Carling Black Label is the name of a brand of English
lagerLager is a type of beer that is stored for at least three weeks before being served. It is a general term that includes several variations or styles, such as Pilsener, Export and Märzen.-History of lager brewing:...
in
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,
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,
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,
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and
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. In Sweden it is known as
Carling Premier.
Carling brands are currently owned by the
Molson Coors Brewing CompanyMolson Coors Brewing Company is a company that was created by the merger of two of North America's largest breweries: Molson of Canada, and Coors of the United States, on February 9, 2005...
. In
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
it is distributed by
SABMillerSABMiller plc is one of the world's largest brewers; the company has brewing interests and distribution agreements on six continents. Six of the company’s brands are in the world’s top fifty beer brands, and the group is one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products in the world. The group...
.
History
The history of Carling dates back to 1818 when Thomas Carling, a
farmerA farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials.- Definition :The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows...
in the English county of
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, took his family to the rich farmlands of
eastern CanadaEastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
, settling at what is now the city of
London, OntarioLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
. During his first year there Tom Carling cleared a small area. Then, in accordance with the custom of the day, he called on his neighbours 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 that these helpful neighbours asked was that they be refreshed and fed. Thomas Carling's refreshment, a home-brewed ale, was of such quality that soon he was brewing it for other stumping bees. In time, it grew so popular that he abandoned farming for full-time brewing. The first Carling brewery was a modest affair - a couple of kettles, a horse to turn the grinding mill and six strong men to work on the mash tubs. Carling was his own sales and shipping department. He started by trundling his wares through the streets of London, Ontario, Canada on a wheelbarrow. This was the humble beginning of what was to become a worldwide brewing organization. Tom Carling established the brewing company that bears his name in London, Canada in 1840.
In 1840 Thomas Carling began a small brewing operation in London, Ontario, Canada selling beer to soldiers at the local military camp. By 1878, when his sons, John and William, built a new six-story brewery in London, Carling was a national name in Canada. The new brewery was destroyed by a fire just a year after opening. William Carling, after fighting the fire and losing the battle, died of pneumonia shortly after the fire.
When he died, his sons William and John took over, naming it the W & J Carling Brewing Co.
John CarlingSir John Carling, PC, KCMG of the Carling Brewery was a prominent politician and businessman from London, Ontario, Canada...
became a prominent figure in Canadian business and politics and was later knighted in 1893. Sir John Carling died in 1911 and the company has changed hands numerous times since. Sir John Carling, brewer, politician (born in London Twp, Upper Canada 23 January 1828; died at London, Ontario 6 November 1911). His father, Benjamin Rigby, a Methodist agricultural labourer, had emigrated from Yorkshire in 1818. At age 21 John joined the brewing and malting business which his father had established in 1843 near Victoria Barracks, London. He inherited the business in 1849 and continued as president, but he left its operation to his brother William and entered politics. He represented London as a Conservative in the assembly of the Province of Canada 1857-67 and in the Ontario Assembly 1867-73.
After Confederation, Carling also sat in the House of Commons 1867-74, 1878-91 and 1892-95. He held several Cabinet posts, most notably as postmaster general, under John A. MACDONALD 1882-85, and minister of agriculture 1885-92. In 1893 he was created KCMG; he sat in the Senate 1891-92 and 1896 to his death. The incorporation of the Carling Brewing and Malting Co in 1883 helped to finance his political career.
In 1999 Carling achieved sales of 1 billion pints in the UK, breaking the previous record and strengthening its position as the No.1 selling lager.
In 2007 they sold 2.3 billion pints in the UK, over 6 billion worldwide. Despite this the organisation lost its sponsorship deal with the
Reading and Leeds festivalsThe Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in the United Kingdom and are run by Festival Republic . The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill...
, which lasted between 1998-2007, resulting in a lot of lost revenue that would have been mostly made from pints sold at the event, including sponsorship royalites. This was later coupled when Carling went on to lose its sponsorship deals with the UK's academy venues to O2, alongside losing the
Hammersmith ApolloThe HMV Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema. It was known as the Hammersmith Odeon. In 2007, the building was purchased by the MAMA Group...
to LiveNation. This is expected to have a massive negative impact on the company due to the beer no longer being sold at the venues it once was contracted with.
Carling are the main sponsors of Scottish football team's Celtic FC and Rangers FC.
Carling are also the head sponsor's of the Football League Cup now called the Carling Cup.
One of the largest pub chains in the UK,
WetherspoonsJ D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford...
, decided in September 2009 not to supply Carling anymore. Their reasoning is widely thought to motivated by price, they have instead entered into a seven year exclusive deal with the Danish brewery
CarlsbergThe Carlsberg Group is a Danish brewing company founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen after the name of his son Carl. The headquarters are in Copenhagen, Denmark...
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