The Kutztown Bottling Works, Inc., is located in Kutztown, PA. It is one of the City's oldest continually operated businesses.
In 1851, Ed Immel began bottling
beverages from an excellent spring near Main St. & Constitution Boulevard. In
1888, he sold the business to Cyrus Rhode and his son John. The Rhodes built a
bottling plant at the rear of their homes.
The plant was close to the Kutztown railroad terminal, where rail cars
carrying beer in barrels from the defunct Barbey Brewing Co., of Reading, PA.. The barrels were unloaded and taken to the
Rhodes bottling plant. This practice was continued from 1890-1905 by Harry B.
Sharadin and from 1905-1920 by Joseph Dreibelbis. A
When prohibition was enacted on
January 16,1920, following the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the
constitution, Keodinger focused more on producing his soft drinks. He
developed a well-liked list of 16 flavors, his most popular item being birch
beer, his own recipe. After the repeal of prohibition at the end of 1933, the
state assumed charge of liquor enforcement. Kiesinger applied to the state for
a distributor license and was granted the 23rd license in the state. Soon after
the repeal, production of soft drinks increased, and the building at Schley St.
became too small.
In 1940, Keodinger purchased the
Leibovitz Shirt Factory of New York, New York, located at 78-80 S. Whiteoak
St., the current location. The factory was originally a two-room schoolhouse,
with two additional rooms added later. The schoolhouse was then demolished, and the current building was erected on the site; the foundation of the school still remains intact.
After World War II, Keodinger's nephews, Donald "Barney" Bieber and his brother "Elly" Bieber, worked at the bottling works. In 1962, they purchased the business and
property from their uncle, Percy Keodinger. The two brothers continued operations
of the soft drink line. With the growth of Schmidt's Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA, distribution rights were acquired in 1954, allowing Kutztown Bottling Works Inc. to become a supplier of soft drinks and beer to a larger area of customers. In 1989, after many years in the business, Barney and Elly decided it was time to retire and sold the business to Barney's daughter, Audrey, and her husband, Donald "Spike" Miller.
In 2002, the Kutztown Soda Works was
incorporated to focus on the Kutztown soda brands. The new
corporation was spearheaded by Spike and Audrey’s son, Tom. In December 2007, both businesses were sold to Jeff and Dana Taylor, who continued the tradition.
Ingredients: Triple-Filtered Carbonated Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Natural & Artificial Flavors, Acadia, and Yucca Extractives.
Nutrition 12
oz. serving (from the bottle)
150
Calories
25
mg Sodium.
36
g (13%) of Daily Carbohydrates
0
mg Caffeine
Aroma and Flavor – 2.2 out
of 3 mugs
The aroma is
solid root beer—a great beverage starter! At first sip, this is a root beer—not a commercial root beer, a home-brewed flavor. After more sips, the flavor becomes interesting and hard to place. It has a slight birch beer taste and a touch of Coke. The birch beer may be a holdover, as Kutztown has been known to produce one of the best birch beers.
Head –1.5 out of 3 mugs
This isn’t a trademark for
this beverage. While it does have a head, it quickly dissipates with little remint.
Zip – 2.2 out of 3 mugs
This
has a strong herbal root beer zip. It lacks the sarsaparilla dominance I would expect, but the blend is pleasing and unique.
Post Consumption Impression – 2.2 out of 3
mugs
This is a unique beverage. Searching other reviews, I found no review
that hated the brew. It was either loved
or the middle of the road. I would crave significantly if I was in the mood, yet I can’t get over the slight Coke taste.
Would I recommend this at 8.1 out of 12 mugs?
This root beer is worth a try. Again, it is a love / like beverage to me as
opposed to some, which are love/hate.
OTHER
RATINGS
