Most people don’t know that the “Father of Lager Beer” lays in rest here in Wilmington, and the founders of the new Wilmington Brew Works are aiming to change that.

It turns out the gravesite of Delaware brewing pioneer Christian Krauch has been without a marker since his death 148 years ago. According to historian John Medkeff, author of Brewing in Delaware, Krauch was “one of America’s earliest lager beer brewers and perhaps the most significant figure in the state’s brewing history.”

Krauch got his start brewing ale in his Philadelphia saloon after his arrival from Bavaria in 1838. By 1850, Krauch had relocated his saloon and brewing business to Wilmington and introduced lager beer to the First State. He was a respected elder of Wilmington’s German community and helped found the singing club that would later become the Delaware Saengerbund.

Sadly, Krauch died penniless in 1870 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

Wilmington Brew Works – the first production brewery to open in Wilmington in more than 60 years as reported here on TSD – has been working with Medkeff and Krauch family descendants on plans to place a granite monument on Krauch’s cemetery plot at the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery. Organizers are hoping to raise the $2,700 needed for the memorial within the next several months.

The Miller Road brewery recently paid homage to the pioneering German brewer with a helles bock named “Krauch’s Creation.” The brewery is now supporting the Christian Krauch Memorial Fund by donating a portion of beer sales to the effort. Beer lovers are welcome to support the fundraising campaign at www.plumfund.com/memorial-fund/krauch .

Though Krauch never expanded his business beyond his King Street saloon, he inspired and greatly influenced the generation of Wilmington brewers who followed him.

With the popularity of and demand for lager beer dramatically increasing after the Civil War, Krauch disciples John Fehrenbach and Joseph Stoeckle helped transform what was once a modest occupation into one of Delaware’s most profitable industries.

Fate would not be as kind to Krauch, and his humble brewing operation was eclipsed by Wilmington’s larger breweries. Over time, Krauch and his contributions to Delaware brewing history have been largely forgotten.