In 1872 Buffalo’s human population was about 117,714 and it’s brewery population was 35!   This gave 1872 Buffalo a brewery density  of 3,000 people/brewery.   By comparison, Portland OR today,  with 53 breweries for 529,000 people, has a density of ~9000 people/brewery.   In 1872 Buffalo was also a major malt producing city and NYS  grew almost all US hops (see history articles on Northeastern Hops Alliance)!  Buffalo was a very large brewing center in a state that was the clear brewing leader of it’s time.  Sometimes it’s a good thing when history repeats itself.

GERHARD LANG –THE BIGGEST BADEST BUFFALO BRAUMESITER EVER!!! Annual production capacity of almost 300,000 barrels, or 75 million pints! Jawohl!

Gerhard was born in Germany in 1834. At age 14, Gerhard knew no English when his father, Jacob Lang, brought him to Buffalo.

Source: History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County, H. Perry Smith, editor. Syracuse: D. Mason & Co., 1884, Vol. II, p. 77

At its peak, Buffalo boasted over 35 breweries (in 1872*) with the largest belonging to Gerhard Lang. Lang, who had built himself a “Palace Brewery” — so named because of its opulent Victorian design. The grand hall was lined with marble and the courtyard had a beautiful water fountain for the visitors to view. Lang’s would go down in history as the largest single plant brewery Buffalo would ever know, with an annual production capacity of nine million gallons of beer per year. — Stephen R. Powell, Was Buffalo, Saloon Capital of The World?