Anheuser-Busch announced Dec. 12 that it will be closing its brewery in Newark early next year after nearly 75 years in New Jersey’s largest city.
The closure of the facility on the southbound routes 1&9 is the latest blow to Newark’s glorious beer-making industry, which predates the Civil War and was home to such brewers as Ballantine, G. Krueger Brewing Co. and Joseph Hensler Brewing Co.
The St. Louis-based company said in a statement that it was closing the Newark plant along with Anheuser-Busch breweries in Fairfield, California, and Merrimack, New Hampshire. The Newark facility is the second oldest of the beer giant’s 12 breweries.
The 475 full-time employees at the three plants will be offered a choice between severance packages or jobs at other locations, including money to relocate, according to a press release sent to media outlets.
Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch, Busch Light, Natural Light and Rolling Rock are among the core brands brewers at the Newark plant.
“We will be shifting production from these three facilities to our other U.S. facilities and these changes will enable us to invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands,” the company said in a statement.
The Newark facility is being sold to the Goodman Group which “plans to repurpose the site for industrial manufacturing and logistics uses,” the company said. Its website says Goodman is a specialist global industrial property and digital infrastructure group. It owns, develops and manages “high quality, sustainable properties that are close to consumers and provide essential infrastructure for the digital economy.”
In a statement, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said, “I am sorry to see Budweiser leave our city after having called Newark home since 1951 and been part of so many families’ history here. But I’m glad to know that the brewery intends to take care of the employees by helping them relocate and retrain, or take a severance package. I wish the company and all its employees well. And I welcome the Goodman Group as it prepares to put roots in Newark.”
At one time Newark was one of the centers of beer-making in the United States and brew makers were an essential part of the city’s economy and cultural firmament. The Ballantine House in Washington Street, built in 1885, was once the residence of Jeanette and John Holme Ballantine of the storied beer‑brewing family, and the brick and limestone mansion became part of the Newark Museum in 1937. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
Newark’s rich beer history includes these companies:
- P. Ballantine Co.: The oldest brewery in Newark, established in 1840, known for its significant contributions to the city’s brewing history.
- G. Krueger Brewing Co.: Operated in Newark from 1934 to 1961, known for its slogan “Some pronounce it Kreeger, some pronounce it Kruger, experts pronounce it best.”
- Joseph Hensler Brewing Co.: A long-running brewery in Newark from 1855 to 1958, known for its contributions to the local beer scene.
