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National Brewing Company
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| Location: | 3601-3901 Dillon St., Baltimore, Maryland |
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| Area: | 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) |
| Built: | 1885 |
| Architect: | Wolf, Otto; Backhus, Paul W. |
| Architectural style: | Romanesque, Moderne |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: |
02001579 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 30, 2002 |
The National Brewing Company was a beer brewing company based in Baltimore, Maryland. The National Brewing Company operated from 1872 until the late 1970s. At the end of the 1970s, the National Brewing Company was purchased and their breweries were shut down. However, National's two most prominent brands, National Bohemian Beer and Colt 45, were kept alive and are now brewed in Wisconsin.
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In 1872, the National Brewing Company was built at the intersection of Conkling and O'Donnell Street in Baltimore, Maryland. The company was then known exclusively for its National Premium beer. In 1885, National Brewery Company began brewing their flagship National Bohemian beer by the barrel.[2] Nevertheless, they were still considered one of the city’s smaller breweries. The brewery itself, still showing signs of stables from the days of horse-drawn beer wagons, was in dire need of renovations. Unavoidably, National Brewing Company was forced to shut down with the onset of the 13 year Noble Experiment in 1920; larger competitors, however, such as Gunther and Globe Brewing (maker of arrow beer), managed to sidestep Prohibition by producing near-beer.[3]
Shortly after Prohibition was overturned on April 7, 1933, Samuel Hoffberger acquired and modernized the company, thereby reviving the National Brewing Company.[4] When his son, Jerold Hoffberger, returned from World War II in 1945, Hoffberger made him treasurer of the company at age 26.[5] A year later, Jerold Hoffberger was named President of the National Brewing Company, a position he would hold for 28 years. At the time, the company was producing approximately 230,000 barrels of beer.[6]
It was also around this time that Mr. Boh, a one-eyed mascot with a handlebar-mustache, came to endorse National Bohemian, as the beer “From the Land of Pleasant Living.” This notion was later adopted by the company’s jingle, which boasted how National beer was proudly “brewed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.”[7] The brewery was quickly gaining a name for itself; and in the late 1940s, National became the first to place six-packs of canned beer on the market.[8]
Moreover, in 1963, National Brewing Company started brewing Colt 45 (which contrary to popular beliefs, is named after 1963 Colts’ running back Jerry Hill #45, and not the gun). Prior to its advent, the only major national brand of malt liquor was Country Club. (See also Colt 45 (malt liquor)) To emblemize its "extra kick" compared to competing brands, Colt 45 was accordingly labeled with a kicking horse and horse shoe.
National Bohemian, likewise, gained prominence in the 1965, when Jerold Hoffberger created the Baltimore Orioles (formerly, the St. Louis Browns) and began marketing “Natty Boh” at Memorial Stadium (Baltimore). National Bohemian would ultimately become the official sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles and the official beer of Baltimore.[9] Albeit, by the end of the decade, National Brewing Company, squeezed by high prices and increasing competition, could no longer afford to be an independent entity.
In 1975, National Brewing merged with Carling brewery in an attempt to save both companies.[10] Although, the Hoffberger’s managed to sell their beer holdings for more than $16 million dollars, Jerold Hoffberger stayed on as head of Carling-National Breweries.[11] At the time, National had two breweries (the other in Phoenix, Arizona) and Carling had seven; together they had the capacity to brew 1.9 million 60-gallon barrels a year, making it the 9th largest brewery of its kind in the country.[12] Nevertheless, as Carling-National experienced a sharp decline in sales their first year, a merger with Pabst Brewing was subsequently proposed. The court, however, arguing that the fusion of the two companies would result in a monopoly, denied the merger.[13] Merely three years later, Carling-National was sold to G. Heileman Brewing Company of LaCrosse, and the former brewing facility of Brewer’s Hill was closed. Stroh’ of Detroit later bought over the rights from Heileman in 1996.[14] National Bohemian beer has not brewed in Baltimore ever since.
As of today, the brewery has been converted to business and office spaces. National Bohemian, now only “National” in name, is brewed in North Carolina by Miller Brewing, under a contract agreement with Pabst Brewing Company of San Antonio, Texas.[14] However, Mr. Boh, can still be found towering over the city of Baltimore and plastered on memorabilia across the country. He remains the official, self-proclaimed “uncrowned king” of Baltimore; and if you are lucky, he is said to “wink” at you.[15]
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