Carling O'Keefe
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Carling O'Keefe was a
Predecessors
Carling 1840–1930
In 1840,
O'Keefe 1862–1934
Eugene O'Keefe, a banker, purchased the Hannath & Hart Brewery in 1862. By 1864, one of his partners had died, while the other (Patrick Cosgrave) left to found his own brewery. The business was renamed O'Keefe and Company. It was the first to produce lager beer in Canada, along with the traditional ale and porter.[1] In 1891, the company was incorporated as O'Keefe Brewing Company Limited.[1] In 1911 another new brewery was built with an annual capacity of 500,000 barrels.[1] O'Keefe was one of the first to use trucks for beer delivery, the first to build a mechanically refrigerated warehouse, and one of the first to advertise extensively.[1]
O'Keefe died in 1913. The company became owned by a holding company, O'Keefe Limited, controlled by
Canadian Breweries 1930–1973
E. P. Taylor began forming
Taylor resigned as chairman of CBL in 1966, and CBL was sold to Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada in 1969. Under Rothmans, it began a period of consolidation and cutting costs. It closed breweries in Ottawa, Quebec and Cleveland. Faced with declining sales and profits, it renamed itself Carling O'Keefe in 1973.
Carling O'Keefe 1973–1989
As a new venture, Carling O'Keefe began making
In 1981, Carling O'Keefe, responding to the entry of Budweiser by
Carling O'Keefe was bought by
Carling brands are currently owned by the Molson Coors Brewing Company. Carling O'Keefe's Toronto location on Carlingview Drive (named for the brewery) is now a Molson brewery.
Sponsorships and sports
O'Keefe, in 1969, was the first television sponsor of the Montreal Expos on CBC and remained affiliated with the team for many years, sponsoring a team MVP award in the early 1970s.
Carling O'Keefe was a major supporter of Langley Speedway, a 3/8th-mile paved stock car oval, in Langley, British Columbia. They often sponsored races and season points championships. For example, Tom Berrow was the 1976 Carling O'Keefe Super Stock Points Champion. Their Company name was painted on the front stretch of the track and was part of the "Winner's Circle" celebration.
In 1974, Carling USA sponsored a
In 1976, Carling O'Keefe became a minority partner in the Toronto Argonauts professional football team and continued to do so until 1991.[9] Carling O'Keefe also held ownership of the NHL's Quebec Nordiques.[10][11][12][13] Both franchises were sold due to the impending merger with Molson.[14][15][16][17] The company, however, maintained promotional interests in both teams. In addition, during the 1980s, Carling O'Keefe was a chief sponsor for the CFL game telecasts on both the CBC and CTV (and, when CTV ceased broadcasting the CFL after 1986, the league-operated Canadian Football Network) networks.[18]
Brands
- Carling Black Label is the best selling beer in the United Kingdom. The "Mabel, Black Label" was a well-known advertising slogan
- Carling Premier a stronger version of Carling Black Label, with an alcohol percentage of 4.7%. In cans it is sold with a widget.
- Red Cap Ale - now produced by Waterloo Brewing Company
- Old Vienna - now produced by Molson Coors
- Dominion Ale - now produced by Molson Coors
Licenses
- Carlsberg and Tuborg - made under license of Carlsberg Brewery
- Miller High Life- introduced in 1981
- Foster's Lager - introduced in 1987
Former brands
- Black Horse Ale (formerly a Dawes brand, a similarly named, but unrelated beer is made for the Nfld/Labrador market by Molson Coors)
- Dow Ale
- O'Keefe Ale
References
- ^ a b c d e f University of Western Ontario - Partial essay on the History of O'Keefe Archived 2009-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Charles Millar Dies Suddenly At Office". Toronto Star. November 1, 1926. p. 5.
- ^ Rohmer 1978, p. 223.
- ^ Heron 2003, p. 307.
- ^ a b Coutts 2010, p. 120.
- ^ Heron 2003, p. 346.
- ^ CBC News
- ^ Heron 2003, p. 347.
- ^ McMANIS, S. A. M. (1988-11-29). "Harry Ornest Purchases CFL's Toronto Argonauts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- New York Times. p. A17. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- New York Times. p. C2. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "Nordiques fans optimistic about club's eventual return". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "COMPANY NEWS; Molson and Carling To Merge Operations (Published 1989)". 1989-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "Molson-Carling merger meant trouble was brewing for workers". CBC Sports. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Barrett, Michael (January 25, 1989). "Brewery to close seven plants in merger - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (1989-01-26). "Newly Merged Molson, Carling to Close 7 Breweries". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ Hickey, Pat (1987-11-08). "CFL MAY BE BEYOND RESCUING". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
Bibliography
- Coutts, Ian (2010). Brew North: How Canadians Made Beer and Beer Made Canada. Vancouver: Greystone Books. ISBN 9781553654674.
- Heron, Craig (2003). Booze: a distilled history. Between The Lines. ISBN 9781896357836.
- ISBN 0-7710-7709-2.