Defunct brewery companies of the United States

Question

This piglix contains articles or sub-piglix about Defunct brewery companies of the United States

Answer 1

Charles D. Kaier Company

Charles D. Kaier Company

The Charles D. Kaier Company was a beer brewery in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, that produced Kaier's brand beer from 1880 to 1968 under a succession of corporate identities. The company was sold to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's, Ortlieb Brewing Company in 1966, and ceased producing beer in 1968.

Charles D. Kaier was born Anslem Troian Kaier in Binningen, Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany, on March 6, 1837, the son of blacksmith Andreas and Cresentia (Wittmer) Kaier. He had two brothers, Xavier and George, and two sisters. He immigrated with his family to the United States in 1854 at age 15 or in 1857 at age 19 (accounts differ). Living in Norristown and St. Clair, Pennsylvania, he served three months in a Pennsylvania volunteer infantry company during the American Civil War, and was honorably discharged. At some point, he Americanized his name to Charles D. Kaier.

After marrying teacher Margaret Curry, the daughter of Irish immigrants, Kaier settled in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, and became an agent for the Philadelphia brewery Bergner and Engle. He entered the liquor business in 1862, founding the The Chas. D. Kaier Co., purchasing barrels of whiskey from distillers and transferring the liquid to quart and pint bottles for retail sale. As well, he dabbled in packaging and selling beer for local breweries.

In the late 1870s, Kaier brought his cousin Franz Kaier from Germany to attend the American Brewing Academy in Chicago, Illinois, and eventually serve as brewmaster for Kaier's new concern, a beer brewery formed in 1880 as the Chas. D. Kaier Brewery. By one account, it was Chas. D. Kaier & Co. Brewery from 1882 to 1884, then the Francis X. Kaier Brewery through 1891, and the Chas. D. Kaier Brewing Co. through 1894, when it was renamed the Chas. D. Kaier Co. Ltd. Brewery. It retained that name for 26 years, until the advent of Prohibition in 1920. Until that law's repeal in 1933, the firm was known as the Kaier Brewing Co. Another account gives the corporate name as the Chas D. Kaier Brewing Co. from 1891 to 1894, and the Chas D. Kaier Co., Ltd. thereafter through 1966. However, a 1932 court case identifies the concern as the Charles D. Kaier Company, Inc.

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Answer 2

Christian Heurich Brewing Company

The Christian Heurich Brewing Company was a Washington, D.C., brewery founded in 1872 and incorporated by Christian Heurich in 1890. First located near Dupont Circle on 20th Street NW, it expanded to a much larger site in Foggy Bottom in 1895 after a major fire. The new brewery was located along the Potomac River at 26th and D streets where the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts now stands. The Heurich brewery was the largest in Washington's history, capable of producing 500,000 barrels of beer a year and 250 tons of ice daily.

The Christian Heurich Brewing Co. closed in 1956, "because of a decline in sales and because of the knowledge that the government would seek to acquire the site of the brewery for the approaches to the new Theodore Roosevelt Bridge." For five years, Arena Stage staged productions in the former brewery, which it nicknamed "The Old Vat." The brewery and all of its buildings were torn down in 1961.

Christian Heurich, a native of Saxe-Meiningen, was born in 1842. He apprenticed as a brewer and butcher, then spent his Wanderjahr working at breweries throughout what is now Austria, Germany, France, and the Czech Republic. In 1866 he migrated to the United States, first living in the Fells Point area of Baltimore with a sister and her husband, then spending time in Chicago, Kansas, and St. Louis before returning to Baltimore. Heurich wanted to start his own brewery, but debated where the best opportunity existed. The growing popularity of lager beer was matched by an increasing number of German-owned breweries in the U.S. but many of the major cities already had a number of existing breweries. Partnering with a fellow German immigrant and coworker, Paul Ritter (brewer), Heurich decided upon Washington, DC. The city had expanded radically in size during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and a new city government worked to improve the capital city, to make it a world-class capital city. Led by Vice-chair of the city's five-man Board of Public Works, "Boss" Alexander Robey Shepherd, the foul canal which ran down what is now Constitution Avenue was filled in, roads were paved, and sewer and water lines were installed. The frantic pace of improvement soon attracted the ire of Congress, and the independent DC government was eliminated. However, Shepherd's improvements did make the city more attractive to new comers, including Heurich and as many as a dozen other brewers.

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Answer 3

Dobler Brewing Company

The Dobler Brewing Company was a small regional brewery, located in Albany, New York. Dobler was once located in the largest brewing hub in the country. Before there was Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller, there was Hedrick, Beverwyck, and of course Dobler. It was founded in 1865, and had an annual capacity of 25,000 barrels during its height.

The brewery was one of only three breweries in Albany to survive Prohibition. Their ability to remain in business during prohibition was due to the fact that the brewery was equipped with refrigeration, and was easily able to convert to soda production. Refrigeration had been necessary to produce their line of Lager, and this equipment gave Dobler an advantage during the prohibition years, when only non-alcoholic beverages were legal.

Although Hedrick, Beverwyck and Dobler endured Prohibition, they never regained national distribution; by the 1970s they were outsourced by the big Midwestern breweries. The Dobler Brewery closed in 1960, shortly after being sold to Hampden-Harvard Breweries of Willimansett, Massachusetts. The main building where the brewery once stood was demolished in 1960. However, an adjacent building which served as the carriage house for the delivery horses still stands.

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Answer 4

Dubuque Star Brewery

Dubuque Star Brewery

The Dubuque Star Brewery, located in Dubuque, Iowa, is a building that for many years made Dubuque Star beers. The brewery is located just north of the Ice Harbor in Dubuque.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Dubuque Star was established by Joseph Rhomberg in 1898. Until the beginning of Prohibition, the brewery produced Dubuque Star beer. As with many other breweries, the Dubuque Star brewery was forced to close down. Before Prohibition, there were 138 breweries in the state, but afterwards Dubuque Star was the only small brewery left in the state.

With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the brewery was reopened. Because of its location near the Mississippi River, when the river flooded it would often cause problems for the brewery. The 1965 floods were particularly bad. The brewery operators made protective measures for the river reaching 23 feet, but the river soon reached 26 feet. This caused serious damage to the lower floors of the building, and the production equipment.

In 1971, Joseph Pickett purchased the brewery. He found that the brewery was not in good shape. Most of the equipment was outdated 1930s era equipment. The brewery had very low market share. Pickett began a massive renovation and modernization of the brewery.

Pickett introduced Pickett's Premium beer, which by the late 1970s accounted for about 12% of sales in the region. The hospitality room was featured in the movie F.I.S.T., as well as the 1981 comedy Take This Job and Shove It.

Agri Industries purchased the brewery in 1980. They produced Rhomberg Beer until 1985. The beers made by the brewery were technically superior products, but the company had a limited advertising budget, which resulted in limited public exposure. The efforts were not successful, and the brewery closed in 1985. There were a couple more attempts in the following years to reopen the brewery. However, despite making superior products, the efforts were again not successful, and the brewery was closed down in 1999.

Between 1988-1998 or thereabout, the brewery was operated by Zele Brewing Company management. A number of contract brewing were made and the brewery showed promise. However, this was a period when large breweries choke distribution and forced their distributors to abandon micro breweries or craft beers, "shake out period." This shake out period lasted between 1996-2003. During this period, Erlanger Beer Brand was owned by Stroh's and it was a licensed product. It also brewed a private label for TGIF chain which increased its production to about 25,000 barrels or more a year. It also brewed under joint ventures for Tuan Chau Tien, his brands. (www.paleale.com and www.beerguy.com)

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Answer 5

Evansville Brewing Company

Evansville Brewing Company

Evansville Brewing Company is a historic brewery located in downtown Evansville, Indiana. It was built between 1891 and 1893, and is a four-story, Romanesque Revival style brick building.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

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Answer 6

Falls City Brewing Company

Falls City Brewing Company was based in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The company operated from 1905 until 1978. After the company closed the Falls City brand was purchased by a group of investors who sold it in the late 1990s to the Pittsburgh Brewing Company who produced the brand until around 2007. The brand name "Falls City Beer" was revived in 2010, and a beer is contract brewed at Sand Creek Brewing Company for a Louisville computer software entrepreneur.

The Falls City Brewing Company was organized in 1905 by local tavern and grocery store owners. The name is taken from a nickname for Louisville, i.e. "Falls City," which derives from Louisville's position on the Falls of the Ohio. This company was a bit different from many breweries in the USA as it was not family owned. It was organized to break a local monopoly on beer production by the Central Consumers Company. Central Consumers also owned the taverns (or tied houses) located in neighborhoods where they could be operated profitably. The brewer, acting as landlord and supplier at the same time, caused the tavern operator to be at their mercy. This practice, while common in the United Kingdom, was later outlawed in the US.

Draft beer was introduced in 1906 and bottled beer two years later. A small ice house was built in connection with the brewery, and ice was sold to peddlers who operated in the western part of the city. In 1911, the company purchased a five-ton Morgan truck and one half ton auto car, and there was a great rivalry among the drivers as to who would be chosen to drive the two trucks. Also in 1911, the Central Consumers company tried to buy out their little competitor. A number of heated debates took place and loyal stockholders fought to retain the company.

In 1919 the brewery was closed for Prohibition and the company reorganized. From 1919 to 1933 the company survived as the Falls City Ice and Beverage Company by producing ice, soft drinks, and near beer. Despite no longer being able to brew alcoholic beer, the company prospered.

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Answer 7

Falstaff Brewing Corporation

Falstaff Brewing Corporation

The Falstaff Brewing Corporation was a major American brewery located in St. Louis, Missouri. With roots in the 1838 Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, the company was renamed after the Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff in 1903. Production peaked in 1965 with 7,010,218 barrels brewed, and then dropped 70% in the next 10 years. While its smaller labels linger on today, its main label Falstaff Beer went out of production in 2005. The rights to the brand are currently owned by Pabst Brewing Company.

Falstaff Brewing's earliest form was as the Lemp Brewery, founded in 1840 in St. Louis by German immigrant Johann Adam Lemp (1798-1862). Over the next 80 years, the Lemp family was devastated by personal tragedies as it built its beer empire over the caves of St. Louis. It adopted its famous "Blue Ribbon" moniker quickly, as an 1898 trial proved when it took the Storz Brewing Company of Omaha to court for tying blue ribbons on its bottles, and won. The Lemp Brewery company closed in 1921, and sold its Falstaff brand to the then-named Griesedieck Beverage Company. Griesedieck Beverage was renamed the Falstaff Corporation and survived Prohibition by selling near beer, soft drinks, and cured hams under the Falstaff name. Falstaff Brewing was a publicly traded company on the , which was rare for a brewing industry in which families closely guarded their ownership.

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Answer 8

Fred Koch Brewery

Fred Koch Brewery

The original Fred Koch Brewery was a small, independent brewery in Dunkirk, New York that produced beer and ale from late 1888 until 1985. Production peaked in the early 1950s with over 100,000 barrels brewed annually. When the Dunkirk, New York brewery was closed in 1985, it was located at 15-25 West Courtney Street.

The Genesee Brewing Company currently owns the trademark rights to the name Fred Koch Brewery but it is not producing any products under the Koch's name.

The brewery was not connected to Jim Koch of Samuel Adams (beer) fame.

Organized in the spring of 1888 by Fred Koch and Frank Werle as the Lake City Brewery, the company began its operation in the Fink brewery in the town of Dunkirk, New York. The first few months of operation were handled by just three men. Mr. Koch made sales and deliveries and Mr. Werle and one assistant ran the brewery. In the fall of 1888, the company built a new brewery on the old Newman tannery property on the corner of Ruggles and West Courtney streets in the city of Dunkirk, New York.

On May 8, 1896, a disastrous fire completely destroyed all but the brewery cellars. During the rebuilding process, Fred Koch purchased from Mr. Werle his interest in the business. The brewery was then owned and operated solely by the Koch family. The business was incorporated in April 1911 prior to the death of Fred Koch, who died while on a visit to Germany. After his death, his three sons, William L., Fred C., and Henry J. Koch, assumed management.

On September 24, 1915, Fire Chief John F. Meiers broke his leg, several firemen were injured, and eight horses were burned to death in a fire at the Fred Koch brewing plant. The fire broke out in the horse barns on the southwest end of the plant in East Courtney Street and spread rapidity. A few weeks early, an incendiary fire broke out in the same part of the plant.

Products sold included "Bock Beer", "Wurtzburger" (an old-fashioned German brew), and "Lake City Export". The brewery continued to produce beer and ale until prohibition in 1920.

Prohibition became effective January 16, 1920, and continued in the United States until December 5, 1933. During these years, the Fred Koch Beverage Company's principal business was soft drinks and made such licensed products as Ward's "Orange-Crush" (an orange drink), Welch's "Welch-ade" (a grape drink) and "Green River" (a lime drink). It also produced a small amount of "near-beer" called "Kobru", a beverage containing less than one-half of 1% of alcohol. "Kobru" was legal under the law, but was not favorably received by residents of Dunkirk, New York.

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Answer 9

Fitger%27s Brewing Company

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Answer 10

Fuhrmann %26 Schmidt Brewing Company

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