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Reconstruction of the Lemp Brewhouse in St. Louis

William J. Lemp Sr. was almost finished with his huge new lagering house in 1882. He surely had other grand plans in his head. His father’s failures in Germany are a distant memory. Pictorial St. Louis in 1876 described William as “a thorough St. Louisan” who was keenly interested in the prosperity and interests of the city. By 1883, Lemp Brewery had become the fourth-largest in the country. William was also the president of the Brewers’ Association. According to legend, he woke up at 6 a.m. every morning to inspect every part of the brewery. He was already a legend and won numerous accolades. He must have known that the 150- and 250-barrel brew kettles he had installed in his rustic brewhouse during the Civil War wouldn’t keep the flattery coming.

Theodore Krausch had just finished the Lemps’ new Lagering House a few years ago and was ready with new inventions when William called to order a new state-of-the-art brewhouse. After reading through the entire Western Brewer issue, I was amazed at how many advertisements Krausch submitted for each issue. They regaled readers with new inventions and improvements to his innovative refrigeration systems. As we saw last week he was also an architect who provided his clients with sophisticated, convincing designs for brewery buildings that would house his new technology. The Western Brewer marked the opening of Krausch’s Lemp brewhouse. An extensive article was published in 1885.

Wm. J. Lemp, Esq. has completed Wm. This magnificent structure is the centerpiece of the many improvements Mr. Lemp made over the years. It’s a fine example of brewery engineering in all its details.

Jungenfeld & Co. is not mentioned. Krausch built the new brewhouse in the place of the old one. The footprint of the lagering cellars below shows no signs of modification. The interior of the extant brewery is not reminiscent of the vernacular, original brewhouse William Lemp built during the Civil War. It is possible that the new brewhouse was constructed around the old and then slowly demolished. Lemp has not been recorded as stopping brewing. It’s also hard to imagine Lemp ceasing production in the 1880s, which was the decade that saw the most breweries in St. Louis. A temporary brewhouse is also not documented. The International Shoe Company modified the building, rendering the interior nearly unrecognizable compared to the Lemp souvenir book. The brewhouse is now almost complete, but it is hard to see the exterior.

The Western Brewer‘s text can be confirmed by the souvenir book’s photo, which gives us a fascinating glimpse into the past of American brewing. John Adam Kayan was one of the pioneers of the new brewery. He was born in Neckarbischofsheim in Baden in 1863 and was trained as a brewer in that area. Kayan, who believed beer was healthy, arrived in St. Louis at the age of 24 to work for the Lemp Brewery. He was given a 72×106-foot building to brew his healthy beer. It had two 300-barrel iron kettles and a 16×16-foot square first floor.

The Sussdorf Copper & Iron Mfg. constructed the brew kettles. Co. and, as Louis Lemp stated, were heated by fires from below, not steam coils, according to the Sussdorf Copper & Iron Mfg. Two “settling tanks” were located on the first floor below the kettles. On the second floor, two iron mash tubes measuring 21 feet in diameter used the “Krausch Improved Mass Machine and Grain Removers.” Rice mash bathtubs were located on the third floor. Budweiser fans might be interested to know that other St. Louis brewers also used rice. The exhaust steam was finally collected by hot water tanks on the fourth floor. Although the two spiral staircases remain, they were enclosed by clay blocks to comply with modern fire codes. It must have been an amazing space with light streaming through its skylights and windows.

A dramatic vertical expansion was also performed on the nearby malt kiln with its Neoclassical cupola. To verify construction dates, we now have primary documentation: Lemp city building permits. On October 13, 1887, a building permit was obtained for a three-story addition to the Malt House (remember that the malt kiln as part of the Malt House back then). The cost was $15,000. It is not clear if there was an architect or a building contractor. I believe that master masons could have overseen the addition of three floors, as the project was straightforward. The critical point is that the center kiln was taken out to make logistical space for two flanking fire kilns, which were extended to the six floors of the newly expanded building.


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