Christian Schmidt arrived in 1851. We opened the doors in 2020.
Philadelphia's lager family, back at the kettle. Czech and German lagers, four weeks cold, in a Norristown warehouse.
Same family. Same yeast. One pour at a time.
From C. Schmidt and Son to Stanbridge Street.
Christian Schmidt arrived in Philadelphia from Württemberg in 1851. By the late 1850s he had partnered with a Northern Liberties brewery; by 1863 he was sole proprietor. The firm became C. Schmidt & Sons in 1892 and grew into one of the city's anchor lager houses. The family ran it for more than a century. Recipes were handwritten. Cellars were spoken about at the dinner table.
We grew up in that culture. In 2020, we opened von C Brewing Co. on Stanbridge Street in Norristown to carry the lager forward. Walk in: the tanks are right there. There's a Schmidt's mural the size of a wall. Your beer comes out of a Czech side-pull faucet.
Our O.G. Pils is built on the classic Pre-Prohibition American Pilsener formula — 2-row and 6-row barley, flaked maize, four weeks cold. In 2023, it took Gold at the World Beer Cup® in the American-Style Pilsener category. The medal is on the wall. The beer is still $6 on a Wednesday.
Norristown made sense as home. We're members of the Chamber of Commerce. We pour at First Fridays. The brewery is here because our family is from here.
Four Weeks in the Tank.
Every lager passes through the same sequence: mash, lauter, boil, ferment cold, lager four weeks. Nothing leaves the tank early.
- Taproom
- 2,500 sq ft · 80 indoor seats
- Beer Garden
- 60 seats · seasonal · dog-friendly
- Taps
- Czech side-pull faucets · 14+ pours
- Capacity
- 140 guests
- Lager Malt
- All-German Weyermann
- Conditioning
- 4 weeks minimum cold
- Glassware
- Custom von C branded pint
- License
- PA PLCB brewery · active
We Live Here.
Calling the Chamber of Commerce was one of the first things we did when we signed the lease. First Fridays, the Italian Heritage Festival, the Arts Hill Festival — we show up.
SEPTA's Manayunk/Norristown line drops you at the Transportation Center, 8 minutes on foot. No car required from Center City. Genuinely local, genuinely accessible, genuinely worth the trip.
Licenses, recognitions, and the public record.
- 2023 World Beer Cup® Gold — American-Style Pilsener (O.G. Pils)
- Brewers Association Certified Independent Craft Brewer
- Pennsylvania PLCB brewery license — active
- Norristown Chamber of Commerce member
- Men's Journal — #2, 'Best Breweries in the World You Haven't Heard Of' (2023)
- Philadelphia Magazine — Foobooz Best Craft Lagers (Sept 2023)
- Breweries in PA — Best New Brewery in PA (2021)
- Cape Beverage — New Jersey distribution partner (since March 2022)
- Featured: The Philadelphia Citizen, Main Line Today, Mid-Atlantic Brewing News
Work Hard. Play Hard. Drink Local.
Open Wed–Sun at 1210 Stanbridge Street, Norristown PA