An upcoming talk at Brock University will explore the birth, growth and demise of one of Canada’s oldest breweries, Labatt Brewing Company.

Once synonymous with beer in Canada, John Kinder Labatt’s 1847 business survived and adapted to a changing industry, including the advent of the railway, Prohibition, war, the Great Depression, globalization and free trade until it was sold to Belgium-based Interbrew in 1995.

Matthew J. Bellamy, an Associate Professor of History at Carleton University, will be at Brock on Thursday, Nov. 21 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. to talk about the successes and challenges of Labatt’s history from 1847 to 1995.

Bellamy’s talk, “Something Unforeseen: How a Bootlegging Manager-Entrepreneur saved Labatt from Prohibition,” is hosted by the Centre for Canadian Studies and sponsored by the Goodman School of Business. The free public lecture will be held in Charles A. Sankey Chamber.

The event will also include the launch of Bellamy’s new book, Brewed in the North: A History of Labatt’s (McGill-Queens University Press, 2019), which provides a comprehensive look at one of the beer industry’s most iconic firms.