Pint Glass, 16oz

[b]The Beer that Makes Milwaukee Jealous[/b] Construction for the South Bethlehem Brewing Company started in October 1900 and the brewery opened in the spring of the following year, making it the first “modern brewery” on the south side of the Lehigh River. The property at 4th and Elm Streets was an ideal location for a brewery with access to the Reading Railroad and pure groundwater in a limestone formation just 54 feet below the surface flowing at 100 gallons per minute. The timing was right as well since the Bethlehem Steel Corporatiion was expanding to make “I-Beams” for the nation’s skyscrapers, the production of which would generate as much thirst as steel. The company erected a new bottling house in 1907 followed by a 40-ton refrigeration unit two years later. In 1909 they added a new 10,000 barrel cellar increasing capacity to 40,000 barrels. Two years later a new brew house was built expanding capacity to 100,000 barrels per year. Their brands included Heirloom Gold Medal Beer and Supreme Light and Dark Beer, Ale, Cream Ale and Porter. South Bethlehem advertised that it brewed: “The Beer that Makes Milwaukee Jealous.” It is said the brewery never ceased operations during prohibition and if a delivery truck ever got stuck in the mud the “high-powered beer” was unloaded and given to people in the neighborhood. The company invested $100,000 in alterations and equipment when beer came back in 1933. Post prohibition brands included Supreme Beer, Ale and Porter. Supreme Beer was available in 12 ounce and quart cone top cans for about a year in the early 1940s, making their cans prized collectables. South Bethlehem stayed in business until 1954 making them the last of the city’s breweries to go. The buildings were razed in 1966 to make way for housing.