Why This Once-Popular '70s Beer Is Now Only Found In Canada

When a beer has attracted a cult following — think Kurt Cobain wearing a shirt with an image of the can, iron-on designs, apparel like shirts and caps, antiques, and even a motion light, you know there's a fan base that would be disappointed if the product disappeared. Though lovers of Olympia beer (it was one of the most popular beers in the '70s, after all) can hunt for vintage, collectable beer steins, Americans trying to drink the stuff are faced with a bigger challenge. "Where did you find the Olympia???" commented an Instagram user on a photo with an unopened can. The kitschy lager, described as an "American tradition," has experienced quite the journey. Noted as a light-tasting beer that offers round, sweet flavors and a light presence of hops, the beer is now brewed by Great Western Brewing Company, an authorized distributor for the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. 

In a complicated history that began with German immigrant Leopold F. Schmidt, Capital Brewing Company, later renamed Olympia Brewing Company, first coined "It's the Water" as the beer's slogan in 1902. The advertisement referenced Pacific Northwest waters, particularly artesian wells found in Olympia, Washington. By claiming this specific ingredient, Olympia cemented its products. Later, however, the fact that Olympia cans featured falls in a different state from where they were made became an issue that culminated in a lawsuit. Complaints focused on the fact that manufacturers were resting on the brand's laurels and the beer's origin story since the water the beer was initially brewed with was no longer used.

Brewing Olympia beer began in Tumwater in 1896. The business managed to make a comeback after Prohibition but faced operating hurdles. The company was sold in the '80s to G. Heileman Brewing before it was bought by Pabst in 1999. Operations were moved to California, but signs and items made in the '60s and '70s continued to attract fans even after business shifted. In 2003, the Tumwater brewery closed, Pabst was bought out, and Californian production of Olympia was continued by MillerCoors. Even after Pabst discontinued the beer, Olympia limped along. Production continued as part of a new product made in Texas, and beers were brewed at facilities in California and Canada. The launch of Olympia Revival offered beer sold in red cans with the Olympia logo, sans waterfall. 

Olympia cans that still show the original waterfall illustration are now brewed by Great Western Brewery, a decidedly Canadian business. This initiative, too, has endured some changing of hands, but through employee determination, Great Western Brewing has won awards for some of its brews, including North American-style wheat beer and lagers. Great Western Brewing is now faced with the challenge of marketing Olympia, and initiatives position the beer as "Pride of the Pacific Northwest," born in Tumwater and brewed with pride in Canada. The beer is not sent to the United States, however, so if you do somehow stumble upon a can, consider it a treasure.