SCHAEFER BREWERY, Kent Avenue, Williamsburg

by Kevin Walsh

One of the few reminders of the old Schaefer Brewery on Kent Avenue and South 8th Street in the Willieburg is this sculpture of a raised glass and hops plants on a former brewery warehouse, now a Jewish school, one of two of the former brewery buildings that remained after the others were razed. The brewery closed in 1976.

 

In the early 2000s the new Schaefer Landing houses opened in place of the Schaefer brewery. In mid-2015, plans were announced for a trio of glass-fronted apartment buildings to be developed by former NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer, and demolition of the remaining buildings was underway.

The marble pediment has been preserved and Spitzer announced it would be reinstalled when the buildings were complete.

Kent Avenue has changed a lot in recent years. Here’s what it looked like in 2008.

Update, 9/21: this building has been lost and a glass tower built in its place.

9/3/13; rev. 9/2/15, 9/30/21

30 comments

Susan September 4, 2013 - 11:35 am

A few of my uncles use to drive the delivery trucks for Schaefer. I still might have a few of the old round coasters they use to give out somewhere.

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Skip September 6, 2013 - 10:17 pm

In the 1960’s my Dad’s cousin also drove a truck for Schaefer’s Kent Ave brewery, and it was the only beer my grandmother and her sister would allow in their houses (which were side by side in Cypress HIlls). Drinking it kept him working, they said.

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Mel G March 18, 2018 - 4:54 pm

We o ly drank Shaeffer..we worked at shaeffer as contractors..cement work plumbing…i knew Rudy shaeffer..yachtsman and benefactor of Mystic Seaport Museum

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joe March 14, 2015 - 12:25 pm

i am trying to find some old pictures of schaefer beer trucks.being that your uncles drove i thought you might have some to purchase.

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Susan September 2, 2015 - 11:08 am

Sorry, I don’t. I can, almost, remember the trucks. My uncle, as well as my cousin, is deceased and I settled the estate. There was no photos of the truck in the photo album. My other uncle is deceased as well and those cousins do not have any Schaefer photos either. My uncles were Al and Willie Persche. They, eventually, bought out their routes. Another uncle drove for Canada Dry.

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Kelly November 26, 2018 - 5:10 pm

I have an original Schafer truck driver’s hat and union card !!!!!

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Howard Lagillier October 21, 2023 - 9:00 am

Hello
My dad worked at the brewery until it closed then went on
To work at domino sugar.Then when on to work at
Schlitz in Winston Salem then to anheuser bush.
My dad passed away last year he was 93.His name was
Charlie Lagillier

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Dan September 4, 2013 - 11:54 am

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth (and the Williamsburg brewery was still in business) an apartment-mate of mine had an ironclad rule about never skipping breakfast.

Each day, he’d roll out of bed to pour an ice cold Schaefer — he called it “suds” — into his morning bowl of Cocoa Puffs.

He claimed that it enhanced his prowess with the ladies, and gave him a Mensa-worthy I.Q.

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therealguyfaux September 4, 2013 - 4:37 pm

The brand name still exists, even if the product itself is no longer a brand-name beer to be ordered in any bar in the Northeast, nor a generic down-market Milwaukee’s Best buy-by-the-suitcase kind of label nationwide, as it used to be. Stroh’s, its corporate parent in the 1970’s, apparently didn’t want to aggressively compete against the Anheuser Busches and Millers of the world as the big nationwide name brand beer, and they didn’t even push their own brand name that hard either, let alone Schaefer, in the Northeast. That’s why they probably downsized and closed.that brewery. Stroh’s was eventually bought out around the turn of the century by Pabst, which retained the Schaefer brand and produces the beer even today, but only as a niche product.

Not being a drinker myself, I have no idea how good the product is nor if it compares to the Schaefer’s of the “one to have when you’re having more than one” era. (Jeez, could you get away with a campaign like that nowadays, without complaints flying?)

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Peter September 5, 2013 - 6:14 pm

Of course the Pabst brand itself has become the iconic hipster beer. Maybe Schaefer can do the same.

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Sergey Kadinsky September 4, 2013 - 4:55 pm

Probably a Satmar school these days.

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BEN September 4, 2013 - 11:32 pm

In 1974 I left Rheingold Brewery to get a Supervisors job at Schaefer Brewery on Kent Ave. I worked there for 2 years and was then relocated to the Schaefer Brewery in Allentown PA. Many of the men who worked for Schaefer relocated to Allentown. In 1981 Stroh’s bought Schaefer Brewery. A few years later Stroh’s bought the Schlitz label. They tried to go national and compete with Budweiser, Miller and Coors. They did not succeed. In 1989 I left Allentown and went to work for Budweiser. The old Allentown Schaefer Brewery is still there and they produce Sam Adams Beer.
Of all the breweries I worked in, the Schaefer Brewery on Kent Ave. was the one I hold dearest to my heart. It was a sad day when the Brewery closed and a big loss for New York.

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jan February 20, 2014 - 1:26 pm

MY FATHER, ED BOGENSBERGER, WORKED AT THE BROOKLYN PLANT FOR ALMOST 25 YEARS, THEN LANDED UP IN ALLENTOWN. HE LOVED WORKING IN BROOKLYN, HIS BROTHER, JOHN ALSO WORKED IN BROOKLYN BUT THEN TRANSFERRED TO MARYLAND. IF YOU KNEW HIM LMK

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BEN CUSUMANO June 18, 2014 - 11:02 pm

YES, I KNEW ED BOGENSBERGER. I WORKED WITH HIM IN BROOKLYN AND IN ALLENTOWN. I WAS A SUPERVISOR AND ED WORKED FOR ME MANY TIMES. ED WAS A GOOD MAN AND AN EXCELLENT WORKER. I DO NOT REMEMBER HIS BROTHER JOHN, I GUESS BECAUSE I ONLY WORKED TWO YEAR IN BROOKLYN.

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Millie November 17, 2014 - 10:57 pm

Hi Ben,

My name is Millie…
By any chance, do you remember my father ( Philip Vega)?
He also worked for Schaefer beer, during the 70’s. If you remember him, can you please contact me? I’ve been searching for my father for over 23 years. It’s been hard for me to find him, since the company closed it’s doors in 1976 🙁 I don’t know where he went to work, afterwards.

Thank you!
Millie
Jssgkids6@aol.com

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Frank September 5, 2013 - 4:47 am

Seeing this post reminds me that there used to be a brewery on Staten Island–Piels beer, I think

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Larry September 6, 2013 - 9:12 am

ah..Piel’s Beer…remember those wonderful “Bert and Harry” commercials…voiced over by Bob and Ray?

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Warren Westbo September 6, 2013 - 3:24 pm

Yep, the Piels brewery previously Rubsam & Horrmann Atlantic Brewery was located in Stapleton.

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Robert Naranda October 2, 2013 - 2:51 pm

I posted some photos of the huge tanks that was being hoisted into the Schaefer Brewery building on Kent Avenue in Brooklyn in March 1947. I thought you would enjoy this awesome engineering feat that it took to get the tank into the building. Do you know if the tanks were removed and when. If so are there any photos of them being taken out?

Just cut and paste the following in your browser and it will take you to my blog were it is posted.

http://robtnar.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/last-of-135-huge-glass-lined-tank-is-slipped-into-place-at-the-schaefer-brewery-on-kent-street/

If this does not work just go to: http://robtnar.wordpress.com/
and look under Americana and it should be the last post.

Enjoy.
Robert Naranda

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corky miller December 24, 2013 - 5:04 pm

Schaefer also had a large brewery in Albany ny that looked similar to Brooklyn it employed over 600 people at one time what a shame

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Gbear June 19, 2014 - 9:24 am

I worked at the Brooklyn navy yard for Seatrain shipbuilding in the early 70’s. Watched many barges being off loaded into the brewery. .

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Joe OLeary October 21, 2014 - 8:30 pm

My dad worked at Schaeffer in Brooklyn for over 20 years, I finally got to see the building this year.

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priscilla hendrickson August 27, 2017 - 9:11 pm

i have a beer barrel table and 4 beer barrel chairs with FM Schaefer printed on them. and the barrel chairs each have a victorian woman picture on them. they all have round flat wood toppings. does anyone know anything about these?

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Joseph mazzotta October 27, 2017 - 11:56 am

My dad Joe mazzotta work for Schaefer beer for 29 yr.

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HAROLD CLAIR STOWE October 7, 2018 - 7:20 pm

i worked for schafer 13 years.i was the first salesman to have a beer display. the manager of hills supermarket said if i build display it was o k .also have picture.also was first salesman to walk down street and stop at the supermarket, delicatessen, and bar to get beer orders schaefer beer had a bowling team at van wyck lanes , queens the team was with boss of all trucks,the manager of all ordering i could get orders ,the next day drove my managers crazy.schaefer opened new brewery in Allentown called automation.great job ,got frendly with my delivery drivers sold a lot of extra beer.

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Martin J Kahl June 11, 2019 - 2:40 pm

My Uncle Dave insisted on Schaefer beer ..ONLY…in QUART..RETURNABLE Bottles..You could drop one of those bottles and it would not break..The Thick Dark glass helped keep out light that was bad for beer and the thickness made it a strong vessel to have beer in…GREAT Beer

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Joseph mazzotta February 19, 2020 - 10:28 am

My dad work for Schaefer beer 29 yrs

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Nancy September 30, 2021 - 5:02 am

My dad drove for Schaefer for 40 years

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Rich T June 8, 2023 - 9:47 am

My dad and my grandfather both worked for Schaefer up until 1976. I have a nice collection of Schaefer memorabilia I would like to see preserved in someway. My internet search so far has not been very helpful. Any help would be appreciated. Great job Kevin, luv your photos . Rich T. RTF….Remember, the future is yours….

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Howard Lagillier October 21, 2023 - 9:11 am

Hello
My dad work there also I have a lot of stuff from Shaffer.
Howard23692@gmail.com

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