Christian Schmidt Brewing Company
The Christian Schmidt Brewing Company was an American brewery in Philadelphia . At the height of its success, it was the tenth largest brewery in the United States .
history
In 1851 Christian Schmidt, who was born in Württemberg , emigrated to the USA and settled in Philadelphia. In 1859 he took a job at the Robert Coutrennay's brewery, two years later he became a business partner and in 1863 he was the sole owner of the now renamed Christian Schmidt, Kensington Brewery .
By 1880 the Schmidt brewery was producing less than 10,000 barrels of beer. As a result, lager beer was also produced. In the following years the company grew through the acquisition of other breweries in Philadelphia (e.g. the Robert Smith Ale Brewing Company, founded in 1774) and through the constant expansion of production capacities. In 1892 an annual output of 100,000 barrels was reached - in the same year Schmidt's sons Henry C., Edward A. and Frederick W. joined the company, which was renamed C. Schmidt & Sons . Company founder Christian Schmidt died three years later and his son Edward took over the management of the brewery.
Until his abdication in 1944, the brewery grew under Edward Schmidt to supra-regional importance. At the turn of the century the Schmidt brewery was expanded: among other things, cooling machines, storage tanks, a new brewery, brewing kettle and a chimney were built. During the prohibition period , light beer with reduced alcohol was produced. With the end of Prohibition, the brewery was renamed C. Schmidt & Sons, Inc.
The economic upturn in the post-war period helped the Schmidt brewery grow again. In 1944, the Schmidt brewery had 421 employees. Frederick W. Schmidt took over the office of company president until 1945 and was replaced by Christian H. Zoller, a grandson of the company founder.
In 1958, Carl von Czoernig, a great-grandson of the company's founder, became president of the brewery. From the 1950s to the 1980s, various breweries and brands were bought up in order to gain national importance.
- In 1954 the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company in Norristown was acquired. Brewing continued here under the original name until 1960, but then renamed Valley Forge Brewing Company and finally continued under the name C. Schmidt & Sons in 1965. Labor disputes and a difficult market situation were the reasons why the brewery was closed in 1974.
- In 1963 a location of the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company in Cleveland was bought.
- In 1971, the Schmidt Brewery bought the Carling Brewing Company's production facility in Cleveland. In 1972 all trademarks and rights of the Duquesne Brewing Company were acquired . In 1984 the locations in Cleveland were closed.
- In 1976 the rights and trademarks of Reading Brewing Company ( Reading ) were purchased.
- In 1978 the Erie Brewing Company ( Erie ) was bought.
- In 1980 the Rheingold brand of Rheingold Breweries ( New York City ) was bought.
- In 1981 the Henry F. Ortlieb Brewing Company was bought out. The name was changed to Christian Schmidt Brewing Company .
- 1982 offered $ 131 million for the much larger Pabst Brewing Company - but the offer was turned down.
In 1964 Schmidt beer was already marketed in fourteen states. An annual output of 2,000,000 barrels had been achieved. However, approximately 65% of sales were still made in Philadelphia and the region.
In 1975 the Schmidt family sold the brewery to William H. Pflaumer. In 1980 it was the tenth largest brewery in the country with an annual output of 3,600,000 barrels. In the following years, however, the annual output fell rapidly. In 1986 only 1,600,000 barrels were produced, which was less than 1% of the US beer market. From the retailer's point of view, the decline was due to the low advertising budget.
In April 1987 the Schmidt brewery was sold to the G. Heileman Brewing Company and closed after the owner William H. Pflaumer was sentenced to prison for tax evasion. The systems have been sold to various breweries in the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines.
In 2000, the buildings and land were sold for $ 1.8 million. The brewery was demolished in 2002. Today there are residential and commercial complexes there.
literature
- David G. Moyer (2009), American Breweries of the Past , Bloomington (Indiana): AuthorHouse, pp. 80–81 (English)
Web links
- Master Brewers Association of the Americas: 1860-1960 - Schmidt's Will Celebrate Ist Century , accessed May 16, 2016.
- Philly.com: Why Christian Schmidt Has Gone Flat , accessed May 16, 2016.
- Philly.com: William H. Pflaumer, 76; owned Schmidt's brewery , accessed May 16, 2016.
Remarks
- ↑ One source gives the year 1976.