Bavarian Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Bavarian Brewing Company was a brewery
established in Covington, Kentucky
, in 1866 by Julius Deglow as the Deglow & Company Brewery, but became known as the Bavarian Brewery as early as 1869. The brewery was originally located on Pike Street and the business expanded to include the 12th street property by 1877. The company merged with International Breweries, Inc., in 1959 and operated as Bavarian Division, International Breweries, Inc. The facility closed in 1966.
fermentation process before refrigeration became available.
The company incorporated in 1889 with William Riedlen as president. A number of changes were made to the facility during Riedlin's tenure including the brewery's first bottling plant built in 1892. Key bottling innovations including the crown bottle cap
and pasteurization
increased the shelf life of beer
, enabling it to be distributed to a much wider area. Annual beer production also increased substantially during this period, from 7,341 barrels in 1870 to 216,000 barrels in 1914.
Beer production was halted abruptly with the introduction of Prohibition
in 1919, the year of William Riedlin's death. Although the brewery was shut down, the company continued bottling soft drink
s under the name The William Riedlin Beverage Company.
The company thrived under its new management, operating around the clock to meet demand between 1947 and 1952. Bavarian acquired the Heidelberg Brewery of Covington in 1949 and the Bruckmann Brewery of Cincinnati in 1950. Key brand names during this period included: Bavarian, Bavarian Bock, Bavarian's Old Style, Schott's Ale, and - for the Florida market - Silver Bar.
By the mid-1950s, the company began losing market share to larger breweries with a national advertising presence. The Heidelberg plant was sold in 1956 and the Bavarian Brewery merged with International Brewing of Detroit in 1959. By the mid-1960s, the plant was losing money and the decision was made to close it in 1966. The buildings and equipment were sold at auction
by the end of 1966. Primary brands during this period included: Bavarian's Select Beer, FrankenMuth Beer/Ale, and IBI Malt Liquor.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
established in Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
, in 1866 by Julius Deglow as the Deglow & Company Brewery, but became known as the Bavarian Brewery as early as 1869. The brewery was originally located on Pike Street and the business expanded to include the 12th street property by 1877. The company merged with International Breweries, Inc., in 1959 and operated as Bavarian Division, International Breweries, Inc. The facility closed in 1966.
Early history
Ownership of the brewery changed several times in the 1870s, always keeping the Bavarian Brewery name. In 1882, a German immigrant named William Riedlin entered into partnership with John Meyer who worked in brewery operations since 1879. Brewery operations expanded from the original location on Pike street to include several structures on the property between Pike Street and 12th Street. The brewery also comprised several ice ponds and an ice house. Ice was used in the lagerLager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
fermentation process before refrigeration became available.
The company incorporated in 1889 with William Riedlen as president. A number of changes were made to the facility during Riedlin's tenure including the brewery's first bottling plant built in 1892. Key bottling innovations including the crown bottle cap
Crown Cork
The crown cork , the first form of bottle cap, was invented by William Painter in 1891 in Baltimore. The company making it was originally called the Bottle Seal Company, but it changed its name with the almost immediate success of the crown cork to the Crown Cork and Seal Company...
and pasteurization
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
increased the shelf life of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
, enabling it to be distributed to a much wider area. Annual beer production also increased substantially during this period, from 7,341 barrels in 1870 to 216,000 barrels in 1914.
Beer production was halted abruptly with the introduction of Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in 1919, the year of William Riedlin's death. Although the brewery was shut down, the company continued bottling soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s under the name The William Riedlin Beverage Company.
Post Prohibition
The brewery reopened after the 1933 repeal of prohibition under the leadership of M. L. Vorhees who had married Riedlin's granddaughter, Rosemary. The company struggled financially and went into receivership in 1937. The brewery and its assets were purchased in 1938 by three of Riedlin's grandsons, George, William and Chris Schott.The company thrived under its new management, operating around the clock to meet demand between 1947 and 1952. Bavarian acquired the Heidelberg Brewery of Covington in 1949 and the Bruckmann Brewery of Cincinnati in 1950. Key brand names during this period included: Bavarian, Bavarian Bock, Bavarian's Old Style, Schott's Ale, and - for the Florida market - Silver Bar.
By the mid-1950s, the company began losing market share to larger breweries with a national advertising presence. The Heidelberg plant was sold in 1956 and the Bavarian Brewery merged with International Brewing of Detroit in 1959. By the mid-1960s, the plant was losing money and the decision was made to close it in 1966. The buildings and equipment were sold at auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
by the end of 1966. Primary brands during this period included: Bavarian's Select Beer, FrankenMuth Beer/Ale, and IBI Malt Liquor.