Falstaff Brewing Corp. - 1962-1970 dated Brewery Stock Certificate - Important Supreme Court History

Stock neatly hole cancelled by Security-Columbian Banknote. Scarce! Available in Blue or Brown. Please specify color. 

The Falstaff Brewing Corporation has its roots in the Lemp Brewery, established in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1838. The brand name “Falstaff,” inspired by the lively Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff, was officially introduced in 1903. However, after the Lemp Brewery closed due to Prohibition in 1921, Joseph “Papa Joe” Griesedieck acquired the brand name and renamed his company the Falstaff Brewing Corporation.

During the post-Prohibition era, the brewery experienced significant growth through aggressive expansion and sports sponsorships. By 1960, it had risen to become the third-largest brewer in the United States, with production peaking in 1965 at over seven million barrels annually.

However, the company’s decline began in the late 1960s. This was partly due to a costly antitrust lawsuit following the acquisition of the Narragansett Brewing Company and the inability to compete with the substantial advertising budgets of rivals like Anheuser-Busch. Financial difficulties led to its sale in 1975 to the S&P Company, owned by Paul Kalmanovitz.

Under new management, the company faced massive layoffs and the closure of its flagship St. Louis plant in 1977. The final Falstaff brewery in Fort Wayne, Indiana, closed in 1990, marking the end of an era. Subsequently, the brand became a licensed property of the Pabst Brewing Company. Despite efforts to revive sales, Pabst officially discontinued the Falstaff label in May 2005.