St Louis, MO Beer
St Louis Beer
In 1892 the brewery was incorporated as the William J. Lemp Brewing Co. In June of 1922, the Lemp brewery, once valued at $7 million, was sold at auction to International Shoe Company for less than $600,000.
The brewery’s fortunes continued to decline until 1919 when Prohibition forced the plant to close permanently. In June of 1922, the Lemp brewery, once valued at $7 million, was sold at auction to International Shoe Company for less than $600,000. After presiding over the sale of the brewery, William Lemp, Jr. shot himself in the same building where his father had died 18 years earlier.
In 1918, the Lemp Brewery ceased production and closed, and Griesedieck went into receivership two years later. Joe Griesedieck eventually obtained the Falstaff trademark from the Lemp family and bought the Griesedieck Company back, renaming it the Falstaff Corporation. The Griesedieck and Falstaff breweries merged in 1957, and in 1985, Falstaff acquired Pabst Brewing.
The first Falstaff brand beer appeared in mid-1899, and Lemp Brewing registered the Falstaff trademark and logo four years later. The first fracture occurred when Frederick Lemp, William’s favorite son and the heir apparent to the brewery presidency, died under mysterious circumstances in 1901. William J. Lemp, Jr. then took over as company president.
August A. Busch, Jr. took over the reins of the company when his father died in 1946, and “Gussie,” as he was known, diversified the company by adding regional breweries, opening Busch Gardens, and creating the Metal Container Corporation as a subsidiary. During this period, A-B expanded its brewing practices around the globe, including purchasing a majority interest of Grupo Modelo in Mexico (in 1993) and the Chinese company, Wuhan Brewing Company (in 1995). Busch III retired in 2002, naming Patrick Stokes as president of the brewery, the first non-family member to oversee the company since its inception.
In addition to Eberhard Anheuser’s Bavarian Brewery and Adam Lemp’s Western Brewery, others like the Arsenal Brewery, Anthony and Kuhn’s, Excelsior, Green Tree and English breweries established themselves in St. Louis.
William J. Lemp succeeded his father as the head of the brewery and soon built it into an industrial giant. By 1870, it was the largest brewery in St. Louis and controlled the lion’s share of the St. Louis market, a position it held until Prohibition. In 1892 the brewery was incorporated as the William J. Lemp Brewing Co.
The immigrants’ principal skills included making and making bricks beer, so a number of breweries began to open in the city. In addition to Eberhard Anheuser’s Bavarian Brewery and Adam Lemp’s Western Brewery, others like the Arsenal Brewery, Anthony and Kuhn’s, Excelsior, Green Tree and English breweries established themselves in St. Louis.
Anheuser-Busch
In 1860, Eberhard Anheuser acquired the Bavarian Brewery from the original owner, George Schneider, and renamed it E. Anheuser & Company. The next year, Adolphus Busch married Anheuser’s daughter Lily, and began working at his father-in-law’s brewery in 1864. Busch led the brewery through Prohibition, as the company began producing everything from ice cream and ginger ale syrup to non-alcohol Budweiser and refrigerated cabinets.
Today, visitors to the world’s largest brewer can take a free tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, which includes stops at the Brew House, Budweiser Clydesdales’ stables, the lager cellar, packaging plant, and the A-B gift shop. At the end of the tour, guests ages 21 and over can sample a variety of Anheuser-Busch brands, and those under 21 years of age can enjoy complimentary soft drinks and snacks.
Lemp soon realized that the future of lager beer in America was a force to be reckoned with, so in 1840 he gave up the grocery business and built a modest brewery on South Second Street. A St. Louis industry was born, as the brewery enjoyed tremendous success and John Adam Lemp died a millionaire.
America’s first lager beer brewers
Lemp soon realized that the future of lager beer in America was a force to be reckoned with, so in 1840 he gave up the grocery business and built a modest brewery on South Second Street. A St. Louis industry was born, as the brewery enjoyed tremendous success and John Adam Lemp died a millionaire.
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