St. Louis has a nearly forgotten history of hard-working brewers and daring enterprises – some who reaped vast fortunes and others, scandal and tragedy. Prohibition was a watershed in this history, helping to transform an industry, and a city, forever.

1810-1840 – The Cottage Industry
Beermaking in St. Louis is nearly as old as St. Louis itself – dating back to a village of about a thousand people. There is documented evidence that John Coons was brewing here in 1809. And in 1810, an ad in the area’s first newspaper offered “strong beer” for ten dollars a barrel from Jacques St. Vrain's Bellefontaine brewery. Farmers short of cash could exchange barley and other goods. The handful of primitive breweries in these early days made only dark, cloudy, English-style brews.

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1833 – An estimated 6,000 temperance societies exist in America, with a combined membership of about 1 million people.

1840's – The Lager Revolution
Around 1840, a German-style revolution began in a 12-barrel kettle. Here, a recent immigrant named Johann Adam Lemp brewed St. Louis’s first lager beer. Lager was relatively unknown in America. But it would become the most popular beer in the nation and Lemp would become the father of a brewing empire.

Lemp was part of a wave of immigration that turned into a flood later in the decade. War in Germany led thousands to flock to the American midwest, forever changing the culture of the region. By the 1850s, nearly one-third of the residents of St. Louis were German immigrants.

"Lagern" means to store, and one key to making the beer was having a cold place to store it. German beermakers were attracted to St. Louis by the limestone caves that lie beneath the city and they converted these natural refrigerators into beer cellars. Ice from the Mississippi kept the caves cool into the summer drinking season.

Growth of City, Growth of Breweries
Bolstered by new immigrants, St. Louis grew from a town of 16,000 people in 1840 to an industrial metropolis of more than 300,000 in 1870 – and the brewing industry grew with it. J. Adam Lemp’s small brewhaus morphed into a vast complex – with storage for 50,000 barrels it was now run by his son, William. Dozens of other breweries sprouted up and most bore names with a German heritage, like Griesedieck, Stifel and Winkelmeyer. But even those with English ancestry, like Ellis Wainwright’s Fulton Brewery, now specialized in German beer.

The breweries supplied local taverns via horse-drawn wagons. They also served customers directly in lavish beer gardens abuzz with oompa bands and singing clubs. A nickel would buy you two glasses of beer and the entertainment was free.

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1869 – The Prohibition Party is founded. In the coming years, the party will nominate several candidates for president of the United States, none of whom will be elected.

The Birth of Anheuser-Busch
The Bavarian Brewery of Eberhard Anheuser was only one of 50 breweries in St. Louis in 1870. Anheuser, a soap manufacturer, had taken over an insolvent business in 1860 and turned it around. But it was his son-in-law, Adolphus, who would spearhead the company’s global expansion and become St. Louis’s merchant prince of beer.

The Push for a National Market
Both Adolphus Busch and William Lemp capitalized on new technology to move far beyond the St. Louis market. Refrigerated railcars meant that beer that might otherwise spoil in days could be shipped across the country. Bottled beer was "warranted to keep in any climate" thanks to the new technique of pasteurization. But it was advertising that proved the real key to capturing a mass market – Lemp's ladies toasted their beer nationwide and Anheuser-Busch used a series of beer-drinking beauties to promote one of the best-known brands in the world. The sky seemed to be the limit for St. Louis brewers.

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1874 – The Women's Christian Temperance Union is formed in Cleveland, OH. Women throughout the nation hold prohibition rallies, organize voters and distribute literature.

1879 Brewers Convention
When the U.S. Brewers Association met in St. Louis in the summer of 1879, there was much to celebrate. More than 25 St. Louis breweries were prospering The captains of the industry feasted at Tony Faust's restaurant, waltzed at Schnaider's Beer Garden and toured both Tower Grove Park and Mr. Shaw's "jewel of a garden." The festivities ended with fireworks, but a dark cloud was on the horizon. The Temperance Movement was on the rise across the nation and the state of Maine had already passed a Prohibition law. Others were in the works.

1880's – The Gilded Age
Adolphus Busch's earnings by the end of the decade were close to $2 million annually and had his own luxury railroad car named "The Adolphus." William Lemp's vast fortune built an opulent 33-room mansion with Italian marble and African mahogany; underground, it featured a ballroom and a heated swimming pool.

1886 – "Iron Men" Unionize
As brewery owners united against the Temperance Movement, brewery workers banded together as well – to form unions. Compared to workers in other industries, brewers earned a decent living. But the workday usually began at 4:00 a.m. and lasted over 14 hours. In 1886, unions won the right to a 10-hour workday, a day of rest on Sunday, and wages of roughly $60 per month.

1889 – Consolidation
Small breweries like Hyde Park faced fierce competition with the two area giants. So, in 1889, 18 area breweries joined forces to create the St. Louis Brewing Association.

1904 – The World's Fair
By the 1904 World's Fair, the Association was in disarray, but Anheuser-Busch and Lemp were still thriving. Adolphus Busch and other brewers hosted a Bavarian exhibit called the "Tyrolean Alps" with a restaurant seating 3,000 people. Busch and Lemp invited the Fair's international crowd to tour their enormous facilities and more than a million did.

Anheuser-Busch was now the world's largest brewery. It covered an area equal to 60 city blocks, employed 5,000 people, and each day brewed 6,000 barrels and shipped nearly 800,000 bottles of beer. Rural operations like the Appleton Brewery couldn't hope to compete. And the city's small breweries – such as Consumer's and Empire – faced an uphill battle. However, new breweries still continued to start up and relied on local beer drinkers, building loyalty through brewery-owned taverns. Many brands, such as Alpen Brau, had devoted fans but were still struggling. So, in 1907, nine small breweries merged to form another ill-fated association – the Independent Breweries Company (IBC).

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1903 – More than one-third of America's population lives under a local or state prohibition law.

1910's – The Temperance Movement Gains Momentum
Beer lovers in St. Louis could relax in the city's bars and beer gardens, enjoying dozens of locally-brewed lagers and ales. But the golden era for the golden liquid was coming to a close. The Temperance Movement was campaigning hard for a constitutional ban on alcohol while the nation's brewers fought back. Ads for Budweiser invoked a Bavarian patriot named Andreas Hofer. According to the ads, no lover of liberty like Andreas would tolerate Prohibition. But with the onset of World War I, America's brewers stopped flaunting their German roots. Anti-German sentiment fueled the Prohibition movement nationwide.

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1913 – Five thousand prohibition activists march in Washington, DC, and present Congress with a petition calling for a constitutional amendment for National Prohibition.

The Lemp Tragedies
William Lemp's empire had already started to collapse when, following the fatal heart attack of his 26 year-old son, Frederick, he took his own life. Much of his 10 million-dollar estate, along with control of the brewery, was passed along to William Lemp, Jr. With a vast fortune and prohibition looming, would the younger Lemp have the will to keep the family business going?

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1917– In December, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution is submitted to the states for ratification. The Prohibition Amendment, as it is commonly called, would prohibit the manufacturer, sale and transportation of intoxicating beverages throughout the nation.

13 Dry Years
Adolphus Busch's son, August, was now the head of Anheuser-Busch and was determined to survive the dry days of Prohibition. Days that dragged on for 13 long years. So Anheuser-Busch and other breweries kept afloat by making so-called "soft" drinks like Malt-Nutrine, an "invigorating and sedative tonic," Car-cho, a chocolate soda and even imitation grape syrup. They also boiled off the alcohol of regular beer to produce still legal "near beer." But brewing something close to the genuine article was risky. The IBC faced a federal raid to enforce Prohibition and wondered if they would be left with root beer as their only product.

Eventually, the dry years took their toll and the majority of IBC's brewing plants were mothballed and sold. IBC's greatest legacy today, of course, is a famous rootbeer.

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1920– National Prohibition officially begins on January 16. The Volstead Act – the actual set of laws that defines Prohibition – specifies that any beverage containing more than 1/2 of 1 percent of alcohol by volume is considered intoxicating and, thus, illegal.

Lemp's Last Days
The Lemp Brewery sat idle throughout Prohibition and equipment grew rusty. The giant plant was later auctioned off for one-tenth of its value. Shortly after the sale, William Lemp, Jr. committed suicide in the same bedroom of the Lemp Mansion used by his father.

The Falstaff name and signature crest were sold to Joseph "Papa Joe" Griesedieck, then owner of the Griesedieck Beverage Company (located at Forest Park Blvd. and Spring Ave.) for $25,000. Following this purchase, the corporate name was changed to The Falstaff Corporation. The name Falstaff Brewing Corportion was used after Repeal.

Beer is Back – 1933
By 1930, it was clear that the great national experiment had failed. Prohibition made bootleggers rich and had led to a loss of jobs and tax revenues. Moral crusaders now campaigned for repeal – and so did the long-deprived fans of John Barleycorn.

PROHIBITION FACT*: 1933– Nine days after taking office, President Roosevelt sends a directive to Congress urging members to modify the Volstead Act to allow for the legalization of beer. On April 7 at 12:01 a.m., beer containing 3.2 percent alcohol by weight becomes legal for the first time in more than 13 years. And on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, officially repealing National Prohibition.

When Prohibition ended, Anheuser-Busch was ready to roll out some of the first legal beer in the city. They even sent some bottles to The White House. And, in a nationwide ad, they declared "Beer is back. In these three, simple words, a great American industry has gone back to work."

Beer drinkers in St. Louis did still have other choices of local brews. Nearly a dozen breweries like Hyde Park re-opened after Prohibition. But most were short-lived, for the industry in St. Louis had been radically changed. Only Anheuser-Busch and the new Falstaff Brewing Corporation were poised to compete for the national market.

Beer drinkers had increasingly moved out of local taverns and into homes that now had refrigerators and another revolutionary appliance...the television.

Mass Marketing
In this new era of television advertising, most small breweries couldn't compete. The larger breweries pitched mainly light-bodied lagers to appeal to a mass audience.

Anheuser-Busch never lost focus on its flagship brand, and from 1957 on would sell more beer than any other brewer in the world. However, Falstaff would remain a player for many years. In Missouri in the 1950's and 60's, Falstaff even outsold Anheuser-Busch. But despite all of their ads and local fans, Falstaff shut down operations by 1977, leaving Anheuser-Busch as the only brewer in town.

1991 – The Saint Louis Brewery Begins Operations
In 1991, Anheuser-Busch had brewing plants in 12 cities and produced enough beer to fill 28 billion bottles. That same year, a burned-out building on the corner of 21st and Locust Street was resurrected as the city's first new brewery in over five decades and Schlafly Beer was born. Unlike its much larger neighbor, The Saint Louis Brewery is dedicated to the notion that a local brewer can once again thrive in America's brewing capital. And, although the brewery has grown steadily since its inception, it remains dedicated to the local market, brewing a wide range of traditional beers that pay tribute to the area's great history.

Read more about the history of The Saint Louis Brewery.

*Prohibition facts from Brewers' Association of America

Beer labels courtesy of Henry Herbst