Christian Schmidt Brewing Company
Philadelphia's largest brewery, operating from 1860 to 1987.
The Christian Schmidt Brewing Company was a Philadelphia-based brewery that operated from 1860 until 1987. At its peak in the late 1970s, it produced nearly 4,000,000 barrels of beer annually, making it the largest brewery in the city’s history. Its closure marked the first time in over 300 years that Philadelphia had no active brewery.
Christian Schmidt was born in 1833 in Magstadt, Württemberg, Germany. After learning brewing in Stuttgart for three years, he emigrated to Philadelphia at age 18. He worked for six months building the Camden & Atlantic Railroad before finding work in brewing. By the late 1850s, he was associated with Robert Courtney’s brewery on Edward Street, near Second Street and Girard Avenue in the Northern Liberties neighborhood. In 1860, Schmidt became a partner, and when he became sole proprietor in 1863, the brewery was renamed Christian Schmidt, Kensington Brewery. Production in 1860 was either 500 or 3,000 barrels of ale and porter annually. By 1873, output reached 20,000 barrels, and in 1880 Schmidt built a new brewery and ice house to produce lager beer. A new brew house in 1887 doubled capacity, and by 1890 the brewery produced 65,000 barrels.
In 1892, Schmidt’s three sons—Henry C., Edward A., and Frederick W.—became partners, and the firm was renamed C. Schmidt & Sons. By 1894, it was the sixth-largest brewer in Philadelphia, with a pilsner and a dark beer called Puritan as its main products. After Christian Schmidt’s death in 1894, Edward A. Schmidt took over and led the company for the next 50 years. By 1896, annual capacity reached 100,000 barrels.
In late 1896, Schmidt’s bought the Robert Smith India Pale Ale brewery, which traced its roots to 1774 and was then America’s oldest brewing concern. That brewery had moved in 1888 to a plant at Thirty-Eighth Street and Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia, capable of producing 50,000 barrels annually. It made ales under the Tiger Head brand. After the acquisition, the Schmidt brothers ran it through a corporation, the Robert Smith Ale Brewing Co., until Prohibition. In 1902, the firm was incorporated as C. Schmidt & Sons Brewing Co. In 1908, the Robert Smith Ale Brewing Co. subsidiary bought the Peter Schemm & Son Brewery at 25th and Poplar Streets.
A new state-of-the-art brew house and power plant opened in 1914 at the Schmidt plant on Girard Avenue east of Second Street.
Quick Facts
- Industry
- Alcoholic beverage
- Founded
- 1860
- Founder
- Christian Schmidt
- Defunct
- 1987
- Hq Location City
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Products
- Beer
- Hq Location Country
- U.S.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Christian Schmidt was born in Magstadt, Württemberg, Germany in 1833. He learned brewing in Stuttgart before emigrating to Philadelphia at age 18. After working on the Camden & Atlantic Railroad, he secured employment in brewing and by the late 1850s became associated with Robert Courtney's brewery. In 1860 Schmidt became a partner, and in 1863 sole proprietor, renaming the brewery Christian Schmidt, Kensington Brewery. Production in 1860 was either 500 or 3,000 barrels of ale and porter annually. By 1873 production reached 20,000 barrels, and in 1880 Schmidt built a new brewery and ice house to produce lager beer. In 1892 his three sons became partners and the firm was renamed C. Schmidt & Sons. After Christian Schmidt's death in 1894, Edward A. Schmidt led the company for 50 years. In 1896 Schmidt's purchased the Robert Smith India Pale Ale brewery, which traced its origins to 1774 and was then America's oldest brewing concern. The Robert Smith brewery produced ales under the Tiger Head brand. A new brew house and power plant opened in 1914, topped with a 235-foot clock tower. During Prohibition, Schmidt's produced non-alcoholic cereal beverages such as Puritan Special and Green Label, and avoided violations except for one raid in 1925. After repeal in 1933, Edward A. Schmidt implemented a major expansion and modernization program. Schmidt's introduced the quart bottle, 16-ounce bottle, and was among the first to sell cans of beer in six-pack cartons. By the end of 1934, sales stood at about 106,000 barrels, but soon mushroomed to 500,000 barrels, making Schmidt's the largest brewer in Pennsylvania. Under Christian H. Zoller (president 1945–1958), sales reached 1,000,000 barrels for the first time in 1948. In 1954 Schmidt's acquired the Adam Scheidt brewery in Norristown, Pennsylvania. By 1955 sales reached 1,916,708 barrels. In 1964 Schmidt's purchased a brewery in Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1971 bought a larger Cleveland brewery. In 1972 Schmidt's bought the brands of Duquesne Brewing Co., including Duke Beer, moving production to Cleveland.
Reader's Guide
The Christian Schmidt Brewing Company stands as the largest brewery in Philadelphia's history, a position it held for decades until its closure in 1987 ended over 300 years of continuous brewing in the city. Founded by German immigrant Christian Schmidt in 1860, the company grew from a small partnership into a regional powerhouse, peaking at nearly 4,000,000 barrels annually in the late 1970s. Its significance lies not only in its scale but in its longevity and adaptability: it survived Prohibition by producing non-alcoholic cereal beverages, modernized aggressively after repeal, and was an early adopter of technical innovations such as computer-controlled production and six-pack can cartons. The company's acquisition of the Robert Smith India Pale Ale brewery in 1896 gave it a brand tracing to 1774, America's oldest brewing concern at the time. Schmidt's also expanded into Ohio and Pennsylvania through acquisitions, including the Duquesne Brewing Co. brands in 1972. The closure of the Duquesne brewery in Pittsburgh caused local bitterness and a boycott of Schmidt's-produced Duke Beer. The company's legacy is that of a family-run enterprise that dominated its home market for over a century, only to vanish at a time when Philadelphia found itself without any brewery for the first time since the 1600s.
Did You Know?
- Christian Schmidt learned brewing in Stuttgart, Germany before emigrating to Philadelphia at age 18.
- In 1896, Schmidt's purchased the Robert Smith India Pale Ale brewery, then America's oldest brewing concern, tracing its origins to 1774.
- In the mid-1960s, Schmidt's became the first brewer to use computers for production, planning and inventory control.
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