WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Free Press reports that Fort Garry Brewing will be shutting down production of Agassiz Catfish Cream Ale, a brand that they’ve been brewing under contract for several years on behalf of New Manitoba Brewing, the company which owns the rights to the Agassiz name and brands.
Once a full-scale brewing operation, the Agassiz brewery was shut down in 2002, and all brands were retired except Catfish, which was brewed for a time at the now defunct Northern Breweries in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, before production was moved to Fort Garry in 2006.
Due to a new contract to brew two house brand beers for the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Winnipeg, Fort Garry no longer has the capacity to brew Catfish. According to Joe Constant, a partner in New Manitoba, preliminary talks are underway with breweries in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but he only gives a 50/50 chance of the brand being revived.
No loss.