When we think of Montréal's brewing industry, the same names come to everyone's mind: Molson, Dawes and Dow. However, on Verdun territory, there was a brewing company called Chapman.
Located between the St. Lawrence River and the future boulevard LaSalle, within what was then called côte des Argoulets, Chapman brewing company was the first rural brewery registered in Montréal. It came on the scene somewhere between 1810 and 1819.
For nearly 30 years, Chapman brewing company quenched the thirst of the inhabitants of the Rivière Saint-Pierre area. Small in size, it had a total of five rooms—some used for storage and fermenting and others for bottling.
Joseph Chapman's beer was apparently of good quality. In fact, in an advertisement in December 1816, Thomas Molson boasted that his own beer was better than Williams, Chapman and Stephenson. Competition must have been fierce in those days!
Around the end of his life, Joseph Chapman rented his brewing company to various brewers. Unfortunately, Chapman brewing company disappeared following the death of its founder and owner in 1839.
