 by Fritz Sick in Lethbridge, Alberta and starts brewing a beer called "Alberta Pride". In 1916, the province of Alberta instituted a prohibition against alcohol. Times get tough for the brewery, but Sick starts brewing non-alcoholic beer and soda and stays afloat until 1923 when the prohibition is lifted and brewing resumes at its regular pace. In 1926, Fritz Sick changes the name of the beer to "Old Style Pilsner" and draws up the decorative label of the prairies.
In 1957, Sick's son takes over the brewery and modernizes the label, the new label becomes a disaster as loyal Pilsner drinkers reject it. In 1958, Molson purchases Pilsner and promptly changes the logo back to the old style. In the 1990's, Molson decides to take the PIlsner to the eastern market in Canada, and it is not a success, so it is promptly returned to the west where it belongs. In the present the brewery continues to crank out a true prairie beer that has a loyal following in the west of Canada (www.oldstylepilsner.com, 2011).
According to WBC:
In Lethbridge there is a recreational centre named after Fritz Sick and a swimming pool. The Galt museum has a large bottle of Pilsner on display in its exhibit and explains the history of the brewery. The brewey is no longer located in Lethbridge, but locals still remember it operating and are proud of their beloved Pilsner.
Did you know?:
Pilsner is the sponsored beer of the beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL football team and it has been featured as the beer of choice on the popular prairie television show Corner Gas. The beer continues to be brewed at Molson's Vancouver and Edmonton locations.
Brewery Group:
