Brewery can sell remainder of Fort Calgary beer but can't use name in future, says city
The City of Calgary is allowing a local craft brewery to sell the remainder of its beer named for Fort Calgary, as long as it agrees to not use the name going forward.
Elite Brewing had been given until May 27 to destroy its Fort Calgary ISA labels, or it would be taken to court by the city.
The city said a dialogue had been going on between Elite Brewing and Fort Calgary, but a miscommunication between the two parties saw Elite move ahead with the short-run product.
"They asked us to just put a disclaimer on our marketing that the product is not associated with the current Fort Calgary," Adrian Di Marino of Elite Brewing had told CBC.
"So we did that, we complied, and then the letters came after that. So we were a bit surprised that the letters came despite that we kind of got to a resolution on it prior."
The beers were meant to raise funds for the Veterans Food Bank.
Fort Calgary is a Calgary landmark — but it's also a registered charity and official trademark owned by the city.
City representatives and the brewery met on Wednesday. They agreed that the remainder of the beers could be sold but that the brewery can't use the trademark going forward.
"The city supports the fundraising efforts of both Elite Brewing and Bow River Brewing for the Veterans Food Bank — and recognizes the importance of their efforts to help build a thriving micro-brewery industry in our city," Richard Hinse, director of community standards, said in an emailed statement.
The beers are estimated to be available until July 30.
