Duquesne Brewing Company
The Duquesne Brewing Company is a former American Brewery in Pittsburgh , the 1899 founded and in 1972 was closed. At the height of its success, the Duquesne Brewing Company was the eighth largest brewery in the United States . In 2008 the "Duquesne Pilsener" brand was revived.
history
founding
The Duquesne Brewing Company was founded in Pittsburgh on April 4, 1899 by the group of investors Henry Miller, Frederick N. Stucky, Charles E. Succop, John Benz, Peter Hermes and Justus Mulert Sr. Henry Miller became its first president.
The main six-story building was built on the corner of South 22nd and Mary Streets. Although two more breweries were originally to be built in Lawrenceville and Allegheny , these plans were abandoned. The name was chosen after the former governor general of New France Marquis de Duquesne .
Just one year after it was founded, an annual output of 80,000 barrels was achieved. This quick start was underlined by the claim to produce at a high technical level: Duquesne Brewery was the first brewery in Pittsburgh to use refrigerated trucks for national distribution, and it was also one of the first breweries on the American east coast to pasteurize their beer .
In July 1901, the bottling of Duquesne Lager and the premium lager Silver Top began. In order to be able to stand up to the two competitors Pittsburgh Brewing Company and Fort Pitt Brewing Company, the brewery became a member of a consortium consisting of fourteen other breweries, the Independent Brewing Company - the location of the Duquesne Brewing Company became their production headquarters.
Prohibition and restructuring
In 1915, John H. Friday became president of the company. He had to manage the company during the time of Prohibition . Since the production of regular alcoholic beer was banned, the company had to switch to the production of low-alcohol beer ("near beer") and sell parts of its fixed assets in order to survive. In 1932, a year before the end of Prohibition, John H. Friday died and his son John A. Friday Sr. took over the management of the company.
The economically difficult period of Prohibition meant that the Independent Brewing Company had to be restructured in 1932. The realignment failed, however, and it was decided to dissolve the consortium, acquire its members and combine them under the name of the Duquesne Brewery. The following companies were acquired for a total of US $ 300,000:
- Anderton Brewing Company ( Beaver Falls ): Plant sale and demolition.
- Chartiers Valley Brewing Company ( Carnegie ): Preservation of the facilities and declaration of the third production site.
- First National Brewing Company ( McKees Rocks ): Preservation of the facilities and declaration of the second production site.
- Monessen Brewing Company ( Monessen ): Plant sale and demolition.
- Loyalhanna Brewing Company ( Latrobe ): Plant sale and demolition.
Rise until the late 40s
After the end of Prohibition in 1933, the Duquesne Brewing Company was the leading brewery in Pennsylvania with an annual output of around 325,000 barrels and its fixed assets were estimated at 1.9 million US dollars. In the same year the Duquesne Pilsener brand was introduced.
In 1940 the brewery produced approximately 690,000 barrels a year, making it the eighth largest brewery in America. President John A. Friday, who had been with him for ten years, died in 1942 and Louis F. Koenig, who had worked for the brewery since 1903, took office.
The brewery's growth stagnated during World War II , but Duquesne continued to be the leading brand in Pennsylvania during the post-war period. By 1949, the company had had a production capacity of approximately 1.5 million barrels with assets of approximately $ 12.5 million.
However, the following years were marked by increased competition from nationwide breweries. These were able to penetrate the Duquesne brewery market due to advances in cooling and transportation technology. As a result, an investment program for 9.3 million US dollars was initiated in 1950, with which the three production sites were to be modernized and expanded. With the completion of a new brewery and additional storage cellars, production capacity rose to 2 million barrels per year - but this capacity was never fully used.
Decline and sale
In 1952 the production site in McKees Rocks had to be closed due to increasing cost pressure. A year later, a 103-day worker strike in Carnegie closed the second site. During this difficult period, John A. Friday Jr. assumed the office of President in 1954.
In the two decades that followed, the company continued to struggle against the loss of market shares: In 1963, the Pilsener Brewing Company ( Cleveland ) was acquired to counteract the negative growth trend. The advertising efforts of the 1960s concentrated on marketing Duquesne beer as a typical worker beer ("blue-collar market").
In the context of the tense situation, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company tried to take over the Duquesne Brewery in 1965 - this takeover was blocked by the US Department of Justice . In 1966, despite resistance from the Friday family, the brewery was taken over by stock investor Raymond Sigesmund.
The production volume was further reduced due to the falling market share. By the time the brewery closed on December 8, 1972, annual output had dropped to 625,000 barrels. When the company closed, the brewery had around 425 employees. All brands and rights were then bought up by C. Schmidt & Sons, Inc. ( Philadelphia ), which brewed Duquesne beer in Cleveland until the 1980s.
Duquesne beer today
In 2008, the brand was revived by Mark J. Dudash. Duquesne Pilsener has been produced under license by the City Brewing Company in Latrobe since 2010 . The brand won a silver medal in an international beer competition.
Brewery building
- The brewery at 22nd and Mary Streets is now home to the Brew House Association, a Pittsburgh artists' association. This offers artists apartments, studios and a gallery. Adjacent buildings and basements are either empty or used by smaller companies.
- In 1961 an 18 × 18 meter tall and therefore eye-catching tower clock was bought on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh and used as an advertising medium. This clock can also be seen in the movie Flashdance . It is used by AT&T today.
literature
- David G. Moyer (2009), American Breweries of the Past , Bloomington (Indiana): AuthorHouse, pp. 38–39 (English)
Web links
- Official homepage of the modern Duquesne Brewing Company
- Duquesne Brewing Company: Our story , accessed April 26, 2015.