Falls City Brewing Company
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Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
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Founded | 1905 |
Defunct | 1978 |
Products | Beer |
Falls City Brewing Company was based in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The company operated from 1905 until 1978. After the company closed the Falls City brand was purchased by differing groups of investors over the years.
Falls City was a regional brand that was primarily available in and around Louisville and Evansville, Indiana. It was a light-bodied pale lager brewed with six row malted barley, corn or rice adjunct, and was lightly hopped.
For many years, Falls City was the number one brand of beer sold in and around Louisville. Tavern signs still hang outside taverns around town from St. Matthews to Germantown.
History
The Falls City Brewing Company was organized in 1905 by local tavern and grocery store owners. The name is taken from a nickname for Louisville, i.e. "Falls City," which derives from Louisville's position on the
Prohibition
In 1919 the brewery was closed for
Following Prohibition
Falls City beer production was resumed in 1933 and was distributed in the
Falls City was briefly involved in auto racing. In the 1930s, Falls City was the official beer of the
Drummond Bros. and the Sta-Tab
In 1975, Falls City launched a new brand of beer called Drummond Bros. The brand was lighter in body than Falls City and it was aimed at younger beer drinkers. The Drummond Bros. name had no historical significance. Instead, it was dreamed up as a catchy name by an advertising agency hired by the brewery. The Drummond Bros. brand was initially successful but within a few years sales declined. Also in 1975, Falls City Brewing Company became the first beverage maker to use the now familiar "
Billy Beer
In 1977, Falls City representatives approached
Sales decline and closing
During the 1970s, sales declined and in 1978 the company posted its first ever financial losses. The Falls City board elected to cease production rather than fight the onslaught of national brands that were gaining momentum in Falls City's core markets, which by then included
Post-closing brands
After the G. Heileman Brewing Company announced that it would close its Evansville brewery, the Falls City brand was purchased by a group of investors seeking to keep the Evansville brewery in operation. The new company became known as the Evansville Brewing Company and sought to reinvigorate the Falls City name, especially in its home market of Louisville. The brewery launched Drummond Bros. Light in an effort to attract more drinkers to that brand. Under Evansville's stewardship, Drummond Bros. won a gold medal at the 1993 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Evansville's other brands included Sterling, Sterling Light, Wiedemann, Drewrys, Drewrys Lite & Low, Cook's, Cook's Light, Gerst and The Eagle Malt Liquor.
Evansville Brewing ultimately closed in 1997
See also
References
- ^ D., Jennifer (20 July 2021). "Check out the history of brewing in Evansville". Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "LouisvilleBeer.com | Falls City Beer". louisvillebeer.com. 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ Gerth, Joseph (January 14, 2012). "Falls City Beer returns to its Louisville roots". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- Guetig, Peter Richard; Selle, Conrad (2001). "Brewing Industry; The Falls City Brewing Company". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. OCLC 247857447.