Rudolph J. Schaefer, Jr. ran The F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company from 1927, through Prohibition and the Great Depression, until 1968. He published The Schaefer Story in 1980, 2 years before his death. The Schaefer Story is a 99 page dialogue detailing the history of the Schaefer family and brewery. It is the reason this blog exists.
Chapter IV of this blog is the full, first-hand Schaefer beer story told by RJS, Jr. It’s “Chapter IV” here because that’s what it was in the original text.
Rudolph was my great-grandfather. We all knew him as “Pie” do to someone – my dad I believe – not being able to pronounce “grampa” as a baby. I was only 10 when he died but my memories of him are vivid and warm. He was a great story teller and would gather all of his great-grandkids around to tell them about giants who lived on his property in Mamaroneck, NY. We all believed him because there was truth in everything he said and they were his stories, from his giant imagination.
His story telling shines through in the Chapter IV text just as his imaginative mind shows in the incredibly forward-thinking work he did with marketing, public relations and advertising during his tenure at the helm of the Schaefer success story, which happened to be a brewery. For those who feel marketing is “fluff,” or anything short of a major component of business, I would contend that Pie’s marketing acumen not only aided but was directly responsible for the success of The F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company.
Please enjoy this blog responsibly.
The Schaefer Story 
How great is this? Our “Pie” – yes……he was one of a kind, and I am very proud to be his grand daughter….. I was 21 when he passed! He is always in my heart!
Hey Marcie!
Hi Marcie … your Dad gave me some yeast and hops when I was at Stoneligh-Burnham for my “home brewery” – Schaefer just made a “return” to my local beer distributor here in Harrisburg, PA … bough a 30-pack … tastes as great as always!
Rick Needham
I met Mr. Schaefer twice. My dad was a regional sales manager for the company and Mr. Schaefer invited dad and I to go to the NFL Championship game in Cleveland in December, 1965….Mr. Schaefer owned a large minority of the Cleveland Browns. Meeting the “Boss” was intimidating until he questioned if the issue of being allowed to drive the company car has been solved to my satisfaction.
The second meeting was in the press box at Franklin Field in Philadelphia when “his” Cleveland Browns were playing the Eagles. I was working as TV crew member, I saw him about to pass and introduced myself. He actually THANKED me for stopping and chatting, and wanted to know if my dad was at the game. A Schaefer daughter (Mrs. Combs?) lived in the Philadelphia area and I believe the young people with him were grandchildren.
Thank you Combs Family for keeping the torch burning bright!
A little known fact. RJ Schaefer Jr was RJ Schaefer Sr. until I was born. Due to the Social Security Act of 1935 no longer could one assume the the name of those gone before. On my birth both my grandfather and dad had to change their names.
Rudolph J Schaefer IV (Rudie)
That is really interesting and I don’t remember seeing it anywhere in Pie’s text. Thanks for posting. Keep it coming!
Who r you? Don’t recognize the address……?