It is hard to pinpoint exactly when beer was first produced in America, or when the first brewery was built but it is known that by the seventeenth century brewing in Pennsylvania was regarded as an admirable and respectable profession. Lancaster eventually acquired several breweries to meet the demands of Lancaster’s thirsty patrons and for over a century maintained a reputation of being the brewing capital of Pennsylvania.

At first, brewers were innkeepers who brewed beer in back rooms. By the late eighteenth century, breweries had become full-time operations. These brewers were English and Scottish immigrants who perfected their brew craft so well that Lancaster County produced seven percent of all beer, ale and lager in the United States.

Lancaster had become a brewer’s paradise. Prior to the 1840s, English-style beer was all the rage in Lancaster but in 1840 Americans were introduced to a very different kind of beer, the German "lager bier." This transformations was a direct result of the steady influx of German immigrants into Lancaster, bringing with them their unique brewing techniques. Lancaster was dubbed by the Daily Intelligencer the "Munich of the United States." At first, brewers resisted the manufacture of German lagers but eventually, due to public demand, lagers replaced the English-style brews.

There were many different types of drinking places around Lancaster, other than the usual saloon, that one could go to drink and have a good time. The local inns or the tavern were places that served many travelers resting for the night. Tippling places were designed for the lower class and many breweries also had beer gardens, where drinkers could enjoy their beer outside.

The brewing industry in Lancaster grew and by the time of Prohibition had topped out at 14 breweries, including such breweries as John Wittlinger Brewery, Scheurenbrand Brewery, The Schoenberger and Miller Brewery, John Arnold Brewery, Lawarence Knapp Brewery, Charles Zech Brewery, Charles Fenninger Brewery, Bernard and John Hagg Brewery and Hilaire Zarphfel Brewery. A short summary of the most successful breweries follows:

Henry Franke came to the United States and began the brewing of lager beer, "a beverage never until that time brewed in Lancaster," alleged the Daily Intelligencer. In 1874, Franke built the Henry Franke Brewery on 216 North Lime Street. His brewery had the deepest vaults in Lancaster. Every Lancaster brewery had its cellars where beer would be stored for aging and storage before sale. In addition, many inns also had deep underground vaults, which could store large amounts of beer. It is reported that there are several dozen vaults under East and West King Streets, Locust, Water, St. Joseph’s, North Pine, South Queen, North Prince, and several under Chester Street.

Sprenger Brewery on South Lime and Locust Streets was the largest in Lancaster. In 1896, John Sprenger sold the brewery to a corporation. After Prohibition, the plant continued brewing but its glory days were over and in 1951 Sprenger Brewery filled its last keg and bottle with Sprenger beer. Eventually, in 1965 the brewery was demolished after it was seized by the city school district for non-payment of taxes.

In 1886, Joseph Haefner bought the Lawrence Knapp Brewery in Lancaster near Lime and Locust Streets, renamed it Haefner Empire Brewery and immediately rebuilt it, tripling its size. Haefner sold Kaiser and Muenchener beer which he proclaimed "the healthiest beer in Pennsylvania." No one was really sure why. After Prohibition, the brewery turned to brewing Pilsner but in 1945 it was forced to close because it could no longer compete with the larger modern breweries.

The Lion Brewery was located between Church and Howard Avenue and operated in conjunction with Sprenger’s Excelsior Brewery. Eventually, The Lion Brewery became part of the Lancaster Caramel Works and in 1897 it was demolished and replaced by the milk processing building for the caramel factory.

From 1892 to 1898, Frank A. Rieker built the most ornate and modern brewery in Lancaster that took the shape of a Romanesque-Late Renaissance structure. The immense Rieker Star Brewery extended from West King Street, occupying all the area south to First Street and almost one square east to west. The brewery made Pilsner beer, a pale ale, Kulmbacher, a dark Bavarian beer and Wiener, somewhere in between Pilsner and Kulmbacher. Old timers recall that Rieker’s Pilsner was better than the finest domestic beer produced today. When Frank A. Rieker died, his son Frank J. Rieker became manager of the brewery.

During Prohibition, the production of beer in Lancaster went on merrily. The Rieker Brewery did not stop manufacturing its beer either. Many times, federal agents raided the Rieker brewery and were surprised to find the brewery full blast. In 1941, the Rieker Star Brewery was demolished and a brewery within a brewery was found inside so that beer could be produced without attracting unwanted attention. For many years, the ruins of the brewery laid idle until late 1950s when the city built a playground on the site.

In 1880 Joseph Wacker turned over his Eagle Brewery to his sons, Charles V, and Joseph, Jr. After a mysterious fire, the Wacker Brewery was rebuilt and by 1904 had more than tripled in value. In 1956, unable to compete with large and modern breweries, Wacker closed its doors. In 1959, most of the property was demolished to make room for a parking lot but the saloon has remained as the Little Dutch Café. When Wacker Brewery brewed its last Little Dutch and Old Bohemian beer, brewing in Lancaster County came to an end for quite some time.

Lancaster can be credited with having produced more beer than any other American city of similar size in the last century. Lancaster’s beer and breweries have all disappeared with the exception of one. Today, the Lancaster Brewing Company on the corner of Plum and Walnut streets, is the only brewery in Lancaster City, reviving once again the great Lancaster beer brewing tradition.