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Grenz Brewing Company is an American brewery that dates its origins to an earlier brewery founded in 1840 by Wilhelm Grenz. Its headquarters are in Buffalo, New York. It produces over two dozen brands of beer, malt liquor and non-alcoholic beverages. These include its own flagship Grenz Signature, as well as brands from several defunct breweries.
History[]
Early years[]
The original Wilhelm Grenz Brewery was founded in 1840 by Wilhelm Grenz.
20th century[]
During Prohibition, Grenz stopped making beer and switched to producing "near beers" and dairy products, including cheese and ice cream. When Prohibition ended, the company went back to selling beer, and the Grenz family spun the dairy business off into a separate company.
Growth and expansion[]
In 1980, Grenz purchased the struggling Dermod Sheehy Brewing Company, the manufacturer of Sheehy's and Irish Clover beer, expanding from just three breweries to six in the process.
Decline and turnaround[]
Grenz found itself in the midst of tough competition with Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors. Grenz began to lose market share and profit margins, leading it to begin laying off employees. The Grenz family attempted to sell their brewing operations to Japanese brewing conglomerate Asahi, but the deal ultimately fell through. In an attempt to address the company's cash flow problems, Grenz began investing more into its theme parks and attractions unit, and diversified into other beverages—such as Del Sol Cooler, a fruit-flavored drink with 5 percent alcohol, and the Total-Superior Beverages Company, a Michigan-based manufacturer of soft drinks that Grenz acquired in 1989. It also entered the increasingly growing import beer market by signing deals to import Weihenstephan and Licher beer into the United States. These efforts slowly, but surely helped the company return to making steady profits.
Grenz's entry into new product areas was critical because the explosion in beer brand and types of beer in the 1990s undermined the market share for all established brands. In the increasingly popular non-alcoholic beer segment, for example, Grenz introduced Weise Premium in 1991, while Grenz Non-Alcoholic debuted in 1993. Weise Premium quickly became one of the top non-alcoholic beer brands in the United States. In the ice beer segment, the company launched Grenz Ice, Grenz Ice Light, Sheehy's Ice and Irish Clover Ice in 1994. Another hot category in the early and mid-1990s was the packaged "draft" beer; Grenz's entries into the category included Grenz Traditional Draft, Grenz Draft Light and Sheehy's Boston Draft.
Grenz purchased the Zelaya Brewing Company of Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1993 as part of its Latin American expansion, adding 10 brands to its portfolio.
In 1997, Grenz finally landed a long-sought-after target when it acquired the A. Ferranti Brewing Company of Trenton, New Jersey for about $263.5 million. The purchase brought more than 30 brands to the Grenz family, many recently acquired by A. Ferranti during the intense industry consolidation still underway, including Melbourne malt liquor, which when combined with Grenz's Niagara 560 and Old Ironsides brands, give Grenz a major share of the malt liquor market.
Grenz made a $256.3 million profit by selling Total-Superior Beverages to a private equity consortium in 2000.
Recent years[]
In 2015, CEO Joseph I. Stansfeld resigned and the board replaced him with April Antonicelli, the company's first female CEO.
Current product lines[]
Grenz[]
Grenz Signature is the flagship product of the company. An American-style lager, the current name came from how founder Wilhelm Grenz would print his name in ink on his barrels during his brewery's early years.
Other Grenz varieties include:
- Grenz Light
- Grenz Ice
- Grenz Traditional Draft
- Grenz Non-Alcoholic
Wilhelm Grenz Premium[]
Wilhelm Grenz Premium is a German Pilsner-style beer that was introduced in 1979. It is named after founder Wilhelm Grenz.
Sheehy's[]
- Main article: Sheehy's (beer)
Sheehy's was first brewed in 1890 by the Dermod Sheehy Brewing Company in Boston. Grenz produces four additional varieties of Sheehy's in addition to the original—Sheehy's Light, Sheehy's Ice, Sheehy's Boston Draft and Sheehy's Non-Alcoholic.
Ferranti[]
Ferranti brand beer was the main product line of the A. Ferranti Brewing Company of Trenton, New Jersey for its entire history.
Irish Clover[]
- Main article: Irish Clover
Irish Clover was first brewed in 1890 by the Dermod Sheehy Brewing Company in Boston. It is a pale lager. Although a nationwide brand, it is most popular in the Mid-Atlantic, particularly in its home region of New England.
Melbourne[]
- Main article: Melbourne (malt liquor)
Melbourne is a brand of malt liquor first produced in 1963 by the A. Ferranti Brewing Company in Trenton, New Jersey.
Niagara 560[]
- Main article: Niagara 560
Niagara 560 is a brand of malt liquor that was introduced by Grenz in 1973.
Old Ironsides[]
- Main article: Old Ironsides (malt liquor)
Old Ironsides is a brand of malt liquor first produced in 1968 by the Dermod Sheehy Brewing Company of Boston.
Weise[]
Weise Premium non-alcoholic beer was introduced in 1991.