Hudepohl Brewing Company

Early history

Hudepohl Brewing Company became one of many Cincinnati breweries to thrive in the Queen City in the 1880s. Waves of German immigrants began settling in and around Cincinnati in the 1850s and '60s. These immigrants had a taste for the lager beer of their homeland and Cincinnati's German beer barons were only too willing to answer the demand. Hudepohl brewed golden lager, dark lager, seasonal bock beer and several other regional styles of lager that were popular in the German homeland. By the mid-1890s, Hudepohl's annual production was 100,000 barrels of beer.

Hudepohl was among the top 5 brewers in Cincinnati when Prohibition hit the nation in 1918. Hudepohl survived Prohibition by making near beer and soft drinks. In 1933, Prohibition was repealed and Hudepohl quickly jumped back into the beer business. Within two years Hudepohl was clearly becoming the dominant brewer in Cincinnati. The company was selling all it could make in its home market and really didn't see an immediate need to "export" beer to other states. Deviating from this philosophy would come back to haunt Hudepohl and most other regional brewers in the decades to come. During World War II, Hudepohl Beer was among the beers selected by the War Department for use by U.S. troops in the Pacific. Special olive green Crowntainer cans, produced by Crown Cork and Seal Company, but bearing a Hudepohl label, were filled at the Cincinnati brewery then packed in cases with straw before being shipped overseas. Many cases of Hudepohl Beer were actually parachuted to troops on islands throughout the Pacific.

Expanding business

The post-war years were marked by continual expansion of Hudepohl Brewery. The company even purchased a second brewery from a local competitor and operated both plants for many years in order to keep up with demand. However, the late 1950s and early 1960s saw increased market infiltration from national brands such as Schlitz, Pabst, Blatz and Budweiser. Over time many of these brands along with strong regional competitors like Stroh's would whittle away at Hudepohl's dominance of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky market. Cincinnati breweries were slowly closing shop. Red Top Brewing Company closed in the late 1950s, the Bavarian Brewing Company, just across the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky, closed in 1966. By 1973, Burger Brewing Company, a once dominant Cincinnati brand, announced its closure. Hudepohl stepped in and purchased the brands and recipes of Burger headed by new president Thomas Zins, which included Burger Beer, Bohemian Tap and Red Lion Malt Liquor. Burger Beer became Hudepohl's budget priced brand.

Hudepohl continued to fight market erosion caused by the influx of national brands. Hudepohl attempted to expand regionally but with only limited success. Had the company followed the lead of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst and struck out towards a national market in its early years it might have become a powerhouse.