I don't know how my wife and I got to
discussing beer, unless it was the result of passing the beer displays
in the local supermarket. It seems that most markets display more
pet food than baby food and that more beer is displayed than either
pet or baby food.
Both of us spent our early years in Newark in the 30s and 40s.
We made a list of five (5) breweries that we knew existed at one
time in Newark. I checked "Newark, NJ Breweries" on two
search engines and found that we had only named a few of the breweries.
Because my wife had worked for Westinghouse on Haynes Ave. and
Rt. 25 (I think this is now called Rt.1) she knew that Anheuser
Busch (Bud) had opened there in 1951, as only the second Anheuser
Busch brewery in the country.
The web site I visited stated that 10,000,000 barrels of beer
were once produced there in a year. Wouldn't a production figure
today be measured in cans or bottles?
The G. Krueger Brewing Co. operated in Newark from 1934 to 1961.
Krueger goes back to 1853 when it was known as Braun & Laible.
I  remember
the Krueger slogan, proving that they had a great slogan or that
I have a great memory here goes "Some pronounce it Kreeger,
some pronounce it Kruger, experts pronounce it best".
The Ballantine Brewery operated in Newark from 1930 to 1972. When
Mel Allen broadcast the N.Y. Yankee games, he referred to a home
run as "A Ballantine Blast".
The Joseph Hensler Brewing Co. had a long run in Newark from 1855
to 1958.
 Does
anyone remember Feigenspan PON? What did PON stand for? All together
now, Pride Of Newark.
Here are a few of the lesser known breweries that produced in
Newark Oldburger Beer, United Brewing Co. of Newark, The Eagle Brewing
Co., Lyon & Sons Brewing Co. and the Union Brewing Co, of Newark.
Now if Newark did not have enough breweries to keep Newark's thirsts
quenched, there was Bohemia Beer 1910-1920 in Elizabeth, Hygeia
Brewing Co. 1910-1920 in Passaic, Lembeck & Betz 1910-1920 in
Jersey City, and Peter Hauck's Harrison Brewery in Harrison. There
is one more that there isn't much written about but I doubt if the
survived WWll with the name Rising Sun, listed as an Elizabeth brewery.
New Jersey was truly a beer drinkers paradise. In its' heyday
"Brewer's Union, Local #2 of Trenton and North Jersey"
represented workers from 20 breweries that included Breidt, Peter
Doelger, Hoffman, Pabst, Rheingold and Trommer among others. By
1950 most of these breweries were closed and the number of members
in local #2 had dropped to 23 members.
Some of the breweries had novelties that were given out by their
salesmen or through the taverns. These "freebies" took
the form of bottle/can openers, coasters, key chains, combs, shoe
horns, ash trays even paper bags. Some of these items are now available
via sites on the web where you can buy outright or submit a bid.
When you see the selling prices, you'll all join with me in saying,
"Boy I wish I had saved all that junk".
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