Beer Barrel

Datec.1890

Dimensions62.5 x 41 x 41 cm

Credit LineGift of Labatt Brewing Company Limited, 2010.

Object number2010.011.3870

Label TextThis Labatt beer barrel dates from the 1890s. John Kinder Labatt began brewing in the 1840s. He first brewed beer for home consumption before making it his life’s work. Labatt used the local spring water in his beer and river water for other factory operations. The barrel is an example of a bulk shipping container. This kind of bulk packaging existed for centuries. Merchants took charge of measuring, weighing, and packaging the goods purchased by their customers for transport from store to home. Only in the late 1800s did manufacturers begin to use household-sized packages designed to appeal to the consumer.

NameBarrel