Root Beer

Description

The Independent Breweries Company was a syndicate founded in St. Louis, Missouri, by the combination of Griesediecks’ National Brewery, Columbia (Alpen Brau), the Gast brewery in Baden, A.B.C., and Wagner Brewing Company. This combination was ill fated due to high overhead with too many executives and low profits forcing IBC into receivership. The IBC Root Beer was the main survivor of the syndicate.

IBC Root Beer was founded in 1919 by the Griesedieck family as the Independent Breweries Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Root beer found a market as a legal beverage during the era of Prohibition. The Independent Breweries Company closed, but the trademark was purchased by the Kranzberg family, who operated the Northwestern Bottling Company. In the late 1930s, it was sold to the National Bottling Company, owned by the Shucart family. Popularity and distribution declined after World War II.

In 1976, the IBC trademark was sold to Taylor Beverages, which was then sold to the Seven-Up Company in 1980. After Dr Pepper and 7 Up merged in 1986, distribution of IBC became national throughout the United States. Ultimately Dr Pepper/Seven Up was acquired by Cadbury Schweppes in 1995.