Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon)
Québec City, Quebec, Canada · Est. 1668
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The King's Brewery, and a government project. Jean Talon, Intendant of New France, had the Brasserie du Roy erected in 1668–1669 with production beginning in the spring of 1670 — the Québec cultural-heritage register and the City of Québec both document it, and the City records the scale of the undertaking separately. Then follow the ground forward. Joseph Knight Boswell moved his brewery onto this site in 1852. Boswell joined National Breweries in 1909. National Breweries became Dow Brewery Limited in 1952. The site Talon chose in 1668 was still making beer when Dow collapsed after the Québec City cases of 1966 — nearly three centuries of brewing on one piece of ground.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1668Erected by Jean Talon
The Brasserie du Roy, built 1668–1669 under the Intendant of New France.
- 1670Production begins
Spring 1670, per the Québec cultural-heritage register.
- 1852Boswell moves onto the site
184 years after Talon; the line runs on through National Breweries to Dow.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's Quebec master, Pass 83, which cited https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/detail.do?id=27862&methode=consulter&type=pge for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's Quebec master, Pass 83 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in Quebec Pass 83: 1668, 1670, 1852.
Tally's Quebec master, Pass 83 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon)
- Who owns Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon)?
- Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Québec City, Quebec, Canada.
- Is Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) independent?
- Yes. Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- Is Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) still open?
- No. Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) has closed. Quebec Pass 83. Québec cultural heritage register states the brewery was erected in 1668–1669 and production began in spring 1670. City of Québec independently documents Jean Talon's large-scale brewing project in 1668–1669.
- When was Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) founded?
- Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon) was founded in 1668 in Québec City, Quebec, Canada.
Drinking Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon)? Stamp it in your passport.
Discover it here — collect it in the Passport. Track every beer, earn stamps, and build your own beer passport.
Every brewery deserves its full story told.
If you're the owner or team behind Brasserie du Roy (Jean Talon), we'll build out your complete profile — history, the people, every beer — and feature you in a Tally's documentary. No cost, just your story.