Starrs

Missouri is well known for its spirited history, and by that we mean its fine wine and delicious beers. Since today is National Beer Day we wanted to share with you the history of the Griesedieck Bros. Beer Company out of St. Louis.

The Griesedieck Bros. Beer Company takes its name from its founding family: the Griesediecks. They began brewing beer in 1771 in Oelde-Stromberg, Westphalia (which today is part of contemporary Germany). Almost 100 years later Anton, Franz, and Heinrich Griesedieck moved to St. Louis. The men aspired to start a new and better life in America, leading Anton and Heinrich to open a malt house in South St. Louis. They quickly expanded their business and opened and operated several breweries throughout St. Louis and nearby Belleville, Illinois. Anton’s son, Joseph, opted to follow in the family’s brewing traditions as he enrolled in the U.S. Brewing Academy in New York in 1870. He and his brother went on to aid their father with the primary brewery, as well as manage their own in the city.

In 1911 the family consolidated their breweries into one umbrella: the Griesedieck Bros. Beer Company. The purpose of this consolidation was to allow Henry’s five sons to eventually take ownership of the company, although one of Henry’s son, who was also named Anton, became the company’s president. The company closed for a time due to Prohibition, but it was revitalized in 1933. The company came back stronger and better than their pre-Prohibition days, largely because they advertised their products to women. They did this because they realized women were often in charge of making food and drink purchases, so encouraging them to purchase Griesedieck Bros. Beer was a sound and lucrative idea.

In 1957, the family sold to the Falstaff Brewery which stopped production under the Griesedieck name. Raymond A. Griesedieck, incorporated the new Griesedieck Brothers Brewery Company in 1992 and since 2002 the brand has re-emerged in the St. Louis beer market.

The company reinvested their profits into making the best quality beer they could, a tradition they have maintained since they initially opened. Today they remain a family owned business in St. Louis. Recently they returned to their original roots and are producing beers based on their original recipes and brewing methods, bringing their story full circle.



Image: Griesedieck Bros. Beer, St. Louis can opener, pre-1957. Courtesy of the Missouri State Museum's collection.

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Longtime Wine Spectator Napa Bureau Chief James Laube Dies During nearly four decades writing passionately about wine, Laube helped put both Wine Spectator and the California wine industry on the world stage