Pennsylvania Breweries History: Chas. D. Kaier Company The Chas. D. Kaier Company was founded by Charles D. Kaier in 1861. Chas. D. was an agent for Bergner and Engle, a large Philadelphia brewing firm, before going into the liquor retail business on his own and eventually brewing his own beer. In the late 1870's, he convinced his cousin, Franz Kaier, to leave Germany and be the brewmaster in the brewery Chas. D. was building. He sent Franz to the American Brewing Academy in Chicago, so that he could become familiar with American brewing terms and the English language in order to have a better working relationship with the brewery employees. The brewery opened in 1880 as part of the Chas. D. Kaier Co.. In 1885, Philip Henry Fuhrman, who was the plant superintendent of the Kaier brewery and very friendly with his mentor, Chas. D. Kaier, returned from a vacation in Germany. Fuhrman, who a had accrued $25,000 in brewery stock through the generosity of his friend and mentor, Mr. Kaier, sued the Kaier Company for not managing the brewery properly while he was in Germany. Mr. Kaier quickly bought Mr. Fuhrman's stock (less than 5% of the total issued stock and terminated his employment. Mr. Fuhrman then went to Shamokin, PA, where he already had an interest in the Eagle Run Brewery. In 1896 the Eagle Run Brewery became the Fuhrman and Schmidt Brewery ( F & S ) And as many people said. "F & S was born, thanks to Chas. D. Kaier." In 1936, Kaier's bought out the new two year old Frackville Brewing Co. in Frackville, PA. They demolished the brewery buildings and removed the two-year-old equipment, moved it to Mahanoy City and used it in their new brewery which was dedicated in 1937. The Kaier brewery was sold to the Ortlieb Brewing Co. of Philadelphia PA in 1966.