Lemp Brewery facts for kids
Aerial view of the Lemp Brewery
|
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
| Successor | Falstaff Brewing Corporation |
| Founded | St. Louis, Missouri (1840) |
| Founder | Adam Lemp |
| Defunct | 1920 |
| Products | Beer |
The Lemp Brewery was a company that made a drink called beer in St. Louis, Missouri. It started in 1840. Later, in 1920, another company bought it. The brewery buildings are still there today. There are 27 buildings on a large piece of land, about 13.7 acres, in the Marine Villa neighborhood of St. Louis.
_(page_27_crop).jpg)
Contents
The Lemp Family and Their Brewery Story
How Adam Lemp Started the Business
Johann Adam Lemp was born in Germany in 1798. He moved to the United States in 1836 and then to St. Louis in 1838. He first tried to open a grocery store. However, people liked his special lager beer more than his groceries!
So, in 1840, Adam Lemp closed his grocery store. He opened a place called the Western Brewery, where he made and sold his popular beer. He later moved his brewery to a bigger spot in south St. Louis. Adam Lemp taught his son, William J. Lemp, how to run the business. Adam Lemp passed away in 1862.
William J. Lemp Takes Over
.png)
William J. Lemp took charge of the brewery after his father. In 1864, he bought the land that became the main Lemp Brewery complex. This property, located at 3500 Lemp Avenue, is still standing today.
William J. Lemp was very smart. He was one of the first brewers in America to use the growing railroad system. He built special train tracks to connect his brewery to the main lines. This helped him ship his beer to many places. Because of this, lager beer, which traveled well, became very popular across the country.
The End of an Era: Prohibition
In 1919, a law called Prohibition in the United States started. This law made it illegal to make or sell alcoholic drinks. Because of this, the Lemp Brewery could no longer make its main product. In 1920, the Lemp Brewery's buildings and brands were sold to other companies.
Exploring the Lemp Brewery Buildings
Cool Caves Under the Brewery
The Lemp Brewery was built on top of natural caves. These caves were very important because they were naturally cool. Before refrigerators existed, brewers used these cool caves to store and age their beer. Many German brewers built their breweries over such caves.
The brewers changed the caves to make them useful. They added stone arches and brick ceilings to stop water from leaking. They also paved the uneven cave floors with bricks. Sometimes, these cool cave areas were even used as fun places for people to gather, like beer gardens.
What the Brewery Complex Looks Like Today
The Lemp Brewery complex has 27 buildings. It covers about 13.7 acres of land. The first building for making beer was built in 1865. The Lemp family, who lived in the nearby Lemp Mansion, even had a secret tunnel. This tunnel went through the natural caves and connected their home directly to the brewery! The family used this tunnel to go to work.
In 1922, the International Shoe Company bought the Lemp Brewery complex. They used the buildings until about 1980. While most of the original Lemp buildings are still there, the shoe company did tear down a few and built a new one around 1950.
New Uses for Old Buildings
Since about 1980, the Lemp Brewery complex has been used for many different things. Various businesses have rented parts of the buildings for light industrial work, offices, and storage. Artists have also used some spaces as studios.
The large basements under the buildings were even used as a Halloween haunted house for several years in the 1990s. They were also rented out for parties. Today, the main building of the complex is empty.
Lemp Beer Returns
Attempts to Bring Back the Name
In 1939, a company called Central Brewing Company changed its name to Wm. J. Lemp Brewing Company. They operated under the Lemp name for six years before changing it again in 1945. This brewery eventually closed in 1949.
Lemp Beer Today
In 1987, a historian named Steven J. DeBellis brought Lemp beer back to the market. Today, Lemp beer is made by the Stevens Point Brewery in Wisconsin.
See also
