Lemp Brewery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lemp Brewery

Aerial View of the Lemp Brewery
Former type	Private
Industry	Beverages
Successor	Falstaff Brewing Corporation
Founded	St. Louis, Missouri (1840 (1840))
Founder	Adam Lemp
Defunct	1920
Products	Beer

The Lemp Brewery was a company that made beer in St. Louis, Missouri. It started in 1840. Later, in 1920, another company called Griesedieck Beverage Company bought it. This company then became the Falstaff Brewing Corporation.

The brewery property is very large. It has 27 buildings spread across about 13.7 acres. This area is in the Marine Villa neighborhood of St. Louis. Today, a man named Steve DeBellis owns the Lemp Brewing Company name. He has owned it since 1988.

Company History

How the Lemp Brewery Started

Johann Adam Lemp was born in Germany in 1798. He came to the United States in 1836 and moved to St. Louis two years later. Adam Lemp first wanted to be a grocer, selling food and other items.

But he soon found that people loved the special lager beer he made more than his groceries! So, in 1840, Adam Lemp closed his grocery store. He then opened a brewery and a saloon. He called his new business the Western Brewery.

Growing the Business

During the 1840s, Adam Lemp moved his brewery to a bigger place in south St. Louis. He also started teaching his son, William J. Lemp, how to run the business. Adam Lemp passed away in 1862.

William J. Lemp then took over the brewery. In 1864, he bought the land that would become the main Lemp Brewery complex. This property, located at 3500 Lemp Avenue, is still standing in St. Louis today.

The End of an Era

In 1919, a time called Prohibition began in the United States. During Prohibition, it became illegal to make or sell alcoholic drinks. Because of this, the Lemp Brewery could no longer make beer.

They tried to sell a drink called Cerva, which was a type of near beer (a drink that tasted like beer but had very little alcohol). However, this drink did not make enough money. So, in 1920, the Lemp Brewery's buildings and brands were sold to other companies.

Brewery Complex

Natural Caves and Cool Storage

The Lemp Brewery was built on top of a system of natural caves. These caves were very important to early German brewers. They used the caves to store and cool their lager beer. Before refrigerators were invented, caves were naturally cool places. This made them perfect for keeping beer fresh.

Many breweries were built over these natural caves. The brewers changed the caves to fit their needs. They added stone arches and brick ceilings to stop water from leaking. They also paved uneven cave floors with brick. Besides storing beer, these cool places were sometimes used as beer gardens, where people could relax and have fun.

Buildings and Tunnels

The Lemp Brewery complex has 27 buildings. It is shaped like a pie and covers about 13.7 acres. It is bordered by Cherokee Street, Lemp Avenue, and South Broadway. The first building for making beer was built in 1865.

The Lemp Mansion, where the Lemp family lived, also had a special feature. It included a tunnel that went through the natural cave system all the way to the Lemp Brewery. The Lemp family used this tunnel to go to work!

Later Uses of the Complex

In 1922, the International Shoe Company bought the Lemp Brewery Complex. They used the buildings until about 1980. Even though most of the original Lemp Brewery buildings are still there, the International Shoe Company did tear down a few. They also built a new building around 1950.

Today, the Lemp Brewery Complex has 27 buildings. Different businesses use parts of them for things like light industry, offices, storage, and art studios. This has been happening since about 1980. The large basements under the buildings were also used for several years in the 1990s as a Halloween haunted house. They were also rented out for other events. The main building of the complex is now empty.

Revivals

New Attempts at Lemp Beer

In 1939, a company called Central Brewing Company in East St. Louis, Illinois, was having problems. They decided to change their name to Wm. J. Lemp Brewing Company. They operated as the Lemp Brewery for six years. Then, in 1945, they changed their name again to EMS Brewing Co. This brewery eventually closed in 1949.

In 1987, a St. Louis beer expert named Steven J. DeBellis brought Lemp beer back to the market. It was sold as an American adjunct lager. Today, the Lemp Brewing Co. works with the Stevens Point Brewery in Wisconsin to make Lemp beer.

Images for kids

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  American Breweries with exhibits at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893

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  Postcard art of the Lemp Brewery