Half Pints Brewing out of bankruptcy, back on shelves

A pioneer of Winnipeg’s craft brewing scene has reopened under new ownership.

Andrew Holtmann purchased Half Pints Brewing Company Ltd.’s assets out of bankruptcy in June. Half Pints brand beers such as St. James Pale Ale and Little Scrapper IPA started returning to store shelves on Friday, and the brewery’s taproom will reopen before the end of the month, Holtmann said.

The entrepreneur said one of the first things he did when he took over was hire Half Pints founder David Rudge to be the company’s brewmaster.

“The beers that (Dave’s) been making for 20 years have stood the test of time,” said Holtmann, 49. “Winnipeggers like them and we’re really just focused on getting the same great beers back out so people can keep enjoying them.”

Rudge, 51, said he’s pleased with the new arrangement. “I wake up, I’m excited, I come to work, I brew beer — everybody’s happy.”

The company’s Bulldog Amber Ale, Stir Stick Stout and Code Name: Ghost IPA beers are returning, as well as its seasonal Oktoberfest brew. So, too, is Bikey McBikeface, a grapefruit lager that is hitting store shelves after a two-plus-year hiatus.

Rudge started Half Pints in 2006, when national and international beer ruled the market. Only Fort Garry Brewing Co. Ltd. shared the city when Rudge opened for business on Keewatin Street, and at the time, the former was owned by a British Columbia firm.

Rudge had spent the previous years brewing in other provinces. Half Pints quickly outgrew its first site and moved to 550 Roseberry St. in the St. James neighbourhood. At its peak, the company employed 14 people.

Along the way, Rudge lobbied the provincial government to make it easier for craft breweries to operate and to open licensed taprooms.

In 2014, two craft brewers operated in Manitoba. By 2023-24, there were 26 brick-and-mortar breweries in the province and another 12 contract breweries. The sector contributed $14 million to the provincial GDP directly and another $10 million indirectly.

Rudge and the Half Pints ownership group, which included family members, decided to sell the business in early 2025. Rudge made the announcement on social media in March.

Ultimately, the ownership group could not find a buyer, and Half Pints fell into bankruptcy in May.

“It’s just the way that sometimes business goes,” Rudge said. “I wasn’t too worried about it.”

Holtmann stepped in the following month and purchased the company’s assets, including the name, equipment and recipes, for a figure he said amounted to “about the price of a car.” He’s since invested an additional $250,000 on ingredients and equipment, including a canning line.

The brewery hit its peak production in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic, Holtmann said. His goal is to get back to peak production and eventually exceed it by 50 per cent.

Holtmann and Rudge are the only staff members right now, but Holtmann said he expects to hire around eight people in the next month.

Half Pints is the first company the entrepreneur has owned, but he’s no stranger to business. He holds an undergraduate degree in agricultural economics and an MBA from the University of Manitoba.

Before purchasing the brewery, his career included stints as a manager of capital markets at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, a research analyst at Tundra Oil and Gas, and a research associate at James Richardson & Sons, Limited.

Holtmann comes from a family of entrepreneurs. He grew up working at the chain of Vita Health stores in Winnipeg, which his grandfather started. His younger brother, Mathew Holtmann, now owns the chain.

“When you grow up in a house where there’s a family business, and the ups and downs are discussed, for a lot of people there’s the desire to go in that direction,” Holtmann said of his decision to become a small-business owner.

There’s also an element of fun to business ownership, he added. “You get to make decisions, you get to implement those decisions, you get to see the impact of them in real time, you get to work with great people and you get to build the environment that you want to work in.”

The return of Half Pints is welcome news for Raj Maniar, who organizes Beer is Art, an annual festival at the Winnipeg Art Gallery that celebrates Manitoba’s craft beer scene.

“It’s amazing to see that Half Pints is back,” Maniar said. “I’m excited to see what the new owners bring to the table.”

“The beers that (Dave’s) been making for 20 years have stood the test of time.”

Steve Nelson, manager at the Beer Boutique beer vendor on Regent Avenue West, said Half Pints was always in high demand when his store carried it. He’s looking forward to speaking with Holtmann about getting it back on his shelves.

For Nelson, it’s important to support local craft beer brands, especially amid the Canada-U.S. trade war.

“It puts a spotlight on Manitoba and all the great beer we have here, and Dave Rudge is, without question, a pioneer in that,” he said.

aaron.epp@winnipegfreepress.com