1924 advertisement; "Fifty six years ago when Sir John A. Macdonald was first premier of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, MOLSON'S ALE was then 81 years old!"
On May 2nd, 1782, John Molson, age 18, left England for Canada, landing in Montreal on June 26. Shortly after his arrival, he began working at the Thomas Loyd brewery. In 1784, Molson sued Thomas Loyd for repayment of a debt. The end result was Loyd admitting to the crime, and all of his brewery buildings being put up for auction. Around this time, Molson sensed the market potential for beer in the British colony. Prices for wine, rum, and port were rising and an influx of English and Irish immigrants were particularly partial to beer. In January 1785, Molson used the money inherited from his parents to acquire what had been the Thomas Loyd brewery on the shores of the St Lawrence, just outside the fortifications of the burgeoning City of Montreal.[4]
In June 1785, he temporarily closed his business to cross the Atlantic for modern equipment and ingredients. Upon his return, he offered the seeds free of charge to neighboring Montreal farmers, who agreed to grow them to satisfy the brewery's need for malt.[5] In 1786, just six weeks after taking the helm, Molson delivered his first brew, an ale. Priced at five cents a bottle, his brew sold well.[citation needed]
Molson took advantage of the many business opportunities available at the time. He quickly diversified his investments, opened a lumber yard, and began issuing loans to local Montreal merchants. In 1816, the family enterprise began to take shape when founder John Molson entered into an association with his three sons, John Jr., Thomas and William.[6]
Although brewing proved to be Molson's most sustainable field of endeavour, other activities were added throughout the company's lengthy history. Molson was the first company to own and operate a fleet of steamboats,[5] which were used to transport people and goods between Quebec and Ontario. John Molson and his sons also founded the Molson Bank, which later merged with the Bank of Montreal.
In 1816, John Molson formed a partnership with his three sons – John, Thomas, and William. It was Thomas who would eventually follow in his father's footsteps by continuing the Molson brewing tradition and upholding high standards of quality. In 1903, inspired by the popularity of imported beers, Thomas’ grandson Herbert Molson and brewmaster John Hyde created Molson Export, an authentic ale brewed in the classic style, developed by John Molson.[citation needed]
Store in Montreal with advertising for Molson Brewery, 1910
Molson Brewery expanded the breadth of its corporate activities throughout the 20th century. In 1945, the family decided to transform the company into a public, limited-liability enterprise. It then became possible to acquire ownership in the company without being a member of the Molson family. This made it possible for the company to expand into lager and inaugurate a new brewery in Toronto (near the Canadian National Exhibition) in 1955.[8] The Crown and Anchor brand of beer dates from this time.[8] Two years later in 1957, the family (not the firm) acquired the Montreal Forum and the Montreal Canadiens. The company continued to develop and, in 1958, acquired six breweries, which included five establishments in Western Canada, giving Molson a nationwide presence. In 1989, the company consolidated market share in Quebec through a merger with Carling O'Keefe (acquiring Carling's Toronto brewery in Etobicoke). As a result, Molson became the largest brewery in Canada and the fifth largest in the world.
Molson Brewery in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Molson was once the owner of home improvement chains Beaver Lumber and Aikenhead's Home Improvement Warehouse. In February 1994, Molson sold a 75% interest in Aikenhead's to Home Depot Inc for $150 million with the option to buy the rest in 1999;[9] in the event, they agreed on a price of $262 million.[10] In 1997, Molson sold for CAD$147 million their interest in Reno-Depot to Castorama.[11] In 1999 they sold Beaver Lumber to Home Hardware.[12]
On October 11, 2016, SABMiller in the U.S. sold its interests (from the joint venture formed in the United States and Puerto Rico) in MillerCoors to Molson Coors, who had been its partner in the joint venture, for around US$12 billion. Molson Coors gained full ownership of the Miller brand portfolio outside of the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and retained the rights to all of the brands that were in the MillerCoors portfolio for the U.S. and Puerto Rico.[14]
Former Molson brewery in Old MontrealFormer Molson brewery in Montreal (Main Building)Former Molson brewery in Montreal (North-East View)
Molson Coors Canada is a unit of Molson Coors with operational headquarters located in Toronto (in addition to several breweries across Canada). Molson Coors Canada is part-owner of The Beer Store in Ontario (Brewers Retail Inc.), operating as a beer distribution and retail chain, which (protected by legislation) has an over 85% market share of the total Ontario industry beer sales. Molson Coors Canada owns 50% of Brewers Distribution Limited in Western Canada. Molson Coors Canada has the marketing and selling rights for Heineken in Canada.
On 30 October 2019, the Molson Coors Brewing Company announced it would change its name to Molson Coors Beverage Company as a part of a restructuring to take place in 2020.[15] The name change would reflect the company's growing focus on beverages outside of the traditional beer and brewing offerings. Additionally, the company would reorganize its global business units, including Molson Coors Canada, into Molson Coors North America, headquartered in Chicago, and Molson Coors Europe, headquartered in Prague.[16][17]
Toronto, Ontario – former Carling O'Keefe plant in Etobicoke, which replaced the old Lakeshore plant (demolished and replaced by WaterParkCity development in 2006)
On June 20, 2009, brothers Geoff Molson and Andrew Molson, and their father Eric Molson announced the purchase of 80.1% of the Montreal Canadiens from Colorado businessman George Gillett. The Canadiens have historically been the NHL's most successful hockey team and last won the Stanley Cup in 1993. Along with the current majority ownership that the Molson brothers have of the team, the Molson company has owned all or portions of the Montreal Canadiens. In June 2009, the consortium led by the Molson brothers acquired the remaining 19.9% of the team that had been held by the company.
Brewer and businessman John Molson and his wife, at the family brewery and distillery which was razed to the ground in the second phase of the 1852 fire.
Molson family brewery after the fire of 1858.
de Salaberry artwork, beer that your great-grandfather drank
Chariot à bière de la Brasserie Molson, Montréal, Québec, Canada, vers 1908
Brasserie Molson, Montréal, 1930: détail de plante bouteillage
Molson's sponsored the Grand Prix in Montreal during Senna and Prost's day
Molson Dry bottles in refrigerator
Molson Canadian beer can with pretzels on an Air Canada tray table in 2017
Bierflasche der Marke "Molson Canadian", August 2013
New-look Molson Canadian beer can superimposed on a Canadian flag, July 1, 2014
Bouteille de bière Laurentide, brassée par Molson uniquement au Quebec (juillet 2009)
Molson Export beer bottle label
Molson's agent distribution truck somewhere in America, dated 2010, rear 3/4 view
Molson's agent distribution truck somewhere in America, dated 2010, rear view
1815: Le détail de cette carte nous montre les installations de l'industriel John Molson dans le secteur Est de l'ancien faubourg Québec dans le premier quart du XIXè siècle - detail of urban plans
1846: Le nom de rue Érié n'est pas mentionné ici mais son tracé est nettement représenté: il bornait au Nord, un domaine aménagé, où la famille Molson avait fait construire une résidence cossue, détruite lors du grand Incendie de 1852. À droite, on voit la prison "Au Pied du Courant" où on pendit les "Patriotes" de 1837 - detail of urban plans
1879: Outre les installations de la Brasserie Molson, un atelier de fabrication de pipe (probablement celle de Robert Bannerman) formaient le paysage urbain du secteur de la rue Érié à cette époque - detail of urban plans
The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the Miller Brewery at the site of the original Miller Brewing Company complex.
The Coors Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company based in Golden, Colorado that was founded in 1873. In 2005, Adolph Coors Company, the holding company that owned Coors Brewing, merged with Molson, Inc. to become Molson Coors. The first Coors brewery location in Golden, Colorado is the largest single brewing facility operating in the world.
Creemore Springs is a brewery in Creemore, Ontario, Canada, which first opened in 1987. It was founded by John Wiggins, and its flagship brew was a premium amber lager brewed with specialty malts, fire brewed in a copper kettle. In 2005, it was acquired by Molson, a subsidiary of the seventh largest brewery corporation in the world, Molson Coors Brewing Company.
SABMiller plc was a South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by AB InBev. It was the world's second-largest brewer measured by revenues and was also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands included Foster's, Miller, and Pilsner Urquell. It operated in 80 countries worldwide and in 2009 sold around 21 billion litres of beverages. Since 10 October 2016, SABMiller is a business division of AB InBev, a Belgian multinational corporation with headquarters in Leuven.
Coors Light is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Coors of Chicago, Illinois. It was first produced in 1978 by the Coors Brewing Company.
Brewers Retail Inc., doing business as The Beer Store, is a privately owned chain of retail outlets selling beer and other malt beverages in the province of Ontario, Canada.
Beer was introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century. The first commercial brewery was La Brasseries du Roy started by New France Intendant Jean Talon, in Québec City in 1668. Many commercial brewers thrived until prohibition in Canada. The provincial and federal governments' attempt to eliminate "intoxicating" beverages led to the closing of nearly three quarters of breweries between 1878 and 1928. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century that a significant number of new breweries opened up. The Canadian beer industry now plays an important role in Canadian identity, although globalization of the brewing industry has seen the major players in Canada acquired by or merged with foreign companies, notably its three largest beer producers: Labatt, Molson and Sleeman. The result is that Moosehead, with an estimated 3.8 percent share of the domestic market in 2016, has become the largest fully Canadian-owned brewer.
Blitz-Weinhard was a brand of beer first brewed in 1856 in Portland, Oregon. The brewery was owned by the brewer Henry Weinhard of the Weinhard family, who also made a line of soft drinks which survives to this day.
The Granville Island Brewing Company (GIB) was a brewery originally based on Granville Island in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1984 and calls itself "Canada's first microbrewery". In 1989, it was sold to the wine conglomerate Andrew Peller Ltd. In 2009, it was bought by Creemore Springs, a subsidiary of Molson Coors, which in 2016, became the third largest beer corporation in the world. Of brewers with locations in British Columbia, Granville is the seventh largest based on sales to the BC Liquor Distribution Branch.
Carling O'Keefe was a brewing company in Canada that is now part of Molson Coors. The company's origins can be traced to Canadian Breweries, which bought the Carling Brewery in 1930 and the O'Keefe Brewery in 1934. Canadian Breweries purchased numerous other brewers – some to shut down, and some solely for their brands. In 1969, Canadian Breweries was acquired by a subsidiary of Rothmans, which renamed the company as Carling O'Keefe in 1973. The company was sold in 1987, then merged with Molson in 1989.
Blue Moon Belgian White is a Belgian-style witbier brewed by Molson Coors under the name the Blue Moon Brewing Co. It was launched in 1995, and was originally brewed in Golden, Colorado.
Quebec beer is the beer brewed in Quebec, Canada, often with ingredients from Quebec itself and generally following the recipes of the French, Belgian and British brewing traditions. Generally, the beers brewed in Quebec differ from those in the rest of North America because of the relative importance of the French and Belgian traditions alongside that of Great Britain. German-type beers are also produced by some breweries.
MillerCoors was a beer brewing company in the United States. MillerCoors was formed in 2008 as a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors to combine their brewing, marketing and sales operations in the United States. The company was acquired by Molson Coors in 2016. In 2019 it was announced that MillerCoors and Molson Coors Canada would be consolidated into a single business unit under the name Molson Coors North America.
Canadian Breweries Limited (CBL), originally the Brewing Corporation of Ontario, was an Ontario-based holding company in the brewing industry. The company was founded in 1930 by a merger of two breweries, Brading of Ottawa and Kuntz of Kitchener-Waterloo. Under the direction of its top executive, E. P. Taylor, the company bought or merged many of the smaller competitors existing after the repeal of prohibition. The new company closed many plants, reduced the number of beer brands and built new, larger plants to produce enough beer for a much larger geographic area. By the 1950s, the company had reduced the number of beer brands from approximately one hundred to six. Canadian Breweries became part of a large conglomerate of manufacturing and consumer businesses controlled by the Argus Corporation in 1945.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is a Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium and is the largest brewer in the world. In 2023, the company was ranked 72nd in the Forbes Global 2000. Additionally, AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters in São Paulo, London, St. Louis, Mexico City, Bremen, Johannesburg, and others. It has approximately 630 beer brands in 150 countries.
Coors Brewers Limited, later known as Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited, is the UK arm of Molson Coors Beverage Company. Its headquarters is in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The company originates from Bass Brewers Limited. The company has gone through many name changes and mergers.
Molson Coors is a Canadian-American multinational drink and brewing company headquartered in Chicago, IL with main offices in Golden, Colorado, and Montreal, Quebec.
Saint Archer Brewing Co. was a brewery in San Diego. It was sold to brewing conglomerate Molson Coors in 2015 and run as a subsidiary under the Tenth & Blake group. In January 2022, Molson Coors Beverage Company announced that it would stop production of the Saint Archer brand and sell its San Diego-based brewery and taproom to Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., which owns the Ballast Point brand.
Hard soda, also referred to as flavored beer, adult soda, fermented soda, mature soda and alcohol soda, is a type of alcoholic beverage and craft beer that is manufactured in the style of a soft drink. It has gained recent prominence in the United States after the success of the Not Your Father's Root Beer brand manufactured by Small Town Brewery. As of late May 2016, at least 39 hard soda brands exist in the United States.
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