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The Great Western Brewing Company’s application to have its property rezoned for an expansion has been approved by Saskatoon city council.
According to city administration, it’s the last major-capacity brewery in the province.
At Monday’s public hearing, senior city planner Brent McAdam told councillors the original building is near the end of its lifespan.
“Great Western has indicated that several components of their facility are nearing or past their end of life, and they’ve identified a need for a modern brewing facility in order to continue operations,” he said.
The property the current brewery sits on will house the expansion. McAdam said the company considered a variety of options for its new facility, including moving to another location. However, the preferred option was to remain on the original site.
The new addition will house the brewery that will front 2nd Avenue, while the older building will be used for the reception area, offices, and commercial space.
CEO Michael Brennan thanked the city for working with the company so it could remain on the original site.
“This brewery addition really puts us in the position as a company to operate as the only regional brewery in the province for the foreseeable future, and to do so in a way that is more environmentally friendly and energy efficient than we have been able to so far,” he said.
He said the new brewery will be able to produce 100 litres of beer using 450 litres of water, rather than 900 litres of water currently.
“(That) will make us in the top breweries around the world in production and water usage,” he added. “We’ll (also) be able to drop our energy usage by 60 per cent.”
The Great Western site has been operating as a brewery since 1927. It’s recognized on the Saskatoon Register of Historic Places for its heritage value.
It’s not clear when construction is expected to begin.