Every great beer has a story, and so does every brewer. At Boxer Brewing, we’re lucky to have Mark Barnsdale on the team — a Canadian-born brewer whose career has spanned industries, countries, and now, barrels of beer.
Born in Pinawa, Manitoba — home to the province’s first hydroelectric dam — Mark grew up surrounded by industry, innovation, and the rugged Canadian Shield. His career started in Canada as a fitter (or millwright), working across power stations, hydro dams, and pulp and paper mills.
Twenty-five years ago, Mark followed opportunity (and a bit of sunshine) to Australia. A short contract with Lindeman’s in Mildura quickly grew into five years and set him on a path in wine and packaging. From there, he joined Sirromet Wines, where he headed operations in bottling and warehousing for 17 years. It was during that time he met Jon Heslop of Witches Falls, forging a friendship that would later open the door to Boxer.
Even after moving on from Sirromet into pharmaceutical and therapeutic manufacturing, Mark kept in touch with Jon. Brewing beer had always been on his list, and when the opportunity came up at Boxer, he grabbed it. What excites him the most is that Abby is happy to give him the reins. Working on state-of-the-art equipment and actually brewing the beers — not just packaging them — is a combination he’s loving. What started as a casual cuppa turned into a new chapter that combines his technical expertise with the hands-on challenge of brewing.
Outside of work, Mark still keeps a touch of Canada alive by playing ice hockey and cheering when the games hit the screens at The Kennel.
As for the Pinawa Porter — that tale started with Mark tossing his hometown’s name into the ring when he knew a BXR porter was on the cards. At first it was more of a running joke, but Abby eventually agreed it did roll off the tongue pretty nicely and before long, the name stuck. What began as a bit of fun turned into a quietly confident, full-bodied tribute to both the man and the town. Turns out Pinawa makes for a pretty decent porter!
