P26602, Red Deer Brewing Co., 1953
Local Breweries
The first brewery in Red Deer was built in the 1950s when MacDonald Millar, director of the Red Deer Brewing Company, invested $500,000 into a factory building and brewing equipment. This brewery was located at 5304 43 Street, just west of what was then the Canadian Pacific Railway line. Red Deer Brewing Company sent out its first shipment on April 1,1954. It was the sixth brewery in Alberta.
In 1955, the Red Deer Brewing Company was bought by and became a division of Carling’s Breweries Ltd, before shutting down in 1966. Today, that property is home to the Old Brew Plaza, and its old condensing tower is still visible today.
N4871, Red Deer Brewery, 1954
P8397, Carling's Brewery, 1957
During the early 1970s, Ben Ginter of Uncle Ben’s Tartan Breweries of Alberta Ltd. established a new brewing company in Red Deer and decided to build a brand-new factory. Construction of the $4,500,000 factory began in August of 1971 at 2210 Gaetz Avenue, which is now Gaetz Ave Crossing. Uncle Ben’s Breweries would be the first of many breweries in this building. It was also the first brewery in Alberta to produce beer in cans and sell pop in the popular stubby bottles. Unfortunately for the company, in 1973, the Alberta provincial government prohibited the sale of pop and other soft drinks in certain bottle designs, including stubbies, resulting in a decline in Uncle Ben's pop sales.
In 1981, Ben Ginter sold Uncle Ben’s Breweries to Richard Slevin of Steeplejack Services Ltd. Rocky Mountain Breweries Ltd. (later renamed Rocky Mountain Brewing Company) took over the 5,301 square meters of space on December 15, 1981. Following a $600,000 renovation, a rebranding effort, and a deliberate move to distance itself from Uncle Ben’s Breweries, the company released their first beer, Gold Peak premium lager, on April 15, 1982. It was not enough to keep the company afloat as Rocky Mountain Brewing Company went into receivership in 1984.
P3567, Uncle Ben's Brewery, 1972
P20576, Uncle Ben's Breweries, 1975
P26603, Uncle Ben's Beer, 1973
In 1986, Matrix Investments bought Rocky Mountain Brewing Company and changed its name to Drummond Brewing Co. Ltd. The products Gold Peak and Rocky Lite were changed to Drummond Premium and Drummond Lite. Drummond Brewing revolutionized the branding of beer when they came out with their simply marketed Beer Beer, Beer Beer Plus, and Beer Beer Lite.
Drummond was looking for investors when they went into receivership in 1995, before they ultimately declared bankruptcy in 1996 and sold their land to a developer.
A local microbrewery owned by Kevin Wood and Cody Geddes-Backman adopted the Drummond name in 2008 and resurrected the Drummond Brewery legacy in Red Deer. This brewery, located at 6610 71 Street, was known for their Drummond Gold or Drummond Premium beer, before closing permanently in 2023.
VC184, Drummond Brewery, 1999
VC404, Drummond's 'Beer Beer', 1992
Before the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Licence Commission changed regulations, breweries were required to produce at least 500,000 litres a year to sell commercially. In 2013 the minimum production requirement was removed to give microbreweries a chance in the market which caused a surge of new breweries all over Alberta. Even though Drummond Brewery is closed, the craft beer scene in Red Deer was revitalized and is as vibrant as ever with companies like Troubled Monk, Red Hart Brewing, Sawback Brewing Co., and Belly Hop Brewing.