sonoma bob Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 The article and 15 great old photos in STLToday about the repeal of Prohibition mentioned that the A-B brewery was where it's always been, but the Falstaff brewery in 1933 was located at Spring & Forest Park. It wasn't there in the early 60's when I was a student at SLU. Does anyone remember when it moved and where it went? I used to drink that swill when it was on sale at 9.0.5 and I was low on cash, otherwise it was always Bud or the new Busch Bavarian, never the luxury brand Michelob. Man that 9.0.5 house band was really bad too. The story said St. Louis started drinking at midnight on April 7 and the town ran out of beer by noon the next day. It was quite a party. I never understood how the Volsted Act could have passed until I watched Ken Burn's "Prohibition" a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Man you must of been rich if Fallstaff was your broke beer. How about Huber or Weidemans? I'm not sure if it was brewed there but Fallstaff had a hospitality room in south city, chippewa I think.Free beer on Friday afternoon. We did some damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Bill Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 The Forest Park Brewing Co. was purchased by Griesedieck in 1917 and became its Plant #1. After Falstaff merged with Griesedieck Brothers, only the Falstaff name & brands survived. The plant was closed in 1958. The Griesedieck family described it "more like a coffee mill than a brewery" due to its very small capacity. See History of Falstaff Brewing Co. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Their historical timeline has at least 1 error. They say Greise was named in 1971 . It was Greise in 1966 when I lived there as a freshman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Bill Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Their historical timeline has at least 1 error. They say Greise was named in 1971 . It was Greise in 1966 when I lived there as a freshman.They don't really say that, but the positioning of the graphic among the beer labels & other stuff in the timeline does imply it. In any event, you are correct. I was there for the dedication in 1963-64 to Alvin Griesedieck, who died in 1961. The plaque should still be on a pillar in the lobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGB91 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 The Falstaff corporate office was on Oakland. The brewery was down on Gravois. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 On the near North Side I think its in St. Louis Place on 20th and Madison is another old Falstaff brewery which is now apartments and townhomes. The old stack is still standing and I believe it still says Falstaff on the side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 On the near North Side I think its in St. Louis Place on 20th and Madison is another old Falstaff brewery which is now apartments and townhomes. The old stack is still standing and I believe it still says Falstaff on the side. Yep. I remember going up there to look at the Falstaff apartments back in the 1980's when today's yuppie urban dwellers were mostly either not conceived yet or in diapers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 On the near North Side I think its in St. Louis Place on 20th and Madison is another old Falstaff brewery which is now apartments and townhomes. The old stack is still standing and I believe it still says Falstaff on the side. On the near North Side I think its in St. Louis Place on 20th and Madison is another old Falstaff brewery which is now apartments and townhomes. The old stack is still standing and I believe it still says Falstaff on the side. -does this then qualify the bldg as 'historic'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 My pops used to work for Falstaff back in the day. Their HQ was on the site of what is now the Science Center, and they had breweries on the near north side as Torch mentioned, on Shenandoah near Gravois in Benton Park (with a hospitality room nearby), and on Forest Park Parkway. The Forest Park Parkway facility is now the Six Row Brewery, which is a great little place to hang out. They even have one of the original Falstaff stained glass windows hanging above the entrance. Almost all of the original brewery buildings are still there - I think one was lost in a fire. The Gravois brewery is really cool - hopefully it will be rehabbed someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 My pops used to work for Falstaff back in the day. Their HQ was on the site of what is now the Science Center, and they had breweries on the near north side as Torch mentioned, on Shenandoah near Gravois in Benton Park (with a hospitality room nearby), and on Forest Park Parkway. The Forest Park Parkway facility is now the Six Row Brewery, which is a great little place to hang out. They even have one of the original Falstaff stained glass windows hanging above the entrance. Almost all of the original brewery buildings are still there - I think one was lost in a fire. The Gravois brewery is really cool - hopefully it will be rehabbed someday. Sixth Row Was part of the operations. The building that the gym and Jimmy John's is in was part of the operation too. It had a board room on the second floor at one time. The building a little further east on Forest Park was the bottling plant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 There's also a warehouse toward the rear of the property where they used to (and may still) store a lot of the floats from the VP Parade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonoma bob Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 I take back what I said about Falstaff, it was OK. I was thinking of Stag, bad. Thanks for the link to the history of Falstaff Prairie Bill. I remember reading about Kalmanovitz, the Beer Baron, out here years ago. There is a 1 % who did a lot of damage to a lot of people. Most of his ill-gotten gains when to good causes after he died and built himself one of the biggest mausaleums in Colma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Bill Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I'm surprised nobody mentioned that the Griesedieck Brothers brand is back! Bought a six-pack of "premium golden pilsener" today. St. Louis on the label, but brewed elsewhere. This is news to out-of-towners like me. No Falstaff in sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonoma bob Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 Good luck to Ray G. and his son Bob G. opening a SL brewery. I enjoyed reading the history on the website. Does anyone's grandparents remember the Stein Hall hospitality house it mentioned that was open in the mid 1950's? That was a few years before my drinking days. How did you like the G-B premium golden pilsner Bill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Bill Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 How did you like the G-B premium golden pilsner Bill?I hate to bump a dead thread, but I've been away and Bob asked a fair question. It was fine, but I'm not a big pilsner fan. Of the recently revived legacy (50s) brands, I prefer Schlitz. But I'd buy a case (along with Bush Bavarian and Michelob) for a Golden Bills party when the time comes. You can't taste nostalgia, but you can come awfully close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Well, then you should simply go to the Clydesdales' stable before said party. I hear it tastes just like Stag, maybe slightly better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonoma bob Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 Shame on you Joe, a shiver went down my spine when I read that remark. My student days drinking cheap beer we could afford even then we called horse p*ss is a bad memory. When I fist arrived in San Francisco in 1970 I met Fritz Maytag, from the Iowa appliance family. He made Anchor Steam Beer which I fell in love with then and is still one of the best micro brews out there. It was a revelation to me. Check it out Prairie Bill, you might find it back there in Illinois. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Anchor Steam is all over the place. I've even seen it around here on draught. Fritz is also famous for a certain blue cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSLU68 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 We paid 85 cents a six pack at Katz drug store Cans 1965-66 Busch That is what killed Falstaff. That and the headache beer mega rumor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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