History
Early history
The National Brewing Company plant was located between Dillon, Conkling and O'Donnell Streets in the Baltimore's Highlandtown neighborhood. The site was first used in beer production in the 1850s, when brewer John Baier rented land at O'Donnell and Conklin Streets into which beer storage cellars were dug. After Baier's death in 1866, his widow Anna Maria Baier continued to operate his brewery, which was located on Canton Avenue. Anna later married Frederick Wunder and by 1872 they had built a brewery, known as Wunder's Brewery, on the National Brewing site.
In 1885, the Wunder Brewery was sold at foreclosure sale to members of the Straus family, who later incorporated the business as the National Brewing Company. In 1885, National Brewing Company began brewing their flagship National Bohemian beer by the barrel. [3] Nevertheless, they were still considered one of the city's smaller breweries. In 1899 National was one of sixteen breweries that joined to form the Maryland Brewing Company, with the then massive combined annual production capacity of 1,500,000 barrels. [4] In 1901 eight of the sixteen plants were closed and the surviving breweries, including National, reorganized to form the Gottlieb-Bauernschmidt-Straus Brewing Co. [4] The G-B-S Brewing Company operated the National plant until 1919, but after the start of Prohibition it was foreclosed on and sold in 1920 to Abraham Krieger, who would later be the president of the Gunther Brewing Company. [5]
Post-Prohibition
In the early 1930s Samuel H. Hoffberger, in anticipation that Prohibition would be repealed, began the process of acquiring the National Brewery. [6] Hoffberger, a lawyer with numerous business and civic interests, revived the National Brewing Company and modernized its brewery. [7] The company hired brewmaster Carl Kreitler and president Arthur Deute in the 1930s. [6] While Kreiter was credited with perfecting the recipes for National Bohemian and National Premium beers, [8] Deute was a marketing genius who, with the help of a Gay Street printer named Webb, created the Mr. Boh mascot around 1936. [6] [9] The one-eyed Mr. Boh, with his handlebar mustache, would be featured prominently in National Bohemian advertising for many years.
Market expansion
When Samuel Hoffberger's son, Jerold Hoffberger, returned from World War II in 1945, he was made treasurer of the company at age 26. [10] In 1947, after the death of Arthur Deute, Jerold was named President of the National Brewing Company, a position he would hold for 28 years. Under Jerold Hoffberger's leadership, National undertook an aggressive expansion program.
National Bohemian gained increased prominence in 1954 after Jerold Hoffberger played a key role in the successful effort to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore where they became the Baltimore Orioles. “Natty Boh” was sold at Memorial Stadium and would ultimately become the official sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles. [3]
In 1954 the company expanded outside Maryland by buying a controlling interest in the Altes Brewing Co. of Detroit. [11] By that time, National was brewing 1,000,000 barrels annually at its Baltimore plant - an increase from 300,000 barrels just seven years earlier - while the Altes acquisition added another 800,000 barrels of capacity. [12]
Two years later, in 1956, National Brewing purchased the Marlin Brewing Co. of Orlando Florida, which added another 120,000 barrels in annual production capacity. [13] [14]
In October 1958 the company launched a new advertising campaign praising the Chesapeake Bay region and describing National Bohemian beer as being “From the Land of Pleasant Living.” [15] The slogan became part of the folk culture of Maryland and the unofficial motto of the state. [15] In 1959 Maryland's House of Delegates and Senate adopted resolutions commending the National Brewing Company "for their outstanding work in publicizing and extolling the virtues of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay". The theme was later incorporated into the company's jingle, which boasted that National beer was proudly “brewed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.” [16] Land of Pleasant Living themed advertising was used by the company until 1970, when it was retired because it was thought to be wearing thin. [15]
In 1960, National produced 1,354,000 barrels. [14]
The company acquired the Miami, Florida Regal brewery plant and its brands in June 1961. [14] The Miami brewery had a capacity of between 400,000 and 500,000 barrels annually. National continued to brew Regal beer in Miami. The smaller Orlando plant was closed later that year. [17]
National's last brewery acquisition occurred in 1966 when it purchased the Phoenix, Arizona plant of Carling Brewing Co. Until 1964 the Phoenix brewery had been owned by the Arizona Brewing Co., and National's acquisition included the A-1 beer label, which had been an Arizona Brewing brand. The Phoenix plant had a capacity of 350,000 barrels a year and brought National's total capacity to 2,600,000 barrels. [18]
Contraction, Merger and Sale
By the early 1970s, the National Brewing Company, facing intense competition and high prices, struggled to continue operating as an independent entity.
National's Detroit brewery closed in early 1974, [19] and its Miami plant was shut down in early 1975, [20] leaving only the Baltimore and Phoenix plants in operation.
In 1974 the company produced 2.2 million barrels. [21]
In 1975, National Brewing was acquired by Carling Brewing Company in what was described at the time as a merger. [22] Although the Hoffbergers managed to sell their beer holdings for more than $16 million, Jerold Hoffberger stayed on as head of Carling-National Breweries. [23] At the time, National had two breweries and Carling had seven, including a large plant in Halethorpe, Baltimore County that was built in 1961; together they had the capacity to brew 7 million barrels a year, making it the 9th largest brewery in the country. [24] Nevertheless, as Carling-National experienced a sharp decline in sales their first year, a merger with Pabst Brewing Company was subsequently proposed. The court, however, arguing that the fusion of the two companies would result in a monopoly, denied the merger. [25] Merely three years later, Carling-National was sold to G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin and the former brewing facility of Brewer's Hill was closed. Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan later bought over the rights from Heileman in 1996. [26] National Bohemian beer has not been brewed in Baltimore since.
National Brewing Company Brands
Pre-Prohibition beers produced by the National Brewing Company included Bohemian.
Within several years of the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the company produced a lager, ale and seasonal bock. By the end of the 1930s, however, the company's flagship brand was National Bohemian while National Premium was also widely distributed. Post-Prohibition brands produced by National included:
National Bohemian
After Pabst's acquisition of National Bohemian, the beer was brewed in North Carolina by Miller Brewing, under a contract agreement. [26]
National Premium
In late 2011, it was announced that the National Premium label would be revived under the ownership of an Easton, Maryland, based entrepreneur. Using the same recipe as the original, National Premium Beer is now brewed under contract for The National Brewing Company by Heavy Seas Brewery in Halethorpe. [28] The National Premium brand is independent and has no relationship with the present-day National Bohemian, which is owned by Pabst.
Colt 45 Malt Liquor
In 1963, National Brewing Company started brewing Colt 45 (which was rumored to be named after 1963 Colts running back #45 Jerry Hill although Hill had no personal knowledge that it was). [29] Prior to its advent, the only major national brand of malt liquor was Country Club. To emblemize its "extra kick" compared with competing brands, Colt 45 was accordingly labeled with a kicking horse and horse shoe.
Malt Duck
A new product, Malt Duck was added around 1976. It came in 2 flavors, grape and apple, and utilized the Colt 45 malt liquor base with added flavors and sugar.
Altes
Altes Brewing Company was a local Detroit, Michigan brewery which National acquired in 1954. Altes Beer was a popular lower priced beer in Michigan but National decided to discontinue Altes and replace it by brewing and selling National Bohemian Beer in Detroit. The move did not work and Altes Beer was brought back. A new company called Altes Detroit Brewing Company now has rights to the brand and recipe and is attempting a comeback in Southeastern Michigan.
Schaefer Beer is a brand of American beer first produced in New York City during 1842 by the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company. The company relocated to Brooklyn in the early 20th century. It went public in 1968 with a $106 million stock offering.
Sleeman Breweries is a Japanese-owned Canadian brewery founded by John Warren Sleeman in 1988 in Guelph, Ontario. The company is the third-largest brewing company in Canada. Along with its own Sleeman brands, the company produces under licence the Stroh's family of brands, Maclays Ale and Sapporo Premium beers for sale in Canada. The company's parent Sapporo owns 4.2 per cent of Ontario's primary beer retailer The Beer Store.
The Stroh Brewery Company was a beer brewery in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to its own Stroh's brand, the company produced or bought the rights to several other brands including Goebel, Schaefer, Schlitz, Augsburger, Erlanger, Old Style, Lone Star, Old Milwaukee, Red River, and Signature, as well as manufacturing Stroh's Ice Cream. The company was taken over and broken up in 2000, but some of its brands continued to be made by the new owners. The Stroh's brand is currently owned and marketed by Pabst Brewing Company, except in Canada where the Stroh brands are owned by Sleeman Breweries.
The Pabst Brewing Company is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently a holding company which contracts the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor: these include its own flagship Pabst Blue Ribbon, as well as brands from now defunct breweries including:
Old Milwaukee is a brand of American dry lager owned by the Pabst Brewing Company and consists of four different brews—Old Milwaukee Lager, Old Milwaukee Light, Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic, and Old Milwaukee Ice. Old Milwaukee is brewed throughout the USA and various packages are currently distributed in all 50 US states, many Canadian provinces, and in select international markets.
Frederick Brewing Company was a brewery at the Wedgewood Business Park in Frederick, Maryland, United States. It was founded sometime between 1992 and 1993 by Marjorie McGinnis, Kevin Brannon, Steve Nordahl, and Steven Tluszcz and had its grand opening on 12 February 1997. The company was taken over by Snyder International Brewing Group in 1999 and merged with Snyder International Brewing Group in 2001. In early 2002 or 2003 the company was placed into receivership and in 2006 was purchased by Flying Dog Brewery and renamed Wild Goose Brewery. At some point the brewery stopped being known as Wild Goose Brewery and just became Flying Dog Brewery.
National Bohemian Beer, colloquially Natty Boh, is an American lager originating from Baltimore, Maryland. It was first brewed in 1885 by the National Brewing Company, but was eventually purchased by Pabst Brewing Company.
The G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, was a brewery firm that operated from 1858 to 1996. It was ultimately acquired by Stroh's. From 1872 until its acquisition, the brewery bore the family name of its co-founder and brewer Gottlieb Heileman.
The Valentin Blatz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It produced Blatz Beer from 1851 until 1959, when the label was sold to Pabst Brewing Company.
Brewers Hill is a neighborhood in the Southeast District of Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Hudepohl Brewing Company is a brewery established in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1885 by founder Ludwig Hudepohl II. Hudepohl was the son of Ludwig Hudepohl who emigrated from Malgarten, Kingdom of Hannover, in 1838. Ludwig II had worked in the surgical tool business before starting his brewery. Hudepohl combined with Schoenling Brewing Company in 1986. Today, the Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Christian Moerlein Brewing Company.
The Aztec Brewing Company was a regional brewery founded in Mexicali, Mexico in 1921, which moved to San Diego, California in 1933. It closed in 1953, and was revived as a brand in 2011. It is the only brewing company ever to move from Mexico to the United States.
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.
Jerold Charles Hoffberger was an American businessman. He was president of the National Brewing Company from 1946 to 1973. He was also part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles of the American League from 1954 to 1965, and majority owner from 1965 to 1979.
The Lone Star Brewery, built in 1884, was the first large mechanized brewery in Texas. Adolphus Busch, of Anheuser-Busch, founded it along with a group of San Antonio businessmen. The castle-like building which was once its brewery now houses the San Antonio Museum of Art. Lone Star beer was the company's main brand. The beer is still marketed as "The National Beer of Texas." The Lone Star name is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company. Production of Lone Star is currently contracted out to Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth. The Lone Star name is used in the Philippines under license to Asia Brewery for a brand of light beer.
F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was a Manhattan brewing company.
Heavy Seas Beer is brewed by Clipper City Brewing Company, in Baltimore, Maryland. The brewery was established by Hugh Sisson in 1995. Previously, Sisson operated Maryland's first brewpub, Sisson's. In 2010, the brewery rebranded. While the name of the company remains Clipper City Brewing Company, all of its beer falls under the Heavy Seas brand. Heavy Seas hosts tours on most weekends. It is located at 4615 Hollins Ferry Road, Suite B, in the Halethorpe section of Baltimore County. Heavy Seas currently offers a variety of beer styles in approximately 18 states within the United States. Several Heavy Seas beers have been awarded and include the following: Cutlass Amber Lager, Powder Monkey Pale Ale, Small Craft Warning Uber Pils, Gold Ale and Winter Storm Imperial ESB.
The Christian Schmidt Brewing Company was an American brewing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1860, it was the largest brewing company in the history of Philadelphia, producing nearly 4,000,000 barrels of beer a year in the late 1970s. When it closed in 1987, it marked the first time in over 300 years that there was no brewery operating in Philadelphia.
Peabody Heights Brewery is a craft brewery located in the Abell neighborhood of Baltimore. It was founded in 2012 and is located on the site of Oriole Park V, also known as Terrapin Park. The 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) facility was previously used as the bottling plant of Capital Beverage until around 2010. Peabody Heights Brewery was the first large scale brewery to open in Baltimore in 35 years. It operates as a co-op brewery, brewing and distributing beer for local craft breweries. In 2015, Old Oriole Park Bohemian won Best in Show in the Maryland Craft Beer Competition.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has one major brewery and dozens of microbreweries, and is home to several iconic beer brands from a variety of brewers. It has had an association with beer throughout its history, with the brewing industry getting its start prior to its official founding as a city and was nationally recognized as such by the end of the 19th century. This heritage can be found explicitly in its Major League Baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and on recognizable beer brands such as Old Milwaukee and Milwaukee's Best. This recognition of Milwaukee as a brewing hub dates back to the early 20th century, and boasted the world's largest brewing capacity as late as 1981. The city is nationally recognized with the nickname "Brew City" due to its nearly two centuries of brewing heritage from multiple past major brewers including Miller Brewing Company, Pabst Brewing Company, and Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. Today, through the ownership of MillerCoors, the city's largest brewery produces 10 million barrels of beer annually.
