Schreiber Brewing Company, a once prominent Buffalo brewery, was founded by Joseph A. Schreiber, a German immigrant with experience brewing beer in his home country, in 1850. The brewery was originally named the S. Schreiber Brewery and was located on Exchange Street in downtown Buffalo.
In 1857, Joseph’s brother, Simon, joined the business and the brewery was renamed Schreiber Brothers Brewing Company. The company produced a variety of beers, including lagers, ales, and porter, which were sold in kegs and bottles throughout Buffalo and the surrounding areas. Schreiber’s beer quickly became popular, and the brewery expanded several times to keep up with demand.
In 1899, Schreiber Brothers Brewing Company was renamed Schreiber Brewing Company. During this time, the brewery was producing over 150,000 barrels of beer per year and had become one of the largest breweries in Buffalo. The company had several buildings, including a bottling plant and an ice house, which allowed them to produce and distribute their beer more efficiently.
In the early 1900s, Schreiber Brewing Company faced some challenges. Prohibition was looming, and the company was also dealing with competition from other breweries in the area. However, the brewery continued to produce beer and managed to survive Prohibition by producing non-alcoholic beverages.
After Prohibition ended, Schreiber Brewing Company resumed production of beer. However, the brewery faced new challenges as larger national breweries began to dominate the market. In the 1950s, Schreiber Brewing Company was sold to the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company, a larger brewery based in Brooklyn, New York. The Schreiber brewery continued to operate as a subsidiary of Schaefer, producing its own line of beer as well as Schaefer’s brands.
Unfortunately, in the 1970s, the brewery faced declining sales and rising costs. In 1976, Schreiber Brewing Company was closed. Decades later, Buffalo Brewing Company officially acquired Schreiber Brewing in 2021, but the wheels were in motion long before that. In 2019, Buffalo Brewing was awarded $516,000 through Empire State Development. This award was funded as part of the Buffalo Billion II.
Once completed, the complex will house the brewery’s production facility, tasting room and restaurant, the Buffalo Brewseum in the old Schreiber offices, and warehousing for Domres’ other business, a local brewing tank importer, Ideal Brew Systems, Inc. The plan is to cease operations at their current Myrtle Ave. facility and move entirely to the Schreiber property once it is ready to welcome customers.
