Neuweiler’s Brewery
This place has always had a special meaning to me and I have been fascinated with it for over 20 years. In the 1930s after my family immigrated to the U.S., my grandfather worked for Neuweiler’s in this very location. Neuweiler’s was build between 1911 and 1913, consisting of the office building, brewhouse, stock house, pump house, wash house, chemistry lab building, boiler room, bottling house, garage, fermenting cellar, and smokestack with Neuweiler on it. Founded in 1900 by Louis Neuweiler after buying out longtime local brewer Benedict Nuding. Eager to expand Louis and his, Charles, saw the creation of the brewing complex at its current location by hiring Philadelphia architects Peukert and Wunder to build a new brewery. Over the years several changes to the complex were made, including an electric plant, and combining smaller buildings into single larger buildings. In 1968 due to competition from larger breweries, Neuweiler’s ceased operations.
The buildings sat vacant for more than 2 decades when from 1992 to 1998 the bottling house was used again for a pesticide re-manufacturing business. However, in the fall of 1998, this business shuddered and Neuweiler’s has been silent ever since. For nearly 100 years Neuweiler’s has been a part of the city’s skyline. In 1980 the site was added to the list of National Historic Places. In recent years this site has been a part of the Waterfront redevelopment project and I only hope that something can be done to save this amazing part of not only my history but the history of the city.
Neuweiler produced several brands of beer: Light Lager, Cream Ale, Stock Ale, Premium Ale, Bock (seasonal), Half & Half, Porter, Stout and Hochberg. Most were available in the 12 oz. "Steinies" or Export bottles, quarts, cans or kegs. When in full operation, Neuweiler's was one of Allentown's largest employers.
Neuweiler was recently zoned as part of the Waterfront Redevelopment district of the new NIZ (Neighborhood Improvement Zone) in Allentown. A New York Firm, Ruckus Marketing, purchased the brewery for $1.7 million in March 2014. It currently has plans to redevelop the entire property, converting the majority into a new brewing facility. The remainder of the space will be converted to mixed-use commercial office space. The new plans call for a $30 million renovation.
