is a Canadian holding company that acquired a large number of Canadian breweries through a series of acquisitions and mergers between 1930 and 1967. Previously known as Canadian Breweries Ltd, the holding company was re-named in 1973, shortly after its original owner, E. P. Taylor, sold it to cigarette maker Rothman’s of Pall Mall. In its day, Carling O’Keefe was known as one of the “big three” breweries along with Molson and Labatt. See labatt brewing company ltd. and molson coors brewing company. Together, these three breweries accounted for the vast majority of beer sold in Canada from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The name Carling O’Keefe is taken from two historical Canadian breweries that had amalgamated with Canadian Breweries in the 1930s. They were Carling Breweries Ltd, from London, Ontario and O’Keefe Brewery Company from Toronto, Ontario. Of these two brands, the best known is Carling. Carling was founded in 1840 by British-born Thomas Carling. When E.P. Taylor acquired the brewery in 1930, he expanded the brand into the US (through a partnership with Brewing Corp of America later re-named Carling Brewing Company Inc), and into England where Carling remains a very popular brand to this day. When O’Keefe Brewery was acquired by E.P. Taylor in 1934, it was one of Canada’s most cutting edge brewing facilities, having been the first company in Canada to install a mechanically refrigerated storage facility.

In 1989, Carling O’Keefe merged with Molson Breweries Canada Ltd to become Molson Companies Ltd, now Molson Coors Brewing Company. Three Carling O’Keefe brands are currently available in Canada as part of the Molson Coors portfolio: Carling Lager, Carling Black Label, and O’Keefe’s.

See also canada.