Atop one of the oldest sections of the brewery. Sopme 231 years of brewing on the same site will soon end when Molson’s moves its operations and sells the land for development in Montreal

Atop one of the oldest sections of the brewery. Some 231 years of brewing on the same site will soon end when Molson’s moves its operations and sells the land for development in Montreal
Photo Credit: Thomas1813- wikicommons

Two centuries of brewing history in Montreal: major change

Some 231 years ago, a young English immigrant arrived in the growing British colonial town of Montreal.

With boatloads of other immigrants arriving from the British Isles, John Molson, saw a market for beer and set up the Molson’s brewery along the St Lawrence shore just outside the town’s fortifications in 1786.

Molson’s as viewed from the city side with portions of the oldest sections, almost 100 years old and the iconic (idle) smokestack visible in the centre
Molson’s as viewed from the city side with portions of the oldest sections, almost 100 years old, and the iconic (idle) smokestack visible in the centre © Radio-Canada

The Molson brewery, still on the same site, is now the oldest continuously operating brewery in North America.

That however is to end soon.

Molson beer delivery circa 1908. An iconic Montreal and Canadian company, Molson’s merged with an American giant in 2005 to become Molson-Coors. Now one is just as likely to see Coors delivery trucks as Molson’s © Wm Notman and Son-McCord Museum-wiki

This week, the company now known as Molson-Coors, says it will build a new brewery elsewhere and close the current operation.

After a two-year study the company announced it would be less costly to build a new facility elsewhere, than to modernize the current operation. The site of a new location has not been announced.

A Montreal landmark for decades, the Molson brewey viewed from the St Lawrence, an image that will change completely when the site is sold and redeveloped.
A Montreal landmark for decades, the Molson brewey viewed from the St Lawrence, an image that will change completely when the site is sold and redeveloped. © jeangagnon- wikicommons

No mention was made of the fact the land is now considered a prime real estate location and has become extremely valuable.

The company says it will maintain a microbrewery and sales venue at the original site, but the rest of the huge property will be sold to developers.

With files from Canadian Press

Categories: Economy, Society
Tags: , , , ,

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.