RAINIER BEER IN CANADA Article by
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
For any comments, additions, or corrections -
All
contents including images are copyright by BreweryGems.com
1900-1971
Brewed in Seattle
"Rainier" was the flagship brand of Seattle Brewing & Malting. SB&M was established in January 1893 with the merger of three Seattle breweries;
Bay View, Claussen-Sweeney, and
Albert Braun.
The Bay View Brewery was founded by Andrew Hemrich, who had early interests in Victoria, B.C.
As SB&M's president, he set out to secure markets in Hong Kong, Australia, Hawaii, Alaska,
and British Columbia. In April 1900, he contracted with the Vancouver Bottling Works to act as B.C.'s agent/bottler. They would distribute "Rainier Beer" that was bottled at the Seattle brewery, as well as bottle
and distribute "Rainier" received in bulk.
In a May 5, 1900, a newsapaper article by the
Vancouver News-Advertiser, described the bottling procedures for "Rainier Beer" stating that:
"The beer is bottled in colorless bottles with neat label and silver capsule ..." This puts to rest the speculation by collectors that the embossed, green, crown-top bottles came from the Vancouver Bottling Works¹.
Just four months later, in Sept. 1900, the Vancouver Bottling Works was reorganized as the Pacific Bottling Works and was to remain SB&M's agent/bottler for 13 more years.
So, it seems likley that these green Rainiers were bottled early on in either the Pacific
Bottling Works of Vancouver, or
in
their branch in Victoria. If they were bottled in Seattle, they were meant
only for the B.C. market, since that's the only place they've been found.
metal plaque from the Mike Wagner collection
Andrew Hemrich died in 1910 and his younger brother, Louis, replaced him as president of SB&M. In 1913 Louis established the Rainier Beer Agency in Vancouver which was then the sole agent in B.C.
for "Rainier Beer," but the agency did no bottling. SB&M was now selling beer
only bottled at the Brewery.
In November 1914, Washington State voters passed a state-wide Prohibition, to take effect on 1 Jan. 1916, giving brewers and distillers all of 1915 to sell their stock and find a new product line,
or close their plants.
SB&M chose to build a new brewery in San Francisco and shut down the Seattle plant, believing national Prohibition wouldn't happen. They also ceased shipments to their foreign markets until they had
sufficient output from the California plant.
British Columbia, finally received beer from the
Rainier Brewing Co. of San Francisco in
late 1917, but it was a non-alcoholic beverage. B.C. had passed its own provincial prohibition,
effective on 1 Oct. 1917. Fortunately, B.C. lawmakers eventually realized the ineffectiveness of Prohibition and repealed it three years later,
on 20 Oct. 1920—effective 1 Jan. 1921.
Upon hearing of this, Louis Hemrich immediately headed to B.C. which opened another chapter in the Rainier story, but one that has been misunderstood.
Brewed in British Columbia
On Dec. 10, 1920, a Vancouver newspaper, The Province, published the
following:“RAINIER BREWERY FOR KAMLOOPS - Following the purchase recently of the Imperial Brewery plant and property here by the
Rainier Brewing Company, it is now announced that the new owners intend to erect a large addition and make other improvements to the plant that will entail an outlay of about $75,000.”
The story went on to say that the improvements will double the present capacity of the brewery and they plan to supply both the domestic and export trades.
Actually, the newspaper account was in error. It was the president of the Rainier Brewing Co. of San Francisco,
Louis Hemrich, who made the purchase, so the newspaper assumed that he was acting on behalf of Rainier.
Actually, Hemrich was pursuing his own interests. He had formed an investment group composed
primarily of Seattle Brewing & Malting stock holders and family members, in order to pursue this venture.
Hemrich may have chosen not to correct this misunderstanding in order to enhance his bona fides with local lenders. In fact, Hemrich was prone to flaunting his wealth.
On his infrequent business trips from San Francisco to Vancouver he had his luxury touring car loaded on the steam ship with him. Crowds would gather to admire the costliest and
most ornate motor car ever seen in Vancouver. His $20,000 vehicle was custom made by the White Motor Company, which also made President Taft's automobile. Hemrich boasted that his car's
interior alone cost as much as an average new car.
The above newspaper article mentioned that Hemrich's new brewery would supply both the domestic
and export markets. Actually, the Brewery had a bottling works that could only be used for domestic trade,
and not for exports. However, the previous November Hemrich had established the Rainier Bottling Works, Ltd., in Vancouver, in order to bottle
for the local market, and for the brewery’s export products--primarily to the Orient.
Repeal of British Columbia's Prohibition was effective on Jan.1, 1921, and the following June, the Imperial Brewery was reorganized as the Rainier Brewing Company, Ltd. This was only after reaching a licensing
agreement with Seattle Brewing & Malting for the rights to the Rainier Beer trademark. As part of the agreement SB&M was to receive a royalty of 20 cents per barrel produced.
In July, the first Rainier Beer brewed in Canada went on sale. It was called "Rainier
Pale" and was the same label used by SB&M when the new lighter style
of beer was
introduced in 1906.
While the city fathers of Kamloops were pleased to have a thriving industry
located there, they were upset by a promise not kept. Apparently, officials
of the Brewery told both the Board of Trade and the City Council that their
beer labels would bear the word "Kamloops." However, upon release the labels had
only "British Columbia" to designate the place of manufacture. The ommision
was soon remedied.
Fortunately, Hemrich had been able to re-capture some of the export trade that was lost when Rainier’s San Francisco plant was shut down in 1918.
One of the accounts that he was able to reinstate was with their agent in Shanghai. The company revived the same Chinese language Rainier Pale label, only changing “San Francisco”
to “British Columbia,” and removing “Made in U.S.A.” from the top of Mt. Rainier.
A translation from the Chinese reads: “This is a famous American brand, made of sweet mountain spring water and top quality ingredients. This beer is very beneficial to the body, nourishing the blood, giving strength and vigor. It tastes delicious and is a wonderful product for one’s health.
Our company has been in business for years, well known in both China and other countries. Please look carefully at the company logo so you won’t buy the wrong product and harm your health. Again, please make sure it is the Rainier brand, so you won’t get it wrong.
General Manager of North and South China, Zhengguanghe Yang Hang.”
Another label that the Brewery used is a bit of a mystery. The "Rainier Beer" banner as the word "Special" added. While newspapers of this period fully covered the Brewery, including illustrated ads,
nothing mentions their "Special" Rainier. This may have been a limited
bottling to commemorate an important event, or Holiday.
W. S. Ramsay, proprietor of Vancouver's Regent Hotel, was made manager of the Brewery. The plant superintendent was William Weiss,
with Henry Schmidt serving as brewmaster.
Both Weiss and Schmidt had been with the Rainier plant in SF, and were the only ones with experience in the brewing industry—a curious arrangement. Even before the first batch of beer was brewed a
lawsuit was filed against
the company. A hop grower sued for breach of contract over a transaction concerning 150 bales of hops. While it’s not clear who was at fault, this early misstep was a warning that management
might not be up to the task.
By January
1922, after six months of production, the plant’s output was nearly 1,000 barrels a month, but demand wasn’t high enough for the plant to operate at optimum capacity.
Seeking to expand its product line the company introduced a British-style stout called,
"Rainier Extra Export Stout," with a label resembling the famous Guinness Stout label.
One of the investors in the company was Louis Roesch, a San Francisco
lithographer who had been producing labels for Seattle Brewing & Malting
since 1896, and was the source for these Canadian labels.
Then in August of 1922, the wheels came off. First, Seattle Brewing & Malting issued a writ against the company, claiming $6,892 principal and interest due on three notes.
Then in October SB&M began action against the company, seeking to recover $5000 alleged to be due on two notes. Finally, on Nov. 4, 1922, a
Seattle Times article lead with:
“Suit for Beer Royalty Filed in Court Here” – the article went on to say that SB&M was suing Louis Hemrich, president of his Canadian company. According to the complaint:
“…the Seattle company agreed to allow Hemrich to manufacture beer in British Columbia and sell it under the name of
"Rainier Beer" if it was paid 20 cents on every one of the
first 25,000 barrels manufactured. The complaint charged that the Canadian company had made 12,419 barrels and never paid the $2,484 royalty due.
The amounts due SB&M should have been manageable but other creditors were apparently having the same problems getting paid. There were
several factors that may have contributed
to their cash flow problems. Export sales obviously didn’t meet expectations. Foreign breweries had filled the void when Rainier (SF) shut down in 1918, and the company overestimated
its ability to re-gain these markets. The domestic market may also have been a problem. Prior to Prohibition draught beer represented the majority of sales, and when B.C. repealed their
prohibition they mandated off-sales of bottled beer at government outlets, only no more beer by the glass. Finally, the
mis-management of the company played a major part in its failure.
They may have fared better had they found a manager with experience in the industry.
Ironically, had the company elected to do business with the bootleggers and rum runners, as other Canadian companies were doing, their solvency would not have been a problem.
One of the company’s organizers, and current president, J. G. Brooks, was even owner of one of these questionable companies. In March 1922, Hose & Brooks, Ltd. was named in an
action concerning the liquor company’s deliveries to known rum runners. It was not their first offense.
In February 1923 the Vancouver Bankruptcy Court began supervising the affairs of the Brewery, with the business of the company to be conducted as usual.
It may have been at this point that a new brand was introduced to stimulate the Vancouver market.
The brand was called "Lions Double Brew." The label depicted the twin peaks of the North Shore Mouintains, called the Twin Sisters, or the Lion Peaks.
The company hoped Vancouver beer drinkers would prefer to see their iconic twin mountain peaks on a label, rather than WA
State's Mt. Rainier.
The following June, both the Rainier Brewing Company, Ltd. and Rainier Bottling Works, Ltd. were sold to a Vancouver syndicate headed by Robert Fiddes. Brewery superintendent,
Wm. E. Weiss, continued to serve in the same capacity. In August 1923, the brewery was reorganized as the Rainier Brewing Company of Canada, Ltd. In 1924, Rudolph Samet joined the
newly reorganized brewery as general manager. Samet had been with Seattle Brewing & Malting since 1904, and stayed with the company when they moved to San Francisco in 1915.
There he rose to the position
of vice president and general manager.
In October of '23, the newly reorganized Rainier Brewing Company
produced an "Old English Pale Ale," but they had to cease production due
to an injuction brought against them by SB&M. According to a
Vancouver Daily World article on
Nov. 29, 1923 – “An injunction restraining the Rainier Brewing Company of Canada, Ltd. from using their present trademark on beer labels is asked for in a writ issued on behalf of
Seattle Brewing & Malting Company.” Naturally, the injunction was appealed, and while waiting for the final judgment the brewery chose an interim label.
On Sept. 10, 1924, the decision was given, granting the Canadian company right to use the trademark. In handing down the dismissal of Seattle Brewing & Malting’s claim the judge remarked:
“…. they could not claim to have been the proprietors in Canada of a trademark at the time of such registration, when they had long before not only parted with the right to use it in
British Columbia, but expressly contracted not to use it in British Columbia for a period of ninety-nine years.”
Another bit of irony was that in November 1924, the Canadian-Mexican Shipping Co. was indicted for smuggling. One of the officers and directors of the company was Robert Fiddes.
He knew how to stay solvent!
In June of 1926 the
Fiddes group purchased the recently modernized Westminster Brewery, transfering
their operations to that plant.
They now had the authority to use the
Rainier brand and trade mark, and reprised the "Old English Ale." They also kept the "Lions Double Brew" brand.
Early in the following year the Kamloops plant was shuttered.
While Fiddes won the rights to use Seattle Brewing & Malting's Rainier
brand, I'm sure that didn't include SB&M's registered slogan. The neck
label for "Old English Rainier Ale" promised "new vigor and strength in
every drop."
In May of 1928, Robert Fiddes & Associates established Coast Breweries, Ltd. as
a holding company to acquire the assets of four independent brewing
companies; the
Rainier Brewing Co. of Canada Ltd., Silver Springs Brewery Ltd., Westminster Brewery Ltd., and
Victoria Phoenix Brewing Co. (1920)² Ltd. This
consolidation made Coast Breweries the largest brewing entity in the Province,
controling approximately 50% of the B.C. market.
These labels continued in use until
1942 when war time shortages forced Coast Breweries to stop
brewing all except Lucky Lager Beer. The choice of Lucky Lager
clearly indicates that it was now Coast Breweries flagship
brand, and in 1950 the
Westminster Brewery began doing business as Lucky Lager
Brewing Co. Ltd.
In April of 1954,
the president of Coast Breweries, Robert W. Fiddes, died. The
coporate board members voted the following October to change the
name of the holding company to Lucky Lager Breweries (1954) Ltd.
In early '55 the Board updated the original Rainier label for a
more modern look. The label below is from the Lucky Lager
Brewery in Victoria, previously the Victoria Phoenix
Brewery.
Also in early 1955, Sicks' Edmonton Brewery introduced
their own "Rainier Ber" to Alberta. Perhaps they felt it
was appropriate since Lucky Lager Breweries only
marketed "Rainier Beer" in B.C. However, Lucky Lager
didn't see it that way and requested an injunction
restricting the Edmonton Brewery from using the Rainier
brand anywere in Canada. The writ was summarily granted
and the Sick organization kept "Rainier Beer" in the
U.S.
In 1958 John Labatt Limited purchased Lucky Lager
Breweries Ltd., and retained the Lucky Lager name.
However, they ceased brewing Rainier Beer for about
seven years. Then in April of 1965 it was reintroduced,
this time with a new label. This illustrated ad is one
of a series that lasted until May of 1966.
click
to enlarge
By 1967 the company was doing business as Labatt Breweries of British
Columbia. The last versions of the Rainier Beer label used in British Columbia
(ca.1970) are similar to this one except they dropped the "Lucky Lager Division" wording.
FOOTNOTES:
¹ In June 1912 the Kuntz Brewery of
Waterloo, Ont. began distribting their "Old German Lager" in Vancouver. The
beer was bottled at the brewery in Peacock Green bottles.
Could this have been
the impetus for bottling Rainier in green bottles? Probably not - 1912 was a bit late to
still have bottles with as much "whittle" as the Rainiers, which were
probably made in Germany.
²
The "1920" refers to the year the brewery was re-incorporated
prior to the repeal of B.C.'s Prohibition, and has nothing to do
with the Rainier brand.
WANTED:
I'm hoping to find the quart version of these crown-top Rainier bottles to
go with the pint and half-pint shown here.
or for brewery collectibles you wish to sell - please
contact me:
and can not be used without permission from Brewery Gems.