E-Malt.com News article: 1704

USA: After it was formed out of the acquisition and merger of a couple of Newport breweries, the George Wiedemann Co. soon dominated Newport and Campbell County and made inroads into the Covington market, according to media. Wiedemann is quoted as saying his goal was to drive Cincinnati beer out of the Northern Kentucky market. At the time there was 26 breweries in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Wiedemann's favorite beers in the late 1800s were Standard Lager, Bohemian and Munich. Some of Wiedemann's brew is said to have been carried into Cuba by local troops during the Spanish American War.

By the time of his death, Wiedemann's estate was valued at $750,000. During the early years of prohibition, Wiedemann tried to remain open by selling near beer and soft drinks. Among the soft drinks were root beer, cream soda, lemon-lime and orange. The soft drinks were marketed mostly to festival customers.

Wiedemann resumed brewing beer after prohibition ended in 1935. G. Helleman Brewing Co. purchased Wiedemann in 1967 for $5 million. Sales that year were put at $20 million. Helleman closed the Newport plant in 1983. About 400 people were working at the Wiedemann plant at the time.

A number of plans were proposed for the plant buildings, but in the end the brewery was razed and a jail and court building were built on part of the site.


21 October, 2003