One good reason for considering apartments for rent in Brooklyn New York was to have access to high quality beer. Brooklyn was famous for its regional brews. With German immigrants leading the charge, beer was the beverage most commonly produced in the city. In fact, when all the breweries were operating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brooklyn was responsible for more than its fair share of national beer production and, I am sure, consumption.
Apartments For Rent: Germans Immigrants and Beer
Brooklyn saw the first of its brewing history established under the early Dutch settlers. However, it was not until the influx of Germans that the industry was established. Seeking homes and apartments for rent in the area, the German immigrants brought their families and the recipes for brewing lager. They also settled along a 12-block square that quickly became known as “Brewers’ Row.” The industry grew from 12 breweries until there were 45 when the 1800s became the 1900s.
Early Brooklyn Breweries
Brooklyn was home to many different breweries. They changed hands over the years. Among the better known are the following:
- Consumers Park Brewing Company 1897-1920s
- Peter Doelger Brewing Corporation 1859-1920s
- Edelbrew Brewery Inc. 1860s-1951
- Nassau Brewing Company 1949 – 1914
- F.W. Witte Brewing Company 1874 – 1903
- Rheingold Breweries, Inc. 1855-1905
- Liebmann Breweries 1868-1964?
- George Ehret’s Hell Gate Brewery 1866-1935
- John F. Trommer’s Evergreen Brewery 1896-1951
End of a Beer Era
The shift to fewer breweries in Brooklyn, and New York as a whole, began in 1910. By this point the 48 breweries had decreased to 31. When Prohibition darkened the doors of the Nation’s breweries, Brooklyn had even less. Yet, this number of 23 was to become a paltry 9 when Prohibition was repealed. By 1976, the breweries had all vanished. The last operating brewery, Schaefer closed shop in Brooklyn, employees left behind apartments for rent signs all over the city and moved to Pennsylvania. The local drought was to continue until 1987.
Today
In Brooklyn, the change towards local brewing started in 1987 with the founding of Brooklyn Brewery. Since then, interest has grown. This is partly the result of a growing thirst for Craft Beers and micro breweries. Today, it is possible to hunt for apartments for rent in Brooklyn New York and stop at a bar or café to enjoy a locally brewed beer such as Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55.
