|
|
HOST/RANDY MASON
KANSAS CITY, WE’RE NOT KNOWN AS
A BEER TOWN, WITH A BIG BREWING HISTORY. ESPECIALLY COMPARED
TO THAT OTHER CITY DOWN I-70, WHO’S PRODUCTS ARE PRETTY
POPULAR ALL AROUND THE WORLD. BUT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN
WE COULD BE PROUD OF OUR HOMETOWN BREWS, NAMES LIKE MUEHLEBACH,
HEIM, ROYAL AND GOETZ.
THIS IS THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED STORY OF THOSE LAGERS AND ALES,
PORTERS AND STOUTS THAT PLAYED A SURPRISINGLY LARGE ROLE
IN OUR CITY’S COMING OF AGE. FOR AWHILE THEY ALL BUT
DISAPPEARED – UNTIL A NEW GENERATION REDISCOVERED AND
BROUGHT BACK TO US THE JOYS OF HOMETOWN BEERS.
HOST
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING BACK, BUT
NOT NEARLY AS LONG AS IT TOOK GETTING HERE IN THE FIRST
PLACE – AS WE’LL SHOW YOU IN OUR HIGHLY CONDENSED,
ACTION PACKED, THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING, THERE WON’T
BE TEST- TALES OF ALE.
TALES OF ALE
HOST
ANOTHER FOUNDING FATHER, AND AVID BREWER,
WAS THOMAS JEFFERSON WHO ENCOURAGED THE SPREAD OF BREWERIES
BY EXEMPTING OWNERS FROM CERTAIN TAXES. A PLOY MEANT TO
ENCOURAGE DRINKERS TO SWITCH FROM FAMILY- DEVASTATING WHISKEY
TO HEALTHFUL BEER. BUT IT WASNıT UNTIL LATER IN THE 1800S
WHEN BEER AS WE KNOW IT, REALLY TOOK OFF.
IT WAS A ROMANTIC TIME WHEN PIONEER SPIRITS HEADED FOR THE
GOLDEN WEST, AND IMMIGRANTS CAME FROM AFAR ALL IN LUSTY
PURSUIT OF THEIR AMERICAN DREAM. IN PARTICULAR, IT WAS THE
GERMAN IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR LOVE OF BREWING THAT MADE THE
BIGGEST IMPACT.
Holian: For the brewery barons of the late 19th century.
What they had in common was that came here virtually penniless
after a month or two on the ocean and came through an east
coast port like Baltimore or New York … then came inland
to establish German American centers…
Holian: As the Brewing bug bit - by the mid to late 19th
century wanted to established their own and did very successfully.
Norton: Back then the availability of water was somewhat
limited, and may times beer was the only safe thing to drink.
HOST
WHEN GOLD WAS FOUND IN CALIFORNIA,
SETTLERS AND IMMIGRANTS HIT THE PROVERBIAL TRAILS. OF COURSE,
THE LEAPING OFF POINT WAS KANSAS CITY. NATURALLY, BREWERS
DISCOVERED THEIR OWN GOLD MINE HERE.
Sullivan: And in about 1850, which as the founding of the
city, there were reported 2 brewers that were in business
here. The population was about 5000 people, which was more
than enough to sustain the brewing business..
Maxwell: And these were of course, very small little five-six
barrel operations. Generally in conjunction with a tavern.
They were called taverns in those days, not saloons.
HOST
AS THE TOWN GREW, SO DID OUR THIRST.
BY 1860, THERE WERE 26 TAVERNS, AND BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,
225 IN THE RIVER BOTTOMS ALONE. KANSAS CITY WAS A VERY THIRSTY
TOWN.
THROUGHOUT THAT TIME, BREWERIES CAME AND WENT. BUT TWO WERE
ABLE TO TOUGH IT OUT.
MUEHLEBACH IS A WELL-KNOWN KANSAS CITY NAME THAT DATES BACK
TO THE 186OS. A CORNERSTONE OF THE FAMILY FAME STEMMED FROM
THEIR SUCCESS IN THE BEER BUSINESS. WHAT BEGAN AS THE MAIN
STREET BREWERY IN TIME BECAME THE MUEHLEBACH BEER CASTLE
AT 18TH & MAIN.
BACK THEN, THEIR PILSNER WAS NOT ONLY A FAVORITE IN TAVERNS,
BUT ALSO WITH THE HOME DELIVERY CROWD. AT ONE POINT, THE
BREWERY DELIVERED BEER TO MORE THAN 28,000 HOMES A YEAR.
BUT AS POPULAR AS MUEHLEBACH WAS, THE GRANDDADDY OF THEM
ALL WOULD HAVE TO BE THE HEIM BREWERY, WHICH SPROUTED FROM
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AT A SMALL FACILITY BUILT BY F.H. KUMP
AND JOSEPH HAAG.
Maxwell: … Basically they made soda pop, in particular
root beer. And then in the winter they made brooms. And
they would make and sell brooms as many as 50,000 brooms
a year. Basically the people on the wagon trains, …
going west from here.
HOST
WITH SO MANY PEOPLE COMING AND GOING,
THE GENTS SAW THE POTENTIAL IN BEER. SO IN 1869, THEY OPENED
THE STAR ALE BREWERY. BUSINESS MUST HAVE BEEN GOOD BECAUSE
THEY QUIT MAKING BROOMS. IN FACT, THE BREWERY USED FOUR
DRAFT TEAMS, SUPPLYING SALOONS WITH BEER AS OFTEN AS THREE
TIMES A DAY. IN 1884, WHEN KUMP RETIRED, HE SOLD THE CITY’S
LARGEST BREWERY TO FERDINAND HEIM AND HIS THREE SONS.
Maxwell: …the facility there at 14th & Main wasn’t
big enough. (GFX: Gladstone Blvd)…So they bought an
old sugar mill down in the East Bottoms at what is now Agnes
and Guinotte. …And started constructing what became
an immense brewery.
HOST
EVERYTHING THEY TOUCHED TURNED TO GOLD.
BY 1897, OUT OF THE 1800 BREWERIES ACROSS THE NATION, ONLY
50 WERE PRODUCING AS MUCH AS THE HEIMS. IN 1905, THEY MERGED
WITH ROCHESTER BREWING BECOMING THE KANSAS CITY BREWERIES
COMPANY. A FEW YEARS LATER, THEY ADDED IMPERIAL BREWING.
HOST
TOGETHER, THE KANSAS CITY BREWING COMPANIES
AND MUEHLEBACH WERE PRODUCING ALMOST HALF A MILLION BARRELS
OF BEER A YEAR. BREWING WAS NOT ONLY BIG BUSINESS LOCALLY,
IT WAS THE FIFTH LARGEST INDUSTRY IN MISSOURI, AND ONE OF
THE FIVE INDUSTRIES THAT MADE AMERICA THE ECONOMIC POWER
IT IS TODAY. BREWERIES NOW ARE COMPLETELY MECHANIZED, BUT
BACK THEN EVERYTHING WAS DONE BY HAND.
IN ADDITION TO THE BREW HOUSE, A COMPANY NEEDED A COOPER
SHOP TO MAKE AND REPAIR THE WOODEN BARRELS. THEY HAD STABLES
FOR HORSES, SINCE DELIVERY WAS DONE BY WAGON. THERE WAS
A SPECIAL PLACE TO STORE THE ICE WHICH WAS CUT FROM THE
RIVER IN WINTER TO KEEP STORED BEER FRESH. THERE WAS A MALTING
HOUSE TO STORE AND ROAST THE GRAIN. AND A PROGRESSIVE BREWERY,
LIKE THE HEIMS, WOULD HAVE A BOTTLING HOUSE.
Holian: …The problem with early brewery structures
was that most of them were made of wood and as we know wood
burns very easily you’re talking about a production
process in making beer that did require fire. Where you
had to prepare malt and boil the ingredients, it was not
unheard of for a fire to get out of control and completely
burn the place down.
Maxwell: So the Heims built their own
fire station ... And introduced elaborate provisions to
be able to pump water from a lake that they built there….
Holian: …as these fireproof materials became available
such as brick, iron, sheet metal by the 1870s and 80s, brewers
quickly incorporated them into the new and modern complex…which
were massive giant brick structures usually architecturally
distinct…The viewer was suppose to walk by and almost
gasp at what a magnificent structure it was….
Holian: …you have to be a little careful when you look
at the illustrations… because the artist often took
a few liberties to make it look a little more powerful and
bigger than it might have been.
HOST
IF YOU LOOK AROUND TODAY, THERE ARE
REMNANTS OF YESTERYEARS BEER INDUSTRYLEMP AT 20TH & MCGEE,
LEFT ONE OF OUR PRETTIEST BUILDINGS. YOU CAN FIND THE IMPERIAL
BREW HOUSE BEHIND PONAKS ON SOUTHWEST BOULEVARD. AND IN
THE EAST BOTTOMS THE MALTING HOUSE, BOTTLING PLANT EVEN
THE FIRE STATION STILL STAND, AS TESTIMONY OF THE MASSIVE
HEIM BREWING COMPLEX IN THE EAST BOTTOMS. GERMANS WERE NOT
ONLY KNOWN FOR GRAND BUILDINGS, BUT GRAND GESTURES, GIVING
BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTED THEM.
McDonald: The first cases of bridges being built by people
who came to a town the local brewer chipped in beer at
the end of the day, and I dare say thatıs why most of these
guys showed up. SullivanBoth the Heims and the M were among
the most civic-minded people in KC back in those times.
They dumped a lot of their money back into bettering this
city.
Sullivan: They also supported specific projects like the
development of the Boulevards and the fountains and the
parks.
HOST
KANSAS CITY’S BEER BARONS WERE
PRODUCING A GOLDEN LIQUID THAT EVERYONE SEEMED TO WANT.
LET’S PAUSE A MOMENT, SHALL WE? AND LEARN A DITTY ABOUT
HOW THIS NECTAR OF THE GODS IS MADE…
MAKING
BEER DITTY
HOST
INCREDIBLE, IT ONLY TAKES THOSE FOUR
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS: BARLEY, WATER, YEAST AND HOPS, TO MAKE
SOMETHING THAT’S JUST SO TASTY. AND BACK IN THE EARLY
1800S YOU REALLY HAD TO DRINK IT FAST, ‘CAUSE IT WOULD
SPOIL. BUT THEN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION CAME ALONG AND
REVOLUTIONIZED EVERYTHING. ALL TO MAKE BEER LAST LONGER.
WHY DID LOUIS PASTEUR INVENT PASTEURIZATION?
Customer 1,"MILK?"
NOPE! BEER! LOUIS WANTED HIS BEER PURE OF BACTERIA, AND
THIS ALLOWED BEER TO LAST LONGER.
MEANWHILE GLASS FOR BOTTLES WAS GETTING STRONGER ! AND BOTTLE
STOPPERS WERE STOPPING BETTER. AND THEN BOTTLE CAPS CAPPED
IT OFF. ALL SO BEER COULD
Customer 2 "last longer!"
AND WHEN REFRIGERATION WAS DISCOVERED (HA, HA)!!! NOW BREWERS
COULD BREW ALL YEAR LONG INSTEAD OF ONLY WHEN ICE WAS IN
SEASON. BUT IT WAS THE BEER ITSELF THAT ULTIMATELY CHANGED
EVERYTHING. THE GERMANSHAD INVENTED A NEW KIND OF BEER,
CALLED LAGER—LIGHTER FLAVORED, COLD-STORED, AND REFRESHING.
LAGER BEAT THE PANTS OFF THOSE TIRED ALES AND STOUTS. AND,
ULTIMATELY GREW UP TO BECOME OUR AMERICAN PILSNER.
MEANWHILE, RAILROADS WERE BUSY UNITING THE STATES WITH A
WEB OF STEEL. BREWERS GOT TO THINKING: BETTER-TASTING, LONGER-LASTING
BEER...CITIES WITHIN JUST A FEW HUNDRED MILES....DEPOTS/BRANCHES/ADVERTISING
Maxwell …when they were doing enough business in a
community, they’d say, "Okay, let’s build
a little ice house, and let’s make this into a depot.
And then let’s just bring beer in here regularly and
our local agent can sell it …And then as it grew, you
might turn it into a branch where you would bring it in
kegs but then bottle it locally
Maxwell … in the 1870s, you have what I would call
the Milwaukee clique, and by that, Pabst and Schlitz and
Val Blatz coming to Kansas City… in the 1880s come
the boys from St. Louis, and of course this Lemp, and Green
Tree and AB and they all opened their facilities.
HOST
BEER DRINKERS NOW HAD CHOICES TO MAKE:
REGIONAL OR LOCAL BREWER? DRAFT OR BOTTLE? LAGER OR ALE?
Maxwell …And the chemistry is evolving along, they’re
using the same formula every time. Each batch tastes the
same. …so that if you buy a bottle of beer in any one
of several cities, they’re all going to taste the same.
And this brought along with it the concept of a brand….
Holian …you started seeing an increasing focus on give
away items, such as etched glasses, ink blotters , bottle
openers things that had the brewery name on them, postcards
that allowed the consumer to take the name home and remember
it.
HOST
ONE WAY FOR A BREWERY TO CAPTURE A
DRINKING AUDIENCE WAS TO OWN A SALOON OUT RIGHT, THIS COZY
ARRANGEMENT WAS CALLED A "TIED HOUSE".
Sullivan … all the large breweries could actually own
and operate the bars. Now the advantage of that their product
would be exclusive in the bar…So whoever had the most
money and owned the most bars would capture the larger percentage
of the beer market. …
HOST
THE MARKET WAS WORTH FIGHTING FOR SINCE
THERE WERE HALF A MILLION POTENTIAL PATRONS AND 350 SALOONS
IN KANSAS CITY. ONE ETHNIC GROUP DID PLAY A SPECIAL ROLE
IN THIS AREA.
O’Neill: … there were few occupations that an
Irish immigrant man could do without much education and
without much money… he could wield a shovel and pick
and when he got tired of that he could wield a bar apron
and a wash rag… a personality, a smile that was required
and the Irish excel in that. .
HOST
ONE OF THE HUNDREDS
OF IRISH SALOONKEEPERS IN KANSAS CITY WAS BOB SULLIVAN’S
GREAT GRANDFATHER WHO ARRIVED IN THE EARLY 1880S.
Sullivan: … he owned a saloon down on 1700 w. 9th street.
It’s called James Flanagan’s place. And purportedly
had the longest bar in the world. …it took as many
as 25 bartenders to work this bar.
Continue
|
|
