Duquesne Brewing Company facts for kids
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| Location | Latrobe, Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opened | 1899 – 1972 2008 – present |
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| Owned by | Mark Dudash | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.duquesnebeer.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Duquesne Brewing Company was a famous company that made beer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It started in 1899 and closed down in 1972. Later, the company was brought back to life in 2008. Its goal was to sell its beer again in Western Pennsylvania, starting in 2010.
Contents
History of Duquesne Brewing
How the Company Started
The Duquesne Brewing Company officially began on April 4, 1899. Henry Miller, who used to sell furniture, was its first president. The company's first symbol showed Fort Duquesne. However, it actually showed the Fort Pitt Blockhouse with the words "Fort Duquesne" below it. The well-known "Prince of Pilsners" symbol was added later.
The company was smart and used special refrigerated train cars to ship its beer. This was a new idea in the early 1900s. A man named Max Epstein helped Duquesne connect with Armour and Company. Duquesne's logo was put on one of their train cars. Duquesne liked it so much they bought twenty cars! The money Epstein earned helped him start the General American Transportation Corporation.
Before Prohibition (a time when making and selling alcohol was illegal), many beer companies in Pittsburgh were joining together. Duquesne joined the Independent Brewing Company of Pittsburgh in 1905.
Surviving Prohibition
From 1920, Prohibition caused many companies that made beer and other drinks to close. When Prohibition ended in April 1933, Duquesne was one of only 725 beer companies left in America. In 1937, the company changed its name to the Duquesne Brewing Company of Pittsburgh. It became the biggest beer company in Pennsylvania, making 325,000 barrels each year.
Growing Bigger
After World War II, Duquesne grew even more. A new building opened in 1950, which allowed the company to make two million barrels of beer a year. This made Duquesne one of the top ten beer companies in the United States. The company's most famous brand was "Duke," and its popular saying was "Have a Duke!"
Duquesne also had plants in Carnegie and McKees Rocks. But these closed after the new main building opened in 1950. The new building was designed with a curve to fit the PRR train tracks nearby.
In 1963, Duquesne expanded into the Cleveland area. They bought the rights to P.O.C. Beer after another company, Pilsener Brewing Company, closed its plant.
Closing Down
Even though the company was doing well in the 1950s, its profits started to drop by 1962. In 1966, a new investor, Raymond Sigesmund, took control of the company. He brought in his son-in-law, Franklyn D. Jeans, to run it. But the problems continued.
By 1971, Duquesne Beer's sales had fallen to $13 million. Because of strong competition from bigger national brands, the company sold its beer labels to C. Schmidt & Sons Brewing Company in late 1972. The main plant then closed. Schmidt continued to make Duquesne beer in Cleveland into the 1980s. However, sales dropped a lot after a local official called for people to stop buying beers from outside the area.
Bringing Duquesne Beer Back
In June 2010, a lawyer from Pittsburgh named Mark J. Dudash announced plans to bring the Duquesne Beer brand back. The beer would be made by City Brewing Company in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Dudash and his wife, Maria, officially started the Duquesne Brewing Company in late 2008. They also re-registered the brand's trademark, which had expired.
Types of Beer
The original Duquesne Brewery made many different kinds of beer. Some of these included Silver Top Lager, Silver Top Ale, Duke Ale, Duquesne Pilsener, Duquesne Bavarian Beer, Duquesne Bock Beer, Duquesne Heavy-Dry Beer, Duquesne Draft Beer, Duquesne Porter, Old Nut Brown Ale, Frontenac Pale Ale, Duquesne Beer, Carnegie Beer, and Duquesne Buccaneer Beer.
Today, the new Duquesne Brewing Company makes its main Duquesne Pilsener. They also make Duquesne LT, which is a light beer, and Fort Pitt, which is an ale.
In 2015, Duquesne created the Paterno Legacy Series. This was to honor the late football coach Joe Paterno. The company said these special cans sold out very quickly.
The Old Duquesne Brewery Building
The original Duquesne Brewery building from 1899 is located in the South Side Flats neighborhood of Pittsburgh. This building is now home to the Brew House Association. This group provides homes, studio space, and an art gallery for artists in Pittsburgh. The newer building from 1950 next to it has been partly fixed up but is empty right now.
The old cellar and keg area is now a self storage place. A storage and garage building has been turned into living spaces. The former office building is now Beitler-McKee Optical. The bottling area is now U.S. Cargo. Other parts of the complex are used by Raff Printing and Rynn's Luggage. A bridge that connected the bottling area and case storage is still there. However, the bridge between the two main brewery buildings has been taken down.
The important historical parts of the company's buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Duquesne Brewery Clock
The Duquesne Brewery building is easy to spot in Pittsburgh's South Side. It has a very large clock that can be seen from many parts of the city.
