Breweries of Cleveland (Locally Brewed) - Hardcover

Miller, Carl H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0966208404 ISBN 13: 9780966208405

Publisher: Schnitzelbank Press, 1998

Synopsis

Written by local author Carl H. Miller, BREWERIES OF CLEVELAND is a comprehensive and nostalgic journey through Cleveland's beery past, beginning with a discussion of the city's very earliest breweries and tracing the local industry through to the current "rebirth" lead by area microbreweries.

"Cleveland has always been a beer town," says Miller. "Before prohibition, virtually every neighborhood in the city had its own brewery -- especially on the West Side, where the Germans lived." Indeed, at the close of the nineteenth century, Cleveland boasted nearly twenty breweries, all serving a primarily local market.

After the repeal of National Prohibition (1920-1933), nine local breweries reopened, but fierce competition from the nation's large brewers soon threatened the survival of regional beer-makers everywhere. According to Miller, "The small, local brewer was an endangered species by the end of the 1950s. Clevelanders still had a fondness for their local beers, but strong competition from the big brewers made it difficult for the 'little guys' to keep their heads above water."

However, during the 1980s, brewpubs and microbreweries began springing up around the country, giving rise to a sort of rebirth of brewing on a regional basis. "In a sense, the brewing industry has come full circle," says Miller. "Cleveland's nineteenth century brewers were all very geared toward serving a strictly local market. The new microbrewers have that same kind of commitment to preserving their local character."

About this title

About the Author:

Carl H. Miller has been researching and writing about the history of the brewing industry for more than a decade. He first became interested in the subject when he learned that his great great grandfather had worked for the Kuebeler-Stang Brewing & Malting Company in Sandusky, which later became part of the Cleveland & Sandusky Brewing Company.

After earning a degree in Marketing from Cleveland State University, Carl worked for several years with a Cleveland advertising agency. Early in 1997, he left the advertising business to pursue a career as a freelance writer. His specialty is researching and writing business history.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

From the Introduction: March 31, 1933 was a special day in Cleveland. Some 3,000 people gathered on Public Square and surrounding downtown streets to celebrate the imminent return of beer after thirteen years of National Prohibition. There were parades and fireworks, speeches and cheers. An undeniable sense of renewed hope permeated the Depression-era crowd. They knew, after all, that the re-legalization of beer signified a changing of the times. They knew that beer would mean more than just the return of the corner tavern. It would mean employment, reduced crime, and revitalization of entire neighborhoods that once bustled with brewery activity. Indeed, the brewing industry has always played an important role in the health and well-being of the city. And Clevelanders reciprocated with a special fondness for their hometown beers. It was a time when drinking a "foreign" beer -- that is, a beer brewed outside Cleveland -- was held in nearly the same regard as rooting for a rival ball team. Even today, bygone names like Leisy's, P.O.C., Erin Brew and Gold Bond are recalled with unusual sentiment by those who remember the heyday of these and many other Cleveland beers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Schnitzelbank Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0966208404
• ISBN 13: 9780966208405
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296