Prices for wine, rum, and port were rising and an influx of English and Irish immigrants were particularly partial to beer.

In January 1785, Molson used the money inherited from his parents to acquire what had been the Thomas Loyd brewery on the shores of the St. Lawrence, just outside the fortifications of the burgeoning City of Montreal.

Upon his return, he offered the seeds free of charge to neighboring Montreal farmers, who agreed to grow them to satisfy the brewery's need for malt.

He quickly diversified his investments, opened a lumber yard, and began issuing loans to local Montreal merchants.

[6] Although brewing proved to be Molson's most sustainable field of endeavour, other activities were added throughout the company's lengthy history.

Molson was the first company to own and operate a fleet of steamboats,[5] which were used to transport people and goods between Quebec and Ontario.

This made it possible for the company to expand into lager and inaugurate a new brewery in Toronto (near the Canadian National Exhibition) in 1955.

The company continued to develop and, in 1958, acquired six breweries, which included five establishments in Western Canada, giving Molson a nationwide presence.

Molson employs 3,000 people in Canada and operates five breweries in locations across the country (Chilliwack, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton, and St. John's), as well as the Creemore micro-brewery in Ontario and Granville Island Brewing in British Columbia.

[15] The name change would reflect the company's growing focus on beverages outside of the traditional beer and brewing offerings.

In June 2009, the consortium led by the Molson brothers acquired the remaining 19.9% of the team that had been held by the company.

In the second decade of the 21st century, Molson and/or Coors had exclusive rights to sell their beverages at the home arenas of the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes, and Detroit Red Wings.