The Victoria company announced on Tuesday that it’s taking over production of the brands of Esquimalt-based Lighthouse.
One Greater Victoria craft brewer is closing, while another is getting bigger.
Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. of Victoria announced on Tuesday that it’s taking over production of the brands of Esquimalt-based Lighthouse Brewing.
The deal is expected to be complete on Sunday and will see Phillips continue the portfolio of Lighthouse beers, including Shipwreck IPA, Race Rocks Amber Ale and Company Lager.
No financial details were disclosed.
Ben Thomas, co-owner and GM, said the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic, rising inflation, supply chain challenges, high provincial taxation rates, new tariffs and continued rising production costs were no longer manageable.
The company said that after it spent several years navigating economic challenges, the B.C. Government Employees Union strike last fall was the final straw that led to shutting down the brewery and laying off its staff.
Thomas said it was important for the company to find a craft brewery that could continue the Lighthouse brands, calling Phillips a “recognized and respected leader in the B.C. craft beer industry” that will be able to “uniquely position the beers among their own portfolio of brands.”
Jim Lister, president of Phillips Brewing & Malting Co., said the company is “honoured” to add Lighthouse’s beers to its portfolio.
For Lighthouse fans and retailers, it’s business as usual, as Phillips will immediately start brewing, packaging, marketing and selling Lighthouse brands.
Thomas said Lighthouse is planning a thank-you party on Jan. 24 at its tasting room at 836 Devonshire Rd. in Esquimalt.
It’s the first acquisition for Phillips. In 2024, the company signed a production and packaging agreement with Vancouver Island Brewing, which closed its operations on Government Street after 40 years.
—This story originally appeared on Victoria Times Colonist
dkloster@timescolonist.com
