1905 Kansas City Breweries Company
As of May 2012 Kansas City Breweries Company of 1905 is a new company in the State of Missouri resurrected from the original Kansas City Breweries Company of 1905. This re-organized Company has launched three new Trademark Branded products KC Lite™, KC Lager™ & KC Malt™ as "AN AMERICAN BEER". Ask your nearest Pub, Bar, Resturant or Retailer to contact us for delivery. 866.439.1624
How Kansas City Breweries Company Began in 1905...
“Significant Breweries in Kansas City by FangKC Sat Jan 19, 2008” http://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?t=13755
The Imperial Brewery was formed by George Schraubstadter and a group of saloon keepers in 1901. The address was 2825 Southwest Boulevard in what was then called Walruff's Grove. The building was constructed by contractor Ludwig Breitag.
The cost of construction of the building was $500,000 with a production capacity of 50,000 barrels. Brewing began in April of 1902. A later expansion added a two-story administrative building and a two-story bottling works. The brewery's two brands were lager-style beers called Mayflower and Imperial Seal.
In 1904, an ice-making plant was constructed.
In December of 1905, The Ferdinand Heim Brewing Company acquired the Rochester Brewery (formerly called J.D. Iler Brewing Company) at Chestnut and Rochester in the East Bottoms. The Heim Brewery was located adjacent to the Iler/Rochester brewing plant in the East Bottoms off of Chestnut Trafficway. The site was also location for the first Electric Park operated by the Heim Brothers. A new company was formed called the Kansas City Breweries Company.
The new company also purchased the Imperial Brewery at auction, after Imperial had several years of financial problems. This consolidation was considered the single most important event in the City's brewing history since the merged company became Kansas City's largest brewer.
The newly consolidated company made improvements at the Imperial plant, and the name was changed from Imperial branch to Rochester Brewing "B" Plant. In 1911, the consolidated breweries produced 338,332 barrels of beer. The output consisted of three primary brands: Heim Special, Rochester Bohemian, and Old Fashioned Lager. The Mayflower and Imperial Seal brands ceased to exist. Old Fashioned Lager became the company's staple brand.
In 1911, a non-alcoholic "near-beer" was first produced called "Puritan" and was marketed mostly in Kansas. During Prohibition, the plant produced near-beer and soda water.
Ads at the time recommended the 0.5 percent Puritan "near-beer" for consumption as a refreshing and invigorating beverage for every member of the family. The ad depicted a small child enjoying the beverage.
During Prohibition, other local breweries also sold a version of the cereal near-beer beverage: Lemp made Cerva; Pabst sold Happy Hoppy; Muehlebach made Mulo; Anheuser Busch made Bevo, among others.
In 1919, the office building and storage house were sold to an oil company, and later the remaining brewing property west of Turkey Creek was sold to Seaboard Milling Company. The flourmill began producing up to 1,200 barrels of flour daily, and blended another 1,200 barrels daily.
KANSAS CITY BREWERIES COMPANY
1609 Crystal Avenue
Kansas City Missouri 64126
P: 816-301-6313
TF: 866-439-1624