| Breaking
New Ground
At Labatt, the intention is to brew quality beers that people enjoy. This explains why Labatt offers more choices than other Canadian-based brewers – more than 60 brands at last count – and why all Labatt brands are naturally aged. It also helps explain why Labatt has tackled the challenges of the beer-making business head-on and, in the process, led by example. Labatt’s commitment to innovation has resulted in many industry “firsts:"
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The introduction of Canada’s first light beer (Labatt Special Lite, 1977) |
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The first Canadian brewery to form an international licensing agreement with a major U.S. brewery and, as a result, the first to brew a U.S. brand under license (Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser, 1980) |
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The first brewer in Canada to introduce a super-premium domestic brand (John Labatt Classic, 1981) |
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The introduction of the first twist-off cap on a refillable bottle (1984) |
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The national introduction of a dry beer (Labatt Dry, 1989) |
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The introduction of the first Canadian non-alcohol beer (Labatt “.5” 1990) |
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The first brewer in Canada to introduce a national “packaged” draft beer (Labatt Genuine Draft, 1992) |
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The creation of a whole new brewing technology, the Ice Brewing™ process, and introduction of the internationally successful Labatt Ice (1993) |
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The launch of Canada’s first national popular price beer (Wildcat, 1993) |
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The launch of the first and only resealable and refillable beer dispensing system (Labatt 36er, 1994) |
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The introduction of a contemporary wheat beer, the first by a national brewer in Canada (John Labatt Classic Wheat, 1994) |
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The launch of a uniquely flavourful and refreshing dark beer, supported by the most comprehensive consumer research initiative ever undertaken in the brewing industry (Labatt Copper/Copper Vote ’95, 1995) |
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The first beer to combine higher alcohol and lower calories (Labatt Select, 1996) |
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The introduction of the first malt-based Lemonade (Boomerang, 1998) |
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The first Canadian brewer to offer consumers a chance to order a 24-bottle case of beer with personalized photos on the labels (Labatt Blue/Blue Light, 2002) |
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Canada’s first modern, painted design on a beer bottle using washable ink and a unique light technology (Labatt 50, 2002) |
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Canada’s first insulated beer can, designed to keep beer colder longer. This industry-leading innovation received the Dupont Packaging Diamond Award (Labatt Blue “Cold One”, 2005) |
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