SBC Pumpkin Ale marks return of Stegmaier brands to Maier family

Bill O’Boyle, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 27—JENKINS TWP. — It's been 48 years since the Maier family brewed any of the famed Stegmaier brand brews, but that all changed this week when Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale was re-born at Susquehanna Brewing Co.

Back in March, the Stegmaier label became part of Susquehanna Brewing Company, seeing family ownership of the Stegmaier brand come full circle, reaching into the sixth generation.

Ed Maier closed Stegmaier Brewing Co. in 1974, selling the labels to the Lion Brewery. In 2010, he formed the Susquehanna Brewing Company (SBC), with partners, Mark Nobile, and Ed's son, J. Fred Maier.

On Thursday, bottles of Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale were bottled and sent to market — the first of several Stegmaier brews that SBC will be producing going forward.

"Pumpkin Al is a fan favorite," Fred Maier said. "It will be available through Thanksgiving."

Maier said the pumpkin ale is a warming brown ale that is brewed with pumpkin, vanilla, molasses, and a blend of spices.

"Its's like drinking pumpkin pie in a bottle," Maier said.

It was a celebration for the Maiers, but an emotional one as well.

Fred Maier said his dad has longed for the return of small, hometown breweries.

"It's hard to describe in words'how this feels," Fred Maier said. "With the emergence of craft beers, small became good again. Beer is a local product and we have a long history of that."

Maier said customers can expect more from the Stegmaier brew list, like a Stegmaier lager, an IPA, and a "fun winter brew."

Long history

In 1974, Ed Maier thought the legacy of Charles Stegmaier was gone.

"In 1974, we made the very difficult decision to close Stegmaier Brewing Company and sell the brand to Lion Brewery, Inc.," Maier said. "Although we were among the last 50 breweries to survive as the American brewing industry was collapsing, it was a shocking reality that this was the end of a proud and successful 117-year-old family business."

Then in March, 165 years after Charles Stegmaier, along with his father-in-law, George Baer, founded the Baer and Stegmaier Brewing Co. of Wilkes-Barre in 1857, his great-great-grandson — Edward R. Maier — purchased back his great great-grandfather's "Stegmaier" brand from The Lion Brewery.

"My thought was that the legacy of Charles Stegmaier was gone," Maier added. "Not once in the next 47 years did I imagine that the family name would come back to us."

Maier said getting the Stegmaier brand back in the family was emotional for him.

"It's like the dream I never had," Maier said.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.