Kokanee beer
Kokanee is a Canadian lager brand brewed at Columbia Brewery in Creston, British Columbia, and associated with the mountain and outdoor culture of Western Canada.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Kokanee is a Canadian lager beer brand produced at Columbia Brewery in Creston, British Columbia. The brand takes its name from Kokanee Glacier in the Kootenay region, where the brewery is located, and its identity is closely tied to mountain landscapes, outdoor recreation, and Western Canadian culture. Columbia Brewery began producing Kokanee lager in 1959. The brewery was acquired by Labatt Brewing Company in 1974, and Labatt subsequently became part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The core beer is a pilsner-style lager with an alcohol content of 5.0%. It is described as naturally aged and relatively mild in taste. Its brewing profile uses three varieties of malt and a blend of Western-grown North American hops. The brand's long-running "Glacier Fresh" positioning links the product to mountain-stream water and the surrounding Kootenay environment. Packaging and advertising commonly emphasize the Kokanee Glacier and related alpine imagery. Kokanee's original distribution was shaped by British Columbia liquor regulations, with sales initially limited to residents of the province's interior. It later expanded through British Columbia and other Western Canadian markets, with additional distribution in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and more limited availability in Eastern Canada and the Eastern United States. When the brand was introduced in Ontario in 1996, Labatt brewed it at its London, Ontario, facility to reduce shipping costs. Following criticism from competitor Molson about the beer's regional authenticity, Labatt relaunched the Ontario product in 2001 with beer transported from Creston. The brand is particularly recognized for humorous advertising built around Sasquatch imagery. Campaigns developed after Labatt's acquisition used radio and television comedy to establish Sasquatch as a recurring trademark character. Later advertising developed a continuing narrative involving the Kokanee Ranger, Glacier Girls, and attempts to capture the Sasquatch, turning the brand into an entertainment property as well as a beer label. The Ranger storyline included an interactive 2008 campaign in which consumers voted on the character's fate, followed by a 2011 social-media contest to select a successor. Beyond its flagship lager, Columbia Brewery has produced Kokanee Gold, a fuller-bodied 5.3% lager, and Kokanee Light. The brewery has also produced Kootenay True Ale. Kokanee has used major sports and outdoor associations, including sponsorship of the Crankworx mountain-biking festival in Whistler, British Columbia. In 2012, Labatt and Alliance Films announced The Movie Out Here, a feature-length branded-content project connected to Kokanee's social-media and crowdsourcing activity. The brand remains active and is primarily positioned as a refreshing, approachable beer with strong regional, outdoor, and humorous personality cues.
History
Kokanee originated at Columbia Brewery in Creston, British Columbia, a community in the Kootenay region. Brewing of the lager began in 1959. The beer was named after Kokanee Glacier, a prominent local geographic feature, and the brand's identity developed around the relationship between the brewery, the surrounding mountains, and the idea of water sourced from an alpine environment. In its early years, Kokanee's distribution was constrained by British Columbia liquor regulations. Sales were initially limited to residents of the interior of the province, which gave the brand a strongly regional character. Its early marketing used the line "Brewed right in the Kootenays," emphasizing local production and geographic authenticity. The core beer developed as a mild, naturally aged, pilsner-style lager with a 5.0% alcohol content. Labatt Brewing Company purchased Columbia Brewery in 1974. Under Labatt, Kokanee received a more ambitious advertising program. The company worked with WestCan, later associated with Scali McCabe Sloves, whose Vancouver office created humorous radio and television work centered on a Sasquatch character. The Sasquatch became one of the brand's defining assets. The campaign won international broadcast recognition and helped make Kokanee a major beer brand in Western Canada. Later advertising extended the fictional world through mock-documentary concepts, including a parody about Kokanee bottles migrating upstream like salmon. In 1992, Labatt commissioned Beakbane Marketing to redesign the packaging. A helicopter photograph of Kokanee Glacier, taken by nature photographer Alec Pytlowany, replaced the earlier glacier illustration or treatment across labels, cans, and cartons. A small Sasquatch icon was incorporated into the designs, with the character appearing in different positions on cans and bottles and not on the outer box packaging. The label's mountain image is associated with Grays Peak in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, whose name commemorates Robert Hampton Gray and John Balfour Gray, Canadian servicemen killed during the Second World War. Kokanee expanded into Ontario in 1996. To reduce shipping costs, Labatt initially brewed the beer at its London, Ontario, facility. Molson responded with advertising that questioned whether Ontario-produced Kokanee could legitimately represent a British Columbia beer, using the line "B.C. or B.S.?" Labatt later relaunched the Ontario offering in 2001 with beer trucked from Creston, reinforcing the brand's connection to its original brewery and regional story. The Sasquatch platform evolved into a serialized advertising narrative featuring the Kokanee Ranger, whose unsuccessful efforts to capture the beer-stealing Sasquatch became a recurring comic premise. The campaign also used female characters first presented as the Kokettes and later as the Glacier Girls. In 2008, Kokanee invited consumers to decide the Ranger's fate through an online vote. The character was subsequently killed in a commercial parodying the ending of The Sopranos. A later advertisement portrayed the dead Ranger as a ghost discovering that he had been removed from the story. In 2011, Kokanee used Facebook to conduct a fictional election for a replacement spokesperson. The candidates included the Ranger's mother, a fictional financial trader, a ski instructor, a secured beer cooler, the Glacier and Fresh duo, and a foul-mouthed goat. Glacier and Fresh won by a narrow margin over the goat. The campaign demonstrated Kokanee's use of interactive social media as an extension of its established television mythology. In 2012, Kokanee and Alliance Films announced The Movie Out Here, a feature-length branded-content film co-produced with Grip Limited, the agency behind recent Kokanee campaigns. The project was promoted through social media and crowdsourcing and represented Labatt's experiment with long-form entertainment built around a beer brand. Kokanee also developed links with outdoor events, including sponsorship of the Crankworx mountain-biking festival in Whistler. The brand's product range has included the core Kokanee lager, Kokanee Gold with a fuller body and 5.3% alcohol content, Kokanee Light, and Kootenay True Ale. Labatt is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, making Kokanee an AB InBev brand operated through the Labatt business. Its strongest presence remains in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, while availability elsewhere is more limited.
- 2012
The Movie Out Here announced
[1]Kokanee announces a feature-length branded-content film with Alliance Films and Grip Limited.
- 2011
Replacement Ranger social campaign
[1]A Facebook vote selects Glacier and Fresh as the next fictional brand representatives.
- 2008
Ranger survival vote
[1]An online campaign asks consumers to decide whether the fictional Kokanee Ranger should live or die.
- 2001
Creston-brewed Ontario relaunch
[1]Labatt resumes shipping Kokanee from Creston for the Ontario market.
- 1996
Ontario introduction
[1]Kokanee enters Ontario, with initial local production at Labatt's London facility.
- 1992
Glacier-based packaging redesign
[1]Kokanee updates its packaging with an aerial glacier photograph and hidden Sasquatch details.
- 1986
Sasquatch campaign reaches a reported peak
[1]The Sasquatch advertising platform receives international broadcast recognition and the brand is reported to exceed 30% share.
- 1985
Kokettes enter the advertising mythology
[1]Female characters later known as the Glacier Girls are introduced in Kokanee advertising.
- 1974
Labatt purchases Columbia Brewery
[1]The acquisition places Kokanee within the Labatt Brewing Company portfolio.
- 1959
Columbia Brewery begins brewing Kokanee
[1]Columbia Brewery in Creston, British Columbia, begins producing Kokanee lager.
Products and positioning
A Western Canadian lager brand built around glacier imagery, outdoor recreation, approachable taste, regional provenance, and humorous Sasquatch-led advertising.
Pilsner-style lager · 1959
Kokanee
The flagship Kokanee product is a 5.0% alcohol pilsner-style lager. It is naturally aged and characterized in reference material as relatively mild in taste. Its brewing profile uses three malt varieties and a blend of Western-grown North American hops. The brand presents the beer through glacier, mountain, and outdoor imagery associated with Creston and the Kootenay region.
Fuller-bodied lager
Kokanee Gold
Kokanee Gold is a related lager brewed by Columbia Brewery. It is described as fuller-bodied than the core Kokanee lager and has an alcohol content of 5.3%. It extends the brand's product range while retaining the Kokanee name and regional visual identity.
Light lager
Kokanee Light
Kokanee Light is a lighter beer variant produced by Columbia Brewery under the Kokanee brand. The supplied reference identifies the product but does not provide its alcohol content, nutrition information, or detailed formulation.
Ale
Kootenay True Ale
Kootenay True Ale is an ale associated with Columbia Brewery and listed alongside Kokanee products. It extends the brewery's offering beyond the core lager family and uses the Kootenay regional identity in its naming.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012The Movie Out Here
Canada
Kokanee promoted a feature-length branded-content film through social media and crowdsourcing, working with Alliance Films and Grip Limited.
Outcome. The project was presented as Labatt's first experiment with feature-length branded content.
- 2011Choose the Next Ranger
Canada
Kokanee used Facebook to present fictional replacement candidates and invite drinkers to vote for a new spokesperson.
Outcome. Glacier and Fresh won the vote after a close contest with the Glacier Goat.
- 2008Ranger Live or Die
Canada
Consumers were asked through an interactive website to decide whether the fictional Kokanee Ranger should live or die.
Outcome. The Ranger was killed off in a commercial parodying the conclusion of The Sopranos.
- 1985Sasquatch and Kokettes
Canada · United States
Humorous radio and television advertising introduced Sasquatch as a recurring brand character and added the female characters later known as the Glacier Girls.
Outcome. The campaign received international broadcast recognition and became Kokanee's best-known advertising platform.
- 1974Brewed right in the Kootenays
British Columbia
The regional positioning emphasized Kokanee's production at Columbia Brewery and its connection to the Kootenay area.
Outcome. The campaign helped establish the geographic authenticity that remains central to the brand.
- Crankworx sponsorship
British Columbia
Kokanee sponsored the annual Crankworx mountain-biking festival in Whistler, linking the brand with outdoor sport and mountain recreation.
Brand decisions
2008
Retire the Kokanee RangerOtherBackground
The brand invited consumers to determine the fate of its fictional Ranger character through an online vote.
Action taken
Kokanee concluded the campaign by killing off the Ranger in a television commercial.
Aftermath
Subsequent advertising portrayed the Ranger as a ghost, and a later social-media campaign sought a replacement.
2001
Restore Creston supply for OntarioStrategyBackground
The Ontario production decision had created a challenge to Kokanee's British Columbia provenance.
Action taken
Labatt relaunched the Ontario offering using beer trucked from Columbia Brewery in Creston.
Aftermath
The move reinforced Kokanee's geographic authenticity and its association with the Kootenay region.
1996
Produce Kokanee in Ontario for market expansionStrategyBackground
Labatt introduced Kokanee to Ontario and sought to reduce the cost of shipping beer from British Columbia.
Action taken
The company brewed the beer at its London, Ontario, facility.
Aftermath
Molson challenged the product's regional legitimacy in advertising, and Labatt later returned to shipping Ontario Kokanee from Creston.
- Molson Brewery — Molson ran advertising questioning the authenticity of Ontario-produced Kokanee with the line "B.C. or B.S.?".
Recent events
- 2012
Kokanee announces The Movie Out Here[1]
Campaign · Product launch
Kokanee, Alliance Films, and Grip Limited announced a feature-length branded-content film supported by social-media and crowdsourcing activity.
- 2011
Kokanee launches social-media search for a new Ranger[1]
Campaign
A Facebook-based campaign presented fictional candidates to replace the Kokanee Ranger. Voters selected the duo named Glacier and Fresh.
- 2008
Consumers vote on the fate of the Kokanee Ranger[1]
Campaign
An interactive campaign invited consumers to vote on whether the fictional Kokanee Ranger should survive. The campaign ended with the character being killed off in a television commercial.
- 2001
Labatt resumes shipping Kokanee from Creston for Ontario relaunch[1]
Other
Labatt relaunched Kokanee in Ontario with beer transported from the original Columbia Brewery in Creston after a competitor challenged the product's regional authenticity.
- 1996
Kokanee expands into Ontario[1]
Other
The brand entered Ontario, where production initially took place at Labatt's London facility to reduce transportation costs.
- 1992
Kokanee packaging redesigned around a glacier photograph[1]
Other
Labatt commissioned a packaging redesign using an aerial glacier image and added a small hidden Sasquatch element to the designs.
- 1974
Labatt acquires Columbia Brewery and takes control of Kokanee[1]
M&A
Labatt Brewing Company purchased Columbia Brewery, bringing Kokanee into the Labatt brand portfolio.
Sources1 sources
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