National Breweries Limited

Quebec cultural-heritage register dates National Breweries Limited from 1909 to 1952. Montréal heritage records state 14 breweries, including Dawes, Dow, Ekers and Union, formed the group in 1909.

A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.

1. 1909
   The merger

   Of Montreal's brewers of 1898, Dow, Dawes, Union, Ekers, Reinhardt, Canadian Brewing and Montreal Brewing "merged into National Breweries Ltd. in 1909"; Molson stayed out (Beer Et Seq). The Quebec heritage register ("1909 – 1952") lists Brasserie Boswell among its other names; the archive's count of fourteen founding breweries and a reported sixteen are both kept.

2. 1949
   The last annual report

   The 1949 report, the last digitised at McGill: sales down, costs up, taxes at wartime peaks; "a dividend of $2.38 on the common shares" against almost $4.00 the year before. "six plants: two Dawes plants in Montreal, the Dow and Frontenac plants there, and two small breweries in Quebec City" — too much capacity most of the year, too little at the peaks.

3. 1952
   E. P. Taylor's hostile takeover

   Norman Dawes would not deal: "Taylor had to mount a hostile takeover but was successful as he gained enough of the public float to gain control." Canadian Breweries then rationalised: "The Dow brewery in Montreal was chosen to make all remaining brands for that city while the Boswell plant did the same in Quebec City. The Black Horse and Boswell brands exited the market"; the company became Dow Breweries Ltd (dow-brewery-limited). The price: UNKNOWN.