A Western Star brew-ha-ha

GUELPH, Ont. — Quick. What do Pamela Anderson and Western Star trucks have in common? And no, it has nothing to do with bodies.

For one thing, they were both born in 1967 in British Columbia. They both went on to be pretty popular in the States too.

And that’s not all. You may recall that Anderson was a big hit in this Miller Lite ad, and now, (stay with us) Western Star is also being used to move beer of another stripe: Sleeman’s.

Sleeman Brewing is based in the central Ontario town of Guelph. The brewery’s beer making dates back to 1847 but it was closed for many years.

Just over two decades ago — around the same time as Anderson was negotiating her first, umm, magazine pictorial contract — the great great grandson of the founder John Sleeman resurrected the brand and they now have about 900 employees with five breweries across Canada.

And they deliver all those suds with nine Western Star 4900 FAs.

All of them feature a 515-hp, Detroit Diesel Series 60 and are spec’d with chrome detailing, plush carpeting, leather seats, and satellite radio.

David Joyce is Sleemans’ Driver Crew Leader. He says that the durability of the trucks is ideal for carrying this most precious of Canadian commodities from brewery to bar.

The truck manufacturer is hoping that the Sleeman’s Brewery’s success story will accompany that of Western Star the way hot wings go with beer.

Or in this case, Sleeman’s most famous product, Sleeman’s Cream Ale.

Until 2000, when it was acquired by Daimler, Western Star was based in Kelowna. Two years later, it moved production to Portland, Oregon.