F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company
An historic American brewing company founded in New York in 1842 and later maintained as the Schaefer beer label by Pabst Brewing Company.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was an American brewer founded in New York City in 1842 by German-born brothers Frederick Schaefer and Maximilian Karl Emil Schaefer. The brothers came from Wetzlar, Prussia, emigrating to the United States in 1838 and 1839 respectively. Maximilian brought with him a lager recipe, and the pair eventually accumulated enough resources to acquire the Sebastion Somers Brewing Company. Their business became one of the important brewing operations in the United States during the nineteenth century and developed a lasting association with lager beer in the New York market. Schaefer later promoted the claim that it brewed one of the first light, crisp, cold-brewed and cold-aged lagers in the United States, dating that achievement to 1848. That claim was not strictly uncontested, since John Wagner of Philadelphia is credited with brewing lager earlier, in 1840. Regardless of the precise priority, lager became central to Schaefer's identity and commercial development. By 1871, the company had risen to sixth place among American brewers. The business remained closely associated with the Schaefer family. Rudolph Jay Schaefer, the son of Maximilian, became president and held that position until his death in 1923. The company operated a substantial brewery complex on Park Avenue in Manhattan and maintained lagering caves along the East River. During the early twentieth century, it sold the valuable Park Avenue plant real estate and established a replacement brewery in Brooklyn. Its operations were affected by the New York City brewery strike of 1949, but the Schaefer name continued to expand in the postwar beer market. Schaefer reached a significant national scale in the 1950s and again in the 1970s, when it was described as the fifth-largest beer in the United States. Growth included the acquisition of regional breweries in places such as Albany, Cleveland and Baltimore. In 1968, a public stock offering valued at $106 million created the F. & M. Schaefer Corporation as a holding company over the Schaefer Brewing Company production subsidiary. The company then pursued production efficiency through consolidation. A large, high-output brewery in Allentown, Pennsylvania, opened in 1972, after which the remaining satellite breweries were closed. The Allentown facility expanded from an initial annual capacity of 1.1 million barrels to 2.5 million barrels in 1974 and more than 5 million barrels in 1975. The company's independent history ended in 1981, when Stroh Brewing Company acquired Schaefer. Stroh was subsequently acquired by Pabst Brewing Company in 1999. The original brewing company is therefore defunct, although Schaefer survives as a virtual beer label produced and marketed under Pabst's ownership. The former Allentown facility later passed from Diageo North America to the Boston Beer Company in 2008 after a period in which it was used to produce Smirnoff Ice malt beverages. Schaefer's historical visibility also came from extensive cultural and sports sponsorships, including the Schaefer Music Festival in Central Park, advertising at Ebbets Field and naming rights for Schaefer Stadium, the former home of the New England Patriots.
History
F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company began in New York City in 1842, when brothers Frederick Schaefer and Maximilian Karl Emil Schaefer established a brewing business after emigrating from Wetzlar, Prussia. Frederick arrived in the United States in 1838 and Maximilian followed in 1839. Maximilian brought a lager recipe from Germany, and the brothers later acquired the Sebastion Somers Brewing Company after saving sufficient capital. The precise brewing experience they possessed before the acquisition is not well documented, but their lager became the foundation of the enterprise. Schaefer subsequently claimed that it brewed one of the earliest American examples of light, crisp lager that was cold brewed and cold aged, in 1848. The claim should be treated as a company-associated historical assertion rather than an uncontested first, because John Wagner of Philadelphia is credited with producing lager in 1840. Even with that qualification, Schaefer became an important early American lager producer. By 1871, it ranked sixth among American brewers. The company developed into a major New York brewing concern and remained connected to the founding family. Rudolph Jay Schaefer, Maximilian's son, served as president until his death in 1923. The business operated a large Park Avenue complex in Manhattan, with caves along the East River used for lagering. During the early twentieth century, the company sold the valuable real estate associated with the Park Avenue plant and moved production to a new Brooklyn brewery. The business was among the New York breweries affected by the city's 1949 brewery strike. Postwar growth took Schaefer beyond its New York base. The brand was described as the fifth beer in the United States by sales position during the 1950s and again in the 1970s. The company expanded through purchases of regional breweries in Albany, Cleveland and Baltimore. Corporate restructuring followed in 1968, when a $106 million public stock offering produced the F. & M. Schaefer Corporation as a holding company, with Schaefer Brewing Company operating as its production subsidiary. Schaefer then concentrated production in a major new plant in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The facility opened in 1972 and supported the closure of the company's remaining satellite breweries. Its stated annual capacity increased from 1.1 million barrels to 2.5 million barrels in 1974 and more than 5 million barrels in 1975. This consolidation reflected the industry's movement toward large, efficient regional and national production systems. Independent ownership ended in 1981, when Stroh Brewing Company acquired Schaefer. Pabst Brewing Company later acquired Stroh in 1999. Although the original company no longer operates as an independent brewer, Schaefer continues as a virtual beer label under Pabst. The former Allentown property passed to Diageo North America for malt-beverage production and was later purchased by the Boston Beer Company in 2008. Schaefer also built public visibility through sponsorship. It backed the Schaefer Music Festival at New York's Wollman Skating Rink from 1968 through 1976, advertised prominently on the Ebbets Field scoreboard used by the Brooklyn Dodgers, and held naming rights to Schaefer Stadium from its opening in 1971 until 1983. The stadium was then renamed Sullivan Stadium and later Foxboro Stadium. These activities made Schaefer a prominent regional advertising brand even after its independent corporate history ended.
- 2008
Former Allentown brewery sold to Boston Beer Company
[1]The Boston Beer Company purchased the former Allentown facility from Diageo North America.
- 1999
Schaefer enters the Pabst portfolio
[1]Pabst Brewing Company acquired Stroh Brewing Company and assumed ownership of the Schaefer label.
- 1981
Acquired by Stroh Brewing Company
[1]Stroh Brewing Company acquired Schaefer, ending its independent corporate history.
- 1975
Allentown capacity expands again
[1]The plant's reported annual capacity expanded again to more than 5 million barrels.
- 1974
Allentown capacity expands
[1]The Allentown plant's reported annual capacity increased from 1.1 million to 2.5 million barrels.
- 1972
Allentown brewery opens
[1]Schaefer opened its large Allentown, Pennsylvania, production facility.
- 1968
Holding-company structure created
[1]A public stock offering created F. & M. Schaefer Corporation as the holding company for the brewing subsidiary.
- 1949
Affected by the New York brewery strike
[1]The company was affected by the New York City brewery strike.
- 1923
Rudolph Jay Schaefer dies
[1]Rudolph Jay Schaefer, a family leader and company president, died after serving as president until that year.
- 1871
Ranks among leading American brewers
[1]Schaefer reached sixth place among American brewers.
Products and positioning
A New York-founded lager brewer that combined mass-market American beer production with strong regional identity, sports advertising and popular-music sponsorships.
Lager beer
Schaefer beer
The company's core commercial product was Schaefer, an American lager associated with the New York brewing tradition. Its historical identity emphasized a light, crisp character and cold brewing and aging. After the corporate brewer was acquired, Schaefer continued as a virtual beer label under Pabst rather than as an independent brewing company.
Marketing campaigns
- 1971Schaefer Stadium naming-rights sponsorship
New England · United States
Schaefer held naming rights to the stadium that opened as the home of the New England Patriots, an early example of a company naming a venue it did not own.
Outcome. The arrangement lasted until 1983, when the stadium became Sullivan Stadium.
- 1968Schaefer Music Festival
New York City
The company sponsored the Schaefer Music Festival at Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park, associating the beer with major popular-music performances.
Outcome. The festival ran from 1968 through 1976 and became a notable part of Schaefer's New York cultural marketing.
- 1958Award Theatre television sponsorship
New York City
Schaefer sponsored a WCBS-TV film program known as Award Theatre or Schaefer Award Theatre, which presented first-run motion pictures with limited commercial interruption.
Outcome. The program ran several times a year during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
- 1950Ebbets Field scoreboard advertising
Brooklyn · New York City
Schaefer was the primary advertiser on the Ebbets Field scoreboard, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The scoreboard used the H or E in the Schaefer name to indicate whether an official scorer ruled a play a hit or an error.
Outcome. The placement made the brand a highly visible part of Brooklyn baseball culture.
Brand decisions
1981
Accepts acquisition by StrohM&ABackground
After decades of expansion and national-scale production, Schaefer no longer continued as an independent brewing group.
Action taken
Stroh Brewing Company acquired F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company.
Aftermath
The Schaefer name survived as a beer label and later passed into the Pabst portfolio.
1972
Consolidates brewing in AllentownStrategyBackground
Schaefer pursued greater efficiency as it operated a growing network of regional breweries.
Action taken
The company opened a high-output Allentown brewery and closed its remaining satellite breweries as production was consolidated.
Aftermath
The plant expanded repeatedly, reaching reported capacity of more than 5 million barrels per year by 1975.
1968
Adopts a holding-company structureStrategyBackground
The growing brewer sought a corporate structure suitable for public capital and a larger production footprint.
Action taken
A $106 million public stock offering created F. & M. Schaefer Corporation as the holding company for Schaefer Brewing Company.
Aftermath
The restructuring preceded a major production-consolidation program centered on Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Public stock offering. $106 million (1968)
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