After nearly 43 years of service, Kelly Olson, Pacific Western Brewing Company’s long-time brewmaster, is retiring, leaving behind a legacy of crafting some of the finest local brews in the company’s history.
Olson joined the brewery in 1982, the company had just turned 25 years old, and so was he. The brewery had recently been acquired by Old Fort Brewing, and over the next decade, the brewery would undergo several ownership changes until it found stability in 1991 under the ownership of Kazuko Komatsu, its seventh owner. Under the Komatsu Family ownership, Kelly was a key figure in helping the brewery establish itself as a stable, quality-driven business.
Kelly’s journey with PWB has been more than just his role as brewmaster; he has been somewhat of a Swiss army knife to the company. He has acquired skills over his four-decade career that provided him with knowledge and expertise across the company’s entire operations, including time spent as the warehouse manager, bottle shop/production manager, quality assurance, among various other positions. However, his true passion is in brewing, where his skill and leadership in crafting exceptional beers secured his place in the Brewhouse and left an indelible mark on Prince George’s hometown brewery.
Kelly’s career is marked by many achievements, initiatives, and innovative brews and creations, some including:
- In 1997, he brewed Canada’s first certified organic lager, NatureLand Organic Lager.
- In 2005, Pacific Western Brewing was awarded the Gold Medal at the Industry International Awards in Munich, Germany for Kelly’s certified organic brew of NatureLand Organic Ale Beer, marking the first time a Canadian brewery won this prestigious industry award.
- In 2016, Kelly crafted the provincially celebrated Cariboo Springs Lager, a 100 per cent B.C. ingredient beer, colloquially coined the “BC VQA of beers”. He sourced the malts from Gambrinus Malting in Armstrong and the hops from Chilliwack Hop Farm, with PWB’s own Pure Natural Spring Water as the base.
- Kelly championed and managed the annual donation of grain to Ducks Unlimited to help support their feeding of over-wintered ducks, alongside PWB’s regular donation of spent grain/mash to local farmers for livestock feed, ensuring that no useable product goes to waste.
- Pacific Pilsner isn’t just another brew crafted by Kelly, or one of PWB’s top selling products, it’s also his favourite beer PWB makes – give it a try and thank Kelly when you do.
- He brewed Cariboo Genuine Draft, Pacific Western Brewing’s most successful and top-selling product in the company’s history, which is accompanied by philanthropic giving of partial proceeds to reforestation programs throughout British Columbia.
These are just a few highlights of Kelly’s illustrious four-decade career with Pacific Western Brewing Company.
“Kelly Olson’s knowledge and passion for brewing has been integral to Pacific Western Brewing’s success and innovation,” said PWB Owner and CEO, Taizan Komatsu. “Under his leadership, our brewhouse has thrived, creating countless recipes and brews that have elevated our brands domestically, and have also garnered significant international acclaim. His contributions have shaped the products that are loved by our consumers and have sustained our corporate goal of producing quality products for an affordable price. On behalf of everyone at Pacific Western Brewing, I extend my deepest gratitude to Kelly for his unwavering commitment, and I congratulate him on an outstanding career.”
Throughout his career, Kelly always championed the brewhouse’s commitment to quality, ensuring that production was always on schedule and meeting consumer demands. He has built an exceptional team in the brewhouse, passing on his knowledge, values, and expertise as a lasting legacy for PWB.
“For 43 years, we have benefitted from Kelly’s knowledge, passion, and experience; it will be difficult to imagine PWB without him,” says Cindy Hartford, plant manager. “I want to express my sincere appreciation to Kelly for his friendship, his mentorship in brewing, and his dedicated service to the brewery. His contributions have played a key role in creating some of British Columbia’s finest beers.”