Lion Brewery, Inc.

Infobox Brewery
name = Lion Brewery, Inc.


caption =
location = Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
flagicon|Pennsylvania flagicon|USA
owner = Ron Hammond and Cliff Risell
opened = 1905
production =
active_beers = brewbox_beer|name=Steg 150|style=Vienna Lager brewbox_beer|name=Stegmaier Gold Medal|style=Pilsner brewbox_beer|name=Stegmaier Porter|style=Porter brewbox_beer|name=Lionshead|style=Pilsner brewbox_beer|name=Lionshead Light|style=Pilsner brewbox_beers|type=Stegmaier Seasonal brewbox_beer|name=Oktoberfest|style=Oktoberfest brewbox_beer|name=Holiday Warmer|style=Winter Warmer brewbox_beer|name=Brewhouse Bock|style=Bock brewbox_beer|name=Midsummer White|style=Wheat Beer brewbox_beer|name=Pocono Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Pocono Blonde|style=Ale brewbox_beer|name=Pocono Amber|style=Amber Ale brewbox_beer|name=Pocono Pale Ale|style=Pale Ale

Lion Brewery, Inc, located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is one of the oldest breweries still in operation within Pennsylvania. Its beers and sodas are sold in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

History

Lion Brewery, Inc. started as the Luzerne County Brewing Company with the acquisition of land from Delaware and Hudson Company in 1905. [http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb] The land was purchased for one dollar on the terms that the company would build a brewery capable of producing 100,000 barrels per year in just the first year and sell each barrel for no less than a dollar a piece. If the terms were not met, the land would return to the Delaware and Hudson Company. [http://lionbrewery.com/history.html] The Luzerne County Brewery survived the terms of sale and was able to remain strong through the Prohibition years, 1920-1933, by brewing cereal beer. [http://www.beverageworld.com/content/view/33295/] Cereal beer is more commonly known as “near-beer,” as it has an alcohol content of about 0.5%, which is about a tenth of most beers. [http://lionbrewery.com/history.html] Ted Smulowitz purchased the Luzerne County Brewery after Prohibition in 1933 and renamed it The Lion Brewing Company. The Smulowitz family privately owned and operated the brewery until 1993.

The Lion Brewing Company underwent many changes during the sixty-year Smulowitz ownership. Post-Prohibition, the beer brewing industry as a whole grew by leaps and bounds until around 1960, when the big breweries began to take control of the market. In an attempt to stay competitive, in 1974 the Lion Brewing Company bought the Stegmaier name, making it the only remaining brewery in Luzerne County and largest brewery in northeastern Pennsylvania. Stegmaier had been one of the largest independently owned breweries in North America as well as a gold-metal winning local brewery. In addition to brewing the Stegmaier beers, the Lion Brewing Company also diversified into making non-alcoholic beverages. [http://www.beverageworld.com/content/view/33295/] Currently there are eight non-alcoholic beverages made by the Lion, seven of which are part of the Olde Philadelphia line. [http://lionbrewery.com/history.html]

In 1993, the Lion Brewing Company was purchased from the Smulowitz Family by the Quincy Partners. In 1996, the Quincy partners made the Lion Brewing Company public by selling shares on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. In 1999 Chuck Lawson spearheaded the purchase of the Lion Brewery for 18.5 million dollars, thereby transferring the company back into private hands. [http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=11CCBB3B62351C50&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=2]

On November 1, 2007, Chuck Lawson and Pat Belardi sold The Lion Brewery. Focused on “Restoring the Roar,” of the Stegmaier, Lionshead and Pocono brands, co-partners Cliff Risell and Ron Hammond purchased the Brewery with equity backing from Blue Point Capital Partners.

Recent Events

The Lion Brewing Company hosts Wilkes-Barre’s Oktoberfest. The tradition began in 2005. This festival is designed to promote the brewery and to give people the chance to learn how beer is made, sample German food and celebrate. Stegmaier Oktoberfest was brewed to be the official beer of the festival. Brewery tours are given on Saturday during the festival. Entertainment includes live bands, rides, games, Weiner dog races and fireworks shows.

In November 2007, the Lion Brewery changed ownership. It was purchased by Ron Hammond and Cliff Risell with the help of [www.blackmorepartners.com Blackmore Partners] . Hammond became the new executive officer for the Lion and Risell became the President. Together they plan to facilitate company growth without sacrificing any of the brewery's workforce, which consists of about 150 people. The brewery will be maintained as a private company. [http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=11CE5FDA18AEA250&p_docnum=3&p_queryname=1]

The Stegmaier building

The 19th century Stegmaier Brewery building in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a mammoth structure, has been reclaimed for productive use. Now, as the Stegmaier Federal Building, it offers office space for federal workers, keeping the federal presence centrally located in Wilkes-Barre's downtown area.

Olde Philadelphia Gourmet Sodas

The Lion Brewery also produces the following soft drinks: [http://lionbrewery.com/products/html]
* Lion Brewery Root Beer
* Olde Philadelphia Root Beer
* Olde Philadelphia Diet Root Beer
* Olde Philadelphia Black Cherry
* Olde Philadelphia Orange Cream
* Olde Philadelphia Cream
* Olde Philadelphia Diet Cream
* Olde Philadelphia Grape

References

ee also

*Pennsylvania breweries
*Beer style

External links

* [http://www.lionbrewery.com/ Company website]
* [http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/ShowBrewer.asp?BrewerID=226 RateBeer]
* [http://www.mybeerbuzz.com/ MyBeerBuzz]