A truly unique event took place in Western Ohio this past summer that generated considerable interest in the legacy of a remarkable family, their company, and their town. For ten days in July, 1995, the Diehl family of Defiance, Ohio, celebrated the 125th Anniversary of a business that started as a brewery and is today a leading dairy products company.

The Christian Diehl Brewing Company survived for 85 years from 1870 to 1955 as Defiance, Ohio's sole brewery and continued afterwards in the dairy industry. Today, the Diehl Corporation celebrated its status as a local institution with a gala organized by its current President, John Speiser and Eric Diehl, great, great grandson of the founder and a student at Ohio State University.

In the celebration, the company owners rented a vacant store front in downtown Defiance and invited the public to bring their memorabilia from the Diehl brewery for public display. The town’s people visited the exhibit on a continuous basis to reminisce about the "good old days" and occasionally bring in a great old photograph or sign to add to the exhibit.

The event also marked the return of Diehl Beer for the first time in 40 years. Mr. Speiser had contracted to have "Diehl Centennial 125th Anniversary Beer" brewed for the occasion. The 675 cases of the commemorative beer sold out almost immediately.

In the past, only one brewery supported the residents in Defiance, Ohio. The brewery began as the Jacob Karst Defiance Brewery in 1867 and produced less than 400 barrels of lager beer. Jacob Karst was the sole owner of the brewery for the first three years until he needed to expand his brewery. In 1869 or 1870 Joseph Bauer bought an interest in the business and the brewery became known as the Karst & Bauer Company, The following year, Christian Diehl came to Defiance to work for Karst and Bauer.

Christian Diehl was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany on August 21, 1842. After learning the brewing trade while living in Germany, he came to America in 1861 and worked in various breweries in New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. In 1870, he became a permanent resident of Defiance, Ohio, when Jacob Karst hired Diehl as brewmaster.

For the next seven years, several changes in brewery ownership took place. In 1871, Christian Diehl purchased Mr. Karst's interest and the company became known as Bauer and Diehl. In 1873, Alvin Bauer was admitted to the brewery and the company's name again changed to Joseph Bauer & Company. Five years later, in 1878, Alvin Bauer sold out to the other partners, and the firm was again known as Bauer & Diehl. Within a year, Christian Diehl bought Jacob Karst’s share in the company and after Joseph Bauer’s death in 1883, Christian Diehl was able to purchase Bauer’s share from his estate.

Christian Diehl continued the business alone until July 1886, when his three sons, Christian, Jr., John C. and Albert F. Diehl, were admitted to the firm. The Christian Diehl Brewing Company grew rapidly for the next ten years by bottling its own product in 1886 and used artificial refrigeration in 1889. In 1901 twelve Pfaudler glass-enameled steel chip tanks were installed.

On July 1, 1902, the brewery was incorporated with Christian Diehl as President; Albert Diehl, Vice President; Christian Diehl, Jr., Secretary and Treasurer, and John C. Diehl, Superintendent. From its fragile beginnings, the brewery eventually grew to produce over 30,000 barrels of lager beer annually.

What truly makes this Diehl story unique is the company’s reaction to national Prohibition. Like hundreds of other breweries throughout America, the Diehl family looked for a legal way to do business that would be compatible to a brewery operation. The standard answer throughout the industry was to produce near beer and soft drinks. Diehl soon began production of "Centennial Special" near beer and a line of soft drinks including such brands as "Blue Bird Parfay" and "Sundrop Orange," as well as root beer, ginger ale, and a recipe devised by the brewmaster, "Chocolate Baby." Like most of the industry, these measures met limited success and the search for a more profitable product continued.

The Christian Diehl Brewery Company ended with Prohibition and, in 1922, the family organized the Defiance Dairy Products Company. Most of the brewery was converted into a milk condensing plant. This venture carried the company and the family through 13 years of Prohibition. With Repeal in 1933, the company jumped back into beer production while maintaining the dairy operation. Centennial Beer was back on the market with a new slogan, "Dawn of a New Era." The company came out with a new brand called "Five Star" around 1950 to honor General Eisenhower.

Eighty-five years as one of America’s truly great regional breweries ended in March 1955, when the Christian Diehl Brewing Company ceased brewing. This sad event, however, did not mark the end of the company as the dairy products division continued to grow and prosper.

The brewery workers were given positions in the evaporated milk plant. John Speiser literally rose through the ranks to become the company President. He was hired as a part-time clean-up person at the brewery 44 years ago. His first taste of Diehl beer came when one of the engineer’s asked if he’d like a free beer. "If you clean up the ashes under the boilers, I’ll arrange for you to get free beer in the brewery," John was told. John, still a teenager, diligently did the dirty work in the boiler room then went to the brewery an enjoyed a beer.

Six weeks later the engineer announced John’s boiler cleaning duties were over. Another part-time teen had been hired. "By then I’d figured it out. The free beer offer was a way to get a new worker to willingly clean the boilers," said John, "the beer had always been free to employees."

Today, the Diehl Corporation is Defiance’s oldest and most important industrial plant with 125 employees. The company is a major buyer of milk throughout the region, and produces evaporated milk for retail and commercial use. An early lithograph of the brewery was reproduced on a post card issued to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the company. The plant still uses buildings that once housed the Christian Diehl Brewing Company and, according to President Speiser, the facility still appears much as it did in the post card photograph.

The events of the 125th anniversary celebration commemorated the corporate and family history of a Defiance institution. The daily events at the exhibit attracted scores of visitors each day who came to swap stories about their memories of the good old days of Diehl Beer and to view an impressive display of old advertising from a company that continues to play a prominent role in the community.

This article appeared in the American Breweriana Journal, Issue 78, Jan-Feb 1996, by Bill Carlisle