Cleveland Beer: History & Revival in the Rust Belt (American Palate) by Basalla Leslie & Chakerian Peter

Author:Basalla, Leslie & Chakerian, Peter [Basalla, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2015-11-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

RENAISSANCE, CONSOLIDATION AND DECLINE IN THE ADVERTISING AGE

The repeal of Prohibition was a double-edged sword for the local beer industry. On one hand, the ensuing beer boom and surging production ensured that imbibers would have plenty of volume and options to choose from. Nationally, per capita beer consumption between 1939 and 1945 experienced a 52 percent increase—climbing from 12.3 to 18.7 gallons.

Once federal restrictions on grain were lifted two years later, that boom grew even bigger, even if it only lasted a short time. But with that boom came increased competition from inside and outside the city, all of it fierce: price wars, and a hearty, amplified advertising blitz from brewers, all in an effort to corner a greater market share.

Brewers also had to adapt to the fact that beer consumption and American life itself had changed. Corner taverns were no longer the only game in town when it came to consumption; packaged beverages and the rise in electric refrigerators gradually replacing the icebox saw to that.

All of the major players in Cleveland’s brewing landscape executed some sort of upgrade, plant expansion or process improvement plan—all to ensure they could keep up with the demand. Beer was suddenly a lot more desirable in bottles or flat-top or cone-top cans, and making these vessels disposable added plenty of convenience and mobility.

Leisy was an early adopter of this new beer technology, and its Leisy Schooner (a “throwaway bottle… with can-like shape”) ushered in a new era of brewing business in which an imbiber’s location wasn’t prohibitive to consumption.

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