This Historic Brew Popularized Lager In America (And It's Still Sold Today)

While the title of the best-selling beer in America is a tight competition between U.S. and Mexican brands, for more than 20 years, the top spot on the podium has consistently been occupied by lager-style beers. It's easy to take lager for granted, but there was a time in America's brewing history when ale was the standard. The end of the ale era came in 1842, when two German immigrant brothers, Frederick and Maximilian Schaefer, founded F&M Schaefer Brewing Co. in New York, using a traditional, old-world lager recipe, which went on to become the most popular beer in the country.

As popularity for the Schaefer brothers' light and refreshing lager grew, what started as a takeover of the Northeastern U.S. eventually became a country-wide domination. By the early 20th century, Schaefer's lager had become the best-selling beer in the U.S. The Schaefer brewery's commitment to making lager vs ales — requiring colder temperatures, tighter controls, and longer fermentations — positioned the company to survive prohibition from 1920. Producing dyes, ice, and non-alcoholic beers, and the use of their transport infrastructure kept the business going through 1933.

After prohibition, Schaefer's position as the leading American beer continued, growing from the 1940s until the '70s. Schaeffer expanded into the Midwest, opening more sites in Ohio and Pennsylvania. During this time, the brewery dominated beer marketing through the airwaves and beyond, no less with its catchy and popular slogan: "The one beer to have when you're having more than one." Soon, the brewery sponsored the Brooklyn Dodgers and, famously, Schaefer Stadium (which later became Foxboro Stadium) to host the New England Patriots.

Schaefer's era ended when faster-scaling breweries outperformed it. In the 1970s, another lager, Budweiser, overtook Schaefer as the most popular beer in the country. 11 years later, in 1981, the Schaefer business was sold to the Stroh Brewing Company, which in turn sold to Pabst in 1999, all the while shrinking to tiny niche markets. 20 years after Pabst absorbed Schaefer, it relaunched the beer as a legacy brand, giving it a new lease on life. Pabst is a contract brewing company, using other brewing facilities to produce iconic Midwest beers that are only getting harder to find.

In 2023, Schaefer was slated to be brewed in New York once again at the F.X. Matt (Saranac) Brewing Co., and is now broadly available across Northeastern states. Those outside this area can look online for delivery options.