“Established in 1851 by John A. Schaefer, the brewery continued under his management until 1969, when it was purchased by John S. Schneider and John G. Elsenheimer. By 1871, Elsenheimer’s share of the company had been purchased by Michael Mueller, a German immigrant who had previously been the brewmaster of the city’s Jackson Brewery. By 1875, Mueller was the sole owner of the brewery, which employed 25 men and was producing roughly 3,000 barrels of lager beer annually. This number had topped 7,000 barrels by the end of the decade. In 1879 Mueller took on another partner in August Froelking, a local merchant.
In 1882, the brewery was purchased by Michael, William, and Peter Schaller (sons of Joseph Schaller), who had recently sold their shares of the Gerke Brewing Company (formerly the Schaller & Gerke Company) along the canal. Renamed as the Schaller Brothers Main Street Brewery, the plant underwent numerous improvements over the following decade, increasing its capacity and leading to annual production in excess of 25,000 barrels by 1894.
Despite this, the company found itself facing financial difficulties one year later and went into receivership. By this time, Peter Schaller had left the partnership and William Schaller had died. The company was put up for sale, but an attempted repurchase by Michael Schaller for $94,000 was voided by local courts.” Brewing Beer in the Queen City, Vol. V, Robert A. Musson, M.D. (2014)
