Carling - History

History

The history of Carling dates back to 1818, when Thomas Carling, a farmer from the British county of Yorkshire, took his family to eastern Canada, settling at what is now the city of London, Ontario. During his first year there Carling cleared a small area of land. He called on his neighbours, Richard Walden, to help at a "stumping bee", a cooperative effort in which each man brought his own oxen and tools and the land was cleared of tree stumps. All the neighbours asked in return was food and refreshment. Thomas Carling's refreshment, a home-brewed ale, was of such quality that soon he was brewing it for other stumping bees. It grew so popular that he abandoned farming for full-time brewing. The first Carling brewery was a modest affair – two kettles, a horse to turn the grinding mill and six men to work on the mash tubs. Carling was his own sales and shipping department. He started by selling his beer on the streets of London, Ontario from a wheelbarrow.

In 1840 Carling began a small brewing operation in London, Ontario, Canada, selling beer to soldiers at the local camp. By 1878, when his sons, John and William, built a new six-storey brewery in London, Carling was a household name in Canada. The new brewery was destroyed by a fire just a year after opening. Thomas Carling, shortly after helping to fight the fire, died of pneumonia.

His sons William and John took over the company, naming it the W & J Carling Brewing Co. John Carling died in 1911 and the company has changed hands numerous times since. It was acquired by Canadian Breweries Limited, which was eventually renamed Carling O'Keefe, which merged with Molson, which then merged with Coors to form Molson Coors Brewing Company.

In the 1950s Carling was first sold in the UK and it soon built up a loyal following, with the brand becoming the UK's most popular beer brand (by volume sold) in the early 80's.

In 1999 Carling achieved sales of one billion pints in the UK, breaking the previous record and strengthening its position as the best selling lager. In 2007 they sold 2.3 billion pints in the UK, over six billion worldwide. During 2009 the sales reached a new record with 4.1 billion pints, and 11.6 billion pints worldwide. The estimated worldwide sales during 2010 was 17.6 billion pints, due to a new worldwide campaign planned for the year, starting early February. During 2011 they sold 24.9 billion pints worldwide, 2012 will see an estimated 34 billion pints sold.

Carling has a long history of sponsorship in both football & music, having sponsorsed the English premier league from its first season in 1993 through to 2001. The brand finished its sponsorship deal with the Reading and Leeds festivals, which had lasted between 1998 and 2007, Carling also exited its long term sponsorship deals with the UK's academy venues replaced by O2, and the Hammersmith Apollo to HMV a couple of years earlier. Carling are the official beer of the Scotland national football team, and from 2010 until 2011 were the sponsors of the Scottish Cup. In 2012, Carling ended their nine year lead sponsorship of the Football League Cup, former called the Carling Cup.

The largest pub chain in the UK, J D Wetherspoon, decided in September 2009 not to sell Carling anymore. They have instead entered into a seven-year exclusive deal with the Danish brewery Carlsberg. In Q1 2011 Carling returned to Wetherspoons' pubs as part of a larger expansion that saw Amstel, Heineken and Staropramen also added to the pumps. Since its return, Carling has been sold as a mid priced lager, with Carlsberg retaining the lucrative 'cheapest pint' price.