A REAL SURPRISE

I can’t believe the huge number of micro brewery’s that have developed over the past decade or so. In the fifties we only had two breweries in the whole state, Cremo and Hull’s.  Cremo in New Britain and Hulls, I believe in New Haven. I have a bit of a soft spot for both of them. I delivered a great deal of Cremo when helping out at my uncle’s Beaver Package store. If you had to make a pickup at the Cremo loading dock you saw something that you would never see in today’s world. You had the opportunity to draw yourself a free glass of beer right on the outside loading dock. Cremo waa a popular beer and even became popular in New York when they came out with their Diplomat brand in a clear glass bottle.

I don’t remember too much about Hull’s, but In Scottie’s Restaurant, our family bar, I pulled the handle and drew many glasses of Hull’s which was the bar’s signature draft beer.  My dad was so loyal to the local Hulls beer that even though the taps showed many different beers, all the lines were attached to kegs of Hulls in the cellar. Not legal but that was a long time ago.

Now back to today.  I was very excited to read an article about Cremo in the New Britain Herald and thought I would reproduce it in part in case you haven’t had the opportunity to read it:

Raise a glass to the rebirth of Cremo Beer

NEW BRITAIN - Prepare to travel back in time Saturday at Alvarium Beer Co. with the revival of Cremo Beer, the iconic local brew of the 1940s and 1950s. Alvarium has teamed up with Avery’s Beverages to bring back the beer, known throughout the state and the Northeast in its day as “Connecticut’s Best.” Avery’s Beverages obtained the trademark for Cremo a few years ago. “When the guys from Alvarium came along; I knew they would be the perfect partners to make Cremo a reality,” said Rob Metz of Avery’s.  “Alvarium ended up locating their facility a couple blocks from where the old Cremo factory was, and was further proof that the rebirth was meant to be.”

“(Cremo) was an important part of New Britain’s history,” said Chris DeGasero, head brewer and co-owner at Alvarium. “Everyone we talked to always remembered back when it was open. ... We wanted to bring that back in a big way.”

It all started in 1905, when a New Britain Lithuanian, John Skirtusky, and a group of investors reopened the failed Zunner Health Beer Co. - founded on Belden Street in 1903 - as the Cremo Brewing Co. Unlike its predecessor, Cremo thrived until the arrival of Prohibition in 1920. The brewery was able to stay open by making a low-alcohol “near beer,” but in 1922 federal agents charged the company with violating 13 provisions of the national Prohibition and Revenue Act, according to Karen Hudkins, director of the New Britain Industrial Museum. Hudkins added that, in that same year, hundreds of barrels of beer with 5 and 6 percent alcohol content from Cremo were emptied into the sewers.

“The plan was to sell the apparatus and lock the doors because … it is a losing proposition to run a brewery in Prohibition land,” Hudkins said.

Once Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Cremo opened its doors again with a new brewmaster. The reopening brought over 5,000 people out to the brewery to celebrate. The next 15 years marked the most successful period of Cremo’s history. The plant was upgraded and a bottling line was added, followed by a canning line in 1938. Cremo’s beer was distributed under a variety of brands, with production of over 50,000 barrels per year.

By the late 1940s, labor strife and increased pressure on the operation from rising material and labor costs began to affect the business. The quality suffered and competition increased, forcing the closing of the brewery in 1955. “We are extremely excited that the famous Cremo Beer, which was a mainstay for generations of New Britain residents, can be enjoyed once again. Cremo conjures up a time period in our city when industry was in its golden era,” said Mayor Erin Stewart. “It’s wonderful to see a long established business in our community - Avery’s Beverages - team up with Alvarium to revive Cremo and introduce it to a whole new generation of beer drinkers.”

For those who were around during the days of Cremo, Saturday’s relaunched beverage won’t taste exactly how you might have remembered it. DeGasero, who was tasked with re-creating the Cremo brew, said rather than searching for one of the many original recipes, he wanted to do things differently. “We found it more fun and challenging to reimagine Cremo as a single beer; using ingredients that were commonplace at that point in time while marrying it to modern brewing practices,” DeGasero said.

For more information, contact Rob Metz at 860-224-0830, info@averysoda.com or Brian Bugnacki at 860-357-2039, info@alvariumbeer.com

I can’t wait to try a glass or two….why not join me.