Here’s to craftier thinking.

In the year 1834, John H. Sleeman began building his legacy based on his love of great beer. We’ve been thinking crafty ever since.

An old photograph of the silver creek brewery and sleeman manor.

Sleeman beer was born from five generations of family brewing heritage. It all began in 1834, when John H. Sleeman opened the first Sleeman brewery.

An old photograph of the silver creek brewery and sleeman manor.

The family tradition was passed down from generation to generation. That is, until Sleeman lost its license to brew in 1933 as a result of smuggling beer during prohibition. The Sleeman family was banned from brewing or selling beer for 50 years.

A collage of Al Capone with an old newspaper and signs from prohibition.

Fifty years later, Aunt Florian came to John W. Sleeman, great-great-grandson of John H. Sleeman, with the family recipe book and an original bottle.

The original Sleeman family recipe book.
A bottle of Sleeman with an old photo of John Sleeman and a newspaper article about the brewery reopening.

John embraced the crafty spirit of his great-great-grandfather to get the brewery back up and running and, in 1988, the Sleeman brand was resurrected.

To this day, that spirit of craftier thinking remains at the heart of everything we do—and in every drop of beer we brew.