The Life of an Anglo-American: Before the Ban Part 6 - Pre-Prohibition Baltimore Breweries

The Eigenbrot Brewery on Willard Street in West Baltimore was actually founded by Ferdinand Joh, formerly of the Philip Odenwald & Ferdinand Joh brewery on what is today South Calverton Street, in 1873. Joh died in 1876, however, and the brewery was inherited by his daughter Louisa, who married Henry Eigenbrot the same year. Eigenbrot was a thirty-year-old machinist, the son of a saloon keeper. Though he became the manager, Louisa retained title to the brewery. The brewery was not incredibly successful, but it did enough business to continue, and to support the Eigenbrots in a comfortable style. In 1878 the brewery sold 3,936 barrels of beer and in 1879 it sold 3,195 barrels of beer.

1905 View of the Eigenbrot Brewery

In 1892, however, a reorganization of the brewery came about, and Alexander L. Straus, the son of malt supplier Levi Straus, became the new manager. (As a result of their role as malt suppliers, the Straus family had a great deal of power in the brewing industry.) A new company was formed, and Alexander Straus became the principal owner along with Louisa Eigenbrot. The brewery underwent a great deal of expansion and modernization under Straus. The plant was enlarged and new equipment, including refrigeration units, was installed, In 1891, the year before Straus took over, the brewery produced about 14,000 barrels of beer, but by 1895 production reached about 45,000. A fire at the brewery in 1896 precipitated the erection of a new and larger brewhouse, and in 1897 a new large storage building was erected as well.

The majority of the Eigenbrot Brewery Company was built in 1873 by Ferdinand Joh. This group of structures includes those which border South Warwick Street at the foot of Lipps Lane. Central to this early group is a two-story brick building with a gable roof which later served as a "wash and storage" room. This was probably part of the original brewhouse. North of this building and adjacent to it is a one-story brick building which later became part of the brewery's bottling plant. South of it is a three-story hops storage building with a highly decorative brick cornice. In 1892 the brewery began a modernization program which greatly increased its capacity. Key to this was the installation of a refrigeration system to expedite the cooling of the wort. An elaborate boiler house and compressor house fronting on Willard Street housed the unit. The former has a rooftop lantern now in badly deteriorated condition. In 1896 and 1897 a new brewhouse and cold storage warehouse was added. The brewhouse is a five-story brick structure fronting on Willard Street just north of the office. The warehouse is also five stories but is much higher, each floor having sufficient clearage for the large wooden fermenting vats and storage tanks.

In 1899, the Maryland Brewing Company, a newly formed conglomerate, purchased the Eigenbrot Brewery along with seventeen other Baltimore breweries, namely George Bauernschmidt Brewing Company, George Brehm, Wehr, Hobelmann & Gotlieb Co., National Brewing Co., Germania Brewing Co., Darley Park Brewery, Bayview Brewery, Mount Brewery, Vonderhorst Brewing Co., Baltimore Brewing Co., George Gunther Sr. Co., Oriental Brewing Co., S. Helldorfer's Sons, John F. Weissner & Bro., and John B. Berger. Now known as the Eigenbrot Brewery, Straus was retained as manager, but Eigenbrot retired at this time. In the year ending February 28, 1901 the brewery sold 45,535 barrels of beer.

The Maryland Brewing Company was sold to the Gottlieb-Bauernschmidt-Straus Brewing Company in 1901. This sale included the Eigenbrot property. Henry Eigenbrot died in 1906. The company added three new structures in 1906 to house its expanded distribution facilities, a two-story brick stable along Hollins Street, a new stock house, and a two-story 50'x150' bottling and storage warehouse addition to the bottling plant designed by Otto C. Wolf of Philadelphia. In 1909 a new refrigeration plant was built between the 1873 and the new warehouse.

In 1909, concrete floors, electric lighting and steam heat were installed, and in 1911 a 75-ton ammonia condenser and new vertical single acting compressors were added. As of 1911 the brewery had 1-75-ton Erick ice making machine, 2-50-ton Wolf-Linde and 1-25-ton Wolf-Linde compression ice making machines made by Fred W. Wolf of Chicago Illinois, and a brine circulation-direct expansion refrigerating system. Also, in 1911, F.E. Beall designed a 40'x45' modern garage, built by Adam Kratz, for the brewery. Straus left the brewery in 1912, and Charles Bach became brew master and manager. He retained this position the Gottleib-Baurenschmidt-Strauss Brewing Company closed brewery in July 1918 in order to conserve fuel, ammonia and materials. Trade would continue to be served by the Globe and National breweries of the Gottleib-Baurenschmidt-Strauss Brewing Company. A moving and storage company took over the property in 1920. It is currently owned by a furniture distribution company. The Brewery still stands today.