Central City Brewers & Distillers

Central City Brewers & Distillers is a Canadian brewing and distilling company based in Surrey, British Columbia. Founded in 2003, the company built its identity around craft beer, particularly the Red Racer brand, while also developing a spirits business and hospitality operations at its Surrey facility. Its beer range has included pale ale, India pale ale, lager, and other styles, reflecting the broadening of the British Columbia craft-beer market beyond traditional mainstream lager. The company’s Red Racer portfolio became its most recognizable commercial offering. Central City has also produced specialty and seasonal beers, including Thor’s Hammer, a barley wine-style ale that received a silver medal in that category at the 2010 World Beer Cup. That result gave the brewery recognition in an international beer competition and highlighted its interest in stronger and more specialized beer styles alongside its core packaged products. Central City expanded beyond beer into spirits, producing gin, vodka, and whiskey. It also operates a restaurant and brewpub at its Surrey location, giving the business a direct-to-consumer hospitality component in addition to packaged beverage production. This combination of brewery, distillery, and hospitality activities distinguishes the company from a narrowly focused beer producer, although beer remains central to its public identity. The Red Racer line continued to receive product extensions, including the release of Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry in September 2017. The product indicates the company’s use of flavored and lighter-format offerings to broaden the range around its established beer brand. In February 2025, Mark Anthony Group Inc. completed a court-ordered purchase of Central City Brewers & Distillers for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition changed the company’s ownership while preserving Central City as a named brewery and distillery business in the Mark Anthony portfolio. Publicly available reference material does not provide a complete account of its current management structure, financial performance, production volumes, or distribution footprint.

Central City Brewers & Distillers was founded in 2003 in Surrey, British Columbia. The company developed as a craft beverage producer with brewing at its core and became associated with the Red Racer beer brand. Red Racer was presented as a range rather than a single beer, including styles such as pale ale, India pale ale, and lager. This portfolio approach allowed Central City to serve both drinkers seeking recognizable year-round products and consumers interested in different craft-beer styles. The brewery also produced specialty beers. One notable example was Thor’s Hammer, a barley wine-style ale that won a silver medal in its category at the 2010 World Beer Cup. The award provided external recognition for Central City’s brewing work and showed that the company competed in specialized beer categories as well as the broader packaged-beer market. Central City later extended its beverage activities into distilling. Its spirits range included gin, vodka, and whiskey, making the company a producer of both beer and distilled alcoholic beverages. The business also operated a restaurant and brewpub at its Surrey facility. These operations connected manufacturing with hospitality and allowed the company to present its products in an on-site setting. The Red Racer brand continued to serve as the company’s main public-facing beer platform. In September 2017, Central City released Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry, a raspberry-flavored extension of the line. The launch illustrates the company’s use of differentiated flavors and sub-products to expand beyond its established core styles. A major ownership change occurred in February 2025, when Mark Anthony Group Inc. completed the court-ordered purchase of Central City Brewers & Distillers. The amount paid was not disclosed in the available reference material. Following the transaction, Mark Anthony Group became the company’s parent and owner. Available sources do not establish whether the operating name, product portfolio, facilities, or management structure changed after the purchase. They also do not provide sufficient detail on the company’s production capacity, sales, export markets, or current executive team.

• 2025

  Mark Anthony Group completes acquisition

  [1]Central City Brewers & Distillersen.wikipedia.org

  Mark Anthony Group Inc. completed the court-ordered purchase of Central City Brewers & Distillers for an undisclosed amount.

• 2017

  Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry launched

  [1]Central City Brewers & Distillersen.wikipedia.org

  Central City released Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry in September, adding a raspberry-flavored product to the Red Racer portfolio.

• 2010

  Thor’s Hammer receives World Beer Cup silver

  [1]Central City Brewers & Distillersen.wikipedia.org

  Thor’s Hammer won a silver medal in the Barley Wine-Style Ale category at the World Beer Cup.

• 2003

  Company founded

  [1]Central City Brewers & Distillersen.wikipedia.org

  Central City Brewers & Distillers was founded in Surrey, British Columbia.

Canadian craft beverage producer combining a recognizable craft-beer portfolio with spirits production and brewery hospitality.

• Beer brand

  Red Racer

  Red Racer is Central City’s best-known beer brand and includes multiple styles, including pale ale, India pale ale, and lager. The range functions as the company’s principal consumer-facing beer platform and has also supported flavored and other product extensions.

• Barley wine-style ale

  Thor’s Hammer

  Thor’s Hammer is a specialty barley wine-style ale produced by Central City. It received a silver medal in the Barley Wine-Style Ale category at the 2010 World Beer Cup, one of the documented competitive distinctions associated with the brewery.

• Flavored beer · 2017

  Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry

  Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry is a raspberry-flavored extension of the Red Racer portfolio. Central City released the product in September 2017 as part of the brand’s expansion into flavored beer offerings.

• Spirits

  Central City spirits

  In addition to brewing, Central City produces distilled beverages including gin, vodka, and whiskey. The available reference material identifies these categories but does not provide a complete brand-level list, launch chronology, or current product status for each spirit.

• 2025

  Court-ordered sale to Mark Anthony GroupM&A

  Background

  Central City Brewers & Distillers underwent a court-ordered purchase process that culminated in Mark Anthony Group Inc. acquiring the business.

  Action taken

  Mark Anthony Group Inc. completed the purchase in February 2025. The transaction value was not disclosed in the cited source.

  Aftermath

  Mark Anthony Group became the company’s parent and owner. The available source does not describe subsequent operational or management changes.

  Source

• 2017

  Expansion of the Red Racer portfolioProduct launch

  Background

  Central City continued developing its established Red Racer beer brand through product extensions.

  Action taken

  The company released Red Racer Low Rider Raspberry in September 2017.

  Aftermath

  The launch added a raspberry-flavored beer to the Red Racer range; broader commercial results are not stated in the available source.

  Source

1. 1Central City Brewers & Distillersen.wikipedia.org