New Jersey Breweries History: P. Ballantine & Sons
The nucleus of the Ballantine Breweries was formed in Albany, N. Y.
in 1826, by Peter Ballantine who then moved to Newark in 1840. The lager beer
brewery was started in 1879 with the corporation of P. Ballantine & Sons being
formed in 1883.
In 1943, Ballantine acquired the Christian Feiganspan Brewery also of
Newark and ran this as a second brewery until 1948, when it was closed. Their brands
included P.O.N. (Pride of Newark) and Munich. By 1950 Ballantine was the third
largest brewer in America, surpassed only by Schlitz and A-B.
After 20 years of declining sales, the Ballantine brands and distribution
were sold to Falstaff in 1972 which produced ballentine beers at the Falstaff Brewery
at Cranston, R.I. After the closure of Cranston, brewing of Ballantine moved
to Ft Wayne and then 1990, to Pabst in Milwaukee. This site was shut down in 1996 and
production was then shifted to contract brewing at Miller in Eden,NC then to the
former Stroh plant in Lehigh Valley, PA and finally contract brewed at Miller
in Trenton, OH.
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