page_title: Molson Brewery
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Molson Brewery / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Molson Brewery circa 1885
context_page_description: The Molson Brewery was formed in 1786 in Montreal by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with US-based Coors to form Molson Coors Brewing Company, the world's seventh-largest brewery at that time. Molson Coors Canada Inc. is the name of the Canadian subsidiary of Molson Coors Brewing Company. Molson's first brewery was located on the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, where the company continues to maintain its operations today.
context_section_description: Founded in Montreal in 1786, the Molson Brewery is the oldest brewery in North America and continues to produce beer on the site of the original brewery.
  On May 2, 1782, at the age of 18, John Molson left England for Canada, landing in Montreal on June 26. Shortly after his arrival, he began working at the Thomas Loyd brewery. He went on to purchase it in an auction in 1784.  Not long after his arrival in Montreal in 1782, Molson sensed the market potential for beer in the then British colony. Prices for wine, rum and port were rising and an influx of English and Irish immigrants were particularly partial to beer. When he came of legal age, Molson used the money inherited from his parents to acquire a small brewery housed in a wooden building on the shores of the St Lawrence, just outside the fortifications of the burgeoning City of Montreal.
  In 1785, he temporarily closed his business to cross the Atlantic in search of the modern equipment and ingredients.  Upon his return, he offered the seeds free of charge to neighbouring Montreal farmers, who agreed to grow them to satisfy the brewery's need for malt. Molson delivered his first brew, an ale in 1786, only six weeks after taking the helm. Priced at five cents a bottle, his brew sold well.
  Molson took advantage of the many business opportunities of 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.
  Although brewing proved to be Molson's most sustainable field of endeavour, other activities were added down through the company's lengthy history. Molson was the first company to own and operate a fleet of steamboats, 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 the high standards of quality. In 1903, inspired by the popularity of imported beers, Thomas’ grandson Herbert Molson and brew master John Hyde created Molson Export, an authentic ale brewed in the classic style, developed by John Molson.
  The Molson family were pioneers in steamships, hospitality, assisted with the Montreal General Hospital, patrons of McGill University and the arts, and until 1925, involved in banking through Molson Bank which merged with the Bank of Montreal.
  Molson Brewery considerably 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 an 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. The Crown and Anchor brand of beer dates from this time. 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 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; in the event, they agreed on a price of $262 million. In 1997, Molson sold for CAD$147 million their interest in Reno-Depot to Ca
caption: Molson Brewery, c. 1885
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