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March 31, 1933 was a special day in Cleveland. Some 3,000 people gathered on Public Square and surrounding downtown streets to celebrate the imminent return of beer after thirteen years of National Prohibition. There were parades and fireworks, speeches and cheers.
An undeniable sense of renewed hope permeated the Depression-era crowd. They knew, after all, that the re-legalization of beer signified a changing of the times. They knew that beer would mean more than just the return of the corner tavern. It would mean employment, reduced crime, and revitalization of entire neighborhoods that once bustled with brewery activity. Indeed, the brewing industry has always played an important role in the health and well-being of the city. And Clevelanders reciprocated with a special fondness for their hometown beers. It was a time when drinking a "foreign" beer -- that is, a beer brewed outside Cleveland -- was held in nearly the same regard as rooting for a rival ball team. Even today, bygone names like Leisy's, P.O.C., Erin Brew and Gold Bond are recalled with unusual sentiment by those who remember the post-prohibition heyday of these and many other Cleveland beers.
In the days before prohibition, as well, Cleveland's brewing trade was a source of pride for the city. Men like Isaac Leisy, Leonard Schlather, Carl Ernst Gehring and Andrew W. Oppmann -- to name only a few -- built enormous brewing enterprises in Cleveland. Their names came to be synonymous not only with quality beer, but with the success and prosperity of the German people in Cleveland. These were men who, in their prime, were pillars of the community. They chaired important civic committees and sat on the boards of large financial institutions. Their wealth and keen business sense won them great respect and admiration. But, most importantly, they brewed good beer. And it was the beer that was the foundation of their fortunes.
Illustrated with more than 300 rare photographs, BREWERIES OF CLEVELAND is an indepth and nostalgic look at two centuries of brewing beer in Cleveland. The book was researched and written by Carl H. Miller, a native Clevelander and a lover of good beer and good history. Order an autographed copy of this fascinating book at BeerBooks.com.