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History Of Beer In Holland: Pre-Prohibition

Being a conservative conclave, Holland, Michigan, has rarely been known as a party town. Social drinking was frowned upon by the Christian Reformed populace, and while there's always been demande for beer, most of it was consumed in private as opposed to in public taprooms, pubs, and saloons. In this entry, we'll begin taking a look at Holland's history of beer, starting in the 1860's, and culminating in the modern day.

Before Prohibition, Holland only operated 2 breweries: Aling's Brewing Company, and the Holland City Brewery. Neither operated concurrently, due to another interesting bit of history in the Holland Fire of 1871 (but that's another entry).

In 1863, John Aling opened the first brewery in Holland. According to Dr. Robert Swierenga's book, Aling's brewery was destroyed in 1871, during the Holland Fire of 1871. This was the first brewery noted in public records, and was located on the west side of River Street, at the site which would later become the Ottawa Furniture Company. At maximum capacity, Aling's brewery made 1,000 barrels per year.

The Holland City Brewery started in 1871, filling the void left by Aling's brewery. It was owned by Carl Zeeb, who sold it to E.F. Sutton within a few years. From there, Anton Seif, Sr., purchased the company from Sutton. It was Anton Seif, Jr. that transitioned the brewery to a cheese factory, specializing in soft cheeses such as neufchaetal, in late 1917 to comply with Michigan State prohibition laws. In 1887, Holland City Brewery was putting out about 4,000 barrels per year

While there were only a small number of breweries in Holland at this time, Swierenga mentions several competitors, in the form of bottling companies. River Street Bottling Works, he says, bottled seventy-five cases of beer for the City in 1892.


Works Cited:

Holland City News, "Holland City News, Volume 48, Number 44: October 30, 1919" (1919). Holland City News: 1919. 44. https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/hcn_1919/44

Holland City News, "Holland City News, Volume 46, Number 42: October 18, 1917" (1917). Holland City News: 1917. 42. https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/hcn_1917/42

Holland City News, "Holland City News, Volume 16, Number 1: February 5, 1887" (1887). Holland City News: 1887. 6. https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/hcn_1887/6

Swierenga, R. (2014). Holland Michigan. Holland, MI: Van Raalte Press, pp.1083-1086.
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