There is a former Fallstaff brewery for sale in Benton Park - it would be the perfect location for these guys. Downtown would be great too!
Griesediecks brew revival of family beer company
Christopher Tritto
Cousins Buddy Griesedieck, Ray Griesedieck and Steve Butler have beer in their blood. Now they are brewing plans to revitalize their family business.
The fifth-generation members of the family that formerly built such competing brands as Griesedieck Bros., Falstaff and Stag are reviving the Griesedieck Bros. Brewery Co., which died after it was acquired by the Falstaff branch of the family in 1957.
For the past couple of years the cousins have brewed small batches of their pilsner beer through a contract with Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede's Landing with the help of master brewer Marc Gottfried. The brand is carried at 15 area bars and restaurants and sells about 30 kegs a month.
That's a tiny amount compared to Falstaff/Griesedieck Bros.' peak in the 1960s when the company was the country's fourth-largest brewer, selling 7.5 million barrels a year in 26 states and generating about $275 million in annual sales.
Today the cousins have a different vision: to establish either a local brew pub or a microbrewery that would compete against other smaller-scale brands such as Schlafly, Boulevard and Fat Tire.
All three Griesedieck cousins are equal investors and have collectively put about $75,000 into the venture so far. Within the next six months to a year they expect to purchase or lease a building and install brewing equipment.
The cost could range anywhere from $250,000 to more than $1 million, said Buddy Griesedieck, who owns the Griesedieck Bros. trademark and is leading the push to make the comeback a reality.
Griesedieck, 51, has spent his entire career in the beer and wine business. Beginning in high school he worked for Griesedieck Imports, a beer and wine distributorship that his father, Alvin Griesedieck Jr., founded after resigning from Falstaff in 1968. He continued with the company through college and then joined on full time after graduation.
After his father died in 1993, Buddy Griesedieck took over the business and grew it into a $14 million company.
Under pressure from industry consolidation, Buddy Griesedieck sold the business in 1998 to Glazer's Wholesale, a Dallas-based beer and wine wholesaler. Griesedieck stayed on as a member of Glazer's management for six years.
His cousin, Ray Griesedieck, 54, is the son of Henry Griesedieck, the last president of Griesedieck Bros. Brewery before it was sold in 1957 to Falstaff, which was owned and run by Buddy Griesedieck's branch of the family. Ray has worked as both a photographer and an accountant.
Stephen Butler, 48, whose mother was a Griesedieck, is a broker representing companies in the leather business.
"Certainly they have a name that has a long, rich history in St. Louis brewing," said Tom Schlafly, owner of St. Louis-based Schlafly Beer. Unlike Griesedieck Bros., however, many craft brewers such as Schlafly have conceded the market for white lagers to the major brewers such as Anheuser-Busch, he said. The Griesedieck pilsner would be bucking that successful approach.
"Schlafly, Fat Tire and Boulevard have made huge strides in getting microbrew products out there," said Steve Owings, an owner of Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede's Landing. "That may make it a little easier to build a microbrew than it was before."
Support from local bars and restaurants has given the Griesediecks hope the brew can be successful.
"Small-business people support other small-business people," Griesedieck said. "That's what makes these things go. That's why we have this dream."
Griesediecks brew revival of family beer company
Christopher Tritto
Cousins Buddy Griesedieck, Ray Griesedieck and Steve Butler have beer in their blood. Now they are brewing plans to revitalize their family business.
The fifth-generation members of the family that formerly built such competing brands as Griesedieck Bros., Falstaff and Stag are reviving the Griesedieck Bros. Brewery Co., which died after it was acquired by the Falstaff branch of the family in 1957.
For the past couple of years the cousins have brewed small batches of their pilsner beer through a contract with Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede's Landing with the help of master brewer Marc Gottfried. The brand is carried at 15 area bars and restaurants and sells about 30 kegs a month.
That's a tiny amount compared to Falstaff/Griesedieck Bros.' peak in the 1960s when the company was the country's fourth-largest brewer, selling 7.5 million barrels a year in 26 states and generating about $275 million in annual sales.
Today the cousins have a different vision: to establish either a local brew pub or a microbrewery that would compete against other smaller-scale brands such as Schlafly, Boulevard and Fat Tire.
All three Griesedieck cousins are equal investors and have collectively put about $75,000 into the venture so far. Within the next six months to a year they expect to purchase or lease a building and install brewing equipment.
The cost could range anywhere from $250,000 to more than $1 million, said Buddy Griesedieck, who owns the Griesedieck Bros. trademark and is leading the push to make the comeback a reality.
Griesedieck, 51, has spent his entire career in the beer and wine business. Beginning in high school he worked for Griesedieck Imports, a beer and wine distributorship that his father, Alvin Griesedieck Jr., founded after resigning from Falstaff in 1968. He continued with the company through college and then joined on full time after graduation.
After his father died in 1993, Buddy Griesedieck took over the business and grew it into a $14 million company.
Under pressure from industry consolidation, Buddy Griesedieck sold the business in 1998 to Glazer's Wholesale, a Dallas-based beer and wine wholesaler. Griesedieck stayed on as a member of Glazer's management for six years.
His cousin, Ray Griesedieck, 54, is the son of Henry Griesedieck, the last president of Griesedieck Bros. Brewery before it was sold in 1957 to Falstaff, which was owned and run by Buddy Griesedieck's branch of the family. Ray has worked as both a photographer and an accountant.
Stephen Butler, 48, whose mother was a Griesedieck, is a broker representing companies in the leather business.
"Certainly they have a name that has a long, rich history in St. Louis brewing," said Tom Schlafly, owner of St. Louis-based Schlafly Beer. Unlike Griesedieck Bros., however, many craft brewers such as Schlafly have conceded the market for white lagers to the major brewers such as Anheuser-Busch, he said. The Griesedieck pilsner would be bucking that successful approach.
"Schlafly, Fat Tire and Boulevard have made huge strides in getting microbrew products out there," said Steve Owings, an owner of Morgan Street Brewery on Laclede's Landing. "That may make it a little easier to build a microbrew than it was before."
Support from local bars and restaurants has given the Griesediecks hope the brew can be successful.
"Small-business people support other small-business people," Griesedieck said. "That's what makes these things go. That's why we have this dream."
This is good news, I hope that STL can really work to develop a more independent beer brewery city image. We've got a wonderful small brewery in Schlafly, and of course the mega honchos Budweiser, but we need more of an image. I think O'Connels should market their ale.
