On September 5th, 1957, a Prince George Citizen headline blared: “Public Acclaims Prince George’s Newest Product.” The next day the brewery held its inaugural open house.
No Nonsense.
We create satisfying BC beers, vodka soda and other beverages perfect for sharing with friends or after your next adventure.
New & upcoming
The latest and greatest inventions from Pacific Western Brewing.
Most popular brands
Enjoy every sip
We could say that we’re “quality-driven” or that “our beverages are the best in BC,” but we’d prefer to talk about our passion for making drinks that we love to have ourselves. Really, we just want you to be as excited about taking our BC brews with you to your next get-together as we are about making them as satisfying as possible.
Whether you’re just starting to explore what’s available or know what you like already, we care about making your drinking experience both affordable and one that you’re always looking forward to.
We support
sustainability across BC
Climate change is happening, but we’re not going to sit around and wait for the end. We’re taking on initiatives and supporting organizations that help protect and clean up the environment and the places we live in BC.
Our History
We knew we wanted to make great drinks from the start, but we had to learn and try a lot before we became recognized as the company we are today.
1957
Caribou Brewing Company Ltd. opened and plugged Cariboo Lager
1962
Ben Ginter’s Tartan Brewing bought the plant and equipment
By 1964 Tartan was being characterized as “one of the more important primary industries in the Central Interior.
1965
First canned beer in BC
Ginter is determined not to be outdone by the “big three” breweries and to take a piece of the monopoly released his beer in cans.
1969
First malt liquor in Canada
After a series of beer releases, great success was achieved through the launch of the “Uncle Bens Malt Liquor.”
1978
Prince George Breweries Ltd. took over the brewery
New company headed by PG businessman Bob Naismith and his partner Nelson, started its operation. However, the brewery was taken over by Old Fort Brewing in 1981 and there were several ownership changes throughout the 80s.
1982
First dark mild beer in Canada
Canterbury Dark Mild was launched to pay tribute to Britain and the Canterbury Cathedral.
1982
Filmed on location
Strange Brew was filmed at Pacific Western Brewing’s headquarters. This film was a 1983 Canadian comedy starring the popular SCTV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie (portrayed by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis who also served as co-directors) as they get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the state of it.
1988
First dry beer in Canada
1991
Kazuko Komatsu became seventh and longest-standing owner of the brewery
The brewery really started to claim its place as a stable, job-sustaining, quality-focused, community-oriented cornerstone in the Prince George business community.
1993
First ice beer in Canada
1995
First malted herb beer in Canada
1996
First lager/lime beer in Canada
After experimenting with flavored beers, the Dude Lime beer was launched.
1996
Improved quality
Became the inaugural brewery in North America to adopt the certified ISO 9002 quality assurance standard.
1997
First certified organic lager beer in Canada
2005
First Canadian Gold Medal Winner at the Industry International Awards in Munich Germany
2008
Silver award for the American-style dark lager
2013
Improving technology
PWB installed a 10 hectolitre (HL) small batch pilot brewing system in 2013 that allows the brewery to develop new leading-edge recipes and offer one-off beers and seasonal releases. The equipment complements PWB’s existing production system that is responsible for the brewery’s entire product lineup with annual production in excess of 150,000 HL.
2015
Sponsoring the Canada Winter Games
PWB sponsored the 2015 Canada Winter Games in the city and supported a number of charities including the Prince George Foundation, the three Prince George Rotary Clubs and others.
2017
60th anniversary of brewing on the banks of the Nechako in Prince George
The words of the first brewery’s president, Donald Lauder of Vancouver, echo back through the decades: “We are more firmly convinced than ever that the company’s choice of Prince George as its home was its soundest step.”
2017
Helping the forests
A team of more than 90 tree planters plants 100,000 seedlings on Crown land that had been scorched by the devastating Elephant Hill forest fire.
2018
Improving the brewery
The brewery invests $4 million in technological upgrades.
2018
New beer release
Release of the first batch of Pacific Free: A “gluten removed” lager for a discerning, health-conscious generation of beer lovers.
2019
Cariboo Genuine Draft wins bronze trophy
Pacific Western Brewing’s Cariboo Genuine Draft was awarded a bronze trophy in the “light lager” category at the Canadian International Beer Awards in Edmonton, Alberta.
What’s Going On
Contributing to Our Forests in a Meaningful Way for a Sustainable Future
Trees are not only important for the air we breathe but the ecosystems that they support and we’re doing our part to ensure BC forests continue to stay sustainable. We’re…
“Cariboo Rocks the North” Returns After 3 Years to Big Success!
Cariboo Rocks the North (CRTN), Northern BC’s premier classic rock music festival returned to Prince George, BC with resounding success after a 3-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The festival, which…