With that many thirsty labourers needed to build the Rideau Canal, it wasn’t long before Bytown’s first breweries came along. One of the first to open was Rochester’s Victoria Brewery, located on Bank Street.

Ashley Newall, singer-songwriter-musician, history writer, curator of the Capital History Ottawa (CapHistOttawa) social media pages and ashleynewall.ca website, and regular contributor to Apt613.ca, explores the history of one of Bytown’s first breweries:

www.ashleynewall.ca/2025/08/rochesters-victoria-brewery-1829-1900.html