Sooke Brewing Company terminates co-owner after controversial T-shirt sparks backlash

Sooke Brewing Company says co-owner and head brewer John Adair has been terminated after a photo of him wearing a controversial T-shirt at the brewery on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation sparked widespread backlash online.

The image spread rapidly across social media, including Threads and Reddit, generating significant criticism of both the message displayed on the shirt and the fact it was worn on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours Survivors of the residential school system, the children who never returned home, and their families and communities.

Adair has not publicly explained what he intended the words “SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE” on his shirt to mean.

Sooke Brewing Company initially responded Thursday morning with an apology, confirming that a member of its ownership group had worn what the company described as an “offensive T-shirt” while working at the brewery.

“We want to be unequivocal: the message displayed on that shirt does not reflect the values of Sooke Brewing Company,” the ownership group said.

The company called what occurred at the brewery “inappropriate and unacceptable” and apologized for the anger, hurt and disappointment caused by the incident, particularly within Indigenous communities.

The brewery said it was addressing the matter internally and reviewing how it could ensure the conduct of anyone representing Sooke Brewing Company was consistent with the respect owed to its employees, customers and community.

Later Thursday morning, Sooke Brewing Company announced it would close for the day while it addressed the situation.

By Thursday afternoon, the company went further, publicly naming Adair and announcing his termination.

“John Adair has been terminated, effective immediately,” the company said.

The brewery said Adair’s “views and actions do not reflect the values of Sooke Brewing Company, its ownership or its staff,” adding that it was “devastated by his actions” and apologizing for the hurt they caused.

The company also announced that it had made the decision to close the brewery “for now.”

Sooke Brewing Company said it has reached out to First Nations leadership to listen to concerns and determine appropriate next steps.

“Sooke is our home. We grew up here. We live here. And we work here,” the company said. “We care deeply about this community and the people who are part of it.”

Adair has been closely associated with the brewery since its beginnings.

Sooke Brewing Company’s website describes the business as having five owners with multi-generational connections to Sooke, while a 2024 podcast appearance identified Adair as the company’s head brewer and part-owner.

The company’s statement does not specify whether Adair’s termination also ends his ownership interest in Sooke Brewing Company.

Unrelated brewery caught in backlash

The controversy has also created problems for another Sooke brewery that has no affiliation with Sooke Brewing Company.

Sooke Oceanside Brewery, commonly known as S.O.B., issued an unusual public clarification Thursday after apparently receiving backlash intended for Sooke Brewing Company.

“We want to make it absolutely clear that Sooke Oceanside Brewery (S.O.B.) is NOT Sooke Brewing Company,” founder Ryan Orr said in the statement.

Sooke Oceanside Brewery said it has operated in Sooke for 10 years and is a completely separate and independent business, with no ownership, business or other affiliation with Sooke Brewing Company.

According to Orr, confusion between the businesses isn’t new.

The brewery said it raised concerns about the similarity of the names when Sooke Brewing Company opened nine years ago and that there has been ongoing confusion between the two businesses ever since.

“Unfortunately, that concern has proven to be well founded,” the statement reads.

But Orr said Thursday’s controversy brought that confusion to a new level.

“We are aware of the recent controversy involving an individual associated with Sooke Brewing Company. That individual’s actions and statements are not those of Sooke Oceanside Brewery, nor do they represent our business, our owners, our staff or our values.”

The business is asking people to make sure comments and concerns about the incident are being directed to the correct brewery.

“Sooke Oceanside Brewery is S.O.B. — and we are not Sooke Brewing Company,” said Orr.