It’s time to pour one out for the Olds College Brewery and the Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program at Olds College of Agriculture and Technology.
Low student numbers and a reduced demand for craft beer have prompted the closure of both the program and the brewery.
WHY IT MATTERS: The Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program at Olds College was the only one of its kind in Alberta.
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“The student enrolment really declined last year,” said Dennis Beaudoin, dean of the School of Trades and Skills at Olds College.
“It declined to the point where we didn’t have enough students to actually run the cohort.”
In February 2025, Olds College decided to suspend student intake for the Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program. The last group of students will graduate in April 2026.
Once the student intake was suspended, the college conducted a market analysis.
“I don’t think it’s much of a surprise to say the craft beverage industry has certainly declined, so the student demand just wasn’t there any more for the diploma,” he said.
Olds College has two breweries on campus. One is the commercial brewery at the Pomeroy Hotel, which will be closed in June 2026. The other brewery is a teaching brewery.
“We’re going to be looking at the program and see what we want to do moving forward. We may bring it back as a certificate, or it may go through our continuing education so that we can still serve some of the interest that’s out there,” he said.
The Olds College Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations program was the only one in the province.
Decline of program and craft brewing market
When the program began in 2013, there was a cohort of 25 students with a waitlist twice as long. The program was a two-year diploma.
“Back in 2013, there was a lot of student demand and then actually right from that day forward is when the decline started to happen,” said Beaudoin.
Student cohorts began to consist of 10-15 people.
“What’s happening with the last one, we were down to single digits for student interest. And that’s what led to the closure.”
Beaudoin said the craft brewery market has changed drastically over the years.
From 2010 to 2012, people began opening craft breweries, and there was a lot of competition and breweries promoting their products. Since 2023, alcohol consumption has declined drastically.
“When you look at the market mix, when you look at beer or spirits or anything like that, what’s happening is a kick on the beer side. Spirits have been maintaining their market share, but beer has taken a drastic hit with their market share,” he said.
Young people today are not drinking as much as older generations, and many people are cutting down on alcohol consumption due to financial constraints, said Beaudoin.
The commercial brewery initially opened in partnership with the Pomeroy Hotel on campus. Olds College had a hospitality program, which they ran through the hotel and decided to start the brewery program.
The program focused on beer to start, but as student demand declined the program began to include meads, wine and seltzers.
“We changed the way we delivered the program over the last couple of years, but it’s still not doing what we need to do to make sure we’re making the college sustainable,” he said.
Beaudoin said while the decision has been made, there’s still a lot of sadness over the closure of the brewery.
Nine staff will be let go by the end of June. This includes the staff from the brewery and a couple of faculty members.
“If there was anyone who wanted to save this program, it was me. I think everyone here is disappointed because (the brewery) was a real fabric of Olds College,” he said.
“It’s no secret that post-secondaries across the sector are having challenges, and we’re all trying to figure out ways to be sustainable. And unfortunately, this is one of the decisions we had to make.”
The Olds College Brewery will remain open for sales until June 2026 and is open to anyone who wants to stop by and support its final season of brewing.
