View of the Medicine Hat Brewing Co.Ltd. with two men standing outside - Photo courtesy Esplanade Archives

By Charles Lefebvre

Smile Sundays

Esplanade exhibit showcases history of brewing in region

Feb 21, 2020 | 5:09 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — For Hatters who enjoy wetting their whistle, the newest exhibit from the Esplanade Archives will provide a glimpse into the history of alcohol and brewing in the region.

“A Brewing Question” discusses the origins, growth, struggles and development of the brewing industry in the Medicine Hat area, from its origins in Saskatchewan to the current craft beer market.

“In recent years, Medicine Hat has had a bit of a renaissance with three new breweries starting up,” said Philip Pype, archivist at the Esplanade. “We also knew that Medicine Hat had an early brewing history, but there wasn’t much that we knew about those first breweries and our current breweries, so we wanted to explore why that was.”

The first brewery in the region was the Saskatchewan Brewery, which opened in 1884. It was forced to close in 1887 after the Department of Inland Revenue ordered all breweries in what was then the North-West Territories cease operations until regulations could be put in place.

An image of the Saskatchewan Brewery, the first brewery in Medicine Hat – Courtesy Esplanade Archives

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The Medicine Hat Brewing Company (not to be confused with the current brewery) opened in 1913, but was closed in 1915 due to Prohibition in Alberta.

The exhibit touches on the history of liquor regulations in the province and how they impacted Medicine Hat.

Pype says the story of brewing in the region is constantly evolving.

“There’s this long story of stops and starts, and the question being asked over and over, how much access should people of Medicine Hat have to alcohol, where it should be available, who has control of it,” he said. “It’s a long story that weaves through the community’s history.”

a liquor store in Medicine Hat is pictured in 1955 – Courtesy Esplanade Archives

Putting together the exhibit started two years in advance, with background research on the subject.

“It’s an opportunity to tell a story that is intriguing to people from a Medicine Hat perspective about things like Prohibition, regulation, how we drink, how we don’t drink and all those sorts of things,” said Pype.

The exhibit is on display until May 30.

A group of men at the Royal Hotel in 1938. Before 1967, women had to have a male escort, and drink in a separate room at drinking establishments. – Courtesy Esplanade Archives