STORIES

BY RIKK DESGRES
For any old timer in New England, Hampden Ale brings back memories. The brewery was founded (as Springfield Brewery) in 1868, and was a force in every local pub until 1975.

In 1894 the Springfield Brewery opened it's Hampden Branch in the Willimansette section of Chicopee, MA. The Springfield Breweries also operated the Highland Branch, once located on State Street in Springfield, where Mass Mutual is now located. The following is from an article / ad from the Holyoke Transcript Telegram newspaper. I don't know the exact date but it's pre-prohibition. There is no question that beer has become the most popular beverage of the American People. During the last decade the consumption of beer has increased twice as fast as the population. It is a significant fact that coincident with this large increase in the use of beer drunkenness has decreased. The New York Sun in an editorial on August 22, 1905,reaches the conclusion that "beer drives out hard drink" The Sun also notes as a consequence that public drunkenness is comparatively rare in all the cities of America today among all classed of society. It is quite true as Henry Watterson recently said in the Louisville Courier-Journal: "The introduction of beer in America has done more for temperance than all the temperance societies and all theprohibition laws combined." With beer established as the National beverage, the consumer should be interested in knowing of the excellence of American beer in appearance, taste, and quality. When the pure food bill was on its passage in Congress, Senator McCumber, in the Congressional Record, is recorded as follows: "I believe that we manufacture in this country the purest beers that are manufactured on the face of the earth, and the fact that the brewers' associations are all in favor of this pure food bill evidences the fact that they are satisfied that they manufacture a pure product." New England's leading brewing concern is the Springfield Breweries Co., of Springfield, Mass. The three main breweries of the company are illustrated on this page. In addition the company has branches in Boston, Mass., New Haven, Conn., and Schenectady, N. Y., besides agencies in all the principal New England cities. This aggressive concern is today putting on the market in draught and bottled goods, some of the very best beers produced in this country. The more notable products of the company are Gold Medal Tivoli lager, Gold Medal Wurzburger, Hampden ale, Hampden porter, Highland ale, Highland lager and Highland malt extract. The Gold Medal Tivoli beer is especially notable because of its having won the first prize and gold medal at the Baden Baden (sic) World's Exposition, where it met in competition 126 German and American beers. Hampden ale is a prime, old English style ale. This ale is pleasing the public to such an extent that it is said to be growing faster in sales than any other ale in New England. The Highland products are pure, standard brews which have long enjoyed the public confidence. The policy of the Springfield Breweries Co. Is to put on the market just as good and pure beers as money and experience can produce. The wisdom of this policy is attested by the company's present commanding position in the brewing industry. The Springfield Brewery The Highland Brewery During prohibition the Hampden Brewery produced malt extract for Canada. **I'm not sure when the tie was broken with the Springfield name, but it might have been during this time.** In 1933, when prohibition ended, Hampden Brewery resumed beer production in kegs. By 1937 demand was so high they built a bottling department. The Harvard Brewery, Lowell, MA was bought by Hampden in 1948, and then became known as Hampden-Harvard Brewery Inc. In 1963 Hampden-Harvard bought the Piels Brothers Brewery of Brooklyn, NY. Piels Beer, and Piels Ale were now produced in Willimansette. They also produced Hedrick Beer from 1967-1974. In 1975 Schaefer Brewing Co. bought the Piels logo, and produced Piels in Pennsylvania. Schaefer did not buy the breweries. That marked the end of the Hampden beer line. Today we are in the middle of a microbrew renaissance. The Northampton Brewery, Northampton, MA was the first of the new Breweries in Western MA. They brew ales, and lagers behind a glass partition, in plain view of the restaurant, and bar, for on premises consumption. They also produce beer in 1/2 gallon "growlers" available at local package stores. Another Western MA brewery is Berkshire Brewing Co. They produce beer in 20 oz. Bottles, as well as many restaurants, and pubs have their beer on-tap. Breweries keep poping up in Westen Mass. Paper City Brewery is in Holyoke, Moonlight Brewing is in West Springfield. Thereare 2 more breweries further west in the Berkshires, The Brewery at 34 Depot St. in Pittsfield, and the Berkshire Beer Works, in Great Barrington. I'd like to thank the Chicopee Public Library, and Holyoke Public Library. References used: Holyoke Transcript Telegram, Springfield Union, and Chickupee magazine (Sharon M. McConnell's article)