St. Louis Soulard Case Study

The growth of German culture in Soulard was what took brewing to the next step.Of course the exclusive French inhabitant were more than apprehensive at the flood of Germans; however, they openly welcomed the beer the Germans brewed which gave the Germans a foot in the door. Beer was becoming increasingly popular in St. Louis and became the alcohol of choice at the bars and pubs as it was popular among all groups and not just Germans. Over the span of six months "from March 1st to September 1st, 1854, over eighteen million glasses were consumed in the city--an amount requiring the expenditure of nearly a million dollars" (Rodabough 55). The suppliers of all this beer were the thirty six breweries St. Louis housed (“Anheuser”) In 1859 the Germans …show more content…
Louis was not because of just two major breweries but also supported by the many other smaller breweries. After the closure of Lemp Brewery, Joe Griesediek of Griesediek and Brother Beer and close friend of William Lemp Jr. bough the Falstaff brand and carried on a piece of St. Louis tradition (Leonard). For example, even though the Lemp Brewery closed it still lived on through Falstaff, Griesediek, and Pabst. The image to the right (fig. 1) depicts Joe Griesediek, on the right, of Griesedieck Brothers Beer receiving one of the first permit in the country that allowed breweries to resume brewing beer from the Internal Revenue Service after Prohibition. By being chosen to receive the first permit not only shows how important of a brewery Griesediek brewing but also the importance of all the breweries in St. Louis to the country during that time. The image to the left (fig. 2) depicts sixteen breweries that were a part of the St. Louis Brewing Association. The importance of Soulard to alcohol is stressed by the fact that half of the breweries on the map were in Soulard. Even though Anheuser Busch and Lemp were able to reach more people, it was these smaller breweries that made a more personal impact on those who lived in St. Louis. In turn forming a stronger rooting of beer into Soulard’s culture. The influence of the breweries in Soulard reached further than to those that live in Soulard and made an impact on those who just visited there …show more content…
Anheuser Busch survived During prohibition Adolphus A. Busch III led the company. The image to the right (fig. 3) depicts a letter from Adolphus Busch III to C. H. Weier in which Busch discusses the prospect of the end of Prohibition. Busch writes, “it is difficult to say in what respect this will affect our business, in which I naturally mean the return of beer,” because Anhesuer Busch was able to support itself during Prohibition by “producing everything from ice cream and ginger ale syrup to non-alcohol Budweiser and refrigerated cabinets” (SLCVC). Busch perfected refrigerated railroad cars which later allowed lager to be shipped even farther throughout the country. During Prohibiton Ahesuer Busch produced a nonalcoholic beverage called Bevo. The beverage had such great popularity that it still lingers in St. Louis today. The name of Bevo the beverage corresponds to the Bevo Mill built by August A. Busch which in turn inspired the name for Bevo Mills the neighborhood. Bevo lives on at the brewery through the statue of Bevo’s mascot Renard the Fox, a character from medieval French folk tale. Anheuser Bush showed truth strength not as a beer company but as a business by being able to adapt to such extreme situations. The presence of alcohol is a part of the history and culture of Soulard. A byproduct of the interest in alcohol is reflected by the size and number of breweries in Soulard. The breweries